Supremacy in Creation

Colossians 1:15–17 (ESV) 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.

INTRODUCTION

Here is a fuller statement of the main idea of this section:

Christ’s supremacy over the first creation is a pattern stated again for the new creation to reconcile all creation, especially to make believers acceptable before God.

There is perhaps no grander picture of King Jesus in all of Scripture than the Colossians Christ hymn. His cosmic rule and reign over all creation, his divine authority over the church, and his sacrificial death on the cross are all clearly articulated and beautifully expressed in such a poetic fashion.

In Christian doctrine, this is possibly the greatest and most significant text regarding our Christology and what we believe about Jesus Christ. The critical aspects of this text reveal the truth of who Jesus is and what position He holds in the kingdom.

Up to this point, Paul’s prayer for the Colossians focused on God’s redemptive plan and their participation in it. Now, Paul shifts his attention from the will of the Father to the work of His son. Paul has first established the gospel as the foundation for the believers' truth, which serves as practical instruction throughout the remainder of the letter.

This passage is intended to transition the reader into the body of the letter. By expounding on the person and work of Christ, Paul confronts the heretical doctrine infecting the church while at the same time directing their attention upward to their glorious Savior, who desires and deserves their highest praise and deepest devotion.

Paul begins in verses 13 b- 14 with an elaboration on Christ that continues through verse 23. We read “in whom we have redemption,” He is now identified as the “Image of the invisible God,” and “the firstborn of creation.” What does it mean that Jesus is the image of God and the firstborn of all creation? When Paul speaks about Christ, he does so in a way that reveals Christ’s true identity and power using unusual language. Jesus Christ is not man deified, or God humanized; rather, He is both divine and human. Even after the incarnation of Christ, he never ceased to be both eternal God and perfect man. I cannot stress enough how important it is for us to understand divinity and humanity.

His Divinity: because His sacrifice is of infinite value and worth.

His Humanity: because only a sinless man could make atonement for fallen sinners.

1. Jesus is the Image and Authority Over Creation

God's greatness is most clearly displayed in his Son, and the glory of the gospel is only made evident in him. That's why Jesus' question to his disciples [in Matthew 16] is so important: "Who do you say that I am?" This Jesus was the Creator who came to earth and was the beginning of a new creation. He embodied the covenant, fulfilled the commandments, and reversed the curse. This Jesus is the Christ that God spoke of to the Serpent; the Christ prefigured to Noah in the flood; the Christ promised to Abraham; the Christ prophesied through Balaam before the Moabites; the Christ guaranteed to Moses before he died; the Christ promised to David when he was king; the Christ revealed to Isaiah as a Suffering Servant; the Christ predicted through the Prophets and prepared for through John the Baptist. This Christ is not a reflection of the current mood or the projection of our desires. He is our Lord and God. He is the Father's Son, Savior of the world, and substitute for our sins—more loving, holy, and wonderfully terrifying than we ever thought possible.

“He is the Image of the Invisible God”

Jesus is referred to in the New Testament as the “Second Adam” highlighting his role as the one who overcomes the consequences of Adam’s sin and offers salvation.

THE IMAGE OF GOD (imago dei of God)

*Jesus is the Preexisting Image of God

Have you ever considered the Weight and Wonder of Being Human?

Many commentators have concluded that verse 15 is at least in part a reference to Genesis 1:27

Genesis 1:27 ESV

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Man was created in the image of God. Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God.

We see Christ as the pristine image of God in which the first Adam should have been.

Historical Perspective on the Image of God What is an image? Images flood our computer screens, tablets, and phones every day. Full of tiny pixels portraying a picture or a photo. Today, we even have AI-generated icons of our loved ones that people communicate with after death. In the ancient world, images were not pixels on a screen but were more like statues or monuments. Pagan cultures portrayed such statues as physical images of the invisible gods. While other religions made their Godlike images, the God of the Bible made us in His image. What do images do?

Images Glorify: They bring to mind someone great and worthy of glorification.

