Ontology and Biblical Theology: Understanding the Nature of Being in Light of Divine Revelation

Please Help Us Keep These Thousands of Blog Posts Growing and Free for All

$5.00

Ontology and the Bible: A Scriptural Examination of Being, Existence, and Divine Reality

Introduction: What Is Ontology?

Ontology, a foundational branch of metaphysics in classical philosophy, deals with the nature of being, existence, and reality. It seeks to answer questions such as: What does it mean for something to exist? What kinds of things exist? What is the fundamental nature of reality? Though this field has been long explored by secular philosophers from Plato and Aristotle to Heidegger and Sartre, any robust treatment of ontology must ultimately address the question of God, the Creator, and His creation. In contrast to speculative metaphysics that is grounded in human reason alone, the Bible offers an authoritative ontology based not on philosophical conjecture but on divine revelation.

For the conservative evangelical committed to the historical-grammatical method of interpretation, the Bible is not only God’s self-disclosure but also the foundation for understanding the structure of reality itself. Scripture speaks consistently and sufficiently on matters of existence: the nature of God, the reality of creation, the uniqueness of man, and the purpose of all that is. This article will analyze ontology from the standpoint of inspired Scripture, demonstrating that the Bible provides a coherent, rational, and divinely authoritative ontology—one that answers the deepest questions about existence with clarity and finality.

The Ontological Foundation: God as Necessary Being

The biblical ontology begins with the self-existent, eternal Creator. Genesis 1:1 states unequivocally: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The Hebrew term for God, Elohim, in this opening declaration reveals that existence begins not with the universe, but with the One who brought the universe into being. God is not part of creation; He is the necessary, eternal, uncaused Being who precedes and grounds all contingent existence.

This concept of God’s necessary existence is reinforced in Exodus 3:14, where Jehovah declares to Moses, “I am who I am.” The Hebrew phrase ehyeh asher ehyeh expresses self-existence, eternality, and independence. God’s being is not derived or dependent; He is, always has been, and always will be. In the New Testament, this concept is echoed in Revelation 1:8: “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says Jehovah God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

This self-existent nature of God distinguishes Him ontologically from all created things. Everything else that exists is contingent—it depends on something else for its being. God alone is aseitic (from the Latin a se, “from Himself”), meaning He is not caused or sustained by anything outside of Himself. All ontological discussions must begin with this foundational truth: God is necessary Being, and all else is contingent.

Ontology of Creation: God’s Act of Bringing Reality Into Existence

Biblical ontology rejects the notion that matter is eternal. Unlike Platonic dualism, which posits an eternal realm of forms or matter, the Bible teaches creatio ex nihilo—creation out of nothing. Hebrews 11:3 declares: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” This means all physical and spiritual realities—time, space, matter, and even angels—derive their existence from God’s creative act.

Psalm 33:6, 9 affirms: “By the word of Jehovah the heavens were made… he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” This portrayal of God’s creative power underscores that He did not form the world from pre-existing materials but called it into being by divine fiat.

This rules out any naturalistic or pantheistic ontologies that view the universe as self-caused or an emanation of divine substance. God is ontologically distinct from His creation. The Creator-creature distinction is fundamental to biblical metaphysics. Romans 1:25 warns against those “who exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” A biblical ontology insists that God and creation are separate in being, though the Creator is always present and active within His creation.

Ontology of Man: Created Being in the Image of God

Genesis 1:26-27 declares: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.’ … So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This establishes human beings as ontologically unique within creation.

While plants and animals are created by God, they are not made in His image. Only man is described with this distinction (imago Dei), indicating a special ontological status. To be in the image of God means that man is a personal, rational, moral, and spiritual being capable of relationship with his Creator. This stands in contrast to both evolutionary naturalism, which reduces man to a biological accident, and paganism, which often merges human and divine nature through myth.

Biblically, man is a unified being—a soul (Hebrew nephesh) who possesses life (Genesis 2:7). Contrary to dualistic philosophies which view man as a body containing an immortal soul, the Bible teaches that man is a living soul. Upon death, the soul dies (Ezekiel 18:4), and hope lies not in an indwelling immortal nature but in the resurrection that God promises. Thus, the ontology of man includes a real, physical body animated by the breath of life, with future restoration tied to God’s redemptive plan.

