Just a side-note, for the week of October 9th, there will be no session at church nor a new post next week on my blog, as Tuesday, October 9th is my birthday. There will be no group that day, and I do not wish to publish the study online before I run it at my church. Therefore, look for session three of this series in two weeks, on October 17th.
Lord Jesus, I ask for You to send this study to the four corners of the world and to proclaim Your deity to all those worldwide who have ears to hear. I ask for You to use my blog as a witness of Your glory, and inspire Your children, my brothers and sisters, to love and adore You for the magnificence of who You are. Advance Your Kingdom through this little study, Lord, as we may plant and water this seed, but only You can bring the increase. Amen.
In case you missed it, here is the link to: Week One of The Preeminence of Christ.
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 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.”
~Colossians 1:16
As we build more and more on these magnificent themes of Christ’s deity found in Colossians 1:15-20, I’d like to re-read the entire passage every week at the beginning of these studies. The more we dive deeper into these truths week to week, the more this specific passage of Scripture will shine forth like stars in the heavens. We have already studied verse 15, that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Today, we are going to look at verse 16, which goes into more glorious depth than the verse before it.
Before we jump into the verse, I’d like to give you some background on the book of Colossians itself, and why it was written. Some of you may or may not know, but the Apostle Paul did not plant the church at Colossae. He planted the Ephesian church, which was about one hundred miles away from Colossae, and commissioned his fellow-minister in the faith, Epaphras, to plant a church there. Epaphras was a Colossian himself (Colossians 4:12), and therefore, it was natural to send him to his own people. The fact Paul did not plant the Colossian church is confirmed by his words in Colossians 1:4-7:
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf.”
Paul also confirms in Colossians 2:1 that he hasn’t seen the Colossians face to face: “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face.”
Why, then, did Paul write this letter? Heresy was growing in Colossae. Epaphras had made the harrowing journey from Colossae to Rome in order to gain the Apostle’s counsel regarding the matter. Paul himself was on house arrest at the time, being allowed to stay in rented apartments, at his own expense, but forced to wear a chain and submit to a guard (Acts 28:16). The amazing thing about this time is that even though he couldn’t go to the people, the people came to him! The only barrier Paul had preaching the Gospel in Rome was that he couldn’t leave his apartments. But that didn’t stop the spreading of the Gospel among the Romans, despite his being guarded day and night! Acts 28:30-31 says of this time,
“He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”
The books of Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon were all written during this time, somewhere between 60-62AD. They’re commonly called the “prison epistles”.
As I already mentioned, Epaphras was deeply concerned about the spreading heresy within his church. He needed Paul himself, and his authority as an Apostle of Christ, to rebuke this heresy, and call the Colossians back into the faith they had received at the first. The encroaching heresy was an early form of Gnosticism, that God and things of the spirit are good, but the material world is evil, and that Christ was not God, but some lesser spiritual being that would lead the people to greater spiritual enlightenment – apart from the Scriptures. The Colossians were also plagued by Jewish law and traditions. This is the reason why the epistle to the Colossians is one of the most beautiful treatises on the deity of Christ in all of Scripture. Paul had to remind them Christ was not a mere human, nor was He some lesser spiritual being, He is God incarnate, the Mighty One robed in flesh, the King of Heaven come down to earth.
And praise the Lord for Colossians, for by this letter, Christians have been able to fight other heresies on Paul’s authority that deny Christ’s Godhead, either claiming that He is erroneously the brother of Satan or that He is the archangel Michael. This epistle also refutes those who would claim Christ as a mere godly man who was killed for teaching good things throughout Judea. Paul, who himself had met, and spoken with, the risen Christ face-to-face, leaves no wiggle-room to proclaim Christ as anyone other than the Lord of Hosts Himself.
If Paul had stopped his argument at verse 15, Christ could have been viewed as a kind of “avatar” of the Father, or perhaps His first creation. He could have been seen as God’s representative, a spokesman, speaking His words, but not with His power. Perhaps a prophet, even the greatest of prophets! But no, Paul doesn’t stop at saying Christ is the image of the invisible God, he goes much deeper than that.
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth"
This, to put it succinctly, is a God claim. Only God can create something from nothing. Paul does not say Christ created some things, but all things. Not only things on earth, but in heaven also. He does not say Christ was given the power to create, or that the Father enabled Him in some way. It says, very clearly, “by Him”.
“By Him all things were created”
All things – and if you wanted some wiggle-room here, no, Paul shuts it down – in heaven and on earth. Every blade of grass, every rock, every bird, every fish, every mountain, every person, every star in the sky, and every angel in His Host. But perhaps the Colossians still wouldn’t get it, so he plunges even deeper.
“Visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities”
Maybe someone could still argue that Christ is On High in Heaven, and while He created the earth and all things within, what about those invisible things, like a king’s authority? What about spiritual things and spiritual authorities? Yes, even these too – including Paul’s own authority as Christ’s Apostle.
As if that wasn’t enough, Paul says it again, using the Hebrew custom of repeating things twice to emphasize and bring home the truth of it:
“All things were created through Him”
At the beginning of verse 16, he says “by Him”, now here we have “through Him”, as if to refute anyone who believes Christ doesn’t possess God’s power in His own Person. Someone could argue that God the Father created the universe by Christ as a middleman. But Paul says the universe was created through Him as well, meaning, by His power alone. “By Him” was everything made “through Him” with His power as God. In other words, “by Him” is His will to do so, “through Him” is His power to do so. Then finally we come to the breath-taking capstone of Paul’s marvelous doctrine in three tiny words:
“and for Him.”
When read altogether, it is a powerful statement: “All things were created through Him and for Him.”
Not only did Paul explain that by Christ all things were created, and through Christ all things were created, but they were created for one single purpose – for Him. Here he silences their arguments, here he drops the mic in victory, and declares Christ’s ownership of it all!
The Lord Jesus Christ is God Almighty. He is the Lord Omnipotent. He knows the end from the beginning. He is the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega, the One who was dead, and is now alive forevermore! (Revelation 1:8, 17-18)
Paul makes a similar argument in Romans 11:36 when he writes,
“For from him and through him and to him are all things.”
Colossians 1:16 and Romans 11:36 are “sister verses”. They’re composed of the same type of structure, with similar wording, conveying the same doctrine. Paul’s words in the Romans text is a shortened, condensed version of what he conveys in Colossians, but the message is the same. Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe.
Even these heretical Colossians could not deny that Paul’s argument was grounded in the creation account, which had already been Scripture for centuries since Moses. The very first verse of the Bible says that it was God alone who created everything in Genesis 1:1.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Look and see how similar Paul’s argument is:
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth”
THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST – Week Two – Colossians 1:16
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 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.”
~Colossians 1:16
As we build more and more on these magnificent themes of Christ’s deity found in Colossians 1:15-20, I’d like to re-read the entire passage every week at the beginning of these studies. The more we dive deeper into these truths week to week, the more this specific passage of Scripture will shine forth like stars in the heavens. We have already studied verse 15, that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Today, we are going to look at verse 16, which goes into more glorious depth than the verse before it.
Before we jump into the verse, I’d like to give you some background on the book of Colossians itself, and why it was written. Some of you may or may not know, but the Apostle Paul did not plant the church at Colossae. He planted the Ephesian church, which was about one hundred miles away from Colossae, and commissioned his fellow-minister in the faith, Epaphras, to plant a church there. Epaphras was a Colossian himself (Colossians 4:12), and therefore, it was natural to send him to his own people. The fact Paul did not plant the Colossian church is confirmed by his words in Colossians 1:4-7:
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf.”
Paul also confirms in Colossians 2:1 that he hasn’t seen the Colossians face to face: “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face.”
Why, then, did Paul write this letter? Heresy was growing in Colossae. Epaphras had made the harrowing journey from Colossae to Rome in order to gain the Apostle’s counsel regarding the matter. Paul himself was on house arrest at the time, being allowed to stay in rented apartments, at his own expense, but forced to wear a chain and submit to a guard (Acts 28:16). The amazing thing about this time is that even though he couldn’t go to the people, the people came to him! The only barrier Paul had preaching the Gospel in Rome was that he couldn’t leave his apartments. But that didn’t stop the spreading of the Gospel among the Romans, despite his being guarded day and night! Acts 28:30-31 says of this time,
“He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”
The books of Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon were all written during this time, somewhere between 60-62AD. They’re commonly called the “prison epistles”.
As I already mentioned, Epaphras was deeply concerned about the spreading heresy within his church. He needed Paul himself, and his authority as an Apostle of Christ, to rebuke this heresy, and call the Colossians back into the faith they had received at the first. The encroaching heresy was an early form of Gnosticism, that God and things of the spirit are good, but the material world is evil, and that Christ was not God, but some lesser spiritual being that would lead the people to greater spiritual enlightenment – apart from the Scriptures. The Colossians were also plagued by Jewish law and traditions. This is the reason why the epistle to the Colossians is one of the most beautiful treatises on the deity of Christ in all of Scripture. Paul had to remind them Christ was not a mere human, nor was He some lesser spiritual being, He is God incarnate, the Mighty One robed in flesh, the King of Heaven come down to earth.
