Colossians 1:15-17
He is an image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all
creation since in Him all things were being created in heaven and upon the
earth – the visible and the invisible, whether earthly thrones or ruling powers
or rulers or authorities – all things were being created through Him and in
Him. And He is before all things and all
things have held together in Him.
Thoughts for Today
Theological Background: Knowing what we know about the
religious environment of Asia Minor and Greece at the time of the writing of
the book of Colossians, it is likely that Colossians 1:15-20 might have been an
early creed or some sort of logical argument.
At the time of Paul’s writing Colossians, the Gnostic movement was gaining
substantial ground. The core of the
Gnostic movement was that the physical world is purely evil and the spiritual
world was purely good. The direct result
of this thought is that the physical world was not the creation of God – who is
completely good – but of some other supernatural power that is inherently
hostile towards God. Therefore, there is
a dual spiritual nature in the universe.
The Gnostics believed that there was a good god that is purely spiritual
and an evil god that created the world. Please keep in mind that this is a very
simple discussion of Gnosticism.
First Thought:
Verses 15-20 form a section of scripture that is very
poetic. It nearly reads like a hymn or a
poem in the Greek. As we read through
these verses, we hear a very clear refutation of the Gnostic beliefs. The verses read as though Paul realizes the
Colossians are resisting Gnosticism.
Look at how Paul starts. Jesus is
an image of the invisible God. Jesus is
a representation of the true God. He is
not some fake imitation. He is not some
hostile power to the true God. Jesus is
an image of the invisible God.
Why is it important that Jesus is an image of the unseen
God? What would change if Jesus wasn’t
actually a part of the true God?
Second Thought:
Second, notice what Paul says about creation. All of creation – the invisible and the
visible – are created in Christ and through Him. Paul is telling us quite clearly that it is
not the case that we have a good god in charge of the spiritual aspects and an
evil god in charge of the physical world.
God the Father created the world through Christ. God the Father intended the world to be
righteous. God put His good imprint upon
creation; it is man that messed it up!
Why is it important to understand that God the Father
created the world? What does it mean
that creation was made through Christ?
How does it feel to realize the imprint of the Father is upon you?
Third Thought:
Furthermore, Christ is before all
things and all things have been held together through Him. In other words, God is still present in
creation. Not only were the Gnostics
wrong in claiming that the good god had nothing to do with the physical world,
they were actually missing the true God in creation! They are not seeing how God’s goodness can be
still seen in creation. Yes, creation is
fallen and it has some areas that are less than perfect. There is sickness and death and violence and
things like this. But that doesn’t mean
that God cannot still be seen in creation.
That’s precisely Paul’s point.
Where do you see God in creation? Have you ever met someone who failed to see
God in His creation? How does it make
you feel when people fail to see God when you so plainly see Him?
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