I believe this is one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament. I've labeled it "the Song of Christ." The following verses deserve being seen all together.
the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him - all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers - all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven |
Vs. 15 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
- "He" refers to Jesus Christ, the beloved Son (v. 13).
- "Image" - no one has ever seen God face to face (see: John 1:18, 6:46; 1 Tim. 6:15,16; 1 John 4:12, 20b). We see God's work in nature. It is very difficult to determine God's attitude toward us from nature itself. We can see that He has immense power and control, but not His attitude. This is the purpose of Christ's coming. This is the purpose of the scriptures - to reveal to us God's attitude toward us.
In Christ we can see the attributes of God (Col.2:6, 9; Heb. 1:3; John10:30, 14:9, 1 John 1:5). Through Christ we can see how much God loves us (Rom. 5:8). The word "image" is from Greek for icon - it conveys the idea of being able to fully reveal who God is. He is unknowable, without special revelation. Jesus is that revelation!
- "firstborn of all creation" - Jesus is not the first created thing as some religions would have us believe, but the first spiritually born person (Heb. 1:6; Col. 1:17, 18; Acts 26:23; 1 Cor. 15:20; Rev. 1:5). That is, the first person that was spiritually raised from the dead. Other people before Christ had been brought back to life - Christ raised up three himself. But best thing that can be said for them is they got to live in this life again. Christ truly was the first raised to eternal life. Jesus came from eternal life to earth. He lived a physical life with we humans, and died on the cross for our sins. He was raised to eternal life. This is totally different than someone dying and going to heaven, or being taken up into heaven (See: Gen. 5:23, 24; 2 Ki. 2:11, 12) Jesus was dead, and then resurrected to eternal life, and then ascended into heaven. He was the first. We will experience the exact same thing! Note: Check the significance of being the firstborn in a family in the first century!
- "all things" - In Christ, through Christ, everything that ever came into being, or will come into being exists. (see John 1:3, 10; Eph. 1:10; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 8:6, 11:12; Heb. 1:2,3, 2:10; Rev. 4:11). Both the spiritual realms and physical realm came into being through Christ.
Vs. 17 - He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.- Jesus has been with the Father since the beginning of time. He claimed to be the same as God. He is exactly God, with the same glory and eminence. See John 1:1, 8:58; Heb. 1:3.
Vs. 18 - He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.- Not only is Christ pre-eminent in the group of believers, but in the whole world. The body of believers is called 'the church'. The term 'church' has come to mean organized religion to secular man, and for the most part is derogatory, with negative implication. (Yes, I know that seems redundant.)
However, in the scriptures 'church' means:
- the entire body, collection, of those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
- the local congregations, the local small group of believers
The imagery in the NT about the church is varied and interesting. The church is a living body, with Jesus Christ as the head of the body. The church is a temple, using each believer as part of the structure. (One of the interesting pictures is that each of us is a temple for Christ, (See: 1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19)and each temple is part of the larger temple of the church. (See: 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:21)) The church is the 'bride' and Jesus is the groom or husband. There are other images, but these are the main images used.
- "he is the beginning" - Christ is the origin or source of all that has been, or will be created (Rom. 3:14). He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is also the origin of the church, the source, the center. Out of Him all things flow, to Him all must go.
- "the firstborn from the dead" - The first to pass through spiritual death, to be raised to new life with the Father (v. 15). Others are to follow, including us if we should die before Christ returns for His own. (1 Cor 15:51-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
- "first place in everything" - For a while, Christ became a servant, voluntarily, and was subjected to hideous treatment. He now reigns supreme over all things - every knee will bow, every tongue will confess - Jesus is Lord.- See: Rev. 5:9-14; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 1:1-14).
Vs. 19 - For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
- The RSV (note 1) says it was "God's" pleasure. In other words: God was pleased, and it was His will that Jesus Christ would have the complete essence, the nature and characteristics of all three 'parts' of the Godhead (Trinity). No part was left out - this was the Father's will. Jesus had the complete nature of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in him - this is what "pleased" God - God's will was carried to completion.
Vs. 20 - and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.- It was God's will (and pleasure) that everything and everyone would be brought back to God through Jesus Christ.
- "reconciliation" - the word in Greek actually means to 'turn from enmity into friendship.' Particularly this applies to man and his relationship to God. To be the world's friend is to be an enemy of God (see: James 4:4; 1 John 2:15, 16). Because of man's own self-will, stubborn independent nature, he has separated himself from God, fellowship is broken.
Only through Jesus Christ can one know and experience God's love. Through Christ all things have been brought into a right relationship with God. (See Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Eph. 2:13-15).
- "having made peace through the blood,of His cross" - Christ promised us peace. But this is in reference to us being enemies of God. Through reconciliation we are no longer enemies - peace had been wrought, and only through Christ's blood is God's perfect justice satisfied. Accepting Christ's sacrifice, his shed blood, turns us from enemies to friends - peace with God. Peace in God comes much later.
- "through Him, I say..." - Paul is simply repeating for emphasis that reconciliation is through Christ only. Reconciliation is sufficient for all men, all creation, but is effective for only those that will accept it.
This 'Song of Christ' may have been a hymn of the first century churches. ("The Supremacy" is my favorite written or arranged by Eric Herron.) It is the centerpiece of Paul's message in this letter.
He starts in chapter 1:4, see the reference to their faith in Christ Jesus. The letter is to encourage the believers to hold fast to their faith in Christ, and to warn them against false teachings (see chapter 2). Similar to the letter to the Hebrews, in which the writer shows how Jesus is better. Better than: angels; better than high priests; better than Moses; better than Melchizedeck; better than Abraham; better than the covenant (Mosaic Covenant).
The message is: keep your faith in Christ alone. Any. (ANY!) teaching that boils down to "Christ plus..." Is going to draw you away from Jesus. "Christ-plus-works" does not equal faith; it equals justification by works. It means you can do something to make yourself worthy of salvation, acceptable to God. It leads to the thinking, "If I do x, then God will see that I am worthy to be in heaven and grant me entrance to the same." That doesn't work any better than the Mosaic covenant. God is perfect, and no matter how hard we try, how hard we do, we can not achieve perfect. Pretty good is totally insufficient.
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