John 1:1--"In the beginning"; cf. Gen 1:1 John 8:58--"Before Abraham was, I am." That is to say: "Abraham's existence presupposes mine, not mine his. He was dependent upon me, not I upon him for existence. Abraham came into being at a certain point of time, but I am." Here is simple being without beginning or end. See also John 17:5; Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:16, 17. b) Self-Existence and Life-Giving Power: John 5:21, 26--"For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." "For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself." 1:4--"In him was life." See also 14:6; Heb. 7:16; John 17:3-5; 10:17, 18. These scriptures teach that all life--physical, moral, spiritual, eternal--has its source in Christ. c) Immutability: Heb. 13:8--"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." See also 1:12. All nature, which like a garment He throws around Him is subject to change and decay; Jesus Christ is the same always, He never changes. Human teachers, such as are spoken of in the context, may change, but He, the Christ, never. d) All the Fulness of the Godhead Dwelt in Him: Col. 2:9--Not merely the divine perfections and attributes of Deity, but _(theotes)_ the very essence and nature of the Godhead. He was not merely God-like; He was God. 4. DIVINE OFFICES ABE ASCRIBED TO HIM. a) He is the Creator: John 1:3--"All things were made by Him." In the creation He was the acting power and personal instrument. Creation is the revelation of His mind and might. Heb. 1:10 shows the dignity of the Creator as contrasted with the creature. Col. 1:16 contradicts the Gnostic theory of emanations, and shows Christ to be the creator of all created things and beings. Rev. 3:14--"The beginning of the creation of God," means "beginning" in the active sense, _the origin,_ that by which a thing begins to be. Col. 1:15--"first-born," not made; compare with Col. 1:17, where the "for" of v. 16 shows Him to be not included in the "created things," but the origin of and superior to them all. He is the Creator of the universe (v. 16), just as He is the Head of the church (v. 18). b) He is the Upholder of All Things: Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3. The universe is neither self-sustaining nor is it forsaken by God (Deism). Christ's power causes all things to hold together. The pulses of universal life are regulated and controlled by the throbbings of the mighty heart of Christ. c) He Has the Right to Forgive Sins.