You and I were once completely separated from God in our sins. We belonged to another kingdom, a rebel kingdom. But God died for all us rebels to bring us out of darkness and into light, out of slavery and into freedom and out of guilt into his forgiveness.
Paul’s letter to the believers in Colossae was written as an encouragement to remain steadfast to the simple truth of the Gospel. False teachers had infiltrated the church bringing empty and arrogant philosophies claiming special knowledge, promoting religious rituals and a mixed bag of heresies that threatened to undermine the believers faith in Christ. To these false teachers Jesus was okay… He just wasn’t enough. They were wrong and this letter addresses each of the various conflicting claims being made against the supremacy of Christ.
There may be no greater doctrinal statement regarding the person and work of Jesus in the New Testament than what we read in Colossians 1:13-18. Several truths about Jesus help us understand not only who Jesus is but what he has done on our behalf. First, Jesus is our Savior (Col. 1:13-14). He purchased our freedom, forgave our sins and brought us into his eternal kingdom through his death on the cross. You and I were once completely separated from God in our sins. We belonged to another kingdom, a rebel kingdom. But God died for all us rebels to bring us out of darkness and into light, out of slavery and into freedom and out of guilt into his forgiveness. Not only is He our wonderful Savior, Jesus is God (Col. 1:15). He revealed to us the very essence of God. The word “image” means “an exact representation and revelation.” Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”(John 14:9). Jesus brought the invisible God out in the open and visible for all to see Him for “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (Col. 1:19). Jesus is the Creator (Col. 1:15-16). Jesus was not a created being but before all creation and supreme over all creation. Jesus himself did the creating of the heavens and the earth. There’s not a square inch of the universe that Jesus cannot claim as his including the spiritual forces in the heavens we cannot see. Jesus is the Sustainer (Col. 1:17). He holds all of his creation together with his mighty power sustaining all life. Everything we need comes from him. Jesus is the head of his church (Col. 1:18). The Church as a body is an important image for us to consider. Each Christian is a member of Jesus’s body. As head of his body Jesus leads, directs and rules over the Church. The church had its origin in Him and today He continues to supply His Church with power through the Holy Spirit. He gives gifts and special abilities and places his children in His body where our gifts can be used to glorify him.
Jesus is supreme! He is God, the Creator, the Savior, the Sustainer, the Head of the Church and the rightful King of the Universe. Worship Him because He is worthy. Obey Him because He is Lord and enjoy your new life in Him because He loves you so. He is more than enough.
