You can turn with me again to the book of Colossians. We're continuing our series in Colossians: The Hope of Glory. This morning, we are hitting the meat and potatoes of the letter. This is the most famous passage in the book. Colossians 1:15-20 is a section. We're going to take the first half of it this morning. So we're hitting probably the most famous passage in the book. The one that if you think of Colossians probably comes to mind. This really high Christology that Paul talks about in this letter.
Before we turn our attention there, let me begin with a word of prayer. Lord, every time we gather as Your people to sit under the teaching of Your Word, to sit under the authority of Your Word and the blessing of Your Word, to be changed by Your Word, we want You to fix our eyes and our hearts upon Jesus. We always have that desire, Father, but what a privilege this morning to come to a text that is just saturated with Jesus Christ. And so, Lord, we ask full of hope that you would do that again. Fix our eyes on Jesus. Make him beautiful this morning. Make him glorious this morning. Make him relevant to our lives. And do that all for the glory of your name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Well, a short time after we moved into our house in the neighborhood just a few blocks away from here, I was walking down the street one afternoon and there was a garage sale going on at one of the houses probably about half a block down. And so, you see a garage sale and you don't have anything better to do, so you kind of just drop through and you kind of peruse what's there. And they were trying to sell me this rackety old basketball hoop that looked like it was about to fall over. And they were selling it for like $200. And so I'm like dickering and I really don't want to spend $200 on this. Not really interested. As I was looking at the rest of the stuff they had though, I noticed they had a whole section where they were selling old children's books. And so having young kids, thought maybe there might be some cheap ones. Everything was actually really overpriced at their garage sale, but I noticed they had some books, little children's books, that appeared to be Christian children's books. And so I was looking at them and it intrigued me, and I almost bought some of them. They were too overpriced. Maybe I'm too Dutch. I didn't buy them, but I left with the impression, hey, I have some Christians living on the street. This is great. There's some believers in our neighborhood. So good to know. Then I was surprised. Actually, about a month ago, I was walking down that street again. I'd actually gone for a run, and I saw that typical scene. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. Two young men in black pants and black shoes and a white shirt and a black tie with little name badges. And immediately I realized, we've got some Mormons in our neighborhood. And so I kind of did an extra walk up and down my block. I love getting in those kind of conversations, so I'm trying to lure them into seeing 'Which house I go into? Come and share with me.' They didn't take me up on it. They kind of noticed me but didn't come in. I was disappointed. And then I was surprised. Because a week later, actually after a run again, it was at night and I saw a car parked in front of that house. And I saw the same two young men get out and go, it's late at night, 10 o'clock at night, and go into the house. Obviously, go to their home. And I came to the realization I didn't have a family of believers living down the street. It was a family of Mormons.
Well, why aren't Mormons Christians? Why wouldn't we hold that Mormons, people belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are Orthodox Christians like the rest of us? Well, we're going to see this morning in this text the reason why. The reason why in large part is because of what they believe about Jesus, about who he is, about who Jesus was, who the Word was before he came to earth. It's important and significant. And in today's day and age, there might be some who would tell you there's even sort of a PR campaign by the Mormon Church to have them associated more closely with Christianity. But in reality, they are not. And we see why in this morning's text, why it was a shock to my system to realize I had thought I had some believers down the street when in reality it was people peddling a different religion.
Well, look now at Colossians 1 and see the beginning of the difference. Here's what we see. Colossians 1:15, He, Jesus, is the image of the invisible God. He's 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.' The Word of the Lord. May He write its truth upon our hearts.
I believe Paul has a goal in that passage. Really, in this entire section. Verses 15-20, Paul has one stated goal: to show us the supremacy of Christ. The supremacy of Christ in two different areas: the supremacy of Christ in creation, as we'll see today, and the supremacy of Christ in redemption, as we'll see next week. This morning, we're going to look at that first goal, that Paul is arguing for the supremacy of Christ in creation. That big Christology, the study of Jesus, of Christ, that we talk about in this letter.
