Was Jesus created, like the Jehovah Witnesses (JW’s) and Mormons say?
Short Answer
This is one of the best questions we can ask, since the deity of Christ is one of the central doctrines of our Christian faith. In summary, Jesus is God, not a creation.
Consider three compelling arguments: The Bible clearly teaches this, Jesus Himself clearly claimed this, and His resurrection from the dead in fulfillment of prophecy clearly confirms this. Here are a few verses that leave no question that Jesus was God (and therefore NOT CREATED):
John 1:1, 14 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
John 10:30-33 – (Jesus speaking) “I and the Father are one.” The Jews then picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
Romans 1:4 – and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
More Info
If Scripture is so clear, how do JW’s (and others) come to the incorrect conclusion that Jesus was created? Ironically, parts of the Bible, taken out of context, are used to support this notion:
Colossians 1:15 (ESV) – He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Confusion comes from use of the word “firstborn” in this verse. The claim is that if Jesus was “born” that means He has to be “created”. But is that how the Bible always uses that term? Many words have a large “semantic range”, a fancy phrase that means they can have very different meanings depending on the CONTEXT. “Firstborn” can literally mean “the first one born in a family” (1st example below), but it is also often used as a title of supremacy (2nd example below):
Genesis 41:50-52 – Two sons were born to Joseph… [he] called the name of the firstborn Manasseh… The name of the second [son] he called Ephraim.
Jeremiah 31:9 – …I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Even though Manasseh was born before his brother Ephraim, it was Ephraim whom Jeremiah recorded as God calling the “firstborn” because of the position of honor that he held in God’s kingdom (you can read Genesis 48 for more background on this). It’s clear from context and the rest of the Bible that this 2nd meaning is how Paul is using the word “firstborn” to describe Jesus in the book of Colossians. A modern translation that does a good job of getting this right is the New Living Translation (NLT):
Colossians 1:15 (NLT) – Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.
Ironically, clarity about the nature of Jesus comes in the very next verse as well!
Colossians 1:16 – For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
It’s obvious that if ALL things were created by Jesus, then He Himself CAN’T be created!
Link: Got Questions.org https://www.gotquestions.org/was-Jesus-created.html
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