THE CREATIVE POWER OF THE WORD
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (1:3)
Once again John expressed a profound truth in clear language. Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, created everything that came into being. John underscored that truth by repeating it negatively; apart from Him nothing (lit., “not even one thing”) came into being that has come into being.
That Jesus Christ created everything (cf. Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2) offers two further proofs of His deity. First, the Creator of all things must Himself be uncreated, and only the eternal God is uncreated. The Greek text emphasizes the distinction between the uncreated Word and His creation, since a different verb is used here than the one used in verses 1 and 2. As noted in the previous point, John used a form of the verb eimi (“to be”), which denotes a state of being, to describe the Word in verses 1 and 2; here, speaking of the creation of the universe, he used a form of the verb ginomai (came into being). That Jesus is the Creator also verifies His deity, because God is portrayed throughout the Bible as the Creator (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 102:25; Isa. 40:28; 42:5; 45:18; Mark 13:19; Rom. 1:25; Eph. 3:9; Rev. 4:11).
By stressing the role of the Word in creating the universe, John countered the false teaching that later developed into the dangerous heresy known as Gnosticism. The Gnostics embraced the philosophical dualism common to Greek philosophy that held that spirit was good and matter was evil. They argued that since matter was evil, the good God could not have created the physical universe. Instead, a series of spirit beings emanated from Him until finally one of those descending emanations was evil and foolish enough to create the physical universe. But John rejected that heretical view, strongly affirming that Jesus Christ was the Father’s agent in creating everything.
The present world, however, is radically different from God’s original good creation (Gen. 1:31). The catastrophic results of the fall not only affected the human race, but also the entire creation. Jesus therefore will one day redeem not only believers, but also the material world as well, as Paul noted in Romans 8:19–21:
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
When the curse is lifted during Christ’s millennial reign,
The wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea. (Isa. 11:6–9)
The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain, says the Lord. (Isa. 65:25)
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 20–21). Moody Press.
3 The word “made” (egeneto) has the meaning “became” rather than “constructed.” The action refers to an event rather than a process. The visible universe with all its complexity owes its origin to the creative mind and power of God. Apart from his Word, existence is impossible. The priority of Christ over creation is taught here and it also is mentioned in Colossians 1:16 and Hebrews 1:2.
Tenney, M. C. (1981). John. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts (Vol. 9, pp. 28–29). Zondervan Publishing House.
3 It was through the Word that all things were made. He was the active agent in creation (cf. Col 1:16–17; Heb 1:2). Not a single thing that now exists was made apart from him. The universe with all its complexity and magnificence reflects his creative involvement. Matter is not eternal. It came into being ex nihilo, out of nothing. The author of Hebrews writes that “the universe was formed at God’s command” and that “what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Heb 11:3). No better explanation of what we call objective reality exists. The human mind strenuously resists the idea of the eternality of matter—the only plausible alternative to creation ex nihilo. How much more satisfactory to embrace the truth that God the Creator carried out his task by working through his Son, the Word of God.
Mounce, R. H. (2007). John. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 368). Zondervan.
3 From the relationship of the Word to the Father John turns to his relationship to creation. He makes the assertion that all created things were brought into being through him. The verb “were made” does not in itself mean specifically “were created” so much as “came into being.” But in this context the difference is not significant. John is saying that everything owes its existence to the Word.22 He does not say that all was made “by” him, but “through” him. This way of putting it safeguards the truth that the Father is the source of all that is. The relation of the first two Persons of the Trinity in the work of creation is of interest. There is a careful differentiation of the parts played by the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 8:6). Creation was not the solitary act of either. Both were at work (and, for that matter, still are; cf. 5:17, 19). The Father created, but he did it “through” the Word.
A feature of Johannine style is the enunciation of a proposition in positive form and then immediately its repetition in the negative. We find this here. The second expression is emphatic, and we could render, “without him there was not even one thing made.” The whole of creation is included in one broad sweep. Nothing is outside the range of his activity. There is a change of tense. “Were made” (aorist) pictures creation in its totality, as one act, but “has been made” is perfect, which conveys the thought of the continuing existence of created things. What we see around us did not come into existence apart from the Word, any more than what appeared on the first day of creation.
