CHRIST THE CREATOR by S. N. H.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 11, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 23.

CHRIST THE CREATOR.

By S. N. H.

BY S. N. H.

The power to carry out the purpose of God was by him placed in the Son. The apostle, in speaking of Christ, says that God “hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” Again, “Who created all things by Jesus Christ.” If we could get an inspired definition of the terms “by him,” “by Jesus Christ,” then the exact relationship to the Father in creating this world would be understood. In 2 Cor. 4:14 concerning the resurrection we read, “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.” Here we have the same expression that God the Father would raise the dead “by Jesus.” What part will Christ act in raising the dead? A correct understanding of this would give us a correct knowledge of how he made the worlds by Jesus. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.” “Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:25, 28, 29. When Christ comes to raise the dead, “he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” He is escorted by “all the holy angels;” and the Father, altho invisible, also accompanies his Son to take the saints from earth to the heavenly city. Yet it is the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God.

It was therefore by the word of the Lord that the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. “For he spake, and it was; he commanded, and it stood fast.” Ps. 33:6, 9. At the beginning it was God who said to his Son, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Gen. 1:26. God was with Christ, but it was Christ’s voice which spake into existence this world. It was the voice of Christ that first brought out of nothing the existence of the earth, “without form and void,” that spoke on each successive day of the six. It was Christ who said, “Let there be light; and there was light.” It was Christ who said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters,” “and it was so.” It was Christ’s voice which said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so.”

Christ inherited every name the Father had; so when the Son speaks, it may truly be said to be God. So inspiration says of Christ, “Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.” Heb. 1:10.

But sin entered, and death by sin. Man lost the image of God. But now if Christ should not become the Redeemer, then there would be a failure; for in him was placed the “eternal purpose” of God, and in that purpose was the creation of this world, and the peopling of it with a race bearing the image of the Father and the Son. Hence we read, “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory

of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:6.

Again we read: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son [or “Son of his love,” margin]; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins; who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature; 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; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Col. 1:13–17. The power that God placed in Christ back in eternity was first displayed in creation, and was afterwards made manifest in redemption. It was to restore soul and body. The change in the heart is the first of the new creation. 2 Cor. 5:17. For in Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. All the wisdom, the power, and the glory of the Father are in Christ, and he has brought them down into humanity, that humanity might be recreated, and again bear the image and likeness of the Father.

The assurance of the final accomplishment of God’s purpose lies in the death and resurrection of Christ. He is no longer dead, but is a risen Saviour. It is, therefore, a living and an eternal power which is in the Christian religion, and which energizes both soul and body. It all is in Christ. Christ’s works were only a revelation of the power, the glory, the love, and the goodness of the Father. It was all placed in him before the world was. And in Christ was the eternal purpose of God, even to the number and the character of each person who will finally inherit the kingdom of God. It is for us to accept and take the character, which if we do, the righteousness of Christ places us in the same relationship to the Father as exists between the Father and the Son.