Personal Translation

He [the beloved Son of verse 13] is the exact representation and manifestation of the invisible God, the One who has priority to and sovereignty over all creation.[1] Because by Him all things in heaven and on earth were created -- all things seen and unseen: thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities. All things have been created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.

            And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the first in time and rank to rise from the dead in order that He might have the preeminence in all things -- because the Father was well-pleased for all the fullness [of Deity, cf. 2:9] to dwell in Him, and through Him to thoroughly reconcile all things to in Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, the things on earth or the things in the heavens.

Historical and Literary Context

The Epistle to the Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul sometime during his two-year (A.D. 59-61) house arrest in Rome (Col. 4:10, 18). According to Foulkes, "Most of the Christians [in Colossae] were Gentiles (1:27; 2:13), but from the time of Antiochus the Great there had been considerable and influential settlements of Jews in the neighbourhood."[2] This mixture of traditions and beliefs would have been present in the Colossian church, providing fertile soil for the Colossian heresy.

The Colossian Heresy involved a syncretism of disparate elements -- a mixture of Judaism with its ceremonialism and circumcision (Col. 2:11, 16-17; 3:11), angel worship (Col. 2:18) and gnosticism (Col. 2:2-3, 8, 18). In short, to use Foulkes' phrase, the Colossians were being exposed to "a Judaistic form of Gnosticism".[3] This heresy undermined Christ's supremacy and sufficiency (Col. 1:15-20; 2:2-3, 9). In his epistle, Paul refuted this teaching, not by a point-by-point analysis of its error, but by emphasizing the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. The Christ-hymn of 1:15-20 is one of many examples of this strategy.

            Colossians is an epistle. As is characteristic of epistles, this letter is addressed to a specific church to address a specific problem. Although Paul had not personally interacted with the Colossian church, he was associated with it through the ministry of Epaphras.

My Interpretation

In order to combat the influence of the false teachers in Colossae who were advocating a philosophy that intermingled elements of Judaism and Gnosticism, Paul exhibited Christ's supremacy over creation and His sufficiency in the church through the use of a familiar church hymn. Through this Christ-hymn, Paul affirmed that Jesus Christ is the ground, means, and source of all reality. All of creation exists because of Him and He is the sovereign Lord over all. Due to the incarnation and His subsequent death on the cross, Jesus Christ has established His Lordship once and for all, silencing all opposing powers, and reconciling all creation under Himself. This exaltation of the Son is the pleasure and delight of the Father.

Verse-By-Verse Commentary

In the preceding passage (Col. 1:9-14), Paul prays for the Colossian church. While giving thanks to God for His saving work on behalf of His saints, Paul considers how God has delivered His people from the evil powers of darkness and transferred them into the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13). This leads to a section extolling the greatness of Christ -- the Lord of creation and the Head of His church (Col. 1:15-20). This textual unit is considered by most scholars to be an early hymn used by the primitive church. This hymn most likely served both as an aid in worship and as a creed or theological confession as well.[4]

Numerous phrases explaining Christ's person and Christ's work are piled one upon the other in 1:15-20. Christ is initially presented in his relation to creation as Sovereign Creator (1:15-17), and then in his relation as Redeemer to His church in particular (1:18) and to all creation in general (1:19-20).

Verse 15

In this verse, the "beloved Son" of 1:13-14 is considered in relation to God ("the image of the invisible God") and in relation to all creation ("the first-born of all creation"). First, as "the image of invisible God," He is the "icon" of the unseen, perfectly manifesting the glory of God. "Image" involves more than mere likeness or similarity. According to Wuest this word includes the ideas of representation and manifestation. An image can represent the original, being marked or stamped by the original in some way. Likewise, an image can manifest what remains unseen or hidden.[5] Thus, Christ -- the perfect image of God -- brings the invisible to sight, perfectly representing and manifesting God to all creation. Christ is thus identical with, yet distinguished from, the Father.

            Second, as "the first-born of all creation" Christ has a priority in time and in rank over all creation. In ancient Israel, the first-born possessed "privileges which were denied to other members of the family."[6]Thus, the predominant idea attached to the first-born not only signified a priority in time, but a priority in rank and privilege. "First-born" in this verse emphasizes supremacy over temporality -- Christ is first in rank, highlighting the exalted status of the first-born as heir. As Vine's Expository Dictionary puts it, "first-born" teaches Christ's "priority to, and pre–eminence over, creation."[7]

Verse 16

As Creator, Christ is supreme over all creation -- over all things. "All creation," "all things," "all things in heaven and earth," and "everything" are synonymous phrases in this passage, representing all that exists that is not God. These universal markers are found in every verse except verse 19. It is impossible to exaggerate the emphasis on the absolute extent of Christ's sovereignty over every creature and all powers. Nothing in creation exists independent of God's rule in Christ. Likewise, everything exists because of Christ and for Christ.

