The Preeminence of Christ - Week Six

Welcome to the sixth and final week of my six-week series on the Preeminence of Christ! For those who have been following along, thank you for reading, and I hope these studies have touched your life and your relationship with Christ for the better. Eternal life is knowing the truth of our great and glorious God, and the Lord Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:3). 

Lord Jesus, it is my prayer that You have moved mightily through this study to reach those who otherwise would not be reached, all over the world. And may they know it was by Your power and Holy Spirit that they have come to sit at Your feet and learn of You. Thank You for everything You give us, and for every opportunity to praise Your great name!

To You be the glory forever! AMEN!

The Preeminence of Christ - Week One

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Two

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Three

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Four

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Five

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST – Week Six – Colossians 1:20 

By: Becka Goings

Colossians 1:15-20:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

~*~*~ 

“and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
~~Colossians 1:20

I want to start this final study by looking back at last week’s verse, because it’s tied to this one. These two verses together tell us of God’s plan to redeem not only humanity, but the whole of creation. We’ll go into more depth regarding verse 20 in a bit, but I think it’s important to read them both together to get a fuller picture of what God has accomplished through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here are the two verses together:

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” ~~Colossians 1:19-20

Notice the underlined words, ‘in him’, ‘through him’, and ‘to himself’. We know from last week’s study that Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit with all the fullness of God. The Spirit was not upon Him as He was with people in the Old Testament, rather, the Holy Spirit was in Him. This is not an indwelling of the Holy Spirit as we have received, no, this is Christ, the Son of God, united with the Holy Spirit in His deity. Because all the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell in Him, God was able, through Him, to reconcile to Himself all things.

It sounds confusing, but notice how the entire Trinity is present here. The fullness of God in the Holy Spirit is in Christ, so that through the Son, God the Father is able to reconcile all things to Himself. This is a beautiful display of the union of the Godhead. The Father wills and decrees redemption, the Son does the work of redemption, and the Spirit applies redemption to His children. There isn’t a member of the Trinity who isn’t present and active in our redemption unto God.

Notice also the mystery of this phrase, “and though him to reconcile to himself all things”. Christ wasn’t merely a man that God indwelt as we are indwelt; the Apostle Paul pens this phrase as reflexive upon itself, as if one were to say, “I did the dishes myself.” We’d get the idea if they merely said, “I did the dishes” But the fact that “myself” is added means it’s a reflexive pronoun that I alone did the dishes. Another example would be, “She made herself dinner.” Reflexive pronouns causes the verb to reflect back on the subject. In other words, “to himself” at the end of our phrase reflects back upon the “through him” previously in the same phrase. This connects both “him” and “himself” as being the same Person. Therefore, the subject of the phrase is the same as the object of the verb ‘reconcile’. This reflexive pronoun refers both to Christ and to God in the same breath: “and through him to reconcile to himself all things”. Here is a nerdy linguistic way of proving our Lord Jesus Christ as God!

Colossians 1:20 also hearkens back to Colossians 1:16, where Paul writes, “all things were created through him and for him.” God created all things through Him, and also, through Him, reconciled all things to Himself. Christ has redeemed the very creation He created. Only the One who created it could be the One who would know how to redeem it. This is, in essence, a re-creation, whereby God, through Christ, is making all things new.

However, the work of redemption was much more costly and painful for God than creation itself. At the moment of creation, God spoke, and all things came to be. Yet at the moment of redemption, the wages of sin had to be paid. God Himself had to step into our flesh, live our life, sweat, bleed, and die on our behalf. As the Puritan Thomas Watson said in his famous book, Body of Divinity:

“It cost more to redeem us than to create us. In the creation there was but ‘speaking a word,’ (Ps. 148:5). In the redeeming us, there was shedding of blood (1 Pet.1:19). The creation was the work of God’s fingers (Ps. 8:3); redemption was the work of His arm (Isaiah 53:1, John 12:38).” 

Let’s take a look at why we needed no less than God Himself to redeem us. In Genesis 3, we read of Adam and Eve and the Fall of humanity. God had given Adam one law: “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” ~~Genesis 3:3. But along came the serpent and deceived Eve, telling her she would not surely die (Genesis 3:4). The serpent convinced her that God was holding back wisdom, the knowledge of good and evil, and that she wouldn’t surely die. Sure enough, she did not die in the moment when she touched and ate it. She even offered some to Adam (Genesis 3:8), who did nothing, by the way. He allowed the serpent to deceive his wife and decided to disobey God on his own. 

What neither of them understood was that they had died upon touching and eating the fruit. They died spiritually. They could no longer walk with God in the Garden – they hid from His presence. When God found them, He knew what had happened, and cursed all three of them, Adam, Eve, and the serpent. Interestingly enough, God curses the serpent first, and in Genesis 3:15, before He curses the man and woman, He gives the first prophecy of Messiah, the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head. In essence, God told Satan immediately that even though God’s holy justice against sin demanded a curse upon His creation, Satan’s mischief would not prevail, and he would be crushed. This is also a bastion of hope for Adam and Eve, to hear from God’s own mouth that one of their children would crush that lying, evil serpent once and for all.

God then curses the woman, increasing her pain in childbirth, and making her desire contrary to her husband, with his rule being over her. Many women still rail against this curse, but submission to our husbands is God’s created order. However there is grace even in this, sisters, for in Christ, we are able to submit with a grateful and thankful heart, as Christ submitted Himself to His Father. 

Then, God turns to Adam. God had given Adam and Eve dominion over the whole of His creation in Genesis 1:28. Because Adam had listened to Eve, fallen into sin, and essentially had cursed himself, God curses creation as the consequence. A corrupted king cannot rule a perfect creation, thus creation itself became corrupted. Adam and Eve would still have dominion, but they would have to work by the sweat of their brow to have any food or shelter for themselves. Now, not only would Adam and Eve eventually die, so, too would everything else. Before this moment, death did not exist. Because all of us are offspring of Adam and Eve, we have all inherited this nature of sin. None of us are exempt; we are all conceived and born in sin (Psalm 51:5).

Scripture calls us dead in our trespasses and sins in Ephesians 2:1 & 5. Not only could we no longer come into the presence of God, our bodies would now truly die, as the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Since everyone sins, everyone dies. And because everyone sins, no one can come into God’s presence. Therefore, everyone who dies would die apart from God.

But God did not leave humanity without hope, and all throughout the Old Testament, He prophesied the coming of Messiah, who would bear our sins upon His own shoulders (Isaiah 53:5). The Apostle Paul calls Christ the “last Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:45, meaning, what Adam had failed to do – live righteously unto God – Christ triumphed over mightily. He writes this in Romans 5:15-17:

“But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” 

I want you to notice what I’ve underlined in this passage. Humanity, billions and billions of us from the dawn of time, have been cursed by Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Many died through one man’s trespass. One single sin. Just one. One sin doomed the entire human race. Wrap your head around this for a moment. One sin is enough to damn us to Hell for all eternity. Think of your own life. How many sins have you committed in all your years? How many Hells do you deserve?

