The Preeminence Of Christ (Colossians 1:15-19)
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“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:15–19).
Why should Christ be first place in our lives? Why should he be first in our churches, our communities, and our nations?
I think we can learn a great deal from this story about Leonardo da Vinci:
Leonardo da Vinci took a friend to criticize his masterpiece of the ‘Last Supper,’ and the remark of the friend was, ‘The most striking thing in the picture is the cup!’ The artist took his brush and wiped out the cup as he said, ‘Nothing in my painting shall attract more attention than the face of my Master!’1
Because Christ is supreme, nothing else should distract us from him. We must get rid of anything that keeps us from glorifying Christ.
Often in our lives, Christ is marginalized. He often isn’t first: schoolwork, hobbies, or family commonly take first place. In these verses, Paul gives us reasons why Christ should be first in our lives and in the entire world. He talks about how special Christ is and why he must be preeminent—first.
In the church of Colosse, a heresy called Gnosticism had crept into the church and was trying to marginalize Christ. It was a combination of mysticism, Jewish legalism, and Greek philosophy. The heresy taught that Christ could not be God. This belief was based on Greek philosophy which taught the spirit was good and the body was evil, and therefore God could not have become a human because God cannot mix with evil.
It also taught Jesus was an angel and that receiving him was not enough for salvation. One needed new revelation to be saved. That is where the name “Gnostic” comes from. The Greek word gnosko means “to know.” In order to be saved, one needed secret knowledge that only the Gnostics had experienced.
The heresy attacked the very foundation of the gospel because it attacked Jesus. Though Gnosticism is not attacking the church today, the remnants of it are. Jehovah’s Witnesses also do not believe Jesus is God; he is an angel, a created being. There are similar sentiments in Mormonism. Much of liberal Christianity attacks the deity of Christ as well, making him just a religious teacher and declaring he is not the only way to heaven.
We see these same attacks on Christ happening today in the church, only in different coverings. But before we look at the cults and the false teachers, we should also realize there are remnants of this in our hearts. See, if Jesus is God, if he is the only way to salvation, and if we declare his Lordship over our lives, then this is not just a matter of belief; it must be a matter of our daily practice.
If Christ is all these things, then he must be first in our life. He must be our daily meditation, and it should be our daily goal to please him and honor him. In the same way, Paul wrote to declare the preeminence of Christ to those in Colosse being tempted to withhold honor from him. We also must put Christ first, and we must remove anything that draws us away from him or takes his place. Like Leonardo da Vinci, we must take our brush and wipe away anything that detracts from his preeminence in our lives.
In this text, Paul makes the argument that Christ is the preeminent one. He is the supreme one, not only over our lives, but also over the entire world. We will see four reasons why Christ should be exalted in our lives, the church, and the world.
Much of the doctrines presented in this lesson are not new, and they were not new to many in Colosse. However, Paul’s hope was to challenge them to put Christ first by reminder of these truths, and also to correct any wrong doctrine they may have accepted. This is the hope for us as well. Let Christ be exalted in our lives, in the church, and throughout all creation.
Big Question: According to Colossians 1:15–19, what are some reasons why Christ should have first place in our lives, church, society, and in all of creation?
We Should Exalt Christ Because He Is The Revelation Of God
“He is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15).
Why should Christ be exalted in our lives and throughout all creation? He must be exalted because he is the revelation of God. He reveals God to us. Paul says he is the “image” of the invisible God. The word “image” is eikon in the Greek, which means “an exact representation and revelation,”2 and was used of an idol, picture, or statue. It is the word from which we derive our English word “icon,”3 which are religious relics or pictures used in orthodox churches. “It is used in Matthew 22:20 of Caesar’s portrait on a coin, and in Revelation 13:14 of the statue of Antichrist.”4
Interpretation Question: What does Paul mean to infer about Christ by saying he is the “image” of God?
