Verse 14, chapter 1 through the
22nd verse. In whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sin, who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by Him
were all things created that are in heaven and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers. All things were created by Him
and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things
consist. He is the head of the body, the
church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased
the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. And having
made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile
all things unto Himself, by Him, I say, were the things in earth,
or things in heaven, and you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in His sight." Now, before we
consider some of the content of the epistle, I think it might
put us in a better frame of mind for our study to understand why
it is that Paul writes what he writes. especially concerning
the person and the depth and the glory of the person of Christ. What he does, if we consider
the state of the condition of the church at Calvary, at Colossae
at that particular time and sort of get in our minds some idea
of the type of heresy that were prevalent that had reduced the
person and the glory of Christ so that in effect Paul's teaching
gave exaltation unto Christ and lifted him up as high as it is
possible to lift him up. It is generally agreed that Paul
did not found or start or lay the foundation of the church
here in Colossae by what he says in chapter 2 and verse 1 that
some of them had no knowledge or had not seen his faith. He
knew their situation by hearing. Look at chapter 1 and verse 4. Since we heard of your faith
in Christ. Chapter 1, verse 9. He mentions
it again, since we heard, for he had heard about them. And
the word of the gospel had come unto them, and it had brought
forth fruit in them, chapter 1, verse 5 and verse 6. And they had been taught the
things of Christ, chapter 1 and verse 7. Now, the question is
for us to see if we can determine what exactly were the eras that
prevailed there in the church at Colossae that gave Paul concern
and that caused him to write what he did about the Lord. The question is that. Now, the
strictly Jewish eras of the usual variety were in about every place
that Paul ministered and everywhere that there was a church. But
there was something else that was mingled in here in the church
at Colossae. Look at chapter 2 and verse 8. And there we read of philosophy
and of vain deceit. We read of the tradition of men. We read of the rudiments or the
elements of this present world. Chapter 2 and verse 18 again,
look, humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those
things in the invisible world and vainly puffed up in their
fleshly mind. Chapter 2, verse 23, will worship,
a neglect of the body. Now we must recognize that all
these things that he mentions here were religiously done and
brought in and mingled in among the gospel. Well, there were
the standard Jewish favorites that could be found in almost
every place. They are the Mosaic Law and circumcision
always insisted up by the Judaizers. Now, as for the false teacher
and for the doctrines that were there, of great respect for a
man named J.B. Lightfoot, because he's so well
acquainted with history and with the Greek. He makes the case
that there was a mixture here of Essene Jew and of Gentile
Gnosticism that shines out in the epistle. And they had sought
to combine, as it were, these two very strange doctrines or
beliefs with the Gospel, that had been preached unto them.
John Gill spoke of the philosophy of the Gentile, the ceremonies
of the law of Moses, and some pernicious tenants of Gnosticism."
John E. put it this way, the heiress
promulgated at Colossae were wrapped up with important truths
and were therefore possessed and with dangerous attraction
to some of those who had professed the gospel. Kind of like wheat
and tares growing together, one must be rooted out. All entwined. But then notice something else
about them at Colossae. There was not an outright denial
of Christ. Not an outright or full denial
of Christ. Neither was there a whole rejection
of the Gospel, but their methods were more dangerous and more
devious than if they had made a blatant denial of Christ and
of the Gospel. For they understood the person
and the work of Christ, and alongside of the gospel, they introduced
what one called, quote, an incipient, that is initial, Gnosticism,
unquote. And here there were some who
were pushing certain mystic view And there was a sort of a superficial
pietism that seemed to be in place here in the church. And
they put forth a sort of a system of theology, a view of God based
upon, or a view of God with a view to the mystical insight. And Calvin wrote about this epistle
that they had invented and accessed to God through angels and things
drawn from books and schools and Plato and such things as
that. And they showed up here in the
church at Colossae. Now all of these things Paul
heard about and no doubt heard about them from Epaphras. And he wrote this epistle from
Prism in Rome, if you look at chapter 4 and verse 18. Therefore, the main object and
the main subject of the epistle and the leading purpose for which
he writes this epistle unto them is to confirm them in the gospel
of Jesus Christ and in the person of Christ. That all they needed
to save them was to be found and provided in the Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. And that all of their answers
and all of their remedy for sin was to be found in Jesus Christ. They needed nothing beyond Him. They needed nothing but what
they had and found in Christ. In Him they had absolutely no
lack, no lack that needed to be made up by something outside. They had no spiritual need whatsoever
that was not met by the Lord Jesus Christ. They had full and
perfect Redemption in Him, as we read in chapter 1 and verse
14. What's more, chapter 2, verse
9, in Him dwelled all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And in
chapter 2 and verse 10, They were complete in Him. Chapter
2 and verse 20, they were in Christ, dead to the elements
of the world, having been crucified thereunto with Christ. And what's more, to refute those
Jewish errors, chapter 2 and verse 11, they had a much better
circumcision than that of the flesh given unto Abraham and
taken up by his descendants. Thus, to sum up, they need not
go outside of Christ for a single need. Not one need they had that
could be met outside of Christ. And Paul bids them to rest in
Christ alone. And he condemns as vanity everything
that is outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. They needed not angels. They needed not circumcision.
