“Through Him” Or “By Him”

Uplook – November 2019 — Grace & Truth Magazine

“Through Him” Or “By Him”

The little phrases “through Him” and “by Him” (Greek: di’ autou ) in our English Bibles summarize a wealth of thoughts, bringing glory to our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. With only a few exceptions, most of the times when these phrases are used they refer to Him rather than humans. The Greek New Testament uses this expression 21 times. This is a number that speaks of fullness and completeness (seven) as well as of the divine Trinity (three) – the unfathomable mystery of Him who is Three-in-One and One-in-Three. Reading these 21 references and meditating on them will lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of our Lord’s wonderful person and work.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. —John 1:3 NKJV
The first verse of this amazing passage of John 1:1-5 shows who this person is: the Logos. He is the Creator of heaven and earth, in whom is Life and who is the Light of men. It lists seven points of His unique greatness:

1. His eternal being – “in the beginning was the Word”;
2. His distinct personality – “the Word was with [the] God”;
3. His essential deity – “the Word was God” (without definite article before “God”);
4. Communion within the Godhead – “in the beginning with [the] God”;
5. Creatorial Originator – “all things were made through Him, nothing was made without Him;”
6. Essential vitality – “in Him was life”;
7. “The life was the light of men” – no life without His light.

This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. —John 1:7
John the Baptist was the greatest prophet because God sent him to introduce the Messiah to His people and to identify Him as “the Lamb of God” (1:29,36). This implies that He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the supreme Sacrifice and the Redeemer.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. —John 1:10
Adam and Eve’s fall (Gen. 3) caused a rift between God and His creation, so no recognition of Him and no fellowship with Him existed, even though He had made all things. Only Jesus could bridge this gap, and He did; but on man’s side repentance and faith are needed to receive the needed healing.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. —John 3:17
Speaking to “the teacher of Israel” (v.10) – Nicodemus the Lord Jesus explained who He was and the purpose of His coming into the world and to Israel: to save and restore.

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. —Acts 2:22
On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came from heaven, sent by the despised Man of Nazareth (Jn. 16:7) whom God had “crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:9). The Church was born on that day (see Mt. 16:18).

And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. —Acts 3:16
From heaven, the Lord Jesus worked great miracles as He had done earlier when on earth. Through faith in His name, poor sinners repented, identified with Him and received healing and blessing. What a name!

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. —Romans 5:9
The great Savior will be the supreme Judge (Acts 17:31). He is the One who guarantees the eternal security of the believers, when God’s wrath will hit the unbelievers (see 1 Th. 1:10).

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. —Romans 11:36
The book of Romans teaches God’s righteousness as displayed in salvation, in the present lives of the believers, and in the world to come. All is from, through, and for Him; all praise and glory are due to Him and are to be given Him forever.

For us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. —1 Corinthians 8:6
Showing the contrasts between the true God and the many idols, the apostle Paul declared with a few words the greatness of the Creator-God and His relationship with the believers. This implies their dependence on Him, which will never stop, just as the Lord Jesus told the disciples, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5 ESV).

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory” —2 Corinthians 1:20
All of God’s promises are confirmed and realized through the Lord Jesus Christ, so the response the believers may give is through Him, just as in Hebrews 13:15. The important point Paul added in 2 Corinthians is not seen in every translation, that such a response is linked with His ministry. Paul’s ultimate objective was for God to receive glory from His redeemed creatures, now and forever. What about you, do you give God glory as one who has been redeemed?

Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you? —2 Corinthians 12:17 NKJV
This is a rhetorical question, meaning that the question answers itself. The answer is: “Of course not.” Paul had been busy to organize a collection for the poor in Jerusalem, especially for the believers among them. Many Jewish believers in the Messiah had given away all their possessions or had lost everything because of persecution or mistreatment (Jas. 5:1-7). Paul did not spare any effort organizing this collection, making sure that everything was totally honest and done with willing hearts.

Yet there were those who accused Paul of all kinds of things. Paul, therefore, posed this rhetorical question to silence the opposition. The apostle was transparent in all his work and he wanted the believers to be like him in this honest endeavor. This challenge remains for us today.

