The Agent of creation now sits at the right hand of God as a mediator on your behalf.
John 1:1–5 (NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 8: The Trinity
In keeping with this truth and Word of God
we believe in one God,
who is one single essence,
in whom there are three persons,
really, truly, and eternally distinct
according to their incommunicable properties—
namely,
Father,
Son,
and Holy Spirit.
The Father
is the cause,
origin,
and source of all things,
visible as well as invisible.
The Son
is the Word,
the Wisdom,
and the image
of the Father.
The Holy Spirit
is the eternal power
and might,
proceeding from the Father and the Son.
Nevertheless,
this distinction does not divide God into three,
since Scripture teaches us
that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
each has his own subsistence
distinguished by characteristics—
yet in such a way
that these three persons are
only one God.
It is evident then
that the Father is not the Son
and that the Son is not the Father,
and that likewise the Holy Spirit is
neither the Father nor the Son.
Nevertheless,
these persons,
thus distinct,
are neither divided
nor fused or mixed together.
For the Father did not take on flesh,
nor did the Spirit,
but only the Son.
The Father was never
without his Son,
nor without his Holy Spirit,
since all these are equal from eternity,
in one and the same essence.
There is neither a first nor a last,
for all three are one
in truth and power,
in goodness and mercy.
Summary
While the Gospel of John is written in a different language (Greek) than the Old Testament (Hebrew), John starts his gospel with the exact same words that Moses uses to open the Bible, “in the beginning”. Right away in verse 1, John is making several significant theological claims about who Jesus is. Here Jesus is not immediately named, instead the term “the Word” is used to speak of Jesus.
In verse 1 we learn that in the beginning the Word was with God. Jesus, the Word, was with God at the beginning because He is not a part of the created order. The Son, the second person of the Trinity, is co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. God has no beginning, even before the creation of the universe and everything in it, there was our Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
John also claims that not only was the Word with God, but that “the Word was God”. While numerous heresies throughout the ages have tried to deny the divinity of Christ, John makes it clear from the onset, Jesus is God.
Dig Deeper
We know that Jesus was there at the time of creation, however he was not a bystander. Jesus is known as the agent of creation. As John describes it, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”
This is not a teaching unique to the Gospel of John. For example, The letter to the Hebrews begins with the words “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world (Hebrews 1:1-2).” Here again it is repeated that the creation of the world happened through the Son.
Since we are currently in the season of Lent, much of our focus is rightfully on the crucifixion and resurrection. These are critical events in God’s plan of salvation of which we are benefactors. As you express your gratitude in prayer, I encourage you to remember all that Jesus has done. Remember not only his life, death, and resurrection, but also his work as the agent of creation and how even now he sits at the right hand of God the Father as a mediator speaking on your behalf.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who made all things through the Word;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as you think about Christ's suffering, death and resurrection more and more at this time of the year, that you'll also praise your Savior for being the One through whom all things were made;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 26
