Solus Christus

Introduction

Well, good morning!

If you have your Bibles, and I hope that you do…keep ‘em open with me to Colossians chapter 1, Colossians chapter 1…we’ll get to that in just a moment…but of course, before we do that, let’s recite our church memory verse together. Remember, its Acts chapter 2, verses 42 through 47…and we’re memorizing it in parts. This morning, we’re just reciting verse 42 and 43.

And so, if you’re ready, I’ll get us started, you finish us up.

Acts 2:42–43 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

[Prayer]

Alrighty…well we’re almost finished with our current sermon series, looking at the five solas…the five fundamental doctrines that split us from the Catholic church over 500 years ago. And so far, we’ve looked at the importance of the Scriptures alone, and grace alone, and faith alone…which gets us to our fourth one this morning…Christ alone, or Solus Christus (So-lus Chris-tas).

In my opinion, this solas, Christ alone…its the most important one for us to understand. While the rest of the things we’ve talked about and the one we’ll talk about next week, while they’re all important…this solas, it stands at the very center of the five…and listen, it connects them all together to declare the glory of God, which we’ll talk more about next week.

Listen, the Scriptures, they all point to the person and work of Christ…meaning, every inspired word that God’s given us, its all meant to point us to the person and work of His Son, Jesus. Grace and faith, the things we talked about over the last two weeks, they’re a result of the person and work of Christ. Neither are possible without Christ…and both, they’re rooted in Christ…meaning grace and faith can only happen because of Christ. And listen, as we’ll see next week, God’s glorified because of the person and work of Christ.

Guys, this solas…it’s the most important one. It holds the rest together, it gives the rest meaning and purpose. Christ, He’s at the center of all of it…its all about Him. And listen, we can’t forget that…we can’t lose sight of that…that’s why I say this one’s so much more crucial to our Christian walk because the moment we lose sight of Christ alone, everything else…every piece of theology or doctrine…every good work…everything we do or believe, it gets distorted when we take our eyes off the only person that matters…which is exactly why the Reformation happened…because that’s exactly what the Catholic church did…it was Christ plus all these other things.

Listen, I’ve called some false teachers out to you in the past…and I want you to understand, I don’t do that lightly. But one of those false teachers is Kenneth Copeland. And listen, there’s all kinds of things I could address that are wrong about his ministry…but one of the most unbiblical pieces of theology that he teaches is what theologians call the ‘little god’ doctrine. Kenneth Copeland, he literally believes and he teaches, that as Christians, we aren’t just given new life at regeneration but that we also become in every way, just like Jesus…we become God…which for the record, that’s what got us into this sin mess back in Genesis chapter 3.

But he said in one of his sermons (and I quote), “When I read in the Bible where Jesus says, “I Am,”…I just smile and say, “Yes, I Am, too!”

He said in another sermon that “On the cross, Jesus won the right for believers to be born again…back into the god-class. Adam was created, not subordinate to God, but as a god; he lost it, and in Christ we are taken back to the god-class.”

In another place, he said, “You don’t have a god in you, you are God.”

I think you get the point, but what Copeland teaches, its that its not just about Christ…yes, He paved the way…yes, He took on our punishment…but now, after we believe, its now about us…its about what we do and what we have the ability to do.

And listen, believe it or not, while these statements seem pretty crazy to most of us…or at least I hope they do, we all struggle with this idea of ownership in our Christian walk…we all have this way of trying to claim things as our own…to take credit for something we never had the ability to do to begin with. We try to be God in our life.

Guys, as you walk through your Christian life…we have very seasoned believers in this room and we have very new believers in this room…regardless of who you are this morning, as you walk through this life, the moment you take your eyes off Christ…it’ll be the moment you begin to feel very distant from Him all over again…it doesn’t mean you’ve lost salvation or anything like that…but the moment you start leaning on your own effort or the moment you start trusting in your own power (on the work you do)…the moment you lose focus on the person and work of Christ, that’s when everything else around you fails.

That’s why John said in 1 John 1:8, “8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Meaning, even as believers, we still live in the flesh…we’re still imperfect…we still fall into temptation and sin…we still make a mess of things on our own…the only difference now, its that the Spirit of Christ, He’s in us…He’s sanctifying us…He’s cleaning that mess up inside of us…none of its because of our power…as believers today, our power, our sufficiency, our hope…it’s all grounded in Christ alone and we can’t lose that focus. We are what we are because of Christ…because of what He did…because of what He’s doing…because of what we know He will do.

