Read Introduction to Colossians
“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled.”
Having dealt with reconciliation in the previous verse, Paul here shows how reconciliation impacts the Colossians themselves. He turns from “pure” theology to “applied” theology. In verse 20 creation was reconciled to God; in this verse individuals are reconciled to God. Both the universe and people need reconciliation.
“And you, who once were alienated”
“Alienated” means estranged. At one time we were shut out from fellowship and intimacy with God. In the secular world in biblical times this term was used of those who lost their citizenship. The Colossians were without the citizenship of heaven. The reason there is a need for reconciliation is that people are alienated (enemies) from the life of God (Eph 2:12; 4:18). An automobile accident can knock out the physical life we received from our mother and father. However, the “life of God” is eternal.
“and enemies in your mind by wicked works “
They were enemies in their “mind.” This is an attitude of rebellion and persistent enmity. They were in a state of enmity against God. Man hates God because God hates man’s sin (Rom. 1:28; 8:7,8). People are at odds with God both in their minds and behavior. They are enemies to God both from within and from without. Sin begins in the mind and works its way into deeds.
“yet now He has reconciled”
The word “reconcile” in verse 20 extends to the curse, the reconciliation of things; here it means the reconciliation of people. The word here is more intense in the Greek; it means to reconcile thoroughly. A total, radical, revolutionary change takes place in the heart of the person who trusts Christ’s death to forgive sin. The word “reconciled” here is more intense than the word “reconcile” in verse 20. Here it means to reconcile absolutely, altogether. God through Christ absolutely reconciled us to God.
Principle:
Jesus’ cross put away all enmity so that amity can exist between man and God. No impediment remains to block intimacy with God except our acceptance by faith of the work of Christ.
Application:
Reconciliation is an act of God. He provided for our reconciliation by Jesus’ death upon the cross. It was an act of love and grace. That is sure different than trying to measure up to an absolutely holy God. That is different from trying to live by the Golden Rule.
Are you personally reconciled to God? Do you know that your reconciliation to God is not based on your morality? God gives reconciliation to us because Christ paid for our sin (II Cor. 5:17-21). Will you at this moment trust Christ’s death to reconcile you to God? If you do, at that moment you will have become a Christian.
Read Introduction to Colossians
“And by Him to reconcile all things to Hmself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
“having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
“Made peace” means to establish harmony. Jesus put an end to the disturbed relations between God and man. He restored due relations between man and God. Before we came to trust Christ we were God’s enemies because of sin. Jesus destroyed the enmity between God and man by his work on the cross. It is the work of Christ on the cross that “pleases God” (v.19). At the payment for sin, resurrection and ascension “all the fullness” (v.19) dwelt in him.
God’s enemies will become God’s friends by faith in Christ. Jesus is the mediator of reconciliation. He brings the believer into the peace of God and into his favor. All creatures, whether men or angels, will be brought into subjection under his rule. They will be placed in subjection to Christ. He will bring them under one head. When we place our faith in Christ we enter into his “fullness.” His life becomes our life. We enter into union with him. He is the heir of God; we become joint-heirs with him. We enter into his priesthood, destiny and kingdom. We share with him all these things.
The precious blood of Christ was of sufficient magnitude and of such eternal value to God that he could forgive sin for all eternity. This was done in a manner consistent with his holiness. “He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself,” (Heb. 9:26). God does not hurl us into a Christless eternity because we sin but because we reject the one who paid for sin, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” (John 3:18).
The “blood” means the cross. The cross means the death of Christ. He did not make peace through the Golden Rule or the greatest truths concocted by man. The blood-death of Christ is the only sufficient payment for our sins (Eph. 2:13; Heb. 10:19; I Pet. 1:2; Rev. 7:14).
Principle:
The person and work of Jesus Christ as the God-man reconciling the world to God flies in the face of pluralism.
Application:
The Lord Jesus Christ differs from all other members of the human race. He is true man and undiminished deity. He is the Creator of the universe and he in his humanity gave his life for the sins of the world. His primary work is to reconcile man to God. Jesus made it possible for man to fellowship with God.
