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In this chapter we will consider the matter of the relationship between Christ and all things. There are twelve points related to this truth.
First, Christ created all things. When we speak to the young people concerning the relationship between Christ and all things, we should begin with the matter of Christ’s creating all things and explain that to create means to bring something into existence out of nothing.
In the Bible the word create means to produce something out of nothing, to call things not being as being. In Romans 4:17 God is identified as the One who “calls the things not being as being” and who “gives life to the dead.” God has two creations in the universe — the old creation and the new creation. The old creation came into existence through God’s calling things not being as being, whereas the new creation came into being through death and resurrection. The old creation came into existence out of nothing, but the new creation was produced by God giving life to the redeemed believers in the old creation, who were damaged by death. Hence, God is a God who calls things not being as being and who gives life to the dead. We, the saved ones, are God’s new creation in Christ.
There are several verses concerning Christ’s creating all things. John 1:3 says, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not one thing came into being which has come into being.” When we serve the young people, the most important matter is to plant into them the concept that all things and all matters come into being through Christ. Everything that has come into being came into being through Him.
First Corinthians 8:6 says, “One Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we are through Him.” Christ is the Lord, and through Him are all things. Colossians 1:16 says, “All things have been created through Him.” Hebrews 1:2 says, “Through whom also He made the universe.” To the young people who are relatively young in life, it is sufficient to give them two of these four verses. Those who are deeper in life, however, can be given all four verses.
If it is possible, we can also speak a word of correction and rebuttal concerning the theory of evolution to the young ones. Even though many scientific studies in recent years have shown that some parts of the evolution theory are not correct, many young ones may have been poisoned by it. We should mention a few points in a brief way, but there is no need to mention much else. First, the theory of evolution offers no explanation for the source from which all things evolve. Even if organisms evolve, they cannot evolve out of nothing. There has to be a beginning, a source, a point of origin. We cannot ignore the fact that there is a source. For example, a chair comes from wood, wood comes from trees, and trees come from seeds. However, where do the seeds of the tree come from? People have no answers to questions related to the origin of the source itself. Even scientists are unable to say how all things came into being. Only the Bible tells us that God created all things. In order for the theory of evolution to stand, it must account for creation. However, when we trace everything back to its beginning, there is nothing from which things could have evolved. The only explanation comes from the Bible, which is that God created all things by calling not being as being. It is also wrong to associate evolution with the mere phenomenon of change. For example, an egg undergoes a change when it is hatched and a chicken is produced, but this is not evolution. Similarly, a tree will gradually grow and bear fruit, which, in turn, will ripen gradually. The fact that living organisms change does not prove evolution or negate the revelation in the Bible that God is the Creator of all things. Even things that change have their source in God’s creation.
Furthermore, we must tell the young people that God established a law in His creation that stipulates that every organism is according to its own kind (Gen. 1:11-12, 21, 24-25). Living things cannot evolve from one species to another species. Fish are fish; they cannot evolve to become birds, and neither can birds evolve to become horses. This is a law that God established when He created all things. A horse and a donkey cannot evolve into a mule that can reproduce other mules, because their different natures prevent this. Although a donkey and a horse can produce a mule, the mule that is produced is infertile and cannot procreate.
Second, Christ is the origin of all things. Concerning the matter of origin, we should share some common knowledge concerning the universe. From all the theorems and laws in the universe, scientists and physicists know that the universe has only one source, not many sources. The laws and theorems discovered by the astronomers, geologists, and physicists prove that the universe came from a single source. We also know that the universe came out of a single source because it is very orderly and not chaotic. This is something that cannot be overturned. The more people study physics and other natural laws, the more they discover that the entire universe is one unified system. Under this system there are numerous subsystems, but none of them is in conflict with the others. If several people work on something together but are not of one mind, they will not produce something that is unified. However, the universe is a single unified system. This shows that the whole universe was created by our one God. Our Lord, the Creator, is the unique origin of the universe. We do not have two or more origins because there is only one Lord, one source.
Concerning this point, we should show the young people several verses. Romans 11:36 says, “Because out from Him...are all things.” Out from implies origin. This verse refers to God. However, God is Christ, and Christ is God Himself (John 14:7-11). To say that God is the origin of all things is to say that Christ is the origin of all things. Out from Him are all things, and apart from Him not one thing came into being which has come into being (1:3). All things come out from Him; He is the origin of all things.