And praise the Lord for Colossians, for by this letter, Christians have been able to fight other heresies on Paul’s authority that deny Christ’s Godhead, either claiming that He is erroneously the brother of Satan or that He is the archangel Michael. This epistle also refutes those who would claim Christ as a mere godly man who was killed for teaching good things throughout Judea. Paul, who himself had met, and spoken with, the risen Christ face-to-face, leaves no wiggle-room to proclaim Christ as anyone other than the Lord of Hosts Himself.
If Paul had stopped his argument at verse 15, Christ could have been viewed as a kind of “avatar” of the Father, or perhaps His first creation. He could have been seen as God’s representative, a spokesman, speaking His words, but not with His power. Perhaps a prophet, even the greatest of prophets! But no, Paul doesn’t stop at saying Christ is the image of the invisible God, he goes much deeper than that.
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth"
This, to put it succinctly, is a God claim. Only God can create something from nothing. Paul does not say Christ created some things, but all things. Not only things on earth, but in heaven also. He does not say Christ was given the power to create, or that the Father enabled Him in some way. It says, very clearly, “by Him”.
“By Him all things were created”
All things – and if you wanted some wiggle-room here, no, Paul shuts it down – in heaven and on earth. Every blade of grass, every rock, every bird, every fish, every mountain, every person, every star in the sky, and every angel in His Host. But perhaps the Colossians still wouldn’t get it, so he plunges even deeper.
“Visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities”
Maybe someone could still argue that Christ is On High in Heaven, and while He created the earth and all things within, what about those invisible things, like a king’s authority? What about spiritual things and spiritual authorities? Yes, even these too – including Paul’s own authority as Christ’s Apostle.
As if that wasn’t enough, Paul says it again, using the Hebrew custom of repeating things twice to emphasize and bring home the truth of it:
“All things were created through Him”
At the beginning of verse 16, he says “by Him”, now here we have “through Him”, as if to refute anyone who believes Christ doesn’t possess God’s power in His own Person. Someone could argue that God the Father created the universe by Christ as a middleman. But Paul says the universe was created through Him as well, meaning, by His power alone. “By Him” was everything made “through Him” with His power as God. In other words, “by Him” is His will to do so, “through Him” is His power to do so. Then finally we come to the breath-taking capstone of Paul’s marvelous doctrine in three tiny words:
“and for Him.”
When read altogether, it is a powerful statement: “All things were created through Him and for Him.”
Not only did Paul explain that by Christ all things were created, and through Christ all things were created, but they were created for one single purpose – for Him. Here he silences their arguments, here he drops the mic in victory, and declares Christ’s ownership of it all!
The Lord Jesus Christ is God Almighty. He is the Lord Omnipotent. He knows the end from the beginning. He is the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega, the One who was dead, and is now alive forevermore! (Revelation 1:8, 17-18)
Paul makes a similar argument in Romans 11:36 when he writes,
“For from him and through him and to him are all things.”
Colossians 1:16 and Romans 11:36 are “sister verses”. They’re composed of the same type of structure, with similar wording, conveying the same doctrine. Paul’s words in the Romans text is a shortened, condensed version of what he conveys in Colossians, but the message is the same. Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe.
Even these heretical Colossians could not deny that Paul’s argument was grounded in the creation account, which had already been Scripture for centuries since Moses. The very first verse of the Bible says that it was God alone who created everything in Genesis 1:1.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Look and see how similar Paul’s argument is:
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth”
What we have to remember here, looking back at Paul’s letter two thousand years later, was the gravity of these words. I don’t think we get it nowadays, since we’ve always lived with the reality of Christ in the flesh. But Paul is quite literally teaching them that the Lord Jesus Christ is God incarnate. He is the image of the invisible Yahweh from the Old Testament. The Trinity of Father/Son/Spirit was a new revelation, and they had to rethink God in a new way. Many of these people were alive when Christ walked the earth. Some had memories of Him. Imagine the disciples, or one of Christ’s brothers, when their minds were open to finally comprehend that Yeshua of Nazareth was God On High! Can you imagine the immensity of this realization? This man you had walked with for years, this man, your older brother! If I’m regularly humbled at the thought that God left Heaven to walk the earth and save my soul, I can’t even imagine what those who knew Him must have felt when they realized the same!
These Colossians had to come to grips with a God who allowed Himself to die by crucifixion upon a Roman cross. To the natural eye, this seemed a defeat, that Christ couldn’t have been God. Otherwise, Almighty God would have put His almighty power on display and conquered them for His glory! But no, God’s wisdom is high above man’s wisdom, and Christ conquered in a different way; he had to die in order to defeat death for His people. Therefore Paul had to correct this heresy in Colossae with a swift and powerful approach that left no room for argument.
