This is a profound question that many have pondered. The Bible does not give a direct answer, but it does provide some clues that can help us think about what God was doing before creation.
God has always existed
The Bible teaches that God is eternal and has always existed (Psalm 90:2). He was not created and did not come into being at a point in time. God exists outside of time and space since He created those dimensions. As Revelation 1:8 states, God is “the Alpha and the Omega,” who is and who was and who is to come. God has always been God from eternity past.
God enjoyed perfect fellowship and love
Before God created the universe, He existed in perfect love and fellowship between the persons of the Trinity – God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus speaks about the glory He had with the Father “before the world existed” (John 17:5). The persons of the Trinity have had perfect communion and love for one another for all eternity.
God’s eternal plan of redemption
The Bible indicates that God’s plan of redemption was established in eternity past, even before He created the world. Scripture speaks of believers being chosen “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). Jesus is called “the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). God knew ahead of time that mankind would fall and planned to send Christ to redeem us.
God’s sovereignty over all things
As an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present being, God has eternally existed as sovereign over all things. His purposes and plans cannot be thwarted (Job 42:2). Since God inhabits eternity (Isaiah 57:15), nothing takes Him by surprise. He works all things together for His glory and according to His good purposes.
God as a creative being
Since God is the source of all beauty, truth, and creativity, we can deduce that He expressed these attributes eternally prior to creating the physical universe. God did not need to create the world out of boredom or loneliness. Rather, creation was an overflow of God’s eternally creative nature and an act of love to share existence with other beings.
God was actively sustaining creation
The Bible indicates that Christ, the eternal Son of God, was involved in creating and sustaining all things even before taking on human form. Colossians 1:16-17 says, “For by Him all things were created…and in Him all things hold together.” Christ was actively involved in preserving creation even before His incarnation.
We have limited knowledge
Ultimately, the full truth about what God was doing before creation remains a mystery to finite human minds. As God declares in Isaiah 55:8-9, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.” We can only understand what God has chosen to reveal in Scripture.
God was planning the creation of mankind
The Bible indicates that humanity was the pinnacle of God’s creation. God uniquely created man and woman in His own image and had a relationship with them in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1-2). This intimate fellowship between God and man appears to have been a major purpose behind God’s act of creation.
Ephesians 1:4 says God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” This indicates God was planning to create and redeem mankind even before He spoke the universe into existence. The creation and salvation of humanity brought great glory to God.
Angels praised God before creation
Angels were created before the physical universe to praise and serve God (Job 38:7). Their creation gave God glory before anything else was brought into existence. An innumerable company of angels worshiped God continually prior to the creation of the world.
God demonstrated His power and love
The act of creating the universe, earth, and mankind was a way for God to demonstrate His incredible power, wisdom, and love. Creation displayed God’s eternally glorious attributes. God created because He wanted an outward manifestation of His inward, eternal fullness (Psalm 19:1).
As an act of love, God desired to share His glory with other sentient beings. As an act of power, God spoke the universe into being out of nothing. Creation was a tangible display of God’s eternally existing qualities.
All God’s acts bring Him glory
Isaiah 43:7 says man was created for God’s glory. We exist to bring praise and honor to our Creator. In the same way, everything God did prior to creating the world also brought great glory to Himself. God’s motivation in all His actions, past, present, and future is for His own glory and because of His self-giving love.
Infinite knowledge and wisdom
God possesses infinite knowledge and wisdom (Psalm 147:5, Romans 11:33). He knew all things past, present, and future in their totality. We get glimpses of His incredible knowledge when God declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). God’s infinite understanding is far beyond human comprehension.
Sovereign plan for history
As an all-powerful and purposeful God, all of history has been ordained by Him according to His sovereign will (Isaiah 14:24). God develops and brings about His plans in the course of human events (Isaiah 14:26-27). God directed all things according to His purpose long before humans walked the earth.
Loving fellowship in the Godhead
According to Jesus in John 17:24, the Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world. This points to the eternal, perfect love and intimacy within the Trinity. The three Persons of the Godhead enjoyed intimate fellowship and shared glory with one another even before creation.
Infinite beauty and creativity
As an infinitely beautiful and creative Being, God expressed these attributes continuously prior to creation. All beauty and creativity originate from God. Just as the sun naturally radiates light, God naturally expressed His artistic nature eternally.
God needs nothing beyond Himself
God is entirely self-sufficient, self-sustaining, and self-satisfied within Himself (Exodus 3:14). He needs nothing and no one to be complete. God did not create the world out of obligation or deficiency, but rather out of His fullness and desire to share Himself.
All of time is like a moment to God
God dwells in eternity, untouched by time and space (Isaiah 57:15). Earthly limitations do not apply to Him. The eons before creation are insignificant to the eternal God. Psalm 90:4 says that a thousand years is like a day to the Lord. From an earthly perspective, God existed alone for vast eras, but from God’s viewpoint, it was merely a brief span.
The incomprehensible greatness of God
Isaiah 40:13 asks, “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” 1 Corinthians 2:16 states that no one can fully know God’s thoughts and ways. God reminds Job of his inability to fully understand the Almighty (Job 38-39). Deuteronomy 29:29 asserts that the hidden things belong to God alone. God’s infinite being is far beyond human analysis.
While we have some clues from Scripture, the full reality of what God was doing before creation remains largely a mystery. The incomprehensible greatness of God means we can only begin to ponder such questions.
Meditating on God’s attributes
For eternity past, God continuously focused His thoughts upon Himself and His divine perfections. He was worshipfully meditating on and delighting in His own attributes of love, wisdom, power, justice, holiness, truth, creativity, majesty, and so forth.
Making covenantal agreements
Some theologians believe that the idea of covenantal agreements between the Persons of the Trinity was established in eternity past. God the Father may have pledged to give the Son a kingdom and a chosen Bride (the church). The Son may have agreed to fulfill all righteousness and obediently go to the cross.
Heavens praise God’s glory
Prior to creating the material universe, God created the heavens, a spiritual domain that includes angels and heavenly places. The “morning stars” and “sons of God” in Job 38:7 refer to angels. These angelic beings worshiped and sang praises to God before the Genesis account (Psalm 148:2-5).
Christ the Eternal Word
John 1:1 asserts that Christ, as the Word of God, was with God in the very beginning. Christ preexisted with the Father eternally. Colossians 1:17 says Jesus holds all creation together. Jesus was actively involved in sustaining the universe even before coming to earth.
God Was Not “Before Time”
Since God created time and space, it is incorrect to say He was “before” time. God dwells in eternity, unbounded by time. He simply “is” and always has been. There was never a time when God did not exist. To say God was “before” time implies sequentiality and limitations not applicable to God.
We Cannot Fully Comprehend
In summary, the eternal God is so far above our comprehension that finite human minds cannot fully grasp the full truth of what God was doing prior to creation. As God says in Isaiah 55:9, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” We can only understand what God has chosen to reveal in Scripture.