For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. —Ephesians 2:18
This beautiful statement is made in the context of a description of what God has wrought (v.10) in the salvation of those who were far from Him – the Gentiles – and of those who were close – the Jews. He removed the irreconcilable differences between them. The miracle God worked, and still works, is that He takes from among Gentiles and from among Jewish people those who repent and become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:9-10). He then puts them together in a wonderful harmonious unity and relationship with Him, described in seven different ways (read Eph. 2:19-22). Sadly, this is not always put into practice because of prejudice or other reasons. Our passage shows that the Father and the Son are involved – and the Holy Spirit – as the believers practice these teachings.

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. —Colossians 1:16
This verse shows in three ways the greatness of the Lord Jesus as the Creator-God, using three different prepositions: “in,” “through” and “for.” The text translated “by Him” literally reads “in Him,” and it means that all things have been created in the power of His person, under His full control, not through any “higher power.” “Through Him” is the term we are talking about in this study. It shows the Son as the Chief-Executor who put everything into place and made everything. “For Him” declares that all things have been created for Him, His delight and honor, because He is the great Creator-God. The phrase also indicates He will receive glory forever (Rev. 4:11).

... And by Him to reconcile all things to Himself. —Colossians 1:20
The great Creator is also the Redeemer, as the apostle explained in his speech to the Athenians (Acts 17). In Colossians, Paul emphasized the greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ, His absolute supremacy, refuting efforts of various false teachers who tried to show Him as belonging to a lower order. No, He is not only the great and unique Creator-God, He is also the One who reconciles all things to Himself, as will be seen in the world to come, and who already reconciled us (Rom. 5:10-11).

... by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. —Colossians 1:20
The reconciliation of “all things” implies all things in heaven and on earth, as will be seen in the future, based on the blood of Christ. This ultimate reconciliation, however, does not include the things “under the earth” (Phil. 2:10), even though all those comprised in that term will bow the knee to the Lord Jesus and confess Him as Lord, to the glory of God the Father (v.11).

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. —Colossians 3:17
As believers we are in the kingdom of God. We may honor Him, as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, through a work of the Holy Spirit (v.15) and of the Word dwelling in us richly (v.16).

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. —Hebrews 7:25
Our approach to God is through our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews emphasizes the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ as Creator – Redeemer, the Son of Man, the Great High Priest, the Minister of the sanctuary, and the One who leads us in our response to God. He leads us inside the veil (Heb. 10:19-22) and, as long as we are on earth, through this world, but also “outside the camp” and “unto Him” (13:13) in order to have us as true worshipers. This is “by Him,” as we see in our next verse.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. —Hebrews 13:15
As we saw in the last point, it is through the Lord Jesus, “by Him,” that we approach God in worship. We are encouraged to do this on an ongoing basis. When we bring praise and glory to God, giving thanks to His name, we do so “through Him,” that is, through our blessed Lord Jesus.

“Who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” —1 Peter 1:21
Believing in God, coming to Him, is through the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6). No creature can see the invisible God, but we may believe in Him, putting our trust in Him because of what He has done, raising the Lord Jesus from among the dead. He has laid a solid foundation for faith. Our hope is linked with this and emphasizes that this faith is good for the present and the future as well. Praise God!

Or to governors, as to those who are sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. —1 Peter 2:14
The powers established by God (Rom. 13) are under His control. This includes all earthly rulers, even those who oppose Him and persecute the believers. In the world to come, all and everything will function properly because true righteousness will be enforced by God’s will. Today we live under an indirect government, which means that evil is not always reproved immediately; nor is good recompensed, or rewarded, right away.

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. —1 John 4:9
How wonderful is the only begotten Son! He is unique, and the term is only used by John (Jn. 1:14,18, 3:16,18; 1 Jn. 4:9). God showed His love for us and is now working in us. His love will be seen with us, forever, in a wonderful relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (vv.9-17).

Conclusion
The 21 times the New Testament uses the term “by Him” or “through Him” have been written by God’s Spirit to help us realize how we depend on the Lord Jesus. Apart from Him we cannot do anything for the glory of God. This is what Saul of Tarsus learned after he met the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus (Phil. 3:7-15). Today we are in God’s school to learn the same lesson as well. May we realize more and more what we are and have in our Lord Jesus and be instruments fit for His use (2 Tim. 2:21). Thereby, He can work through us, for His honor and for God’s glory.

By Alfred Bouter