December 16, 2024

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him . . . all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. (Colossians 1:15–17, net)

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Of all the wonders and mysteries of the Christmas story, none exceeds this: the child born and laid in a manger was the creator of heaven and earth. He was not only the One who spoke all creation into existence, but His powerful word continues to sustain it. Apart from Him there is nothing. Apart from His continual work of preservation, there would be nothing.

In Jesus, the creator became a creature. The transcendent fully divine One became immanent in the created order as full humanity. The One who is the source of all created things submitted Himself to His creation and became a human, a helpless and dependent infant. The creator of Mary submitted to her. The creator of the raw materials of the manger rested on the result of human craftsmanship. As He grew and developed, He would learn to eat, talk, walk, read, and everything else He would need to know to live as a human. The One in whom all things are held together became dependent on His creation for His needs to be met. He submitted to these creatures in order to grow up to die for them and to be raised from the dead to bring life into a world that is decaying and dying because of these creatures’ sin.

He is the image of the invisible God—in order to become visible He must condescend to submit Himself to His creation. He must take on the limitations of creation itself. In so doing, He reveals to us a God who so wants to be known by His creation that He humbles Himself to make Himself visible. In this manner, He reveals humility to be an attribute of deity.

 

Dr. Glenn R. Kreider
Professor of Theological Studies
Editor in Chief, Bibliotheca Sacra