Colossians 1
Background
a large and prosperous city,
Colossae’s prosperity is guaranteed by its rich pasturelands and plentiful water supply.
One of Colossae’s coins, from the early third century AD, claims that it enjoyed perfect harmony with the gods
The letter offered the Christ-groups in Colossae a critical alternative to the cosmological constructions that informed the thought and behavior of Colossae’s population.
An errant philosophy (Col 2:8) had arisen in the midst of the church—one that likely denied the supremacy of Christ in all matters of life
Lightfoot says, “In the passage which follows, Paul defines the Person of Christ, claiming for Him the absolute supremacy, (1) in relation to the universe, the natural creation (vv. 15–17); (2) in relation to the Church, the new moral creation (v. 18); and he then combines the two, ‘in order that in all things, He might have the preeminence,’ explaining this twofold sovereignty by the absolute indwelling of the plērōma (πληρωμα) (fullness) in Christ, and showing how, as a consequence, the reconciliation and harmony of all things must be effected in Him (vv. 19, 20).
Paul proclaims the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ, who was present and active in the creation of the universe and who remains active in sustaining and reconciling all things.
Paul mentioned seven unique characteristics of Christ, which fittingly qualify Him to have “the supremacy” (v. 18). Christ is: (1) the image of God, (2) the Firstborn over Creation, (3) Creator of the universe, (4) Head of the church, (5) Firstborn from the dead, (6) the fullness of God, and (7) the Reconciler of all things.
The whole point of the passage (and the book) is to show Christ’s superiority over all things.
Paul’s desire with this letter was to correct the false teachings that were cropping up in the church. In doing so, Paul presented a clear picture of Jesus Christ as supreme Lord of the universe, head of the church, and the only one through whom forgiveness is possible.
Paul wrote to counter the “Colossian heresy” that he considered an affront to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Colossians provides one of the Bible’s fullest expressions of the deity and supremacy of Christ.
Notes
Colossians 1:15
The word image refers to an exact visible representation of something or someone. Thus, Jesus the Son represented the invisible God of the OT (Jn 1:18, see word study at 2Co 4:4, p. 1843). Jesus also represented sinless humanity (Gn 1:26–27). The title firstborn does not mean that Jesus was created (v. 16), but indicates his priority of rank as supreme over all the created order.
“Firstborn” could refer to the position of authority and preeminence given to the firstborn son in the Old Testament
Since our Lord existed before all created things, He must be uncreated. Since He is uncreated, He is eternal. Since He is eternal, He is God. Since He is God, He cannot be one of the emanations from deity of which the Gnostic speaks, even though He proceeds from God the Father as the Son.
So Christ’s supremacy is first shown in His relationship with God the Father. Christ is the perfect resemblance and representation of God.
Second, Christ’s supremacy is shown in His relationship to Creation. He is the Firstborn over all Creation.
No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.
Verse 16
Christ is supreme over creation because he is the Creator.
Many Greco-Roman thinkers said that all things derived from, were held together in and would return to the Logos or nature or the primeval fire.
Using different prepositions, ancient intellectuals often distinguished kinds of causation, including material (“from”), instrumental (“through”), modal (“in” or “by”) and purpose (“for”); Paul employs three of these for Jesus here.
All things being created by Him, were created for him; being made by his power, they were made according to his pleasure, and for his praise and glory. He not only created them all at first, but it is by the word of his power that they are upheld.
For—Greek, “Because.” This gives the proof that He is not included in the things created, but is the “first-begotten” before “every creature”
The “in Him” indicates that the Word is the ideal ground of all existence; the “by Him,” below, that He is the instrument of actually realizing the divine idea
“In Him” implies something prior to “by” and “for Him” presently after: the three prepositions mark in succession the beginning, the progress, and the end [BENGEL].
“The passage is aimed at the angel-worship of the Colossians; showing that while they have been discussing the various grades of angels which fill the space between God and men, and depending on them as media of communion with God, they have degraded Christ who is above them all, and is the sole mediator.
Verse 17
The preposition before most likely is a temporal reference to the preexistence of Christ before creation. The phrase by him all things hold together presents Christ as the one who sustains all creation.
Not only are called into being from nothing, but are maintained in their present state. The Son of God is the Conserver, as well as the Creator of all things
This serves as a general argument for preeminence, transitioning from specifics related to creation (1:15–16) to those relating to death (1:18b–20). Paul’s argument centers on three areas: time, sustaining, and the church.
