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�1� Copyright © 2011 Klaus Schiessel Colossians Chapter 1

COLOSSIANS 1 ADVANCING IN CHRISTIAN TRUTH: “KNOWING THE TRUTH”

THE LORD OF CREATION, THE CHURCH AND SALVATION

In the aerospace industry most of the programs are government funded and related to material and

products critical to the security and defense of the United States. Therefore, it is important to have a background check done on each employee to determine if they meet the qualification requirements to

receive a security classification. Without such a security clearance one cannot work on a particular project. In applying for one, the employee must list individuals that the government security

investigator can interview to determine if the employee is trustworthy and stable and thus qualifies for a security clearance; whether that is “Confidential”, “Secret” or “Top Secret”. The employee must

make sure that the individual listed as a reference, be it a co-worker, family member, friend or

neighbor, is familiar enough with the employee to truthfully answer all of the investigator’s questions and adequately satisfy the purpose of the interview.

Then, each employee is expected to grow in their knowledge, understanding and application of their particular work skills and assignments. A “stagnant” employee will probably not hold his/her job too

long. How much more should a Christian believer strive to greater levels of understanding the truths

of God through His Word that they might advance and grow powerfully in their faith and witness.

Most of us can tell other people facts and ‘truths’ about ourselves or our closest friends. Why?

Because we spend quality time with them and become familiar with their habits and behavior, their thinking patterns, their likes and dislikes. But how many Christians can explain significant or even

basic truths about Christ Jesus? We do that the same way—by spending time with the LORD through the study of His Word, its application and prayer. All believers should be able to state and fully

explain basic and important truths about Christ Jesus.

Besides the Bible, the following books are highly recommended and will aid any believer in being more competent in giving “a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” {1 Pet. 3:15} and to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” {Jude 1:3}. The first clearly describes the distinctives of cults and isms and

the second defines and summarizes the nine basic doctrines that the Bible teaches:

Kingdom of the Cults; Walter Martin, Zondervan Publishing, 1965, 2003.

Bible Doctrines, Beliefs that Matter; Mark G. Cambron, Zondervan Publishing House, 1971.

In this study, we focus on Gospel truths that summarize Jesus’ identity. And answer the theological

question: “Who is Christ Jesus?” The answers to this question are theological truths about Christ

Jesus that relate to His deity, creation, redemption/salvation, the Church and Christian ministry. The goal is to continue to grow in the “grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” {2 Pet.

3:18} so that we will be “diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” {2 Tim. 2:15}.

This lesson is intended to challenge each Christian believer with their level of understanding and grasp

or significant truths about Christ Jesus and reveal areas for spiritual growth. The “big” words to describe our study are Christology, Ecclesiology and Soteriology; the study of the doctrines of Christ

Jesus, the Church and Salvation, respectively.

The first chapter of Colossians stresses the supremacy of Christ Jesus as both Creator and Savior and

focuses on the following theological Truths.

• Our LORD by Faith {Col. 1:3-8}

• LORD of our Life {Col. 1:9-14}

• LORD Over the Universe {Col. 1:15-17}

• LORD of His Church {Col. 1:18-20}

• LORD of the Gospel Ministry {Col. 21-29}


Colossae was the crossroads of several different cultures [Roman, Greek, native Phrygians] and

as such it was influenced by a cornucopia of many religious teachings. These would have included Roman and Greek mythology, mystery cults [e.g., Diana of the Ephesians], Mithraism

and perhaps Zoroasterism.

One common belief was the exaltation of elemental spirits or angels whom people perceived to

be necessary intermediaries between God and humanity. This teaching, if allowed to enter the

church, would have the affect of stripping Jesus of His deity or to question the authenticity of His humanity. The CHRISTOLOGY of this chapter speaks to these issues.

Another dangerous religious belief system had to do with spiritual and liturgical practices {refer to Col. 2:8-23}. Paul focuses instead on a spirituality grounded in Jesus Christ rather than

such practices.

A third issue was closely related to the previous two. Some in Colossae believed that a special

knowledge of some kind, a type of Gnosticism, could lead to ultimate spirituality, rather than

the genuine spirituality available in Christ, in whom the fullness of Godhead bodily dwells. Knowing the framework of these issues will help us better understand the distinctive Christology

in Paul's Letter to the Colossians. Note that Paul will addresses the last two issues in chapter 2.

Questions:

(1) What are some half-truths or false understandings about Christ Jesus that you have heard?

(2) How important do you think it is for a Christian to have a grasp and thorough understanding of basic Truths about the Person and Work of Jesus Christ? Why?

(3) In what ways have you continued to learn and grow in knowing the Truth of God’s Word?

Verses 1-2 � GREETINGS TO THE SAINTS & FAITHFUL BROTHERS IN CHRIST

[1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and

faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and

the Lord Jesus Christ.]

Paul begins his salutation in the usual way. He mentions any others who are with him [in this case

Timothy1] in writing the letter and then he identifies and greets the saints with the words “Grace to

you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”.

Note that the believers in Colossae are referred to as both saints [‘set apart ones’] and faithful. Thus

we see that a ‘saint’ is not Christian with super-duper powers or works credited to his/her name

[such as miracles], but simply have put their faith and trust in Christ Jesus—they believed the

Gospel.

Grace was the typical Greek greeting and was a wish for favor and blessings upon the person so

addressed.

Peace was the typical Jewish greeting and was a wish for peace upon the person so addressed.

Thus, Paul wished upon the Colossian believers favor, blessings and peace from God the Father and

the LORD Jesus Christ [the Son]. We can already see here that Paul understood that Christ Jesus

was equal to the God the Father.

1 Paul led Timothy to faith in Christ Jesus and he eventually became the chief elder or pastor at the church in

Ephesus. {1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:1-3; 2 Tim. 1:2; Phil 2:19-22}


Verses 3-8 � THE BELIEVER’S HOPE IS RESERVED IN HEAVEN: OUR LORD BY FAITH

[3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since

we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope

which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also

among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from

Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also

declared to us your love in the Spirit.]

One thing we see consistently in Paul’s correspondence is his consistent, continual prayers for

believers. He says he was always praying for the saints at Colossae because of their faith in Christ

Jesus and their love for one another. They were living out exactly what Jesus taught, “By this all

will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” {John 13:35}.

And Paul wanted them to continue being faithful and loving one another so they would be a credible

and persuasive witness to the truth of the Gospel so he prays for them.

He then mentions the “hope which is laid up for you in heaven” and reminds them that this was part

of the Gospel message they believed. There is hope in the TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL. Note that this

“hope” is reserved in Heaven.

