I Believe Through Jesus, All Things were Made

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus; but make no mistake, this is not when Jesus came into being. Christmas celebrates Jesus becoming human. John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” A few verses later, John explains, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Word that has always existed is Jesus. Being God, He is eternal. There was never a time when Jesus did not exist.

The reality of Jesus’ eternality is critically important to every Christian. If Jesus had only been a good man, He couldn’t have saved us. Our sin, even the smallest white lie, offended an infinite, perfect, holy God. As Paul explained Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death”—that is, eternal death. By His very nature, God must have justice for every sin, leaving two options. The first option was for us to spend eternity separated from God, paying the just penalty for our sin. The second option was for an equally infinite, eternal Person to take our place. Jesus joyfully took our place as the only one who could repay our debt.

Looking back at the Old Testament through the lens of the New sheds additional light on God’s actions. As we reread the creation story, we have a greater understanding of how each member of the Trinity played a part. Paul provided insight on who spoke the world into existence. In Colossians 1:16–17, he wrote, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together” (NASB). Among the triune God, Jesus was the one who created the world and continues to hold it together. Jesus spoke, “Let there be light,” and there was light.