The One through whom the Father created the world is the same One who died for you.
John 1:1–3 (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.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 12: The Creation of All Things
We believe that the Father
created heaven and earth and all other creatures
from nothing,
when it seemed good to him,
by his Word—
that is to say,
by his Son.
He has given all creatures
their being, form, and appearance,
and their various functions
for serving their Creator.
Even now
he also sustains and governs them all,
according to his eternal providence,
and by his infinite power,
that they may serve man,
in order that man may serve God.
He has also created the angels good,
that they might be his messengers
and serve his elect.
Some of them have fallen
from the excellence in which God created them
into eternal perdition;
and the others have persisted and remained
in their original state,
by the grace of God.
The devils and evil spirits are so corrupt
that they are enemies of God
and of everything good.
They lie in wait for the church
and every member of it
like thieves,
with all their power,
to destroy and spoil everything
by their deceptions.
So then,
by their own wickedness
they are condemned to everlasting damnation,
daily awaiting their torments.
For that reason
we detest the error of the Sadducees,
who deny that there are spirits and angels,
and also the error of the Manicheans,
who say that the devils originated by themselves,
being evil by nature,
without having been corrupted.
Summary
This is the second time this year that we've read this passage, and because it is such a beautiful and theologically rich part of scripture, it likely won't be the last time!
As we read through the first part of this chapter, we find John has so much to say about our Lord and Savior and to teach us about Him. John begins his gospel by calling to mind the language of Genesis 1, using the exact same opening phrase “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
What's crucial for our understanding of the creation narrative is what comes next. John continues, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3 ESV).
John tells us quite a bit about Christ in these opening three verses: that Jesus, who is the Word, existed already in the beginning; That Jesus is God; and that all things were made through Him.
As we read from the Belgic Confession today, “We believe that the Father, when it seemed good to him, created heaven and earth and all other creatures from nothing, by the Word - that is to say, by the Son.” Here in John’s Gospel account, we are told that God the Father created all things by His Son, who is the Word, the Second person of the Holy undivided Trinity, and the One who carries out the will of the Father.
Dig Deeper
This One through whom God the Father accomplished creation, and the One who carried out the will of the Father in creation, is also the One who so many years ago came to this earth, took on our flesh, bore our infirmities, and went to the cross in your and my place.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ paid the debt of our sins. He reconciled us to God, against whom we rebelled against all the way back in the Garden of Eden. He then rose again from the dead three days later, accomplishing the plan of redemption that has been from eternity. This One through whom the Father created all things humbled Himself willingly to the cross for us, and it is this One’s death and resurrection we celebrate this week.
When you look at this One through whom the Father created the universe, you also see the One who lived, died, and rose again for you. When you feel as though our Lord is far off and distant; when the enemy lies to you that no one, not even our Lord cares, remember that the One through whom the Father created the universe, including the earth you are standing on, came to this very earth and showed how much He cares for you, how much He loves you!
May you ever praise the Lord!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who along with the Word existed in the beginning;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the Word made flesh, through whom all things were created, who gave His life to reconcile you to the Father;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Galatians 5
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