Christ – The Fullness of God
Colossians 1:15-23
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. 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 and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
There is so much said by Paul in this passage of the letter to Colossae. This passage contains so much truth, hope, and encouragement, fitting for this time leading up to Easter. It speaks of Christ being the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Reconciler.
Jesus, the face, the image of God, the firstborn over all creation, is the One who created all things. He spoke into the darkness and brought all things into being: “Let there be light”. His words have immense power and still do. He formed us and filled us with His breath. And the most amazing part is that we were created for Him, for His pleasure. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev 4:11)
Let that sink in… We are here, living, breathing, working, interacting, playing, serving for the enjoyment of God our Creator. God’s heart desires us and enjoys us. Our God loves to have conversations with us and spend time with us. He created us to praise Him with hearts of thanksgiving, but He also waits for us to empty our hearts to cry out and lament the pain in our circumstances. He loves it when we share with Him the simple joys and laughter of our everyday life. But He is also attentive to times when we are confused or angry or feel stuck without hope.
Lately, in my Bible reading plan and through the Bible Study I am currently in, I have read a lot of scripture related to the exile of God’s people into Babylon. God took so many years and sent so many prophets to warn His people to turn back to Him, to seek Him, and draw near to Him again. God’s heart is jealous for us, His people, still the same as it was then, although now we do not turn from Him to physical statues; but we turn to idols of our own, like careers, success, appearance, and many other things that take our hearts away from Him.
God is not about round-the-clock productivity. He is about round-the-clock faithfulness to Him and us, calling on Him and trusting that He is still the same as the One who put His breath in us and brought us into being for His pleasure into a relationship with Him. Verse 17 says, in Him (Christ) all things hold together, not in us. We do not hold it together, nor are we able to, although we try very hard. This verse reminds me as well of the amazing fact that God sustains and holds the earth and every planet in the universe in their places in such a way that we, seemingly insignificant and small compared to the expanse of the universe, are not destroyed, but can live and thrive. Who do we think we are? We too often lose sight of His majesty and power because we lose sight of eternity and instead see only the chaos around us and are overwhelmed by the here and now, since we ourselves are unable to hold our lives and the lives of the ones we love together.
How can we even approach God and be in the presence of an almighty, holy God, full of majesty and splendor? Because God was pleased to reconcile us through Christ (v. 22). Christ is not only the Creator & Sustainer but our Reconciler and restored the way back to our Father in Heaven. Taking our punishment on Himself and presenting us free of accusation before God. So let’s hold firmly to the hope held out in the gospel, continue in our faith, established and firm, because Christ holds us and everything else together in His capable hands. He gave Himself up for us to never let us go.