What is that hope? Paul expresses it this way in writing to Titus {2:13-14}:

“…..looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus

Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify

for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

The writer of Hebrews puts it this way:

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His

counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God

to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set

before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which

enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus,

having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.—Heb. 6:17-20

The Christian has a “living hope” {1 Pet. 1:3-5} and it is a “purifying hope”:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we

know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And

everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. —1 John 3:2-3

Note that this is definitely not the kind of ‘hope’ the world understands where one might say, “Gee,

I sure hope the Cowboys win the Super Bowl”. Why? Because no one (except God) knows for

sure if they will win. One could be watching the game and the Cowboys play miserably, fumbling

the ball and going nowhere. A Cowboy fan desperately hoping the team will win would get pretty

upset, discouraged and anxious because it really looks like they are going to lose.

But now let’s add this bit of information. What if the game had already been played and was over

and the winner known—except by the fan who was watching a recording of it? So now the fan is

watching the game (which is over) but he does not know who wins. Now suppose his best friend,

one who never lies, tells him, “Relax, don’t worry, despite what you see, the Cowboys are going to

win this game.” How would that change the perspective of the fan?


Another personal illustration relates to the scheduled launch of the next generation infrared space surveillance satellite, SBIRS GEO, from Cape Canaveral. My wife and I were planning on going to see this

historic event and we were ‘hoping’ to see it. That was until she asked, “Is there a guarantee that it will launch as scheduled?” The answer of course was, “No, the weather could force the cancellation of the

launch.” Thus, our hope to see the launch was not a “sure thing”. However, we were also planning a trip

to Hawaii. Another question my wife asked was, “When we get to Hawaii, will the island still be there?” Well ignoring the fact that God is going to create a new earth (and new Heaven) the answer to that question

is, “Yes, the island will be there and we will be able to land.” Although this is not quite the promise we have from God the Father, it does point out the difference between a an ‘uncertain’ hope and a ‘sure’ hope. All

the hope we have from God is sure—it will not fail.

The Christian’s hope is secure and unchanging and it is built on the foundation that the One in

whom we believe knows the future and He will fulfill all His promises to us. What more does the

Christian have to be confident in than “…..in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie,

promised before time began” {Titus 1:2}.

That is the Christian’s hope—so relax, be confident in Christ and be encouraged to continue

proclaiming the Gospel and trusting and serving the LORD {1 Pet. 1:13}. “Let us hold fast the

confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” {Heb. 10:23}.

For an enlightening and encouraging study on the nature of a Christian’s “hope”, do a word search

for “hope” in the Psalms2.

The faith of the Colossian believers were influencing large regions [i.e., “over the all the world”]

and producing spiritual fruit. As ‘branches’, these believers were ‘plugged’ into the Vine of Life

and bearing much spiritual fruit.

By telling us that the Colossians were bearing spiritual fruit “since the day you heard and knew the

grace of God in truth” he is saying that spiritual fruit begins to be produced the moment a person

believes!

The life-changing message of the Gospel flourished in the Colossian believers and resulted in a

vibrant and energetic witness of the Gospel. The first century pagan individual found in the Gospel

of Christ life-saving, life-transforming power {Rom. 1:16}. In contrast, the religions and cults of

the time could never truly transform a person’s moral and spiritual life.

Paul calls a dear fellow bondservant and faithful minister of Christ. Here Epaphras is praised for

his <faithfulness>, <service> and <dependability> and, as discussed in the Introduction, he appears

to have been the founding pastor of the church at Colossae {Col. 1:7-8; 4:12-13}. Epaphras did

this for the same reason that as all ‘real’ pastors do, for the benefit of his congregation—the “sheep”

that God has given them.

Here we also learn that the Colossian believers demonstrated genuine love to one another in the

power of Spirit. All believers should strive to attain this level of faith, service and dependability.

2 David has a great commentary on the believer’s hope in Psalms 33:16-22: “No king is saved by the

multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You.”


To summarize, in this passage Paul mentions five significant characteristics of genuine believers in

Christ Jesus, which are:

• Faith in Christ Jesus {v.4}

• Love of all the saints {v.4}

• Hope in knowledge of the message of Truth in the Gospel {v.5}

• Bearing [spiritual] fruit {v.6}

• Love in the Spirit {v.8}

Questions:

(1) What did Paul cite as evidence that the Colossians had responded positively to the Gospel?

(2) How has the “blessed hope” changed you outlook on life? Were you aware of its power?

Verses 9-14� THE HIGH-CALLING OF THE CHRISTIAN: THE LORD OF OUR LIFE

[9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that

you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that

you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and

increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious

power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified

us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the

power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have

redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.]

Paul again encourages the believers by reminding them he does not cease praying for them. In this

case it is so that they “may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual

understanding”.

Paul was <praying> and <asking> God on the Colossians’ behalf. Any spiritual leader has the

obligation to pray for spiritual growth of the people he/she leads or ministers to. We need to pray

for everyone we seek to influence and for all those who influence others with the truth of the

Gospel. Secondly, we need to be asking God to supply their need for spiritual knowledge and

understanding so they can be effective in living out the Gospel and bearing spiritual fruit.

‘Wisdom’ and ‘spiritual understanding’ are both priceless spiritual commodities for a Christian—

they constitute being filled with the knowledge of His will. Elsewhere Paul puts it this way:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a

living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not

be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you

may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.—Rom. 12:1-2

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time,

because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of

the Lord is.—Eph. 5:15-17

Note that wisdom is the proper application of knowledge and understanding. Paul was praying for

the believers to have both wisdom and understanding that they might be “filled with the knowledge

of His will”. What a wonderful prayer for all believers to emulate.

To further emphasize this, Paul says, “being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the

knowledge of God”. This is the point that Jesus was making in His parable of the VINEDRESSER,

THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES in John 15:1-11.


As in his letter to the Philippians {Phil. 1:27-28}, Paul exhorts the believers to “walk worthy of the

Lord”. This means to remain faithful and fully please Him so that a Christian will (a) be fruitful in

every good work, (b) increase in the knowledge of God, (c) be boldly strengthened, (d) be joyfully

patient.

In all this, a believer is to give thanks to God the Father “who has qualified us to be partakers of the

inheritance of the saints in the light”. The word translated “qualified” means enabled or made fit.

It is used in the sense of being ‘certified’,

A Christian is on the ‘attendance list’ of Heaven and has been made a joint-heir with Christ {Rom.

