Last edited on 21/Apr/2021
The Bible’s Answer
The Bible’s answer to this question is no, Jesus Christ was never created. To the contrary, Jesus is the Creator of all things, and has always existed alongside God the Father and the Holy Spirit for all eternity (John 1:1–2; Colossians 1:17). Not only does the New Testament teach this, but even the Old Testament prophets did, too, even though they only received brief revelations of the Messiah’s coming glory (Micah 5:2).
The Old Testament Teaches That Jesus Was Never Created
The prophet Micah wrote that Jesus’ goings forth were from the days of eternity:
But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity. (Micah 5:2, NASB)
This clearly tells us that Jesus has always existed, and never came into being at some point—an attribute that is exclusive to God. In addition, the prophet Isaiah wrote that Jesus is the Mighty God and Eternal Father, which can also be translated as “the Father of Eternity”:
A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” “Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, GNT)
Since this list of names describe Jesus’ characteristics, this also clearly tells us that he is eternal. So we see that long before Jesus was even sent into the world, the prophets already recognised that he was the eternal God.
The New Testament Teaches That Jesus Was Never Created
After Jesus had finally come in the flesh, the New Testament apostles expanded on this truth. In the prologue of his Gospel, the apostle John wrote—no doubt linking this back to the creation account in Genesis (see Genesis 1:1–2)—that in the beginning, Jesus was the Word who was God, and who was with the Father:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1–2, ESVUK)
In the very next verse, John wrote that Jesus created everything in existence:
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3, ESVUK)
Thus, here we see that Jesus is the divine Creator, as opposed to a created being. Furthermore, in this verse John made it especially clear to his audience that Jesus was never created by qualifying that without Jesus, nothing was created that has ever been created. If Jesus himself were created, then something was created without him, and thus this statement would be invalid. The apostle Paul also taught that Jesus is the Creator, and wrote that Jesus created not some, not most, but all things:
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. (Colossians 1:16, NKJV)
Then, like John, in order to make it especially clear to his audience that Jesus was never created, Paul wrote in the very next verse:
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (Colossians 1:17, NKJV)
Here, we see that Jesus preceded everything that has ever been created, and that all of creation is held together in him, by his power. Paul makes it very clear that Jesus was never created.
Jesus Himself Said That He Was Never Created
Finally, Jesus himself explicitly taught that he is eternal and uncreated. Towards the end of the book of Revelation, he said:
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:13, NIVUK)
For those who are unaware, “alpha” and “omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and are equivalent to “A” and “Z” in English. These three titles that Jesus claimed for himself here signify eternity. Imagine time itself being a straight line, with point A on one side, signifying Eternal Past, to point Z on the other, signifying Eternal Future. By using the titles alpha and omega, first and last, beginning and end, Jesus is saying in a pictorial way that he always has been, and always will be present across the entire spectrum of time, from one point of eternity to the other. His years had no beginning, and will have no end: he is eternal. So why is all this important, anyway?
The Importance of Jesus Being Uncreated and Conclusion
It is very important that we recognise and believe that Jesus is eternal and uncreated, because the Bible warns us that there are many false teachers throughout the world who teach false Christs and lead many astray (Matthew 24:11, 24; 2 Corinthians 11:3–4). A Jesus that has been created is not the Jesus of the Bible, but a false one, and you cannot be saved if you believe in a false Christ. Only the eternal Christ—who is of the same being as the Father and the Holy Spirit1—died for all your sins upon the cross, and rose again from the dead bodily, and all who call upon his name in faith will be saved (Romans 10:9–13).
Notes
- Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.