The Letter to the Colossians part 2

The Hymn & Work of Christ

We come to the central message of Colossians quickly, because the rest of the letter flows out of this central truth: Christ is the full revelation of God. It is through Christ we can know our Creator. Periodically, one can hear in popular culture the idea that God is unknowable--a kind of agnostic outlook. Because God is unknowable, then it must be the case that no particular religious group is fully right, or fully wrong. This idea has led to a plethora of beliefs which revolve around the notion "What you believe may be true for you, but not for me." This phenomenon has been given the name "post-modernism", because it follows after the 'modernism' of the Industrial Age and the time of great skepticism in the 18th-20th centuries. However, what many do not know is the notion is as old as paganism.

The Romans, much like previous empires but to a greater extent, solidified their empire not just in geography, but also in theology. The gods of Rome became synonymous with the gods of Greece, Egypt, and the myriad of cultures under Roman rule. It just so happen, though, that since Rome was the prevailing power, it was best to use the gods' Roman names. Roman religion became a tool for politicians by synchronizing all the various gods into a hodge-podge system of ritualism. What mattered most to the pagan was the ritual of religious practice, and the philosophers played the part in teaching how to live well. 

Now, why the history lesson? Paul is addressing in his letter both orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right behavior). The Colossians having lived under the pagan system were used to separating belief and practice, which would lead (as it did in many areas) to allowing false teachings into their midst. These false teachings were not seen as dangerous so long as the Christians continued to "do the right things." Paul's answer throughout this letter is that everything we know about true knowledge and true living is found in Christ.

It is through Christ that we know the Truth, and it is through Christ that we live in the Truth.

One of the marks of true Christianity is that it does not separate belief and practice. Ritual without belief is of no benefit, because God sees the heart. And, belief without practice is of no benefit, because as James says, "Faith without works is dead." To set the Colossians on a solid foundation for this letter, he begins with a hymn to Christ and how the truth of that hymn affects them individually. Let's begin with that hymn. 

Colossians 1:15-20 : Who is Christ Jesus?

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 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. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 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. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

He is the Invisible Creator made visible.

Verse 15 is something of a conundrum for many, but it helps to remember two things: (1) Paul is a Jew explaining Jewish ideas to a Greek audience, and (2) Jesus is no mere human, nor merely Divine, He is both. Now, since we are not first century Jews or Greeks, how does this help? 

“Image” can refer to either a sculpted representation or a manifestation of the thing ‘imaged’. For pagans, they understood the sculptures of their gods were not actually gods, but the images worked as a medium between them and the gods. Therefore, whatever the worshiper did to the image, it was just as if being done to the god itself. For the Jews, these images were abominable, because the Lord told them not to make such images. God is spirit and could not be contained within a sculpted statue. He is above Creation, not a piece of it. Now, the ironic part is that paganism, over the course of centuries, began to identify an “unknowable God” who was above all other gods, and hence why in Athens Paul identifies the “Unknown God” as Jesus Christ (Acts 17:23). So, in one verse Paul has bridged both pagan understanding and Jewish understanding to the Truth—Jesus Christ is the Sovereign God over all Creation manifested in flesh. It is Paul’s equivalent to John’s statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). 

Where we could only understand our Creator in vague references, Jesus Christ has made Him plain, because Jesus is God come among us.

He is Sovereign over all things seen and unseen.

Now, as God, it makes perfect sense that Jesus is above all things and ruler of all things. As Creator, it is His right to rule over Creation. We understand this as family members. How many fathers have told their rebellious son, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!” The phrase “firstborn of all creation” can bring in some confusion, but keep in mind the following verses help explain this phrase. 

First, the word is ‘firstborn’ not ‘first born’. The Greek word is prototokis and I give that to you so that you know it is one word not two. The title comes down through the centuries, and it carries Old Testament meanings as well. ‘Firstborn’ refers to the one who is preeminent in the family, not necessarily the one who was born first. Typically, the bulk of an inheritance would go to the first born son, but there were times when it would go to someone else. You may recall Isaac was not technically the first of Abraham. Jacob was not the first born of Isaac. Abel was chosen over Cain. Shem was chosen over Japheth. David was not the first king. So, we are not like the Arians and other cult groups who claim Jesus is the first created being. We understand ‘firstborn’ is the title that signifies His place over Creation. It explains why the human Jesus has such a preeminent place for someone who has come fairly late in human history. It is because He is God manifested.

Thus, no matter what part of Creation is pointed to, Jesus is over it—whether things seen or unseen, thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities. The spiritual and physical powers within the earth are still subject to the authority of Jesus Christ, because they only have their existence by Jesus. 

He is Head of the Church.