THE MARRED IMAGE

God created Adam and Eve to perfectly exemplify the image of the glory of God. However this perfect state was not to last as sin entered the garden and blinded man from the beautiful image of God. Now that image has been distorted ever since and plunged mankind into the image of this world and not God.

The moment that a person becomes a believer and is transferred from darkness to light they enter the process of being remade into the perfect pristine image of God again.

Jesus came to restore the broken image of God to humanity. The once perfect representation of God is now mared with sin and results if physical and spiritual separation from God.

While the explicit notion of man in God’s image disappears, related concepts resurface. For instance, Psalm 8, while not mentioning “God’s image,” celebrates humanity’s exalted position in the world.

Also, “image” as “carved image” and “metal image” appear dozens of times (more than fifty) in the Old Testament, and as we’ve already implied, there is a connection to be made.

Beginning with the second commandment, God’s people knew, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything... You shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Exodus 20:4-5). Which, of course, became the very sin the nation collectively embraced. As Psalm 106 narrates the events of Exodus 32.

Note: Moses interceded for the people numerous times to make other images and worship them in the place of God as their image bearer.

What does it mean that Jesus is the image of God? Saying that he is merely a representative or image-like representation of God may fall short of the intent.   When the incarnation of Christ occurred, Jesus came to this earth fully God and fully man. Jesus was not just an image, as we think of an image.   Here, the term image—a translation of the Greek word from which we get the English word icon—is not to be understood in the sense that Jesus is a mere replica of God or similar to him. This misguided understanding of “image” violates God’s command as that which was explicitly forbidden (Exod 20:4-6). More appropriately, “image” refers to the living manifestation of God with a precise and exact correspondence. Jesus is the revelation of God, exclusively and entirely. He embodies God’s nature and makes what is otherwise “invisible” visible.

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

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,

Behold the Image Then, after centuries of (near) silence, this same Paul would reveal for the world the depth and keystone of what it has meant all along to be made in God’s image. In all, Paul mentions the divine image nine times in his letters, and does so in service of two clear and distinct revelations.

a.) The Image of the Invisible God is Veiled to this World

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

When Jesus walked this earth, some recognized Him as God in the flesh who had come to redeem the world of its spiritual blindness. Those who are in the world are blinded to seeing the image of the invisible God through the actions of "the god of this world" (Satan), who has blinded the minds of unbelievers to prevent them from seeing the light of the gospel. This blindness is not just a physical inability, but a spiritual veil that obscures their understanding and prevents them from recognizing God's glory revealed in Christ. The number one way I see this being used today is inside the church. People assume that they are saved because of what I call religiosity. Doing religious-looking things, however, keeps the marred image of God marred; there has never been a transformation from darkness to light, as we read in verses 13-14.

b.) The Image of the Invisible God is Our Destiny

The redeeming and revealing moment for all believers is when they realize that they are being conformed to the image of Christ at their conversion. Romans 8:29

Romans 8:29 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Christians are literally “Little Christ’s.”

Little image bearers of Christ. We are remade into Christ’s image and likeness to glorify God as we are increasingly becoming more like In Christ, as we “put off the old self with its practices and . . . put on the new self,” we are “being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9–10).

Jesus understands and is given the task of restoring divine image bearers in Matthew 5:16

Matthew 5:16 ESV

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Our task as image bearers shining the light of Christ into a dark and dismal world should never get boring or old. Because God is not boring, there is always more of him to see, enjoy, and show to the world.

*Jesus is the Preexisting Firstborn of Creation

This part of the text has been a stumbling block for groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who would claim that this verse proves that Jesus Christ is not a deity because He is a created being, not eternal. However, considering the context, “firstborn” clearly does not describe the order in which Jesus was created in relation to the rest of creation. Instead, it conveys his position of primacy, prominence, and prestige over creation. Look at what the Psalmist writes in Psalm 89:27

