Chapter XI – The Purpose of Christ – His Creation

[Christ] is the Image of the invisible God, Firstborn of every creature, for in Him is all created, that in the heavens and that on the earth, whether thrones, or lordships, or sovereignties, or authorities…

hoti (that) en (IN) autO (Him) ektisthE (IS-CREATed) ta (THE) panta (ALL) ta (THE) en (IN) tois (THE) ouranois (HEAVENS) kai (AND) ta (THE) epi (ON) tEs (THE) gEs (LAND) ta (THE) horata (SEEn) kai (AND) ta (THE) aorata (UN-SEEn) eite (IF-BESIDES) thronoi (THRONES) eite (IF-BESIDES) kuriotEtes (masterdoms) eite (IF-BESIDES) archai (ORIGINALS) eite (IF-BESIDES) exousiai (authorities)

All in God

As with the earlier statement that “God was alone before the beginning of creation,” so too “All was in God” is nowhere found in the scriptures. Yet again, the fact that all is “out of God” necessarily implies that this “all” was once in God. It is not that the “all” was nonexistent, for the great truth that “all is out of God” demonstrates that creation did not come from “nothing.” For example, a butterfly that comes out of the cocoon must have been in the cocoon beforehand. This is a truth which hardly requires “reasoning” of any sort; it is so simple that it should not need to be stated, any more than God need to tell us that 1 + 1 = 2.

It is quite the truth bomb, regardless. The universe is a closed loop of energy, sustained by an invisible, binding Force. The visual building blocks of the universe were once in God. He has relinquished this visibility by using what was once in Him to create all.

This shows us that, in a very actual and real way, creation has never been “non-existent.” God is our Place of origin! It is indeed important to stress the fact that Stephen and Seth, of course, did not “exist” as we do until we were brought through our mothers’ (respective) wombs. But the elements that compose us have never been absent or wont. This is seen in other elementary truths, one example being the death of an individual. Ecclesiastes 12:7 clarifies that once we die, our spirit returns to the One, Elohim, Who gave it. Are we to presume that our spirits were non-existent? If so, how do they return to non-existence?

To quote M. Jaegle in his study, The Ecclesia and the Kingdom, “Yea, what strengthening for our faith and joy to find ourselves in God! We really cannot wish for a more satisfactory answer to the question whence we are.”

Yes – we hear the objection. “How could the whole creation be in God, an invisible Spirit?” The Word of God aptly answers us by presenting to us the creative process of the second earth, as shown in Genesis 1:3-2:3. Observe Gen. 1:11, concerning “day 3” of the restoration–

And Elohim said: Let the land become verdant with vegetation: with herbage yielding seed on the land and the fruit tree bearing fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in it. And it came to be so.

This beautiful depiction of the creation of the Kingdom Plantae is a perfect analogy, topically shown at the beginning of this book. Elohim does not create a trillion different trees, but specifically made one of each kind of tree. He then states that the offspring of each of these trees is in its original. Every harvest since the inception of these ones were included at the beginning.

This is not limited to herbal life, of course, but also of animal life (1:21, 25,) and human life (1:27.) Indeed, to grasp Paul’s argument in Romans 5:12-19 requires an understanding of this principle: that all mankind was actually in Adam at Adam’s creation, both male and female (Gen. 2:18-24,) and all (Rom. 5:12, 18.) Without this point, the logical parallel in which both inaugural “men” impact mankind is invalidated.

This point is further scientifically verifiable (though, because this is a scripture study, we won’t dwell on this long.) Modern science is heavily interested in the atomic scale. In humanity’s search, we have learned that, where an object appears to be reducing in volume, it is actually decomposing into its base elements. Even if an object were reduced to the smallest it could be, the force of the matter remains the same (to re-emphasize the point that the universe is a closed loop – the energy levels in you may shift, but the energy remains within the confines of the universe itself.)

Through each of these points, we can attain a miniscule understanding of “how” the universe was once “in” God. We may consider the diminution of matter to its basest forms, to see that size is not the issue. The energy of the universe was once in God, and from the examples of the creation in Genesis 1, we do not need to see every single tree in order to recognize the power that the original trees/humans/animals held, to produce such a vast number of offspring.

