That’s a deep and important question, and it touches both theology and physics.
Genesis 1:1 says,
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
This clearly teaches that the universe had a beginning—time, space, and matter all came into existence by the creative act of God.
But doesn’t science say energy is eternal?
Modern physics teaches that energy cannot be created or destroyed (the First Law of Thermodynamics)—it can only change forms. But here’s the key:
That law applies within our universe, after it began.
It doesn’t say energy existed before the universe. Instead, it describes how things behave once the universe already exists. The moment of creation—the origin of time, space, matter, and energy—is a mystery to science.
What do cosmologists believe?
Most scientists today accept the Big Bang theory, which says the universe had a beginning—a point when all energy, matter, and time itself began to expand from a singularity. That means:
The universe had a beginning The laws of physics (including thermodynamics) began at that point
So even science agrees with the Bible on this key point: the universe is not eternal. Something—or Someone—must have caused it.
So how can Christians understand this?
Christians believe:
God exists outside of time and space God is eternal and uncreated God created energy and matter when He created the universe
Therefore, energy is not eternal, but God is. And the laws of science, including the conservation of energy, are tools God designed to govern His creation—but they don’t apply to Him.
In short:
Genesis 1:1 and modern science both affirm that the universe had a beginning. While science describes the “how” of the physical world after it began, Scripture tells us who created it, and why.
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