They needed not the depriving of their body of food, water,
and sustenance. And they needed nothing provided
in the ceremonial law. Thus we read of these things,
we understand why Paul writes as he does, and on the subjects
as he does, and regarding Christ. So, let's jump into our present
text. Paul reminds them in chapter
1, and 1 verses 4 through 7 of their initial experience of the
gospel. What it was that was declared
in that gospel and the effect that it had upon them, because
in chapter 1 and verse 4 their faith in Christ did rise out
of that. Verse 5, of the hope begotten
in them by the word of the gospel. Of verse 6, it brought faith
in them and it was an evidence of the grace of God at work within
them. Chapter 1 and verse 7, the same
as was taught by the minister Ephaphras, who ministered there
among them. Then in verse 8 through verse
12 of chapter 1, he expands upon the context in his prayer in
their behalf. You can compare this largely
to Ephesians 1, 15 through 19, for they have a lot in common. Then in verse 12 through verse
14, he sums up the blessings that flow from the Father and
that flow through Jesus Christ. As in verse 12, he has made us
meet. That is, he has made us fit,
he's made us qualified, he's made us suitable, he's made us
competent to be partakers of or with the saints in life. Look at verse 13 of chapter 1,
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated
us into the kingdom of His dear Son. And in verse 14, in which
dear Son We have redemption, even the forgiveness of sin,
redeemed by Him and our sin put away. By and through the blood
of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has redeemed us from our sin. And Lightfoot put it this way,
He transported us from darkness and settled us as free colonists
and citizens in the kingdom of his Son." Then at verse 15, let
us sharpen our focus of might as we, like Moses, are about
to tread, it seems, upon holy ground, the Apostle having enumerated
the spiritual blessing with which they had been blessed in and
through Christ. In verse 15, look at it, exalts
Christ to His highest glory, declaring His great dignity and
rank. of the One that died to save
us and the One that is our Redeemer. Who is it that died for our redemption
and bore our sins? Now before we wade out into this
deep ocean of wonderful and sacred theology, one of the greatest
exaltations of Christ to be found anywhere in the New Testament,
let's settle a point very clearly, definitely in our mind. That
is that the things that are before us here in this passage were
written with the intent and the intention of overthrowing the
errors that had filtered in of the false teachers among them
there in the church at Colossae. Especially false view of creation
and especially their love of wisdom and their searching after
the wisdom of this world and trying to see over in the unseen
world at once. Paul, if I may say so, dazzles
us with his exaltation of the Christ of God, saying here in
the passage that we have read that our Redeemer, the One who
has redeemed us, is the exact image of God. Not only that,
He is the Creator of all things, and that They are not eternal,
but He is the Creator of them, and He's the sovereign administrator. He is the sustainer of the creation. What He has created, He is sustaining. So when we look at verse 15,
and the opening who that we see there, this looks back to the
Son in verse 13, who is none other than Christ. His dear Son. And now he will speak further
in verse 15, him who, as he will speak something concerning God's
dear Son. But notice, if you will, the
tense, who is. Even now, it is not who was,
it is not who shall be, but the word who is are prominent. to expand upon the one that he
has referenced as the Son of God. And Paul here speaks of
the Lord's Christ from two aspects. Number one, in verse 15 through
verse 17, his relationship to God and to creation. And number two, in verse 18 through
verse 20, his relationship unto the church. the church of God. First, in verse 15 and the first
part, Paul dazzles us when he calls Christ, look at it, the
image of the invisible God. Now, this is no oxymoron. That is, it's not a contradiction
here. But how can one be the image
of one who is invisible? How can there be a visible representation
of the one who is not seen? And yet both of these are declared
in the scripture. Number one, that God is unseen. He is called the invisible God. Again, 1 Timothy 1 and verse
17, invisible. John 1 verse 18, no man has seen
God at any time. John 6 and 46, you've not seen
God. 1 John 4.12 and 4.20, for even
at Mount Sinai, in that great manifestation, according to Deuteronomy
4 and verse 12, they heard a voice, they saw a glory, but they saw
no similitude, they saw no form, they saw no outline, they saw
no shape. This has tempted the pagans.