Now notice what Paul goes on to say. The grace of the one man Jesus Christ has abounded for many. The free gift is NOT like the trespass. It is much, much greater. If one single sin brought damnation, the free gift of grace covers a multitude of sins and has brought justification. Can you grasp how mind-blowing this is? We are lost upon the judgment of one sin. But we are found upon the abounding grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has covered our entire lifetime of sins!

Our text in Colossians 1:20 says that Christ reconciles all things to Himself, and that ‘all things’ refers to things both on earth and in Heaven, and this peace is made by the blood of His cross. Being without sin, He was the perfect sacrifice for sin, and the only way for which sin could be atoned. The book of Leviticus lays out very specific laws and ceremonies concerning the sacrificing of animals to pay for sin. These priests would have to time and again sacrifice rams, bulls, lambs, goats, pigeons, and doves, and their work was never done. As one continues in life, one continues in sin, therefore every day offerings were made unto God, shedding the blood of animals without blemish as substitutes for sinners. Even in this gruesome depiction of the cost of our sin, there is grace from our Lord. Those who had sinned and offered an animal in their place were forgiven their sin and restored. But these sacrifices were only temporary, and the people kept the priests quite busy.

Not only was this bloody, this was costly, as it’s no little thing to bring a spotless animal from your herd to the priest. There’s a breeding time, a gestation period, a time when the animal has to grow from a baby, and an inspection that must happen to make sure it is without blemish before it is offered up to God. These animals were essential to life, as beasts of burden, suppliers of milk, and meat for their tables. Therefore to offer one of these beasts for sin would have been a great expense for many. And in this, again, there is grace from our God, as He provided a way for the poor to atone. The poor did not have bulls, but they could bring a goat or a lamb. If they did not have those animals, they could offer pigeons or turtle doves. If they could not bring any birds, they could bring an offering of fine flour. Every one of these sacrifices the Lord accepted, depending on their status in life (Leviticus 5).

I believe the Lord wanted atonement to be costly, considering the cost He was to pay in His Son. He wanted the people to feel the sting of it, to be repulsed by it, to realize how grievous it is to sin against so holy a God. Killing these animals was ghastly. Their blood needed to pour out around the altar. Their fat and organs were also burned on the altar while the rest of the animal was cut up and burned outside the camp. But again, God is gracious in this, for it is by the sacrifices of the people that the priests had food.

This never-ending work of atonement was finally and forever finished in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our High Priest (Hebrews 2:17), and Hebrews 1:3 and Hebrews 10:12 both say that after making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. He is seated in the heavenly places according to Ephesians 1:20. There is no more work to do, Christ has done it all. Through Him, God has reconciled all things to Himself.

Now, the cross of Christ is where we are redeemed and made righteous in Him. We are told in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that He was made sin who knew no sin. This is the Great Exchange, that Christ would take our sin so that we would possess His righteousness. He is the only sinless man to ever live, and because of that, death has no hold on Him. Remember, death is the wage of sin. If He had no sin, it would not be just for Him to die. But in becoming our substitute and having our sins laid upon Him, He willingly became the perfect, unblemished sacrifice and humbled Himself to death (Philippians 2:8). Because our sins were in Him when He died, our sins are now dead forever. Because He rose again, He proved death could not keep Him in the tomb, and those of us who are in Him shall be raised one day as well. If our sins died with Christ, then likewise death has no hold on us either. Upon Christ’s return, His entire church shall be resurrected and glorified in the blink of an eye, to ever be with the Lord.

Where Christ is seated, we are seated also, as Ephesians 2:6 says He has raised us up with Him and are seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. There is no more work for Christ to accomplish, and in Christ, there is no work for us to do for righteousness. Christ has not only restored humanity and crushed the serpent’s head, He has given humanity an amazing, magnificent glory. He has elevated us high above Adam and Eve’s estate by uniting our lives with His Life, therefore ensuring that those who are His children will one day be like Him and see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). Did you know there are angels in Heaven who cannot even look upon the Lord of Glory? In Isaiah’s famous vision of Isaiah 6, verse 2 tells us the seraphim surrounding God’s Throne each had six wings, two covered their faces, two covered their feet, and two they used to fly. Yet we, who are made of lowly dust, will be glorified in such a way that we will be able to see Him as He is. These angels must marvel at this – that Christ On High has united Himself with us forever! We will be able to see the very One they magnify by crying out day and night, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!”

Not only that, hear what Christ Himself says to us in Revelation 3:21:

“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” 

Let’s take a moment and soak that in. We who are in Christ will not only see Him as He is, we will be seated with Him upon His Throne. The words in Ephesians 2:6 are not figurative, they are not some mystical imaginings of the Apostle Paul simply because we are “in Christ” and HE sits there. Our Lord says quite specifically and deliberately that He will grant us to sit with Him on His Throne.

This does not mean we become as God or even little gods, rather, we are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), and what He inherits, we inherit. Remember, we are united with Him by the power of His Holy Spirit through His death and resurrection. He is the Head of the Body, which is the church, and where the Head goes, the Body follows. He has already shown us in Genesis that by giving Adam dominion over His earth, He is willing to share His reign with humanity. And this, I believe, is the fullness of our inheritance in Christ. We will be elevated high above the angels to know God in a way no other being before us ever could. We shall never come close to the glory that belongs solely to God, but we will be the closest we can ever come to deity by our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. He will forever remain the Mediator between God and man, and because He Himself was made a man, He has therefore made a way for His children to rule and reign with Him forever.

The cross has also accomplished the redemption of all creation. Now that those in Christ shall one day stand before Him in perfection upon their glorification, no longer can we have dominion over a fallen creation. In the book of Revelation, Christ shall make a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1), thus lifting forever the curse He placed upon creation when Adam fell. Death is the final enemy defeated (1 Corinthians 15:26, 54-55) and, praise the Lord, it shall be no more (Revelation 21:4).

Therefore we come to see how the cross of Christ was the most pivotal event to ever happen in all of human history. Through His cross, He has redeemed for Himself a people who shall one day be glorified to rule and reign with Him. Through His cross, He has also purchased redemption for creation, which is why the Apostle Paul says creation groans in Romans 8:20-23:

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” 

In order to lift the curse on humanity, Christ had to became a curse for us. In Galatians 3:13-14, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 21:23:

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” 

Christ became the curse, and then killed the curse in His body. The Apostle Paul says it this way in Colossians 2:13-15:

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” 

The mention of the “uncircumcision” in this text refers to the Gentile believers. That’s how Paul usually differentiated between Jews and Gentiles – circumcision or uncircumcision. But notice what this passage is saying. We who were dead in our trespasses and sins were made alive together with Christ. How was this done? By canceling the curse, nailing the record of all our sins to the cross. When Romans crucified criminals, they wrote their crimes above their heads so that all who walked by could see and know what they were dying for. Our Lord famously had “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” written on the board above His head in Aramaic, Greek, and Latin (John 19:19-20).

But Paul says our record of debt was nailed to the cross. In essence, as Christ hung there, God placed the record of all our lifetime of sins on Him as if He had committed them. When Jesus died, so too did this debt and we were made free. Christ brought open shame upon Satan and his demons, by uniting Himself together with His Bride, and thus giving her life in His name.