Likewise, Jesus is the Head of the Church, because it is through Jesus the Church exists. After His resurrection, Christ gave the disciples the task of spreading the Good News of salvation. They were to lead those who already believed and preach to those who have not yet believed. The subsequent decades saw an exponential rise in the number of believers which led to an-ever evolving understanding of the Church and how the local body functions. Though we are now 2000 years removed from the first group of disciples, we are still under the same Head, Christ Jesus, as the King and Leader of the Church. 

Also, though, note what Paul says qualifies Jesus as Head. Jesus is the Head of the Body because He is Creator, but also because He is the "firstborn from the dead." His human body was raised from the dead, and He is the firstborn of all those who will also be raised. The Church consists of all those who have been resurrected with Christ. Now, we typically think of the resurrection as that final event in history in which believers in Christ will rise out of their graves. This event is the physical event which occurs after the spiritual event that happens each time someone is saved. For every person who believes that Jesus is Lord, that He was raised on the third day, and confesses this belief, that person has been brought from spiritual death into eternal life. This point is explained more in the following passage, but for here, we should note that in all things we do, we do it under the leadership of Christ, who is alive and gives direction to His people. Just as the Proverb says, "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." (Prov 16:9),

Colossians 1:21-23 : Who are You?

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[g] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Now Paul turns to who the Colossians are. They have been transformed. Look at the contrast in verses 21 & 22:

Before the Colossians were: (1) alienated from God, (2) hostile in mind, and (3) doing evil.

Now, in Christ, they are: (1) reconciled, (2) presented as holy, blameless, and (3) above reproach.

The Colossians were a people completely disconnected from God and all things about God. They were not Jewish, nor did they have anything to do with Judaism. But, in Christ, they are now brought near to God. They are reconciled with their Creator, and further they have been transformed from their prior way of thinking. 

Our past failures, family background, prior beliefs, or anything else cannot keep us from Christ, if we will simply turn to Him.

And likewise, once we have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, we are also transformed. That is why we say, “Jesus takes us as we are”, because the only requirement for salvation is faith in the work of Christ. Anyone is able to approach the throne of God, if they go through Jesus Christ, and Christ tells everyone “Come”. 

Now, notice in verse 23 that this transformation is a process. Paul does not separate the initial step of faith into salvation with the ongoing steps of transformation. Theologians have given names to these steps of salvation—justification and sanctification. These are useful terms in discussing how a person goes from lost sinner to faithful believer, however they can muddle our thinking if we aren’t careful. 

Sometimes Christians have emphasized justification to the extent of forgetting sanctification. It is a cheap grace. You hear it as, “Well, I was baptized, isn’t that enough?” Or, “I got saved as a kid, so I’m not worried about going to church or other stuff.” Salvation is not just ‘a kid thing’. Baptism is for both kids and adults who surrender to Jesus Christ. Paul says that we are presented blameless and holy if we continue in the faith.

But, then, that can lead to the other extreme where Christians have emphasized sanctification over justification. These are Christians who become legalistic and put rules in place for those who wish to come to Christ. It is a grace that comes with a heavy price. Many times these rules are well-meaning, but they put barriers between salvation and the lost. They could be dress-codes, or rules against certain vices, or any number of things. The intention is usually to point people to righteousness, but we must remember that if someone is not saved, these rules do them no good. They can lead to either to false understanding of the Gospel—“if I obey these rules, I must be saved even if I don’t really believe.” Or, they may lead to a culture of guilt—“I can’t be saved, because I can’t follow those rules.” And, I have seen that second one play out in both Christians and non-Christians. I have met Christians who were not sure of their salvation, because they constantly worried they were not good enough for Christ. I have met nonChristians who never wanted to attempt salvation, because they believed it was about the rules and not grace.

True salvation consists of both the initial step of repentance and the ongoing steps of transformation that comes with eternal life.

Paul is going to spend considerable time in this letter describing the truth. Jesus calls us to a life of freedom—freedom from human prohibitions and false beliefs, and freedom from true sin that keeps us from living as God designed.

Paul will continue this line of thought in chapters 2 & 3, but for today, I will leave you with this:

We know true doctrine, because when our beliefs are correct it leads to correct practice. And we know correct practice, because it leads to correct beliefs. Now, I know that is circular reasoning, but that is the nature of discipleship and growing in Christian maturity. As we learn more about who Christ is, it leads us to live as Christ designed us to live. And, as we live as Christ calls us to live, we will grow in our knowledge of who He is, and what He is capable of. That is how we can identify false teachings and false practices. Anything that drives us closer to Jesus Christ is from Him. Anything that drives us away from Christ, whether a false belief about Him or a sinful practice, that is not from Christ.

So, as we close for the day, let’s spend some time in prayer about what we believe and what we practice. Have your beliefs about Christ led you closer to Him, or have they kept you from Him? Do your rituals and habits drive you closer to Christ, or are they keeping you from knowing your Creator and Redeemer? As we consider what the Holy Spirit has given us through Paul, let’s examine our own lives and see what needs to be reconciled with the Truth of our Redeemer.