Colossians 1.16-Jesus Christ is the Creator
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday April 26, 2015
Colossians: Colossians 1:16- Jesus Christ is the Creator
Lesson # 21
Colossians 1:16 For by 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. (NASB95)
Colossians 1:16 For each and every thing in the heavens as well as on the earth was created by Him, visible things as well as invisible things, whether thrones, or dominions or rulers or authorities. Each and every thing is created through Him as well as for Him. (My translation)
In Colossians 1:15, the apostle Paul asserts that Jesus Christ as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being the invisible God’s image who existed before all creation.
Now, here in Colossians 1:16, he explains why Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God who existed before all of creation.
In other words, here in verse 16, Paul is giving the justification as to why he asserts that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God who existed before all of creation.
The apostle teaches that each and every living being and inanimate object in the heavens as well as on the earth was created by Jesus Christ.
So Paul is saying that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God because He created everything and everyone.
He existed before all creation because He is the Creator.
This is reiterated in other parts of Scripture (John 1:3, 10; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 1:3, 10; 2:10).
The apostle Paul goes to define for the Colossians each and every thing in creation.
He states that Jesus Christ created every visible and invisible thing.
He also created every throne, dominion, ruler and authority in both the angelic and human realm.
He then declares that each and every one of these things is created by the Father through the personal intermediate agency of Jesus Christ, His Son and that each of these things was created for Jesus Christ’s own purpose.
“By Him” implies that Jesus Christ was the instrument the Father used to create all things and the Father is mentioned here in Colossians 1:16 as the “invisible God.”
“Was created” describes in summary fashion the Son creating out of nothing the totality of animate and inanimate objects that are contained in the first, second and third heavens and the earth.
“Each and every thing” appears twice in Colossians 1:16 and makes clear that there is nothing that exists which was not created by Jesus Christ.
It refers to the totality of inanimate and animate objects that are contained in the first, second and third heavens and the earth or in other words, that are contained in creation, which would include all marine life, bird life, terrestrial life, human beings and angels.
It refers to the totality of animate and inanimate objects that are contained in the first, second and third heavens and the earth: (1) Stars, satellites, and planets that compose the stellar universe. (2) Earth’s sun and moon. (3) Vegetation on the earth (4) Marine life (5) Bird life (6) Terrestrial life. (7) Human beings (8) Angels.
“Each and every thing” would also include the orderly arrangement of the heavens and the earth and all things in their complex order and composition as created by God, created in perfect order and subject to the laws God established to govern its operation (Matt. 13:35; John 21:25; Acts 17:24).
“In the heavens” refers to the three levels of heaven.
The original languages of Scripture teach that there are three levels of heaven which is indicated in Ephesians 4:10 and Hebrews 4:14 where our Lord at His ascension is said to have “passed through the heavens” (accusative masculine plural noun ouranos).
The first and second heaven are not specifically mentioned but the third heaven is discussed in 2 Corinthians 12:2 and so logically speaking, it is evident that there cannot be a third heaven without also a first and second heaven.
The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere which surrounds the earth (Mt. 6:26; 8:20; 16:2-3; 24:30; Mk. 4:32; 13:27; Lk. 8:5; 9:58; 12:56; 13:19; 17:24; Acts 1:10-11; 4:24; 10:11, 12; 11:6).
The second heaven is the stellar universe or space which consists of a vast array of stars, moons, suns, galaxies and solar systems (Mt. 24:29; Mk. 1:10; 13:25; Lk. 11:16; 17:29; 21:26, 33; He. 11:12; R. 6:13-14).
The third heaven is the abode of the Trinity (Gen. 14:19, 22; 23:3, 7; 1 Kings 8:30, 49; 2 Chron. 6:21, 30; Neh. 1:4-5; 2:4, 20; Psa. 11:4; 20:6; 33:14; 103:19; Isa. 63:.5; 66:1; Matt. 5:34; Luke 16:9; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 7:56; 2 Cor. 12:2; Heb. 2:10; Rev. 19:14).