This is how peace can be had between Heaven and earth. Ephesians 2:14 says He Himself is our peace and He has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility. Those who believe on Christ will never face the wrath of God. Jesus has already borne it for them and has given them freedom to enter into His Kingdom with thanksgiving and praise.

What a magnificent God we serve! How can we come to understand all that God has accomplished in Christ and not fall at His feet as though dead? How can we live our lives without giving praise to the One who has defeated sin, death, and creation’s curse? How can we not desperately yearn for His coming and the redemption of our bodies, the completion of our salvation? This glorious Christ has made a way to Heaven more wonderful than the way of Adam. We do not get to Heaven on a righteousness of our own, but on the righteousness of Christ. This is the only way. Why? Because eternal life cannot be had apart from Christ. Eternal life is not something God bestows from On High as if tossing candies into a crowd, eternal life is union with Christ which allows us to partake in His eternal life. Therefore, eternal life is quite intimate and personal with our Lord Jesus. Our fates shall forever be tied with His, and, beloved, we have a marvelous future!

It is only the sons and daughters of Christ who shall have this peace with God. Those who no longer have the record of debt standing against them shall be the only ones left standing at Judgment. Peace with God can only be had through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

With these wondrous truths in mind, it is with one voice we can lift our eyes to Heaven and say with bold and Spirit-filled confidence, “Amen! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

Yes, Lord. Come quickly and whisk us off to Glory. Amen and Amen.

STUDY QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 

1. True or False? All three members of the Trinity are present and active in our redemption unto God.



2. God created all things _________ _______, and also, _________ _______, reconciled all things to Himself.



3. Who did God curse first in the Garden of Eden?




4. True or False? It takes many sins to be condemned by God.




5. Eternal life is _______ with Christ which allows us to partake in His eternal life.

Questions for Personal Reflection 

Have you ever thought about the fact the entire Trinity is involved in salvation - The Father wills and decrees redemption, the Son does the work of redemption, and the Spirit applies redemption to His children?




God On High spoke a word and the vast expanse of this universe was spun into being. Yet in order to make a sinner a saint, the Lord of Life had to shed His blood and die. Have you ever thought long on the glorious love of God to go through such suffering, pain, and death on behalf of His children?




Did you ever think that our being “seated with Christ in heavenly places” was merely mystical or figurative language rather than a reality?




How will the knowledge that He shall truly allow us to sit with Him on His throne shape your view of your future in Glory with Christ?




Looking back throughout the course of these studies on the Preeminence of Christ, how has beholding God’s glory in our Lord Jesus Christ grown your relationship with Him?

Colossians 1:20 – Session Six – Song Playlist: 

• Victor’s Crown (Live Radio Version) – Darlene Zschech – Worship Anthems Inspired by A.D. The Bible Continues Album 

• Until My Voice is Gone (Live) – Travis Ryan – You Hold It All (Live) Album 

• He is Exalted – Twila Paris – The Millennium Collection The Best of Twila Paris Album 

• Mighty and Glorious – Paul Wilbur – Your Great Name Album 

• O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus – The Enfield Hymn Sessions – Resolved Music, Vol. 1 Album 

• In Christ Alone – Keith & Kristyn Getty – Live at the Gospel Coalition Album 

• All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name Live – Keith & Kristyn Getty – Live at the Gospel Coalition Album 

Scripture References for Further Study: 

1.) Colossians 1:19-20
2.) Colossians 1:16
3.) Psalm 148:5
4.) 1 Peter 1:19
5.) Psalm 8:3
6.) Isaiah 53:1
7.) John 12:38
8.) Genesis 3:3-4
9.) Genesis 3:8
10.) Genesis 3:15
11.) Genesis 1:28
12.) Psalm 51:5
13.) Ephesians 2:1, 5
14.) Romans 6:23
15.) Hebrews 9:22
16.) Isaiah 53:5
17.) 1 Corinthians 15:45
18.) Romans 5:15-17
19.) Leviticus 5
20.) Hebrews 2:17
21.) Hebrews 1:3
22.) Hebrews 10:12
23.) Ephesians 1:20
24.) 2 Corinthians 5:21
25.) Philippians 2:8
26.) Ephesians 2:6
27.) 1 John 3:2
28.) Isaiah 6:2
29.) Revelation 3:21
30.) Romans 8:17
31.) Revelation 21:1
32.) 1 Corinthians 15:26, 54-55
33.) Revelation 21:4
34.) Romans 8:20-23
35.) Galatians 3:13-14
36.) Deuteronomy 21:23
37.) Colossians 2:13-15
38.) John 19:19-20
39.) Ephesians 2:14
40.) John 14:6

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Five

Welcome to week five of my Preeminence of Christ study. This week, we focus on Colossians 1:19 and what it means that in Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for allowing me to write this, and for helping me along when I had no idea what to write. Thank You for leading me from Scripture to Scripture and for showing me the majesty of Your Preeminence. To You alone I give glory for these studies. Next week is our last week!

If you've missed the previous studies, here they are:

The Preeminence of Christ - Week One

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Two

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Three

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Four

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST – Week Five – Colossians 1:19 

By: Becka Goings 

Colossians 1:15-20:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

~*~*~

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” ~~Colossians 1:19 

I love how easily the Apostle Paul was able to pack rich, meaty doctrine within a few simple words. Colossians 1:19 might seem like a small fragment we read quickly in order to get to the end of our passage, but it’s little phrases such as this that teach us Christ was truly a man – and also truly God. He did not possess a likeness to God, He was not merely a shadow of Him, nor was He some kind of apparition. He was a flesh and blood man who possessed the fullness of God within Him. Christ had two natures in one body, humanity and divinity. In theology circles, this reality is called the hypostatic union. Christ was not merely God in a human shell, nor was He a man upon whom God rested. He was an actual man, like any other man, and yet, He did not cease being God. 

Paul states the same doctrine in a slightly different way a little further along in the book of Colossians, in verse 2:9: 

“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” 

In our first passage, he says “all the fullness”, in the second, he says “the whole fullness”. Let’s take a moment to dig in and study this. It should never cease to astound us. How can the infinite fullness of God “fit”, for lack of a better word, in a man? And how amazing is it that God stooped so low to become a man? The eternal God, so high above every other name in creation, who has made countless galaxies with billions of stars, now, fully and forever, fills the body of a man. This massive truth had to be communicated to the Colossians on Paul’s authority as an Apostle, considering the heresies that had crept into their church. If it overwhelms us now, two thousand years removed, imagine what it must have been like for the early church, many of whom might have seen Christ themselves or heard Him preach. They had, perhaps with their own eyes, beheld the Living God!

This very doctrine, that Christ is God, is the reason why Christianity spread like wildfire throughout the region. His resurrection from the dead ultimately proved who He was, and nothing could stop the spread of this tremendous news. God Himself had come down to earth for us! Imagine living your life, wondering if God hears you, sees you, or even cares about you. And then… you look and there’s Christ! You hear His words, you see His power, and you know beyond the shadow of a doubt God hears you, sees you, and cares for you more than anyone else ever could. This is glorious; this is beautiful. This is the most magnificent event to ever happen in human history!

