WEEK 2
Colossians 1:15-19 Today’s brief reading contains one of the most complete descriptions of the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ in the entire Bible! False teachers were claiming that Christ was simply one of several created beings, including angels, which proceeded from God and by whom man had to pass in order to reach Him. In this section Paul affirms that Christ is not part of creation; He is the Creator of all things! The term “firstborn” (v.15) does not refer to time but rather to rank (see also Psalm 89:27). Everything that exists in the visible and the invisible realms was made by Him, for Him, and through Him including all angels regardless of their rank (v.16). All of creation not only originated with Him but it continues to depend on His continuous, sustaining power. Christ did not create all things and then leave them to spin on their own. He actively holds all of creation together (v.17). He is not only the Head of the current creation but also of the new creation which He is already bringing into being as people are born again to become new creatures in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 21:5) and members of His body, the Church (v.18). He leads the way as “ firstborn from the dead ” (v.18). This does not mean that He was the first to rise from the dead but that He was the first to rise with an immortal, glorious body as we will have one day (1 Corinthians 15:20-23; Philippians 3:20-21). There can be no doubt that Jesus Christ occupies the highest place (v.18). The final verse of today’s text is one of the most powerful affirmations of Christ’s deity (v.19). He is fully God! LifeStep Read today’s text several times while imagining yourself standing before Jesus Christ. What’s your reaction? Guilt and shame? Rest in His righteousness which is yours by faith. Hardened rebellion? Submit to Him and you will discover that He is a Good Shepherd. “Awe-full” wonder? Worship and admire Him! This is the beginning of wisdom. Colossians 1:20-23 To catch the impact of these verses we must remember what Paul was addressing in this letter. False teachers were claiming that Christ was not sufficient for salvation and sanctification. They taught that Christ was neither fully human nor fully divine but that He was a spiritual emanation from God who was only part of the path to reconciliation with God. In other words, Christ was not entirely sufficient. You needed far more than Christ if you were to ever be made right with God. Paul strongly denied all of this by affirming the full deity of Christ, His coming in the flesh as a fully human being, and the fact that His death alone made reconciliation possible between hostile sinners and a holy God. Notice the end result of Christ’s ministry of reconciliation. We who were once hostile aliens whose evil actions were simply the natural outward expression of what we were on the inside (v.21) become holy, blameless, and beyond reproach in God’s sight (v.22). How in the world is that possible?! It is not something that we can ever accomplish ourselves because it involves a fundamental change of what we are, not just what we do. Only Christ could change what we were. He did this by dying in the flesh in our place. By His death, what we were was crucified with Him so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). LifeStep It’s very easy to fall into the same error that the false teachers were pedaling. Our natural tendency is self- reliance. We think that somehow we must add to Christ’s work if we’re ever to be accepted by God. We imagine God standing at some distance, arms crossed, observing us with concern on His face as we do our best to pray more, work harder, fight off sin, and generally try to be better Christians and earn His “well-done.” Who do we think we are?! Christ and Christ alone is our standing before the Father. Find a way to remind yourself of this through the day so that you’ll constantly depend on Him to live out what you are in Him.
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