Colossians 1 - He Holds All Things Together

Background

Although the Colossian heresy contained many diverse elements, at its core was a denial of the sufficiency of Christ for salvation. Not surprisingly, the sufficiency of Christ becomes the theme of Colossians. The errorists sought God; in Christ “the fulness of Deity was manifest” (2:9). They sought the superior knowledge necessary for salvation; in Christ are hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:3). They worshiped angels, thinking angelic beings could help them attain salvation; Paul wrote that believers are complete in Christ (2:10). They practiced asceticism, and observed Jewish holy days; those things are but the shadow, whereas the substance is Christ (2:17).

The theme of the book can be summed up in the words of Colossians 3:11: “Christ is all and in all.” He is God (2:9); Creator (1:16); Savior (1:20; 2:13-14); and Head of the church (1:18). It was Paul’s desire in writing Colossians that we would realize that Christ has “come to have first place in everything” (1:18). - John MacArthur

Introduction

The book of Colossians was addressed to a relatively young church, which had not received the deep instruction that Paul had given to other churches in his missionary journeys. They were evangelized by a man named Epaphras, and had responded to the gospel with sincerity, and were exhibiting Spirit-filled love as a congregation. Yet, their lack of knowledge and instruction left them vulnerable to deception and confusion, prompting Paul (and Timothy) to write this letter to provide clarity in doctrine and in practical living.

The Colossians had many practical struggles - they were in danger of falling prey to false teaching (2:4-10), they were in danger of legalism (2:11-23), they were in danger of becoming carnal (3:1-11), they were in danger of mistreating each other in family and work relationships (3:18-25). So unsurprisingly, this epistle is full of practical instruction for believers. However, Paul doesn’t begin immediately with application, instead he devotes a sizable “chunk” of his introduction with some of the richest theology out of all the epistles.

Theology = “knowledge of God” / “study of God (or God’s nature)”

Now, theology is not usually something we associate with “practical”! Many Christians tend to look at theology as an abstract idea, something for seminary graduates or Bible college professors to worry about. As humans, we tend to prioritize things based on what (we think) our immediate needs are (e.g., we worry about food and shelter before relationships, and especially abstract concerns like art science). It would be easy to think that the most immediate needs for a struggling believer would be to know the do’s and don’t’s, the “how to” for the Christian life, and then maybe some very basic Bible knowledge, then some key doctrines, and lastly (if at all) deep theological concepts.

But Paul flips that “pyramid of spiritual needs” upside down! Twice in his introduction he tells the Colossians that he desires them to be “full” of the knowledge of God. And within three sentences of his letter (granted, Paul writes long sentences!), he dives straight into some of the most important teaching on Christology - the doctrine of Christ, his identity and his mission - in the entire New Testament. He pulls in references and themes that go all the way back to the creation account of Genesis 1. This is deep stuff!

Why does Paul begin his letter (as well as his epistle to the Ephesians, and to the Romans) to these new (and confused) believers in this way? Because Paul understood that theology, in spite of our perception of it, is immensely practical. What you believe about God, about man, about Jesus, and about the “big picture” of God’s plans, will determine how you live and how you relate to God and to your fellow man.

Theology does not compete with godly living - it drives it. What you believe determines how you behave. And for a believer, what you believe about Christ is going to determine how you live and thrive as a Christian. All of the practical instruction in the world will not result in lasting heart change unless is it built upon the revealed knowledge of God. That is where Paul starts, and that’s where we should too.

Of course, in this message we will not even begin to cover all of the theology of Colossians, or the practical application in the later chapters! Instead, we will focus on a key set of verses in chapter 1, and I hope to encourage you to go on and read and study the entire epistle in light of the incredible truths that God has provided for us in this passage.

Image of the Invisible God

Colossians 1:15 LSB

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Immediately Paul picks up on a theme that takes all the way back to the first chapter of the Bible! “God created man in his own image.” In Genesis we are told that God created the heavens and the Earth and filled it with beauty and life, a complex system of moving pieces - stars and planets, animals and cells - and over and over God calls his creation “good”. And then God does something different: he takes from the physical stuff he had created - “dust from the ground” - and animates it with his own spiritual “breath” - and forms the first human beings. “In our image and after our likeness.” Why did God create human beings in his image? His creation was already “good”, what more did it need? God tells us: “so that they will have dominion over [everything that God had made]”. He told Adam and Eve to “fill the Earth and subdue it.” God’s desire was for his creation to be ruled by creatures that represented him - physical beings, with spiritual aspects that relate to their creator - and they were to do this while in submission to God’s will (Genesis 2:17), and for his glory.