And listen, that devil that you think’s on your back…it might not be the devil at all, it might just be God trying to wake you up and remind you that its all about Jesus and what He’s done and what He’s doing. It might just be God reminding you that its all about Christ, quit trying to perform and start finding rest in Him.

And so, to help us examine this fourth solas this morning…we’re gonna walk through this passage here in Colossians chapter 1. And as we do that, I have three points for you…number 1, we must be reminded of the person of Christ…number 2, we must be reminded of the position of Christ…and then finally, number 3, we must be reminded of the work of Christ.

And so, if you’re there with me, let’s look at this first point together.

I. We Must Be Reminded of the Person of Christ (vv. 15-17, 19)

We must be reminded of the person of Christ.

And so, if the Scriptures all point to Jesus…and if grace comes from Jesus…and if faith’s rooted in Jesus…this guy must be pretty important, right? Because what the Reformers were emphasizing when they wrote these five solas down, it was that Christ alone, He’s the pillar by which all the rest are held up. Without Christ, nothing else matters. It’s all in vain…its all empty…which is what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes about God.

And the reason that’s all true, its because of who Jesus is.

Look at these first several verses with me again, starting in verse 15. If you’re familiar with this letter, Paul, he shifts from a prayer to a hymn. That’s what this section of this letter is, its a hymn from that period. But listen, Paul writes, “15 He [Jesus] 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.”

Listen, there’s a lot here…but if you pay attention, there’s some pretty important things that Paul shows us about the person of Christ.

Just in verse 15 alone, there’s enough meat here, about Jesus, to keep us eating for weeks. Paul makes two very important parallels here about Christ…declaring Him first to be “the image of the invisible God” and then second “the firstborn over all creation.”

Let’s start with that word “image.” In the Greek, that word, it means manifestation…meaning, Jesus wasn’t just a symbol of God…He wasn’t just like God…He brought in, He manifested the exact image of God. It’s the same meaning that Paul gives in Philippians 2:6:

Philippians 2:6 (ESV)

though he [Jesus] was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

That word “form,” there, its the word “morphe,” which means the exact form of God.

The author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 1:3

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)

He [Jesus] 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.

The author says, Jesus, He’s the exact imprint of God.

That word in our passage from Colossians, its a little deceiving in the English because an image, its something entirely different for us. It means a representation…a symbol. It’s not necessarily the same thing, right? And a lot of times, people’ll twist these verses…people like Kenneth Copeland…and they’ll say Jesus was just an image of God, like us.

The word we see in Genesis 1:26, where it says we were made in the image of God, in His likeness…we have to remember that the Old Testament, it was mostly written in Hebrew, right? The New Testament, its Greek. We’re dealing with two different languages and trying our best to understand it in a third language.

Here’s the point, Paul’s making a claim here that Jesus, He’s God Himself…He’s the exact imprint…or manifestation. Jesus is God Himself. And this isn’t just Paul making these claims alone…Jesus, Himself claimed deity. Jesus said, “Me and the Father, we’re one” in John 10:30. All throughout the gospel accounts, Jesus demonstrated His deity…He made claims, which is why the Jewish leaders felt led to crucify Him…they thought He was blaspheming against God. He made the “I Am” statements all throughout the Gospel of John. Jesus claimed to be God all throughout His earthly ministry.

And listen, to further reinforce Paul’s point here, he goes on and he says that Jesus, He’s also the “firstborn of all creation.”

Now, this is another part of the verse that’s often misinterpreted…it doesn’t mean that Jesus was created…it doesn’t mean that Jesus was born. Jesus is God, and therefore, He’s always existed…Jesus existed even before the first Christmas accounts which John shows us in John chapter 1.

That word “firstborn,” its not describing what we would typically associate that word with…its about Jesus’s rank and supremacy.

An example of this is seen in 1 Samuel 16:11 where David’s granted the title of “firstborn” despite him being the youngest of his brothers…or when Israel’s referred to as God’s “firstborn” in Exodus 4:22. It’s all about their status…its a rank. In this culture, the firstborn, he was granted the father’s complete inheritance, he had the father’s power and authority over the household.

And Paul says, Jesus, He’s the firstborn over all creation. Meaning, He has power and authority over all creation…and he has power and authority over it because Paul says He created it. Verse 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.”

Not only does Jesus have authority and power over creation, Paul says He created it and that it was all created for Him…He’s the aim of creation…He’s at the center of it…it all points to Him.

Paul goes on in verse 17, “For he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Paul’s making the case here that Jesus is God…He’s the exact imprint of God…He’s the Creator…and listen, Jesus, He’s the Sustainer…all things, according to Paul, it’s held together by Jesus’s power. Meaning, that even when Jesus was just a pinprick of an embryo in Mary’s womb, He was also sustaining everything at the same time. This is a huge reason why we place so much confidence in our salvation…if He alone gave us new life, He alone holds it together. It’s in Christ alone.