8:16-17}. A believer is part of the workmanship of Christ who conforms us into His image and

crafts us to be serviceable to Him {Eph. 2:10; Rom. 12:1-2}.

The LORD has rescued the Christian from the <power of darkness> and transported us, literally

“made us to stand with” Him in the <kingdom of God’s only beloved Son>; that is the Kingdom of

Light.

Refer also to Psalms 1:1-6 which conveys the idea that the LORD lovingly transplants a believer

from the dry, unstable soil he/she starts out in, to the fertile soil next to streams of water.

Not only has a Christian been rescued from the power of darkness, he or she has been rescued from

the darkness itself for we are told in Eph. 5:8-11 that:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of

light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out

what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of

darkness, but rather expose them.

Our redemption and the forgiveness of our sins are based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Through Christ Jesus we have been rescued from sin and eternal judgment and we have been

redeemed, purchased from the “slave market of sin” and forgiven our sins. The following

story3 dramatically illustrates this.

In the South—and I hate to say, in the days of slavery—there was a beautiful girl who was put on the slave block to be sold. There was a very cruel slave owner, a brutal fellow, who began to bid for her.

Every time he would bid, the girl would cringe and a look of fear would come over her face. A

plantation owner who was kind to his slaves was there and he began to bid for the girl. He outbid the other fellow and purchased her. He put down the price and started to walk away. The girl started to

follow him, but he turned to her and said, “You misunderstand. I didn’t buy you because I needed a slave. I bought you to set you free.” She simply stood there, stunned for just a moment. Then she

suddenly fell to her knees. “Why,” she said, “then I will serve you forever!” Now that illustrates the basis on which the Lord Jesus wants us to serve Him. He loved you. He paid a price for you. He gave

Himself and shed His blood so that you could have forgiveness of sins. This is all yours if you are

willing to come to Him and accept Him as your Savior.

The Colossian Christians were living out the words of Jesus; “For whoever has, to him more will be

given, and he will have abundance…..” {Matt. 13:12a}. They were growing in the “grace and

knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ” {2 Pet. 3:18}.

3McGee, J. V. 1991. Vol. 47: Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Ephesians). Based on the Thru the

Bible radio program; Thomas Nelson: Nashville.


Questions:

(1) What do you think it means to “walk worthy of the LORD”?

(2) Has your Christian experience been one of pleasing yourself or pleasing the LORD? How are you going to please the LORD?

(3) If you are a believer, what does it mean to have been delivered from the power of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom of the Son, Jesus Christ? What are the practical benefits?

(4) How important are spiritual growth and fruit in your life? Do you consider grace, wisdom and knowledge of the LORD and Savior Jesus Christ important commodities? Why?

Verses 15-17 � CHRIST JESUS IS THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE

[15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 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. 17 And

He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.]

CHRIST JESUS—CHRISTOLOGY

As we saw in the introduction, Paul’s main concern in writing the Colossian believers was to both

warn them [and us] about serious heresies threatening the integrity of the Gospel and reiterating the

truths about Christ Jesus.

Starting at with this verse, vv.15-20 consists of a doctrinal hymn that Paul perhaps composed. It

represents one of the most eloquent and concise descriptions of the Person and Work of Jesus

Christ. Paul describes the dire consequences of denying this and note especially that those that do

not want to believe do so despite the fact they know better {ref. Rom. 1:18-32}:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being

understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that

they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as

God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts

were darkened……….who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and

served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen

It is reminiscent of John 1:1-3:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without

Him nothing was made that was made.

The term “image” comes from a Greek word that we get the English word <icon> from. It conveys

the idea of an exact representation, symbolizing the object under consideration.

Paul was emphasizing the idea that Jesus came as the full and exact revelation and manifestation of

the Father {cp. John 14:9}. Paul was communicating that Jesus Christ fully manifested God,

bringing God into the sphere of human understanding as the visible expression of God. In Christ,

the invisible God was made visible {see John 1:18; Heb. 1:3}.


Paul’s teaching insists that no angelic intermediary is needed between the material creation and the

creator God, for Jesus Christ Himself is the exact expression and “image of the invisible God”.

Matter of fact, Paul elaborates on this in Col. 2:8-9 when he says,

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the

tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to

Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

The term “firstborn” [Gk. ‘prototokos’] is not a reference to time—its primary meaning has to do

with priority or rank. It referred to the uniqueness of rank to inherit all things. To declare that Jesus

is the “firstborn” means He has ultimate priority over all of creation—He is preeminent over all

creation because He created it!

Note that Paul uses this term again in v.18, “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”

Here it is a little easier to see what Paul means and ties in with another fallacious argument based on

Psalms 2:7, “I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have

begotten You’.” And also in Heb. 1:5; “For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My

Son, today I have begotten You’?”

The same argument used to claim that “firstborn” means the first of many others of the same kind is

used with these passages in saying that Jesus had a beginning because He was ‘begotten’ by God

the Father. However, in Acts 13:33 the Apostle Paul interprets the true meaning of ‘begotten’ by

saying,

God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also

written in the second Psalm: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”.

Thus, this refers to the fact that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and has become the ‘first fruits

of those who have fallen asleep [have died]” {ref. 1 Cor. 15:20-23; Rev. 1:5}. Jesus was the first

born or begotten from the dead in the sense of His resurrection.

One Christian author states all of this very succinctly, “Christ is His Father’s representative and heir

and has the management of the divine household (all creation) committed to Him4”.

Finally, the first chapter of Hebrews clearly describes the superiority that Christ Jesus has over

angels. Thus, there are no intermediary agencies between man and Christ Jesus—there is a direct

connection because He is God5.

Paul claims that Jesus Christ is the “firstborn over all creation”. At times, some—including Arius in

the fourth century—have misinterpreted this phrase. Their interpretation suggests that Jesus was the

first part of God's creation, a created being, greater than all the rest of creation but not God Himself.

The Council of Nicea condemned the teaching of Arius in 325 AD. Though condemned, this

position has continued to find expression through the centuries in various cults and sectarian groups.

4 Colossians and Philemon; Curtis Vaughn, p.39 Zondervan Publishing, 1980.

5 This is in contradiction to Roman Catholic teaching that Mary, chosen to be the mother and source of the

incarnation of the Son of God, can make intercession to God on behalf of those who pray to her. Matter of fact, she is called the “Mediatrix” or mediator between man and Christ Jesus. She is also referred to as “Co-Redemptrix” in that she is involved, along with Jesus Christ, in the process of redemption from her position in Heaven. This is a modern example of Gnostic heresy. The answer to this is found in 1 Tim. 2:5; “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus”. See also Heb. 8:6, 9:15; 12:24.


