Q: What else did God make? A: God made all things.
(Genesis 1, esp. vv. 1, 31; Acts 14:15; Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:16)
In Genesis 1 we see that God created “the heavens & the earth.” This is a way of saying that God created everything. It is meant to be taken as inclusive of everything. The rest of Genesis 1 goes into further detail about what God did after this initial act of creation and ends with God’s assessment of his work, “and behold, it was very good.”
In Acts 14:15 we see Paul called gentiles to stop their blasphemous worship of dead idols (vain things) to the living God who created everything.
In Romans 11:36 we see the explicit statement God is the source, sustainer, and goal of all things.
Previous passages have shown the work of the Father & Spirit in creation, but in Colossians 1:16 we see the work of the Son in creation, being credited with all creation by him, through him, and for him.
While not mentioned by the catechism, I’d like to also mention John 1:3. Absolutely anything that has been made, ever, has been made by God the Son, the living Word of God.
Why does any of this matter? If I already know that I am created by God, what difference does it make if everything else is too?
For starters, our relationship to God hinges on our knowing this. Unlike the Greek gods of the past, or the many representations of God that we see in the world around us today, the Living God stands outside of and above creation. He IS NOT just a man who is elevated or exalted. He is not a part of the material universe. He is the one who brings, by his mere word, everything into being. He is a God worthy of our awe filled worship indeed.
This Creator – creation divide is one of the distinguishing factors of Christianity. Our God is totally other from us, and his relation to us is not based on any need in himself, or outside law requiring it of him. He creates and loves his creatures by his mere good pleasure.
Further, since God created all things, he has ruling authority over all things. There is no part of his creation that is outside of his control. Our God reigns over all because he created all. No part of creation is running like a runaway train that God is simply doing the best he can to stop. He created everything and he sustains it today. If he didn’t want it to keep running, he wouldn’t have to reach out and stop it, he could simply no longer hold it in existence.
This applies to people too. God’s authority over people isn’t just over those who have turned to him through the Lord Jesus. While unbelievers may spurn and reject his authority in rebellion, His rule extends to all men everywhere as we saw in Acts 14.
Lastly, the physical world is good. It has been affected by the fall, but not corrupted. Man may use, to the glory of God, or abuse, in rebellion & sin, everything that God created. There are some Christians who believe that crucifying “the flesh with its passions and desires” means not enjoying the world as God has given it to us or the things in the world. In their minds, austerity is the sincerest form of spirituality. This is not so! We are aware of many sins of abusing the created realm, such as promiscuity and adultery, drunkenness, gluttony, laziness, etc. However, when we require the abstinence from, rather than the right use of marital relations, alcohol, food, and rest, we are denying the goodness of God’s creation, and by extension denying the goodness of our Creator God.
Much more could be said on these matters, but I promised brevity.
Grace & Peace,