John Calvin Commentary John 1:3

"All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made." — John 1:3 (ASV)

All things were made by him. Having affirmed that the Speech is God, and having asserted his eternal essence, he now proves his Divinity from his works. And this is the practical knowledge to which we should be primarily accustomed, for the mere name of God attributed to Christ will affect us little if our faith does not feel it to be such by experience.

In reference to the Son of God, he makes an assertion which strictly and properly applies to his person. Sometimes, indeed, Paul simply declares that all things are by God (Romans 11:36), but whenever the Son is compared with the Father, he is usually distinguished by this mark. Accordingly, the ordinary mode of expression is here employed: that the Father made all things by the Son, and that all things are by God through the Son.

Now the design of the Evangelist is, as I have already said, to show that no sooner was the world created than the Speech of God came forth into external operation; for having formerly been incomprehensible in his essence, he then became publicly known by the effect of his power.

There are some, indeed, even among philosophers, who make God to be the Master-builder of the world in such a manner as to ascribe to him intelligence in framing this work. So far they are in the right, for they agree with Scripture; but as they immediately fly off into frivolous speculations, there is no reason why we should eagerly desire to have their testimonies. On the contrary, we should be satisfied with this inspired declaration, well knowing that it conveys far more than our mind is able to comprehend.

And without him was not anything made that was made. Though there is a variety of readings in this passage, yet, for my part, I have no hesitation in taking it continuously thus: not anything was made that was made. In this, almost all the Greek manuscripts, or at least those of them which are most approved, are found to agree; besides, the sense requires it.

Those who separate the words, which was made, from the preceding clause, so as to connect them with the following one, bring out a forced sense: what was made was in him life—that is, lived, or was sustained in life. But they will never show that this mode of expression is, in any instance, applied to creatures.

Augustine, who is excessively addicted to the philosophy of Plato, is carried along, according to custom, to the doctrine of ideas: that before God made the world, he had the form of the whole building conceived in his mind. And so, the life of those things which did not yet exist was in Christ, because the creation of the world was appointed in him. But how widely different this is from the intention of the Evangelist we shall immediately see.

I now return to the former clause. This is not a faulty redundancy (περιττολογία) as it appears to be, for as Satan endeavors by every possible method to take anything from Christ, the Evangelist intended to declare expressly that of those things which have been made there is no exception whatever.