One such religious group is the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe that

Christ Jesus can be God because the Bible teaches that {John 4:24}; “God is Spirit, and those who

worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Since Jesus had a material body, even in His

resurrected state {e.g., Luke 24:39}, He cannot be God.

In their translation of the Bible, the New World Translation, they render Col. 1:15-17 this way

He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation: because by means of him all

[other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All

[other] things have been created through him and for him. Also, he is before all [other] things and by means of him all [other] things were made to exist.

Note that they insert the word “other” with the explanation that even though this is not in the

original text it belongs there because, after all, we know that Jesus Christ is a created being—

created by Yahweh. Therefore, all OTHER things must have been create by Him.

But this is completely contrived since the rest of their own translation {e.g., Col. 2:9; Titus 1:3-4;

Rev. 1:8} demonstrates that Jesus Christ is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father!

In their translation of Rev. 1:11 they have removed the phrase, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the

First and the Last” because when compared with Rev. 1:8, 17-18; “I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the Beginning and the End”, says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the

Almighty”…….Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and

behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death”, it can be clearly

seen that God’s Word clearly teaches that Jesus is Jehovah God—the Almighty! This is anathema

to Jehovah Witnesses teaching. They ignore this fundamental truth at their own peril {Heb. 10:30-

31}.

Therefore they deliberately altar the scriptures to suit the very narrow scope of their theology. It is

narrow in scope because this reasoning ignores a preponderance of scriptural evidence that demands

Christ Jesus to be Yahweh in the flesh6 {e.g., Isaiah 40:28; 42:5; 43:11; 44:8; 45:12,15,18,21;

49:26; John 1:14; Titus 1:3-4; 3:4; }. God is the ultimate power and authority in the Universe and

as such He can do as it pleases Him!

The heresy discussed above is a not-so-subtle way of deposing the Person of Christ Jesus from His

position as Jehovah God and preeminent authority in the Universe—the ‘Firstborn’ over all

creation.

In this passage the God’s Word teaches that all things that are in heaven and on earth, whether

visible or invisible, whether earthly or spiritual dominions and powers; all things were created

through Christ Jesus and for Him. By His wisdom and power all things exist [lit. ‘stand with’].

Some believe that the theory of evolution or Darwinism has dealt a ‘death blow’ to the validity of the creation account and the Bible in general. They would say that these verses belong in the realm of ‘fairy

tales’. They take the Genesis account of creation to be a myth when in reality it is the eyewitness account of God given to Moses to write down.

But the following quote7 gives one pause to wonder what really is a “myth”; the supernatural creation

account or the naturalistic Darwinian account:

6 Ironically, the Jehovah’s Witnesses get their name within the context of the verses in Isaiah that can be

used to refute their teaching about Christ Jesus [e.g., see Isaiah 43:10-12; 44:8]. 7 From The Giants of the Animal World; Benjamin Boya.


“The Earth was born about 5 billion years ago…..scientists are not certain of just how it happened, but

they believe that life began about 2 billion years ago in the shallow waters of some unknown seacoast. A group of atoms came together in a very certain way. They formed a new type of

molecule—a giant molecule, much bigger than all the other atom groups nearby. This large molecule could do something that no other molecule could do. It was able to take simple atoms and smaller

molecules from the sea and make a new giant molecule just like itself.”

Note the use of vague terms and expressions in this account: the earth was ‘born’, scientists are not certain, they believe, unknown seacoast, group of atoms came together in a very certain way, giant molecule, could do something that no other molecule could do, it was able to take, make a new giant molecule just like itself. None of these phrases technically represent scientific statements! To believe these statements would

take a great amount of faith.

Of course there is ample scientific evidence to support supernatural creation and refute Darwinism.

Examples include (a) fixity of kinds of animals [kinds can only interbreed with like-kinds such as dogs with

dogs but not with cats]; (b) the law of entropy, (c) information theory applied to DNA and protein reproduction, (d) ‘statis’ in the fossil record [no intermediate forms, the constancy or statis of ‘kinds’], (e)

natural selection being a ‘conservative force’ not a ‘creative force’, (f) existence of ‘living fossils’, (g) the sudden appearance of kinds or the so-called “Cambrian explosion8”.

People really do not believe in Darwinian evolution because it is scientific, but because it gives them a way

to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist. It is a heart issue, not a ‘brain’ issue. For example consider the following quote by Dr. George Wald9.

“There are only two possibilities as to how life arose. One is spontaneous generation arising to evolution, the other is a supernatural creative act of God. There is no third possibility. Spontaneous

generation, that life arose from non-living matter was scientifically disproven 120 years ago by Louis Pasteur and others. That leaves us with only one possible conclusion: that life arose as a supernatural

creative act of God. I will not accept that philosophically because I do not want to believe in God.

Therefore, I choose to believe in that which I know is scientifically impossible—spontaneous generation arising to evolution10.”

And Dr. D.M.S. Watson11 wrote:

“Evolution is a theory universally accepted not because it can be proved by logical, coherent evidence

to be true, but because the only alternative, special creation, is clearly incredible12.”

On the other hand, Dr. Ethridge, of the British Museum of Science, has noted; “Nine tenths of the talk about evolution is sheer nonsense. It is not founded on observation and wholly unsupported by facts. This

museum is full of proofs of the utter falsity of their view.”

Dr. Ambrose Flemming, was president of the Philosophical Society of Great Britain, said, “The evolution

theory is purely the product of the imagination.” {Circa 1904, inventor of electronic diode & rectifier}.

Dr. R. Kirk wrote13,

“Darwinism is a creed not only with scientists committed to document the all-purpose role of natural

selection. It is a creed with masses of people who have at best a vague notion of the mechanism of evolution as proposed by Darwin, let alone as further complicated by his successors. Clearly, the

appeal cannot be that of a scientific truth but of a philosophical belief which is not difficult to identify. Darwinism is a belief in the meaninglessness of existence."

8 Term referring to the presence of 80 percent of the plant and animal phyla in the evolutionary boundary

layer dated at 540 million years ago leaving no time for evolution based on fossils of simple algae found in the pre-Cambrian layer. 9 Dr. George Wald; professor Emeritus of Biochemistry at Harvard University and shared the Nobel prize in

that field in 1967. 10

Scientific American, August 1954, p.46. 11

Dr. David Meredith Seares Watson was the Jodrell Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at University College, London from 1921 to 1951 12

Nature, August 10, 1929, p.233. 13

"The Rediscovery of Creation", in National Review, (May 27, 1983), p.641.


