“and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”
We are studying the first result of the finished work of Christ for the believer. The Christian is complete in Christ, i.e., he stands judicially perfect before God because of Christ.
who is the head
Colossians used the term “head” in Colossians 1:18, where Jesus is the head of the church. Here he is the head in the sense of sovereignty over angels. He is also the sovereign head of the universe.
of all principality and power
Jesus is head here of something other than the church; He is the head of the angelic world, whether good angels or evil angels.
A “principality” refers to a ruler (Co 1:16), and “power” means ruling power (Co 2:15). These terms refer to angels in authority. The implication here is that we need no other mediator, such as the angels of the Gnostics. The ranks of spiritual beings are under the control of the sovereign Christ. The Gnostics placed Christ under angels. The book of Colossians says he is commander-in-Chief of all angels.
Our position in Christ carries authority over the angelic world. Nothing can daunt a Christian because of his position in Christ.
PRINCIPLE:
The foundation for all Christian living revolves around our position before God in Christ.
APPLICATION:
In having Christ, we have all. Imagine that the queen of England lost her hand in an accident. She crushed her hand so that surgeons could not repair it. A female prisoner in England lies dying in jail. She offers the queen her hand. After surgery and a healing process, the queen returns to her duties as the queen of England. The hand’s fingerprints are on file as a criminal. Now, however, the hand is associated with all the dignity of the queen’s office. That is our position in Christ. God eternally associates us with Him. We carry His dignity and honor with us.
“No condemnation now I dread,
I am my Lord’s, and He is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine.” Charles Wesley