Jesus is God…He alone’s all powerful…He alone is mighty…He’s omniscient…He’s omnipresent. Jesus is God.

That’s why in verse 19, Paul says, “For in him [in Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” Pay attention to those words…ALL the fullness of God…it dwells in Jesus. Christ alone, He reveals the Father to us.

And so, Paul, he shows us that Jesus, He’s the exact imprint of God…He has authority over creation…Jesus, He’s the agent of Creation…and listen, He’s the aim of creation.

And so, why’s this solas, Christ alone, so important? Because we’re not simply placing our faith and trust in some random person…some powerless person. We’re putting our faith and trust in the only One that has authority and power to actually fix our problems. We’re trusting in the Creator…in God, Himself…in the One where everything’s held together. That’s the One we follow…that’s the One that we have a relationship with…Jesus is God, that’s why its so important…that’s why all the other solas hinge on this one.

Paul, he wanted the Colossians to understand that their worship of Jesus, it needed to correspond with the nature of his person and reign.

And likewise, we must be reminded of the person of Christ. We have salvation because He alone’s capable of giving it to us.

That’s the first point.

II. We Must Be Reminded of the Position of Christ (v. 18)

The second…we must be reminded of the position of Christ.

Look at verse 18 with me again. Paul says, “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.”

And so, why else is the solas of Christ alone so important? Well, because not only is Jesus God, the Lord of all creation…but He’s also the head of the church. It’s another aspect of Jesus’s supremacy. He has dominion over His physical creation…and what Paul shows us here, its that He has dominion over His spiritual creation as well (His new creation), which is portrayed through the church.

And so, that first thing we see here…Christ as the head of the body, or the head of the church…its demonstrating His relationship with the church. It’s meant to show the characteristics of that relationship…which of course includes unity and dependence from the various parts of the body. This phrase, it’s meant to show the growth of the body toward maturity…its meant to show the governing superiority of the head over the body. If you’re paying attention, it’s all rooted in Jesus’s position; our unity, our dependence, our maturity, authority.

As the head, Jesus, He’s the governing faculty. He’s the One sovereign over the church. He alone’s the leader of the church. It’s not a pastor, its not a board of elders or deacons…its Christ alone. I’m tasked with simply being an under shepherd on behalf of Jesus’ headship.

Listen, this metaphor we see throughout Paul’s letters with the idea of the church being a body…this living organism…it’s demonstrating this key difference between all of us and the head of our organization, Jesus. There’s still a separation there. He alone’s in control.

And listen, pay attention to this…the nature of this spiritual body, it came about because of Jesus…because of His grace we talked about already. Meaning, He alone created it…and just like He alone has ultimate domination over the physical things He created, He has that same authority in the church. When we come together as a body of believers, our aim, its to please Him…its to exalt Him…its not about us…its not about what makes us happy…its not our preferences…its not about the songs you wanna hear…or the sermons you wanna study. It’s all about what brings honor and glory to God, because He’s the head and He’s the reason we’re together.

Listen, as members of His body, we work together to fulfil the will of God. And if you’ve read Paul’s letters addressing this topic of our responsibly in the church, its dependent on us “building each other up,” right? Paul says in Romans 12:5 “in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” Paul says “in Christ” we’re able to do that. Even our ability to perform our God-given function to “build up” the body, it stems from the presence and strength provided to us by the head of our body.

And listen, being the head of the body, we see there’s a very different relationship Jesus has with us versus the rest of creation. Our relationship with Jesus, it’s organic…it’s far more personal and intimate. Paul says, Jesus, He’s the “firstborn from the dead”…which of course builds on what he just said about creation…its about rank and status. Paul’s clarifying that Jesus, He was the first to raise from the dead and He alone’s the source of our own resurrection. He’s sovereign over it. And because He’s sovereign over it and because we’re His, we get that same kind of resurrection. As believers we’ll physically raise from the dead and we’ll have victory over death…just like Jesus. And we get that because of His position and because ultimately we belong to Him, who’s supreme over everything…life, death, the spiritual things…everything.

And so, what’s this mean for us? Submission…obedience…service…its that simple. As God’s people, we have to let go of control and this problem we have with wanting things to go our way or only accepting certain things in His Word. We have to submit to His authority and His agenda. Guys, no personal desires, no programs, no controlling groups of people…none of that should be determining our direction as a church. Jesus, He’s the head…and as the head, His given authority and His leadership, they must be submitted to. It means we root ourselves in His Word…and listen, it means we allow the leaders He’s appointed to lead us, we allow them to lead…as long as they emphasize the authority of His Word and as long as they prioritize His commands. We make everything about Christ alone…our objective, its to make much of Him.