Dr. Stephen Jay Gould (died 2004), Professor of Geology and Paleontology, Harvard University, wrote in his

book, “Evolution, Erratic Pace”.

“The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design,

indeed our inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional intermediates in many cases, has been a persistent and nagging problem for gradualist accounts of evolution……The extreme rarity of

transitional forms in the fossil record persists as a trade secret of Paleontology. Evolutionary trees that

adorn our textbooks have data only at the tips and nodes of their branches; the rest is inference, however reasonable, not the evidence of fossils.”

Note carefully: If one rejects the Biblical account of the Creator and creation, then one is forced, by

scientists’ own rationale, to exercise ‘blind’ faith to believe the alternative! Ultimately, there would

be no meaning to ‘existence’.

C.S. Lewis wrote about when he was an atheist:

My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.

What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself

in such violent reaction against it?.......Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it

was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too—for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not

happen to please my fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist—In other words, that the whole of reality was senseless I found I was forced to assume that one part of

reality—namely my idea of justice was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple.

If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know

it was dark. Dark would be a word without meaning14.

So what is the answer? To believe by rationale faith the eyewitness account of the One who was

there at the beginning.

We must first carefully note that the Bible does not begin with a debate about creation and

evolution [i.e., Darwinism]; it makes a simple, straight-forward statement {Gen. 1:1}; “In the

beginning God created the heavens and the earth”, and one either believes it or does not.

The Bible proclaims supernatural creation in both the Old and New Testaments:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.”

—Psalms 19:1

“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the

work of Your hands”.—Heb. 1:10

Besides the earth, sun and stars what did the LORD create? […..whether thrones or dominions or

principalities or powers]. Note the similarity in wording here to the description of spiritual beings

and powers in Eph. 6:12-13:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against

powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of

wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you

may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14

Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, McMillan Publishers, 1952.


Everything was created by Christ Jesus; things seen and things unseen and therefore He is the

Creator. But the original creation although “good” was marred by sin and rebellion. Just as man

rebelled, so did some of the angelic host; including Lucifer {Isa. 14:12-15; Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:3-

4} but God still is the Creator and therefore is still in control of even Satan and the demons {Matt.

4:9-11; Mark 1:23-27; Luke 4:33-36; 9:1; 10:17-20; John 12:31; Rev. 20:1-3, 10}.

The following passages of scripture, all from the prophet Isaiah, clearly teach that the LORD,

Yahweh, is the Creator God

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the

Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is

unsearchable.—Isa. 40.28

Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread

forth the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and

spirit to those who walk on it.—Isa. 42:5

I have made the earth, and created man on it. I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,

and all their host I have commanded….. For thus says the LORD, who created the

heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did

not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no

other”.—Isa. 45:12, 18

There is but one Creator—Yahweh. There is only one logical conclusion: Since Christ Jesus is the

Creator He also is the LORD—YAHWEH incarnate! This is further demonstrated by comparing

Zech. 14:1-4 with Acts 1:9-12.

It seems like Truth versus Error was an ongoing battle and Paul was diligent is making sure

believers were armed with the facts and doctrinal truths about the Person and Work of the LORD

Jesus Christ. In his letter to the Philippians he wrote:

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not

tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the

mutilation!.......For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even

weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction,

whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame-- who set their mind on

earthly things.—Phil. 3:1-2; 18-19.

Jude also dealt with false teachers:

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I

found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which

was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who

long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of

our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

—Jude 1:3-4

In v.5 of this chapter Paul mentioned the “hope” that is reserved in Heaven for the Christian. Now

he will tie this hope in with faithfully knowing and defending the TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL just as

Peter writes:

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to

everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”

—1 Pet. 3:15.


So this seems to be a pattern, an ongoing theme among early Christians—be diligent to guard

doctrinal truth about God and His dealings with man and to pass on the truth pure and undiluted.

Modern day Christians should be no less watchful and vigilant to protect the truth and proclaim it!

In the next several verses Paul will describe the truth about the Person and Work of Christ Jesus—

we would be wise to carefully consider what he has to say.

Conclusion:

The point is this; the teaching of vv.15-17 (as well as other similar ones) and the teaching of

Darwinism are mutually exclusive. Everything visible and invisible was either created by the

LORD supernaturally or—it all came about by undirected, spontaneous natural processes. It’s ‘all or

nothing’ for either one. There really is no compromise position on either side. Each of these

belief options takes faith to believe in, but to believe in Darwinian Evolution one needs a “blind”

faith—that is the big difference. Therefore, a Christian cannot believe that Christ Jesus is the

Creator of all things and at the same time embrace Darwinism.

Questions:

(1) As a Christian, do you think it important to believe that the Genesis account of creation is historical? How does your answer square up with vv. 15-17?

(2) Do you think believing that Christ Jesus created all things matters to one’s salvation? What about one’s faith in the trustworthiness of God’s Word?

(3) How does the belief and teaching of Darwinian evolution undermine the Person and Work of Christ Jesus? Is it a form of blasphemy? What about pagan Nature Worship? Refer to Rom. 1:18-25.

Verses 18-20 � CHRIST JESUS IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH (HIS BODY)

[18 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. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the

fullness should dwell, 20 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.]

THE CHURCH, THE “BODY OF CHRIST”—ECCLESIOLOGY

Not only is Christ preeminent in relation to creation {vv.15-17} but now we see that He is also

preeminent in relation to humanity and the church because of His resurrection from the dead {v.

18}.

Christ Jesus is the HEAD of the BODY which Paul identifies here as the CHURCH. He is the One who

began the true Church which made up of all individuals who have accepted the Gospel and have

“…..confessed with their mouth that Jesus is LORD and believed in their heart that God has raised

Him from the dead” {Rom. 10:9} because “with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with

the mouth confession is made unto salvation” {Rom. 10:10}.

Paul elaborates upon and explains the details about the relationship that Christ Jesus has with the

Church as His Body in 1 Cor. 12:12-27. And he puts it this way in his letter to the Ephesian

believers:

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the

Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.—Eph. 1:22-23


When Paul uses the expression, “firstborn from the dead”, we have already seen that he is referring

to Jesus’ resurrection {refer to notes on vv.15-17 and see 1 Cor. 15:20-21; Rev. 1:5 and cp. Ps. 2:7

with Acts 13:33-34}. This is so He would have the preeminence—that is, He would be supreme

over everything and everyone.

Note that it pleased Father God that all the fullness should dwell. The Greek word translated

‘fullness’ here means that ‘filled up to capacity’ and the word translated ‘dwell’ means ‘to reside in

permanently’. Therefore, Paul is saying that Jesus was fully divine, fully equal to the Father as

God.