The little book of Colossians flies in the face of anyone who would claim the Lord Jesus Christ isn’t God in the flesh. I want to expound upon this verse a little more for our benefit, and equip us with the full authority of a biblical argument if and when we’re ever confronted with a similar heresy in our own lives.
Remember in our last study I spoke of one of the main principles of hermeneutics, the science of biblical interpretation? It is the principle that Scripture interprets Scripture. In Colossians 1:16, Paul further unpacks his statement that Christ is the image of the invisible God in verse 15. He literally jumps into the deep end and doesn’t mince words. This cannot be overlooked or cast aside; the Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator and Owner of the universe. Armed with that knowledge, we can interpret other verses of Scripture in the light of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever noticed in the Old Testament, sometimes the entire word “Lord” is capitalized? In the original Hebrew, those instances were of the tetragrammaton, a huge fancy word to say it was God’s name, YHWH, or “Yahweh”. The Jews were terrified of breaking the third commandment and saying God’s name in vain, so they changed the tetragrammaton with punctuation marks here and there to read “Adonai” instead, which means “Lord”. The translators of the King James version knew of this, and decided to keep the tradition of not printing God’s actual name; they placed the word LORD in all caps into the text, to denote that this wasn’t an earthly lord, but the LORD of Hosts.
However, in so doing, we who are armchair expositors sometimes downgrade the capitalized “LORD” to be something lesser than God. Christ is “Lord” or “Adonai”, but not equal to God, as if He’s a mere general or an appointed king. There was no such distinction in the ancient world. To say Christ is “Adonai” was to say that He is God.
If we replace those capitalized words with God’s name, Yahweh, we come away with a richer understanding of the text, as in Isaiah 44:24:
Thus says the LORD (Yahweh), your Redeemer,
who formed you from the womb:
“I am the LORD (Yahweh), who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself”
Here, we see when God’s name is replaced, the text is stronger, wider, and deeper. Who is our Redeemer? By whom, according to the Apostle Paul, were all things created, in heaven and on earth? Yes, Christ! And yet, we clearly see this text says, “Yahweh”, the very name of God. There is no ambiguity about who this “LORD” is – no room to wiggle. This is not an appointed king, nor a general, nor some other lesser god. This is a very specific God, the one who named Himself “I Am That I Am” – Yahweh, the God of Heaven.
For your own personal Bible study, I would highly recommend that you keep Yahweh’s name in mind. Mentally remember that the capitalized LORD is the name of Yahweh, and you’ll come away with a fuller understanding of God. Yahweh isn’t the name of God the Father alone, but of the entire Godhead. Even Christ’s given name in the original Hebrew is “Yeshua”, which means “Yah Saves” or “Yah is Salvation”. “Yah” is the shortened, more intimate version of the name “Yahweh”. All three Persons, Father, Son and Spirit, are fully God, not pieces of God or manifestations of God. The union of the singular Godhead – while remaining three distinct Persons – is a mystery to these puny brains of dust. But one day we shall know Him as we are known (1 Corinthians 13:12). Praise the Lord!
There are more witnesses in the New Testament that claim Christ as the Creator. Take the Apostle John’s account, for instance, in John’s Gospel.
“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” ~~John 1:3
“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” ~~John 1:10
Or the account of the writer of Hebrews:
“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” ~~Hebrews 1:2
We can also look to Scripture that speaks about God’s creation to know more about Christ. Scriptures such as Psalm 72:19 and Isaiah 6:2 state the whole earth is full of His glory. You want to know something about the glory of Christ? Look to His creation. Think about this statement for a moment. As of now, we have yet to discover a planet as full of glory as our own. Personally, I don’t believe there is another planet like ours out there. We might have discovered planets similar in size and similar placement from their star, and maybe they even have an atmosphere similar in composition. But the Bible only speaks of the earth as being full of His glory. Only humanity is made in God’s image, and Christ Himself is a glorified man upon the Throne of Heaven.
Have you ever stopped to think about how much glory this world has to offer? This tiny planet has an exceeding abundance of glory if you think long on it. I want you to take a few minutes to think about this glory of our Lord Christ. Think of flowers, of their variety and color, their scent and beauty. Differing trees, from evergreen to deciduous, and differing trees even within those two classifications, conifers, maples, oaks, aspens, and noble firs. Think about all the different species of the world, from the black bear, to the wolf, to the horse, to the whale, to the squid, to the flamingo, to the eagle – not to mention the diversity of humanity all over the globe. All the different kinds of fruits and foods, the water cycle which is the engine of our planet’s weather, and the way nature is perfectly balanced with the climate, working the seasons into their life cycles.