The emphatic assertion of the exclusive role of the Word in creation is probably to be understood against some contemporary idea. There are those who think that John was written in part to oppose Gnosticism. I do not think that this can be demonstrated, for on our present information Gnosticism, at least in its developed form, appeared later than any date that is feasible for the composition of this Gospel. But Gnosticism did not appear fully fashioned in a moment of time. It was an eclectic movement, gathering ideas from a variety of sources. It is not in the least unlikely that there were people putting out at this time some such view of creation as was later gathered into the various Gnostic systems (though we have no complete evidence for the point), which viewed matter as inherently evil. Therefore the good God could have had nothing to do with it. But it was held that there were various “emanations” of spirit beings from him, until at last there appeared one powerful enough to create and foolish enough not to see that this would be a mistake. John strongly repudiates all such ideas. The world is due to God himself acting through his Word.26 The universe is not eternal, nor is it due to some foolish inferior being. This world is God’s world.
Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel according to John (pp. 71–72). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
- The evangelist explains the work of the Word in the beginning: Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. Genesis 1:1–31 tells how God brought the universe into being by his creative word. The evangelist picks this up when he says that it was through the person of the Word that God brought all things into being; or, putting it negatively, without his agency God brought nothing into being. This teaching is also found in Colossians 1:16–17 and Hebrews 1:2.
Kruse, C. G. (2017). John: An Introduction and Commentary (E. J. Schnabel, Ed.; Second edition, Vol. 4, p. 57). Inter-Varsity Press.
Ver. 3. All things were made by Him.—
The Christian doctrine of creation:—
I. THE PURIFICATION OF THE HEATHEN DOCTRINE: obviating the eternity of matter.
II. THE DEEPENING OF THE JEWISH DOCTRINE of the Shekinah: clearly pronouncing the personal life of love in God as it enters into the world.
III. THE GLORIFICATION OF THE SOUND DOCTRINE of scientific investigation: man the final cause of things; the God Man the final cause of man.
IV. THE VERDICT OF THE SPIRIT respecting the derivation of the world from a non-spiritual source: materialism. (Lange.)
The Christian features in all things:—
I. The CREATURELY instinct of dependence, as an impulse towards the upholding Word.
II. The NATURAL, SELF-UNFOLDING instinct, as the impulse towards freedom (Rom. 8)
III. The COSMICAL, WORLD-FORMING instinct, as an impulse towards unity.
IV. The SPIRITUAL instinct, as the impulse to rise in the service of the Spirit. (Ibid.)
Christ the Creator:—I. As He is the efficient cause of all. II. As He is the pattern by which all were made. III. As all things are created by the Godhead, and the Word was God. (Cornelius a Lapide.)
The universal creatorship of Christ:—
I. ASSOCIATES HIS NAME WITH ALL EXISTENCE, PAST AND PRESENT. 1. It furnishes the key to the dark problems of nature and providence. 2. It gives to science and Christianity a common foundation. (1) Science reveals the eternal power and Godhead of the Word. (2) Christianity the means of mercy to fallen man through the Word. (3) Each a compartment of one great fabric reared to the glory of God. Science the outer court: admire and adore. Christianity the holy place: kneel, pray, praise (Heb. 4:16).
II. AFFORDS TO FAITH THE GREATEST ASSURANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT. “His every word of grace is strong,” &c.
III. INSPIRES THE HUMBLEST WITH CONFIDENCE. Christ cares for the humblest of His creatures (Psa. 104:27; Matt. 7:11).
IV. IRRADIATES THE FUTURE WITH A GLORIOUS HOPE (Rev. 21:1, 5). (Van Doren.)
The relation of Christ to the created universe:—All things are—
I. IN Him. All archetypal forms and sources of creative life eternally reside in Him.
II. BY Him. He is the one Producer and Sustainer of all created existence.
III. FOR Him. He is the end of created things. Living for Him the explanation and law of every creature. (Ibid.)
The creative power of the Word:—See 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2. Observe—1. God revealed Himself through His Son before the Incarnation. 2. To be a Creator the Word had to be God. 3. Matter is not eternal: the universe has an intelligent personality back of it, as architect, builder, and sustainer. 4. The stars are a manifestation of Christ, as well as the Bible: we see Him in natural as in revealed religion. 5. The Being who made all things is worthy of being trusted with the absolute work of making and sustaining our characters. (A. H. Moment.)