And in the next chapter, Col. 2:9, Paul writes; “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead

bodily”. There is nothing lacking in the divinity of Christ Jesus—it is an awesome reality!

Finally, note that is it though the blood sacrifice of the crucifixion on the cross that Christ Jesus is

able to reconcile, that is, bring together as one, all things on earth and the Universe and thus bring

true peace to man and the created order {i.e., }.

Christ reconciles by ‘exchanging one thing for something else’. In this case He exchanges our sin

for salvation.

The writer of Hebrews concludes his letter by saying:

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great

Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you

complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His

sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.—Heb. 13:20-21

Paul explains the practical benefit of the reconciliation of all things to the Christian as:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;

behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us

to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is,

that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses

to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are

ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on

Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for

us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.—2 Cor. 5:17-21

Although what Paul writes in vv.15-20 can be considered a concise refutation of the heretical

teachings and beliefs of Gnosticism15

, there were also two major schools of Greek philosophy that

were prevalent during this time; Stoicism and Epicureanism.

All of these belief systems stood in opposition to the Gospel message. They needed to be directly

challenged with the Truth about the nature of man and the nature of God. Paul does so here in a

very concise and practical way. Paul will have more to say about this in the next chapter.

15

Gnosticism (from Gk. gnosis = knowledge) teaches that some esoteric knowledge was necessary for salvation from the material world, which was created by some intermediary figure (or demiurge) instead of God. In some systems, the demiurge was considered evil, in others merely imperfect. Different Gnostic schools sometimes identified the demiurge as Adam, Ahriman (the destructive spirit of Zoroastrianism), Samuel, Satan or even Yahweh. Jesus is identified by some Gnostic sects as an embodiment of the Supreme Being who became incarnate to bring gnōsis to the earth.


Paul has taught that Christ Jesus makes manifest the invisible God, He created all things and by

Him all things exist; including things seen and things unseen (the invisible spiritual world of angels

and demons).

Paul here is giving an answer to some of the false beliefs and erroneous teachings that were

prevalent during the time. In vv.15-20 Paul demonstrates that the message of the Gospel of Christ

Jesus is unique and stands in stark contrast and direct opposition to the prevailing philosophies of

the day. Paul addresses this issue in the next chapter.

The preeminence and co-equality of Christ Jesus with the LORD {YAHWEH} can also be deduced

by comparing scripture between the Old and New Testaments:

“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no

other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,

and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an

oath.”—Isa. 45:22-23

For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every

tongue shall confess to God.”—Rom. 14:11

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above

every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of

those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.—Phil. 2:9-11

Note that all reasons to worship Jesus Christ fall into two categories: He is CREATOR and He is

SAVIOR.

Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the

throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits

on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before

the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for

You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”—Rev. 4:9-11

And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its

seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe

and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; and

we shall reign on the earth.”—Rev. 5:9-10

SUMMARY:

The picture of Christ described in vv.15-20 is one of the great portraits of Jesus Christ in the New

Testament. This wonderful passage celebrates Christ Jesus as both the Sovereign Creator {vv.15-

17} and Savior/Redeemer {vv.18-20} of all things.

Questions:

(1) How can a Christian demonstrate their confession that, “Jesus is my LORD” is genuine?

(2) Which pronouns do you hear most often in reference to the church: my church, our church, your church, His church? What do these pronouns reveal about how one views and a church member’s acceptance of the doctrinal truths revealed in vv. 15-20?


Verses 21-23� SALVATION COMES THROUGH THE SACRIFICIAL DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS

[21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has

reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above

reproach in His sight—23 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.]

SALVATION—SOTERIOLOGY

The challenge for Christians is to fulfill the high-calling of Christ Jesus in their lives after they are

saved, reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ and transferred from “darkness into the

kingdom of Jesus Christ” {v.13}. Far too many Christians think that after they are saved they have

their “fire insurance” to avoid Hell and can just “kick back”; that their salvation is an end unto

itself.

Paul in this section of his letter proclaims that this is emphatically false! While our salvation is

complete and assured at the moment of conversion, God expects all believers to mature in Christian

truth and behavior. Christians are to be involved in disciplines that enhance spiritual growth and be

ever sensitive to sharing the truth of the Gospel to others.

Salvation, eternal life, is the greatest gift anyone can receive but the LORD never intended that His

‘children’ become stagnant and stunted in their spiritual growth after receiving that gift of salvation.

In practice, Christians are to strive to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior,

Jesus Christ” {2 Pet. 3:18}.

One of the major goals of pagan religions was often little more than trying to live in such a way so

as to keep the gods from smiting you. New believers in Christ Jesus may be tempted to treat the

reconciliation and salvation they have in Jesus as the ‘end product’ rather than the beginning of a

new way of living and spiritual growth.

Paul in his letter to the Colossians refutes the specific heresies that threatened the spiritual stability

and growth of believers there. The key to confronting the theological errors was to focus on Christ

Jesus and the message of God’s Word. And Paul begins this assault by reminding the believers of

that which is unique to Christianity and differentiates it from all other belief systems in the world,

religions, cults, isms and philosophies. This is the personal nature of the relationship between the

LORD and Savior and the believer!

Paul here describes a problem. Christ Jesus is the Savior of the Church; “And you, who once were

alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works…..”

The word translated <alienated> here means ‘unrecognized’ or “of another kind” and conveys the

idea of being “without rights and privileges’. It is used only here and in Eph. 2:12; 4:18.

This word carries with it the idea of separation or death. God’s word tells us that all people are

naturally “dead in trespasses and sins” {Eph. 2:1-5}. Matter of fact, Paul will write in the next

chapter {v.13} that, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh,

He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses”.

The word translated <enemies> here means “hateful” or “hostile”. This is not just a passive neglect

of God—it is an active rejection of Him. The Pharisees were hostile towards Jesus. Examples of

this same hostility towards Jesus Christ and the Gospel are all around us today. Behind all that

hostility is Satan himself—but the Bible teaches us that he is doomed {Rev. 20:10}.


Dr. Richard Lewontin16 who is a rabid promoter of Evolution has written:

“We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the

scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism (atheism)……It is not that the methods and institutions of science

somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary,

that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations (atheistic explanations), no

matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is an absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine foot in the door17.”

I’m sure that if Dr. Lewontin does not repent and turn to Christ Jesus, he will wish he could retract

those words at the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT {Rev. 20:11-15}.