The cross eliminates human merit, personal worth, morality, character and religion as the hope of salvation. If we depend on our merit, works or religion we will be bitterly disappointed when we face God one day. Peace is made through the blood of Christ. The state of hostility between man and God cannot break down by the relative righteousness of man. Man is naturally estranged from God, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies” (Ps. 58:3). Man does not have the inclination or bent to find God.
God is very narrow-minded about the way to himself. It is only through salvation in Christ (Acts 4:12). He will not accept us if we try another way. The armistice was signed in blood by the cross. No longer is there a barrier between a person who wants a relationship with God. All we need to do is trust Christ’s death on the cross as sufficient payment for our sin. Any one, no matter the color of their skin, can come to God through the death of Christ.
Read Introduction to Colossians
“And by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on
earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Colossians chapter one presents the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ. First the Holy Spirit presents his preeminence (1:15-18). Now he sets forth Jesus’ unique work. The Lord Jesus reconciles “all things” to himself.
“and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself”
“Reconcile” means to bring back to a former state of harmony. Reconciliation forms a unity that has its goal in Christ. A friendship has been restored between God and man. All enmity has been removed so as to leave no impediment to unity and peace.
God reconciles all things to himself. God does not need reconciliation (II Cor 5:19). The Bible never says that God is reconciled. The enmity alone is ours. It is we who need to be reconciled.
God’s requirement is that his perfect righteousness must be satisfied (propitiation). Christ’s death satisfied God’s holy demands. The whole world is savable by Christ’s death (II Cor 5:18-20). Therefore, God IS already reconciled. It is man who needs to respond to God.
“by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven”
Jesus brought the whole universe into reconciliation, except rebellious angels and unbelieving man, into full accord with the mind of God (Eph. 1:10). Things under the earth are subdued, not reconciled (Phil. 2:10).
All nature is under the curse of Genesis 3. Nature sings in the minor key. All of that will be removed when he comes back (Rom 8:19-22). This world is handicapped by the curse of God. That is why weeds grow faster than flowers. One day God will lift the curse. That is one of the effects of the death of Jesus upon the cross. In that day we will no longer need dentures, glasses or artificial limbs. In that day there will be no crop failure.
Principle:
God is already reconciled; we do not have to plead with him to reconcile with us.
Application:
We have all heard the phrase “Make your peace with God.” Some people say, “I can remember when I made my peace with God.” We all understand what people mean by these expressions but they are not biblically accurate. We cannot make peace with God because we have nothing with which to make peace. We cannot barter with God. We have nothing God wants or needs. We have nothing to trade God for our salvation. Our personal relative morality is not good enough for an absolute God. Jesus is the only person who has the wherewithal to meet God’s demands. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Cor. 6:19,20). The commodity that Jesus used to pay for our sins is in the last phrase “having made peace through the blood of his cross.” Jesus is the only way to acceptance with God (Acts 4:12).
Read Introduction to Colossians
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.”
From seven strokes of an exalted lyric about the person of Christ (1:15-18), the Holy Spirit moves to a discussion about the work of Christ (1:19-2:3). The treatment of his work parallels the handling of his person.
“For it pleased the Father“
Whenever we read in the Bible that something pleases God, we ought to take note of it and do it. We want to bask in the sunshine of his smile. Our well being depends on whether God is pleased with our lives.The word “for” introduces a reason why the Son is “preeminent” (v.18). The Son of God is supreme by distinction of his work of “reconciliation.”
God freely resolved that it is a good thing that all God’s fullness dwells in Christ’s work of reconciliation (v.20). What gives pleasure to God? Is it our righteousness and goodness? No, his pleasure is found in his Son. God is pleased with us because of his Son. Our orientation to life depends upon God’s pleasure with his Son.
“that in Him all the fullness should dwell”
First, God’s pleasure is in the work of Christ. God is pleased that “all the fullness” of God resides in Christ’s work of reconciliation (v.20).A key word to the argument of the book of Colossians is the word “fullness.” (The verb “fullness” is used in 1:9, 25; 2:10; and 4:17). “Fullness” was a word used by the Gnostics who infiltrated the Lychus Valley where the city of Colossians lay. “Fullness” was their word for heaven.
