The Supremacy of Christ
Colossians 1:19–23
If Jesus’ life had begun when He was born in Bethlehem, He would have been merely a human being, like all other men. But Scripture proclaims that Jesus is God eternal, coequal with the Father (Jn. 1:1–14).
Jesus Christ said of Himself, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (8:58). In fact, Jesus was never created and has always existed in eternity past. Concerning Christ’s preeminence detailed in Colossians 1:15–20, Dr. Norman Geisler wrote,
Paul mentioned seven unique characteristics of Christ, which fittingly qualify Him to have “the supremacy” (v. 18). Christ is: (1) the image of God, (2) the Firstborn over Creation, (3) Creator of the universe, (4) Head of the church, (5) Firstborn from the dead, (6) the fullness of God, and (7) the Reconciler of all things. No comparable listing of so many characteristics of Christ and His deity are found in any other Scripture passage. Christ is the supreme Sovereign of the universe!¹
Here we will deal with the last two characteristics Geisler listed: “the fullness of God” and the “Reconciler of all things” (vv. 19–20).
Christ’s Plenitude
The apostle Paul wrote of Jesus, “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell” (v. 19).
The word fullness (Greek, pléróma) is a technical term in theology denoting the totality of divine powers and attributes. Paul used it to affirm God’s absolute divine essence and power, resident in Christ. Jesus is all that God is. Thus, fullness describes Christ as being fully God in His very nature and person.
Paul used fullness twice in this epistle (v. 19; 2:9). In both passages, the apostle showed that in Christ’s body resides the fullness of God. In fact, Christ is the Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). All of us stand utterly destitute, helpless, and hopeless before God because of our sin. There is nothing we can do to earn His forgiveness. Thus, Christ, as part of the Godhead, “stands in the middle” to represent sinful man before a holy God.
Because Colossians 1:20–23 is linked to Christ’s redemptive ministry on the cross and His reconciliation of man to God, it is best to view verse 19 as a reference to Christ providing salvation in its fullness for mankind.
Christ’s Peace
Understanding the meaning of Christ’s fullness gives us a clearer comprehension of His death on the cross. Christ did not die as a mere good man or a martyr, nor for His convictions concerning God. He was the incarnate Son of God who died to pay the full debt of man’s sin through His shed blood and in so doing provides salvation, justification, and peace to all who receive Him as Savior.
Paul said of Jesus’ death, “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” (v. 20).
Before people can experience true peace, they must make peace with God by being reconciled to Him. Notice: Man is reconciled to God, rather than God being reconciled to man; for it is man who left God, not God who left man.
The words to reconcile (Greek, apokatallassó) mean “to change,” as in changing a relationship with people who are hostile toward each other. This verse refers to man changing his relationship to God once he has become a believer in Christ. God has made it possible for man, once an enemy of Christ, to be reconciled completely to Himself through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Here are four key truths about man’s reconciliation:
1. Reconciliation to God is provided only through Jesus Christ.
2. God made it possible for sinful humanity to be reconciled to Him only through Christ’s death on the cross.
3. God has completed the work of redemption and reconciliation for man’s alienation from Him.
4. A person can only be reconciled to God by placing faith in Jesus as his or her Savior (Rom. 5:10–11). Thus, before a person can experience the peace of God, he or she must make peace with God through Jesus Christ.
Through Christ, God will “reconcile all things to Himself . . . whether things on earth or things in heaven” (Col. 1:20). Man’s sin has affected all of creation (Gen. 3:17–19). Therefore, Christ’s reconciling work affects not only man, but the whole universe. The “all things” (Col. 1:20) mentioned do not include the demonic world of Satan, nor those who are eternally condemned because of their rejection of Jesus Christ and who will never be reconciled to God.
Colossians’ Position
Paul wrote, “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” (vv. 21–22).
The words and you mean that Paul was speaking to the Colossian believers in Christ. In their past, they were “alienated,” or enemies of God, living in sin, without Christ, and having no hope of salvation. The sphere of their sin was in “their mind[s]” (thinking), which revealed itself through wicked living. But those who once were at war with God are now born again and at peace with Him.
Christ’s incarnation was necessary so He could have a physical body that would be crucified on the cross to pay the price required for God to redeem man from sin. During Jesus’ life, He satisfied the demands of a holy God to make it possible for God to forgive all who come to Him in faith.
Christ provided complete salvation for mankind to be reconciled to God. Paul clearly and simply revealed the purpose of Christ’s reconciling work when he wrote, “to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His [God’s] sight” (v. 22).
This description indicates the believer’s present position and future standing before God in eternity. Writing about Christians, Paul stated, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). No sin committed by believers in Christ—whether in the past, present, or future—can be charged against them, for two reasons: (1) Christ paid in full the redemption price that sin demanded, and (2) when they received salvation, righteousness was imputed to them.
Paul concluded this section with a summary statement. He wrote that Christ had reconciled the Colossian believers, “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister” (Col. 1:23).
The word translated if would seem to cast doubt on the Colossians’ salvation or commitment to Christ. But this is not the case. Paul was certain he was writing to born-again believers in Christ. He was not saying people must do something to remain saved, nor was he doubting whether the believers would persevere in the faith. If indicates Paul’s belief and assurance that the Colossian Christians were indeed continuing in “the faith” (the content of the gospel that the apostle preached to them). Therefore, the word if is best understood as “because.”
The apostle illustrated his confidence in their salvation by evoking imagery of a building with Jesus as its foundation (cf. 1 Cor. 3:11). Those who are truly born again are “grounded” (Greek, themelioó), meaning firmly established, rooted, or fixed to the foundation, which is Christ (Eph. 3:17). They are also “steadfast” (Greek, hedraios), meaning settled, firmly set, and immovable, used metaphorically in referring to a believer’s mind and purpose. Therefore, believers are “not moved away from the hope of the gospel . . . which was preached to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23).
The “hope of the gospel” is massive in scope, including all that Christ and the Scriptures promise believers because they are born again in Christ.
We who have been redeemed and reconciled to Christ must continually praise God for the inheritance that awaits us in heaven. If you are not a believer in Jesus, it is not too late to receive Him as Savior and Lord.
ENDNOTE
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- Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 672.
