The Expanding Universe

When describing the universe, it is not rare for people to define space as being a part of the cosmos, despite it being immaterial, in contrast to the universe itself.  The expansion of the universe prompts such people to falsely conclude that space, like matter, must have come into existence at the Big Bang, with both expanding outward.  While the universe can expand to a larger size, space cannot, contrary to the claims of both scientists and Christian apologists like William Lane Craig [1].

Matter cannot exist without space to hold it, but space must exist whether or not there is matter: there cannot be such a thing as the absence of a "place" where matter could exist even if the universe vanished completely or had never been created to begin with.  The universe is not expanding into nothing, as William Lane Craig suggests, nor is such a thing possible.  Likewise, it is impossible for space to be expanding along with or ahead of the universe.

Space itself cannot expand because space exists independent of any mind or material object and because it is infinite by default.  Since space is the dimension that holds or could hold matter, it transcends the physical universe.  There is no point beyond which there is no space precisely because matter could always expand into or be placed in an area where there is no prior physical substance.

The existence of space is logically necessary whether or not there is a universe (or a God to create the universe).  In light of this logical fact, the proclamations of scientists and fallacious apologists like William Lane Craig have no validity, serving only to highlight their reliance on assumptions and appeals to authority.  The universe can expand, but space cannot.  Proving this is a simple task, and yet many people would rather consult scientists or theologians than reason!  Identifting the nature of space is a matter of strict logic rather than a matter of scientific observation or theological inquiry.

[1].  https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/what-is-the-universe-expanding-into