The Preeminence of Christ

On June 9, 2011 I posted an article called "Which Jesus Do You Believe In". That article discussed who the writer of Hebrews says Jesus is, compared with what others say Jesus is. The Apostle Paul had a similar view of Jesus as the writer of Hebrews. Paul had been a persecutor of Christians and complicit in the murder of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. However later, Paul had a dramatic face to face meeting with Jesus on the Damascus road that forever changed him and his view of who Jesus was. Writing to the Church of Colosse from a Roman prison around 60 AD, Paul’s letter was intended to counter what was being taught about Jesus by false teachers. In Colossians 1: 15-20, Paul quotes from what scholars think is an early Christian hymn. In one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible, Paul explains who Jesus Christ is this way:

^{Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,  for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.  Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.  For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,  and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Col 1: 15-20, NLT Bible)}

From these verses, Paul describes the following characteristics of Jesus:

1. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. If you want to know who God is, look at Jesus. Similarly, the writer of Hebrews called Jesus the very character and nature of God imprinted (stamped) in human flesh (Heb 1:3).

2. He existed before anything… Jesus existed before anything, therefore Jesus is eternal.

3. … is supreme over all creation. The word supreme in verse 15 is the Greek word prototokos, which means firstborn (the one who inherits all of the father’s possessions and authority, like a prince who becomes king upon the father’s death) or the preeminent one. Jesus is preeminent over all creation. Only God can be preeminent over creation.

4. Through him God created everything. Everything that exists was created by God through Jesus. Likewise, the Apostle John says that Jesus created everything that was created (John 1:3). This verse also indicates the separate divine personality of the Son to the Father (the Trinity).

5. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see. Jesus created angels and all of the heavenly realms.

6. Everything was created through him and for him. Not only did Jesus create everything, everything that Jesus created is specifically for him and for his glory. Everything belongs to him. We belong to him. Only God can have this kind of authority.

7. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Jesus not only eternally existed before creation, Jesus holds all of creation together at this very moment. The reason we are alive at this moment and why anything that we know exists at all is because of Jesus. The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus upholds the universe by the word of His power (Heb 1:3). This kind of power is unimaginable; it is the power of God.

8. Christ is also the head of the church. As the divine Son of God who willingly became a man in order to come to Earth and give himself to save human beings from the penalty of sin, Jesus is the head of the church and is the one who the church worships.

9. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. Jesus is described as supreme over all who rise from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection means that death itself and the power of sin is conquered and makes a believer’s resurrection possible.

10. So he is first in everything. Jesus is first and supreme in everything as creator, sustainer, and savior. Therefore, we should place Him first in everything.

11. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ. When Jesus came to Earth, he was both God and man, a perfect human being who had all the fullness of God in him.

12. and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. God took the initiative to save human beings from sin and make a way to pay the penalty of sin by means of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. God poured out his wrath for sin upon Jesus on the cross. The creator acted to make a way of salvation for the creation he made, and forever break the power of sin and death.

As we look forward to Christmas this season, let us remember who Jesus really is. He is the eternal creator and sustainer, the one who created us for his glory. He is the one who holds everything together and is the exact image of God. This is why there is salvation in no other. Because of who Jesus is and what he has done for us, he alone is worthy of our worship. Repentance and faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life, a life that only Jesus makes possible.