CREATION, THE BEGINNING 0F THE ECONOMY 0F SALVATION

51 The entire world created out of nothing is the world in which salvation and redemption are in fact accomplished through Jesus Christ.

Already in the Old Testament the truth of God’s creative action is not presented as an abstract philosophical principle; rather, it enters the minds of the Israelites, with the help of a notion of the oneness of God, as a message declaring the power and victory of Yahweh, as the basis for showing that the Lord remains always with his people (cf. isa. 40, 27-28; 51, 9-13). The omnipotence of God the Creator is also manifested in a splendid way in Christ’s resurrection, wherein is revealed "the immeasurable scope cf his power" (Eph. 1, 19).

For this reason the truth of creation is not to be presented simply as a truth standing by itself, tom from the rest, but as something which is in fact ordered to the salvation wrought by

Jesus Christ. The creation of visible and invisible things, of the world and of angels, is the beginning of the mystery of salvation :(cf. DV, 3); the creation of man (cf. Pius XII, Encyci. Humani generis, AAS, 1950, p. 575; GS, 12, 14) is to be regarded as the :first gift and the first call that leads to glorification in Christ (cf. ~Rom. 8, 29-30). When a Christian hears the explanation of the doctrine about creation, besides thinking about the first act whereby God "created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1, 1), he should turn his mind b ail the salvific undertakings of God. These things are always present in the history of man and of the world; they also shine forth especially in the history of Israel; they lead to the supreme event of Christ’s resurrection; and, finally, they will be brought to completion al the end of the world, when there will be "new heavens and a new earth" (cf. 2 Pet. 3, 13).