As Creator, Father, and Saviour, God creates out of nothing and renews humankind through His word. How does this work? The Chief Apostle sheds light on this.
Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider began his sermon on 9 January 2026 in Embu, Kenya, with a Bible text from Hebrews 11: 3: “By 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 are visible.”
The Chief Apostle referred to the First Article of Faith, underlining how important it is that we concentrate on the things that are important and relevant for strengthening our faith: “I believe in God, the Father, the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth.”
Visible world versus invisible world
“God created the visible world, but also the invisible world.” The entire earth is visible, as is each one of us. God decided “that every single one of us should be born”, the Chief Apostle said. The immortal soul, however, with which He created every human being is invisible. This means that even if we died, our soul lives on, he continued.
The invisible world also includes the realm of the dead, which was created by God. This is where the soul goes after the body has died. “He has even created a place we call the kingdom of heaven,” the Chief Apostle continued, “where human beings can live with God for eternity, in perfect fellowship”. The first person in the kingdom of heaven was Jesus Christ.
Love, care, and redemption
God is also the Father, the Chief Apostle said. “He is a loving and caring God who cares for His creation.” He watches over all the creatures He has created: “He knows everything about you. Even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” He knows exactly what everyone’s thoughts, needs, and wishes are.
God the Father loves sinners. As in the story of the prodigal son, “He wants human beings to come back to Him and have fellowship with Him again.” It was out of love that God sent His Son to earth to save humankind, the Chief Apostle continued.
“And because He loves us, He has allowed us to become His children through the rebirth out of water and the Spirit.” And this is how we could become joint heirs with Christ and can have eternal fellowship with God in His kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.
A new creation and a new people
To complete His work of salvation, God creates new things: “a new creation and a new people”. The new creation, namely us, is reborn out of water and the Spirit: “We have not only become children of God, but also a new creation in Christ.” And it is this new creation—which we call the bride of Christ—that God wants to save, the Chief Apostle said. This is the new creation of God.
God is almighty. “He created heaven and earth out of nothing,” both the visible and the invisible. He is not limited by the things that exist. “He does not need anything to do something.” Even the imperfection of the church is no obstacle for Him. “Out of sinful people, He can create the perfect bride of Christ,” the Chief Apostle said.
One word suffices
“God creates everything with His word.” With the power of His word, He separated light from darkness, good from evil, sinful behaviour from holy behaviour. His word suffices for the new creation. “He gives us His word.” And whoever puts it into practice can enter the kingdom of God.
“What does that mean for us in our daily lives?” Let us
trust in God: “We trust the Creator. He will give us what we need as long as we respect His will.”
nourish our soul: “We take care of our soul as much as we take care of our body.” Our soul is immortal. It is nourished by the word of God, which we receive in the divine services. Our soul needs to be sealed.
open our ears: “What God tells us is more important than what our eyes can see.”
trust in God’s omnipotence: “We trust in God because we know that He is so great and almighty that He can create everything out of nothing.”
be determined: What is relevant and decisive for the future? “It is what I do with God’s word. If I put it into practice, the conditions I live in do are irrelevant. God will save me.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, these were just a few thoughts on this First Article of Faith,” the Chief Apostle and said, adding an appeal: “Please take a moment to think about the following: what does that mean for me?”
Photo: NAC Kenya
