Calling Into Existence What Does Not Exist

It is God’s unique nature to create things out of nothing. While modern science has achieved many remarkable inventions that cause people to marvel, every discovery relies on what already exists. Scientists must depend on natural resources as raw materials, and often on animals for testing and refinement, before their ideas can be brought into reality. In contrast, God requires no raw materials to bring forth what He desires. His creations are perfect and complete from the very beginning, with no need for testing or adjustment.

Put To Death The Misdeeds of The Body

Although God’s creative power is evident in all His works, it became especially clear when He blessed Abraham with a child. Even though Abraham’s body had lost its natural ability, God gave him a son, proving His power to bring life where none existed. This encounter led Abraham to trust God in every part of his life, earning him the title “father of faith.” Paul reminded his readers of Abraham’s story, declaring that God calls into existence what does not yet exist.

As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. — Romans 4:17 (NIV)

During His ministry, Jesus called the dead back to life by His word. While the dead obeyed God’s command instantly, those who are alive often struggle to obey because the desires of the flesh resist the will of God. This is why Scripture instructs us to put the flesh to death and live by the Spirit.

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. — Romans 8:13 (NIV)

Many believers expect God to bring into being what is lacking in their lives, yet they often resist putting to death the works of the flesh. But God meets us in our weakness with His strength. Where we fall short of righteousness, He provides His righteousness. Where life is lost, He restores it through His Son. When we choose to die to sin, He gives us eternal life and adopts us into His family.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” — John 11:25 (NIV)

We often fear letting go of the things we rely on, thinking we will have nothing left to sustain us. Yet God is powerful to restore us when we abandon sinful sources of security. The sobering truth is that the enemy often supplies us with strength and courage to do evil. That is why we fear losing that strength—wondering how we could survive without it. But if we ask God to free us from the strength that comes from the evil one, it may feel as if we are left lifeless for a moment. Yet immediately, God raises us up by pouring His Spirit into us. When Jesus cast out an evil spirit from a boy, the child collapsed as though dead, but Jesus took him by the hand, lifted him up, and he was restored (Mark 9:26-27).

Jesus Christ is same yesterday, today and forever, and He is always ready to give us His life (John 10:10).

How Could God Forgive Our Sin Even Before We Were Born?

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. – 1 John 2:2 (NIV)

We know that when God offered His Son as a sacrifice for our sins, the sins of all humanity were forgiven. Jesus died for our sins and was raised by God so that we might be made righteous. This forgiveness is not restricted to those who lived during the time of the crucifixion two thousand years ago but extends to those who lived before, those living now, and even those yet to be born.

God forgives our sins even before we commit them. Our responsibility is to turn back to Him in confession, for He already knows what we have done. When Jesus foretold Peter’s denial, His words carried not only a warning but also forgiveness, giving Peter the opportunity to return, confess, and affirm his love for the Lord. In the same way, when Jesus told Judas Iscariot to carry out his betrayal, His love and forgiveness were present even then. Yet Judas failed to repent, wrongly assuming that God was unaware of his plan. God knows our past, present, and future; therefore, we should never hesitate to return to Him whenever we sin.

Some may question how God could forgive sins even before a person exists. To understand this, we must remember that God calls into being what does not exist. Though we were not alive two thousand years ago, God had already known us by name and granted us forgiveness. As the writer of Hebrews says, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). This means that Jesus, even before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs, saw us as children of His Father. On the cross, He pleaded for our forgiveness, and the Father, in His overflowing love and mercy, forgave us on the day He offered His Son as the atonement for our sins. If we understand God as the One who calls the nonexistent into being, then we must also accept that He can extend forgiveness even before our lives began.

With this assurance, we must stand firm in the confidence of God’s forgiveness and not let the evil one deceive us. With this understanding, we should pray to grasp how wide, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—so that we may be filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18–19).