1. The Lord of Creation
- Tom
- Nov 10, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 1, 2023
Jesus the Maker
Let’s be exact when we talk about Jesus’ role in Creation: He was with God for the six days of Creation, fully involved in every aspect of forming our Universe. God spoke his Word and Jesus made it a reality. Jesus worked hard creating everything that God decreed: light, the firmament, the waters below, the land, plants, animals, Adam, and Eve!
The key for understanding Jesus’ role in Creation is the word through. It was through Jesus that all things were made. The key word for understanding God’s role in Creation is from. All things come from God. The Bible does not mix up these prepositions, nor is it ever ambiguous. It's abundantly clear when explaining the roles of the Father and Jesus in Creation.
To see what we’re talking about, observe how carefully the different authors of the Bible used the word through (there are three authors represented in the following verses: John, Paul, and the author of Hebrews--Apollos?)
He [Jesus] was with God in the beginning. Through him [Jesus] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made... He was in the World, and though the World was made through him, the World did not recognize him (John 1:2-3, 10).
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all Creation. For in him [Jesus] all things were created: things in Heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:15-17).
... in these last days he [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed Heir of all things, and through whom also he made the Universe (Hebrews 1:2).
What do we learn from these verses? Well, first we learn that we should never hesitate to give Jesus the recognition that he deserves as a Creator. If God recognizes Jesus as Creator of the Universe, so should we! And God did just that. Look at how he speaks to Jesus in the next passage:
In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the Earth, and the Heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain;* they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same,* and your years will never end (Hebrews 1:10-12).
God goes so far in his honoring of Christ as to address him as Lord. Wow. Now, of course God is using Lord as an honorary title in the passage above—one of many honorary titles which the One God and Father has bestowed upon our Lord Jesus. And, what is God trying to get across to us? Certainly not that he is subordinate to Jesus. Rather, God put special emphasis on the fact that Jesus is Lord to point out that Jesus 'laid the foundations of the Earth'--no small task!
The fundamental difference between Jesus and God in Creation is that God was the Source of all things, while Jesus was the Maker. Every passage quoted above reinforces the same idea: that God made the World through Jesus. The key word to describe Jesus’ role in Creation is the word through because through means instrumentality.
In other words, Jesus was instrumental in Creation—he was not the source of creative power, but the tool, the instrument of Creation. The Bible’s use of through regarding Jesus’ role in Creation means that the power Jesus used to make everything was not from himself—it originated in God. That power--genesis power which made all things come into existence--passed through Jesus, and worked through Jesus, having come from the One God, our Father.
God the Source
So, moving on, the Scriptures never say that created things come from Jesus. The Scriptures only use the preposition from to describe the things which were created when the One acting is God. In other words, when the Father is the subject of a sentence about Creation in the Bible, then you'll notice the use of the preposition from, like in this example:
... from him [God] and through him and for him are all things (Romans 11:36).
About Jesus, the Bible says something dramatically different from what it says about God. Remember: All things—and that means things in the Third Heaven, in space, the atmosphere, and on Earth—are from God; but the Scriptures will not use from as a preposition for Jesus—at least not when the topic is the Creation.
For in him [Jesus] all things were created... all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16).
Try to appreciate the subtle but significant difference in the words chosen by the apostle Paul here. He is saying that all things were made in, through, and for Jesus—but that’s not exactly what Paul says about God. All things are from God, as you’ll recall he said in Romans 11:36.
So, the Bible authors were careful not to say the same thing about Jesus than they said about God. They were careful. Are you as careful as they were? We must be careful about how we talk about God and Jesus because the Church is filled with confused minds. People have sat under ambiguous teaching for too long.
God alone is the original source of all things. From is the preposition which indicates source. So, when we use the word from regarding God in our conversations about Creation, we are saying that God is the original source, the first cause of all things. We believe that God is the Father from which all things get their life and breath.
Here’s another passage that proves the exact same point. Notice how skillfully Paul describes the creative work of the Father and Jesus in the same passage, carefully differentiating between each one’s role in Creation:
There is no God but One... for us there is but One God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but One Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live (1 Corinthians 8:4,6).
Is that clear enough for you? It’s an unmistakable teaching of the Bible that all things and beings have their origins in the One God—in him, and in no other. He has begotten us. He is our Father, our source of existence. Now, although Jesus is not the primary origin of things, all things did come through him—and that’s nothing to snuff at! He was, is, and forever shall be the Lord.
* This phrase 'You will remain the same,' which is spoken twice in the introduction of the Epistle to the Hebrews, is echoed for a third time in the conclusion! You may recall that it is found in a very well-known verse:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Now, why is it so important to notice the different places in the Book of Hebrews where this phrase is used? So that we can interpret well the meaning of Hebrews 13:8, a very famous verse. Christians mention it all the time, but without understanding what it means. In particular, if we can come to understand what the words the same meant when the author of Hebrews wrote them down in Hebrews 1, then they're bound to mean the same thing in Hebrews 13, right?
When God uses the expression 'You will remain the same' with Jesus in Hebrews 1, the meaning is along these lines: “Although this World passes away, you [Jesus] will not.” In other words, God praises Jesus for being more dependable than the Earth itself! And the World is pretty darned dependable--isn't it? It's got a warm sun, lunar phases, four seasons, towering mountains, flowing rivers, dense forests, dry deserts, swelling oceans, consistent crops, and life-giving trees.
That all is impressive consistency, but Jesus is more dependable. He always obeys God, even when it costs him his life. There's nobody you can trust more with your soul than Christ Jesus. He's faithful to the One who sent him, and he is faithful to us too.
Why do we bring this up? Why is this worth our time? Well, many have falsely interpreted 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever' to mean that Jesus has never changed his nature. But that's very wrong! To say such a thing is to deny the incarnation. And to deny the incarnation of the Word who became flesh--Jesus Christ, is a heresy.
... many false prophets have gone out into the World. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God... (1 John 4:1-3)
When Jesus came to us as a baby boy through Mary’s womb, Jesus took the human nature upon himself, having emptied himself of the divine nature. He took on flesh and became 100% man. He had none of the divine nature, but took on the human nature of sin! The Bible calls it the flesh of sin, or the likeness of sinful flesh.
... what the Law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh... (Romans 8:1-3)
If someone denies the incarnation on the basis of Hebrews 13, and try to make Jesus out to be a Savior who never changed his nature, someone who never abandoned the divine nature to take on the human nature, they have completely removed the text from its context.
What is the context of Hebrews 13 then? It's the entire Book of Hebrews. And what does the entire Book of Hebrews teach? Along with 1 John, it expresses more clearly than any other book of the Bible, the Doctrine of Christ; that is, the fundamental Christian doctrine that Jesus came in the flesh. Both Hebrews and 1 John lay out for us the doctrine of the incarnation.
Two examples of how this basic Christian doctrine is expressed in the Bible--the doctrine called 'the Doctrine of Christ' (Hebrews 6:1)--are the following two verses:
Since the children [of God] have flesh and blood, he too [Jesus] shared in their humanity (Hebrews 2:14).
… he [Jesus] had to be made like them [human beings], fully human in every way (Hebrews 2:17).
Believe in it. Believe in the Doctrine of Christ. And if someone comes to you and does not have this basic Christian doctrine, the basic teaching of the apóstoles, then you should stay away from him. And have him keep far away from your and your family!
... many deceivers have gone out into the World who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh... Whoever jumps ahead and does not abide in the Doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the Doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this Doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him... (2 John 1:7-10; NKJV)
Who can understand us better than Jesus? “He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God's throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.” (Heb.4:14-16)
well done