Paul was deliberately explicit in his description of Christ’s deity, because this knowledge is foundational to having eternal life. Even Christ Himself said in John 8:24:

“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” 

And also John 17:3:

“This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” 

If the Colossians didn’t understand that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, they could not have eternal life, as eternal life is knowing the one true God (John 8:24, 1 John 5:11, 1 John 5:20), and according to Jesus, that includes knowing “Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. You might say you have Jesus and that you’re even a Christian, but if you don’t believe Jesus is Almighty God, you have a different Jesus, one who is powerless and cannot save you from your sins.

He is not a “spiritual being”, He is not an angel, He is not created, and He’s not merely a good human teacher. No, in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. Let’s take some time to explore this fullness, and try to comprehend what this looks like in the life of Christ.

I’d like to read our week’s verse in another translation if I may. For the purpose of this study, we have been quoting Colossians 1:15-20 in the English Standard Version, or ESV. But I want to take a look at verse 19 in the NASB, the New American Standard Bible. The NASB is arguably the most accurate translation in English that we have to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. This is how the NASB translates Colossians 1:19:

“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him” 

I like this wording, because it is a little more personal than the ESV which reads: 

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” 

From a writer’s perspective, the ESV wording sounds as if it was the “fullness” that was pleased, rather than God the Father. But the NASB makes it clear it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Christ. However, we kind of need both wordings here, because even in the NASB, you might be left thinking “fullness of what?” We know from the ESV, it is the fullness of God. 

But what does this mean? What does it mean to have the fullness of God dwelling in Him? Certainly it means Christ had all of God’s attributes, although veiled in flesh. He did not cease to be God when He became a man, rather, He set aside the radiance of His glory as God to be totally dependent upon the Father, taking on the form of a servant, as Paul says in Philippians 2:7. However, this does not mean Christ set aside the fullness of God. Hear what Puritan John Gill has to say in his commentary of Philippians 2:7:

“Nevertheless emptied himself"; not of that fulness of grace which was laid up in him from everlasting, for with this he appeared when he was made flesh, and dwelt among men; nor of the perfections of his divine nature, which were not in the least diminished by his assumption of human nature, for all the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily; though he took that which he had not before, he lost nothing of what he had; the glory of his divine nature was covered, and out of sight; and though some rays and beams of it broke out through his works and miracles, yet his glory, as the only begotten of the Father, was beheld only by a few; the minds of the far greater part were blinded, and their hearts hardened, and they saw no form nor comeliness in him to desire him; the form of God in which he was, was hid from them.” 

We know from the Apostle John that Christ was “full of grace and truth”. 

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” ~~John 1:14

John has also told us:

“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” ~~John 1:16

John’s words in verse 16 are curious, “grace upon grace”. But they are a lovely picture of what the Lord gives to His children. This phrase implies that John might have gone on and on about it; grace upon grace upon grace upon grace… One grace right after another. I love this, because Paul tells us in Romans 2:5 that those with hard and impenitent hearts are storing up wrath for themselves, and yet, John says from Christ’s fullness, we all receive grace upon grace. We’re literally the opposite of the children of wrath who store up wrath – we are the children of grace, storing up grace!

This also gives the beautiful picture that Christ is a fountain, ever-full of grace, pouring it out in abundant measure to those who belong to Him. Using the metaphor of the fountain, we are immediately reminded of our Lord telling us in John 7:38 about rivers of Living Water flowing from the hearts of those who believe in Him as the Scriptures have said. And this, I believe, is what it means that in Him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell: Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit.

You might think we talk about the indwelling Spirit all the time. Why is this so wonderful?

This particular truth is so stunning because until Christ Himself, no other man or woman in the history of the world ever had the Holy Spirit filling them. In the Old Testament, God had many servants whom His Spirit would come upon, but did not fill. It’s obvious that with Christ being God, He would be the One in whom the Spirit of God would literally dwell. Now, we are not to look upon Christ as being indwelt with the Spirit in the same way as a believer to whom the Spirit is sent, no, the Spirit proceeds from the Father (John 15:26) and is in eternal fellowship with Christ in the Godhead of the Trinity. Therefore Christ’s relationship with the Holy Spirit is due to their shared, united deity.

Luke 4:1 says:

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness” 

This is immediately following Christ’s baptism, and we’ll touch on that in a moment. But I wanted to show you the beauty within this verse that tells us how intimately Christ and the Spirit worked together. Notice what it says here. Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” and also “led by the Spirit”. This wasn’t merely as He was being led into the wilderness, but this was a reality in the life of Christ. He was full of the Spirit and He was led by the Spirit every single day.

Now, remember our NASB translation of Colossians 1:19? Let’s read it again:

“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him” 

The reason why we are looking at the NASB version is because of what the Father says at Christ’s baptism. Let’s take a look. The passage is Matthew 3:16-17.

“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” 

Here we have Paul’s words in Colossians contrasted with the Father’s words in Matthew. Both testify that God was pleased in Christ, and that in Him abided the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Matthew passage is God’s own testimony of Christ’s true identity. We know that if we have the testimony of the Most High God, there is none who can condemn, for it is God who justifies (Romans 8:33). Christ did not need to be justified in the same way we are justified before the Father, however, the Father’s testimony gave a weighty glory to Christ’s testimony of Himself. Hear what Christ had to say about this in John 8:17-18:

“In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 

These words were spoken to the Pharisees, who tried so hard to condemn Christ and catch Him doing anything that would break the Mosaic Law. But Christ turns the tables on them and reminds them of their own Law, (of which He wrote, I’d like to add), that the testimony of two people is true. Christ has His own testimony and He also has the testimony of God the Father. That is jaw-dropping when you come to think about it. Yahweh Himself testified that He was well pleased in His beloved Son. But these unfortunate Pharisees rejected the testimony of the Father, and therefore, their sentence was pronounced from the mouth of Christ in John 8:21:

“So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 

This is sobering. I cannot think of any other terror I fear more than hearing these words spoken to me by the Lord of Heaven and earth. Even the Apostle John made mention of the testimony of the Father in 1 John 5:9:

“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.” 

The point has been made from Scripture. God the Father has testified of the truth of Christ, and if anyone rejects that Christ is the Son of God and therefore God Himself in the flesh, he calls the Father a liar and does not have eternal life (1 John 2:22-23, 1 John 5:10).

What fascinates me about the account in Luke after the baptism of Christ, is another phrase about the Spirit in Him found a few verses down in Luke 4:14:

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee” 

Not only was Christ filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit, He returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Here was the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry, being fully equipped by the Father. This filling, leading, and power of the Spirit is all the fullness of God.

Shortly after his passage on the deity of Christ in Colossians, the Apostle Paul goes on to say something astounding in Colossians 1:26-27:

“that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” 

Let’s stop here and consider these three marvelous words: Christ in you. This was the mystery of God – hidden for ages but revealed now to us. God’s ultimate plan for Messiah was to multiply Messiah’s fullness to fill His church, by fully and wonderfully indwelling each of His children! The Jews had been waiting for God’s promised Messiah ever since God first prophesied the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head in Genesis 3:15. But they were looking for an earthly king to restore and reign over a powerful, prosperous Israel.

