Lexical Summary
ktisis: Creation, creature, institution
Original Word: κτίσις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: ktisis
Pronunciation: ktee'-sis
Phonetic Spelling: (ktis'-is)
KJV: building, creation, creature, ordinance
NASB: creation, creature, created thing, institution
Word Origin: [from G2936 (κτίζω - created)]
1. original formation
2. (properly) the act
3. (by implication) the thing
{literally or figuratively}
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
creation, creature
From ktizo; original formation (properly, the act; by implication, the thing, literally or figuratively) -- building, creation, creature, ordinance.
see GREEK ktizo
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 2937 ktísis – properly, creation (creature) which is founded from nothing (this is also the sense of this term from Homer on); creation out of nothing (Lat ex nihilo). See 2936 (ktizō) and 2939 /ktístēs ("the Creator") for lengthy discussion on "creation-facts."
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
ktizóDefinitioncreation (the act or the product)
NASB Translationcreated thing (1), creation (14), creature (3), institution (1).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2937: κτίσιςκτίσις,
κτίσεως,
ἡ (
κτίζω), in Greek writings
the act of founding, establishing, building, etc.; in the N. T. (
Vulg. everywhere
creatura (yet
Hebrews 9:11creatio))
1. the act of creating, creation: τοῦ κόσμου, Romans 1:20.
2. equivalent to κτίσμα, creation i. e. thing created (cf. Winers Grammar, 32); used a. of individual things and beings, a creature, a creation: Romans 1:25; Hebrews 4:13; any created thing, Romans 8:39; after a rabbinical usage (by which a man converted from idolatry to Judaism was called חֲדָשָׁה בִּרִיָה (cf. Schöttgen, Horae Hebr 1:328, 704f)), καινή κτίσις is used of a man regenerated through Christ, Galatians 6:15; 2 Corinthians 5:17.
b. collectively, the sum or aggregate of created things: Revelation 3:14 (on which see ἀρχή, 3; (ἡ κτίσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων, Teaching of the Twelve etc.
c. 16 [ET])); ὅλῃ ἡ κτίσις, Wis. 19:6; πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις, Judith 16:14; and without the article (cf. Grimm on 3 Macc. (
3. an institution, ordinance: 1 Peter 2:13; cf. Huther at the passage ((Pindar, others.))
Topical Lexicon
Scope of MeaningThe term embraces both the act of divine bringing-into-being and the entirety of what has been brought into being. In the New Testament it may describe 1) the universe as a whole, 2) the living creation or any individual creature, 3) the present world order as distinct from the age to come, 4) human social structures ordained within providence, and 5) the new order inaugurated in Christ. Context determines the emphasis.
Creation as the Work of God
Mark 10:6 and Mark 13:19 ground moral teaching and eschatology in the historical reality of divine creation “from the beginning.” Romans 1:20–25 relies on the same reality for natural revelation: since “the creation of the world His invisible qualities have been clearly seen,” idolatry is without excuse. The creature–Creator distinction is therefore fundamental to biblical theology and to the call to worship the Creator alone.
Creation as the Visible Universe
Passages such as Romans 8:39 and Hebrews 4:13 use the word comprehensively: nothing within “all creation” can thwart God’s love or escape His gaze. The term gathers up every realm—material and spiritual—under God’s sovereign rule and omniscient judgment.
Living Creatures
Mark 16:15 charges the church: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Here the focus is the totality of mankind (and by extension all beings capable of receiving God’s good news). Romans 1:25 contrasts the worship of “the creature” with the rightful worship of the Creator, highlighting humanity’s propensity to invert the created order.
Human Institutions
In 1 Peter 2:13 the term is rendered “every human institution,” calling believers to civic submission “for the Lord’s sake.” Governmental structures, though temporal, are viewed as existing within God’s creative providence and therefore worthy of honor so long as they do not contradict His higher commands.
Creation Groaning and Hope
Romans 8:19-22 presents creation as a corporate entity longing for restoration: “The creation waits in eager expectation … the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth.” Subjection to futility is neither accidental nor final; it serves a redemptive trajectory that will culminate in liberation “into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). The passage binds environmental brokenness, human sin, and eschatological hope in one narrative.
New Creation in Christ
2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15 introduce a qualitatively new reality: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Spiritual regeneration is portrayed as an act of divine creativity parallel to Genesis. What counts now is not external religious markers but the recreated life produced by union with the crucified and risen Lord. Individual transformation anticipates the cosmic renewal promised in Romans 8.
Christ, Lord and Source of Creation
Colossians 1:15 declares Christ “the firstborn over all creation,” and Revelation 3:14 names Him “the Origin of God’s creation.” Far from suggesting creatureliness, these titles affirm His supremacy and causative role—He stands before creation in rank and in time and therefore holds absolute authority over it. Hebrews 9:11 contrasts the heavenly sanctuary—“not of this creation”—with earthly copies, underscoring the transcendence of Christ’s priestly ministry.
Eschatological Constancy and Mockery
2 Peter 3:4 records scoffers who appeal to the uniformity of creation to deny future judgment: “everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.” Peter responds by recalling the flood and promising a purifying fire, reminding readers that the Creator who began history will also bring it to consummation.
Practical Ministry Implications
• Evangelism: The gospel mandate extends “to every creature,” forbidding selective proclamation.
• Stewardship: Since the material order awaits liberation, believers practice responsible care, anticipating its renewal.
• Worship: Romans 1 warns against creature-worship; authentic worship keeps the Creator–creation boundary clear.
• Ethics and Society: Submission to legitimate authorities (1 Peter 2:13) acknowledges God’s providential ordering; yet the higher allegiance remains to Christ.
• Pastoral Comfort: Romans 8:39 assures suffering saints that no power “in all creation” can separate them from divine love; the groaning of creation itself is a pledge of coming glory.
Historical Reception
Early church writers deployed the term to defend orthodox creationism against Gnostic denial of the material world’s goodness. Reformers cited the new creation theme to explain regeneration, while evangelical missions have long taken Mark 16:15 as a rallying cry for global evangelization. Modern theological reflection on ecology frequently returns to Romans 8, interpreting environmental degradation through the lens of creation’s groaning and promised freedom.
Summary
The New Testament employs the term to celebrate God as Maker, expose idolatry, explain cosmic fallenness, announce personal and cosmic renewal in Christ, and guide believers in worship, mission, and societal engagement. Every occurrence ultimately points back to the unchanging Creator whose redemptive purpose for His creation will reach its consummation in the appearing of His Son.
Forms and Transliterations
κτισει κτίσει κτισεως κτίσεως κτίσεώς κτισις κτίσις ktisei ktísei ktiseos ktiseōs ktíseos ktíseōs ktisis ktísis
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