CHRIST IN CREATION
Christ Has the Preeminence in the Creation of All Things and Mankind
SCRIPTURES ON THE CREATION OF ALL THINGS BY CHRIST:
Through him also he made the worlds [literally, ages]. (Heb. 1.2)
And upholding all things by the word of His power.(Heb. 1.3)
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 through him; and without him was not any thing made that hath been made.(John 1.1-3)
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not.(John 1.10)
For in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. (Col. 1.16,17)
One Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him.(1 Cor. 8.6)
The Father having conceived the plan, the Son proceeds to create. The Father plans according to His good pleasure, the Son approves and creates, and the Holy Spirit energizes for its accomplishment. The Son is the Creator of all things, He is "the firstborn of all creation" (Col. 1.15), and He has the preeminence over all things. He is "the beginning [literally, chief]of the creation of God" (Rev. 3.14). For God in His eternal plan has predetermined before the foundation of the world that the Son shall create all things and then become flesh to achieve redemption (1 Peter 1.18-20). Hence in God’s plan the Son is the head of all creation. The Father plans and the Son creates. And after the work of creation is done, all creation is given to the Son. The reason for creating all things is to satisfy the heart of the Son. Oh how great is our Lord! He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Alpha, because of Him are all things. He is the Omega, for unto Him are all things.
SCRIPTURES ON THE CREATION OF MAN BY CHRIST:
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.(1 Cor. 11.3)
But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So that thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. (Gal. 4.4-7)
Even to them that are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.(Rom. 8.28-30)
According to the foreknowledge of God the Father. (1 Peter 1.2)
God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.(1 Cor. 1.9)
For not unto angels did he subject the world to come, whereof we speak. But one hath somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him. But we behold him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Heb. 2.5-10)
Wherefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.(1 Cor. 3.21-23)
God creates man in order for man to be like Christ, having the life as well as the glory of Christ. As God manifests himself through Christ, so the latter manifests himself through man. God calls us in order that we might become partakers of His Son, being made to be conformed to the image of His Son so that His Son might become the firstborn among many brethren. From eternity past up to the resurrection the Lord is the only begotten Son. But after He is raised from the dead He becomes the firstborn Son. Accordingly, after the resurrection He says this to Mary Magdalene: "Go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father" (John 20.17). These many sons become sons in the only begotten Son. By the death of God’s only begotten Son, many sons are born.
But God causes us to be heirs as well as sons. He gives us the life of His Son. He also makes us co-heirs with His Son. The Son came to be man, being made a little lower than the angels; but He is later on crowned with honor and glory. He is to lead many sons into glory. The reason why God creates man is that man may receive the life of His Son and enter into glory with His Son. All is to satisfy the heart of His Son. Let us thank God, because He creates us and redeems us for the sake of satisfying the heart of Christ.
God has foreordained that man be conformed to the image of His Son. (The foreordination of God is according to His foreknowledge. Such foreordination is related to our future destiny. Election is concerned with us as men. Thus foreordination is for us in eternity, whereas election and calling is for us in this age.) What is the meaning of being conformed to the image of His Son? God takes His Son as the mold or stamp, and in this stamp God impresses us many sons so that His Son might be the firstborn among many sons. He causes us to have the glory of His Son as well as the life of His Son (Rom. 8.29-30). He motivates His Son to lead many sons into glory. The Son of God is "he that sanctifieth", we are the "they that are sanctified", and the "all of one" signifies our being of the one Father; "for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Heb. 2. 10,11). Christ is now in us, for the purpose of making us sons of God. In the future He will lead us into glory. No wonder we read this: "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1.27). Today we are the children of God, and in the future we shall enter into glory with Christ (Rom. 8.16,17). It is the will of God to distribute the life of His Son to many so as to enable many to become sons of God in order that His Son may become the firstborn among many sons so that His Son might have the preeminence in all things.
There is a difference between the personal Christ and the corporate Christ. 1 Corinthians 12.12 speaks of the corporate Christ which is the composite of the personal Christ and the church. There the term Christ (or more accurately: the Christ, Darby) refers to the church. We were all born in Adam, but today we are all in Christ since we have His life. Adam is the first man, but Christ is the second man as well as the last Adam (1 Cor. 15.47,45). Before His death and resurrection there is only the one personal Christ. But after His death and resurrection He distributes His life to many, thus forming the corporate Christ.
SCRIPTURES ON WHAT GOD HAS FOREORDAINED BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD:
Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou has given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.(John 17.24)
Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.(Eph. 1.4, 5)
In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal.(Titus 1.2)
Who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, but hath now been manifested by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.(2 Tim. 1.9,10)
Who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of the times for your sake.(1 Peter 1.20)
God laid His plan before the foundation of the world. He loved the Son before the foundation of the world. He has foreordained the Son to be Christ. He has chosen us for sonship (Election is choosing us as men; foreordination is giving us sonship.). Before times eternal God gave us grace. He has foreordained that we should partake of His life (not His deity). God foreknew how Satan would rebel and cause all things to be at variance with Him. He also foreknew how man would sin and fall. God therefore held council with His Son even before the foundation of the world so as to have His Son come down and go to the cross in order to reconcile all things back to himself, rescue fallen mankind, and resolve the rebellion of Satan.
SCRIPTURES ON WHAT GOD HAS FOREORDAINED FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD:
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matt. 25.34)
For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.(Heb. 4.3)
Else must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once at the end of the ages hath he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.(Heb. 9.26)
And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain [or, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world—mg.].(Rev. 13.8)
. . . they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world . . . (Rev. 17.8)
The realization of God’s plan commences from the foundation of the world. The Lord is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Our names were written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. God’s works of creation were finished from the foundation of the world. God’s eternal kingdom was also prepared from the foundation of the world.