both in and out of Christianity, to build them gods that they
might see, behold, and touch with their hand. But the second
thing that he said about Christ, that Christ is the very image
of God. So here in our text, image of
God. You have it again in 2 Corinthians
4 and 4. Christ, who is the image of God. Then of course there's that great
verse in Hebrews 1 and verse 3, being the brightness of His
glory and the express image of His person. John Gill wrote this
on Colossians 1.15, when Christ is called the image of God, it
refers not to a visible outline, form or shape, but sameness of
spiritual perfection, essence, and being. And as being equal
with God. And a point to concede is, it
is Jesus in his mediatorial person and office that is referenced
here by the Apostle. It is not just his pre-incarnate
existence that Paul is speaking of. but even as He dwelt in the
flesh, in the world, and among men. He not only came from the
Father, but He once said, He that has seen Me has seen the
Father. John 14 and verse 9. John 10 and verse 30. I and My
Father are one. Yea, He was God manifest in the
flesh. I Timothy 3. and at His birth. He is called Emmanuel, God with
us, Matthew 1 and verse 23. So let's notice something here
about that passage that we referenced in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse
3 that will put us somewhat in the mind of our text here in
Colossians chapter 1. In that, in Hebrews 1 verse 1
and 2, Having spoken of the Son by whom God has spoken unto us
in the last day, He says of Him in Hebrews 1 and verse 3, Who,
that is, the Son, who is, not who was or will be, but who is,
the brightness, or we might use the word affluence, that is,
the outshining, the glorious outshining, the brightest beam
that we might be able to imagine. the splendor of His glory and
the express image of His, that is, of God's person. Some render
it like this, an exact representation of the Father's nature." Consider
these various ways that the words have been translated because
they are very, very weighty words. Quote, the radiance of His glory
and the exact image of His substance. Again, an emanation of His glory,
an express image of His substance. And another has said this, the
radiance of His glory and the impress of His substance, speaking
of Christ and His likeness unto God. Even the reflugence, that
is, the radiance of His glory and the stamp of His substance,
we call it sometimes the hypostatic union. No one uses these descriptions. He is the brightest beam or splendor
of the glory and the express image or character of his Father's
person." So let us again remind ourselves that the Apostle is
not just saying these things only as to his divine nature,
nor of his human nature only excluded from the divine. But
he is speaking of the God-Man-Person of Christ as to that hypostatic
union, that he is both God and man. He is not two persons sharing
one body with each other. But he has two natures in the
one person of the theanthropic person, the Lord Jesus Christ
incarnate. So in Hebrews chapter 1, the
apostle declared what the Son is in respect to the Father. And that is the brightness of
His glory, the exact image of His person. The thing being that
the incarnate Son of God in the hypostatic union as the God-man,
there is both a real manifestation and a representation of God the
Father. Thus we can say an amazing thing,
that in the eternal Son, becoming incarnate in the flesh, He did
so manifest forth the Father, He did bring Him so near that
men could see and handle the very Word of Life. 1 John 1 and verse 2. But the
apostle has more wonderful things to say of Christ. And look now
at the last part of verse 15 where he denominates or refers
to Christ as the firstborn of every creature. Now here it behooves
us to slow down, go slow, be sure lest we stumble because
at first sight the first impression. Some might take these words to
mean that Jesus himself had a beginning, that he was among the first created
beings of God. We certainly don't want to go
there. Maybe the first of all God's creation. is how some people
might put it, which if I'm not mistaken is or was the view of