Paul himself describes this hostility of the mind and puts it into sharp focus in his last letter, one to

his protégé Timothy:

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of

themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,

unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal,

despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of

God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn

away!—2 Tim. 3:1-5

This mindset, the hostility of pride and sin towards God, is why nonbelievers are motivated to

believe in Evolution instead of Creation. The following are two representative examples:

H.G. Wells, who was only seven when Darwin first published his book on Evolution, too was an avid promoter of Evolution his book, Time Machine, contains elements of Evolutionary theory set (believe it or

not) in the context of an anti-war story, has written this18:

“If all animals and man evolved, then there were no first parents, no paradise, no fall. And if there had been no fall, then the entire historic fabric of Christianity, the story of the first sin and the reason

for the atonement collapses like a house of cards.”

Aldous Huxley, called “Darwin’s Bulldog” for his promotion of Darwinian Evolution wrote19:

“I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning. For myself, as no doubt for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The

liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to

the morality, because it interfered with our sexual freedom. We objected to the political and economic system, because it was unjust. The supporters of these systems claim that in some way

they embodied the meaning -- a Christian meaning, they insisted of the world. There was one admirably simple method of confusing these people and at the same time justify ourselves in our

political and erotic revolt. We could deny that the world had any meaning whatsoever.”

16

Richard Charles "Dick" Lewontin is an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist and social commentator. He was a leader in developing the mathematical basis of population genetics and evolutionary theory. He has held professorships of Zoology and Biology at Harvard and is the Alexander Agassiz Research Professor at Harvard. 17

Billions and Billions of Demons, N.Y. Review, Jan. 9, 1997. 18

The Outlines of History, 2 Volumes (1920); H.G. Wells [1866-1946]. 19

Ends and Means (1937); Aldous Huxley [1894-1963]. However, in his latter years, even Huxley could no

longer defend some of the more unscientific claims of evolution because they were so contradictory to natural observations.


Perhaps nowhere better is this hostile mindset described than in Rev. 9:20-21; 16:9, 11:

But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the

works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver,

brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not

repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts…….

And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has

power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory……. They

blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not

repent of their deeds.

How are people alienated and enemies in their mind? Through wicked works or evil actions which

include pride and rejection of the Gospel and instead embracing worldly philosophy and wisdom.

We have already seen that in the previous verses and the examples above.

The fact that this ‘hostile action’ occurs in the mind focuses on the source of the sin problem.

People are corrupted from within which is a point Jesus makes perfectly clear in Mk. 7:21-23:

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,

fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye,

blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

Someone has put it this way, “A man is not a ‘thief’ because he steals—he steals because HE IS a

thief. A man is not a ‘murderer’ because he kills—he kills because HE IS a murderer”.

But now Paul comes to the solution of this problem of alienation and hostility of the mind. He

quickly adds, “…..yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death”.

How are people reconciled to God? God has reconciled us to Himself through the sacrificial death

of Jesus Christ; “…….in the body of His flesh through death”. The foundation of our salvation is a

historical event—the death of Jesus’ physical body. Matter of fact, Paul goes so far as to declare;

For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith

is futile; you are still in your sins!—1 Cor. 15:16-17

Note there could have been no historical resurrection unless there was a historical death. This

happens to be diametrically opposed to what the Qur’an20

teaches.

157 And because of their saying, “We killed Messiah ‘Isa21, son of Maryam22, the Messenger of Allah,”—but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of ‘Isa was put over another man23, and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no [certain] knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not, son of Maryam. 158 But Allah raised him up24 unto Himself25 . And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise. 159 And there is none of the people of Scripture26 but must believe in him27 before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he [‘Isa (Jesus)] will be a witness against them. —Surah 4:157-159 An-Nisầ’

20

The Noble Qur’an, translated by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan; King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an, Medina, K.S.A. 21

That is, Jesus. 22

That is, Mary. 23

Implies they killed that man. 24

Implies both in body and soul. 25

And he is now in the Heavens. 26

That is, Jews and Christians. 27

That is believed that Jesus is only a Messenger of Allah and a human being.


With His death Jesus Christ paid the cost to redeem us from our slavery to sin (Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet.

1:18-19). While it is true that this is applicable to all people, even those who deny the Lord (2 Pet.

2:1), it has a very unique and special significance for the believer who has accepted the gift (cp. 1

Pet. 2:9; 1 Tim. 4:10).

God did indeed love the world and gave His Son for all, but it is only those who have believed in

Him that will not perish but He gives them eternal life {John 3:16}.

Again, in the next chapter {v.14} Paul will write, “…..having wiped out the handwriting of

requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way,

having nailed it to the cross.”

Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 6:20, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body

and in your spirit, which are God's.”

This alludes to someone purchasing a slave at a slave auction. Remember the story of the slave girl

who was purchased on the slave market and then set free—in gratitude she wanted to serve her

‘owner’ forever.

It is in the internal nature of a person that justification [just-as-I’d-never-sinned] takes place and the

process of sanctification [being set-apart for God’s use] begins.

There is a purpose that God has in all this, namely that we are ‘sanitized’, that is, made holy [set

apart] and blameless [no adverse charge will stick] and above reproach [innocent]. <Holy> and

<blameless> were qualities of the animals that were brought before the LORD and sacrificed.

<Above reproach> refers to legal standing in which a judge declares an individual innocent or free

from accusation. And all this “in His sight”!

These attributes describe an awesome work that the LORD does in each and every believer.

[“if indeed you continue in the faith”] does not imply that Paul is teaching one can lose their

salvation. He means that ‘since’ or ‘because of’ the fact that we will be presented holy, blameless

and above reproach we should strive to live up to what we are in Christ Jesus—His children,

citizens of Heaven.

Christians are to be rooted, grounded, that is, have a deep footing so that they can remain steadfast

and faithful. Another illustration of this is the weighted keel of a sailboat; is heavy and deep in the

water to prevent the boat from tipping over in a storm.

This goes along with what Paul has already said in v.10:

“that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in

every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”

And again in Eph. 2:10:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God

prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Therefore, we can clearly see that salvation and reconciliation is only the beginning of a lifelong

journey in spiritual service and maturity. It has been said that, “Faith alone saves, but the faith that

saves is not alone”.

It is possible for a Christian, because of their lack of motivation to mature in their faith and service

to Christ, to enter Heaven with a lot of “wood, hay and stubble”, but it is not the preferred way.

Better to make the effort to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ {2 Pet. 3:18}.