God’s plan, however, was much grander than they could ever imagine. He would make a peculiar people for Messiah, a people solely set apart for Him, who would have Messiah Himself dwelling within them through the power of His Holy Spirit. Have you ever thought long on this, Christian? The God of Glory has made His dwelling place not only in the heavens, but also in the hearts of men and women!

Consider Isaiah 57:15:

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite. 

This is the meaning of verses such as 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 6:19 – our bodies are quite literally the temple of God. This is not a metaphor, but reality. This mystery that Paul speaks of is what theologians call union with Christ. By the indwelling of the Spirit of God, all believers have direct and personal access to the Lord Jesus Christ without limits. The Spirit is in Him, and He places the Spirit in us so that we can be one just as He and the Father are one. In Christ’s High Priestly Prayer of John 17, our Lord prays these words in verses 22-23:

“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” 

What a magnificent prayer from our Savior. What is this “glory” He has given us?

The Holy Spirit. 

It is the Spirit who allows the Body of Christ to be united to each other in one body, and He also unites us to Christ in an eternal bond that cannot be broken. Nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39), nothing can pluck us from Christ’s or the Father’s hand (John 10:27-29), and we are sealed by the Spirit Himself from the moment we first believed (Ephesians 1:13).

It is the Spirit of Christ who is our hope of glory as the promise of our future inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). It is also the Spirit who identifies the sons of God, as according to Romans 8:14, all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Just as Christ was filled and led, so too are His children.

This union we have with Christ by His Spirit is further fleshed out in Galatians 2:20:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

Paul lays it out – he was crucified with Christ; his old life died on the cross. Yet, here’s the mystery: he still lives. But it’s not him, it’s Christ! In other words, our old lives have died, and our lives are now lived by Christ Himself through us. As the King James Version puts it: “I live, yet not I.”

Union with Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit makes the Christian life possible. Anyone who tries to live a holy and Christlike life apart from Christ’s Spirit will miserably fail. Why? Because holiness and Christlikeness comes from a heart reborn by the Spirit of God. All other attempts at replacing a heart of stone with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26) are counterfeit. Every peace apart from the peace of God is a false peace. Every strength apart from God’s strength is merely weakness. There is no supply for the unbeliever when they cannot go on, no well of grace to overflow from Christ. Without nourishment from God, they remain empty and desperate, trying to fill that void with a sea of vanity – sadly, to their own demise.

But here is the stunning glory of this mystery in union with Christ. If you’re taking notes, jot this down. Highlight this next Scripture and circle it in your Bibles. Write Colossians 1:19 as a sister verse in the margin and memorize this if you can. Let’s all take a deep breath, and read Ephesians 3:14-19:

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” 

Christian! Do you know what this means? Do you understand the depth of the glorious majesty we have been given in the gift of God’s Holy Spirit? Can you grasp the weight of what He’s bestowed upon us, we who were once His enemies? How am I not laid out on the floor day in and day out by this realization, that we can likewise be filled with all the fullness of God? This is a miracle unto itself!

What we have to remember, however, is that our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and therefore has a measure of the Spirit by deity that we do not possess. We cannot ourselves perform miracles, but the Spirit can do so through us should He will it. Let us always remember that miracles by the Spirit is not the point, nor the glory, of possessing the Spirit of Christ.

The glory of the indwelling Spirit is conformity to and union with Christ. 

One of the greatest miracles the Holy Spirit has ever wrought is literally recreating a sinner into a saint. Those who are reborn by God are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you are Christ’s, your new heart is a miracle of God. Being transformed into the image of Christ is a miracle of God. If you’re a soul winner, you are performing miracles. If you have brought a brother or sister to Christ, God has done a miracle through you. Never believe it is a small thing to lead a sinner to Christ. It cost the Father the life of His only begotten Son, and it is a tangible miracle performed by the Holy Spirit in your life.

Last week, we took a look at Ephesians 1:22-23, but then, we studied verse 22. Today, I want to take a closer look at verse 23. Let’s read:

“And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” 

We know from last week’s study that Christ is the head of the body, which is His church. But what I love about this particular verse is that the Apostle Paul says His body is “the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” We know by God’s omnipresence that He is everywhere. There is not a place in this entire universe we can go that He is not there. God fills all places at all times. This is the meaning of the phrase “fills all in all”.

Notice, however, the special distinction given to the church, His body. She is the “fullness of Him”. God On High fills all in all, and yet, His church is the fullness of Him.

Brethren, we as believers, are the fullness of Christ. His Spirit indwells hundreds of thousands of believers all over the world. What mind-blowing glory is this? His fullness is worldwide! Imagine this – we know from Psalm 24:1 and Isaiah 6:3 that the whole earth is full of His glory, and yet… after the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has now filled the earth with a much greater glory – His own Spirit filling His body, the beautiful and glorious church!

Dear ones, as if these truths weren’t enough, let me give you one final truth to ponder for the rest of the week, perhaps for the rest of your lives. According to Ephesians 1:13-14, we’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and He is the guarantee of our inheritance. The Spirit isn’t our inheritance, He is only the guarantee of it. How much more, then, is our full inheritance in Christ? To have Him fill us perfectly and completely, to be made impeccably in His image, to resemble Him with a body like His, and to shine forever like stars in the city of our God?

Oh, my family in Christ, I daresay the way to be filled with all the fullness of God is to long and often ponder these heavenly realities, and to keep our minds and hearts set upon the unending joy that is ours through union with Christ. We must focus our gaze to Heaven and march on to obtain that glorious crown.

There is only one thing left to say.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” 

~~Colossians 3:1-4

Amen.

STUDY QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 

1. The two natures of Christ, both human and divine, is known by theologians as the _____________ union.



2. True or False? If you do not believe that Jesus Christ is God, you will die in your sins.



3. What is the meaning of the “fullness of God”?



4. Union with Christ by the power of the _______ ________ makes the Christian life possible.



5. The glory of the indwelling Spirit is ______________________________

_________________________________________________________________.

Questions for Personal Reflection 

Have you ever thought or believed that Christ fully laid aside His divinity to become a man, rather than His humanity being filled with all the fullness of God?



Have you ever thought that our bodies being the temple of God was more of a figure of speech or a metaphor than a reality?



Have you ever taken a moment to think about your union with Christ, and that He is the one living your Christian life through you – I live, yet not I?



How does knowing that you can be filled with all the fullness of God affect your heart and soul for the glory of Christ?



How often have you thought on the weight of your heavenly inheritance in Christ, of which the indwelling Holy Spirit is the guarantee?