6 · Oswald introduces the first major movement of the argument: Christ is King over creation, as demonstrated by His being the image of God and firstborn over creation
Well, the first way he shows us that Christ is supreme is he begins by marking out that Christ is King. He is Lord of the created realm. So he says in verse 15, 'He, Jesus, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.'
7 · Oswald unpacks what it means that Jesus is 'the image of the invisible God' by establishing God's invisibility in the Old Testament and showing how Jesus makes God visible in a way creation cannot
At the beginning of this famous section of Colossians, Paul tells us Jesus is the image of the invisible God. God. Now, God being invisible is not a new idea, right? John 4:24, John says, God is spirit. Judaism had always held that God was spirit, a person, yes, a personal God, yes, but a spirit invisible to human eyes, not capable of being captured by a symbol or picture. That's really the essence of the first two commandments, right? You think back to Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy when the Ten Commandments are laid out. The first two commandments: You shall have no other gods before me. In other words, there is one true God. And the second commandment: You will have no carved image or likeness of anything that is in heaven above or the earth beneath. Why? Because God is not visible. You can't see Him. You can't make an image. There's not something you can carve out of wood that will represent God sufficiently. The point is, God is utterly unique. He's unseen. He's invisible. The creation, the Bible says, testifies to God's power. All of creation gives evidence of his glory. It tells us that there is a God. But we don't actually see the Father in creation. He's hidden from sight. Hidden from sight, that is, until the birth of Christ. Paul's point is that Jesus makes the invisible God visible. He makes the transcendent God most tangibly imminent. The God who is up there and out there and overall tangibly imminent, touching the creation. Paul argues in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that Satan rails against this kind of special revelation. He loathes it. Paul says he blinds the eyes of unbelievers with the express purpose of keeping them from seeing and comprehending this special revelation, namely, the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Christ who is the image of God. There's a reason why Satan is set against blinding people from seeing that.
8 · Oswald distinguishes between humanity's derivative image-bearing and Christ's status as the original, perfect image of God — humanity reflects God partially; Christ reveals God fully
But how is Jesus the image of God? It's not the first time the Bible talks about someone bearing God's image, is it? So in what way is Jesus in the image? In what way is he in the Father's image? Is it like Genesis 1:26? That passage at the beginning of the Bible with the creation account where it describes image and likeness? Is Paul saying that Jesus shows us a reflection of the Father? Like male and female? Like mankind? Well, of course, that's not what Paul is saying. Paul is saying Jesus is the image of the invisible God. In other words, Jesus is the original image, and we, mankind, male and female, are likeness. We're the derivative images. Our image bears a partial reflection of the full and perfect image Christ makes of God.
9 · Oswald cites Hebrews 1:3 to reinforce that Jesus is not a partial or symbolic representation but the exact, full imprint of God's nature made accessible through the incarnation
Hebrews 1:3 makes it perfectly clear. He, Jesus, is the radiance of the glory of God, and the exact, the exact imprint of His nature. Jesus contains all the power, the full deity, every aspect of character, and all the glory of the Father. And in Jesus, all that glory, deity, power, and character now comes near to us. In the special revelation of God incarnate.
10 · Oswald cites John 1:18 to show that Jesus uniquely reveals the Father who has never been seen, establishing Christ's role as the sole mediator of God's visible presence
As the Apostle John says in his Gospel, John 1:18, 'No one has ever seen God, yet now the only God who is at the Father's side, He, Jesus, has made Him known.'
11 · Oswald signals a shift to address the phrase 'firstborn of all creation,' which appears to contradict what has been established about Christ's deity, setting up the polemical argument to follow
But then Paul says something that at first blush kind of seems to muddy the waters. I'm tracking with you. He's the image of the invisible God. In Jesus, we get a visible representation for the first time of who God is and His character and His glory when we behold Jesus Christ. And then Paul says that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation.
