If it had been stated, “The Lord begets Me,” followed by “But before all hills He created Me,” it would imply that creation takes precedence over birth. However, by asserting “Before all He begets Me,” He affirms His distinction from all, since it has previously been established that none of the creatures precedes one another; they are all instantiated simultaneously by Divine command. Thus, being included in “created” is not equivalent to being included in “begets Me.” The term “created” refers to “the beginning of ways,” whereas “begets Me” does not say “in the beginning begets Me,” but rather “before all He begets Me.” He who exists before all is not merely the beginning of all; He is fundamentally different. If He is distinct from all, and yet is the beginning of all, then it is clear that He stands apart from the rest of creation. This demonstrates that the Word, being different and preeminent, is later brought into creation through the beginning of ways via His incarnation, as the Apostle states, “He who is the beginning, begotten from the dead... Let Him who is the firstborn be first in all” (Colossians 1:18).
This distinction between “created” and “begotten of Me,” as well as between “the beginning of ways” and “before all,” mirrors the process in which God, the Creator, becomes the Father of men through the indwelling of His Word. Conversely, in the case of the Word, God is recognized as His Father by nature, later becoming His Creator and Maker when the Word assumes human nature and becomes man. Just as humans are made children through the Spirit of the Son, so too is the Word of God acknowledged as created and made upon taking on human form. Therefore, if we are sons by nature, it follows that He too is a creature and a work by nature. If we are made sons by adoption and grace, it is evident that the Word, who became man to grant us grace, referred to Himself, saying, “The Lord created Me.”
THEOSIS