Sunday, October 19, 2008

Collosians 1: 15-20

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For 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. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And 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. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and 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. (NIV)


15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (KJV)

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,[e]
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.[f]
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (NLT)



Okay, here we have one of the most universalist passages in all of scripture. We begin seeing Paul note that Christ is the visible image of the Invisible God. First, this is a clear description of two parts of the Trinity, so it cancels out Unitarianism -- Christ is DIVINE.

Then he goes on to say that ALL (there's that word all again) are created THROUGH Christ. This is a mysterious passage that implies (as we see in many other places) that Christ pre-existed before the incarnation. How Christ existed before everything else, and He holds all together.

This is among the highest Christology we find in scripture. He is not only the visible God among us, but he is supreme over all who rise from the dead -- and that God IN HIS FULLNESS, that means everything that is God in God -- was pleased to live as God in Christ and, now here is the kicker:

"and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with EVERYTHING in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross."

Can it get any clearer. We are forced here into the highest view of Christ -- he is 100% divine. He was there at the beginning, and everything existed and exists and always will exist through Him. Also, the entire universe -- all men, and MORE -- are reconciled through him as well.

Either the Apostle lies here or ALL are eventually reconciled to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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