Psalm 89:27 ESV

27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

The Psalmist is speaking of Yahweh’s covenant with David. It is perfectly clear for the biblical accounts of David that he was not physically the firstborn of his family. In fact, he was the youngest of his brothers. This demonstrates that the term “firstborn” may be used in a figurative manner. Further, the term “firstborn” is qualified with the phrase, “the highest of the kings of the earth.” This indicates that, in the context of Psalm 89, to be made “firstborn” by God means to be exalted to the highest place.

a.) In Creation, Christ is Supreme

There is no higher or greater authority than Jesus Christ. In Philippians 2:9, we read that God has exalted Jesus to the highest place and given Him the name that is above every other name. This should settle once and for all the status of numerous heavenly powers and intermediaries that both fascinate and frighten people of Paul’s day or ours. The existence of such power and authority is entirely dependent on Christ. There is absolutely nothing that such powers can possibly do to influence Christ to enrich or bless someone's life (as some Christians have appeared to suppose that somehow departed saints have such powers); there is nothing they can do to influence our destiny or experience of the person who is “in Christ.”

This also speaks to anyone who claims to have a greater or unique familiarity with the ‘powers in the heavenlies’ and offers their expertise in a way that puts them in a greater rank or authority than Jesus Christ, the firstborn of creation.

We live under the sovereign rule and reign of the resurrected Christ.

b.) In Creation, Christ is Sufficient

Look at the little word “All” that is repeated in our text this morning. We read “all creation,” and “all things.” This shows the immeasurable power of Christ.

Whatever aspect of creation we care to explore or think about, Christ is the sufficient explanation. We have all played the why game with our kids, have we not? I don’t know how this game gets started about the time they need to go to sleep at night. Things like: “Dad, why is the sun so bright?” “Dad, why is the Earth round?” “Dad, why are there so many stars in the sky?” “Dad, what keeps the stars from falling out of the sky?” Christ holds all of creation in the palm of his hand. When we look at his creation, man is without excuse for not knowing his adequacy to support all his people’s needs and bring them to their goal. How strange would it be if the one who is sufficient enough to sustain the universe should be insufficient in power for the little church at Colossae! I am not a scientist. In science class, I would always sit next to the person who could do all the math stuff; I got the burner if you could figure all that other stuff out. However, I do know that the Earth spins on an axis, and if that axis is just off a few degrees one way or the other, it would mean life would cease to exist as we know it here on Earth. If it shifts too far one way, the whole world would be plunged into the ice age; too far the other way, and we would all burst into flames. Jesus Christ, who holds all of creation in his control, can surely meet all your needs according to His riches in glory.

2. Jesus is the Agent and Aim of Creation

Now let's look at verses 16 and 17: By Him .................................................all things were created in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities Through Him and For Him ................all things were created. (And He is before all things, and) In Him................................................... all things hold together.

*The Created Order Exists by Christ.

Jesus as the Agent of Creation

Look at the prepositional phrases “by him” and “for him.” Jesus cannot be seen as part of creation when “everything” was created “by him...through him and for him.” It is all about and for Jesus. Notice that Paul uses polar extremes to show the extent of His creative agency: Heaven and Earth, Visible and Invisible. All of this shows the totality of His reign. The life and ministry of Jesus were a constant manifestation of the power of the Creator, as demonstrated, for example, in his miracles: Consider Jesus asleep in the boat on the Sea of Galilee with the storm raging all around them. The disciples woke Jesus up from his nap to ask him the question of whether he cared if they died in the storm. I wonder if Jesus was not thinking then, if you only knew that all of this was created by me and for me. The wind and the waves obey my command. Jesus said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? Jesus spoke three words, “Peace Be still,” and the wind and the waves obeyed His very command. When all was quiet again, the disciples asked the questions, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Jesus is none other than the creator entering His creation, so he has to only speak a word, and it is done. Jesus' power in creation extended even to the dead. He only had to speak their name, and life returned to the dead person's body. Jesus Christ stands outside and separate from His creation as the firstborn and the one before all things. This means that Christ was not at the beginning of creation but that he was “born before it,” which places Christ as separate from the rest of creation.

Jesus Christ stands outside and separate from His creation as the first-born and the one before all things. What this means is that Christ was not at the beginning part of creation but that he was “born before it” which places Christ as separate from the rest of creation.