Ontology of Sin: Corruption and Alienation from True Being

The Fall of man introduced a catastrophic distortion in the created order. Genesis 3 recounts the historical event in which Adam and Eve disobeyed God, bringing sin, death, and alienation into creation. Sin is not merely moral failure; it is an ontological rupture—human beings rejecting their dependence on God and seeking autonomy, thus distorting the very structure of being.

Romans 8:20-21 explains that “the creation was subjected to futility… in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption.” The corruption of creation is not intrinsic to its ontology but a consequence of rebellion against the Creator. Evil, biblically understood, is not a substance or a competing ontological force (as Gnosticism or Manichaeism taught) but a privation of good—a corruption of what is. It is the misuse of a good thing, not a co-equal power to good.

This understanding preserves the goodness of God’s creation while explaining the presence of evil without attributing it to God’s nature. Sin, then, is ontological rebellion: the creature asserting independence from the Creator, resulting in death—separation from the source of life.

Ontology of Salvation: Restoration Through Divine Intervention

The ontological problem caused by sin—separation from God, corruption of human nature, and subjection to death—can only be resolved through God’s redemptive plan. In biblical ontology, salvation is not escape from physical reality (as in Platonism) but the restoration and renewal of it.

John 1:14 affirms, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This incarnational truth confirms the value and redemption of the material world. Jesus Christ, the eternal Logos, took on human nature without ceasing to be God, uniting divinity and humanity without confusion. The death and resurrection of Christ provide the ontological bridge between fallen man and the holy Creator. Through Christ, believers are promised resurrection—real, physical, and eternal life on a restored earth under divine rule.

Romans 8:29-30 speaks of believers being “conformed to the image of his Son.” Salvation, then, is not a change of substance but a restoration to right relationship and moral likeness with the Creator. 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” This is not symbolic; it is ontological transformation through the regenerating power of God’s Word and Spirit.

Ontology of the New Creation: Eternal Reality Reinstated

Revelation 21:1 describes the final ontological state: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” The biblical view of eternity is not disembodied existence in a spiritual realm but the re-creation of heaven and earth, purged of sin and death. Revelation 21:3-4 assures that “the dwelling place of God is with man… he will wipe away every tear… death shall be no more.”

The new creation is not an abstraction or an ideal state, but a concrete reality. God’s purpose for creation will be fulfilled in a literal new earth populated by redeemed humanity, serving and reigning under Christ (Revelation 22:5). The ontology of eternity is physical, moral, and spiritual perfection—creation returned to its original intention, with the Creator and creature in perfect fellowship.

Rejecting Unbiblical Ontologies: Naturalism, Pantheism, and Platonism

The Bible rejects all competing ontological systems that either deny God’s existence or confuse God with creation.

Naturalism holds that only matter exists, denying God and the spiritual realm. This is flatly contradicted by Genesis 1:1 and Hebrews 11:3.

Pantheism identifies God with the universe, removing the Creator-creature distinction. Scripture emphatically teaches that God transcends His creation (Isaiah 40:22; Acts 17:24-25).

Platonism and Gnosticism teach that the material world is evil and the soul must escape it. This is incompatible with the Bible’s affirmation of the goodness of creation (Genesis 1:31) and the resurrection of the body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

These false ontologies lead to distorted theology, ethics, and purpose. The biblical worldview alone provides a coherent and complete ontology: a perfect Creator, a purposeful creation, a fallen humanity, a redemptive Savior, and a promised restoration.

Conclusion: The Bible as the Final Authority on Ontology

Biblical ontology begins with the self-existent Jehovah and flows through the creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. It offers the only rational, coherent, and historically grounded answer to the questions of being and existence. Unlike speculative philosophies that change with time and culture, the Word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). It is in this divinely revealed framework that we find the true nature of reality—not in human invention, but in divine revelation.

You May Also Enjoy

The Omnipotence of God and the Alleged Contradiction: A Biblical and Philosophical Defense

About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).