All men and women, whether they recognize it or not, are totally indebted to the Lord Jesus as Creator and Sustainer. For not only has he made every person who enters the world; he also sustains their lives daily, giving life and breath to each one
Those who are ‘in Christ’, and therefore know him in a personal way, should express their gratitude to him as Creator and Sustainer by living godly lives. Those who have not honoured him or given him thanks (Rom. 1:21) are urged to repent and turn to him in faith.
Verse 18
His resurrection resulted in the fulfillment of God’s purpose for Christ that he might come to have first place in everything.
The *resurrection of the dead was expected at the end of the age; Jesus’ resurrection ahead of that time was seen as the proleptic beginning or inaugurating of that future event
From the dead (nekrōn) is in the plural suggesting Paul is not here referring to an abstract “death” but to Jesus as the first of many who arise from “the dead ones.”
Not angels in opposition to the false teachers’ doctrine concerning angel-worship
Christ by rising from the dead is the efficient cause (1 Co 15:22), as having obtained the power, and the exemplary cause, as being the pattern (Mic 2:13; Ro 6:5; Php 3:21), of our resurrection: the resurrection of “the Head” involves consequentially that of the members.
“the head, the inspiring, ruling, guiding, combining, sustaining power, the mainspring of its activity, the center of its unity, and the seat of its life.”
Indicates Christ’s leadership of the Church. His authority and empowerment enable the body of Christ to grow and mature.
Fourth, Christ is the Head of the body, the church. Besides being the Lord of the universe He is also the church’s Head (cf. Eph. 1:22–23; 5:23). The reference here is to the invisible or universal church into which all believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit the moment they believe in Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
The attention now shifts from the realm of creation to Christ’s relationship with the church and his lordship in reconciliation.
His headship points to a close personal and living relationship with them in which he rules over his people in the way that the head of a body exercises influence over its various parts. Head-ship also refers to their total dependence on him for life and power. Church is not some universal congregation, scattered throughout the world, to which all believers belong, but a heavenly assembly, gathered around Christ
Verse 19
The Old Testament speaks of God’s choosing a place for his name to dwell, and delighting to dwell among his people
For two reasons Christ is Lord of the Church: (1) Because the fulness of the divine attributes (Col 1:19) dwells in Him, and so He has the power to govern the universe; (2) Because (Col 1:20) what He has done for the Church gives Him the right to preside over it.
speaks of the fact that all the divine fulness is at home permanently in the Lord Jesus, at home in the sense that this divine fulness was not something added to His Being that was not natural to Him, but that it was part of His essential Being as part of His very constitution, and that permanently.
Thus the phrase in Him should all the fulness dwell gathers into a grand climax the previous statements—image of God, first-born of all creation, Creator, the eternally preëxistent, the Head of the Church, the victor over death, first in all things. On this summit we pause, looking, like John, from Christ in His fulness of deity to the exhibition of that divine fulness in redemption consummated in heaven (vv. 20–22).
This verse serves to support Christ’s preeminence over death by establishing his nature.
As 1:15 spoke of Jesus being in God’s image, 1:19 declares that the fullness of God resides in Jesus. This element of his nature supports his status and leads to his ability to fulfill the needed role of reconciler in 1:20.
Because God’s fullness dwells in Christ (v. 19), He is all that believers need.
Verse 20
Thus Jesus was fully divine as well as fully human. God took pleasure in this because, through Christ, God would reconcile (reestablish a right relationship) all things to himself on the cross
“The false teachers aimed at effecting a partial reconciliation between God and man through the interposition of angelic mediators. The apostle speaks of an absolute and complete reconciliation of universal nature to God, effected through the mediation of the Incarnate Word.
The fulness of the Godhead that resides permanently in Christ constituted Him equal to the task of reconciliation, and His act of making peace effected that reconciliation, His Blood being that which satisfied the just demands of the broken law.
Reconciliation in the case of God and man is twofold. A holy God is reconciled in that justice has been satisfied at the Cross, and sinful man is reconciled in that, in the case of the believing sinner, his attitude of enmity towards God is changed to one of friendship
We must be careful here to remember that when Paul wrote “the all things” he did not include the lost in eternity. Any portion of Scripture must be considered in the light of what the rest of Scripture teaches.
Christ is described as the one who has reconciled all things through his sacrifice on the cross. Combined with Jesus’ nature as the fullness of God, this verse declares Jesus’ preeminence in relation to salvation, death, and eternal peace.
The climax of the paragraph comes with the references to reconciliation and peacemaking through Christ’s death.
the unity and harmony of the cosmos have suffered a serious breach, needing reconciliation (cf. Gn. 3). It was God’s good pleasure to reconcile all things through Christ
