Only God could create the heavens and the earth, but the Bible says Jesus did it! What does this tell us about who Jesus is? What does His role as Creator tell about His power and wisdom? What authority does He possess? What is His relation to the Father and to us as creatures? Is He a created being or is He eternal?
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Introduction:
“What do you think about the Christ?”
Jesus asked this in Matthew 22:42 with a specific question in mind. But the question in general should challenge every honest person.
Who do you believe Jesus is? What does He mean in your life? How important is He to you?
The Bible provides the information we need to give the proper answers to such questions.
The purpose of this lesson is to consider the Bible teaching about the role of Jesus in creating and preserving the universe.
What role did Jesus have in creation? What role does He have in preserving the universe so it continues to exist? What can we learn from this about who He is and what He is like?
Jesus’ Role in Creating and Preserving the Universe
Scripture Teaches that Only God Created and Preserves the Universe.
God created the universe.
Genesis 1 – The record of creation says God created the heavens and the earth (verse 1). The account repeatedly says: “God said,” “God made,” etc. Creation is the work of God.
Isaiah 45:18 – The Lord who created the heavens and earth is the true Lord and there is no other. Only God could create the universe.
Acts 17:24,25,28 – God made the world and all things in it. He gives to all life, breath, and all things. In Him we live, move, and have our being. He is Lord (ruler) of all because He made it all.
God preserves the universe.
God not only made the world and everything in it, but He preserves it, providing what we need to continue to exist. Without His provision, we could not continue to live or exist.
Nehemiah 9:6 – You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
So creation is a work that only God has the power and wisdom to accomplish. Further, the God, who made the universe, also preserves and sustains it. And He rules over it because He has the right to rule over what He made.
(Acts 14:15,17; Isaiah 44:24; 42:5; Psalm 33:6-9; Proverbs 3:19; Jeremiah 10:12; Matthew 5:45; Deuteronomy 11:14,15; Psalm 104:13,14; 36:6)
Scripture Teaches that Jesus Did the Work of Creation and Preservation.
Genesis 1:26,27
In creating man, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” God and only God did the work of creating; no one else could do it. But more than one individual Being was involved in making man: plural terms are used.
God was not talking to angels for the “us” in whose image man was made refers to God (verse 27), not angels. Angels did not make us; God made us. So, God in some sense is plural. Who was present at creation, and in what sense is God plural?
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
The “Word” refers to the Son of God (verse 14). The Father and Son were both present at creation: two separate individual Beings. So, the “us” who made man in the beginning includes the Father and the Son.
Colossians 1:16,17
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
All things in heaven and on earth were created by Him (Jesus, compare verses 14,15,18). They were created, not just through Him, but for Him: they are here to serve and honor Him. He is Lord over all as in Acts 17, etc. What is more, all things consist in Him: He preserves them.
Hebrews 1:2,3
God made the worlds through Jesus. Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
So, God is the source of life: Creator and Sustainer. He has the power of life within Himself. No one ultimately gave Him His existence, and no one sustains His life.
But this work, that only God could do, was in fact done by Jesus for His purposes. Scripture classes Jesus with the Father regarding both the creation and the continuation of what was created. So Jesus was not created, but He created all things that were created, and He sustains their existence.
When we consider the world and nature, do we understand and appreciate that Jesus made it all? What does this tell us about Jesus’ nature?
Lessons We Can Learn about Jesus’ Character
Creation teaches us important lessons about the nature of God. But since Jesus was the Creator, these lessons apply to Him, not just to the Father.
Jesus Exists Eternally.
Jehovah’s Witnesses and others deny that Jesus existed eternally in the past. Rather than classing Him with the Father as an uncreated, eternal Being, they class Him as a created Being along with angels, people, etc. They claim that He does not possess Deity as the Father does but is actually Michael the archangel.
The doctrine of creation requires Jesus to be eternal.
John 1:1-3 says Jesus was in the beginning with the Father. He did not come into existence at creation but was already in existence and all things were made through Him. No created thing was created without Him.
Colossians 1:16 says all created things, in heaven and on earth, were created by Him. And He is before all things. The Creator had to exist before the things He created. To avoid this conclusion, Jehovah’s Witnesses add the word “other,” so their s0-called “translation” says “all other things.” But there is no word for “other” in the Scripture.
