Scripture | “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” Colossians 1:15-18
Observation | In our text we learn a lot about the doctrine (teaching) of Jesus Christ. First, we learn in verse 15 that “Jesus is the image of the invisible God.” This image is a perfect reflection due to the perfect unity between the Father and the Son. In other words, Jesus was God in flesh.
Second, verse 16 teaches “by Jesus all things were created.” That is to say, that Jesus is the creator of all things. With this we find that all things were also created for a purpose. Everything was created “for Him.”
Third, in verse 17, we are taught that although Jesus was born as a man in history, He existed “before all things.” That is, Jesus has always existed into eternity past. This is the eternal characteristic of God the Father and the Holy Spirit as well. God has always been, and will always be. This is evidence of the perfect unity of the triune God’s eternal character found in Jesus eternal character.
Fourth, in verse 17 we also learned that “in Jesus all things hold together.” That is, He is the sustainer of the universe! I marvel at the thought of His grace, allowing Himself to be whipped and spit upon by the creation that He made and holds together. Those objects could have ceased to exist with a thought from Jesus before they came into such a disgraceful and humiliating contact with Him.
Fifth, we learn in verse 18 that “Jesus is also head of the body, the church.” that Jesus is the one supreme authority over those who truly believe. He is their Lord. That is to say He the their one true leader, guide and director, and all affairs and teachings of the church are subject to His rule and reign. For the true believer this is good news, as we would rather not be in any other kingdom. We would rather not have any other king reining over us except our Lord who saved us. We see this reflected in God’s design for wives to submit to the headship of their husbands in all things, so is the church to submit to its Lord in all things (Ep 5:24). This places God’s teaching through the apostles and prophets and His own mouth in supreme importance and authority. For the Bible is the will and the word of our headship, our great Lord. And to him every knee will bow either here or in this age or on the last day of this age, the day of judgment (Rom 10:9-10; Phil 2:10).
Application | Praise be to God the son! He is worthy of all we can give! Because he is eternal God in flesh, because He sustains and holds all creation together, because He is both a just and loving King and Lord. He is worthy of our submission and devotion to His every word. When considering submitting to the Word of God in all things, in which area of submission do you struggle the most? It’s time to destroy these idols, in love for our great Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Prayer | Father, I praise You and Your wonderful Son! I praise Him for his love and sacrifice as the eternal sustainer of all things. Father, I give my life to you in adoration and praise! Teach me to walk Your ancient paths by leading me to repent today. All for You and Your glory alone. Amen.
