Was Jesus a Created Being?
PrintThere are some well-intended “believers” who contend that Jesus Himself was a created being prior to His earthly life. Some have even suggested that He was the twin brother of the great archangel Lucifer – the very Lucifer who later became Satan the devil. Those who hold this view believe that God the Father stands alone as the One Being who has eternally existed.
However, the scriptures declare that the heavens and earth were created by the One who would later become Jesus Christ. In his letter to the church at Colosse, the apostle Paul leaves no doubt regarding this truth. Notice what Paul says.
For by Him [Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. (Col. 1:16-17)
Here, Paul plainly states that “all things” were made by Him (Jesus Christ). Notice what he did not say. He did not say “some things.” He did not say “most things.” He did not say “everything except the Messiah.” Paul declared without hesitation that “all things,” in all places, and in all forms, were the product of Jesus’ creative power. Everything that has a beginning was created by the Messiah. This is true for both the spirit realm as well as the material universe. None other than Jesus Christ is their Maker. In other words, if they were made, Jesus made them. When they first came into being, Jesus was there. Therefore, if Jesus was a created being, it would have been necessary for Him to create Himself in order for the scriptures to be true.
Paul was not the only servant of God who believed Jesus was the source of all creation. The apostle John also understood that the Messiah was the Great Creator who fashioned everything that exists. Notice what John writes.
All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. (Jn. 1:3)
These words state with great clarity that Jesus Christ can rightfully stake claim to creating all that exists. Jesus was the God who spoke and earth existed. He was the God who fashioned the heavens by His wisdom. He was the God who formed the oceans, fixed the currents, built great mountains, and gave life to all that lives, including the angels.
While the New Testament Identifies the Messiah as the creator of all things, the Old Testament identifies who Jesus was as the creator of all things. He was the Almighty, the very God of the universe. Notice the words of the Great prophet Isaiah.
"This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer who formed you in the womb: "I am the Lord, who has made all things, who stretched out the heavens, who spread the earth by myself." (Isa. 44:24)
In His Own Words:
The Bible reveals that Jesus Himself claimed to be the God of the Old Testament and to have eternally existed. In John 8:58 Jesus said to the Jews: “Before Abraham was born, I am.” At the risk of being a little technical the words “I am” are rendered in Greek as ego eimi and are in the present tense form. If He was a created being it would have been more appropriate to use the aorist form “was born” (genesthai - to begin to be, to come into existence). The two expressions contrast the eternal and the temporal. Furthermore, the Jews certainly caught the drift of what Christ was saying, i.e., that he was claiming eternality, therefore, the status of being God. That is why they sought to stone him. The expression “I am” points one back to Exodus 3:14, where God identified himself as the “I AM,” i.e., the self-existent One.
Additionally, in the book of Revelation, Jesus claims that he is “the first and the last, and the Living [present participle – always living] one” (Rev. 1:17-18). He is also the“Alpha and the Omega” – first and last letters in the Greek alphabet (22:13; cf. 1:8; 21:6). These phrases assert the eternal nature of the One they describe. In this case, either God, the Father, or to Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament also affirms the eternal nature of Jesus Christ prior to His earthly life. For example the great prophet Isaiah referred to Him as “everlasting” (9:6). The prophet Micah says that, in reality, the “goings forth” of the infant Jesus have been from “of old, from everlasting” (5:2).
The New Testament is equally clear in this matter. Three times in John 1:1 the apostle employs the imperfect tense verb en (rendered “was”) to denote the “timeless existence” of the sacred person known as the Word. The eternal existence of the pre-incarnate Christ antedates “the beginning,” to which John alludes, in this passage. In essence, John was saying, “When the beginning began the Word was.”
Why this Question is so Important
Consider what it would mean if Jesus was not God. If such a claim was true then mankind, whom God created, was redeemed by another product of His creation. In other words, God fashioned a sacrifice to atone for the sins of all mankind. This goes contrary to the wisdom of the scriptures. One perfect created being could only redeem one imperfect created being, no more. However, one perfect God could atone for the sins of all his creation.
As we approach the Passover let us be mindful that the Savior who laid down His life for us, and the one we kneel before and worship was not made by God. He is God. He was and is the eternal Word and companion of the Father. Perhaps the apostle John said it best.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.(John 1:1-4)