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John 1:3 - The Beginning

Through Him all things were made
This phrase emphasizes the role of the Word, identified as Jesus Christ, in creation. It aligns with Genesis 1:1, where God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. The use of "through Him" indicates that Jesus is the divine agent of creation, affirming His preexistence and divinity. Colossians 1:16 supports this by stating that all things were created through and for Him. This underscores the belief in the Trinity, where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct yet unified in essence and purpose. The phrase also reflects the wisdom literature, such as Proverbs 8:22-31, where wisdom is personified and present at creation, hinting at Christ's role.

and without Him nothing was made
This part of the verse reinforces the totality of Christ's involvement in creation. It negates any possibility of creation occurring independently of Him, emphasizing His sovereignty and indispensability. This echoes Hebrews 1:2, which states that God made the universe through His Son. The phrase also counters early heresies like Gnosticism, which suggested a lesser deity or emanation was responsible for the material world. By affirming that nothing was made without Him, the text asserts the goodness of creation and Christ's authority over all.

that has been made
This phrase concludes the thought by encompassing all of creation, both seen and unseen. It includes the physical universe and spiritual realms, as suggested in Ephesians 6:12, which speaks of spiritual forces. The comprehensive nature of this statement highlights the scope of Christ's creative work, leaving no room for exceptions. It also points to the ongoing sustenance and governance of creation by Christ, as seen in Hebrews 1:3, where He is described as upholding all things by His powerful word. This affirms the continuous and active role of Christ in the world.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jesus Christ (The Word)
The central figure in this verse, referred to as "Him," through whom all creation came into being. The Word (Logos in Greek) is a title that emphasizes His divine nature and role in creation.

2. Creation
The event of bringing the universe and all within it into existence. This verse highlights the comprehensive scope of creation, affirming that everything was made through Jesus.

3. The Apostle John
The author of the Gospel of John, who provides this theological insight into the nature of Christ and His role in creation.

Teaching Points

The Divine Nature of Christ
Jesus is not merely a part of creation; He is the Creator. This affirms His divinity and eternal existence, which is foundational to Christian belief.

The Sovereignty of Christ in Creation
Recognizing Jesus as the Creator should lead us to worship Him as sovereign over all things. This understanding calls us to trust in His power and authority in our lives.

The Purpose and Order of Creation
Since all things were made through Christ, creation has purpose and order. This should encourage us to seek His will and purpose in our own lives, knowing we are part of His divine plan.

Dependence on Christ for Sustenance
Just as creation depends on Christ for its existence, we too must depend on Him for our spiritual and physical sustenance. This reliance should be reflected in our daily walk with Him.

Lists and Questions

Top 10 Lessons from John 1If all things were made through the Word (John 1:3), how do we reconcile modern scientific explanations for the universe’s origins? How can we find joy and unity in Christ?Is Jesus comparable to DMT?What defines the Cambrian Explosion event?

(3) From the person of the Word we are guided to think of His creative work. The first chapter of Genesis is still present to the mind, but a fuller meaning can now be given to its words. All things came into existence by means of the pre-existent Word, and of all the things that now exist none came into being apart from Him.

All things.--The words express in the grandeur of an unthinkable array of units what is expressed in totality by "the world" in John 1:10. The completion of the thought by the negative statement of the opposite brings sharply before us the infinitely little in contrast with the infinitely great. Of all these units not one is by its vastness beyond, or by its insignificance beneath His creative will. For the relation of the Word to the Father in the work of creation, comp. Note on Colossians 1:15-16.

For the form of this verse, which is technically known as antithetic parallelism, comp. John 5:20; John 5:23; John 8:23; John 10:27-28; 1John 2:4; 1John 2:27, et al. It is found not unfrequently in other parts of the New Testament, but it is a characteristic of St. John's Hebrew style. Its occurrence in the poetry of the Old Testament, e.g., in the Psalms (Psalm 89:30-31, et al.) will be familiar to all. . . .