The Holy Spirit here hits the Colossians with a principle. Jesus Christ is the true fullness. He is not heaven itself; he is more than that. He is fullness for the believer’s life. Jesus Christ is substance, not shadow; fullness, not foretaste. He is the fullness of God’s saving plan.
The key word in Colossians is the world “all.” This is an all inclusive word. When combined with “fullness,” which is another comprehensive word, we have a very powerful statement about Christ. The half has never been told about Christ. It is not enough that the Lord Jesus Christ be eminent; he must be pre-eminent. This is a message we need in this generation if Christians are going to live the quality of life God gives.
The word “dwell” means to reside permanently in a place. It was used in the sense of the permanent residence of a town or village. “All the fullness” of God’s work settles in Christ permanently. All saving power dwells in him (Acts 5:31; 17:31).
The effects of the “fullness” is available to the believer. There is no reason why a believer should not orient to any circumstance of life. Circumstances will ebb and flow in the life of a Christian. At times we may have a measure of success at other times we may fail. Under these varying circumstances of life we draw upon the fullness of Christ. Our orientation to life does not depend upon the usual status symbols. Our joy depends upon the work of Jesus Christ.
Positionally, we can draw upon the fullness of Christ. Experientially, it depends upon our application of the principle to life. Regardless whatever may happen to us, God has provided a person who will meet us in our need. The circumstances of life will not be easy. Life will not go on in bliss. On a date a girl says, “I wish this moment could go on forever.” But this life does not sustain uninterrupted happiness. Life never remains the same. All of us, before we depart from this life, will have our share of pain and pleasure. However, our lives are not dependent upon the flow of life; they depend upon Jesus Christ. This frees us from the chains of life.
Principle:
The person and work of Christ is preeminent in every aspect of our lives.
Application:
This is a message that broken-hearted parents need. “What ever happened? Where did I make a mistake? We took them to church but our children no longer walk with the Lord. They are no longer interested in the Word.” This is a bitterness parents face. It is good to know that Christ is in control. He will do for the parent what the parent cannot do for himself.
In us, there is an absence of power and other qualities. In the flesh there “dwells no good thing.” The human nature is a desert, empty and a waste, inhabited by the dragon of sin. God never asks us to make up the difference between us and himself. All is laid upon Christ. He makes up all that God requires of man.
Read Introduction to Colossians
“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.“
The Holy Spirit draws a line under the seven descriptions of Christ and adds them up. Here is the total – “that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
“that in all things He may have the preeminence”
Jesus Christ is exalted over all creation because of this list of five superiorities (Phil. 2:9).
The seventh statement climaxes the list of the superiority of Jesus Christ. Since he is the first six statements, he should “have the preeminence.” “Preeminence” means to have first place. The word means to be first, hold the first place or highest dignity. Because of his uniqueness (the first six distinctives) he should hold the highest dignity to our minds. Jesus Christ should hold the supreme rank, the supreme authority in our lives.
This word is used twice in the Bible, here and III John 9, “Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence.” Big shot Diotrephes loved to be first. He wanted to be number one in the local church. It is either Christ or Diotrephes, Christ or any other leader in the local church. It cannot be both. Christ must be first. Jesus Christ will not play second fiddle to anyone. He will not be second in any church or family. He will remove any rival.
This term was used of athletes who won their events at the Olympic and Pythian games. The athlete who won first place held the preeminence.
Principle:
Jesus Christ should hold the predominate place in our hearts.
Application:
Jesus Christ’s preeminence does not depend upon whether we hold him as such in our hearts. He is preeminent whether we honor him or not. Do you give him first place in your hearts (I Pet. 3:15)? Does he come before our business, husband, wife or children? The Bible holds him as preeminent. Whether we hold him as such in our hearts depends on how much we allow him to occupy our hearts. The Christian who does not hold him in first place is a miserable person. We are miserable when we hold ourselves as first. There is no way to break that misery until we place Jesus Christ as preeminent in our hearts.
Jesus Christ wants absolute capitulation; we must get off the throne of our lives. Jesus must be King of the hill. He will not share that position with anyone. He must be number one on our list of priorities. This may explain why some of us have difficulty in our Christian lives. He must be the absolute authority in our lives. He did not die merely to get us to heaven. He wants to take us to heaven first class. Most people go to heaven second class. This is the key to the abundant life.