Colossians 1:19 – Session Five – Song Playlist: 

• Rise Again (Bonus Track) – City Harvest Church – My Beloved Album 

• Rest in Jesus – Robert Pierre – Nothing Without You Album

• Alive in Me – JJ Weeks Band – As Long As We Can Breathe Album 

• Grace – Steve Fee – Grace Single 

• Grace on Top of Grace – Fellowship Creative – Eclipsed Album 

• Praise to You – The Vigil Project – Vigil (Series #1) Album 

• Holy (Wedding Song) [Live] – UMobile Worship – Our God is Faithful (Live Worship from the University of Mobile) Album 

Scripture References for Further Study: 

1.) Colossians 2:9
2.) John 8:24
3.) John 17:3
4.) 1 John 5:11
5.) 1 John 5:20
6.) Colossians 1:19 (NASB)
7.) Colossians 1:19 (ESV)
8.) Philippians 2:7
9.) John 1:14
10.) John 1:16
11.) Romans 2:5
12.) John 7:38
13.) John 15:26
14.) Luke 4:1
15.) Matthew 3:16-17
16.) Romans 8:33
17.) John 8:17-18
18.) John 8:21
19.) 1 John 5:9
20.) 1 John 2:22-23
21.) 1 John 5:10
22.) Luke 4:14
23.) Colossians 1:26-27
24.) Isaiah 57:15
25.) 1 Corinthians 3:16
26.) 1 Corinthians 6:19
27.) John 17:22-23
28.) Romans 8:38-39
29.) John 10:27-29
30.) Ephesians 1:13-14
31.) Romans 8:14
32.) Galatians 2:20
33.) Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
34.) Ezekiel 36:26
35.) Ephesians 3:14-19
36.) 2 Corinthians 5:17
37.) Ephesians 1:22-23
38.) Psalm 24:1
39.) Isaiah 6:3
40.) Colossians 3:1-4

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Four

Welcome to week four of my Preeminence of Christ study. Next week will be yet another week off, as one of my ladies is going on vacation and I decided to suspend the class at church a week for her. I do not want to post my studies online before they're presented at church. Therefore week five won't be available until November 7th. 

Lord Jesus, please help Your church come to know You in a magnificent way. Open our eyes to Your deity. Reveal Your beauty. Show one and all that we come to Christ for more of CHRIST, and not for the blessings You bestow. May we love the Giver more than the gifts, and focus our lives on You alone. Wean us from this world, and make us fit for Heaven. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

If you've missed the previous studies, you can find them here:

Preeminence of Christ - Week One

Preeminence of Christ - Week Two

Preeminence of Christ - Week Three

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST – Week Four – Colossians 1:18

By: Becka Goings

Colossians 1:15-20:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 

~*~*~

“And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
~~Colossians 1:18

In the glorious exposition of Christ’s deity found in Colossians 1:15-20, the Apostle Paul has been building his case that the Lord Jesus Christ is God incarnate. In verse 15, we are told that Christ is the image of the invisible God. In verse 16, we learn He is not merely the image of God, He IS God, for He created it all, and by Him, through Him, and for Him are all things. In the 17th verse, Paul makes it clear that not only is the Lord Christ our eternal Creator, He is also the Sustainer of the universe. Each one of these points builds off the other, until we get to Paul’s theological crescendo in verse 18. Even within this verse, Paul continues to build his picture of Christ, by describing Him first as the head of the body, which is His church.

The metaphor of the head and the body was a favorite of the Apostle Paul. He used the analogy in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 1:21-23, Ephesians 4 & 5, and Colossians 2:18-19. As metaphors go, this one is brilliant in its simplicity. A body has many members, and each member has its own job. Yet not apart from the other members. And it is the head that moves them all. Our unity with each other comes through our unity with Christ, and by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit within us.

The Holy Spirit ensures that Christ’s presence remains on earth through His church even though Christ Himself has ascended bodily up to Heaven. The very same Spirit indwells all of Christ’s children, and because of this, we are in union with each other, thus making the church one united body. Christ Himself is the one who sent His Spirit to do this miraculous work, and it is the Father who appointed Him as Head of the body. Ephesians 1:22-23 says:

“22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

I love the wording in this verse, that God the Father gave Christ as head over all things to the church. Christ, by the mere fact He is God, is already head over all things. However, by His work on the cross and His victory over death, He has also purchased His right as Head of all things. Christ’s finished work on the cross has proven Him worthy of this right. He has given Himself two witnesses to His ownership of the universe – by creation and by purchase. The reason why I love the wording of this verse in Ephesians is that God gave Christ to His church. He is ours, sisters. He is ours! This magnificent God-man has given Himself for us – and to us – in eternal union. It’s almost too much to comprehend. Once we come to see and know how high He is compared to our low estate, it is truly humbling to realize this glorious God went to such great lengths to save us from the power of sin and death. And more than that, He has given us Himself, the greatest Treasure and richest Reward that can ever be had.

The Holy Spirit unites us with Christ, and because of this, each individual member, no matter how weak, is vital to the church. Consider Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:21-22:

“The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable”

How would we scratch an itch if we didn’t have fingernails? How could we eat solid food without teeth? How could we protect our eyes without eyelids? It’s kind of funny to think about, but this is what Paul was getting at, that even the small members of the body have important jobs to do. God has not created any inconsequential members of our physical bodies, and neither are there inconsequential members of the Body of Christ. And while we are His Body in one corporate whole, each believer is individually directed by the Head of the church, just as our pinky fingers and little toes are directed by our own head. Christ is intimately involved in directing the lives of every single member of His church.

In fact, Christ is so united to His body, that He considers what’s done to us as done to Him. We know this from texts like Acts 9:4 where the Lord appears to Saul of Tarsus, who, prior to his conversion, was well-known for persecuting and executing Christians, and asks him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” We see this again in our Lord’s own words regarding the sheep and the goats judgment of Matthew 25:40 & 25:45, that what they did or didn’t do to His brethren was done to the Lord Himself. This point is further driven home by Paul in Ephesians 5:28-30:

“In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.”

This text is a mandate for men to love their wives as Christ loves His church as His own body. Husbands and wives are considered one flesh by God (Ephesians 5:31), and Christ and the believer are one by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ on this earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). When our Lord purchased us upon His cross, He not only purchased the rights to our souls, but to our bodies as well. One day, we shall be glorified, and our mortal bodies will be like His glorious body (Philippians 3:21). This is why Paul tells us many times to honor the Lord in our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20), not to be joined with prostitutes (1 Corinthians 6:15-16), and not to be unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14). The body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19). This isn’t metaphorical, but a reality. We are not merely influenced by the Spirit of God, He dwells within us, and it is through this spiritual union with Christ that Christ considers us of His own body.

What interests me about the “Body of Christ” is that there are a few applications. First, as we have already explored, we agree with Paul that His body is His church. Second, we take in Christ’s body by the bread of communion. Third, we look to events in the Gospels that happened to Christ’s physical body.

With regards to communion, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:17:

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

At communion, a single loaf of bread is broken for all to eat a piece. Eating of the bread makes us one body, because many people eat of the same single loaf. This is a metaphor for Christ Himself, as we all partake of the True Bread from Heaven as well, likewise making us one body in Him.

In thinking more on Christ’s physical body, I have to wonder if God also meant for us to look on Him and see His church hidden within. We are told many times in Scripture that we will suffer (John 16:33), to expect suffering (1 Peter 4:12), and to rejoice in suffering for His name’s sake (Matthew 10:22, Philippians 1:29, James 1:2, 1 Peter 3:13-17, 1 Peter 4:12-19). Christ obviously suffered bodily. In that, we share suffering with Him. The Apostle John also recorded that Scripture was fulfilled on the cross in John 19:36:

“For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”

Now, this was not a prophecy, rather, John was quoting from Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12 that none of the bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken. Since Christ is the Lamb of God, crucified on Passover, His bones were not broken either. During crucifixion, the Romans would break the legs of those condemned to die to make their demise all the faster. We see they did so in John 19:32 to the two thieves flanking Christ on Calvary. Yet they did not break Christ’s legs because He was already dead. This is a very important detail. If Christ’s church is His body, then God did not want His physical bones broken in any way. If any of Christ’s bones had been broken, it might be argued by our enemy, the Accuser, that some in His church could be lost to Him, or broken beyond repair. Christ suffered more in His body than we can ever know; we even say of the bread at communion, “this is His body, broken for you”. But none of His bones were physically broken. Not even one.