Verses 3, 4. -

(2) The creation of all things through the Logos, as the instrument of the eternal counsel and activity of God. Verse 3. - All things (Πάντα, not τὰ πάντα) taken one by one, rather than all things regarded in their totality - "all things," i.e. all beings and elements of things visible or invisible, in heaven, earth, and under the earth (see Colossians 1:16, etc.), came into being through him, through the Logos, who was in the beginning with God, and was God. The Logos is the organ or instrument by which everything, one by one, was made. Two other words are used in the New Testament to denote "creation" - κτίζειν, used in Revelation 4:11 and Colossians 1:16, a word indicating the mind and act of the Creator; and ποιεῖν, which, as in Mark 10:6, points generally to the thing made. The parts of the verb γίγνεσθαι indicate the progress of the work, the process of some creative order, the occurrence of some event in the evolution of Divine providence. This word does not by one solitary expression dogmatically convey the creative act, but the fact of the "becoming," from, it may be, the region of pure thought to that of existence, or from non-observation into prominence, or from an inchoate to a perfect development, or from nothing to something. The context must determine the fulness of its meaning. Occasionally, as in John 8:58, it is powerfully contrasted with existence: "Before Abraham was [had come into being] I am." The context here does not allow us to affirm that St. John repudiated the prior existence of the υ}λη, stuff, of which πάντα were made. He does not affirm nor deny such a prior existency or condition, but by referring the universe in all its parts and items to the Logos, he absolutely ignores the Platonic notion of eternal matter. He could scarcely be ignorant of the speculation as it entered into the Philonic interpretation and formed the basis of the Gnostic speculations which were beginning to infest the early Church. By giving, however, a Divine origin and instrument to the "becoming" of πάντα, and strengthening his statement by the negative coassurance, he absolutely excludes the dualism of Philo and of Gnostic tendency. In asserting that the Logos is he or that through whom all things were made, the writer does not lower the dignity of the Logos by regarding him merely as the ὄργανον of the Father, because the same preposition is used of the relation of the Father to the world or to his servants (Romans 11:36; Galatians 1:1; Hebrews 2:10). Elsewhere St. Paul powerfully affirms the same application of διά (1 Corinthians 8:6) to Christ's part in the Creation, reserving for the One God, the Father, the preposition ἐκ. From God and by or through God are all things, still "all things" derive their existence "through" the activity, the will, the thought, of the Logos. "The sphere contracts as the blessing enlarges [query, 'intensifies']: existence for everything; life for vegetable and animal world; light for men" (Plummer). The same idea is made more explicit by the negative form in which it is restated: and without him - that is, independently of his cooperation and volition (cf. John 15:5) - not even one thing came into being. The ὕλη could hardly be spoken of as "one thing," seeing, according to the theory, it was not a unit as opposed to a multiplicity, but the condition of all things. The ἐγένετο would drive harder against any recognition of the ὕλη than would the ἕν. There is not the faintest approach to any supposition on John's part of the existence of such a primeval entity or eternal reality. The γέγονεν gives the student of the text and of the meaning grave difficulty. From very early times the Alexandrine Fathers and numerous uncial manuscripts, and an immense group of quotations and versions, unquestionably close the sentence we have just considered with ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν, and consider the ὅγέγονεν as the subject of the following clause, translating it either, That which has come into being in him was life; or, that which has come into being was (or is) life in him - for one manuscript, א, has rendered the text more grammatical by reading ἔστι instead of η΅ν. This, adopting the supposed early punctuation, Tregelles and Westcott and Hort have introduced into the text; but R.T. has coincided with T.R. Dr. Westcott has an elaborate note affirming the deep thought involved in the "ancient punctuation," to the effect that the ὅγέγονεν refers, not merely to the original creation, ἐγένετο, but to the continued existence of that which has come into being. Of this, it is said, it derives its life, has its life in the Logos, and that this idea is expressed in a profounder way than by saying ἔχει ζωὴν; that it was life (before it was called into being, or became) in him. This profound and mysterious statement is affirmed by Dr. Moulton and Dr. Westcott to find different but clear expression in Revelation 4:11, "Thou art worthy, our Lord and our God, to receive glory, etc.; for thou didst create all things, and for thy pleasure they were [η΅σαν, the reading preferred by Tisehendorf (8th edit.) and Westcott and Herr, instead of εϊσι, 'they are'] and were created." Dr. Westcott thinks that "life" here represents "the Divine element in creation, that in virtue of which things 'are' each according to the fulness of its being." What has been created represents the eternal thought, the life that it had in the Logos before the world was. Unless one were compelled to take this thought by the exigencies of the textual criticism, we should hesitate to affirm that this can be the author's intention. To us the common punctuation is far more satisfactory m meaning: Apart from him there came into existence not one thing which has come into existence. This, in its grand comprehensiveness and individualizing of every molecule and every force, brings the mind of the reader down from eternity to time, from the creation to the preservation and providence of the world, and it prepares the way for the great assertion of the following verse. Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

Through
δι’ (di’)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

Him
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

all things
πάντα (panta)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

were made,
ἐγένετο (egeneto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

without
χωρὶς (chōris)
Preposition
Strong's 5565: Apart from, separately from; without. Adverb from chora; at a space, i.e. Separately or apart from.

nothing
οὐδὲ (oude)
Adverb
Strong's 3761: Neither, nor, not even, and not. From ou and de; not however, i.e. Neither, nor, not even.

was made
ἐγένετο (egeneto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

that
ὃ (ho)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

has been made.
γέγονεν (gegonen)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

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John 1:3 Catholic BibleNT Gospels: John 1:3 All things were made through him (Jhn Jo Jn)