JESUS IS THE CREATOR.

(Colossians 155-17 NASB)

15 1 He is the a image of the b invisible God, the c firstborn of all creation.

16 For 1 a by Him all things were created, aboth in the heavens and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether b thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- c all
things have been created through Him and for Him.

17 He 1 a is before all things, and in Him all things 2 hold together. 1

The Glories of Christ the Church's Head (1:15-23)

1:15 In the next four verses, we have the Lord Jesus described: (1) in His
relationship to God (v. 15); (2) in His relationship to creation (vv. 16, 17); and
(3) in His relationship to the church (v. 18).

The Lord is here described as the image of the invisible God. Image carries with
it at least two ideas. First, it conveys the thought that the Lord Jesus has enabled
us to see what God is like. God is Spirit and is therefore invisible. But in the
Person of Christ, God made Himself visible to mortal eyes. In that sense the
Lord Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Whoever has seen Him has seen the
Father (see John 14:9). But the word image also conveys the idea of
"representative." God had originally placed Adam on the earth to represent His
interests, but Adam failed. Therefore, God sent His only begotten Son into the
world as His Representative to care for His interests and to reveal His heart of
love to man. In that sense, He is the image of God. The same word image is used
in 3:10, where believers are said to be the image of Christ.

Christ is also the firstborn over all creation, or "of every created being." What
does this mean? Some false teachers suggest that the Lord Jesus is Himself a
created being, that He was the first Person whom God ever made. Some of them
are even willing to go so far as to admit that He is the greatest creature ever to
come from the hand of God. But nothing could be more directly contrary to the
teaching of the word of God.

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1 Lit Who is
a 2 Cor 4:4
b John 1:1
c Rom 8:29
1 Or in
a Eph 1:10
b Eph 1:20f; Col 2:15
c John 1:3; Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6
1 Or has existed prior to
a John 1:1; 8:58
2 Or endure

1New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Col 1:15-17). LaHabra,
CA: The Lockman Foundation.

KJV King James Version

2MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary :
Old and New Testaments (Col 1:15). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

a Gen 1:1; Col 1:17; 1 John 1:1
b John 1:14; Rev 19:13
c John 17:5; 1 John 1:2
d Phil 2:6
1 Lit This one
a John 1:10; 1 Cor 8:6; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2
a John 5:26; 11:25; 14:6
b John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46
a John 3:19
1 Or overpower

3New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 1:1-5). LaHabra, CA:
The Lockman Foundation.

NKJV New King James Version

4MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary :
Old and New Testaments (Jn 1:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

5McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru
the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:369-370). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

The expression "firstborn" has at least three different meanings in Scripture. In
Luke 2:7, it is used in a literal sense, where Mary brought forth her firstborn Son.
There it means that the Lord Jesus was the first Child to whom she gave birth. In
Exodus 4:22, on the other hand, it is used in a figurative sense. "Israel is My son,
even My firstborn." In that verse there is no thought of an actual birth having
taken place, but the Lord is using this word to describe the distinctive place
which the nation of Israel had in His plans and purposes. Finally, in Psalm 89:27,
the word "firstborn" is used to designate a place of superiority, of supremacy, of
uniqueness. There God says that He will make David His firstborn, higher than
the kings of the earth. David was actually the last-born son of Jesse according to
the flesh. But God determined to give him a place of unique supremacy, primacy,
and sovereignty.

Is not that exactly the thought of Colossians 1:15-the firstborn over all creation?
The Lord Jesus Christ is God's unique Son. In one sense all believers are sons of
God, but the Lord Jesus is God's Son in a way that is not true of any other. He
existed before all creation and occupies a position of supremacy over it. His is
the rank of eminence and dominion. The expression firstborn over all creation has
nothing to do with birth here. It simply means that He is God's Son by an eternal
relationship. It is a title of priority of position, and not simply one of time.

1:16 False teachers use verse 15 (especially in the KJV) to teach that the Lord
Jesus was a created being. Error can usually be refuted from the very passage of
Scripture which the cultists use. That is the case here. Verse 16 states
conclusively that the Lord Jesus is not a creature, but the very Creator. In this
verse we learn that all things-the whole universe of things-were created not only
by Him but through Him and for Him. Each of these prepositions conveys a
different thought. First of all, we read that by Him all things were created. Here
the thought is that the power to create was in His Being. He was the Architect.
Later in the verse we learn that all things were created through Him. This speaks
of Him as the Agent in creation. He was the Person of the Godhead through
whom the creative act was performed. Also, all things were created for Him. He
is the One for whom all things were created, the goal of creation.