that old heretic Eros of days gone by. For Eros taught that
the Logos was the firstborn and created of God, who then became
the incarnate Christ by the virgin birth. But Arius said, there
was when he was not. But such a view destroys both
the eternality and the deity of our blessed Lord. Besides,
can he be created himself? who is called the Creator of
all things. How in the world can He be a
created being who is referred to as the Creator? This is in the next verse of
our text. And again, Paul had, in the previous
phrase, called Jesus the very image of God. And this comes
not with or by creation. God cannot replicate Himself. When we think about that, as
great, as powerful, as wonderful as He is, yet even He cannot
create another or one like unto himself. And he will not make
a copy or a duplicate of himself. How then, and in what sense,
is Jesus the firstborn of every creature? For the simple word
also means the firstborn, as it is in Luke 2. And verse 7,
Mary brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger." Again, in Exodus 4 and verse
22, God calls Israel, My firstborn. In Exodus 13 and verse 2, all
firstborns were sanctified unto God, both men and beasts. Numbers 3, 13, all the firstborn
are Mine. So of all, the firstborn had
a special right and dignity in the family. You'll find that
in Deuteronomy 21 and 16. that the firstborn son took precedence
in the family. You can see that in the house
of Isaac in Genesis 25 and verse 29. Now, here the word for first,
protos, has the meaning of foremost, whether in regard to time, regard
to place, or order of importance in either one of them. So, let's
notice. in Colossians 1.18. Christ again
there is referred to as the firstborn from the dead, though He was
not the first in order to be raised up or to come alive from
the dead. But in a certain sense, He is
the firstborn from the dead. See that again in Revelation
1.5. In Romans 8.29, He is the firstborn among many
brethren. Now, Methinks there is help close
at hand that will give us a very strong hint as to how we're to
understand the expression firstborn here in Colossians 1 and verse
18. Who is the beginning? the firstborn from the dead,
in order that in all things he might have the preeminence."
Now, the word preeminence is summed five times in the New
Testament. It has the meaning of to be first,
to be first in rank. The same word is translated preeminence
in Colossians 1 and verse 18. It is rendered chief seats. in Matthew 23, verse 6 and Mark
12, verse 39. And it is rendered uppermost
seats in Luke 11, verse 43. And highest seats in Luke 20,
verse 46. Seats of honor, of preeminence
and such like. Thus, by calling Jesus the firstborn
of all creation, or of every creature, Paul is declaring not
that God created Christ first, but he is stating the preeminence
and is stating the supremacy and the priority of Christ the
Son, just as is stated in Psalm 89 and verse 27. I will make
him, my firstborn, higher than the kings of earth. having precedent,
having authority, having priority over all. David Pitcairn, an
old-time writer, wrote in his treatise called The Anointed
Savior, and it came out in about the year 1846. Quote, it conveys
an idea of the unspeakable superiority that belongs to Jesus Christ
as a result of his relationship with God." He is made the sovereign of all
creatures, the depository of all power, the possessor of all
divine privileges, and the heir of all things. King of kings,
Lord of lords, all judgment is committed into His hand. As the
firstborn, Christ has a superiority similar to that enjoyed by the
firstborn in a family of old. In such things as this went to
the firstborn, number one, A double portion went to them. Number
two, the subjection of all to the firstborn or to the eldest
son was required. Number three, the firstborn man-child
in the family acted as the priest of the family in behest of the
Father. So John Eady understood Paul
to be saying the firstborn in reference to the whole creation.
that He acts in the Father's name and acts in the Father's
interest. And it is God's firstborn, the
preeminent one.