Question 9 – What did God do before he created the world?  

Continuing with the exploration and reflection through a series of articles written in a conversational language about Catholicism, about God, about Jesus, about the Church and many other faith related topics. Here we present:

Question 9 – What did God do before he created the world?  

Before God* created the world, he did what he has always done and will do: he loved. After all, God is love. Everything God does or does not do has to do with love. People like to ask the question about the before and the after. As far as God is concerned, this question is somewhat problematic. Before God created the world there was no time, and if there is no time, there can be no before and after. Only eternity. The time has only come through creation*. From then on the sequence of events began: past, present and future. So time itself was also created by God.

God is love and when God creates, it means that he no longer wants to keep that love for himself. He wants to share his love with something or someone outside him. It is part of God’s being that he creates, because true love reaches beyond itself. God has no choice but to create with love that is overflowing. That is why God’s creation is not something one-off. Something from long ago. No, God creates constantly. If God would cease to create for just one moment, everything that is would immediately stop existing. The whole creation exists and continues to exist thanks to God’s creative power of love.

– God is love. What does that mean for you?
– Do you believe that God constantly creates and gives life to everything that exists?

Feel free to leave your thoughts, reflections or comments below.

Watch this space! Coming up: Question 10 – Is God a man or a woman?  

Follow these links to go back to Question 1 – Is believing exceptional? , Question 2 – Is Faith for simple souls? , Question 3 – Can you be a Christian and yet doubt your faith? , Question 4 – Can a believer be critical?Question 5 – Can faith and science get along?Question 6 – Are you born a Christian?, Question 7 – Can a human being meet God?, and Question 8 – Did God create the world in seven days? 

If you wish to learn more about this resource follow this link  “52 Questions and Answers about faith

About the author:

Nikolaas Sintobin, SJ, joined the Society of Jesus in 1989, following a short career as a lawyer. He was trained as a Jesuit in Brussels, Paris, and Santiago de Chile. Today he is a spiritual director who is keenly interested in online ministry and discovering new ways to help people find God.

This text is republished with the permission of Messenger Publications, Ireland. To buy a hard copy of the book click here.