Paul goes to great lengths to emphasize that all things were created through
Christ, whether things in heaven, or things on earth. This leaves no loopholes for
anyone to suggest that although He created some things, He Himself was created
originally.

The apostle then goes on to state that the Lord's creation included things visible
and things invisible. The word visible needs no explanation, but doubtless the
Apostle Paul realized that when he said invisible he would arouse our curiosity.
Therefore, he proceeds to give a break-down of what he means by things
invisible. They include thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. We believe
that these terms refer to angelic beings, although we cannot distinguish between
the different ranks of these intelligent beings.

The Gnostics taught that there were various ranks and classes of spirit beings
between God and matter, and that Christ belonged to one of these classes. In
our day the Spiritists claim that Jesus Christ is an advanced spirit of the sixth
sphere. Jehovah's Witnesses teach that before our Lord came into the world, He
was a created angel and none other than the archangel Michael! Here Paul
vigorously refutes such absurd notions by stating in the clearest possible terms
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator of angels-in fact, of all beings, whether
visible or invisible.

1:17 He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Paul says, "He is before
all things," not "He was before all things." The present tense is often used in the
Bible to describe the timelessness of Deity. The Lord Jesus said, for instance:
"Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58).

Not only did the Lord Jesus exist before there was any creation, but also in Him
all things consist. This means that He is the Sustainer of the universe and the
Source of its perpetual motion. He controls the stars and the sun and the moon.
Even while He was here on earth He was the One who was controlling the laws
by which our universe functions in an orderly manner.

2

(John 1-5 NASB)

The Deity of Jesus Christ

1 a In the beginning was b the Word, and the Word was c with God, and d the
Word was God.

2 1 He was in the beginning with God.

3 a All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came
into being that has come into being.

4 a In Him was life, and the life was b the Light of men.

5 a The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not 1 comprehend it.
3

Jehovah's Witness misinterpret this as v1 the Word was "a" god.

The Word in Eternity and Time (1:1-5)

1:1 In the beginning was the Word. He did not have a beginning Himself, but
existed from all eternity. As far as the human mind can go back, the Lord Jesus
was there. He never was created. He had no beginning. (A genealogy would be
out of place in this Gospel of the Son of God.) The Word was with God. He had
a separate and distinct personality. He was not just an idea, a thought, or some
vague kind of example, but a real Person who lived with God. The Word was
God. He not only dwelt with God, but He Himself was God.

The Bible teaches that there is one God and that there are three Persons in the
Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three of these Persons are
God. In this verse, two of the Persons of the Godhead are mentioned-God the
Father and God the Son. It is the first of many clear statements in this Gospel that
Jesus Christ is God. It is not enough to say that He is "a god," that He is godlike,
or that He is divine. The Bible teaches that He is God.

1:2 Verse 2 would appear to be a mere repetition of what has been said, but
actually it is not. This verse teaches that Christ's personality and deity were
without beginning. He did not become a person for the first time as the Babe of
Bethlehem. Nor did He somehow become a god after His resurrection, as some
teach today. He is God from all eternity.

1:3 All things were made through Him. He Himself was not a created being;
rather He was the Creator of all things. This includes mankind, the animals, the
heavenly planets, the angels -all things visible and invisible. Without Him nothing
was made that was made. There can be no possible exception. If a thing was
made, He made it. As Creator, He is, of course, superior to anything He has
created. All three Persons of the Godhead were involved in the work of creation:
"God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). "The Spirit of God was
hovering over the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). "All things were created through
Him (Christ) and for Him" (Col. 1:16b).

1:4 In Him was life. This does not simply mean that He possessed life, but that
He was and is the source of life. The word here includes both physical and
spiritual life. When we were born, we received physical life. When we are born
again, we receive spiritual life. Both come from Him.

The life was the light of men. The same One who supplied us with life is also the
light of men. He provides the guidance and direction necessary for man. It is one
thing to exist, but quite another to know how to live, to know the true purpose of
life, and to know the way to heaven. The same One who gave us life is the One
who provides us with light for the pathway we travel.

There are seven wonderful titles of our Lord Jesus Christ in this opening chapter
of the Gospel. He is called (1) the Word (vv. 1, 14); (2) the Light (vv. 5, 7); (3)
the Lamb of God (vv. 29, 36); (4) the Son of God (vv. 34, 49); (5) the Christ
(Messiah) (v. 41); (6) the King of Israel (v. 49); and (7) the Son of Man (v. 51).
The first four titles, each of which is mentioned at least twice, seem to be
universal in application. The last three titles, each of which is mentioned only
once, had their first application to Israel, God's ancient people.

1:5 The light shines in the darkness. The entrance of sin brought darkness to the
minds of men. It plunged the world into darkness in the sense that men in general
neither knew God nor wanted to know Him. Into this darkness the Lord Jesus
came-a light shining in a dark place.