First Corinthians 8:6 says, “Out from whom are all things.” This refers to God the Father; however, we know that Christ and the Father are one (John 10:30). Hence, to say that the Father is the source of all things is to say that Christ is the source of all things.
Third, Christ is the Lord of all things. Since all things were created by Him and He is the origin of all things, He is the Lord of all things, the Sovereign over all things.
In Acts 10:36 Peter spoke to the household of Cornelius, telling them that Jesus Christ is Lord of all; that is, He is Lord of all persons and things. We should tell the young people that in the whole universe there is no other Lord besides our Lord Jesus Christ. Only Christianity identifies the One whom it follows as Lord. Buddhism does not say that Sakyamuni is Lord, only that he is Buddha. Islam does not say that Muhammad is Lord. Neither Confucius (Confucianism) nor Lao Tzu (Taoism) claimed that its leader is the Lord. It is remarkable that only the Bible says that Jesus is Lord. This is because He is indeed Lord of all. He is the Lord of all people and all things; besides Him there is no other Lord in the universe. As the Lord of all, He is the Lord of heaven and earth, the Lord of animals and plants, and the Lord of seas and oceans. He is your Lord, and He is also my Lord. Christ is the Lord of all things. All things were created by Him and came out of Him; hence, all things belong to Him. He is the Lord of all.
Fourth, Christ is the Head of all things. Ephesians 1:22 says that Christ is the Head over all things. The Lord Jesus is not only the Lord of all things but also the Head over all things. All things take Him as their Head and as their end. Nothing is higher than Him, before Him, or above Him. He is the topmost and foremost One; He is the Head over all things.
Fifth, Colossians 1:17 says, “He is before all things.” Christ is before all things. Before all things emphasizes the aspect of time. As far as time is concerned, He is before all things. Before all things came into being, He existed. All the young people should be able to recite this verse.
Sixth, Christ is above all. This point emphasizes the aspect of space. In space Christ is above all; in time Christ is before all. John 3:31 twice speaks of Christ being “above all,” and Romans 9:5 says that He is “over all.” In the Greek language the two phrases denote different things. John 3:31 emphasizes position. According to position, Christ is above all. Romans 9:5 emphasizes administration. According to administration, Christ is over all. Christ administrates from above. This shows that Christ being above all is related to His governance of all things, not merely to occupying the highest place in space. John 3:31 shows that the Lord Jesus, the One who is in the highest heaven and who is above all, came to the earth, whereas Romans 9:5 emphasizes that He is the One who administrates over all because He is above all.
Seventh, Ephesians 1:23 says that Christ is “the One who fills all in all.” Christ fills all in all in order to be the content of all things and to be in all things. The point of Christ’s filling all in all is not easy to understand, and it is also very difficult to explain thoroughly. However, we can mention a few points.
The first point is that even if we cannot fully understand all the spiritual things in the universe, we should believe what is spoken of in God’s Word. For example, the Word speaks of God and of God being Spirit (John 4:24). Although God is invisible, we cannot deny His existence simply because we cannot see Him. Christians know that God is invisible and that the Spirit is intangible, but we also know that God exists. Although the Bible reveals that God created us in order to be related to us, the Bible does not tell us everything that pertains to God. Hence, it is impossible for us to comprehend everything in the universe based on our limited understanding. Even if there are certain spiritual matters in the universe that we do not understand, we should believe and receive them according to the word in the Bible. Although we may not have a clear sense or understanding of the Lord filling all in all, we should not deny this truth, because it is revealed in the Bible. We may not understand today, but one day we will understand that all things in the universe have the element of Christ. Christ is in all things.
The second point is that the Bible tells us that all things are created by Christ, that all things exist through Christ, and that all things are upheld and borne by Him (Heb. 1:3). All these points are related to Christ filling all in all. Christ filling all in all means that He created all things, that He causes all things to exist, and that He upholds and bears all things.