The universe a revelation of Christ:—The creation of a single atom would have been a revelation of Him: how much more is this great universe! A man is always greater than his work; no architect, for example, ever put his whole self into the noblest building he designed; even so the Word is greater than the universe which He has called into being. Still, so far as it goes, it reveals Him to us. To the eye of childhood this world into which we are born is beautiful and strange, and marvellous past expression. Not less so to the intelligent and thoughtful manhood. If the romance is gone, as the summer dew from the grass at noon, the real wonder only becomes more overwhelming. (J. Culross, D.D.)
God in nature:—To the infidel, Nature’s voices are but a Babel din. Trees rustle, and brooks babble, and winds blow; but there is no meaning in their sound. To the Christian, all speak of God; and if it were not for the dimness of the natural eye, he might see His host of angels at their ministry. The tree stretches out its arm, laden with fruit, like the arm of God. The morning sprinkles him with dew, as with holy water; and he is sung to sleep at evening with songs like the lullaby of earthly parents to their children. (H. W. Beecher.)
Divine designs open to us in creation:—When I was in the galleries of Oxford, I saw many of the designs of Raphael and Michael Angelo. I looked upon them with reverence, and took up such of them as I was permitted to touch as one would take up a love token. It seemed to me these sketches brought me nearer the great masters than their finished pictures could have done, because therein I saw the minds’ processes as they were first born. They were the first salient points of the inspiration. Could I have brought them home with me, how rich I should have been! how envied for their possession! Now, there are open and free to us, every day of our lives, the designs of a greater than Raphael or Michael Angelo. God, of whom the noblest master is but a feeble imitator, is sketching and painting every hour the most wondrous pictures—not hoarded in any gallery, but spread in light and shadow round the whole earth, and glowing for us in the overhanging skies. (H. W. Beecher.)
The Creator must be Divine:—To create, to call something out of nothing—be it a dying spark or a blazing sun, a dewdrop cradled in a lily’s bosom, or the vast ocean in the hollow of God’s hand, mole-hill or mountain, the dancing motes of a sunbeam or the rolling planets of a system, a burning seraph or a feeble glow-worm, one of the ephemera that takes wing in the morning and is dead at night, or one of the angels that sang when our Lord was born; whatever be the thing created, the power to create is God’s, the act of creation His; and therefore, since Paul says that Jesus Christ created all things, he cannot mean to depose our Lord from the throne of Divinity, and lower God’s only begotten Son to the level of a created being. (T. Guthrie, D.D.)
Creation the work of God:—Creation is the work of God: “without Him was not anything made that was made.” He only can create. The architect can rear a cathedral, the sculptor can cut forms of symmetry and grace from marble, the painter can depict life on his canvas, the machinist can construct engines that shall serve the nations; but not one of them can create. They work with materials already in existence. They bring existing things into new combinations; this is all. God alone can create. (D. Thomas, D.D.)
The greatness of the universe a testimony to the greatness of Christ:—1. We look around us upon the infinite variety of productions which the earth brings forth—their use, their goodness, their beauty; we sweep the eye of imagination over ocean and continent, hill and plain, lake and stream, corn-land and forest, sahara and paradise; we mark the changes produced by day and night, and the succession of the seasons; we listen to the music of nature—the boom of ocean dashing on the shore, the wind in the forest, the tinkling of the hidden moorland rill; we think of the countless tribes of living and sentient beings that inhabit earth along with us; we think of man with his marvellous endowments; we think of the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places; we listen to all that science can tell us of the subtle agencies that pervade creation and the laws which bind all beings together. 2. Then, standing on earth as on a promontory, we look upwards and outwards. Beneath the nether sky, with its cloud and scenery, and its sunrise and sunset hues of beauty, there are illimitable realms of space, studded with worlds moving harmoniously in close ravelled maze. These heavens were vast and glorious to the eye of the Chaldean gazer thousands of years ago; how have their vastness and glory grown to us since then! The globe which is our dwelling-place is one of the smallest planets wheeling round one of the lesser suns. It is conceivable that only our own little world might have hung solitary in immensity; but the space swept by the telescope teems with solar systems compared with which ours is insignificant. In the Milky Way alone are millions of suns, the nearest of which requires years to dart its light to us, though light travels two hundred thousand miles during the single vibration of a pendulum. In the presence of that immensity, our globe is but as a grain of sand on the sea-shore. 3. Leaving the realms of space, with the help of geology, let us look back on the realms of time. Since our world became the theatre of life, ages on ages have run their course, for the duration of which we have absolutely no measure. The universe in its vastness, wonder, and divine beauty, and in all the evolutions through which it has passed during countless ages, lay first of all in His mind—if one may say so—as the grand cathedral was in the brain of the architect ere its foundation-stone was laid; it took all that we see, and all that science discloses, and all that mystery still hides, to express His creative idea. How great, then, must the Maker be! How wise, good, glorious! (J. Culross, D.D.)