In his discussion on the reconciliation we have through the death of Jesus, Paul focuses his attention

on the expected results in the life of a Christian—that we should “not move away from the hope of

the Gospel”. Remaining firm, sure, steadfast in the faith and hope delivered to us is a major theme

of the New Testament.

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also

you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that

word which I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.—1 Cor. 15:1-2

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift

away.—Heb. 2:1

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from

the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today”, lest any of you

be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.—Heb. 3:12-13

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens,

Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.—Heb. 4:14

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I

found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which

was once for all delivered to the saints.—Jude 1:3

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those

things which are written in it; for the time is near.—Rev. 1:3

Having mentioned the Gospel, Paul says two things about it: (1) it was preached to every creature

under heaven” and (2) “I became its servant”; literally ‘deacon’ {see also Eph 3:7; 2 Cor 3:6}.

It cannot be supposed that it was literally true that “every creature under heaven” had actually heard

the Gospel. This was a literary device not to be taken literally; it speaks simply of the widespread

dissemination of the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. This would have included all the

Mediterranean countries including Southern Europe (including Spain), Asia Minor, Northern

Africa, the Middle East and probably Persia and India.

Note that in v.6 Paul used a similar expression when he says of the Gospel, “which has come to you,

as it has also in all the world”.

Jesus used a similar phrase in Mark 16:15 when He told the disciples they were “Go into all the

world and preach the gospel to every creature”. Obviously that would not be the case in the literal

sense, but it conveyed the idea that no place on earth would be too remote to take the Gospel.

Still another interpretation is that Paul was alluding to the fact that the Gospel was essentially being

preached to every creature under Heaven. For example; if the inhabitants of a distant province were

in rebellion against a government and a proclamation of pardon were issued, it would not be

improper to say that it was made to every one of them—even to those who, being in the remotest

part of the province, had not actually heard it.

Still another interpretation is that since the Gospel was unchained it was being preached to everyone

in a general sense and that it ultimately will be preached to every creature under Heaven.


Questions:

(1) In what ways has God called you to express the Truth of the Gospel?

(2) How has God’s Word challenged you to grow in that Truth? In the grace and knowledge of the LORD and Savior, Christ Jesus? {See 2 Pet. 3:18}.

(3) What is your response to knowing that you were once alienated from God because of a hostile mind; but now are reconciled to God through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus?

Verses 24-29� A “MYSTERY” NOW REVEALED

[24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of

Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to

the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery

which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the

Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and

teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To

this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.]

Rejoicing in sufferings for the sake of the Gospel proves to its enemies that its power is greater than

man’s. The fact that Christianity is universally suppressed and opposed in schools, colleges,

universities and the news media, actually gives testimony to its uniqueness and its power to save!

Paul is not saying that Jesus’ suffering and pain on the cross was insufficient, he is saying that in

Christ’s body, the Church, there is going to be on-going suffering and affliction. It is similar to the

plea of the martyrs in Heaven who cry out to God and receive an answer:

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been

slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a

loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our

blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them;

and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number

of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was

completed.—Rev. 6:9-11

Remember also that Jesus takes any persecution or affliction done to a believer personally. The

irony of this is that Paul himself was afflicting the Church and Jesus came to him and said {Acts

9:4b}, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” So the sufferings and afflictions of every believer

who has ever lived or lives has been and is being added to Christ Jesus.

This also reminds us of Jesus’ promise to His disciples that they would do even greater works than

He did because His earthly ministry is ending and theirs was only beginning:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do

also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And

whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it”.—John 14:12-14

Here Paul tells us that there was a mystery hidden for generations but now revealed to the Gentiles:

“Christ in you, the hope of glory”.


The Greek word for “mystery” literally means “to shut the mouth” and was used to describe the

silence imposed by initiation into religious rites. It therefore came to be associated with something

hidden or kept secret except to those who were given the “decoder ring”.

Note that when the Bible talks about a ‘mystery’ it refers to something that would remain unknown

unless revealed to us by God—and the ‘mysteries’ of the Bible are always revealed to the believer!

So technically, for a Christian, there should be no spiritual mysteries.

This “mystery” is part of the New Covenant the LORD promised He would make with His people,

the Jewish Remnant {Jer. 31:31-33} would also be with the Gentiles {Isa. 42:5-6; 49:6}

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the

house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with

their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My

covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the

covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put

My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be

My people”.—Jer. 31:31-33

Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth

the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to

those who walk on it: “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your

hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the

Gentiles…..”—Isaiah 42:5-6

Indeed He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes

of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the

Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth”. —Isaiah 49:6

The “mystery” is simply that God wanted the Gentiles, as well as Jews, to participate in the

redemptive plan through the Messiah, Jesus {i.e., vv.21-22}. See for example Acts 15:14-17; Rom.

15:9-12; Eph. 1:7-10; 2:10-22; Rev. 5:9. Paul clearly explains this mystery in Eph. 3:1-7:

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—if indeed you

have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you—how

that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,

by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),

which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been

revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be

fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the

gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to

me by the effective working of His power.

A Christian has the Holy Spirit in them {John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7; 1:Cor. 12:13; Eph.

2:18}, the hope of glory.

Why is Christ the hope of glory in a believer? Because (a) since He was raised from the dead, we

can be assured that He will also resurrect us {1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 4:13-18} and (b) the Holy

Spirit is only the down payment of the certainty of what’s to come {Eph. 1:13-14}.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation;

in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is

the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to

the praise of His glory.


Paul describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit in forming the Body of Christ, His Church in 1 Cor.

12:4-27.

A key goal of any teacher of God’s Word is to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus”

Paul gives glory to whom glory is due; in his labor in striving [i.e., ‘agonizing’] for the Gospel it is

God’s mighty power that energizes him. The Greek word translated ‘mightily’ is <dunamei> from

which we get our English word ‘dynamite’. Thus, wherever the Gospel is proclaimed it goes forth

powerfully and forcefully!

Questions:

(1) What have you learned about Jesus Christ from Colossians chapter 1?

(2) What truths about Jesus Christ have been confirmed?

(3) How would you teach what you have learned to a new Christian?

Conclusions:

1.) Jesus Christ is LORD of the cosmos because He created it.

2.) Jesus Christ is LORD of the Church because He formed it.

3.) Jesus Christ is LORD of the Christian because He saved him/her.

4.) A person makes Christ Jesus LORD when they respond by faith to the Gospel and then demonstrate that fact by conduct worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

Bibliography

(1) New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright © 1988.

(2) Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee, Vol.48; Philippians & Colossians, J. Vernon McGee,

copyright © 1982

(3) Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Copyright © 1986.

(4) Barnes Notes, Albert Barnes.

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