In this Scripture-first series, we have already studied God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and their relationship. This page takes up a related topic, but we will frame it with Scripture’s own storyline: What is Jesus’ origin, and what does God then give him?
Why this question mattered in an empire
In the ancient world, empire did not only rule through armies and taxes. It also ruled through public speech about who came “from heaven,” who brought “good news,” and who deserved lasting loyalty. In that climate, the early Christian confession about Jesus was never a minor detail. It named a different kind of authority: not an emperor self-asserting divinity, but the Father sending the Son, and giving him a mission that leads to life.1
1) God’s life has no beginning
Scripture speaks of God as the one whose life does not begin or end: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psalm 90:2 KJV).
2) Jesus has an origin, and Scripture places him at the head of God’s work
When Scripture describes Jesus in relation to creation, it uses language that both locates him and honors him. In Revelation, Jesus is described as “the beginning of the Creation of God” (Revelation 3:14 NASB).2
Likewise, in a New Testament letter, he is called “the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15 KJV).3 And that same passage immediately describes his cosmic scope: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” (Colossians 1:16 KJV).
So the storyline is not, “Jesus began when he appeared on earth.” The storyline is, “Jesus has an origin in relation to God and creation,” and then Scripture speaks of creation’s whole order being made through him: “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17 KJV).
3) Then he is sent from heaven into the world
This is where the narrative becomes especially important. Jesus being sent is not presented as the beginning of his existence, but as the beginning of his mission on earth. He says, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father” (John 16:28 KJV).
He also says plainly, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38 KJV). And he challenges his listeners to hold both truths together, his heavenly origin and his return: “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?” (John 6:62 KJV).
In other words, Jesus is no ordinary man, because his origin and commission are not ordinary. As he says, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13 KJV).
4) After his mission, the Father grants him indestructible life
Scripture also insists that the Father gives and grants, and that Jesus receives and bears that life for the sake of the world. Jesus says, “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;” (John 5:26 KJV).
This gift is publicly displayed in resurrection. The New Testament describes Jesus’ risen life with direct clarity: “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him” (Romans 6:9 KJV). He is not merely a brave martyr remembered by followers. He is the risen one, and therefore the beginning of a new future for humanity: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20 KJV).
So the origin question is best answered with the Bible’s own sequence. God is from everlasting to everlasting. Jesus has an origin that Scripture places at the head of God’s work. Then he is sent from heaven into the world, and after his mission he is raised so that death no longer rules him. In an empire that trained people to give ultimate loyalty to rulers who claimed heaven’s favor, the gospel presents a different reality: the Father sends the Son, and the Son returns to the Father, bearing a life that death cannot take away.
Footnotes
- W. Dittenberger, ed., Orientis Graecae Inscriptiones Selectae, 2 vols. (Leipzig: S. Hirzel, 1903–1905), no. 458 (Priene Calendar Inscription, ca. 9 BCE); see also the translated excerpt discussed in Craig A. Evans, “Mark’s Incipit and the Priene Calendar Inscription: From Jewish Gospel to Greco-Roman Gospel,” which cites Augustus as “savior” and speaks of his birthday as “the beginning of the good tidings” for the world. ↩
- Frederick W. Danker, ed., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. “ἀρχή” (often translated “beginning,” and also used for “origin” or “first place”). ↩
- Frederick W. Danker, ed., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. “πρωτότοκος” (“firstborn,” often used for priority and rank, and in biblical contexts closely tied to inheritance and preeminence). ↩
_-_James_Tissot.jpg){kind=link}
I do find it interesting that other places on this site, the KJV is treated as not appropriate for use like the modern translations that use the older manuscripts, yet Colossians 1:15 above is taken from the KJV. The NASB says "firstborn of all creation." In another post, it was mentioned that people don't really understand what it means to do something "in the name of," but it is probably even moreso the case when speaking of "firstborn." While firstborn, like when speaking of the resurrection, means that Jesus was the first to be resurrected, that He might be one of many brothers, it also means that He is the inheritor of all of those who would be resurrected after Him. Likewise, in this situation, being the "firstborn of all creation" means that He is the inheritor of all creation. It belongs to Him, as the only begotten Son of the Father and the One who made it all. "Then God said, 'Let there be light." " Genesis 1:3 NASB It was the Word which proceeded from the mouth of God, begotten of God, who made all of creation, and then entered into creation, through the womb of a virgin, and proceeded to live for 30+ years, was crucified and resurrected and will return to the earth soon to rule over all of His inheritance and restore it.
Jesus Himself was not created as was all of creation, including Man, who was made from the dust of the earth. The Word of God was something God brought forth from Himself, but that does not mean that His Word was not always with Him, or that at some point in time God did not have His Word with Him. The Word is eternal just as God Himself is.
A person's word is subject to and subservient to the one who speaks or writes it. Likewise, the Word of God says only what the Father tells Him. The Word is subject to the Father, as is the Spirit, to do what the Father desires, but this makes the Word no less God. He is one of the primary ways in which we interact with God, along with the Spirit of God. They have been with God forever and ever, and will continue forever and ever.
It is very difficult to find a translation that's accurate . Therefore experts advise Bible readers to refer to three different kinds of translations : formal, functional, and free in their efforts to understand the Bible. Therefore the need to quote from different versions of the Bible.
Jesus was created a celestial being . A created being can be killed , and it can die. Jesus died, but God the Father cannot die.
Absolutely a great review. I love your blog and I appreciate your efforts and waiting for more updates. Stay blessed
"Početak stvorenja božijeg" može značiti da je sve KROZ Isusa stvoreno, da je Sin početak stvaranja u tom smislu…..prema tome vaš argument nije baš argument.
It is written God is Love, who was He loving from an Unitarian point of view before the creation of Jesus, Angels, Humans?