“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 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. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Colossians 1:15-20
The beliefs that we have about Jesus are many. Many of us believe that although Jesus was a great man, he was a man. We think that he was a great teacher. We think that he was a great moral example for us to follow. We think that he was a great religious leader. And some of us would say even that he was a prophet.
Jesus is a man, to be sure. He is fully man. He is a man in every way as you and me.
However, by believing this way about him, we bring Jesus down to our level. We do so because, although he is a man, we make him into a mere man. Instead of seeing him for who he is, we make him weak and sinful, just like us.
However, according to Scripture, Jesus is so much more. And this is something we see in the above passage. Paul tells us, in several different ways, that Jesus is God.
He describes Jesus as the image of God, meaning that he shares God’s likeness. It expresses the fact that he is the embodiment of God. He is the manifestation of God.
He’s described as the firstborn of creation. And this does not imply that Jesus was created. It implies his authority. As the firstborn son, in Biblical times, received the largest share of the inheritance and leadership of the larger family, this is Jesus’ role. He possesses authority over all creation.
He is the creator. By him, all things were made. And this includes things both visible and invisible. They were made by him and for him, which tells us that all things belong to him.
He’s before all things, indicating that he preexisted all things. In other words, he is eternal. In him all things hold together, meaning that everything continues to exist only by his power and authority. He is the head of the church. And he is the firstborn from the dead, once again indicating his authority and the fact that he was the first to rise from the grave.
All of this is true of him that he might be preeminent in everything. This is true of him that he might be prominent, the greatest, and the foremost of all. Again, he is more than we could ever aspire to be.
The fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Jesus. This tells us that Jesus is God in every way. He isn’t partially God, nor does he simply possess some of the characteristics of God. He is fully God.
In Jesus, God was also pleased to reconcile to himself all things. And this was accomplished, peace was made, through the blood of the cross. It was by his sacrifice, it was by his death upon the cross, that our relationship with God was restored.
Jesus, then, is God and man. He is our maker and redeemer. He is the one to whom we look that we might be reconciled to God.
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