Yet even all of this is only mildly argumentative – as a means of proposing a rationale for the subject. Even if the universe did have the scale then that it has now, it changes not the fact that God is spirit, and holds no “mass” or “dimension,” no geometric figure with which to identify Him. No matter how we wish to address it, all is out of God, through God, and for God (Rom. 11:36,) and as such nothing which was created has ever escaped Him. Even Christ – the One through Whom all is, does not escape the truth that He was once in God.

Let no reader misunderstand our meaning; we are not saying that Christ existed as He does now when all was “in” God, any more than you existed as you do now when all was “in” God. We are reveling in the truth that God alone is the Source of the universe, as He Himself attests in Isaiah – that no one created except Him.

It is this inclusion of all in God prior to the “eonian times” that all creation could be considered vitally united with its Creator. It is on this premise – that He, ultimately, is responsible for all – that God wills for all mankind to be saved and come into a realization of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4.) Given His express motivations, we can appreciate His intended conclusion – for all creation to be freed from vanity, into the glorious freedom of the children of God (Rom. 8:21.) The underlying cause of God’s need to save all is the fact of the inclusion of all in Him at the start.

The Creation of God’s Son

Two necessary questions stem from our meditation thus far. First: how has this union been maintained, in light of creation’s perversion at the disruption of the world, and later sin’s entrance into humanity? And second: where did God place creation when it came out of Him?

We will deal with the second question in the next chapter. For now, let us ruminate on the premise of the first question. We learned, in the introductory letter to the Romans, that mankind is unjust, and that God requires a just form of mediation that provides us access to His just heart. This mediation is out of faith, into faith (Rom. 1:17,) serving as a bridge between the Faithful and the faithless. This mediation is presented by a Mediator – an Image, to simulate the faith of the Faithful, in the face of all wrong.

The later unfoldings by Paul must not contradict such a premise. On this elementary level, we see clearly that God will not come into direct contact with “unrighteousness,” lest He compromise the righteousness of Himself (thus bringing Himself also into condemnation, and giving death the throne.) What we ask, dear reader, is this: Was such mediation absent at the disruption of the world? Yes – when sin first made its advent in God’s creation, was God unprepared? Did He have no Image prepared through which He may keep relations between Himself and the creation which came out of Him?

The question may bring you to this conclusion: that, if God had perfectly created the first heavens and earth, and the disruption of the world subsequently occurred, God would have been completely severed from His creation, if lacking a Just Representative in which He could display His faithfulness in one of the most turbulent periods of the eonian times – one where sin infected all, yet no sacrifice had been made for all. God made a show of not coming into contact with the unjust when Israel was under law. For Him to ignore this same dilemma prior to Mt. Sinai is unbecoming of the careful planning we have seen from this One hitherto.

It is only rational that the all-knowing God would have accounted for the disruption of the world, and had a Mediator already crafted for His affairs with “the all.” This is a meditation on the purpose of Christ, and not the character of evil, but it is hard to appreciate the purpose of Christ without an acknowledgment of evil itself. Satan, the physical representative of evil, was never excluded from this union between God and creation. He is not some external force imposing on God’s will – such a theory directly denies the fact that all is out of God, and placed in Christ.

At every point, Satan has been subject to God (Job 1:5-6.) God did not impose some lackluster freedom upon Satan (no matter how much he disagrees – this, too, fulfills God’s intention for him.) Satan is fulfilling His function as planned. He has never managed to sever the bond between God and His Christ (thus God and all creation,) no matter how many fake “Forethought” deities and other gnostic philosophies he has manifested through the sinner. He is not the inaugurator of evil, or he would by necessity become the inaugurator for salvation (for one cannot be saved without first showing a lack.)

The Creator could never have made a mistake this blatant in such an orderly, careful, nuanced universe. God does not fail, and would never impose a threat that would sever His relationship or responsibility to those He loves. God expresses time and time again that He has foreknown everything – from the necessary sacrifice of His Son (1 Pet. 1:19-20,) to each and every sinner and their effectual action (Ps. 139:2, Jer. 1:5.) God previewed the story before He spun it in motion. Though we feel that we have strayed, in truth all is on track. Humanity portrays the march of time as though it is inherently evil or unfeeling, yet it is truly the greatest example that God has not once slipped up, and is planning on bringing about the only rational conclusion to the inclusion of all in His Son – the reconciliation of all through His Son (Col. 1:20.)

