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46. The Beginning of Creatures

1. Only God is necessarily eternal. Now, absolutelyspeaking, God could create from eternity, so that creatures shouldexist without a beginning. But God does not need to create frometernity, nor, for that matter, does God need to create at all. Andin creatures we discover no reason for supposing that God hascreated from eternity.

2. By revelation (Gen. 1:1) we know that God's eternal will and decree to create are a will and decree to create in time.For, "In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.. . ." But apart from revelation and our faith, we cannot prove that the world did not always exist; that is, that God did not create from eternity. But we can prove that even a beginningless world is a created world, a caused world. For eternal matter, if it existed, would not be causeless matter; it would still have being by participation and not by necessity.

3. God created in the beginning of time. Time itself came into existence with the creation of things.

"Lord, take from me everything that hinders me from going to You. give me all that will lead me to You. Take me from myself and give me to Yourself."
St Nicholas Flue

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"What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. "
Thomas á Kempis

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"God commands not impossibilities, but by commanding he suggests to you to do what you can, to ask for what is beyond your strength; and he helps you, that you may be able."
St Augustine

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