Article 6

Of the creation of all things visible and invisible, and of the creation of man, we confess: That the only, almighty, and wonder-working God, who is the origin of all good, and for whose sake all things are created and have their being, created, among other invisible things, also a multitude of many thousand angels, whom He has set as ministering and immortal spirits in His worshipful glory, to minister to their Creator, and to offer Him praise, honor, and thanks; and who are sent out by God, as messengers, to minister in many ways for men who shall be heirs of salvation; and with these angels of God, Christ Jesus shall appear in the clouds of heaven, to hold judgment over all men. And He shall glorify all who believe and please God, and make them like the glorious, immortal angels, and crown them with all holy angels in everlasting glory.

But as some of these angels became unfaithful and apostate to God, their Creator, they were, through their own voluntary sin or pride, rejected by the holy and righteous God, who is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and were cast down from the glorious state of heaven to hell, bound with chains of darkness and reserved until the great day of judgment, to be sentenced with all unbelievers to eternal damnation.

These impure spirits, or devils, are called: the prince of darkness and spirit of wickedness, who rules in the air and works in the children of disobedience; with whom all unbelievers, who are governed and led astray by Satan, are in fellowship. And as all believers are in the society or brotherhood of the holy angels, and shall enjoy eternal salvation with them; so, on the other hand, all unbelievers shall have to endure everlasting damnation with all impure or apostate angels, with whom unbelievers are in fellowship.

Likewise, God Almighty, in the beginning, out of nothing, in a most wonderful manner, and above all human reason and understanding, created heaven, the earth, and the sea, with all their glorious adornment, He, the Blessed, only saying: "Let heaven and earth be made; and his word was a perfect work." He also adorned the heavens with many glorious lights: two great lights, one to rule and light the day, and the other to rule the night; together with many glorious stars, which He ordained for the honor of their Creator, and the service of men.

So also, the Lord Almighty endowed the earth with many glorious fountains and running rivers, and adorned it with many kinds of trees and animals, and with all that lives and moves on it. And He created the sea with great whales and various kinds of fish, for the needs of man, together with all that lives and moves in it. And He established the earth out of the water and in the water, by His almighty and everlasting word. They shall be preserved until the last great day of judgment.

After God, the Lord, in five days had most wisely and excellently created heaven, and earth, and the sea, together with all visible things, He, on the sixth day, formed man from the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life; and from his rib made Eve, a woman, and gave her to him as a helper. Moreover, He loved them above all other creatures, and clothed them like Himself with divine virtues, which are righteousness and true holiness; endowing them with wisdom, speech, and reason, that they might know, fear, and love their Creator, and serve Him in voluntary obedience. He placed them as lords over all creatures, endowing them with immortality, that they might be and live before Him, and rule and reign over all creatures which God the Lord created.

Concerning this wonderful creation, read: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4, verse 11.

"For by him all things were created, that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and in him." Colossians 1, verse 16; Psalm 33, verse 6.

Regarding the angels, read: "He makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Hebrews 1, verses 7 and 14; Psalm 104, verse 4.

Concerning the apostasy of the angels, read: "For if God did not spare the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains and darkness, to be reserved for judgment." Second Peter 2, verse 4; Jude, verse 6; Luke 10, verse 18; Isaiah 14, verse 8; Revelation 12, verse 4.

Regarding the creation of the visible things, read: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1, verse 1; John 1, verse 3; Psalm 33, verse 6.

God said: "Let heaven and earth be made; and Your word was a perfect work." Second Esdras 6, verse 38.

"For Your almighty hand, that made the world of matter without form." Wisdom 11, verse 17.

"I beseech you, my son, look upon the heaven, and the earth, and all that is in them, and consider that God made them of things that were not; and so was mankind made likewise." Second Maccabees 7, verse 28.

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which appear." Hebrews 11, verse 3; Acts 17, verse 24; Psalm 146, verse 6; Psalm 148, verse 5.

Concerning the creation of man, read: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Genesis 1, verse 26.

"And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2, verse 7; Acts 17, verse 25; First Corinthians 15, verse 45.

How man was created, read: "This only I have found, that God has made man upright." Ecclesiastes 7, verse 29; Genesis 1, verse 26; Genesis 5, verse 1.

"For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity." Wisdom 2, verse 23; Sirach 17, verse 1.

"And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4, verse 24.

"And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Genesis 1, verse 31; Deuteronomy 32, verse 4. [n531-1]