Then, we see at His resurrection, our Lord Christ has been given a new, eternal body. This is not a different body than the one He had in life, it is His same body, glorified. He retained His scars, His disciples were able to touch Him, and He could eat physical food, so we know He was raised bodily and did not return as a spirit (Luke 24:39-43). Those of us who are in union with Him by His Holy Spirit, will also have our same lowly bodies transformed into a glorious body, one that is like His in every way (Philippians 3:21, 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 John 3:2). These very bodies will one day walk the streets of gold in eternal bliss. Praise God!

Paul’s next line in Colossians 1:18 says, “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead”. Just as in our previous study of verse 17, notice in verse 18 the verb tense “he is”, again solidifying Christ’s eternal nature as God. Yet while verse 17 says, “He is before all things”, in the very next verse, Paul says, “He is the beginning”. It sounds very similar, but we have to be careful here, because this is not the Apostle repeating himself.

In verse 17, Paul explains that Christ existed before anything was created. In verse 18, he makes it known that everything has its beginning in Him. Christ literally IS the beginning of all things. Remember as the Apostle John stated in John 1:3, “Without Him was not any thing made that was made.”

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ~~John 1:1

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” ~~Genesis 1:1

“He is the beginning.” ~~Colossians 1:18

Paul is relentless in this Colossians 1 passage, again and again solidifying the doctrine of Christ’s deity as the image of the invisible God, the Creator God, the Sustainer God, the Eternal God, the Sovereign God. He is not second in command to the Father, He is the One seated on the Throne of Heaven, co-equal and co-eternal, and He has been given as Head over all things to the church.

He is the beginning, Paul says, and the firstborn from the dead. Here again we see the word prōtotokos (pro-TAHT-oh-koss) for “firstborn”. Paul uses the same word as he did back in verse 15, that Christ is the firstborn of all creation, yet he uses it to describe the firstborn from the dead. However, this can be somewhat confusing, as we know during Christ’s ministry, and from some stories in the Old Testament, that Christ Himself was not the first person to rise from the dead. He raised not only Lazarus (John 11:1-44), but also Jairus’s twelve-year-old daughter (Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43, Luke 8:40-56), and the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17).

Again, notice Paul’s wording here, that Christ is the firstborn from the dead, not of the dead. This is an important distinction, and one of the many reasons why Bible translations faithful to the original texts are quite important when studying Scripture. There are two differences in Christ’s resurrection that no other resurrection before it could boast. The first is quite obvious; Christ was able to raise Himself from the dead. No one who has ever died can self-resurrect. The second is that He is the first to be raised in an incorruptible, immortal body. In this way, He is the firstborn from the dead. Everyone else who had been raised in the Bible would eventually die again. Not Christ. And since He is the Head of the body, the church, our one-in-Spirit union with Him ensures that we too shall one day rise from the dead at the Resurrection of the Saints. Where the head goes, the body follows.

Our resurrection from the dead is the completion of our salvation (Philippians 1:6), and our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Every person is born in sin and dead in sin until we are reborn by the power of Christ’s Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:1, John 3:3). Our rebirth as children of God is our spirit’s resurrection to life in His name, with our bodily resurrection to follow upon Christ’s return. Romans 8:30 is sometimes referred to as the “golden chain” of our redemption. Notice the progression of all these things are past tense. What He has begun in us, He will be faithful to complete:

“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Scripture calls the indwelling Holy Spirit the “earnest of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14), or in other words, the promise of our coming resurrection.

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." ~~Romans 8:11 

If we have the Spirit of God indwelling us, then He is our guarantee that our bodies will finally and fully resemble our sanctified spirits – and on That Day of our glorification, we’ll finally and fully resemble Christ to perfection.

Here is where we come to the crescendo of Paul’s careful exposition throughout this entire Colossians passage. He has built truth upon truth for the identity of Jesus Christ, making it clear that He is before all things, that He is the beginning, and that He is the firstborn from the dead. For what purpose? To illustrate that in all things, He might be preeminent. No one above Him, no one before Him, no one beside Him.

Not only is Christ first in the universe by way of being God, but He has placed Himself first in the grand story of redemption. He is the Head of the church, and the firstborn from the dead, that He might be the firstborn of many brothers (Romans 8:29). It is His image to which we are conformed, and He is the One who deserves glory for it all.

Scripture has told us time and again that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). Christ Himself claimed He was humble at heart (Matthew 11:29). Let’s take a moment to consider this. No one would argue that Christ was the most humble man to ever live. And yet how much does this confuse us, knowing our God is a humble God? God is Almighty, and His power is beyond compare. In our minds, we have a hard time figuring out why such a Being would exalt humility. Why is the Kingdom of God seemingly backwards? The last shall be first. Persecution is blessing. Affliction perfects faith.

To our fallen humanity, strength is found in our exaltation. But Christ says no, when you are weak, then you are strong. Why? Because we are leaning on Him – on His strength – in faith. In all these “backwards” ideas of Christ’s Gospel, He teaches us to let go of this world and look solely upon Him. Humility fills us with the praises of God, not the praise of ourselves. All these things that make the Christian life so difficult for us are serving to make Christ preeminent in our lives. If we can view persecutions and afflictions as our Lord preparing us for glory, then we can rejoice in our pain.

Ultimately, pride steals glory from God. Pride is glorying in oneself. Pride is puffing up ourselves to look good in the eyes of others. Jesus tells us in Matthew 23:12 that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. As Christians, we are to hold up Christ and show His beauty to the world. And in His own life, Jesus has given us a splendid example of how to live a humble life. Never did He boast in Himself; He did everything for the glory of His Father. Imagine how far God stooped in the Person of Christ. He left His glorious Throne to be united with our flesh forever. He humbled Himself, even to death upon a wooden cross. He literally became a curse for us. Philippians 2:3-8 says:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

We know God exalts the humble. Our exaltation, therefore, comes from God alone, and how stunning is that truth? I know of no Christian who wouldn’t want their glory to be solely found in God glorying over them. Can you even imagine the honor of God On High exalting you before heaven and earth? And this is exactly what He’s done for our Lord. There has been no greater humbling in history than the humbling of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, there is no greater exaltation than what He has received at the hand of our Heavenly Father. Philippians 2 continues in verses 9-11:

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Christ’s is the name above all names. To Him, every knee shall bow. To Him, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He is, in all things, preeminent. This day is coming, and what a glorious day it will be! However, these verses reveal something quite shocking if we take a step back and consider the weight of these words.