*The Created Order Exists for Christ

The phrase "The created order exists for Christ" expresses a core Christian belief: that all of creation, from the smallest particle to the largest star, was created by God, and exists to glorify Him and for His ultimate purposes, with Christ as the center and the ultimate goal.

Thrones or Dominions, Rulers or Authorities

Out of the millions of things Paul could have mentioned that Christ made and that exist for His glory, he chose to mention these: “thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities.” Paul would have known that rulers and authorities include evil supernatural powers. In Colossians 2:15, Paul celebrates Jesus' triumph on the cross over rulers and authorities, putting them to shame. So, here are the rulers and authorities that Paul is mentioning in our text Ephesians 6:12

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

There are evil supernatural powers that aim to deceive and destroy the human race. They have now been decisively defeated at the cross where Jesus disarmed them and made his people completely secure through faith in Christ. But they still do much harm to the world because not everyone believes, and even believers can be hurt by them, but not destroyed.

*The Created Order Exists to Make His Glory Known

So all things, visible or invisible, came from Christ, who created order to make his glory known all over the earth. Notice that it does not say that he created them evil. In fact, the little book of Jude speaks of “angels who did not stray within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling” (Jude 1:6). They were created good, and then they rebelled against God. Paul knows this. He knows what they once were and what they have become. God does not create evil. We will discover in the weeks to come in our study that Paul knows something else. He knows Christ knew there would be sin, rebellion, and evil.

With His infinite wisdom, He took it all into account as He planned the history of salvation and the triumphs of grace at Calvary. Why did He still choose to create everything? so that His glory might be made known. We are created to bear the image of God and make his glory known.

We Live in a Self-Actualization Society In case you have not noticed, we live in a society built on its own self-actualization today. The process of Self-actualization is the process of realizing one’s full potential and becoming the best version of oneself. It's framed as the highest level of human need, representing a desire to achieve personal growth, creativity, and self-fulfillment. From a Biblical perspective, the concept of self-actualization, while not explicitly named, can be understood as a pursuit of personal growth and fulfillment. However, the Biblical view differs significantly from the secular understanding by placing God’s will and purpose at the center rather than individual desires.

Abraham Maslow is where this concept originated, but it is most often associated with the Hierarchy of Needs. The pyramid begins on the bottom with physical needs, safety needs, love and being needs, and self-esteem needs, ending with self-actualization. The problem is that this is rooted in many Eastern religions, gurus, and meditation rituals. All Things Hold Together Through Him: In his visit to the Areopagus in Athens, Paul met some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers who were trying to reason their way to God through self-actualization. They would accept all kinds of gods and ideas for fear of missing one that would truly lead to enlightenment. They even had this statue with the epitaph that said “to the unknown God.” Paul made the famous apologetic by drawing their attention to this unknown stone god. Paul declared that this god that you see as unknown is the one true God of the universe, and in Him we live, and move, and find our being. 

In essence Paul is informing them that the God they were looking for was not a God they could form out of stone or precious metal. It was not a God they could reach through reason or human effort. He is the only true God who speaks and the Universe comes into existence, He says a word and even the wind and the waves obey Him, He speaks our name and the dead come to life.

CONCLUSION

He is worthy of all of our Adoration, Allegiance, and Awe!

WHAT CONSUMES YOUR LIFE TODAY?

Are you consumed with your own glory, honor and praise?

Are you consumed with your own ability, work, and ambition?

Are you consumed with your own comfort, beauty, and wealth?

As the Lord of creation, he is worthy of all our adoration, all our allegiance, and all our awe!

Psalm 95:3–7 ESV

3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,

Paul wanted the Colossians to understand that our worship of Christ should correspond with the comprehensive nature of his reign. It should consume every area of our lives. This includes both our personal worship, which submits every aspect of our lives to his lordship, and our corporate worship, which celebrates Jesus as the eternal king and rejoices in his exaltation.

Revelation 4:11 ESV

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 LORD OF ALL CREATION!