Some people came to my door and said that since Jesus is the âSon of God,â that means He canât be God. They said that Jesus was the first being created by God. Was Jesus created?âF.F., Arkansas.
Thank you for the question. What you described sounds like a group who call themselves âJehovahâs Witnesses.â But before we answer the question, something must be made extremely clear:
Right and wrong is determined by what the Bible says. Just because a certain religious group teaches something doesnât automatically mean itâs right, but it also doesnât automatically mean itâs wrong, either.
Letâs start with your question, Was Jesus created? Then weâll move on to the issue about the âSon of God.â
In Micah 5:2, there is a prophecy about Jesus being born in Bethlehem (fulfilled in Matthew 2:5-6). But thatâs not the only thing in that verse. Jesus is also described as the one âwhose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.â According to this Old Testament passage, the Messiah (the Christ) would be one who has existed âfrom everlasting,â that is, forever. If someone is from everlasting, that means He couldnât have been created.
But letâs go further and look at how ridiculous this claim of a âcreated Jesusâ is. The Bible makes it crystal-clear that everything that was created was created by Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3). The Scriptures say that there is nothing created except for that which was created by Jesus. Now, taking this crystal-clear Bible knowledge with us, letâs use some common sense. The only wayâaccording to the Bibleâthat Jesus was created is if Jesus created Himself out of thin air before He existed.
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was not created. He is eternal, and is the one who created everythingâno exceptions!
But letâs also take a look at the âSon of Godâ argument.
One of the ways the âJehovahâs Witnessesâ try to bring up the topic of Jesus is by saying that Heâs the Son of God, and then make the comment, âIsnât that interesting that heâs called the Son of God.â When you ask, âWhat do you mean?â they start saying that since Jesus is the Son of God, that means Jesus canât be God.
The same Bible says that Jesus is the âson of man.â According to the Jehovahâs Witness argument, that would mean that Jesus canât be man, either, since heâs the son of man. If we take their argument to its logical conclusion, Jesus isnât deity, and was never human either. Both of those stances violate several Scriptures.
The son of a human is a humanâby his very nature. The Son of God, therefore, is Godâby His very nature.
Jesus Christ is deity (by His very nature), and Jesus is also human (by being the Son of man). He is eternal. Jesus was not created. He is the one who created everything.
-Bradley Cobb
1 Cor. 8:5, 6, RS: âAlthough there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earthâas indeed there are many âgodsâ and many âlordsââyet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.â
Col. 1:15, 16, RS: âHe [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth.â In what sense is Jesus Christ âthe first-born of all creationâ? (1) Trinitarians say that âfirst-bornâ here means prime, most excellent, most distinguished; thus Christ would be understood to be, not part of creation, but the most distinguished in relation to those who were created. If that is so, and if the Trinity doctrine is true, why are the Father and the holy spirit not also said to be the firstborn of all creation? But the Bible applies this expression only to the Son. According to the customary meaning of âfirstborn,â it indicates that Jesus is the eldest in Jehovahâs family of sons. (2) Before Colossians 1:15, the expression âthe firstborn ofâ occurs upwards of 30 times in the Bible, and in each instance that it is applied to living creatures the same meaning appliesâthe firstborn is part of the group. âThe firstborn of Israelâ is one of the sons of Israel; âthe firstborn of Pharaohâ is one of Pharaohâs family; âthe firstborn of beastâ are themselves animals. What, then, causes some to ascribe a different meaning to it at Colossians 1:15? Is it Bible usage or is it a belief to which they already hold and for which they seek proof? (3) Does Colossians 1:16, 17 (RS) exclude Jesus from having been created, when it says âin him all things were created . . . all things were created through him and for himâ? The Greek word here rendered âall thingsâ is panâ˛ta, an inflected form of pas. At Luke 13:2, RS renders this âall . . . otherâ; JB reads âany otherâ; NE says âanyone else.â (See also Luke 21:29 in NE and Philippians 2:21 in JB.) In harmony with everything else that the Bible says regarding the Son, NW assigns the same meaning to panâ˛ta at Colossians 1:16, 17 so that it reads, in part, âby means of him all other things were created . . . All other things have been created through him and for him.â Thus he is shown to be a created being, part of the creation produced by God.
