Transcribed from the Words of Life Radio Program.

Thank you for listening to these Words of Life radio broadcasts. The title for the lesson is: “His Fullness Dwell in Him.” Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 through 19 is our study text in the New Testament and we will get to the text in the body of our lesson.

Unbelievers and false teachers, usually, do not deny the significance of Jesus Christ in modern times. Most give Him some prominence, such as a great moral teacher, and yet, they refuse Him, Jesus Christ, preeminence over all others that have ever lived or will live.

Perhaps, no paragraph in the New Testament contains more concentrated doctrine regarding Jesus Christ than our passage, Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 through 19. These words are important because for many Christians the Bible is supremely about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Someone has aptly stated that the entire Bible can be comprehended and compressed into just one summary statement.

“Someone was coming, someone came, someone is coming again.” Which I have repeated recently, and which is so very true. That Someone, of course, is Jesus the ‘Christ,’ meaning the ‘Anointed One’ of God, that is what Christ means. Messiah and Christ are the same thing, meaning the anointed One. Messiah is from the Hebrew anglicized, Christ is from the Greek anglicized.

The Old Testament reveals the preparation for Messiah, His coming. In the New Testament, the four gospels present Jesus Christ as God in human flesh, He came, Godman, who came into the world to save sinners. In the Book of Acts the message of salvation in Christ, begins to spread throughout the world, recording some detail of, and about the first thirty-five years of the church age. The epistles (or letters) of the New Testament detail the theology of Christ’s work, and the personification of Christ in His body, the church. Finally, the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ presents Him on His throne, reigning as King of kings, and Lord of lords.

In John chapter 5 and verse 39 Jesus stated: “These are the scriptures that testify about me.” When Christ said this only the Old Testament Scriptures were written and available.

Our text (Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 through19) is especially pivotal regarding the full and true identity of who Jesus Christ is. The apostle Paul wrote this epistle in large measure due to the heresy running rampart in the city of Colosse which attacked the full identity and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Today, cultists, skeptics, and unbelievers still strive to undermine the supremacy and preeminence of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul set the record straight.

Colossians chapter 1 verse 15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

Jesus Christ thereby equals the image (or likeness) visibly, among men at His first coming, visibly of the invisible God, who is spirit (according to John chapter 4 and verse 24). Jesus Christ is the perfect, absolutely accurate image of God. He did not become the image of God when He took on a body of flesh and blood; He has been God from all eternity preexistent as the one and only Son of God.

Christ reflects all of God’s perfect attributes as the sun’s light in the sky, reflects the sun itself. This is collaborated in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

Paul also wrote of Jesus Christ in Philippians chapter 2 and verse 6 “Who, being in very nature, God.”

This is why Jesus could make the bold statement found in the gospel of John chapter 14 and verse 9 “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” In fact, Jesus Christ is the full, final, and complete revelation of God. Actually, to think anything less of Him is blasphemy, which is a serious sin.

Jesus Christ is also (in Verse 15) is referred to as the first-born over-all creation.” The original Greek word translated “first born” can mean chronologically. However, as is true of many words, regardless of language, “first-born,” can have another meaning, other meanings, here referring to position or rank. The context determines the meaning. “First-born over-all creation” refers, thus, to Christ’s position, ranking, as preeminent over all the universe. Another example of “first-born” as position or rank, referring to Jesus Christ, is found in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 5 “the first-born from the dead.” Obviously, Christ was not the first-born person to be resurrected chronologically, as Jesus raised many beforehand, such as Lazarus. So, the context again indicates position, that is preeminent of all ever to be resurrected and in Jesus’ case never to die again. Jesus Christ is the highest ranking, the sovereign, supreme being overall as the Son of God.

Paul continues to pile-on the supreme accolades of Jesus Christ even beyond – “image of God,” and “first-born over all creation;” which is Christ in relation to God.

Verse 16 “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” So, Paul adds Jesus Christ in relation to the universe! Here Paul gives at least four reasons for Jesus’ preeminence. First, He is creator of the cosmos.

A commentator writes “The sheer size of the universe is staggering. The sun, for example, has a diameter of 864,000 miles (100 times that of earth) and could hold 1.3 million planets the size of earth inside it. It takes sunlight, traveling at 186,000 miles per second, about 8.5 minutes to reach earth. Yet that same light would take more than 4 years to reach the nearest star, AlphaCenturi, some 24 trillion miles from earth. The galaxy to which our sun belongs, the Milky Way, contains hundreds of billions of stars. And astronomers estimate that there are millions, or even billions of galaxies. What astronomers can see leads them to estimate the number of stars in the universe at 10 to the 25^th power. That is roughly the number of all the grains of sand on all the world’s beaches.

