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that Christ was the first created Being, but that is not the divine reason given. He is
called the Firstborn of every creature because He created all, and consequently holds the
position of pre-eminence. In the new creation He becomes the Firstborn from the dead
with the same object--"That in all things He might have the pre-eminence." John
declares that "all things were made by Him", and that "the world was made by Him";
Hebrews that, "He laid the foundations of the earth", and the heavens were the work of
His hands. The same epistle declares that "He that built all things is God" (Heb. 3: 4).
God alone is the Creator:--
"For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth
and made it . . . . . I am the Lord; and there is none else . . . . . a just God and a Saviour;
there is none else . . . . . I have sworn by Myself . . . . . that unto Me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear" (Isa. 45: 18-23).
Isaiah is emphatic that the Creator is God and none else, and that one day every knee
shall bow unto Him. Col. 1:, John 1:, and Heb. 1: are equally emphatic that Christ is
the Creator of all things and that He is "God" and "Lord". And Phil. 2: teaches that
what is foretold in Isa. 45: 23 of God alone, will be fulfilled in Christ: "In the name of
Jesus every knee shall bow."
We have no need to "explain"; we are called upon to "believe". While there is
nothing unreasonable in God's revelation, we can well understand that such subjects as
the Godhead are so far removed from human knowledge and experience that no language
can adequately express the truth concerning them. Neither do they conform to human
logic. It is certainly true in ordinary life that one person cannot be in two distinct places
at the same time. It is certainly true of all mundane things that that which never had a
beginning cannot now exist. But dare we extend this logic to the higher realm of the
things of God? Let us rather acknowledge with true humility of mind that confessedly
great is the mystery of godliness, and not seek to intrude into things beyond our range.
Some reader may interpose the objection that we have just been guilty of the thing we
condemn, and urge us to refrain from speaking of the deity of Christ. But this is not a
legitimate criticism; we have every warrant for a faith that holds the truth of both
Isa. 45: and Col. 1:, without attempting either philosophy or demonstration.
What a tremendous statement is that of Col. 1: 17: "By Him all things consist." It is
paralleled only by the impressive words of Heb. 1: 3: "Upholding all things by the word
of His power." The word "consist" appear in Peter's account of the primal creation:--
"For this is hidden from them by their willfulness, that there were heavens of old
and an earth out of water and by means of water, consisting by the word of God"
(II Pet. 3: 5).
We are taught that particles of matter are held together by a force called cohesion, but
strictly speaking this statement tells us nothing. "Cohesion" is simply the Latin for the
words, "hold together", so that we are left at the starting-point. Who holds all things
together, and how? Science cannot tell. It speaks of forces of gravity, of cohesion,
of elasticity. But these are only labels; what underlies these forces is beyond human
knowledge. Is it not refreshing to turn from a mechanical and, logically, an impossible