Introduction
In “Who Is the Creator of the Universe and Everything That Is?“. I will explore the different views on creation and the roles of God and Jesus in this process. The Bible presents us with statements that seem to indicate that both God and Jesus are responsible for creation, but do these statements refer to the same person? In this study, I will analyze biblical passages such as Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:16, and John 1:3 to understand how the creative work unfolded and what the true relationship is between the Father, the Son, and creation.
He Who Created All Things
The Bible declares, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). We believe that God is the creator of everything. On the other hand, we find some passages in the Bible that say Jesus was the one who created all things, such as the text of the apostle Paul to the Colossians:
Colossians 1:16 – “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“
The apostle Paul explains that in Christ “all things were created“, and that “all things were created through him and for him“. It was not only this world of ours that Jesus created, but everything that exists in the universe-everything “that are in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers“. Human beings, plants, animals, stars, planets, the sky, angels, seraphim, and cherubim! Jesus created everything.
Who Was the Creator?
Who is the Creator of the Universe? Concerning the Creator, the disciples of the early church said in Acts 4:24:
Acts 4:24 – “And when they heard this, they lifted up their voices with one accord to God, and said, Lord, thou art the God which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is“
The text is clear in stating that God was the one who “made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them“, just as the text in Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth“. Based on such comparisons, many people come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Sovereign God of the universe. If Jesus was the one who created all things, as Paul mentions, they may conclude that Jesus is this God. However, as we will see in this study, this interpretation is incorrect. We can only reach such a conclusion by comparing texts out of context and disregarding the content of other verses. Let us look, for example, at the continuation of the text from Acts 4:24:
Acts 4:27 – “For truly against your holy child Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together“
Notice that, even though the disciples lifted their voices to God and said, “You are the God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them“, they made a clear distinction between God and the person of Jesus! This shows that, in the minds of the disciples, the Creator God is a different person from Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can conclude that the comparison between Colossians 1:16 and Acts 4:24 does not refer to the same person. Both texts speak of different individuals. Do you see?
An Intermediary in Creation
Everything Created Through Jesus Christ
But there is still a question: after all, who created all things? Who is the Creator of the Universe? God or Jesus? The answer to this question can be found in the following text by Paul:
Ephesians 3:9 – “And to make known to all what is the fellowship of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ” (ACF).
In the Almeida Corrigida e Fiel translation of the Bible, the text of Ephesians 3:9 says that “God created all things through Jesus Christ“. Here, Paul acknowledges that it was God who created all things, but His creative work was carried out through the person of Jesus Christ.
By He Who Also Made the World
The text to the Hebrews also brings this concept:
Hebrews 1:1-2 – “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in the 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“
Not only does Paul explain that God created all things through Jesus, but so does the apostle John in his gospel:
John 1:1-3 (NIV) – “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 has been made“.
Jesus was the intermediary between God and creation. Without Jesus, “nothing that was made was made“! He was the agent of creation, the means by which God the Father created all things!
The Principle of God’s Creation
Jesus also mentions this idea in the book of Revelation:
Revelation 3:14 – “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God“
Christ identifies Himself in the letter to the Laodiceans as the one who is “the beginning of God’s creation“. The Greek word used for “beginning” is “archē“, which carries the idea of “agent” and “originator“. In fact, as we have seen in other biblical passages, Christ was the originator of all of God’s creation.
Now It’s Easy to Understand: Let’s Make Man…
When we understand the role and participation of the Father and the Son in the process of creation, it becomes clear how we should interpret the text of Genesis 1:26, which uses the plural form for the creation of human beings:
Genesis 1:26 – “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth“
According to the text above, God said: “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness“. Who is the Creator of the Universe? To whom did God speak these words? Who participated in the entire process of creation alongside God? Who was (and is) the only being in the universe to whom God could have addressed such words, sharing the same “image” and the same “likeness” of the Father? It is evident that the only answer to these questions is Jesus, for “He created everything by Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16)!
Jesus Was Always the Go-Between
The idea of Christ being God’s intermediary is not only present in creation but in many other aspects throughout the Bible. For example:
- By whom will God judge the world?
- Through whom will the judgment be executed?
- Through whom did the delivery of the law occur?
- Through whom is grace granted?
- Through whom does the shepherding of the sheep take place?
- Through whom will we receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
- Through whom did God save us?
Ultimately, the Father is the one who applies all these concepts, but Jesus, His Son, is the one who carries them out. The same was true with the work of creation!