Now think about the glory of the stars. We live in a single, enormous galaxy, but there are tens of thousands, if not millions of galaxies that we know of in our universe. And within each galaxy there are billions of stars. Scripture says in Psalm 147:4:
“He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.”
How many stars are there? We don’t even know, there are too many to count, and yet the Lord Jesus Christ has both determined their number and given each of them a name. Think about that the next time you look up at the night sky. He holds every single one of them in their courses.
What an incredible mind our Lord has! Have you ever stopped to ponder everything He knows in His omniscience? He has the knowledge and the power to create this vast and glorious universe, He likewise has the knowledge and the power to keep it spinning. Not only that, He intimately knows everything about it, every galaxy, every star, and every name of that star. He also knows everything about this little planet full of His glory, every sparrow that falls, and every hair on our heads (Luke 12:6-7).
In Colossians 1:16, Paul continues on about Christ creating those things which are visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. I’d like to dive into that a bit as well. This statement is amazing. By a casual look, Paul seems to be talking about earthly authority, kings and laws and such, but upon a closer examination at cross-referencing Scripture, we come to know these “thrones, dominions, and rulers” are in the spirit realm, more specifically, the demonic. Consider Ephesians 6:11-12:
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
We are told by this passage that our warfare is spiritual, no matter what we’re facing. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the demonic realm. In short, this fallen world is overrun by demons. Praise God we cannot see them, but they’re here. Paul tells us in Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God, to go to battle, and to be well-prepared for this warfare. But lest we lose heart on the battlefield in facing this evil foe, the Holy Spirit has soothed us with these inspired words from Paul’s pen:
“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.” ~~Colossians 2:13-15
These Colossians had to come to grips with a God who allowed Himself to die by crucifixion upon a Roman cross. To the natural eye, this seemed a defeat, that Christ couldn’t have been God. Otherwise, Almighty God would have put His almighty power on display and conquered them for His glory! But no, God’s wisdom is high above man’s wisdom, and Christ conquered in a different way; he had to die in order to defeat death for His people. Therefore Paul had to correct this heresy in Colossae with a swift and powerful approach that left no room for argument.
The little book of Colossians flies in the face of anyone who would claim the Lord Jesus Christ isn’t God in the flesh. I want to expound upon this verse a little more for our benefit, and equip us with the full authority of a biblical argument if and when we’re ever confronted with a similar heresy in our own lives.
Remember in our last study I spoke of one of the main principles of hermeneutics, the science of biblical interpretation? It is the principle that Scripture interprets Scripture. In Colossians 1:16, Paul further unpacks his statement that Christ is the image of the invisible God in verse 15. He literally jumps into the deep end and doesn’t mince words. This cannot be overlooked or cast aside; the Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator and Owner of the universe. Armed with that knowledge, we can interpret other verses of Scripture in the light of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever noticed in the Old Testament, sometimes the entire word “Lord” is capitalized? In the original Hebrew, those instances were of the tetragrammaton, a huge fancy word to say it was God’s name, YHWH, or “Yahweh”. The Jews were terrified of breaking the third commandment and saying God’s name in vain, so they changed the tetragrammaton with punctuation marks here and there to read “Adonai” instead, which means “Lord”. The translators of the King James version knew of this, and decided to keep the tradition of not printing God’s actual name; they placed the word LORD in all caps into the text, to denote that this wasn’t an earthly lord, but the LORD of Hosts.
However, in so doing, we who are armchair expositors sometimes downgrade the capitalized “LORD” to be something lesser than God. Christ is “Lord” or “Adonai”, but not equal to God, as if He’s a mere general or an appointed king. There was no such distinction in the ancient world. To say Christ is “Adonai” was to say that He is God.
If we replace those capitalized words with God’s name, Yahweh, we come away with a richer understanding of the text, as in Isaiah 44:24:
Thus says the LORD (Yahweh), your Redeemer,
who formed you from the womb:
“I am the LORD (Yahweh), who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself”
Here, we see when God’s name is replaced, the text is stronger, wider, and deeper. Who is our Redeemer? By whom, according to the Apostle Paul, were all things created, in heaven and on earth? Yes, Christ! And yet, we clearly see this text says, “Yahweh”, the very name of God. There is no ambiguity about who this “LORD” is – no room to wiggle. This is not an appointed king, nor a general, nor some other lesser god. This is a very specific God, the one who named Himself “I Am That I Am” – Yahweh, the God of Heaven.
