Lesson 8: Defense of the Deity of Christ

Colossians 1:15–17 AV

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

We mentioned in the beginning of our study that the first two chapters of Colossians are primarily doctrinal. They deal with some things are foundational to what we believe about God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible is a book that is practical but is also a book that teaches the great truths about the godhead as well as the way of salvation. To confuse or ignore the importance of doctrine is to also confuse and ignore the way of salvation.

In this passage Paul is beginning to deal with some of the errors that the Colossians had allowed to creep into their church. These things needed dealt with.

Doctrinal error, especially when it is foundation doctrinal error will lead to false beliefs concerning salvation almost every time.

If you look at all of the so-called Christian cults out there, they all will say you need to be saved by Jesus Christ, but because of a foundational doctrinal error - what they mean by that can be something completely different.

The Jehovah Witnesses believe in Christ, but he is not equal with the Father and they have conflicting views on whether he has come back and when and to what degree.

The Mormons even say you have to trust in Christ for salvation, but who is there Christ, but another god, that used to be a man, but had such great faith himself that he ultimately because a god and saved his own world.

The Catholics say they believe Christ is the way, but then that Mary is co-redemptrous and on and on. None of those doctrines will produce a Biblical salvation.

I. The Colossian Heresy

Historians and theologians have said that there was a heresy in the church and that it revolved around a couple false teachings.

The Colossian Heresy involved four things:

A. False teachings concerning the sufficiency of Christ

There was a question whether or not Christ was sufficient not only to overcome temptation but concerning his sufficiency for salvation itself.

Colossians 2:8 AV

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

B. The demand for Jewish ceremonialism in the church

They place an emphasis within the church on things God never intended the church to have.

Thy were dealing with food, circumcision, regulations, and observance of special days.

Paul lashes out at these false teachers in

Colossians 2:16–17 AV

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

C. These were teaching angel worship

which was exalted over the worship of Christ.

Again, Paul lashes out at these pagan leaders in

Colossians 2:18 AV

Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

D. They were taught to practice asceticism

This was the mainly a harsh treatment of the body, to control the indulgences of the flesh.

Paul addresses this in

Colossians 2:20–23 AV

Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

This is what led Paul to pray for them as we mentioned a few weeks ago, this was the cause of this letter. So, Paul goes on here to defend the deity of Christ.

II. Christ is God’s image

We must not forget that our God in heaven is a Spirit. He does not exist in a physical form Himself.

John 4:24 AV

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The only physical form of God on earth was Jesus Christ. He is the epitome and embodiment of all that God is in physical form.

Man wants a god that he can worship, one that he can touch, one that he can feel. One that he can see beside him and assure him. While God does not allow for this, he did give His image in His Son who was made in the flesh. He can be worshipped in the same manner.

But He did not come in human form just to appease man’s desire - but rather it was God in the form of flesh, physical with flesh, blood, and bone that could be the sacrifice for our sin, and so yes, Christ is God’s image to be the sacrifice for our sin.

III. He is the Firstborn

Not only was the image but he was the first born. So there is no doubt to pagan heresies the Colossian church had let in or any other sect out there, God is physically manifested in Christ’s body.

And also he is has the right to all that is God’s being for the firstborn. But more than that:

A. The only begotten

There is no other God. I have talked to guru worshippers and new agers I have worked with when I was younger, one was a rich man that I worked for in Oklahoma who owned our apartment building Stephanie and I managed.

He told me that he had seen images appear in his guru’s hands, he had them appear to him in his home in Seattle, and appear to him on the road while he was in India. He told me that his guru told him that Jesus was like him, he was just another Messiah.

I told that owner whom I worked for, John 14:6. By the way, you don’t need all the answers to all attacks, you just need the answer - the Word of God the final authority.

B. He was in the beginning

Not only was He in God’s image and the only begotten, he was there in the beginning.

That is because He had no beginning.

John 1:1–2 AV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.

