Colossians 1:15-18

"[Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation 16. For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him" Colossians 1:15-16.

Today, I want to keep these two verses together and speak to them together, because of the implication that these two verses have had over history concerning the sovereignty of Jesus Christ.

First, I believe we must analyze the text in 2 formats, because they contain a parallelism that sets forth two very important thoughts. Since we believe this to be The Word of God, these thoughts, then are two very important facts.

The first one is about Christ's' humanity, and second, His deity.

And so, let's look at His humanity, first. This first phrase appears in the form of a Hebrew couplet, using a common device known as parallelism, which is when you have two thoughts, with the second thought closely relating to the first in some way.

Here are the 2 thoughts: Verse 15 says, He is the image of the invisible God, (the Amplified renders it as exact likeness because that was the meaning of the original word used. You can look that up in your own time.) and He is the firstborn of all creation. Notice that Christ is the exact image of the invisible God. This statement supports the view that He is still a man, even in His glorified state. It does not read, "He was", but "is" the image of God. This term "image" refers to Christ's being a manifestation of God. When He was on earth, when people saw Him, they saw God; when people heard him, they heard God. He "revealed" God (John 1:18). Paul is not only saying that Christ, while on earth, was physical--a man, but that He still is, even in heaven.

Let's move on to the second phrase, which adds to the first, and gives further reason to believe that He is human. The term "firstborn" primarily has to do with rank or priority in relation to other things (Psalm 89:27, Jeremiah 31:9), although it could also mean first in a group. Context will determine which is meant here. Notice that His being firstborn is in relation to "all creation." This tells us that Christ is a part of creation. Before you stop reading, let me explain. I am not saying that Christ was the first one created by God, as some groups teach. The context here and in many other passages makes it clear that Christ is eternal (Isaiah 9:6, Micah 5:2, I Timothy 1:17, 6:16, Hebrews 7:3). Paul is referring to Jesus' incarnation, that is, His birth on earth as a human. His being fully human makes Him a part of creation. This provides a devastating argument against the teaching of a group known as the Gnostics, who did not believe that Christ could have been human. Yet, by Paul's use of the terms "image" and "of all creation," he made sure that the Colossian believers understood that Jesus Christ was, and is, man.

In what way was Christ "firstborn?" Verses 16 and 17 explain why Christ is firstborn. Paul explains in these 2 verses that Christ both existed before all things, and that He created all things. This puts Him outside the realm of creation. Therefore, He could not be "first in a group." Christ, as a human, is first in rank and supreme to His creation.

17. "And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together)."

Verse 17 solidifies both thoughts and then let's read verse 18 to complete

18. "He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]."

Look at the use of the term "firstborn" in verse 18. His being firstborn from the dead didn't mean He was the first one raised from the dead. Others were raised from the dead before Him. They, however, are now dead. Christ lives. In relation to others raised from the dead, He is supreme; His resurrection was supreme.

Notice that the reason Jesus was firstborn of all creation, the head of the church, and the first to come back to life, was "so that He would have first place in everything." The whole context is speaking of first place, or supremacy, not the order of things.

Now let's look at Christ's' deity from three points given concerning Christ and creation in verses 16 and 17. They are as follows:
1. He created all things.
2. Everything was created through and for Him.
3. He holds all things together.

In order for Him to have created all things, He Himself must be uncreated. Some have argued that the Greek word for all, "panta," should be rendered "all other things." It is true that there are times when the word should be rendered "all other things," when the context demands it. However, the context here demands the first rendering, "all things." If there are still doubts, probably the clearest text which shows the extent of Christ as Creator can be found in John 1:3. It reads, "Everything came into existence through Him. Not one thing that exists was made without Him." (ISV) Here, not only does John write that "everything came into existence through Him", which is the same basic phrase as in Colossians 1:16, but he adds the phrase "not one thing", which should remove all doubt.

Christ created every single thing that exists, except Himself. And not only did He create everything, but He also did it for Himself. In other words, not only does everything come from Him, but it also goes back to Him, as the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary says:

"Creation is for Christ in the sense that He is the end for which all things exist, the goal toward whom all things were intended to move. They are meant to serve His will and to contribute to His glory." (volume 2, page 820)

Consider this... all matter is made up of atoms and within each atom is a nucleus which is made up of protons and neutrons. We know that neutrons have no charge whatsoever. Protons, however, are positively charged. There is a physical law that states that like charges repel each other. For example, take two magnets which are marked positive at one end and negative at the other. Place the two positive ends together and what happens? They push away from each other. The only way two magnetized objects can be held together is by putting one positive end next to a negative one. Because of this law, every proton in every nucleus should repel one another instead of holding together as they do. The reason that this is important is because there is presently no natural answer to this problem.

Verse 17 provides the answer: "in (or by) Him (Jesus) all things hold together." He keeps the universe precisely in order. This scientific phenomena used to be referred to as Cosmic glue, until recently, the majority of scientists agreed to call it the Colossians principal.

To say that a mere created being is the end for which all things exist and that a mere creature holds the entire universe together is the height of blasphemy. These things can only be said of God. Amen?

These passages here compel the conclusion that Jesus Christ is both man and God.

We will pick back up in verse 19, next time.

I love you.