We will never have a moment’s peace until we get our eyes off self and people and put them upon the preeminence of Jesus Christ. We cannot love and appreciate Jesus Christ until we know something about the six areas that precede the statement about his preeminence. First, we know who he is then we love him. Unless we understand his greatness we cannot give him the dignity and honor he deserves. Loving him is the result of knowing him. Otherwise it is sheer emotional pap without substance. Emotional love is up one minute and down the next. Love based on truth is solid and lasting.
Read Introduction to Colossians
“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
The second part of the seventh description of Christ is that he is the first to rise from the dead.
“the firstborn from the dead”
“Firstborn” indicates that he rose never to die again. All those who trust his cross to pay for their sin will rise never to die again (I Cor. 15:20). “Firstborn” may allude to the double portion of the Old Testament. The firstborn male received a double portion because he fell heir to the leadership of his family. By the resurrection Jesus Christ became the first to rise from the dead. Leadership of the church fell to him. He has the sovereign right to rule the church. He will guarantee that the rule will continue to exist (Matt. 16:18).
Jesus’ resurrection marks a new order of immortality (I Cor. 15:20). His resurrection also signals the triumph over death (Heb 2:14; I John 3:8).
Principle:
Since Jesus rose from the dead he deserves our worship and focus.
Application:
The principle we miss in life is focus on Jesus Christ rather than ourselves. God has a purpose for us. This purpose includes the above principle. Some people are very subjective and cannot look at life objectively at all. Consequently, they feel sorry for themselves.
Then there are people who are always upset with people. Do people upset you? Here is an acid test. How do you handle traffic? Are you a wonderful person except when you get into an automobile? Do you have a dual personality when you drive? Why are we this way? Because we have our eyes on people, not Jesus Christ. The world is filled with terrible drivers. Why should we revolve our orientation to live around them?
Some of us get our eyes on people at work. At times we can handle people in our social life but we cannot at the business. With some, they can handle business but not social life. Others cannot get along with people at church. It depends on the circumstances we face.
Another category of self pity is things. Some people want things. Oh, how they want things. Someone else has something they do not have. They violate the principle of focus on Christ. They get their eyes off the Lord and put them on things. There is an experience that stops Satan in his tracks — the experience of putting Jesus Christ in the place of preeminence in our lives. Unless Jesus Christ is preeminent, we will never, never orient to life.
Some people think that having a great deal of money, or even a moderate amount of money will give them happiness. This is a standard of the world. As a Christian we can never be happy with money. As a matter of fact, we cannot be happy without money. Money simply is not an issue in the orientation of a Christian! Can you be happy with or without money? Business success can never make us happy. Whether we are successful or not has no bearing on our orientation to life. We can never achieve happiness through human standards. Orientation to life comes through focus on Jesus Christ and how it relates to us. It never depends on any human factor in life.
There is always something “just around the corner.” “Something will make me happy.” Many people will say, “If the republicans are elected, I will be happy.” Sure, you will be happy, for about five hours! It makes no difference who runs the country; our orientation to life depends on our focus upon Christ. Our orientation to life depends entirely on our relationship to the Lord.
Some look to marriage as a panacea. Marriage brings a whole new set of problems and does not solve anything. Most people who believe this will not release this idea until they get married! Marriage cannot solve everything. Do not misunderstand me, marriage can be a blissful experience but the bliss is not based on marriage itself.
Some look to retirement. Once they get to retirement they become bitter about life. They begin to doubt whether there is a God in heaven yet it is simply self pity carried to the place of being mentally ill by disorientation to life.
Others wish for the day they can get out of their marriage. They might as well stop looking because happiness is not right around the corner. We need to look to the wonder of Jesus Christ.
Read Introduction to Colossians
“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
The seventh depiction of Christ in this list shows he is the originator of the church and the first to rise from the dead.
“who is the beginning “
“Beginning” indicates origin. Christ is the originator of the church through his death, burial and resurrection. He was the first to rise from physical death to immortality. Others were raised from the dead to die again. That kind of resurrection is resuscitation or revivification. That is not a sufficient resurrection. That kind of resurrection is not for me. I want the kind that when I rise from the dead I will never die again! The death, burial and resurrection describe the gospel. The gospel is the foundation of the church.