12 · Oswald summarizes Mormon Christology to show how 'firstborn' is misinterpreted to deny Christ's eternal deity and uniqueness, presenting Jesus as one created god among many
It's here that my Mormon neighbors and their Jehovah's Witnesses cousins are nodding their heads. Yes! See, I told you! The firstborn of creation. Even Paul agrees Jesus hasn't always existed. He's the firstborn. To the Mormons, he's the offspring of a physical union between Heavenly Father and Mary. In Mormon theology, they're actually married for a period. Jesus is their offspring. Because he's a good, obedient Mormon, he is elevated to godhood and given his own universe. And you and I as well, if we are Good Mormons could be elevated to Godhood as well. The Gospel According to Mormonism. You see the difference. Jesus is one of many gods.
13 · Oswald summarizes Jehovah's Witness Christology, which identifies Jesus as the created Archangel Michael, exposing the logical incoherence of a mere creature making atonement for sin
To Jehovah's Witnesses, He is the first product of creation. The first off the line. He's actually the Archangel Michael. He's this powerful spiritual being, but He is not actually God at all. And when He takes on flesh, He empties Himself of His spiritual potency to make atonement for sins. How a mere man makes atonement for sins, they can't answer. But you begin to see the difference.
14 · Oswald traces the historical root of the misinterpretation of 'firstborn' to Arius, the early church heretic who taught that Jesus was a created being rather than eternally existing with the Father
Firstborn is the language that empowered the teachings of Arius. Arius, who gave rise to that early Christian heresy, Arianism. Arius held and taught that Jesus was a created being. To quote Arius, he said that there was a time when He was not. There was a time when He, Jesus, was not. In other words, there was a point in history when He didn't exist, then the Father created Him, the Firstborn, and then He existed.
15 · Oswald prompts the congregation to recall the Council of Nicaea as the historical moment when Arius's heresy was condemned, setting up the explanation of how orthodoxy prevailed
Remember when Arius' view was defeated? What council was it? The Council of Nicaea.
16 · Oswald sets up the dramatic tension of the Council of Nicaea by establishing that Athanasius was the underdog — less popular, fewer supporters — yet orthodoxy prevailed, prompting the question of how
Now, why did Arius lose the debate at the Council of Nicaea. How was it that the fiery Athanasius— Athanasius is this great character from church history. You kind of get the sense he's just sort of, he's just kind of one of those guys that's just sort of a bulldog. He just latches on to something and won't let go, to the chagrin and annoyance of Arius and everyone else. You've got Athanasius, this little pit bull that is just going after, he's the lion of Christological orthodoxy in the early church. How is he able to convince everyone at the Council of Nicaea that Christ is fully God and not created? That He's always existed with the Father in glory? Well, here's a little hint. It wasn't because Athanasius was more popular. It wasn't because at the start of the council Athanasius had more numbers. He didn't. The Emperor was was inclined to agree with Arius. Many of the bishops and pastors liked Arius. He was popular. He was a well-known and well-liked teacher. And so going into the council, he had numbers on his side, and yet orthodoxy prevailed. Why? How?
17 · Oswald reveals the answer: Athanasius won because he argued correctly for the meaning of 'firstborn' from Scripture, not through rhetorical skill or political maneuvering
Because Arius argued for the correct understanding of 'firstborn'— the word in this text.
18 · Oswald directs attention to the word 'for' in verse 16 and the repeated phrase 'all things' as the key to understanding that 'firstborn' does not mean first created but supreme over creation
The word 'for' at the start of v. 16 clues us into what Paul is saying. He tells us exactly what he means by firstborn. Listen again. And listen for this as well. The key to realizing this is to see the phrase 'all things.' That little phrase serves as sort of the unifying phrase of the whole passage. Colossians 1:15, 'He,' Jesus, 'is the firstborn of all creation, for by Him,' all things were created. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
19 · Oswald emphasizes that 'all things' means everything in creation without exception, and Jesus stands outside and above all created things, not within the category of creation
Now, in a little bit, we're going to look in more detail at all those little prepositions: for, by, in, through. Right now, we can see clearly Paul is underscoring the direct connection between all things and creation. Not some things, not most of the things, not everything except Jesus. No. All things. Jesus is separate from that which was created. He's before it, Paul says, and He sits over it.
