The Heart of the Gospel: The Incomparable Christ (Colossians 1:15-20).Thursday May 28, 2026
Intro: We continue in our broad overview of Colossians.
The opening itself has three parts.
Now Paul turns to the heart of the gospel – the incomparable Lord Jesus Christ.
Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Col 1:15-20 is a poem of hymn that is one of the great Christological passages in the New Testament.
The poem has two parts, creation and the new creation.
Image of the invisible God Firstborn of all creation . By Him, through Him, and for Him all things have been created. He is before all things In Him all things hold together.
The passage opens with an astounding declaration: “He is the image of the invisible God” (1:15).
The Greek eikon indicates that “Jesus is an exact, as well as a visible, representation of God.”
“Firstborn” - Jesus is the highest heir, not a created being.
The word (prototokos) means pertaining to having special status associated with a firstborn.
The real meaning of prototokos for Jesus is found in:
Psa 89:27 I also shall make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.
“A Savior not quite God is a bridge broken at the farther end.” [Bruce]
False teachers were not new to Colossae, nor to the church.
The hymn uses three related prepositions (in, through, for) to communicate Jesus Christ’s role as creator.
In Him means that He is the source of all creation (Gen 1:1). Through Him indicates He is the agent – He chose to create. For Him means that the whole creation has only one Lord – Jesus Christ.
He is before all things. In Him all things hold together.
“before” affirms Christ’s preexistence before creation (nothing excluded – “all things”).
The verb “hold together” is a perfect tense, meaning that whenever the universe cohered up to now, the Lord Jesus is the power that holds it.
Part 2 of Hymn: New Creation.
The Head of the body The beginning Firstborn from the dead Fullness Reconcile all things. Peacemaker.
He is the head of the body that is the church. There is no church without a new creation in Christ.
Eph 5:23 Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
He is the beginning, but directly following is “the firstborn from the dead.” This clearly refers to Him as the first resurrected one.
A new Genesis – Christ is the Head and Preeminent One of the New creation – the kingdom of God.
The same three prepositions (in, through, for) are repeated and in the same order.
All the fullness (in Him): Totality of the Divine powers and attributes.
“Dwell in Him” – Christ the Man is fully God and lost nothing of deity when He took humanity upon Himself.
Reconcile all things (through Him and to Him). Peacemaker.
The fullness of deity is in Him (source) and He reconciled through Him (desire) and to Him (Lord of the new creation).
Reconciling all things means victory.
“having made peace” would particularly refer to the saved who have peace with God.
Whether things on earth or things in heaven – total victory and glory all to the Lord Jesus Christ. What a hymn!
This poem / hymn could not exist if God was not love.
Application:
The gospel is the good news about who He is and what He has done.
He is the heart of the gospel. He is God, Heir, Creator of all. He is the same over the new creation.
All who believe in Him, who believe the gospel, have His titles and works as their firm foundation.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Christ is all in all.
Keep your faith in Him. Love Him and so love all the saints. Worship Him for who He is. |