We’re continuing our walk through the book of Colossians. Paul is giving truth that shows the fallacy of Gnosticism. For the last couple of posts, I talked about the place of Christ in creation.
Now Paul talks about the Lord’s place as Ruler and King.
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1:18-20 NIV
As I’ve said before, Paul is combating the heresy that places Christ at the bottom of the ladder of created angelic beings. He now gives us a picture of Christ in His rightful place.
First, we see the Lord as the Head of the church, His body on earth. The word, church, that Paul uses, means the gathering together of God’s people.
Jesus Christ is the beginning of it all. That word means the chief in order, rank, time, or place. Nothing would exist if not for Christ.
But, more than that, He is the firstborn from the dead. Not even death itself could stop the Lord from His assignment.
There were many who were raised from the dead in Scripture. But Jesus Christ is the only one who came back and stayed alive forever. All of the others, people like Lazarus, eventually had to die and go back to the grave. Not Jesus!
Paul makes the reasoning clear. This was so that in every area of existence, Christ is supreme.
The fullness of God was in Him. That’s one of the hardest things for us to grasp. The fact that Jesus Christ was both fully God and fully man at the same time.
But, because of that, He was the perfect mediator. The Lord could deal with our sin and the holiness of God at the same time. Now we have peace with God through the blood He shed on the cross. The power released in that act is totally unimaginable.
Now, because of His sacrifice, we can stand holy, righteous, and clean before the God of the universe. What an amazing gift. His love is unthinkable.
When you look at all of this as a whole, you can realize why only He is worthy of our worship. All of heaven, and earth will bow before His Lordship. The best thing we can do is to choose this response now, before we have no choice.
It takes me back to a verse in 2 Corinthians.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NIV
This is the message a dying world needs to hear. How can we keep it to ourselves? Share the Good News with everyone who will listen!
Question: How is the supremacy of Christ evident in your life?
© 2023 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 