There is one place in this universe where Christ is not preeminent. There is only one place in all of creation that shuts Him out. This barren, lifeless place is in the hearts of mankind. Even the demons believe – and shudder (James 2:19). But depraved humanity, lost in sin, denies Christ’s very existence. They do not, can not, and will not bow the knee to Him. Our sin nature is so pervasive and prevalent, that even for believers, God has made it a command to make Him preeminent in our lives. It is very telling that the First Great Commandment of God is to love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. What pitiful, rebellious creatures we are, that God must make for us a command what is quite obvious to all heavenly creatures.

In fact, looking back to the Fall in the Garden, our fore-parents’ first sin was mistrust of God, and a desire to be like Him, just as Satan wanted for himself. They idolized what the forbidden fruit would give them, and were not thankful for the bounty they already had in God. They believed God held back something good from them, and thus turned away from Him to obtain it. Humanity’s ultimate Fall into sin, therefore, was not having the Lord God preeminent in their hearts, and that is still the root of all sin and rebellion today.

Is Christ preeminent in your life? Is He truly? Take a moment to examine yourself. Do you seek Him? Do you have a deep love for reading His Word? Do you have a drive within you to know Him no matter the personal cost to you? When you have a quiet moment to yourself, where do your thoughts fly? Do you meditate on Scripture? How often do you pray? Are your prayers formal or intimate? Do you avoid God when you sin? Do you love His people? Do you obey His commands? Is His Word stored up in your heart? Is your Christianity the most obvious thing about you? Do you adore Christ above and beyond your spouse, children, family, friends, and pets? If you lost everything tomorrow, would Christ be enough for you? Would Christ be enough through adversity? Pain? Tragedy? Persecution? Do you long to be with Him? Do you cry out for His return?

Hear me when I say this: Christianity is the adoration and exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Great Object of all our affection, all our strength, all our thoughts, and all our souls. We don’t come to Christ for His blessings alone. We come to Christ for Christ! Does your faith resemble Judas Iscariot or Mary of Bethany? Are you hanging around Him for what He can give you, only to leave Him when He doesn’t follow through? Or do you adore Him unashamedly without a care for who sees you weeping at His feet? Is your love for Christ a surface love, one that admires Him only? Or is your love for Him a vast ocean you are lost in, with no shore, no bottom, and no limits? How beautiful do you find our Lord Jesus Christ? Are you merely grateful for all He’s done for you, or do you stand stunned before His Throne, in awe that Someone So High could look upon you at all? Have you spoken of Him, or His name, in vain, or have you wept like Isaiah that you have unclean lips before this Glorious, Almighty God?

If you feel cold toward Christ at all, I implore you – ask Him to help you love Him. Even if we adore Him more than our own lives, we should strive to love Him more than we do. He should be the One who defines us. In Him is where we find our identity, before anything else. Christ is infinitely better than anything this world can offer. He is worth leaving everything to follow Him. Every single sinner who encountered our precious Lord in Scripture left their sinful lives behind to pursue Him. They found in Him something greater and more marvelous than their identity as a prostitute, as a tax collector, or even as a Pharisee. He told them, “Go, and sin no more” and each one of them rose up to follow Him in the beauty of holiness.

Have you seen Christ’s beauty in this way? Has He so captivated you that you would lay everything down, absolutely everything in your life, to find yourself in Him? Like the Apostle Paul, have you counted it all as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ? Have you counted these things as dung, as rubbish, to be tossed aside, in order that you may gain Christ? (Philippians 3:8) If not, cry out to Him for the grace to see Him high and lifted up. He is infinitely worthy of all our praise. The great glory of a Christian’s life is a holy preoccupation with Christ. Lord, help us to place You first in our hearts and first in our lives, that in all things to us, You might be preeminent. Amen.

STUDY QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.) True or False - Christ is so united to His church, that He considers what’s done to us as done to Him.




2.) Husbands and wives are considered one __________ by God (Ephesians 5:31), and Christ and the believer are one in ___________ (1 Corinthians 6:17).




3.) What does Paul mean when he says Christ is the “firstborn from the dead”?




4.) Where is the one place in all of creation where Christ is not preeminent?




5.) Complete this sentence: The great glory of a Christian’s life is a _____ _____________ with Christ.

Questions for Personal Reflection

Have you ever thought about your union with Christ being so personal, that He considers whatever happens to you as happening to Him?




How can this deeply personal union with Christ help you live your life for His glory?




Do you know your place in the Body of Christ? What is it that you absolutely love to do? What has He gifted you with? Sanctify it and use it for the glory of Christ and there is your place in His Body.




Are you hanging around Christ for what He can give you? Or do you adore Him unashamedly without a care for who sees you?




Examine yourself. Is Christ truly preeminent in your life? If not, ask Him to help you place Him first in your heart.

Colossians 1:18 – Session Four – Song Playlist:

• Name Above All Names – Sovereign Grace Music – Risen Album

• Song of the Beautiful Bride – Paul Wilbur – Your Great Name Album

• Living Hope – Phil Wickham – Living Hope Single

• Resurrection Power – Chris Tomlin – Resurrection Power Single

• He Rose Again – The Vigil Project – Vigil (Series One) Album

• First Love – Petra – On Fire Album

• Count It All – John Waller – As for Me and My House Album

Scripture References for Further Study:

1.) Romans 12
2.) 1 Corinthians 12
3.) Ephesians 1:21-23
4.) Ephesians 4 & 5
5.) Colossians 2:18-19
6.) Ephesians 1:22-23
7.) 1 Corinthians 12:21-22
8.) Acts 9:4
9.) Matthew 25:40
10.) Matthew 25:45
11.) Ephesians 5:28-30
12.) Ephesians 5:31
13.) 1 Corinthians 6:17
14.) 2 Corinthians 5:20
15.) Philippians 3:21
16.) 1 Corinthians 6:20
17.) 1 Corinthians 6:15-16
18.) 2 Corinthians 6:14
19.) 1 Corinthians 3:16
20.) 1 Corinthians 6:19
21.) 1 Corinthians 10:17
22.) John 16:33
23.) 1 Peter 4:12
24.) Matthew 10:22
25.) Philippians 1:29
26.) James 1:2
27.) 1 Peter 3:13-17
28.) 1 Peter 4:12-19
29.) John 19:36
30.) Exodus 12:46
31.) Number 9:12
32.) John 19:32
33.) Luke 24:39-43
34.) Philippians 3:21
35.) 1 Corinthians 15:52
36.) 1 John 3:2
37.) John 1:3
38.) John 1:1
39.) Genesis 1:1
40.) Colossians 1:18
41.) John 11:1-44
42.) Matthew 9:18-26
43.) Mark 5:21-43
44.) Luke 8:40-56
45.) Luke 7:11-17
46.) Philippians 1:6
47.) Colossians 1:27
48.) Psalm 51:5
49.) Ephesians 2:1
50.) John 3:3
51.) Romans 8:30
52.) Ephesians 1:14
53.) Romans 8:11
54.) Romans 8:29
55.) Proverbs 3:34
56.) James 4:6
57.) 1 Peter 5:5

58.) Matthew 11:29

59.) Matthew 23:12
60.) Philippians 2:3-8

61.) Philippians 2:9-11

62.) James 2:9