For your own personal Bible study, I would highly recommend that you keep Yahweh’s name in mind. Mentally remember that the capitalized LORD is the name of Yahweh, and you’ll come away with a fuller understanding of God. Yahweh isn’t the name of God the Father alone, but of the entire Godhead. Even Christ’s given name in the original Hebrew is “Yeshua”, which means “Yah Saves” or “Yah is Salvation”. “Yah” is the shortened, more intimate version of the name “Yahweh”. All three Persons, Father, Son and Spirit, are fully God, not pieces of God or manifestations of God. The union of the singular Godhead – while remaining three distinct Persons – is a mystery to these puny brains of dust. But one day we shall know Him as we are known (1 Corinthians 13:12). Praise the Lord!
There are more witnesses in the New Testament that claim Christ as the Creator. Take the Apostle John’s account, for instance, in John’s Gospel.
“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” ~~John 1:3
“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” ~~John 1:10
Or the account of the writer of Hebrews:
“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” ~~Hebrews 1:2
We can also look to Scripture that speaks about God’s creation to know more about Christ. Scriptures such as Psalm 72:19 and Isaiah 6:2 state the whole earth is full of His glory. You want to know something about the glory of Christ? Look to His creation. Think about this statement for a moment. As of now, we have yet to discover a planet as full of glory as our own. Personally, I don’t believe there is another planet like ours out there. We might have discovered planets similar in size and similar placement from their star, and maybe they even have an atmosphere similar in composition. But the Bible only speaks of the earth as being full of His glory. Only humanity is made in God’s image, and Christ Himself is a glorified man upon the Throne of Heaven.
Have you ever stopped to think about how much glory this world has to offer? This tiny planet has an exceeding abundance of glory if you think long on it. I want you to take a few minutes to think about this glory of our Lord Christ. Think of flowers, of their variety and color, their scent and beauty. Differing trees, from evergreen to deciduous, and differing trees even within those two classifications, conifers, maples, oaks, aspens, and noble firs. Think about all the different species of the world, from the black bear, to the wolf, to the horse, to the whale, to the squid, to the flamingo, to the eagle – not to mention the diversity of humanity all over the globe. All the different kinds of fruits and foods, the water cycle which is the engine of our planet’s weather, and the way nature is perfectly balanced with the climate, working the seasons into their life cycles.
Now think about the glory of the stars. We live in a single, enormous galaxy, but there are tens of thousands, if not millions of galaxies that we know of in our universe. And within each galaxy there are billions of stars. Scripture says in Psalm 147:4:
“He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.”
How many stars are there? We don’t even know, there are too many to count, and yet the Lord Jesus Christ has both determined their number and given each of them a name. Think about that the next time you look up at the night sky. He holds every single one of them in their courses.
What an incredible mind our Lord has! Have you ever stopped to ponder everything He knows in His omniscience? He has the knowledge and the power to create this vast and glorious universe, He likewise has the knowledge and the power to keep it spinning. Not only that, He intimately knows everything about it, every galaxy, every star, and every name of that star. He also knows everything about this little planet full of His glory, every sparrow that falls, and every hair on our heads (Luke 12:6-7).
In Colossians 1:16, Paul continues on about Christ creating those things which are visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. I’d like to dive into that a bit as well. This statement is amazing. By a casual look, Paul seems to be talking about earthly authority, kings and laws and such, but upon a closer examination at cross-referencing Scripture, we come to know these “thrones, dominions, and rulers” are in the spirit realm, more specifically, the demonic. Consider Ephesians 6:11-12:
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
We are told by this passage that our warfare is spiritual, no matter what we’re facing. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the demonic realm. In short, this fallen world is overrun by demons. Praise God we cannot see them, but they’re here. Paul tells us in Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God, to go to battle, and to be well-prepared for this warfare. But lest we lose heart on the battlefield in facing this evil foe, the Holy Spirit has soothed us with these inspired words from Paul’s pen:
“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.” ~~Colossians 2:13-15
Our battle, therefore, is fought from the hill of victory, not the valley of defeat! Christ has put our enemies to open shame. He has created them, and then triumphed over them by His cross. He is not a God who is defeated by death, He put His glory on full display in dying for His people, in being willing to humble Himself unto death. By doing so, He proved that nothing is impossible for our great God. Not even demons nor the grave can hold Him down. His love is as strong as death, and His jealousy is as fierce as the grave (Songs 8:6). And yes, believer, make no mistake, Christ is jealous for His people, and would have that they view Him as nothing less than God Almighty, seated high and lifted up, our Savior and Redeemer, who is able to save His people from their sin.