He seems to mean at least two things:
1. It Is Through Christ That We See And Learn About The Characteristics Of God.
Scripture teaches God is spirit, and therefore, he does not have flesh and blood and cannot be seen. There are times where he has revealed himself in the Bible through theophanies. This means that God took the form of something such as a fiery bush, a cloud, or even a man, to reveal himself to people in tangible, temporary ways. But theophanies did not fully depict God’s person or character.
It has always been the desire of mankind to see God. Moses cried out to God, “Show me your glory.” But because no one could look at the full display of the glory of God and live, God showed Moses only a portion of his glory (Ex. 33).
Therefore, how can man see God?
We can see God through Christ, and we can know him more as we study Christ. Look at what John said: “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known” (John 1:18). Christ made God known.
Jesus said this to his disciples, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9). In Christ, God manifested himself in ways never clearly seen in the Old Testament.
Interpretation Question: In what ways did Christ uniquely demonstrate God the Father when he came to the earth?
Christ revealed God through his teachings.
Listen to what he said to Philip: “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (John 14:10).
When Jesus said God was “doing his work,” he referred to God’s “words” coming through him. Jesus claimed to say only what God said. Listen again to what he said: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me” (John 8:28).
In fact, this is best illustrated by the name John gives Christ. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
When John calls Jesus the “Word,” the name expresses one of the functions or purposes of Jesus. By using the name “Word,” it was meant to convey that Christ is the “expression of God.” He is the communication of God. One of the reasons Christ came was to give the words of God to mankind through his teaching.
When we look at the teachings of Jesus, we see the very words of God. When Jesus taught to love our enemy and pray for them, when he taught hatred as equivalent to murder, and lust as equivalent to adultery, we hear the very words of God. In these words, we find a standard much higher than our own because they come from the Father in heaven.
If we want to know how to live, how to be a good parent, how to be a good spouse, how to be saved, how to make decisions in life, etc., it all comes through God’s Word, and Christ came to reveal these words in a greater way. His teachings are not just seen in the gospels, but in the writings of his apostles in the epistles. These words reveal God.
Christ revealed God through his person.
Jesus revealed many character traits not fully known about God through his person, and one of them is that God is a servant. Look at what Paul said about Christ: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Phil. 2:6–7).
J.
Related Media
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:15–19).
Why should Christ be first place in our lives? Why should he be first in our churches, our communities, and our nations?
I think we can learn a great deal from this story about Leonardo da Vinci:
Leonardo da Vinci took a friend to criticize his masterpiece of the ‘Last Supper,’ and the remark of the friend was, ‘The most striking thing in the picture is the cup!’ The artist took his brush and wiped out the cup as he said, ‘Nothing in my painting shall attract more attention than the face of my Master!’1
Because Christ is supreme, nothing else should distract us from him. We must get rid of anything that keeps us from glorifying Christ.
Often in our lives, Christ is marginalized. He often isn’t first: schoolwork, hobbies, or family commonly take first place. In these verses, Paul gives us reasons why Christ should be first in our lives and in the entire world. He talks about how special Christ is and why he must be preeminent—first.
In the church of Colosse, a heresy called Gnosticism had crept into the church and was trying to marginalize Christ. It was a combination of mysticism, Jewish legalism, and Greek philosophy. The heresy taught that Christ could not be God. This belief was based on Greek philosophy which taught the spirit was good and the body was evil, and therefore God could not have become a human because God cannot mix with evil.
It also taught Jesus was an angel and that receiving him was not enough for salvation. One needed new revelation to be saved. That is where the name “Gnostic” comes from. The Greek word gnosko means “to know.” In order to be saved, one needed secret knowledge that only the Gnostics had experienced.
The heresy attacked the very foundation of the gospel because it attacked Jesus. Though Gnosticism is not attacking the church today, the remnants of it are. Jehovah’s Witnesses also do not believe Jesus is God; he is an angel, a created being. There are similar sentiments in Mormonism. Much of liberal Christianity attacks the deity of Christ as well, making him just a religious teacher and declaring he is not the only way to heaven.
We see these same attacks on Christ happening today in the church, only in different coverings. But before we look at the cults and the false teachers, we should also realize there are remnants of this in our hearts. See, if Jesus is God, if he is the only way to salvation, and if we declare his Lordship over our lives, then this is not just a matter of belief; it must be a matter of our daily practice.