The “image of God” then contains the idea of representation, but also of dominion and of royalty (e.g., in the Ancient Near East, and even in more recent times, a king would mark out key parts of his domain with “images”, and/or empower his officers with a symbol bearing the image of the ruler (cf Matt 22:20-21).

This dual aspect of what it means to be human - a representation of God and a ruler in God’s creation - becomes a key theme in the Bible. We won’t turn to these passages in this message, but for your notes: Psalm 8:3-9 tells us that God “makes” human beings to rule over all the works of God’s hands, using kingly language (“crown him with glory and honor”, “you have made him a little lower than elohim”, etc). And Hebrews 2:5-9 will cite Psalm 8 and reiterate the special purpose that God has for mankind - while at the same time, it points out that man has failed to exercise this godly dominion (“we do not yet see all things subjected to him”).

Why does mankind fail to rule and represent God in the way he was intended to? Sin! Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden, human beings have consistently failed to submit themselves to God’s authority, and exalted themselves over the wisdom and goodness of their creator. As a result, we - and all of creation - suffer under the curse of Genesis 3. We are caught in an impossible place - we are still meant to rule and represent God in creation, as we see from the passages we just talked about, but we can’t. This is what the Preacher in Ecclesiastes will call “vanity”, and what Paul in Romans 8:20 describes as “futility”. In our fallen, sinful state, we cannot be what God created us to be. We don’t do the things we know we should do, and we do the things we know not to do.

(It is important to note that the Fall did not alter mankind’s status as the ruler of creation. In fact, the author of Hebrews will go on to argue that, in order to qualify (“made perfect”) as the redeemer of mankind, Christ needed to suffer the effects of the Fall as well, including physical death (cf Hebrews 2:9, 4:10). The Fall demonstrated that man, on his own, would not successfully fulfill God’s design - but it did not upend God’s plan)

What - or who - is the solution to this never-ending problem of sin and death, of futility and vanity?

Even the Colossians would have know the answer: Jesus! The one who has rescued us (vs 13), and who has given us redemption and forgiveness of our sins (vs14).

As a man, Jesus bears the Image of God, yet he does so perfectly, without sin. As Hebrews 1:3 says, Christ is the “exact representation of [God’s] nature”. Jesus told Phillip: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). In Christ, we finally have a man who can fulfill God’s original plan in creation.

Firstborn of Creation

- In context, this refers to preeminence, “first in rank”, not to “birth” or origin (examples: Israel called “firstborn” - Exodus 4:22, David called “firstborn” - Psalm 89:27).

Through Him and For Him

Colossians 1:16 LSB

For in 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.

“For in/by him all things were created” - creation through the word - John 1 (“in the beginning was the logos”)

“Through him and for him” -creation’s telos - ultimate purpose for creation is Messianic - mankind’s Fall did not catch God off guard.

Christianity is not Gnostic. The Gnostics followed the teachings of Greek philosophers such as Plato, who believed that the physical universe was full of imperfection and was irredeemable. The Gnostics believed that true spiritual freedom could only be have by escaping the physical realm, and it challenged the Christian belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ (why would any enlightened god want to come back into a disgusting physical body? “To the Greeks, foolishness”). They also saw no divine purpose in creation, other than as a necessary evil to bear with until we can finally escape into a spiritual reality (note this is how many Eastern religions think about creation as well).

(In fact, later versions of the Gnostic heresy would teach that it was a separate, evil “god” of the Old Testament who created everything, while the good New Testament “god” sent Jesus to rescue us from this filthy place!)

Many early Christians* were influenced by Gnosticism and related philosophies, which resulted in teaching that enjoyment of food and marriage was sinful (1 Timothy 4:3), and generally despising the physical world (Col 2:20-23). Others took the approach that, since our physical bodies were irredeemable anyways, there was no reason to even try to live holy lives, and turned to gluttony and immorality (Paul will deal with both varieties of these errors in this epistle).

In both cases, rejection of a Biblical worldview about creation and God’s purposes for it led to ungodly lifestyles. What you believe determines how you behave.

* (As an interesting side note, the Hellenistic Jews were also influenced by Plato and Gnostic ways of thinking, which led them to reject the literal fulfillment of Bible prophecy, including teaching that the “land” promised to Abraham was actually “spiritual knowledge” and not physical)

Paul (and the apostle John) battled the Gnostics in many of his writings, especially in 1 Corinthians 15, which we will look at a little bit later. Here, Paul stresses that not only was Christ involved in creation, but that creation’s ultimate goal was tied up in Christ. As Paul argues elsewhere, Jesus is the “Last Adam”, and that role is vital important because the “First Adam”’s job still needs doing!

Paul’s anti-Gnostic arguments

1 Timothy 4:4

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

1 Corinthians 10:26

FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, AS WELL AS ITS FULLNESS.