In the last chapter of the Bible Jesus Christ is said to be the “beginning,” “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Rev. 22: 13).
Principle:
Since Jesus Christ is our originator, he has the right to be the focus of our thoughts.
Application:
We need to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ. If our eyes are on other people, we are miserable. We are almost as miserable as when we put our eyes on ourselves. These two focuses often run together. If we have our eyes on ourselves we will have our eyes on others. We walk around, not leading with our chin, but leading with our sleeve! Our feelings get in the way. Our sensitivity level is so high people find it intolerable being around us. We are so very, very sensitive about what other people think or say about us. Sometimes we are sensitive about how they say it. Consequently, we are miserable, utterly miserable.
We should not confuse Pollyanna love with biblical love. There is a place for romantic love but it is not the love the Bible expects of us when we love God. Bible love is not emotionalism. Emotionalism may result from biblical love, but it is not biblical love per se. We cannot love Jesus Christ until we know Jesus Christ.
To know Jesus Christ we have to think about him. “We love him because he first loved us” (I John 4:19). He first loved us by his death on the cross. That is a substantive reason to love someone. That love does not need to be manufactured in the emotions. The emotions will come from that love. It is amazing how many people talk about loving Jesus Christ and do not know anything about true biblical love.
It is impossible to both love Jesus Christ and to feel sorry for yourself. Ask yourself a very important question — “Do I feel sorry about myself?” “Tonight the young people are going to a party and I cannot go. They didn’t invite me.” “Another year has passed and I am still not married.” “I am getting nowhere in my job.” “The ladies Rose society didn’t even vote for me.” If we feel sorry for ourselves, we know that we are not focused on the person of Christ, the one who gives perspective and the basis for orientation to life.
It is amazing how easy it is to feel sorry for ourselves. “Jane Doe at church did not speak to me. Everywhere I go, people are unfriendly.” We need to take a good look at this. It is simply self pity.
Why should we feel sorry for ourselves when we are a child of God and an ambassador for Christ? God has a purpose for us. He has kept us alive to fulfill that purpose.
People who feel sorry for themselves think that no one else is going through the problems they face in life. Yet people they know have gone through it or worse except they focus on Christ. They do not complain or broadcast their problems about how terrible life is to them.
Read Introduction to Colossians
“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
The sixth distinctive of Jesus Christ is that he is the head of the body, the church. Not only is Jesus Christ the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe but he is also the Lord of the church. That is news to a great segment of Christians!
“And He is the head of the body, the church”
The church here is the universal church. This is the church into which Christ places everyone who has come to trust Christ as their personal Savior (I Cor. 12:13). This church began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5; 2:102; 11:15-16). When a person places their trust in the death of Christ to forgive their sins, Jesus puts them into the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13). The Holy Spirit of God fastens them to Christ eternally.Jesus Christ is the sovereign head of the universal church. Anyone who has ever come to trust the cross of Christ, whatever their church may be, has Jesus Christ as their Lord and Master.
The church is often described as “the body.” The body has action and function. It also produces results. The body is designed to respond to the head. The body of Christ is designed to respond to Jesus Christ, the head. The church can make an impact for Jesus Christ. This is the issue at Colosse — his supremacy over the church.
Jesus is described as the “head” of the body. The brain (“head”) produces motion, co-ordination and function of the body in physical terms. Jesus Christ sets up the policy and power for the body to function. When the body functions healthfully, then God is glorified.
Principle:
Jesus Christ should hold the supreme rank in our lives because he is the head of the body, the church.
Application:
Because Jesus Christ fastened us to his body (the church) at salvation, we should glorify his eternal work for us. If we are not aware of our position in the body of Christ, we will have a low view of Christ and what he has done for us. We belong to Jesus Christ and we are a part of him. We can live without our gall bladder, legs and eyes but we cannot live without our head. Jesus Christ is the head (Eph. 1:22,23; 4:15) of the church. As the head, Jesus Christ calls the plays for our lives.
Read Introduction to Colossians
“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
Astronomers tell us that there are billions of stars in space. These stars are of immense size and move at great rates of speed with mathematical precision, yet Jesus Christ personally governs them. This is the fifth description of Jesus Christ.
