“A Hymn to the Supremacy of Christ In Redemption” Colossians 1:18-20
Last week we looked at the first section of this marvelous Hymn to the Supremacy of Christ found in Colossians 1:15-20 and saw that it declares Christ as the Eternal Creator and Sustainer God, who has the highest rank or priority in the entire universe. He is God who holds all things together. Christ shares the Godly supremacy over the entire Created order!
This week we will look at verses 18-20 but we will read Colossians 1:15-20: “He (that is Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (not born but the highest rank and authority, all the privileges which would be awarded a firstborn. Jesus could not be a born creature and be the Creator of all things at the same time.) 16 “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.” (Remember that the false doctrine which was prevalent at the time was the belief of a hierarchy of angels in which people said that you should pray to angels. This section refutes that understanding. Angels were created by God too and they are subject to Christ.) “All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
Now to the second half in verse18: “And He is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Jesus is Supreme over Redemption
In verses 15-17 we saw Jesus’ pre-eminence, that is, His prominence and superiority in the entire realm of Creation; in verses 18-20 we see Jesus’ equal sovereignty in the realm of Redemption: Jesus is Lord over all. Verses 13-14 were the direct prelude to this Hymn and describe “WHY” the Lord Jesus Christ is Supreme over Redemption; Look at those again: 13 “He (God the Father) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (God has picked us up from one place, being dead in our sins, and transferred us into another, into the Kingdom of His Son.)
Kingdom’s have rulers or leaders and God is the ruler of His Kingdom; Verse 14 tells us that we have been placed into the Kingdom of God, or as verse 14 said, “the Kingdom of His Son,” so we can say that the Kingdom of God IS the Kingdom of His Son, and it implies clearly that Jesus shares in all of the power of the Godhead. That is why the beginning of verse 18 can state very clearly that “He (Jesus, and Jesus alone) is the head of the body, the Church.”
Jesus is the Head of the Body, the Church.
In Paul’s earlier writings (Gal., 1 & 2 Thess., 1 & 2 Cor. and Romans), he mentions that the Church is the “Body” of Christ. In Romans 12:5 Paul said: “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 explains this concept in detail, explaining that believers are all part of the ONE Body of Christ, the Church, and that God gives each one of us gifts by which we contribute to the unity, oneness and health of the body and that no one is exempt. No gift is insignificant because all the body parts are essential to the well-being of the body. (If you lose a part of your own body or if a part is not functioning properly, you find out how much you miss it.)
Colossians 1:18 is the first time that Jesus is mentioned as “the Head of the Body”. The primary meaning for the word, “head”, refers to the organic or physical part of the body, and we might say that Christ is the “Organic” head of the Church body.
This is obvious: We all have a head and it is normally attached to our necks, unless we “lose our head”. Many times we have heard that we haven’t USED our heads and that refers to the most important part of our heads which is located inside of our skulls, namely, our brains.
Science teaches us that the head or brain causes body life and growth. The brain is the guidance system of the body. Without the head, life, growth, movement, thought patterns and impulses cease to exist, and so Jesus is the Head of the Body, the Church, and we derive our life, our health, our existence and guidance from Him. He is the one who causes the Church to live and grow.
Eph. 4:15-16 summarizes this truth, saying: “But, speaking the truth in love, (we) may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Col. 2:19 says the same.)
So Jesus can be compared to the physical qualities of the “Head” but He is also the “Ruling” head of the Church. In Ephesians 1, Paul is expressing his desire for the Church to understand the Authority of His risen Lord; in verse 19 he wants us to know: “What is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
It is absolutely clear that Jesus is the “Ruling” authority over Creation AND the Church, and so the Church is not dependent on any other creatures nor any angels. Jesus is King of the Kingdom, having all “power and might and dominion” both now and forever. It is through Him that we receive all things: He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing,” in John 15:5.
Jesus is the Beginning, the Firstborn from the Dead
We also read in our text that “Jesus alone is the Beginning, the Firstborn from the Dead.” Remember in verse 15 Jesus is “the firstborn over all creation.” He did not have a physical birth because He had been eternally with the Father from everlasting, but He rules over all creation because He is the Creator and in that sense He has the highest honor and rank over all the universe.
In our text today, Jesus is the beginning of the New Creation which will live forever, having died for our sins and having been the first to rise from the dead FOREVER. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is the only sure foundation for as our eternal Hope and Assurance. 1 Peter 1:3 says this: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy (not according to our works) has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” “Begotten us again” means that we have been born again or born anew, born from above.
Paul explains Christ’s resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:20: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (Rom. 8:29: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”) The “firstfruits” were a sign that there would be more to come. Remember in the Old Testament God instituted firstfruits giving which many Christians still practice today. It is giving God the FIRST ten percent of your income because you are sure more will follow. You know that God promises more “fruit”. In the same way, Jesus is the sign of the firstfruits of the resurrection. Because Jesus has arisen and conquered death, in the same way, all who believe in His work can rest from their striving and expect God to provide their own resurrection and life and so Jesus’ bodily eternal resurrection is an anticipation and guarantee of our own resurrections: There is Life in His Name!
