Continuing from the previous couple of articles in the “faith chapter” of Hebrews 11, we encounter a verse that we might normally skip over, but which still talks about faith.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:3 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.11.3.NIV
When I was younger, I studied quite a bit about the intersection of the book of Genesis and what we can learn from science. From my perspective, scientific observations make even more sense when we also view the Bible (even though it’s not a classical “science textbook”) as a book of truth from which we can glean information about how the world works and how it came to be. While the Bible has never given us all of the answers that we might be curious about (and, I think that’s intentional), it does give us all of the answers that we need, along with Who to go to for more information. Conversely, while I’m a big fan of science, not all scientists’ conclusions can be true, since they sometimes contradict the Bible and sometimes contradict each other. So, I don’t think that we’ve run out of things to learn from God’s creation, yet!
However, no matter how you believe that God brought the current world into existence, once we believe the Bible is true, we understand that the world that we know was spoken into existence by God. In fact, the NASB footnote says that the literal word translated “universe” or “world” is actually “ages”. So, I read this as saying that God made both the world and time. (Having said that, as noted by Girdwood & Verkruyse, p.343, any strong view on how the world came to be requires faith. The question is what we put our faith in: God or our own human ideas!)
However, without getting into the arguments for one creation theory or another, let’s get back to this verse and ask ourselves, “Why was it important enough for the author of Hebrews to mention the belief that God created the universe, here in this chapter about faith?” I propose some possible reasons why this verse is here (and, you may have more ideas – feel free to share them in the comments).
- Since God created the world, He is in charge of it. Formally, God is sovereign over the world, so He has the authority to say what should and shouldn’t happen in it.
- Since God created the world, He knows how it works. As a result, when our faith also gives us the confidence that He is holy and loving, the logical conclusion is that what God is telling us to do is the best possible plan for our lives.
- Since God created the world, He can still work in it. So, in faith, we can be certain that God can provide for us, whether that’s superseding the laws of physics, or just arranging circumstances for our good.
- Since God created the world, He is greater than it, and so He can offer us more than what the material world could ever give us.
- Since God created the world, He knows what our purpose is. Only through the Creator can we understand why He chose to put us here.
So, while it might seem strange at first to include a reminder about God creating the world into a discussion about faith, faith in God’s role as Creator is foundational to many other kinds of faith. The fact God created the world gives Him many rights and responsibilities (the latter generally being self-imposed by His nature and His promises). He certainly keeps up His part of the covenant with us, but we must choose to do our part, too.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for April 12, 2026
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Hebrews, by Jim Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