So Jesus created all things, but He surely did not create Himself. So, He cannot be a created being. If He was created, then either He created Himself (which is impossible), or else He did not create all created things. Jehovah’s Witnesses say the Father created Jesus and Jesus created everything else. But the Bible says that Jesus created everything that was created.
Other passages confirm Jesus’ eternal existence.
Micah 5:2 – But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Jesus fulfilled this prophecy (Matthew 2:4-6). But the passage describes Jesus with the same language used to describe the eternal nature of God. God is said to have been “from everlasting” in Psalm 90:1-4; 93:2; Habakkuk 1:12.
Psalm 102:24-27 – His “years are throughout all generations.” The heavens and the earth are temporary so they will perish, but His “years will have no end.” Hebrews 1:8,10-12 proves this was spoken to Jesus.
So Jesus is eternal and uncreated. Scripture classes Him, not with created things, but with the Eternal God. Do we believe and respect the fact that Jesus has always existed and made the world?
(See also Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 1:8; Compare Revelation 5:13; Romans 1:25,26; Isaiah 43:10,11.)
Jesus Is All-Powerful and All-Wise.
Creation is one of the main proofs of the wisdom and power of the Creator.
Who can examine the universe and deny that its Maker had to be all-wise and all-powerful? Surely only an all-powerful, all-wise Being could create all we see in the universe.
Psalm 136:5-9 – By wisdom God made the heavens and the heavenly bodies. By observing the universe we can know that its Maker had to be very wise. But we can also know that His wisdom must be infinitely beyond our own.
Jeremiah 51:15 – He has established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heaven by His understanding. Consider the great wisdom that would be required to make the heavenly bodies, earth, plants, animals, and people. How could anyone do it without incredible wisdom?
Jeremiah 32:17 – Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
Not only was great power required to make the universe, but it had to be much greater power than any people possess. We could never make such a universe.
(Isaiah 40:28; Romans 1:20; Jeremiah 10:12; Psalm 89:11-13; 65:6; 33:6-9; 86:8-10; Jeremiah 27:5; 51:15; Job 9:8-10; 26:7-14; Proverbs 3:19; 8:22-31; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Romans 11:33-36; Job 38; Jeremiah 10:12; Psalm 104:24)
As the Creator, Jesus possesses all wisdom and all power.
Jesus did the creating, therefore He must be all-powerful and all-wise. Many specific passages confirm this.
Matthew 28:18 – Jesus possesses all authority in heaven and on earth.
Philippians 3:20,21 – Jesus is able to subdue all things to Himself.
Revelation 17:14; 19:16 – Jesus is “King of kings and Lord of lords.” His authority is above that of the highest created beings. This naturally follows from the fact that He is the Creator.
Colossians 2:2,3 – In Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.
John 16:30; 21:17 – He allowed His disciples to claim that He knew all things.
The power to create demonstrates the wisdom and power of the creator. Since Jesus created all things in heaven and on earth, He must possess infinite knowledge and wisdom.
People who make great discoveries often receive great honors such as Nobel prizes. This is just for discovering one aspect of nature. But Jesus made it all.
Do we appreciate and honor Jesus as the all-wise, all-powerful Creator?
(John 2:24,25; Revelation 2:23; Colossians 1:16; John 3:31; Romans 9:5; Acts 10:36; Romans 10:12; Philippians 2:9-11; Ephesians 1:21; John 16:15; 17:1)
Jesus Possesses Authority Over All Creation.
The Creator has the power to rule or control what He made.
Acts 17:24 – God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord (Ruler) of heaven and earth. He rules because He created.
Psalm 24:1,2 – Earth and all who dwell on it belong to God because He founded and established it.
Psalms 89:11,12 – The heavens and earth and all its fullness are Yours, because You founded and created them. Since God made the universe and it belongs to Him, it follows that His power should control it.
Psalm 97:5; Joshua 3:11,13 – God is Lord of the whole earth.
Scripture uses the word “lord” to refer to people who exercise authority over others (masters or civil rulers). Human lords rule over certain areas or certain people. But God is Lord over the whole earth and everything on it because He made it all.
Such concepts are fundamental to Bible teaching because they establish the very basis for God’s relationship with the universe including people.
As the Creator, Jesus rules over heaven and earth.
