And *he* is before all, and all things subsist together by him.
Read Full Chapter →Commentary for this Verse
Paul is describing where the Son of God stands in relation to everything that exists. This short verse makes two claims about Him: one about time, and one about what keeps the universe going. Both shut the door on any idea that the Son is part of creation.
"He Is," Not "He Was"
The verb matters here. Commentators point out that it rules out any idea that the Son had a starting point.
Some men claim to believe in His pre-eminence over creation, and yet say that He Himself had a beginning. We are guarded against such mistaken thoughts, for we are clearly told, "He is before all things." This statement tells us in no uncertain terms of the divine and eternal glory of the Son. We are carried back to a time before anything created existed. There we learn not merely "He was," but "He is." These words forbid the thought that "He began" or that "He was made." They tell us clearly of His eternal existence as the Son.
This way of speaking is not unique to Paul. The same timeless "I am" is heard from Jesus Himself and from God at the burning bush.
The verb establishes His existence before all created things: "He is," not was, "before all things" and beings. It is the scriptural phrase signifying absolute, timeless existence. The Holy Spirit uses it here of the Son. Jesus used it of Himself when He said to the Jews, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). God said the same of Himself when He sent Moses to the children of Israel: "I am has sent me to you" (Ex. 3:14).
He Himself, and No Other
There is an extra weight on the word "He" in the original that English readers can miss.
The special force of the pronoun may be lost to the English reader, but the original Greek uses the emphatic pronoun autos, which means "very self." So the verse declares that "He Himself," or "His very self" is "before all things." It is He (that is, the Son) and no other. The Person of the Son preceded the universe, and He is also the universal Cause.
All Things Hold Together
The second half of the verse moves from where things came from to what keeps them going.
"And He is before all things and by Him all things consist." Everything depends upon Him; all things are held together by Him. Without Him all would cease to be. Four times in these two verses we read of "all things." All things created by Him; all things for Him; He is before all things; all things consist by Him.
Older translations read "by Him all things consist," where the ESV has "in him all things hold together." Commentators say that little word "by" means more than simple agency.
"And by [or, in virtue of] him all things consist." In virtue of Him gives a clearer and more intimate idea. The object here is to take away all vagueness in exalting Christ.
Held Together as One Whole
Commentators press the word "together."
Created things do not only continue to exist; they continue together. The Son sustains the vast creation in all its parts as one harmonious whole. Men would use what they call the laws of nature to shut the Creator out of His universe. But without the sustaining power of the Son, all would collapse into ruin.
The Centre Astronomers Cannot Find
Science can map the universe. It cannot find the centre this verse names.
Our sun and other suns may all revolve around some great central point, and astronomers have tried in vain to discover it. But the simple Christian is after all wiser than the astronomers, for he can say, "By Him all things hang together." He is the central Pivot, the glorious Person in whom every part of the universe is concentrated, and He holds everything for God.
The Sustainer Is Our Head
Such a Person could seem far away. But believers are united to Him, in what is called here the assembly, or the church.
All things subsist together "by Him," and in what relation does this wonderful Person of such glorious pre-eminence stand to us? "He is the Head of the body—the assembly." Oh! to think that we are so closely united to such a One! He is our Head, and we are the members of His body! He gave Himself for the assembly.
Summary
- Before — "He is," not "He was," marks timeless existence and shuts out any beginning for the Son.
- Himself — the emphatic pronoun says it is He and no other who precedes the universe and causes it.
- By — "in virtue of Him" is closer than mere agency; the wording exists to remove vagueness about Christ.
- Together — everything depends on Him moment by moment; He holds creation as one whole, and without Him all would collapse into ruin.
- Ours — the Person holding the universe together is the Head of the body, and He gave Himself for us.