“and in Him all things consist”
Not only do all things come into being by him but he holds them together (Heb. 3:1). The Lord Jesus Christ manages every atom of the universe. He manages the universe in such a way that he keeps it from chaos and confusion.The word “consist” means to hold together, to stand together. The Greek tense means that they were held together at one point in the past and they remain held together. Since they came together, Jesus Christ holds all of the atoms of the universe in their traffic pattern.
The universe has order because Jesus Christ is managing it out of his omnipotence (limitless power). In one sense, scientific laws do not exist. They are not laws of science because science has no way of enforcing them in the global sense. A scientific law may be formulated but it cannot be controlled. We may legislate a law, but if it cannot be enforced it is of little good. Since science cannot guarantee that laws of so called science will continue, they are not laws of science but laws outside of science. Science bases laws on statistical assumptions that the universe which operates according to fixed norms will continue to do so. Science cannot guarantee this.
The Bible declares that the universe will not always exist (II Peter 3:10-12; Rev. 20:11). Known scientific laws depend entirely upon the omnipotence and immutability of God the Son. Every scientific text book (objective science) is a testimony to the trustworthiness of Jesus Christ to care for the universe.
Principle:
Jesus Christ personally sustains the universe, therefore, he can govern any problem we face. He maintains everything he manufactures. If Jesus Christ can manage the whirling constellations he can take care of us and our little family.
Application:
The Holy Spirit takes the confused Colossian believers and shows them the magnitude and glory of the person of Christ. He is far more than the carpenter of Nazareth! We need to take our eyes off ourselves and take a good look at the greatness of Jesus Christ. Christians today are confused by many aberrant teachings. When we go to the true person of Christ our ears will not itch for strange doctrines (II Tim. 4:2-4).
Why does Jesus Christ hold the universe together? He does so to bring many sons to glory, “For it was fitting for Him for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:10). Jesus sustains the universe for as long as it is necessary to allow his grace to run its full course. Scientific laws simply define the faithfulness of Jesus Christ in time. He will only sustain this universe so long as his purpose is not fulfilled.
The philosopher can find the principle of coherence in Jesus Christ if he would allow God to show him. He can find a unity which will bring all diversity into one unified purpose. The scientific age breaks us down into a conglomeration of parts. The world does not believe in a unified purpose to creation. People live in disintegration; their lives are falling apart. We are divided not only by nations but also between people and within our persons. We need wholeness and cohesiveness. A painting is made up of little strokes but when they are organized into harmony, the symmetry makes a beautiful painting. Jesus Christ can give a person wholeness because he not only sustains the universe but he can put the individual parts together.
Do you worry about whether your job will be there next year? Do you worry about your health? Are you exercised about some relationship? Nothing can happen to us without Jesus Christ initialing it. He OKs everything that happens to us. Our Lord has not taken his hand off the steering wheel of the universe.
Read Introduction to Colossians
“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
The fourth of seven distinctives of the sovereign Son of God is that he is “before all things.”
“And He is before all things”
The Son of God existed before the world was created. He lived before the beginning of time, from all eternity (John 1:1). Jesus Christ came from eternity (Mic. 5:2; Isa. 9:6; John 1:1-3; 8:58; Eph. 1:4; Rev. 1:11).This can be in the sense of prior existence (cf. Jn 8:58) or in the sense of rank or importance (Jam. 5:12; 1 Pet 4:8) or both. Here it is both.
Jesus Christ antedated everything and everyone. Since he is prior in time to everything and everyone, he has priority of place in the universe. Jesus existed before Abraham, “Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM”" (John 8:58). Jesus Christ existed before Abraham was born, even though Abraham lived 2000 years before Christ.
He predates Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” He is the unbegun beginning, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3). Our Lord did not become the Son of God at Bethlehem. He existed in preincarnate form for ever.
Principle:
We worship an eternally living Christ.
Application:
Jesus Christ is no super-charged Mahatma Gandhi or eight cylinder Buddha. He is no glorified man. He is man but he is more than man. He is the eternal God. If he were less than God then the Bible would be a fairy tale.
Do you have a high view of Jesus Christ? Do you worship him as such?