The inhabitants of the third heaven: (1) The Trinity (2) Elect Angels (3) OT saints (4) The dead church age believers (5) Fallen Angels.
Thus, “in the heavens” indicates that Jesus Christ was the instrument the Father employed to create out of nothing every animate and inanimate object located in all three levels of heaven.
These animate objects would be of course angels and the bird and insect kingdom on earth and the inanimate objects would include such things as planets, moons, stars and suns.
“On the earth” indicates that every animate and inanimate object that resides upon planet earth was created by Jesus Christ and these animate objects would include human beings, the animal, insect and bird kingdom on earth.
The inanimate objects would include such things as the seven continents and every type of body of water such as oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams.
“Visible things” is clarifying for the reader the identity of “each and every thing” and refers to every inanimate object and living thing which can be seen by human beings.
“Invisible things” is also clarifying for the reader the identity of “each and every thing” and refers to every inanimate object and living thing that cannot be seen by human beings which would obviously pertain to the angelic realm and the throne room of God.
“Thrones” is also clarifying for the reader the identity of “each and every thing” and does not refer to a particular rank of angels but rather simply to a “position of authority” that the arche, “rulers” possess.
These thrones not only pertain to the angelic realm but also the human realm on planet earth and would include thrones where the fallen angels sit and elect angels sit, thus, these thrones refers to the position of authority held by both human and angelic rulers.
“Dominions” is also clarifying for the reader the identity of “each and every thing” and refers to the “dominion or jurisdiction” exercised by one who is in a ruling position, namely, the exousia, “authorities” and does not refer to a particular rank of angels.
This word is used also of both the angelic and human realms and thus it refers to the dominions of both human and angelic rulers.
“Rulers” is also clarifying for the reader the identity of “each and every thing” and pertains to those angelic and human individuals who are rulers and these “rulers” sit on the “thrones” and they possess “dominions.”
“Authorities” is also clarifying for the reader the identity of “each and every thing” and refers to the rank of angels and human beings who have been given “dominions” and are subordinate only to the archē, “rulers” who have been given “thrones.”
These “authorities” sit under the rulers and also possess dominion which is delegated to them by the “rulers.”
Many interpreters take “thrones, dominions, rulers” and “authorities” as referring exclusively to the angelic realm.
However, each of these could be used in relation to the realm of mankind since there are thrones and dominions and rulers and authorities in the realm of mankind.
We must remember Paul has just stated that each and every thing residing in the heavens and on earth was created by Jesus Christ which would strongly suggest that these thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities are not restricted to the angelic realm but are used of the human realm as well.
“Is created” emphasizes the present existence of the totality of animate and inanimate objects that are contained in the first, second and third heavens and on the earth.
“Through Him” teaches that Jesus Christ is the intermediate personal agency whom the Father used to create each and every inanimate and living being located in the three levels of heaven and on the earth.
“For Him” teaches that everything and everyone created by Jesus Christ was created for Him or for His purposes or in other words, everything that the Son of God created is ultimately been designed to fulfill His purpose.
As we can see from Paul’s statements here in Colossians 1:16, he did not believe in evolution which rests on several basic principles: (1) The planets and stars resulted from a big bang explosion of compressed, rotating protons and neutrons, which continues to expand away from the original nucleus at fantastic speeds. (2) Life began completely by chance when a single cell appeared from nonliving matter. (3) Having thus begun by chance, all other living organisms have developed from that first and subsequent simpler forms of life, which gradually increased in complexity.
Of course, the evolutionist cannot reconcile these principles with the law of cause and effect.
The Bible says that Jesus Christ was the cause.
There are three essential areas into which evolution cannot move and which evolution cannot solve: (1) It cannot bridge the gap from nothing to something. (2) It cannot bridge the gap from something to life. (3) It cannot bridge the gap between life and humanity-that is self-conscious human life with a volition.