Christ’s Preeminence
Colossians 1:15–18
If you were to ask a group of Christians which passage in the Bible best describes Jesus Christ, you would receive many different answers. In my opinion, one text stands above all others: Colossians 1:15–18.
In this section, Paul masterfully presented Christ’s preeminence and ministry. Unparalleled in the New Testament, this passage has often been called “The Great Christology,” believed to be coined by theologian S. Lewis Johnson.
Why did Paul mention Christ’s preeminence at this early stage of his epistle to the Colossian believers? Most likely because he believed a heresy called Gnostic Judaism, which mixed Jewish legalism and pagan Gentile philosophy, was creeping into their congregation, threatening to destroy the small young church of Colossae and spread throughout many others being established in the area.
Before dealing with the ministry of the cross, Paul first established Christ’s preeminence and His relation to God the Father and creation.
The Person of Christ
Paul wrote of Christ, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15). The word image expresses that Christ is the exact likeness of God. The writer of Hebrews described Him as the “express image” of God (Heb. 1:3), a term that means “impression” or “stamp.” It refers to an engraved character or impression produced by a die or seal that makes an exact reproduction. Therefore, Christ is the exact imprint of God the Father in His essence, attributes, and character.
By studying the Son, we can understand the invisible Father. Christ is the personal and perfect revelation of the invisible or unseen God (cf. Jn. 1:18).
Christ is also “the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15). The word firstborn (Greek, prōtotokos) refers to priority, sovereignty, and preexistence. It does not imply that Jesus was produced by God the Father, as He has always been coequal with the Father from eternity past. Rather, the term speaks of Jesus’ existence prior to creation and His sovereignty and priority over it. Thus, He is higher than the angels because He made them.
Jesus is the Creator of all things (v. 16). Christ existed prior to creation and is sovereign over it all (Jn. 1:1–3). Therefore, He cannot emanate from the deity the Gnostics believed in and spoke of concerning Jesus.
The Power of Christ
Paul taught that Christ is sovereign over everything, “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. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:16). Christ is the architect, builder, and goal (or ultimate purpose) of all things called into existence.
Three prepositional phrases in verse 16 detail how Jesus created all things:
1. “By Him.” Christ is the instrument by which God the Father initiated all things. The word by can also be translated “in,” meaning that there existed in the very person of Christ the will, energy, and power to create. So, He is the architect of both heaven and Earth and the One by whom all was made. Thus, the creative act Christ performed was a product of the divine power that resided in Him by virtue of what He was and is: the God of the universe.
“All things” fall under the following categories: “visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers” (v. 16). A key point to remember is that all angelic beings, whether righteous or fallen, are still under Christ’s power.
2. “Through Him.” It was through Christ that God the Father made the world. Christ is presented as the mediating agent or builder of the universe, not a mere instrument or passive tool. All the laws, plans, programs, and purposes that guide and govern the universe through the ages reside in Christ, whether past, present, or future. Time began with Christ and culminates in Him (Jn. 1:3; Rev. 22:13).
3. “For Him.” All things were made for Christ’s purpose, personal glory, and pleasure. Humanity was created to bring glory to God, or to continually reflect His glory, not only through creation, but through redemption as well.
The Preexistence of Christ
Christ’s preeminence is evident in His preexistence. Paul wrote, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col. 1:17). If Christ is “before all things,” then He must be the sovereign God who existed before anything else did (excluding the Father and the Holy Spirit). Thus, Christ was totally separate from anything in time and space.
Three Old Testament prophecies clearly verify Christ’s preexistence and eternality:
1. Isaiah 9:6. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; . . . and His name will be called . . . Mighty God, Everlasting Father” (literally, “The Father of Eternity”).
2. Micah 5:2. This prophecy foretold that Christ would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah and that His “goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (literally, “from the days of eternity”).
3. John 8:57–59. When the Pharisees questioned Jesus’ relationship to Abraham, they said, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” (v. 57). Jesus responded, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was [came into being], I AM” (v. 58). In saying “I AM,” Jesus claimed to be God. Thus, the Pharisees picked up stones to kill Him, fully recognizing His declaration of deity (v. 59).
Paul offered one more proof of Christ’s preexistence in Colossians 1: “And in Him all things consist” (v. 17). The word consist (Greek, synistēmi) means “to hold together.” Christ not only created all things but also sustains or holds together the world. He moves all things in their proper relationship to one another by the power of His word. Without Christ’s controlling power, everything would crumble into disorder and fall apart.
The Position of Christ
Paul then turned to Christ’s position over the church. The apostle wrote, “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” (v. 18).
Paul used the word body as a metaphor for the church, with Christ as its head, exercising control and direction and performing His work through believers. Christ alone is supreme over the church He created (cf. Eph. 1:22–23).
While writing about the church being a body of believers (cf. Rom. 12:4–8; 1 Cor. 12:12–27), Paul did not highlight Christ as its head. But in writing to the Colossian church, Paul emphasized this point because Christ’s authority and identity as God constituted a major issue concerning the doctrinal error of Gnosticism facing the church.
The phrase who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18) provides further insight into Christ’s sovereign headship. He is the “beginning” of the church, or its source (via creation). The word beginning (Greek, archē) means “commencement” or “origin,” the active cause of something. Christ is the church’s originator, or active cause, and its source of spiritual life and power. And as “the firstborn from the dead,” Christ has broken the power of death and reigns supreme as the spiritual head of the new spiritual creation—the church.
All who put their faith in Christ and are born again are guaranteed a future resurrection. Because Christ lives, we shall live also and possess eternal life with Him (Jn. 14:19; 1 Cor. 15:51–58). As Christ is sovereign over all things and the processes that allow them to function properly, so has God the Father ordained that the same be true over the church.
Today, Christ is positioned at the Father’s right hand. Once He finished His work on the cross, He “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty [God the Father] on high” (Heb. 1:3). This verse speaks of far more than the Son’s finished work of revealing God and redeeming mankind. It reveals that Christ has been enthroned in a solemn, formal act to a position of honor, dignity, glory, and authority—which He possessed before creation. Being seated at the right hand of God the Father authenticated His coequal status with the Father as God.
What a picture of the incomparable Christ! As He is preeminent over all created things, Christ also must be fully preeminent in each of our lives.