It is noteworthy that, instead of saying âdays of eternity,â RS renders the Hebrew as âancient daysâ; JB, âdays of oldâ; NW, âdays of time indefinite.â Viewed in the light of Revelation 3:14, discussed above, Micah 5:2 does not prove that Jesus was without a beginning.
The phrase “from everlasting” appears to exclusively refer to eternality (always has been, never a time when it did not exist). You’ll notice that the phrase describes the Father as well as the Son. However long one has existed, so has the other. Here’s all the passages where that phrase is located:
Psa_41:13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.
Psa_90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Psa_93:2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
Psa_103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
Psa_106:48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.
Pro_8:23 I [Wisdom] was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
Isa_63:16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.
Mic_5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Hab_1:12 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
Also consider John 1:1-3, which says in explicit language, “without him [Christ] was not anything made that was made.” In other words, everything that was created was created by Jesus–no exceptions.
Another interesting thing is this: John 12:37-41 speaks of Jesus, then quotes from Isaiah, and says that Isaiah said these things about Jesus when he saw Jesus’ glory. The quotation is from Isaiah 6, and there it explicitly states that Isaiah saw the glory of Jehovah.
Hope your week has gone well, Robin!
This is a fun discussion. I remember my brother and I used to do this (and write letters back and forth too! LOL!) John 12:44-50 continues to make it clear that Jesus honored his Father, Jehovah, “However, Jesus cried out and said: “He that puts faith in me puts faith, not in me only, but in him also that sent me; and he that beholds me beholds also him that sent me. I have come as a light into the world in order that everyone putting faith in me may not remain in the darkness. But if anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I came, not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that disregards me and does not receive my sayings has one to judge him. The word that I have spoken is what will judge him in the last day; because I have not spoken out of my own impulse, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a command as to what to tell and what to speak. Also, I know that his commandment means everlasting life. Therefore the things I speak, just as the Father has told me them, so I speak them.”
Have you considered that Jesus is frequently described in identical ways with Jehovah? Or that in the OT, He (as the Angel of Jehovah) called Himself “Jehovah”?
Or that in Revelation, Jesus appears in heaven (as the Lamb), and in the presence of the Father, the Lamb is worshiped?
If Christ is not deity, then God allowed blasphemy in heaven–and actually endorsed it!
In understanding the language and culture of the times in which Jesus lived, it is good to know how the Greek proskyneo can be translated. Ungerâs Bible Dictionary says that this word literally means to âkiss the hand of someone in token of reverence or to do homage.â An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine, says that this word âdenotes an act of reverence, whether paid to man . . . or to God.â In Bible times pro¡sky¡neâ˛o often included literally bowing down before someone of high stature.
Consider the parable Jesus gave of the slave who was unable to repay a substantial sum of money to his master. A form of this Greek word appears in this parable, and in translating it the King James Version says that âthe servant therefore fell down, and worshipped [form of pro¡sky¡neâ˛o] him [the king], saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.â (Matthew 18:26) Was this man committing an act of idolatry? He was merely expressing the kind of respect due a king, his master and superior.
The Lamb is worthy of this respect, as he is the appointed King of God’s Kingdom. After his resurrection, Jesus received authority in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18) In his letter to the Hebrews, the apostle Paul explains that as the âheir of all things,â Jesus has âsat down on the right hand of the Majesty in lofty places.â (Hebrews 1:2-4) Thus, âin the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.ââPhilippians 2:10,11.
Jesus is at the right hand of God. We can only approach God through Jesus (John 14:6). His Kingdom will bring glory to his father, Jehovah. His Kingdom will accomplish the following, at First Corinthians 15:20-28 “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death. For since death came through a man, resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive. But each one in his own proper order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence. Next, the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has brought to nothing all government and all authority and power. For he must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet. And the last enemy, death, is to be brought to nothing. For God âsubjected all things under his feet.” But when he says that âall things have been subjected,â it is evident that this does not include the One who subjected all things to him. But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone.”
P.S. I am making chicken paprikash with a WHOLE head of garlic. Wanna come over, you and the Cobblets?
California is a bit of a drive. I think we’ll have to pass this time.
LOL! I understand.