I’d like to close this session by exploring one more thing from Colossians 1:16. Paul says all things were made by Him, through Him, and for Him. Don’t gloss over this and think big picture, I want you to dig into this verse and see yourself. Christ made all things…for Him. All things.
This includes you.
Your health or your sickness, your wealth or your poverty, your gain or your loss, your person, your mind, your soul, your heart. All things were created for Him. You were created for Him. Have you ever thought of your own existence in that way? When I was a child, I remember I used to stare at the palm of my hand and think to myself, “Why am I me?” I had deep, philosophical conversations with myself as a child. Why was I born into my family? Why did I look this way? Why was I born in this country? Why, why, why?
But the answer is simply this: for Him.
I want you to really focus on this short and sweet answer. We don’t know why God has us travel the roads we’re on. We can’t see His ultimate plan, but we do know from our previous study that we’re being conformed into His image from glory to glory. We can lose ourselves in the “why me” questions. We can feel sorry for ourselves, become bitter, or fall away from Christ in times of trial. But I want you to rethink these issues of your life under the “for Him” banner.
What do I mean? Answer all of life’s unanswerable questions with this magnificent response: “For Him.” Live your life…for Him. Why do you endure? For Him. Why do you press on? For Him. Christian, this is your battle cry! This is your reason for living; your reason for everything. Here it is again stated another way:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” ~~1 Corinthians 10:31
I’d like to close this session by exploring one more thing from Colossians 1:16. Paul says all things were made by Him, through Him, and for Him. Don’t gloss over this and think big picture, I want you to dig into this verse and see yourself. Christ made all things…for Him. All things.
This includes you.
Your health or your sickness, your wealth or your poverty, your gain or your loss, your person, your mind, your soul, your heart. All things were created for Him. You were created for Him. Have you ever thought of your own existence in that way? When I was a child, I remember I used to stare at the palm of my hand and think to myself, “Why am I me?” I had deep, philosophical conversations with myself as a child. Why was I born into my family? Why did I look this way? Why was I born in this country? Why, why, why?
But the answer is simply this: for Him.
I want you to really focus on this short and sweet answer. We don’t know why God has us travel the roads we’re on. We can’t see His ultimate plan, but we do know from our previous study that we’re being conformed into His image from glory to glory. We can lose ourselves in the “why me” questions. We can feel sorry for ourselves, become bitter, or fall away from Christ in times of trial. But I want you to rethink these issues of your life under the “for Him” banner.
What do I mean? Answer all of life’s unanswerable questions with this magnificent response: “For Him.” Live your life…for Him. Why do you endure? For Him. Why do you press on? For Him. Christian, this is your battle cry! This is your reason for living; your reason for everything. Here it is again stated another way:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” ~~1 Corinthians 10:31
For Him. These two words will give you freedom and peace to live out whatever He has placed on you to go through. I don’t talk about it much, but I have rheumatoid arthritis. Every day is painful, and often I am exhausted and cannot stand for long periods of time. I have a stool in my kitchen that I sit on while making dinner, because standing at the stove is often too taxing. I take various meds, I’ve changed my eating habits, but still RA remains one of the sharpest tools Christ uses in my sanctification. How do I tolerate this? How do I live without bitterness and anger at God for saddling me with a potentially crippling chronic illness? Simple. It’s for Him. It’s for His glory. This is the path He has chosen for me to walk that will glorify Him to the full in my life. So I stoop in this illness for Him.
Do I love Him enough to walk this road for Him?
Do I love Him enough to walk this road for Him?
May it never be said that my answer was no.
When you are able to say with unwavering resolve that everything, absolutely everything, in your life is for Him, then you have opened the door to loving the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do for Him, nothing you wouldn’t go through for Him. If He asked you to walk in the wilderness, alone, beaten down, and brokenhearted, if the reason was “for Him”, the adoring Christian will cry, “Yes, and amen!”
If all of life’s hardship was “for Him”, how many of us would willingly suffer to obtain that weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17)? How many of us would desire with our whole hearts to one day stand before the Lord of Heaven and Earth and say, “I did it all … for Him”? How high would Heaven rejoice? How richly would He bless us? How magnificently would He exalt us? How great a crown would He bestow?
Let us free ourselves from ever complaining, “Why me?”, and sing love in our hearts with this glorious praise: “For Him.”
Amen, Lord Jesus.
1.) What was the heresy creeping into the Colossian church?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2.) What are the three main points Paul made about Christ’s power as God, to prove He is God, over all creation?
Creation was made _______ Him, _______ Him, and _______ Him.
3.) What word does the all-caps “LORD” replace in the Old Testament?
_____________________________________________________________________
4.) When Scripture talks about the rulers, authorities, and dominions, ultimately, what is it talking about?