We understand that many Christians will find what we are saying to be grotesque; that God, indeed, is responsible for the evil that has befallen His creation! Yet from where we stand, not only do we have plain scriptures on our side (Ecc. 1:13, Lam. 3:36-38, Is. 45:7, and many more,) but we also have the advantage of foresight, as God has shared the ultimate welfare of all that will come about through this experience. We are delighted to announce that we do not believe that even one abhorrent person could disrupt God’s plans. We are, in fact, ecstatic that Satan will be humbled, as will all evildoers, and on the other side of their respective penalty, are on the path to receive the same disposition as the Christ, and thus receive great adoration from God.

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With the necessary reminder of God’s method – His not coming into contact with anything save through a righteous channel – we must realize that creation could not have begun with any other except Christ. The heavens and earth could not have been created first, nor could the Adversary, Satan, have been created first, for God would have had no created representative to mediate between Himself and the inevitable enmity with which creation became fueled.

The creation of God’s Son is thus the necessary “right foot” to begin creation. Given the two titles in view in Colossians 1:15, Christ’s relationship to creation and God is at the forefront of His inception. He is the Divine Representative, the Expression of the living God, yet also the Origin-Leader, the Firstborn of creation. In this perfect, dual position, His role as Mediator emerges.

Christ is called, in Colossians 1:13, the Son of God’s Love. He is the fruit of the love of God, the root of life (Eph. 3:17.) We ask, where was God’s love at the beginning of the eonian times? Why would His Love exist, yet the Expression of love remain absent until after sin’s expression? Surely the need and desire of Love to express love was not limited to a reaction against sin?

The omniscient God is love. Love is His express source, channel, and goal of all creation. This love already existed in God. For God to begin this demonstration of love on the wrong foot, without a just demonstration of the concept, casts the whole concept of all being out of, through, and for Love into great confusion.

When we consider the truth – that Christ is the Origin of all creation, being the reason for His title of “Firstborn” – this theme is instead given its proper place. It is not a concept reserved for the end of the story, or for the second half of the story, but for the entirety of the story, to bind it all together. Christ is the Just Image of this Love – ensuring that every creature God created afterward was, first and foremost, created in the Representative of Love.

The prior paragraphs are waved off by our opposers, claiming that it is emotional reasoning, and that God should be able to create without the Son of His Love (“Is He reliant on the Son of His Love to create?” they cry.) Yet this misrepresents the picture. Of course, God is not dependent upon Christ to make all. The reason is thematic, for creation cannot apprehend the love of God without a Mediator. But by establishing all creation in the Son of His Love, firstly, He can later show that the old part of creation are seeds, planted in that love, and the new part of creation is the fruit, the object of the inclusion in that love. It is to visually demonstrate – as He is visually demonstrating His themes all the time in His story – that God includes all creation in His love, and thus none of creation escapes this love in its effects (Col. 1:18-20.)

It is vital that all creation receive some idea of His character at every stage in creation, and not merely a few. Apart from Christ, the first heavens and earth may have been able to acknowledge His power, that their very lives depended upon Him, but they would have had no intimation of His attitude, nor would they have had a portrayal of good to revolt against.

Yet with the realization that all is created in Love’s Image, we may rest in God’s consolation to the faithful: “My dear one, relax. All is being operated through and for love. The story started this way, continues this way, and will conclude this way. No amount of evil will change that sin will be repudiated!”

We see how important Christ’s representative role is when we realize the true depth of God’s love (Eph. 3:18-21.) While we can gain some weak intimation of His imperceptible attributes through creation itself (Rom. 1:20,) we could not realize His love without an experience (cf. Ecc. 1:13.) Creation must first be brought to its knees, into a mature disposition. Humbled, if you will. The stage must be set for Christ’s emptying, yet the mistreatment of love must be visualized beforehand, to show the extent of His love through the afflictions. Love’s opposite must display itself in every conceivable form, that Love’s Form has a backdrop on which to shine. For this Form to be absent for enmity’s call to arms would be irrational.