Why do we do these things? Because of His position. Christ alone, He has headship over all things.

That’s the second point.

III. We Must Be Reminded of the Work of Christ (v. 20)

The third and final point…we must be reminded of the work of Christ.

And so, Paul, he’s shown his readers here that Jesus has authority over everything both physically and spiritually…but in this last verse, verse 20, he shifts from Jesus’s person and position to show how Jesus’s work demonstrated the supremacy that He has.

Look at verse 19 and 20 with me again. Paul says, “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.”

And so, according to Paul, Jesus is God…He alone reveals the fullness of God to us…and Jesus, He’s also Creator, both of the physical things and of the spiritual things…meaning, He alone has complete supremacy over all of it. And now, in verse 20, not only does Christ alone reveal God to us…but He alone also reconciles us to God. The deity of Jesus, which Paul just laid out for us, it highlights Christ alone as the exclusive Mediator who’s able to reconcile everything to Himself.

And so, how’s Jesus accomplish this reconciliation…this restoration of creation? Look at what Paul says here, Jesus reconciles all things to himself by “making peace by the blood of his cross.” Listen, reconciliation and the need for peace, it clearly means that all of creation, “whether things on earth or things in heaven,” Paul says…they’ve become estranged, they’ve been brought into conflict with the Creator because of the sin man brought in all the way back in the garden. The universal reality we see here, its that sin, its had devastating effects on all of God’s creation. It all needs to be reconciled to Himself…it all needs restoration. That’s why we have all these awful things that happen in our world today…its because of sin. The evil, the disease, the hurt, the pain, death…its all brought on because of sin.

Listen, someone asked me the other day, why would God allow evil to exist? Why would God allow bad things happen to good people? Guys, read the Bible…we’re the reason sin exists…we’re the ones that distorted everything God created perfectly…its our fault. And the Bible’s clear…none of us are righteous…all have fallen…all have sinned. We’re all to blame here. And listen, if God were to deal with the sin problem we have or the evil problem, they’re be a ton of people that would never hear the gospel of Jesus Christ…people you know and people you love. Its because of God’s grace He hasn’t dealt with our sin problem yet…because when He does, all will stand before Him and all will be judged.

Instead, we need to be asking, “Why would God allow good things to happen to bad people?” Because that’s exactly what happens. There’s only ever been one man who was good…and that was Jesus…and He was the only man that was given something He didn’t deserve, something bad or evil…which was our punishment. And that’s what Paul’s talking about here.

Why did He do it? Because it was only through the blood of Christ that reconciliation could take place…that was the price of redemption for mankind. Only Jesus, who was God Himself, as Paul showed us already…only Jesus, being God and becoming man…only Jesus’s blood was worthy enough to satisfy God’s wrath toward our sin. It was His blood shed on the cross…that’s what purchased our forgiveness. That’s what secured our peace so that we might be restored to Him.

And listen, this idea of Christ alone, its important…because this sacrifice, it could’ve only been accomplished through Christ alone. Even if there was a man willing to die for all mankind…that man would’ve still been sinful…that man would’ve still deserved his own punishment…therefore, he couldn’t have paid for everyone else’s sin. Only Jesus…He was the only path to salvation. And God knew that…so He sent Himself to be our substitute.

Just let that sink in for just a moment. There’s not another religion out there where the god they worship takes the place of his or her people. In fact, every other religion, it paints this picture of whatever person it thinks you should be…do better, be better, be good, and here’s how…that’s the constant message.

But listen, the Christian message…the message Jesus taught and shared and continues to share through His Word and through His people today…its that of repentance and faith. You don’t have to be better…you don’t have to earn your way to heaven…you don’t have to be this good version of what the world thinks is good. Listen, the gospel…its all about Jesus…its about what He did…its about His blood shed on the cross…its about what Jesus completed through His own effort. All we have to do is realize we’re nothing…we’re hopelessly doomed without Him because of our own decisions…because our own nature. And all we have to do is turn to Christ, recognizing the work He accomplished on our behalf, so that all things could be reconciled to Himself. And all we have to do is trust that He’ll do all the work in us that needs to be done.

How’s salvation obtained? It’s all through Christ and Christ alone. Without Jesus, without His efforts, without His sacrifice…we’d all still be alienated from God today…but listen, we’re not…because of Christ alone.

