Christ and Creation

 Daily devotional
August 12, 2021

Christ and Creation

"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:16-17

Did Jesus come into existence when Mary gave birth to Him? After all, we celebrate His birthday every Christmas so it kind of seems that way. According to today’s verse, no. Paul clearly places Jesus as present at the time of creation. This is important because it once again points to the deity of Christ. Christ is God, therefore, Christ is eternal and not created.

Genesis 1:1 states: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Many people seem to have misconceptions about what this verse means. Many believe that it was God the Father alone who created the universe. But if we go back to the Bible, we see evidence that the Trinity has eternally existed and was fully operational since before the beginning of time.

Consider Genesis 1:26 when God created man: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Why did God use the plural pronouns “us” and “our”? Because God is one in essence but three in persons. Additionally, we know from Genesis 1:2 that the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Add that to what we’ve learned from today’s verse about Jesus creating all things and we see that the Triune God was at work in creation, not just God the Father.

Today’s passage also sheds some light onto why God created the universe. It says that “all things were created through him and for him.” God created the world for His glory. God did not need us. He was complete in Himself. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were perfectly relational and united. And yet, God freely chose to create the world out of love for the purpose of His own honor and praise.

And finally, today’s verse shows us that Jesus sustains His creation. He came before all things, He is above all things, and He holds all things together. Friends, Jesus is holding everything together. We have no need to be fearful or anxious. Jesus, our Creator, is still sustaining all of creation. We can rest in that truth!