Hopefully, this conveys to you, dear reader, the base necessity for the creation of God’s Son as the first step of creation, as opposed to some middling step. The binding theme of these eonian times is “love.” This necessity will be elaborated on when we consider how the cross of Christ saves all, but for now, it is of vital importance that we appreciate Christ as the Image of the loving Spirit He portrays.

The Purpose of His Creation

As mentioned at the beginning of “The Purpose of Christ” portion of this study, God is building a home. He is crafting a temple suitable for love. This by nature requires that every part of that living home come to a realization of God’s love (cf. 1 Tim. 2:4, Col. 1:9.) For all creation to first be in Love, be brought out of Love, experience a lack of Love, for the express purpose of learning Love, so that all are brought back into Love, with a matured and intelligent disposition, a Visual of Love managing all creation’s lack is of necessity.

Thus the form of God is crafted, Who also contains all the characteristics of Deity, and serves as His Likeness. Through Christ, God becomes a perceptible Being. Love’s Representative can be spoken to. From here, we can begin to see the pieces from Philippians 2:6 tie in with the new information in Colossians 1:16. While in the form of God, it is impossible for creation to appreciate this love, since, we may cry, it is “easy” to love when you need for nothing. It is Christ’s descent (with the sacrificial goal in view) that educates us as to the greatest example of the Kinsman Redeemer’s love for all.

Moreover, we can now also see the purpose for Christ being created first (which is the first step in recognizing the purpose of Christ.) There is first shown to be a close connection between Him and God – one which could not be seen on earth – for the Representative of Love to first be established. When we appreciate the facts Paul presents in Colossians 1:15-16, as brazenly as they are, the passages in the circumcision accounts of Jesus’ ministry are greatly contextualized. We understand now why Christ, specifically, unfolds the Father (John 1:18.) We understand what Jesus means when He says, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:8-9.)

And, when He is at the cross, we can begin to recognize the true conflict – that of an intermediary unjustly ripping Father from Son. When we view the cross in light of Jesus’ own admission – that He held a pre-eminent glory with Him before the world was (John 17:5,) clearly as the form of God (Phil. 2:6,) we see One Who was distinguished with all visual likeness to the Creator, being murdered by the most powerful political, religious, and spiritual forces of creation.

We see, then, how later revelation progressively enhances and sharpens the view of the cross, for us to appreciate it in greater detail. At first, the cross is pure tragedy, full of emotion. At no depth of clarity from the divine perspective does the scene lose this emotion – however contextualizes it in regards to Himself. Last of those affected is Christ’s body, who could only be called His body through the later evangel and its secrets concerning the cross given to Paul (Rom. 3:21-4:25, 5:8-11.) Finally, Paul reveals the full picture of the One on the stake – the Image of Love, in a body of humiliation, awaiting His Father’s affirmation after death, to exalt Him through glorifying Him from the lowest depths of creation to its greatest sovereignties and authorities.

In viewing His place at the beginning of creation, we see much beyond the literal physical warfare, but the spiritual warfare. In creating His Son, God has effectively accomplished His short term goal: to create One with which to fellowship, in love. The greatest Example of love is evident at creation’s beginning – not creation’s middle. This is a good representation of what it means for Christ to be “creation’s ‘Original’” (Rev. 3:14) – being that Example of which all others are a type. He foreshadows the eventual faithful relationship which all will eventually share with the Father!

What a privilege it is to know “Chapter 1,” so to speak! We see that thematically, there is great merit to Christ’s existence before His physical birth, that there is great necessity for it, and that apart from it, the foundation for Christ’s journey is absent. Christ’s glory as the Firstborn of every creature – establishing a pre-eminence in both time and station, by not mixing up verse 15 with verse 18 – is only the beginning. We see His exaltation exponentially increase throughout the passage, showing how, even with this grand beginning, Christ’s journey will take Him still higher, into a fuller realization of His Father’s heart, in His reception by the entire universe.

- GerudoKing