Second, the universe also bears witness to the tremendous wisdom and knowledge of its Creator. Scientists now speak of the Anthropic Principal, ‘which states that the universe appears to be carefully designed for the well-being of mankind,” as according to Donald B. DeYoung Ph. D. Physicist, specializing in solid-state and nuclear science, as well as in Astronomy.

For example, a change in the rate of earth’s rotation around the sun or on its axis would be catastrophic. The earth would become either too hot or too cold to support life. If the moon were much nearer to earth, huge tides would inundate the continents. A change in the composition of the gases that make up our atmosphere would also be fatal to life.”

Consider in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 16 it reveals: “Whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities.” Note that these groups are preceded by the word “invisible.” That is invisible to human beings. Also based on these same terms being revealed elsewhere in Scripture these refer to various categories of angels whom Christ created and is sovereign over. There is no comment regarding whether they are holy or fallen, since He is Lord overall. Because, in verse 16 “all things were created by Him and for Him,” therefore as Creator God Christ created both the visible and invisible universe; (as all persons of the Godhead participated, God and the Father and God the Son and the Holy Spirit for His pleasure and glory, one God manifested in three persons. How can that be? This magnifies the omnipotence -all power – of Almighty God. We do not have to understand this for it to be true. Completely understand the Trinity that is.

Colossians chapter 1 and verse 17 “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Thirdly, the preeminence of Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, is His preexistence.

Note in John chapter 1 and verse 1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “In the beginning “refers to the time-space-matter universe. Now note the tense “was” the Word. That is before “in the beginning.” John chapter 1 and verse 14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” That is, putting it all together, the Word took on a body of flesh and blood, who is, Jesus Christ. So, as the spirit-being originally, the Son of God is preexistent, an eternal being, with no beginning with no end in His personhood “He is before all things, that is exceedingly preeminent along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

Fourthly, and “in him all things hold together.” Christ not only as Creator, not only created all with perfect designs for mankind, not only is He pre-existent, but He also sustains, holds together everything, not somethings, everything! Christ maintains the complexly designed, delicate balance necessary for life’s existence, as we know it, on earth, and sustaining the entire universe. Christ is the power behind every natural law’s consistency in the cosmos. Christ keeps all the entities in outer space in their perpetual motion. Jesus Christ literally holds it all together as what is and what is preplanned.

Second Peter chapter 3 and verse 10 “But the “day of the Lord” will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” We in Christ need fear not, as God’s people we will be with Him when this comes to pass. Then God will create a new heaven, and a new earth. (Revelation chapter 21 and verse1)

Paul reveals Christ in relation to God (Colossians chapter 1 and verse 15.) Paul reveals Christ in relation to the universe (Colossians chapter 1 verses 16 and 17)

Next comes Colossians chapter 1 and verse 18 “And He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

So, the apostle Paul, also reveals Jesus Christ in relation to the church; His church of which He is head and master and Lord.

There are many figures of speech (metaphors) in Scripture depicting the church. It is called a family, it is called a kingdom, a vineyard, a flock, a building, and Christ’s bride. Yet the most profound sense, having no Old Testament equivalent, is that of a body. The true church is the body of Christ, so-to-speak, physically on earth as He supremely, preeminently is the body’s head. This idea is not used in the sense of the head of a company, but rather the church as a living organism, inseparably connected together by the living Christ spiritually. Christ Himself and through the Holy Spirit controls, gives spiritual life and direction to His church, true church. Christlike character, and doctrine is lived-out through all born-again, baptized believers. “He is the beginning” as the church has her origin, her source in Christ Jesus, as He is the bridegroom of His bride.

Jesus Christ is foremost as He reigns supreme as God, as Creator, over all that is seen, all that is unseen, all held together in all the universe including over His church. Therefore, Paul accentuates, emphases it all with an exclamation point.

Colossians chapter 1 and verse 19 “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him.” The key words here is “fullness.” Jesus Christ is fully God, truly God in every sense.

Jesus Christ exhausts all that God is. In Christ resides the totality of all divine power and all divine attributes.

Today, many have only a casual mindset about Jesus Christ. He’s often considered just another moral teacher among many. Having heard all the virtues of Jesus Christ should He just be lumped together with all others? It’s nonsensical to give Christ only occasional attention when one understands accurately who He is. He can be ignored or adored but “mild approval” doesn’t fit. Jesus Christ is Lord, He is Savior, Creator, sustainer and will be everyone’s judge! We cannot be casual about all of that!

Where does Jesus Christ stand in our lives? Is He just added along with everyone else that is part of our lives?

Jesus Christ is the likeness, the image of the invisible God; He is Creator of all. He is before all; in Him all things hold together. He is Head of the church, all the fullness of God dwells in Him!

He is Lord or He is not? It’s your choice. Make your choice real, make a confession of faith in Christ Jesus, receive Him as your personal Savior and Lord and be baptized into Him as you are added to His church.

David Johnson is minister of the Sellersburg Church of Christ in Sellersburg, IN.