20 · Oswald clarifies that 'firstborn' in this context means 'first in rank' or 'supreme in dignity,' not first in temporal sequence, citing the NIV translation 'firstborn over creation
That 'over' is a key word. Verse 15 is probably best translated the way the NIV does. It says that Jesus is the firstborn over creation. So firstborn doesn't mean He's the first in the sequence of things. The word can actually also mean He's first in rank. He's supreme in dignity. He has the supreme dignity over all creation. He's preeminent and sovereign over all things. In other words, there's Jesus and all of creation sits under His feet.
21 · Oswald uses the analogy of primogeniture in British aristocracy to illustrate how 'firstborn' conveys supreme inheritance rights and authority, not mere birth order
It's like thinking of a monarch and the whole concept of primogeniture, that big fancy word that means the heir gets all the goodies, right? So if you're the second son or the first daughter, it's the first male heir that gets all the stuff. He gets the full inheritance, he gets all the titles, all the wealth, all the power, all the authority, the land, the domain. It all belongs to the heir. In fact, in the British aristocracy, By the time you get to the third generation, you actually lose the title. So if you're born to the king, you're the son of the king, you're the first generation second son, you're going to be a duke. Your son will be a duke. Your grandson will not be a duke. He'll just be related to the royal family.
22 · Oswald connects the primogeniture analogy back to Hebrews 1:2, showing that Jesus is the appointed heir of all things and the agent of creation, not a created being
But that's not what happens here. Paul is pointing our attention to the reality of what Hebrews tells us. That the heir is Jesus. Literally echoing Colossians, Hebrews 1:2 says, 'The Son whom the Father has appointed is heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.'
23 · Oswald synthesizes the exposition into a theological assertion: Jesus is unique, preeminent, prior to creation, and sovereign as creation's rightful King
The point is that Jesus is unique. He's preeminent. He comes before anything else. And He's sovereign. He's the rightful King of creation.
24 · Oswald cites the Belgic Confession to reinforce the orthodox understanding of Christ's eternal generation and full deity, providing historic theological authority for the exposition
Listen to how the Belgic Confession puts it. That's one of those historic creeds of the church. The Belgic Confession says this: We believe that Jesus Christ, according to His divine nature, is the only begotten Son of God, begotten from eternity, not made nor created, for then He should be a creature, but coessential and coeternal with the Father, the express image of His person and the brightness of His glory, equal unto Him in all things. He is the Son of God, not only from the time that He assumed our nature, when He took on flesh, became a human, but from all eternity.
25 · Oswald concludes the first major movement of the argument with a summary theological claim about Christ's supremacy as King over creation
Christ is supreme over creation as its King. As the image of the Father, as the firstborn, supreme in dignity over all creation.
26 · Oswald signals a shift to the second major movement of the argument (Christ as composer of creation) and explains his choice of the symphony metaphor over construction or drama metaphors
Next, we see Christ is the composer of creation. There are several images we could have used this morning to illustrate what Paul's talking about. We could talk about construction metaphors, right? We could have said that Christ is the architect and the builder and the remodeler of creation. We could have employed those. We could have used dramatic metaphors. We could have said that Christ is like the producer and the writer and the director and the main character of the drama. That would have been appropriate. That's what Paul is describing here. I've chosen to use the metaphor of a symphony.
27 · Oswald introduces the controlling metaphor: creation as a multi-layered song for God's glory, with Christ involved in every phase of the composition
In part, because when we step back from creation, if we have ears to hear, will realize that all of creation is playing one majestic melody. At first blush, it might seem discordant, kind of out of step. What's going on? You live next to a highway, it doesn't sound like a melody, does it? But if you step back, in reality, there's this incredibly multi-layered song being played out for God's glory. And Christ, Paul shows us in Colossians 1, is involved in every phase of the musical production.
