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b'Every generation has popular catchphrases. There was a popular phrase in the early church that went something like this, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153There was a time when He was not.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d In fact, it was so popular that people would go around chanting it in the streets! What did the phrase mean?\\nA pastor at the time by the name of Arius had started to circulate some unique ideas about Jesus, and one of those ideas was that Jesus was a lesser being than God the Father. To argue this point, Arius claimed that Jesus was created by God (hence the catchphrase). Does this view hold water when compared to the rest of Scripture?\\nFirst, take a look at John 1. In this passage, John uses the title of \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153the Word\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d to describe Jesus. Not only was Jesus \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153with God in the beginning\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (verse 2), He Himself \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153was God\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (verse 1). This teaches us Jesus existed in eternity past with God the Father. Notice John also writes, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (verse 3). If Jesus created all things, then how could He have been created?\\nWhat about Colossians 1:15? In this verse, Paul refers to Jesus as \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153the firstborn over all creation.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Does that mean Jesus was created, or born from God? No! In Bible times, to be the firstborn was considered an honor. In this passage, Paul uses the term as a title indicating that Jesus deserves to be honored above all creation. In the following verse, Paul writes that everything that exists has been created by Jesus, just like John wrote in John 1.\\nAt the Council of Nicea in AD 325, Arius\\u2019s belief that Jesus was a created being and less than God was rightly rejected. We would say that Jesus and the Father are separate persons, but both fully and equally God: \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153There was NOT a time when He was not!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\u2022 Jonathon Fuller\\n\\u2022 Why do you think believing Jesus is God is such an important part to being a Christian? \\n\\u2022 How would you respond to someone who believes that Jesus was just a good teacher, but He wasn\\u2019t really God? \\n\\u2022 The controversy with Arius eventually resulted in the Nicene Creed, a brief summary of the gospel that unites Christians from around the world and throughout history. This creed is still read regularly in many Christian churches today. If you\\u2019ve never read this creed, check it out!\\nIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 (CSB)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPsalm 139:7-17; Romans 8:38-39'