If Christ is all these things, then he must be first in our life. He must be our daily meditation, and it should be our daily goal to please him and honor him. In the same way, Paul wrote to declare the preeminence of Christ to those in Colosse being tempted to withhold honor from him. We also must put Christ first, and we must remove anything that draws us away from him or takes his place. Like Leonardo da Vinci, we must take our brush and wipe away anything that detracts from his preeminence in our lives.
In this text, Paul makes the argument that Christ is the preeminent one. He is the supreme one, not only over our lives, but also over the entire world. We will see four reasons why Christ should be exalted in our lives, the church, and the world.
Much of the doctrines presented in this lesson are not new, and they were not new to many in Colosse. However, Paul’s hope was to challenge them to put Christ first by reminder of these truths, and also to correct any wrong doctrine they may have accepted. This is the hope for us as well. Let Christ be exalted in our lives, in the church, and throughout all creation.
Big Question: According to Colossians 1:15–19, what are some reasons why Christ should have first place in our lives, church, society, and in all of creation?
We Should Exalt Christ Because He Is The Revelation Of God
“He is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15).
Why should Christ be exalted in our lives and throughout all creation? He must be exalted because he is the revelation of God. He reveals God to us. Paul says he is the “image” of the invisible God. The word “image” is eikon in the Greek, which means “an exact representation and revelation,”2 and was used of an idol, picture, or statue. It is the word from which we derive our English word “icon,”3 which are religious relics or pictures used in orthodox churches. “It is used in Matthew 22:20 of Caesar’s portrait on a coin, and in Revelation 13:14 of the statue of Antichrist.”4
Interpretation Question: What does Paul mean to infer about Christ by saying he is the “image” of God?
He seems to mean at least two things:
1. It Is Through Christ That We See And Learn About The Characteristics Of God.
Scripture teaches God is spirit, and therefore, he does not have flesh and blood and cannot be seen. There are times where he has revealed himself in the Bible through theophanies. This means that God took the form of something such as a fiery bush, a cloud, or even a man, to reveal himself to people in tangible, temporary ways. But theophanies did not fully depict God’s person or character.
It has always been the desire of mankind to see God. Moses cried out to God, “Show me your glory.” But because no one could look at the full display of the glory of God and live, God showed Moses only a portion of his glory (Ex. 33).
Therefore, how can man see God?
We can see God through Christ, and we can know him more as we study Christ. Look at what John said: “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known” (John 1:18). Christ made God known.
Jesus said this to his disciples, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9). In Christ, God manifested himself in ways never clearly seen in the Old Testament.
Interpretation Question: In what ways did Christ uniquely demonstrate God the Father when he came to the earth?
Christ revealed God through his teachings.
Listen to what he said to Philip: “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (John 14:10).
When Jesus said God was “doing his work,” he referred to God’s “words” coming through him. Jesus claimed to say only what God said. Listen again to what he said: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me” (John 8:28).
In fact, this is best illustrated by the name John gives Christ. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
When John calls Jesus the “Word,” the name expresses one of the functions or purposes of Jesus. By using the name “Word,” it was meant to convey that Christ is the “expression of God.” He is the communication of God. One of the reasons Christ came was to give the words of God to mankind through his teaching.
When we look at the teachings of Jesus, we see the very words of God. When Jesus taught to love our enemy and pray for them, when he taught hatred as equivalent to murder, and lust as equivalent to adultery, we hear the very words of God. In these words, we find a standard much higher than our own because they come from the Father in heaven.
If we want to know how to live, how to be a good parent, how to be a good spouse, how to be saved, how to make decisions in life, etc., it all comes through God’s Word, and Christ came to reveal these words in a greater way. His teachings are not just seen in the gospels, but in the writings of his apostles in the epistles. These words reveal God.
Christ revealed God through his person.
Jesus revealed many character traits not fully known about God through his person, and one of them is that God is a servant. Look at what Paul said about Christ: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Phil. 2:6–7).
J.