It is a sad reality that in Adam, all have sinned and died: Romans 5:12 teaches: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” But the Lord Jesus lays an eternal foundation of lasting hope in His work. 1 Corinthians 15:22 assures us: “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” This does not mean that the whole world will be saved (which is universalism) but that in Christ, ALL who believe will not die but will have eternal life. Not one will slip away who truly believes. What a comfort! What a Savior!
Hebrews 12:2 teaches us to look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher (that is, He is the initiator and the end, the completion) of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus completed His work perfectly and so He is enthroned at the place of utmost authority and rule over the entire universe, “that in all things He may have the preeminence” (the superiority).
Jesus alone provides reconciliation.
Let’s look at the last verse, verses 19-20 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” First of all, Jesus possesses all the fullness of God; the original meaning of the word referred to a ship being fully manned with its sailors, rowers, soldiers, supplies and cargo: There would be room for nothing else. In this sense of the word, Jesus does not lack one attribute of God; He is filled with all of the abundance of God. That is how Jesus could eternally exist and be generated continually by the Father along with the Spirit. It is how Jesus exercised God’s power in Creation and over creation jointly with the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is why Jesus could “reconcile all things” to God: He possesses all of the fullness of God.
Now what does it mean that Jesus “reconciles all things?” Reconciliation is the process of ensuring that two sets of records (usually the balances of two accounts) are in agreement. When you balance your checking account you are reconciling it, making sure that the bank’s balance is equal to what your check book states. You are making sure that the money leaving an account matches the actual money spent. In Paul’s day, in traveling, you would have to exchange one currency for another. You would exchange one coin for an exact equivalent value of another.
In a spiritual (and real) sense, sinful man owes a Holy God a tremendous and impossible debt for his sins. One sin is cosmic treason against our God and we are sinful to the very core. Our desires and hearts acquire that genetic defect which the Bible calls “sin”. Very simply put, “sin is missing the mark of God’s Holiness and Perfection.” “ALL have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God,” says Rom. 3:23. We looked at Romans 5:12 already: “As sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” Sin estranges us from the Holy God and makes us His enemies. Sin cannot dwell in His Holy presence.
To be reconciled to God is for Jesus to settle our debt of our sin to God. Jesus breaks down the wall of hostility between God and man by becoming sin for us and going to the cross to pay the debt, even as our text tells us: “Having made peace through the blood of His cross.” This is why in Isaiah 9:6 Jesus is promised to be the “Prince of Peace”. He becomes our peace offering so that we are no longer separated from God by our sins.
The requirement by God to enjoy unbroken fellowship with Him is to always obey every command of God. Jesus did that but we are far from that. The other side of the coin for us is that there must be atonement made for sin. Atonement is payment for a wrong and can be thought of as “AT-ONE-MENT”. Because Jesus lived a perfect life He could qualify as the Perfect Sacrifice for sin and atone for our sin. When Jesus shed His blood on the cross, the payment was made (atonement) so that the debt of our personal sin is paid in full on account of Christ’s payment and we are declared “NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF Jesus’ PAYMENT”. The sentence has been paid in full and we are reconciled, brought back into harmony and fellowship with the Holy Almighty God.
Romans 5:10 brings us this beautiful statement: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Hallelujah! What a marvelous, mighty, gracious, and glorious God and Savior. To Him be the Glory forever and ever. Amen.
I. Jesus alone is the Head of the Body, the Church. (18a) (Romans 12:5, 1 Cor 12:12-31)
A Christ is the “Organic” head of the Church, causing it to live and grow. (Eph. 4:15-16, Col. 2:19)
B. Christ is the “Ruling” head of the Church. (Eph.1:19-23, 5:23-24)
C. The Church is not dependent on any creatures nor angels. (John 15:5)
II. Jesus alone is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead. (18b) (1 Pete 1:3, 1 Cor. 15:20 & 22, Rom. 5:12, 8:29)
A. Jesus is the only foundation of our Hope and Assurance. (Heb. 12:2, Col. 3)
B. Jesus’ resurrection is an anticipation and guarantee of our resurrections.
(1 Cor. 15: 20-28, Heb. 1:6, 12:23)
C. Jesus has the preeminence (superiority) in all things because He created all things and provided redemption.
III. Jesus alone possesses the fullness of God and He alone provides reconciliation with God.
A. The fullness of God: Jesus does not lack one of God’s attributes.
B. Sin is missing the mark of God’s Holiness and Perfection: To be reconciled to God is for Jesus to settle our debt of our sin to God. (Rom 3:23, Col. 1:21)
C. Jesus lived the perfect life and died as the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sin. (“AT-ONE-MENT”)
D. When Jesus shed His blood on the cross, the payment was made (atonement) so that the debt of our personal sin is paid in full on account of Christ’s payment and we are declared “NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF Jesus’ PAYMENT”. (Romans 5:10 )
