Difficult Texts
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."

The Greek word "arche," which is translated "beginning'' in this verse, may have either an active or passive sense according to the context. The passive form would indicate that Jesus was the first created creature. But this is utterly contrary to scores of verses that portray Christ as eternal and coexistent with the Father (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:8; Colossians 2:9; John 10:30).

This means then that the word "arche" must be accepted in the active sense, which indicates that Christ was the one who initiated the work of Creation. In other words, Christ is the Beginner or Originator of Creation, and not Creation's first creature. He is the One who is acting, rather than being acted upon. Instead of being the One who was first created, He is the first One who created.

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