The third point is that in the universe and in all things, there are forces, theories, laws, and phenomena, all of which are very profound and which even physicists with great intelligence cannot fully explain. Nevertheless, all these things symbolize Christ. The Bible says clearly that the Lord is our power (Phil. 4:13; 2 Tim. 1:7; 4:17) and that the Lord is our light (John 1:4; 8:12). The Bible also says that the Lord is our law, which can be illustrated by the law of the Spirit of life in Romans 8:2. However, it is not so easy to point out a theory or a phenomenon in the Bible. We can deduce from the Bible that, at the very least, these forces, theories, laws, and phenomena are symbols and depictions of Christ. Romans 1:20 says, “The invisible things of Him, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made.” The eternal power of God is an aspect of the forces in the universe. Thus, these forces, theories, laws, and phenomena symbolize God and enable us to comprehend God in a limited way.
Nevertheless, we cannot fully understand how our Lord is the force in the universe. Perhaps in the coming glory we will understand how the Lord fills the forces, theories, laws, and phenomena in the universe. The Lord Jesus is the One who fills all and who is in all. Only when we enter into eternity will it even be possible for us to understand how Christ fills all in all.
Eighth, all things cohere in Christ. Colossians 1:17 says, “All things cohere in Him.” All things exist because they cohere in Christ. For example, all the spokes on a wheel are held together by the hub. If we take away the hub, the spokes would fall apart. This is the meaning of the word cohere. All things cohere in Christ; hence, if Christ were removed, all things would collapse and disintegrate. In 1933 Brother Nee mentioned this verse in a conference, saying that all things are “unified” in Christ. The entire universe coheres in Christ; in Christ there is cohering power.
According to astronomical studies, there is indeed an indescribable holding power in the universe. If we removed this holding power, the universe would collapse. Colossians 1:17 indicates that Christ is the central force holding all things together in the universe.
Ninth, Christ upholds and bears all things. Hebrews 1:3 says that the Lord is “upholding and bearing all things by the word of His power.” While most people’s understanding of this matter is limited, even a physicist or an astronomer cannot fully explain how all the stars and planets are upheld in the universe. All the galaxies in the universe have existed for billions of years, but scientists do not know why the universe exists or how it is held together. The Bible, however, clearly tells us that the Lord upholds and bears all things by the word of His power. Furthermore, Hebrews 11:3 says, “The universe has been framed by the word of God.” In creation, God “spoke, and it was; / He commanded, and it stood” (Psa. 33:9). Not only was the universe created by the Lord’s word, but the universe itself coheres because the Lord upholds and bears all things by the word of His power.
Tenth, all things have been given to Christ. John 3:35 and 13:3 speak of the Father giving all things into the hand of Christ. These verses may cause a person to ask, “If all things were created by Christ, why is there a need to hand over all things to Him?” This point requires some theological explanation. Although the Lord Jesus and God are one, as the Christ, the Lord Jesus was also sent. The meaning of Christ is “the anointed One,” and in the Bible an anointed person is one who is commissioned and sent to accomplish a certain task. Christ was commissioned with the accomplishment of God’s will; He was sent to accomplish God’s plan in the universe, including the creation of all things according to God’s intention. God planned to create, and Christ created all things. When the work of creation was completed, the Father gave these things to Christ. Hence, Christ was given all things from the Father’s hand. Christ’s inheritance of all things is a matter of righteousness; He does not take anything by force. Hence, John 13:3 says, “The Father had given all into His hands.” The Father, as the source, gives all things to Christ, the Son.
Eleventh, Christ is the Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2). All things were created by Christ and are being upheld and borne by Him. God has given all things to Christ. Hence, Christ is the Heir of all things; all things are for Him. Colossians 1:16 says, “All things have been created...unto Him.” The word unto in this verse and the word to in Romans 11:36 are the same in Greek, meaning that all things are given to Him as an inheritance. Hence, Christ is the Heir of all things.
Lastly, all things will be headed up in Christ. Ephesians 1:10 says, “Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him.” We need to consider the meaning of head up, which is related to the thought of gathering together. For example, forty people may be apart from one another even though they are each tied to a rope. If I gather all the people together by drawing all the ropes to me, they will be gathered to me and headed up by me. Similarly, when a person goes to the market to buy fish, he uses a rope to tie the fish together. When he picks up the rope, the fish are collected together by the rope. These are illustrations of the meaning of heading up in Greek. At the fullness of the times, God will head up all things in Christ.
All things were created by Christ, Christ is the Lord of all things, and all things have been given to Christ. Eventually, all things will be gathered together in Christ as the One who is the Head of all things. These twelve points concerning Christ and all things should be conveyed to the young people according to their level of understanding. The serving ones should consider and decide how to present these matters.
