O Come, Let Us Adore Him - Part Two
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Introduction
Introduction
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold him, born the King of angels.
Refrain:
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
PRAY
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Contextual Notes
Contextual Notes
If you read the letter from beginning to end, you can deduce that the church is being assaulted by false teaching.
The new teaching claimed a profound knowledge apart from Christ (Colossians 2:8)
An emphasis on following prescribed rituals (Colossians 2:16)
Ascetic self-abasement (Colossians 2:18 & 20-23)
Rejected the deity of Jesus, in whom the fullness of God dwelt in bodily form (Colossians 2:9).
What exactly was the influence on the church at Colossae? Was it Judaism, eastern mysticism, Gnosticism, asceticism, or something else? The reality is that it is impossible to know exactly what the attack was. I believe it was syncretistic. Sometimes the attacks Satan are strategically unsystematic. Especially, when he first attacks there is a lack of organization so that it can mold and shape to fit the scenario. I believe this was the case in Colossae. In addition, it doesn’t does seem that there was a direct rejection of Christ, but an adding to Christ. It was a blending of many errors just as the people of Colossae were a mixture of people from different backgrounds.
Before we look more closely at verses 15-20, it is important to make this connection. The person and work of the Christ Jesus is always under attack. Jesus is still under attack. Satan, the demons and their ministers work to diminish the view of Jesus in the world. The attempt to reduce Christ’s value in the eyes men normally takes one of two forms. First, there is an attempt to take away something from the biblical Christ. Second, there is an attempt to add something to Christ to complete him or his work.
We adore him because he is preeminent in Creation
We adore him because he is preeminent in Creation
He is most important because he is God and reveals God to us (15)
He is the image of the invisible God - The he is Christ, who in verse 13 is called the beloved Son. The Son is the ikon of God, the visual representation of the God who is not visible.
D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition, 4th ed. From all eternity Jesus, in his very nature, has been the image of God. The English word image may suggest a copy that is less than perfect; the Greek original, which is a term of revelation, does not imply this. Jesus, who is perfectly like the Father, reveals who he is in all his goodness (cf. Pr. 8:22). If a person wants to know what God is like then he or she should turn to the Scriptures and find out all about Jesus, for he shows us perfectly what the Father is like.
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The firstborn of all creation - Jesus the Messiah is the preemminant One in all creation. Some have argued that Jesus was the first being created and then he assisted in creation of the world due to the use of this word “first-born”.
Not only is this heretical, it is poor interpretation of the language. The language of first-born in biblical concepts does not refer to time of birth. Paul could have chosen a work which could be translated first-created, however, he chose first-born.
Lenski - This is not a comparison between creatures, the creature Christ and all other creatures. Still less does “first” refer to time and to a date. “First-born” denotes rank.
Listen to John MacArthur’s statement concerning the word: Although Esau was born first chronologically, it was Jacob who was the “first-born” and received the inheritance. Jesus is the One with the right to the inheritance of all creation. Israel was called God’s first-born in Exodus. Though not the first people born, they held first place in God’s sight among all the nations. In Psalm 89:27, God says of the Messiah, “I also shall make him My first-born,” then defines what He means—“the highest of the kings of the earth.” In Revelation 1:5, Jesus is called “the first-born of the dead,” even though He was not the first person to be resurrected chronologically. Of all ever raised, He is the preeminent One.
A.T. Robertson - “the first-born in relation to all creation,” outranking all creatures in every relation. The God-man in both of his natures towers above the whole creature world.
He is most important because he is the creator and reason for creation (16-17)
Jesus is the source from which all of creation comes. (16a-d)
For by him all things were created, In heaven and on earth Visible and invisible Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -
17a And he is before all things -
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
Jesus is the channel through which the power of creation flows (16e)
All things were created through him and for him -
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Jesus is the end to which all creation moves (16e)
All things were created through him and for him -
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Jesus is the force by which creation is held together (17b)
And in him all things hold together -
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
We adore him because he is preeminent in redemption
We adore him because he is preeminent in redemption
He is most important because he alone rules his church (18)
And he is the head of the body, the church - Jesus Messiah is the source and ruler of the his body. The image is clear. Just as the head houses the control center of the body, so Jesus is in control of his body , the church.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
The church is the congregation or gathering of the called out ones.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
He is the beginning - Jesus is the cause of redemption, but his himself does not have a cause.
The firstborn from the dead - Once again, we see this concept of the first-born. This time it is the first born of those resurrected and those that will be resurrected.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
That in everything he might be preeminent - That in all things he should have first place. That he should be most prominent, most high and most praised. Christ was raised from the dead for the purpose of Him having the superior position in the church and all other things.
He is most important because he is God-incarnate (19)
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell - Fullness – completeness, perfection - Dwell - to reside, to be at home permanently
Peter O’brien – “He is the place in whom God in all his fullness was pleased to take up residence. All the attributes and activities of God – his spirit, word, wisdom and glory are perfectly displayed in Christ. This is not temporary dwelling as the verb kataoikeo with its present tense makes plain in Colossians 2:9 - For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”
He is most important because he has secured peace in the universe (20)
This verse is very difficult to get a hold of, but by God’s grace, we can understand it to some degree. And through him to reconcile to himself all things -
Paul uses this term translated reconcile three times in the NT. It is not found in the LXX or in classical Greek. It is defined as the restoration of a broken interpersonal relationship from enmity to favor. Ephesians 2:14-16 Colossians 1:21-22
Root word - 2 Corinthians 5:18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
The difficulty rises with the use of reconciling language and universal terms (all things to himself in earth and heaven). In fact, these phrases have been used by some to justify a universal redemption of all creation including those fallen angels and unrepentant fallen human beings. They take the word “reconciliation” to mean that Christ brings all things to himself in a saving way and that is in fact a possible meaning of the word.
However, we can compare Scripture with Scripture to clearly and emphatically refute that interpretation of this word. For example, many passages of Scripture clearly teach that there is no redemption or salvation to those that reject the Gospel.
5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
So what does it mean? Strictly transfer from one state to another quite different state
My conviction is that Jesus has reconciled all things to himself, in that , he has put all things in their proper place. D. A. Carson, “It was God’s good pleasure to reconcile all things through Christ. Heaven and earth have been brought back to the order for which God made them. The universe is under its Lord, and cosmic peace has been restored. Reconciliation and making peace (which includes the idea of pacification, i.e. over-throwing evil) are used synonymously to describe the mighty work which Christ achieved in history through his death on the cross as a sacrifice”
What was the instrument of this reconciliation? It was the cross and the power behind the cross was the blood of Christ. making peace (past tense) by the blood of his cross.
There are two ways that God makes peace. First, he makes peace through the voluntary submission of the individual to his demands as Lord and Christ. This happens as one is brought into the church in salvation. Secondly, Jesus imposes his will as Lord and Christ in the judgment and ultimate destruction of those that oppose him. This verse emphatically states that Christ has made peace. All things have been placed in their proper place.
Practical Application
Practical Application
The incarnate Son is the only way to be at peace with God.
In all things, worship Jesus has the one who has first place. Does he have first place in your life?
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!