C. He is the heir of all things

Hebrews 1:2 AV

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

But our gracious Savior has made us heirs of his heavenly kingdom as well:

Titus 3:7 AV

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

IV. All things were created by Him v.16

He goes into a list of things that He created:

A. In heaven and earth

The Lord created all things which obviously would encompass the universe. He is the author of all of these things. They came by His hand.

B. Things seen and not seen

The things that are visible and invisible, the things that are temporary and the things that are eternal. He is the creator of them all as well.

Science knows nothing of origins. It is simple to illustrate why science can never speak authoritatively about the origin of the universe. R. E. D. Clark cites Ludwig Silberstein as picturing a scientist coming into a room where there was a clock with a swinging pendulum. Let us assume that he has never seen such a clock before but that he is immediately interested. He observes the swing of the pendulum and the movement of the hands. He takes some measurements and comes up with an equation. It is evident that things are gradually slowing down and that eventually the pendulum will cease to swing. His equation can tell him just when that will be.[5]

He now decides to investigate the past. How long has the clock been running? How did the pendulum start swinging in the first place? He changes certain factors in his equation and begins to probe back in time. For a while, the information that he receives makes sense. The farther back he goes, however, the more obvious it becomes that the incoming data no longer makes sense. The swing of the pendulum becomes greater and greater, now it is hitting the ceiling with each swing; now it is swinging in two directions at the same time! He concludes that this is an absurdity. There must be some other explanation.

He comes to the conclusion that although he is able to measure the laws that now govern the swing of the pendulum, those laws do not explain how the pendulum first started to swing. On the contrary, something quite different from what is now happening must have happened at some point in the past and at a time before the data coming from his equation began to be ridiculous.

But what was it that happened? He does not know. The familiar laws of energy and motion do not extend that far. He can, of course, come up with a theory. He can say, “I think this is what happened. And I think it happened before such-and-such a time.” But he cannot speak with authority about these things. He might be wrong. The only way he could speak with authority as to the beginning of things would be if someone who was there when it happened were to tell him. In other words, this kind of information is derived not from a process of reasoning because the required facts are not available but from a process of revelation.

It is the same with the universe. We can measure the laws that now govern in the material world, but these laws do not explain how it all started. As scientists themselves admit, science knows nothing of origins. The fact is that something quite different from what is now happening must have taken place to get it all started.

Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Colossians & Philemon: An Expository Commentary (Col 1:16a). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.

C. All authorities

He is the authority over all authorities, there are none that can do anything without His permission.

He is over all spheres and orders of authority, it seems like these could be classifications of authority

1. Thrones - the 24 elders

Revelation 4-5

2. Dominions - Angelic being that have not fallen

By the way, there are several levels of Angels,

Michael was an arch-angel. There are cherubim and seraphim mentioned.

Even the demons are called clean and unclean angels and even the “anointed cherub” Lucifer himself is n their ranks, these seem to make up the next two sections of authorities that God classifies here.

3. Principalities - Colossians 2:15

Colossians 2:15 AV

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

4. Powers - Ephesians 6:12

Ephesians 6:12 AV

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

IV. All things were created for Him

Our Lord is amazing.

Our God created all things

Our God sustains all things

Our God create man

Our God loves man, even though he has fallen departed God

Our God decided to save man

Our God saved man through many amazing steps:

Through sending His own Son to earth

Through living a life on earth

Through giving up not only His throne, but beyond that His earthly life

Through laying down His life

Through shedding His own

Through dying for our sin

Through suffering our death for us

Through offering His own shed blood on the altar in heaven

Through being the priest that carried and offered His own blood Himself

To receiving that offering as payment for our sin.

For being the one that secures that salvation.

Our God has sealed that salvation through His Holy Spirit of promise

Our God has stayed in heaven to be that advocate for us at the throne.

Our God one day come back and take us home.

I could go on and on.

Can I remind us tonight, that though our brains sometimes lie to us and say that this life is all about me, my wants, my feelings, my rights - the truth is, it is all about God and is all for Him and we ought to give all glory to Him.