The darkness did not comprehend it. This may mean that the darkness did not
understand the Lord Jesus when He came into the world. Men did not realize
who He really was, or why He had come. Another meaning, however, is given in
the NKJV margin: the darkness did not overcome it. Then the thought would be
that man's rejection and enmity did not prevent the true light from shining. 4

WORD IS GOD-WORD BECAME FLESH-WORD REVEALED GOD

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God [John 1:1].

The Gospel of John introduces the Lord Jesus Christ with three tremendous
statements:

"In the beginning was the Word,"

"And the Word was with God,"

"And the Word was God."

"The Word" is one of the highest and most profound titles of the Lord Jesus
Christ. To determine the exact meaning is not easy. Obviously the Lord Jesus
Christ is not the logos of Greek philosophy; rather He is the memra of the
Hebrew Scriptures. Notice how important the Word is in the Old Testament.
For instance, the name for Jehovah was never pronounced. It was such a holy
word that they never used it at all. But this is the One who is the Word and,
gathering up everything that was said of Him in the Old Testament, He is now
presented as the One "In the beginning." This beginning antedates the very first
words in the Bible, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." That
beginning can be dated, although I do not believe that anyone can date it
accurately-it is nonsense to say that it is 4004 B.C., as Ussher's dating has it. It
probably goes back billions and billions of years. You see, you and I are dealing
with the God of eternity. When you go back to creation He is already there, and
that is exactly the way this is used-"in the beginning was the Word." Notice it is
not is the Word; it was not in the beginning that the Word started out or was
begotten. Was (as Dr. Lenske points out) is known as a durative imperfect,
meaning continued action. It means that the Word was in the beginning. What
beginning? Just as far back as you want to go. The Bible says, "In the beginning
God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). Does that begin God? No,
just keep on going back billions and trillions and "squillions" of years. I can think
back to billions of years back of creation-maybe you can go beyond that-but
let's put down a point there, billions of years back of creation. He already was;
He comes out of eternity to meet us. He did not begin. "In the beginning was the
Word"-He was already there when the beginning was. "Well," somebody says,
"there has to be a beginning somewhere." All right, wherever you begin, He is
there to meet you, He is already past tense. "In the beginning was the Word"-five
words in the original language, and there is not a man on topside of this earth
who can put a date on it or understand it or fathom it. This first tremendous
statement starts us off in space, you see.

The second statement is this, "and the Word was with God." This makes it
abundantly clear that He is separate and distinct from God the Father. You
cannot identify Him as God the Father because He is with God. "But," someone
says, "if He is with God, He is not God." The third statement sets us straight,
"and the Word was God." This is a clear, emphatic declaration that the Lord
Jesus Christ is God. In fact, the Greek is more specific than this, because in the
Greek language the important word is placed at the beginning of the sentence and
it reads, "God was the Word." That is emphatic; you cannot get it more emphatic
than that. Do you want to get rid of the deity of Christ? My friend, you cannot
get rid of it. The first three statements in John's gospel tie the thing down. "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Let's move on down to verse 14 and notice the three statements there.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth [John
1:14].

"And the Word was made flesh,"

"And the Word dwelt among us,"

"He was full of grace and truth."

The Greek philosopher probably would have stayed with us through verse one,
but he leaves us here. He would never agree that the Word was made flesh. The
Greek language allows us to put it more specifically and, I think, more accurately:
"The Word was born flesh." Turn this over in your mind for a moment. Here
comes God out of eternity, already the Ancient of days; but He also came to
Bethlehem, a little baby thing that made a woman cry. And notice that John's
gospel does not even mention His birth in Bethlehem. Do you know why? He is
talking about One who is too big for Bethlehem. Out of eternity, the Word
became flesh.

"And [the Word] dwelt among us" is the second statement in verse 14. "Dwelt" is
from skenoo; it means "He pitched His tent among us." Our human bodies are
merely little tents in which we live. The apostle Paul used the same imagery: ". we
know that if . this tabernacle were dissolved ." (2 Cor. 5:1). This house in which
we live is a tabernacle, a tent, that can be blown over in a night; it can be snuffed
out in an instant. Because you and I live in these little tents, the God of eternity
took upon Himself a human body and thus pitched His tent down here among us.
Such is the second tremendous statement.

Notice the third, "(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father,) full of grace and truth." Now John is saying something else. The
question I would naturally ask at this point is, "If He was made flesh, He certainly
limited Himself." John says, "Wait a minute-He was full of grace and truth." The
word "full" means that you just could not have any more. He brought all the deity
with Him, and He was full of grace and full of truth when He came down here. 5

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