Christ’s creative knowledge:—A quaint countryman, telling of his thorough knowledge of the people of his vicinity, said boastfully, “I know all these people as well as if I’d made ’em.” That statement of his covered a great deal of ground, whether it were true or were only a suggestion of a truth. No man can understand a complicated piece of mechanism like the man who made it. And there was never so complicated a piece of mechanism on earth as the average man or woman. At the best, every man or woman is a bundle of contradictions; and the closest human friend is puzzled at times over some new phase of those contradictions in his friend. Only He who made that puzzle can know its parts in all their relations and in all their workings. What a comfort in the thought that our Friend of friends knows us as well as if He made us; knows us because He did make us—for “all things were made by Him.” (H. C. Trumbull, D.D.)
Christ’s presence in His creation:—He is not a Master who, like a carpenter or builder, when he has prepared a house or ship, leaves the house for its owner to dwell in, or commits the ship to the mariners that they may traverse the sea in it, and he himself goes whither he may. No; God the Father has begun and finished all things by His Word, and preserves it also continually by the same, and remains with His work until He wills that it shall no longer exist (John 5:13). As we were made by Him without our assistance, so also we cannot be preserved of ourselves. Thus here, were all to understand that all things created are preserved, in being otherwise they would not long remain created. (Luther.)
The confidence inspired by Christ’s creatorship:—If without Christ nothing was made, then nothing made by Him can do any injury to His kingdom. Fear loves to make exceptions; it allows all else to be innocuous; only that one thing which is directly in view appears to threaten danger. This is met with the assurance that all things, without exception, were made by the Word; therefore every fear is unreasonable to Him who has the Word on His side. If to be made, and to be made by Him, are the same thing, there can be no enemy that is to be feared, either in heaven or in earth. (Hengstenberg.)
What was not, and what was made by Christ:—Many, wrongly understanding “without Him was nothing made,” are wont to fancy that “nothing” is something. Sin, indeed, was not made by Him; and it is plain that sin is nothing, and men become nothing when they sin. An idol also was not made by the Word, and an idol is nothing. Therefore these things were not made by the Word; but whatever was made in a natural manner, whatever belongs to the creature, from an angel even unto a worm. What more excellent than an angel among created things? What lower than a worm? But an angel is fit for heaven, the worm for earth. He who created also arranged. If He had placed the worm in heaven, thou mightest have found fault; and if He had willed that angels should spring from decaying flesh, thou mightest have found fault. And yet God almost does this, and He is not to be found fault with. For all men born of the flesh, what are they but worms? And of these worms God makes angels. (Augustine.)
Exell, J. S. (n.d.). The Biblical Illustrator: St. John (Vol. 1, pp. 9–11). James Nisbet & Co.
- All things came into being through him, and apart from him not a single thing that exists came into being. All things, one by one, came into being through this divine Word. Thus, the great truth that Christ created all things (for in the external works all three Persons cooperate) is first of all stated positively and from the viewpoint of the past. Stated negatively and from the viewpoint of the present, it is expressed thus: “Apart from him not a single thing that exists came into being.”
Two facts are here stressed: a. that the Christ himself was not created; he was eternally (in order to convey that thought the imperfect tense is used four times in verses 1 and 2); and b. that all things (viewed distributively, one by one without any exception) were created by him (here the aorist tense is used).
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Vol. 1, p. 71). Baker Book House.
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