Mike Slater Supporter

I think with Jesus in mind as present at the creation (In the beginning was the word jn 1:1), Paul is inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about Jesus’ presence at creation, the extent of the creation, and it was created to glorify him.

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Shirley H Supporter Wife, mother, veteran in the spiritual war we all face!

Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

John 1:1-4: "In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

Notice the word "Word." This is the creator Jesus. He was and is preeminent in His power. He Is. He was not created. He Is! This is Jesus the Christ, the creator, God. Jesus and the Father are One.

Isaiah 9:6: "A child will be born for us a son will be given." Jesus the child had to be born to facilitate the incarnation. The Son was given because He already existed. 

Colossians 1:17: "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."

Hebrews 1:1-4: "God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."

He is the only HIGH PRIEST. Every planet and star stays exactly where He positioned it.

He is God! There is no other! God has set His seal on Jesus! John 6:27

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Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

God through and for Christ made the universe, the whole creation, mankind and you! See Charles Wesley's hymn, "Let All That Breathe, Jehovah Praise."

An awesome album titled "Colossians 1:16-18" by SMF / SwordGrip (2018) is also listed as setting this passage to music. Colossians 1:16 says, "For by him were all things created... all things were created by him, and for him."

The phrase "all things were created occurs twice in this passage, Colossians 1:16. The words "all things" occurs twice in the very next verse, Colossians 1:17. The word "and" connects the 2 verses so that means the Creator of the universe is also the Eternal One or at the very least we could say, the Preexistent One, and also the Sustainer of the universe. It even occurs once in the next verse, Colossians 1:18 and Colossians 1:20. I will say that He is the preeminent One, the most important One. Who else could do these things or be this one? 

"For him" (Greek εἰς αὐτόν — "unto Him" / "for Him" as the goal/purpose). Christ is not only the agent (by Him) but also the final purpose of creation.

And Proverbs 16:4 has,
"The LORD hath made all things for himself..."

God's purpose in creation is for His own sake: for His glory, pleasure, and will.

Furthermore and finally, Revelation 4:11 relates to this.

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." "All things" -- there it is again! Repetition is crucial in inductive Bible study because it acts as a primary tool for observation, highlighting key themes, marking structure, and deepening understanding through repeated, careful reading. By focusing on recurring words or phrases, you identify the author's emphasis, enhance memory retention, and allow for new insights with each interaction.

This states explicitly that God's will/pleasure is the reason for creation.

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Ezekiel Kimosop Supporter

What does "all things were created through him and for him" mean?

Colossians 1:16 says "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." (NKJV). 

The writer of the Book of Colossians dedicated the passage of Colossians 1:9-18 to the celebration of the preeminence of Jesus Christ as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. 

In vv.13-14, the writer speaks of God's redemption in Christ, saying, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." (NKJV). This is the transformation that Christ brought to us through His works of the cross. 

The deity and divinity of Jesus Christ is asserted in v.15, which says "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." The Greek word eikōn for "image" signifies that the incarnate Christ was the exact representation of God the Father - the visible manifestation of the invisible God. 

This brings us to v.16 which is the object of the question raised by Anonymous. The question is thus: What does "all things were created through him and for him" mean?

When the writer asserts that all things were created through Christ, he implies that Jesus as God the Son and a member of the Godhead, was involved in the creation process. His deity and divinity as God the Son is equally projected by the writer. This also speaks to His eternity. Jesus was, is, and will eternally remain God. He never lost His divinity in His incarnation, nay, His divinity was affirmed in it. 

The writer also proclaims that all things were created for Him. The Scripture asserts that Jesus is ultimate owner of all creation including the universe and the cosmos that is invisible to the naked human eye. He is the ultimate owner of all resources in the entire universe (Psalm 50:10; Haggai 2:8). This is a humbling truth for the arrogant and wealthy among men who mistakenly imagine that they own this world!

Satan attempted to assert a claim to God's resources in Matthew 4:8-9. Scripture says "Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” (NKJV). 

Satan had not divine authority to give to Jesus what he never owned in the first instance. He was merely an imposter! Jesus is the true owner of what Satan purported to possess. This serves as a reminder to us that whatever resources are at our disposal ultimately belong to God. We are merely stewards of God. 

At God's appointed time, all men will appear before Christ and give an account of how they have handled God's resources that were at their disposal, including their lives (Revelation 20:11-15).

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