It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days; and all very good.
Who? The triune God. Note the emphasis on the involvement of all three persons of the Trinity.
Why? For the manifestation of his glory, showing his power, wisdom, and goodness.
What? The creation of the world, by which is meant all things (not just the earth). The reference to invisible things means the spiritual world--angels in particular.
How? From nothing--ex nihilo, as the Latin says. This concept means that God did not use pre-existing matter with which to form the universe. Only God is eternally existent.
When? In the beginning, the beginning of time as distinct from eternity. The Confession also expressly states that God created in six days, which would have been six ordinary 24-hour days in the minds of the Confession's writers. I do not propose to discuss this matter at any additional length here as whole books are written on the subject of the interpretation of the days of Genesis 1.
With what result? God's creation was very good. He accomplished his purpose successfully.
Tomorrow: The special creation of man.
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