28 · Oswald transitions to exposition of verse 16, highlighting the prepositions 'by' and 'through' that will be explored in detail
So first we see Christ as composer of creation. Colossians 1:16, for by Him— we're getting into those prepositions— 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.
29 · Oswald tells a personal story about his love for Beethoven and describes the chaotic creative process of the 'mad composer,' setting up a contrast with Christ's effortless creation
Now, I don't know if you have a favorite composer. Maybe some of you don't even ever listen to classical music. I'm not like a huge classical music buff, although I have some songs I'll play on my computer. But when I was learning to play the piano, I loved Beethoven. Beethoven was sort of my composer as a little rudimentary guy that was just playing really basic stuff on the piano. I loved him, and I loved everything about him. I don't know if it was just the crazy hair. He sort of had this crazy kind of fro that was unkempt, just all over the place. So he kind of looked a little Einstein-ish, like this crazy genius. There's sort of that aspect of him. I just love the music. When you think of Beethoven, what do you think? Dun dun dun dun! Dun dun dun dun! Right? There's just like this massive, dramatic element. You listen to him and it's like, whoa! Only a guy with that kind of hair could write that kind of music. I loved Beethoven. I remember the first time I got to play the basic— da, da, da. I'm playing a third of the chords and trying to use two hands to do the one. It was so cool. I remember seeing a picture of Beethoven. It's a painting of him writing music. It's sort of this picture of the mad composer. It shows him, he's sitting at a piano, and there's papers and pages just all over the room. Just stacked all over his piano and thrown about the floor. He's got like pencils in his hair and his, like the tails, you know, like this is old school, right? So he's got like the tails on his coat. And they're like flying all over the place. He looks like the mad composer. Side note, guys, if your wife is ever on you about how dirty your office is, my office is usually dirty. There's studies that have been shown that Beethoven, Einstein, Mark Twain, geniuses tend to have messy offices. So just use that line when your office is really messy. 'Just aiming for genius, honey. That's all I'm doing here.' You can use that one too when your hair is really unkempt, I think. Twain, Beethoven, yep. So here's this mad composer. And he's just a genius. As he goes on in life, remember, He becomes deaf. Can't even hear the music he's composing. This isn't to denigrate our worship songs, right? But it's not like our worship songs are overly complex. He's not sitting there like thinking of like a little tune to strum. The dude's writing concertos and he can't hear, but his mind is so magnificent he knows in his head how the music will sound. And they play it and no one says, 'Well, that was written by a deaf guy.' No, it was written by Beethoven.
30 · Oswald contrasts Beethoven's chaotic creative process with Christ's effortless, perfect composition of creation — no drafts, no mess, perfect on the first attempt
Well, the image of Beethoven is not the image Paul gives us of Christ. His creative process is not chaotic. It's not haphazard with papers all over the room. When the Son wrote the grand concerto of creation, there's no scratch paper necessary. There's no rough drafts crumpled up in balls sitting in the corner. Heaven's throne room isn't a mess of sheets of music. At the Father's bidding, the Son picks up the pen of creation and he writes all 6 movements. In perfect succession, each on the first attempt, each movement in perfect harmony with what preceded it. And then he sat back, and he and the Father and the Spirit cranked up the volume and said, 'It is very good.'
31 · Oswald cites Proverbs 8:27, 30 to show wisdom personified as a master workman beside the Father at creation, which Paul sees fulfilled in Christ as the one who composed creation with joy
I love how Proverbs 8 describes wisdom. Wisdom is sort of this Old Testament idea for the image and personification of God. It's sort of a preview to Jesus. Proverbs 8 says this, Proverbs 8:27, 'When God established the heavens, I, wisdom, was there.' Verse 30, 'I, wisdom, was beside Him, the Father, like a master workman, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always.' That's a cool image, isn't it? That's what's going on in creation. No doubt Paul has this in mind.