Jesus is the One who made everything, so He has the authority of God over all that He made.
Colossians 1:16 – All things were created for Jesus, not just by Him. They were created for His service and pleasure. The creator has the right to rule as Lord over His creation.
John 3:31 – He is above all and over all. So Jesus rules over all the universe by right of creation and ownership. (Romans 9:5)
Acts 10:36; Romans 10:12 – He is Lord of all.
A maker controls what He made. I once made a wooden computer desk. Years later, when I moved it to a different room, I modified it to fit the new room. I had the right to change it because I made it and I controlled it.
But Jesus made the whole heaven and the earth. So He rules over everything. Do we appreciate Jesus as the Creator and Ruler of the whole universe?
(Matthew 28:18; Revelation 17:14; 19:16; Philippians 2:9-11; 3:20,21; Ephesians 1:21; Isaiah 9:6; John 16:15; 17:10.)
Jesus Possesses Deity.
Creation proves that God is God!
Creation is a defining proof that the God of the Bible is the true God. This is why we recognize Him as God and why it would be wrong to recognize anything or anyone else as God.
2 Kings 19:15 – Hezekiah prayed that God alone is God. He made heaven and earth.
Psalm 95:1-7 – The Lord is the great God and King above all gods. He made the sea and His hands formed the dry land. Worship the Lord our Maker, for He is God.
Romans 1:20 – The things that God has made reveal, not just His power, but also His Godhead. They prove that He is God, and those who fail to recognize Him as God are without excuse (verses 18-32).
God is God because God is the Creator.
(Acts 14:15; 17:24-29; 1 Chronicles 16:25-35 and Psalm 96:2-10; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 86:8-10; 100:3; 8:3-9; Isaiah 45:18; 17:7; 40:25,26; 42:5-9; Jeremiah 14:22; 51:15-19)
But Jesus is the Creator, therefore Jesus is God!
John 1:1-3 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. By Him were all things made that were made. Jesus is God because Jesus is the Maker.
Hebrews 1:2,3 – God made the worlds through Jesus. Jesus was “the express image of His [the Father’s] person.” The Father and the Son possess the same nature: the nature of Deity. This is demonstrated by the fact that Jesus is the Creator.
Hebrews 1:8,10 – The Father said to Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.” Why? In the beginning you laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands (verse 10). He is God the Creator. Note that God the Father Himself is here addressing Jesus as “God” (compare verses 1-9).
John 20:28,29 – After he saw proof of Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas addressed Jesus as “my Lord and my God.” So Thomas combined the terms “Lord” and “God” in addressing Jesus. Remember, Jesus is Lord or Ruler of the universe because He made it. But the Ruler of the universe must be God. So, Jesus is Lord and God.
The very essence of Deity or Godhood is that God is the Creator and Ruler of all. All created things are subject to God. To miss this is to miss the essence of Godhood. To put Jesus down as a created thing is to deny His Godhood. The Bible places Him, not with those of us who were created, but with the Father and the Holy Spirit: eternal Beings who possess Deity.
(Colossians 2:9; Philippians 2:6-8)
Conclusion
What does all this mean to you and me?
1) God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) rules the universe because He made it. That means He made you and me. As the Creator, God has the right to make the rules by which you and I should live. We have no right to argue with His rules or try to make up our own rules different from His. We must submit to Him because He is the Creator.
2) When we disobey God’s rules, that is sin, and God has the right to require punishment. We have no right to deny God’s authority in the universe. Our duty is to obey. As the Creator, only God can decree what the reward or punishment will be for obedience or disobedience.
3) When we sin, only God can declare the grounds on which He is willing to forgive. We have no right to try to dictate or change the terms of forgiveness. We must submit to our Creator.
4) The incredible thing is that, to offer us forgiveness, the Creator Himself came to earth to live as a man and to die a horrible death. The Maker Himself died for the sins of His creatures!
5) All this teaches us to value the doctrine of creation as fundamental to our faith and our understanding and appreciation of God.
Surely such a God deserves our everlasting gratitude and service. He deserves it because He is our Creator, and He deserves it for the great love He showed and the sacrifice He made for His creatures.
Will you choose to respond to His will and receive His forgiveness? Are you living in submission to His will?
(c) Copyright David E. Pratte, 2022; gospelway.com