An Example to Help Us Understand Better
To better understand the process of creation, I like to use construction projects as an analogy. When we come across a building under construction, we typically find a plaque informing us who the engineer is for that project. His name and registration number are displayed on the plaque. He is the person responsible for the engineering and creation of that building. He planned everything-designing maps, strategies, and assembling his team to carry out the work. However, it was not the engineer who physically built the structure. While he was the one who planned everything, it was the foremen and construction workers who executed the building process.
Although the engineer was not directly involved in the manual labor, his team carried out his vision. But whose name appears on the plaque in front of the building? It is the engineer’s name, not the builders’.
The same principle applies to creation in the Bible. God the Father is the one who planned and initiated the creation of everything. He is the architect, the engineer behind the design. However, the one who carried out the creative work was His Son, Jesus. As Scripture states: “God created everything through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:9), “by whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:2), and “All things were made through Him” (John 1:3). This is why both God the Father and Jesus are considered “Creator” in Scripture.
Jesus is the Intermediary, and God is the Originating Source
But it is important to maintain this understanding and be able to distinguish the actions of each person of the Godhead. Without this, we risk falling into the errors of interpretation that many make, as we saw at the beginning of this study. Concluding that Jesus is the God of the Bible simply because of His creative work is a mistake!
Who is the Creator of the Universe? The God of the Bible is the One who is above Jesus-the Father, who, through His Son, carried out creation. The Father granted the Son the power to create all things, but this does not make Jesus the God of the universe. Jesus, the Son, is the intermediary, not the original source of creation. The origin of all things is the Father. Let us look at Revelation 4:11:
Revelation 4:11 – “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created“.
The beings who stand before the throne of the universe proclaim that the Father “created all things” and that He created them “by your will“. The Son carried out the will of the Father. The Father spoke, and the Son executed the creation. This is how the work of creation took place.
Now, it’s important to address one more point regarding the text we read. Some, when reading this verse in isolation, may conclude that the person seated on the throne is Jesus, because the beings proclaim that “you created all things“. However, this interpretation is flawed, as the continuation of Revelation 5 will clarify that the person on the throne is indeed the Father. In this chapter, we see Jesus approach the Father to receive the book sealed with seven seals, making it clear that it is the Father who is being worshiped as the Creator, and Jesus is the one who fulfills the Father’s will.
But what about the Holy Spirit?
Some may be wondering, “Didn’t the Holy Spirit also participate in creation?” Who is the Creator of the Universe? The answer is yes, the Holy Spirit was involved in creation-but this needs some careful clarification. The answer we provide here differs from the traditional Trinitarian perspective, which sees the Holy Spirit as a personal agent of creation along with the Father and the Son. According to the Trinitarian view, all three persons of the Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-would have worked together as agents in creation. However, this understanding seems to contradict the biblical perspective we’ve explored thus far.
As we have already established, the Bible is clear that the Father created all things through His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, Christ was the one who created everything. No one else, including the Holy Spirit as a third person in the Trinitarian view, created anything.
Genesis 1:2 – “Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters“
Notice that the text speaks of the “Spirit of God“-it is God’s Spirit, not a distinct, independent agent. The Holy Spirit, as mentioned here, is God’s own power in action. The Spirit’s role in creation is not as a separate creator but as the creative force through which God’s will is carried out.
In Psalm 104:30, the psalmist also speaks of God’s Spirit in relation to creation: “You send out your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth“.
Here, it is clear that God’s Spirit is the means through which the earth is created and renewed. Similarly, Job 26:13 states, “By his Spirit he adorned the heavens“. The Spirit is the active force that enables creation to unfold, but it is God Himself who uses the Spirit as the power to create.
In summary, God created everything by His power. The Father planned creation, and the Son (Jesus) carried out the work of creation. Jesus, through the power of the Spirit of His Father, created all things, including the physical universe. However, the human being was created differently. In Genesis 2:7, we read that God formed man from the dust of the ground with His own hands-this is a unique act in the creation process.
Thus, while the Holy Spirit is certainly involved in creation as the divine power and presence that enables it, the Spirit is not a separate “creator” in the way the Father and Son are described. The Father used the Son as His agent in creation, and the Spirit was the means by which the creation took place, but it was Jesus, the Son of God, who carried out the creative work.
Conclusion: Who is the Creator of the Universe?
We conclude, therefore, that our wonderful God, the Father, created all things through His beloved and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Our existence, along with everything else in the universe, owes its very being to Jesus. He is, in this sense, our Creator because He carried out the Father’s work of creation. However, it is essential that we do not fall into the error of conflating biblical passages that refer to God as the Creator with those that mention Jesus as the agent of creation. We must avoid concluding that Jesus Himself is this “God“. As Jesus clearly instructed in John 17:3, only the Father is the one true God and the ultimate source of creation.
May God bless us!