Everything that has been created by God has value because of 1. Who made it, and 2. Who it’s for. The answer to both of those questions is the same: It’s all because of - and for - Jesus!

In Him All Things Hold Together

Colossians 1:17 LSB

And He is before all things, And in Him all things hold together.

“Before all things, and in Him all things consist” - cf Hebrew 1:3 (“upholds all things by the word of his power”)

Head of the Church

Colossians 1:18 LSB

And He is the head of the body, the church; Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Cf Col 2:19 - Here Paul is laying the groundwork for how this theology applies to the Colossians and their struggles with legalism. The headship of Christ over the church re-orients our entire way of thinking. A proper understanding of who Christ is, and who we are in Christ, will enable us to live in true Christian liberty, motivated out of love and not by fear and shame.

Firstborn from the Dead

Colossians 1:18 LSB

And He is the head of the body, the church; Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

“The beginning... Firstborn from the dead” - refers to Christ (not church)

“All things he may have the preeminence” - the reign of Christ / kingdom of God

- 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

1 Corinthians 15:20–28 LSB

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign UNTIL HE HAS PUT ALL HIS ENEMIES UNDER HIS FEET. The last enemy to be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

Everything that we have seen about the image of God, and the representation and rule that it entails, comes together in this passage. The doctrine of the Millennial Kingdom (the 1,000 year reign of Christ one Earth) is so much more than a block of time on prophecy charts or a topic for end-times nerds to debate about - it’s a vital milestone in God’s plans for history and for creation.

As one songwriter put it, “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men are gonna put this world back together again.”

Ever since Genesis 1, God’s “very good” plan included his image-bearers ruling over the creation he had made. The Fall of man showed that, on their own, human beings were not going to accomplish this task. But God doesn’t give up. God will finish what he started. Christ must reign, because the Last Adam must prove that he will succeed where the First Adam failed. Evil must be defeated, creation must be restored, death must be abolished, and praise God, one day it will.

And at the end of that 1,000 years, the Last Adam will prove conclusively that he is the perfect image-bearer over all creation, by presenting the kingdom to the Father. As Jesus said while he was on Earth, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me”. (John 6:38). While on Earth, Jesus refused the temptation of Satan to take dominion over the Earth on Satan’s terms; in the future, after triumphantly taking and exercising dominion over all creation, Christ will once again submit to the will of the Father (“although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped” - Php 2:6).

Reconcile All Things

Colossians 1:19–20 LSB

For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him—whether things on earth or things in heaven.

“Made peace through the blood” - cf Hebrews 2:9 (“taste death”) - first blood shed (Genesis 3:21)

Applications

How do we apply this? Is all this theology stuff really practical?

Answer: Read the rest of the book! As we continue reading in Colossians we see repeatedly how these truths about Christ play out in practical matters of Christian living, in how we relate to God, and in how we treat one another. What we believe determines how we behave. There are all sorts of implications to these truths, for how we think about our role on Earth, our vocations, our fellow human beings, etc.

But as this message concludes, I want to make two types of application from our text.

First, if you are listening to this, and you are not a Christian, you’re probably really confused. But I hope that you’ve gotten a sense that the “big picture” story of Christianity is really big. Like, “epic” big, “saga” big. And on top of that, even if you don’t believe in it, I think you have to acknowledge that the Bible’s story, of creation, fall, redemption, and a new creation, is a wonderful story. It explains who we are, why we are in the state that we are, and where we’re going. And the entire story revolves around one person - Jesus Christ. And right now, in this window of time that is your life, he offers you the opportunity to enter into his story of reconciliation. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12) If you have not received him, or you don’t know what that even means, come talk to me, or to the elders, or to any of us here at the chapel, and we would love to show you from the Bible how you can be saved.

Lastly, for those of us who are Christians, which I know is most of us here, I want to make another sort of application. As I’ve said, I think it’s good and important for us to step back and look at the big picture of God’s plans for history and creation. But sometimes when we do that, it can cause us to feel like our own trials and struggles are small and insignificant. We might be tempted to think that a God with such a grand agenda and a master plan couldn’t really be concerned with the menial, trivial things that often trouble us.

Brothers and sisters, I truly believe that God wants to do, in microcosm, in miniature, this same work of redemption in each of our lives. Everything we’ve learned about the character and desires of God, in his plans for creation, is just as true in his plan your life. No matter how often, or far you have fallen, he will raise you up. The missed opportunities, the regrets, “the years the locusts have consumed”, he will restore. God will finish what he started. “No thread will be unwoven, Nothing will be left undone”. He will reconcile all things to himself, in your life, and mine.