Listen, there’s a quote from an old evangelist I came across this week. He said, “I can’t trust myself, for I’m nothing; and I can’t trust in what I have, for I have nothing; and I can’t trust in what I know, for I know nothing. The only thing left for me to trust is Christ and Christ alone.”

Closing

Listen, let me close with these words from a hymn that most of you know.

I heard an old, old story How a Savior came from glory How He gave His life on Calvary To save a wretch like me I heard about His groaning Of His precious blood's atoning Then I repented of my sins And won the victory

Oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior forever He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood He loved me 'ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

Guys, Christ alone…Jesus alone, He came from His place in glory…He dwelt among us…He alone gave His life on Calvary…He gave it for you and for me.

And guys, listen to those words…Jesus, He sought me and He bought me. He loved me before I ever knew Him…and Christ alone, He gave me victory over sin…it was His atoning blood.

Psalm 23:4, “4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

The Psalmist says, the Lord, He’s with me…the victory its His. It’s His rod, its His staff. He doesn’t say, “I fear no evil because I’m with me…or because God’s made me great.” No, it’s because Jesus…its because of His victory. Its Christ and Christ alone.

Guys, as a church in America, we’ve gotten to a place to where we fight over things like freewill and God’s sovereignty…but listen to the songs you sing…songs that many of which were written long ago…read the Scriptures…everything about who we are…everything about what we have…it’s all about Jesus and His person and His work. And guys, its all despite us.

The purpose of these solas that the Reformers fought for…it wasn’t just to bring things back to Scripture and Christ…it was also meant to keep us in a constant place of humility, remembering who we were…and who we are now because of Christ. When we lose that…we begin turning into the church so many of see around us…a church that seeks to glorify man and man alone.

Let us not be that church…let us be a church that seeks to make much of Jesus! Amen?

Would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?

Listen, as you reflect on this passage this morning…thinking about the idea of Christ alone…all I want you to do this morning is ask yourself where you place your confidence and trust. Is it in Christ alone? Or is it in something else? A job? Your gifts? A talent you have? Relationships? Your husband, wife? Your kids? What’s gonna happen when that thing’s removed?

Guys, the only place to find dependency…to place your trust…the only place you’ll find real freedom from the grips of this world and the sin that fills it…its in Christ and Christ alone. The only way you’re gonna get what He wants you to get out of this life or out of the church, its through Christ. The only way you’re gonna grow, its through Him.

Its a singular pursuit of Jesus. Is that where your heart’s been? Is that what all your beliefs have been built on? Is that where all your focus is? Listen, trust me when I say this…the people around you…they know what your life’s centered on. Your wife, husband…kids, grandkids…your friends, family…they know where your heart’s at. Does it point to Christ and Christ alone? Do your words make much of Him? Do your actions make much of Him? Does where you give your time and money, make much of Him? Does your life, show that you’ve been reconciled to Christ?

Listen, you can fix that today…give it to Jesus and ask for the power and strength to forsake yourself. And listen, let the church be what it was intended to be in your life. Let your brothers and sisters help you grow closer to Him.

But listen, if you’re here this morning, and you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior…Christ isn’t your focus because you’re never turned to Him. Guys, you just heard the gospel. Every one of us, we’re sinful…we’ve all rebelled against a good and righteous God…and because of that sin, every kind of evil has impacted this world. And for that reason, it’ll all face God’s judgement and it’ll receive a just punishment…The Bible, it tells us that none of us, on our own, cares enough to do anything about that situation…we don’t seek God, we do what we know to be wrong continually.

But the gospel, its all about God sending Jesus to take on our punishment…He died in our place…He experienced the wrath of God on our behalf. He rose from the grave, showing us that He is God. And the Bible says that to be reconciled to Him…to receive salvation…all we have to do is turn from ourselves and turn to Christ…believe in Him…all we have to do is ask Him to come into our lives.

And so listen, if you’re hearing that message this morning and you feel the tug of the Holy Spirit on your heart…here’s what I want you to do. I want you to give in to that. I want you, right where you’re at, I want you to tell Jesus what’s on your heart. He hears you. Tell Him that you understand who you are and that you seek His forgiveness. Tell Him that you believe He’s God and that He alone paid the price of your sin.

And listen, when you’ve done that…talk to someone…pull someone aside…let someone know, mom…dad. Someone you came with…just let someone know. I’m here if you wanna talk to me…but let someone know before you leave.

And so listen, our praise team’s gonna play…whoever, whatever the Spirit’s doing in your heart right now…you respond…you come. Use this time…use these steps as your altar. And when you’ve had the chance to respond, I’ll close us in just a moment.

[Prayer]