_____________________________________________________________________
5.) A Christian can face any fiery trial of life with the peace of God in their heart if they remember this one simple phrase:
_____________________________________________________________________
Have you ever truly taken into consideration the weightiness of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is God Almighty?
Have you ever thought of the Lord Christ as being an appointed king, general, or avatar of God, rather than God Himself in flesh?
Like King David in Psalm 8:3-4, have you ever considered your insignificance when compared with the immensity of the glory of God?
When you are able to say with unwavering resolve that everything, absolutely everything, in your life is for Him, then you have opened the door to loving the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do for Him, nothing you wouldn’t go through for Him. If He asked you to walk in the wilderness, alone, beaten down, and brokenhearted, if the reason was “for Him”, the adoring Christian will cry, “Yes, and amen!”
If all of life’s hardship was “for Him”, how many of us would willingly suffer to obtain that weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17)? How many of us would desire with our whole hearts to one day stand before the Lord of Heaven and Earth and say, “I did it all … for Him”? How high would Heaven rejoice? How richly would He bless us? How magnificently would He exalt us? How great a crown would He bestow?
Let us free ourselves from ever complaining, “Why me?”, and sing love in our hearts with this glorious praise: “For Him.”
Amen, Lord Jesus.
STUDY QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.) What was the heresy creeping into the Colossian church?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2.) What are the three main points Paul made about Christ’s power as God, to prove He is God, over all creation?
Creation was made _______ Him, _______ Him, and _______ Him.
3.) What word does the all-caps “LORD” replace in the Old Testament?
_____________________________________________________________________
4.) When Scripture talks about the rulers, authorities, and dominions, ultimately, what is it talking about?
_____________________________________________________________________
5.) A Christian can face any fiery trial of life with the peace of God in their heart if they remember this one simple phrase:
_____________________________________________________________________
Questions for Personal Reflection
Have you ever truly taken into consideration the weightiness of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is God Almighty?
Have you ever thought of the Lord Christ as being an appointed king, general, or avatar of God, rather than God Himself in flesh?
Like King David in Psalm 8:3-4, have you ever considered your insignificance when compared with the immensity of the glory of God?
Have you ever considered glorifying Christ amid your pain and struggles to such a degree that in living “for Him”, your suffering becomes worship?
Do you love Christ enough that if He required you to walk a suffering road, submission to Him would be, “Yes, and amen”?
1. Colossians 1:16
2. Colossians 4:12
3. Colossians 1:4-7
4. Colossians 2:1
5. Acts 28:16
6. Acts 28:30-31
7. Revelation 1:8
8. Revelation 1:17-18
9. Romans 11:36
10. Genesis 1:1
11. Colossians 1:15
12. Isaiah 44:24
13. 1 Corinthians 13:12
14. John 1:3
15. John 1:10
16. Hebrews 1:2
17. Psalm 72:19
18. Isaiah 6:2
19. Psalm 147:4
20. Luke 12:6-7
21. Ephesians 6:11-12
22. Colossians 2:13-15
23. Songs 8:6
24. 1 Corinthians 10:31
25. 2 Corinthians 4:17
26. Psalm 8:3-4
Do you love Christ enough that if He required you to walk a suffering road, submission to Him would be, “Yes, and amen”?
Colossians 1:16 – Session Two – Song Playlist:
- Behold Our God – Sovereign Grace Music – Risen Album
- You Never Change (Live) – Austin Stone Worship – This Glorious Grace Album
- Great I Am – Paul Wilbur – Your Great Name Album
- All Creatures of our God and King – Sovereign Grace Music – Prayers of the Saints Album
- Crown Him (Majesty) – Chris Tomlin – Burning Lights Album
- Doxology/Amen – Phil Wickham – Children of God Album
- Maker of the Moon – Bright City – Hello Maker Album
Scripture References for Further Study:
1. Colossians 1:16
2. Colossians 4:12
3. Colossians 1:4-7
4. Colossians 2:1
5. Acts 28:16
6. Acts 28:30-31
7. Revelation 1:8
8. Revelation 1:17-18
9. Romans 11:36
10. Genesis 1:1
11. Colossians 1:15
12. Isaiah 44:24
13. 1 Corinthians 13:12
14. John 1:3
15. John 1:10
16. Hebrews 1:2
17. Psalm 72:19
18. Isaiah 6:2
19. Psalm 147:4
20. Luke 12:6-7
21. Ephesians 6:11-12
22. Colossians 2:13-15
23. Songs 8:6
24. 1 Corinthians 10:31
25. 2 Corinthians 4:17
26. Psalm 8:3-4
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