            After emphasizing the absolute extent of Christ's sovereignty over the universe, Paul underscores the fact that this includes all physical and spiritual dimensions of the universe as well as all powers and authorities that exist in both dimensions. There is debate concerning whether the words relating to power ("thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities") refer to human powers -- whether evil or good -- or to angelic and/or demonic powers. In light of the universal statement ("all things") and the preceding phrase ("visible and invisible"), it makes sense to consider that the terms may refer to both powers, perhaps with the invisible good and/or evil spiritual forces exercising their influence through visible good and/or evil powers. This argument is further strengthened if these powers are identified with the stoicheia of Colossians 2:8 and the "rulers and authorities" of Colossians 2:15. [8]

Verse 17

Christ's sovereignty over all creation is further underscored by His temporal priority over all things ("before all things") and His work of sustaining and ordering all things. This verse amplifies the preceding phrase: "All things have been created by Him" because He existed prior to all things; "All things have been created… for Him" in that He orders all things to fulfill His sovereign purposes, even providing and upholding the environment in which all things exist.

Verse 18

Verse 18 begins a new section highlighting Christ's relationship to His church and, ultimately, to redeemed creation. Christ, the ruler and sustainer of all creation, rules all things in the interest of His church. His relationship to the church is especially intimate ("head of the church") in contrast to His relationship with creation. "He is the beginning" could refer either to Genesis 1:1 or John 1:1, highlighting His eternality and Deity or it could refer to the fact that He is the beginning of new creation as the new Adam representing and inaugurating a new humanity through His redemptive work. The "first-born from the dead" points to His victory over death at the cross. He is not only the first man to conquer death, but the "first-fruits" (1 Cor. 15:20-23) indicating that His resurrection is the first of many. Regardless of the particulars, all the phrases are meant to emphasize the fact that Christ has "first place in everything."

Verse 19

Christ's preeminence in all things glorifies and pleases God the Father. This preeminence in Christ's work is due to the preeminence of His Person -- "in Him all the fullness dwells." In Colossians 1:19, it is not quite clear what the "fullness" of Christ entails. However, in Colossians 2:9, Paul is quite clear: "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." In this pregnant phrase lies all the mystery of the incarnation! These two verses also shed light on the fullness involved in the expression, "He is the image of the invisible God" (1:15).

Paul's use of fullness (Greek, pleroma) was strategic in countering the Colossian Heresy.[9]Those who were promoting the Colossian Heresy were presenting it as a philosophy (Col. 2:8) that imparted true and necessary knowledge (Col. 2:18, 23). It is likely that "fullness" was a technical term used by these false teachers to underscore the necessity of their views and to highlight the "incompleteness" of the Christian life apart from their philosophy. In doing this, they could argue that the Christian life was "incomplete" or "partial" without their philosophy, implying that Christ was fine as a starting point, but that "fullness" resided in their teaching.

Verse 20

It is through the God-man that "all things" are reconciled to God. Specifically, it is through "the blood of His cross" that all creation is redeemed and restored. Behind the cross stands the divine purpose, "a purpose of reconciling love."[10]

            All things in heaven and on earth take part in God's reconciling work. In Ephesians 1:10, Paul understands Christ's work to involve "the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth." On the surface this may appear to promote universalism, but, according to F. F. Bruce, this "would be… putting on [the words of the text] a burden of meaning heavier than they can bear."[11] N. T. Wright points out that "[t]he principalities and powers whose conquest is described in Col. 2:15 are certainly not depicted as gladly surrendering to divine grace but as being compelled to submit to a power which they are unable to resist."[12] In limiting the extent of those who participate in Christ's work, the cosmic dimensions must not be overlooked. Christ's work on the cross impacts the entire cosmos. This should be a partial corrective to evangelicalism's limited focus on only the personal aspects of Christ's atoning work.

Conclusion

Paul taught that Christ is the very image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), the Creator (Col. 1:16) the preexistent Sustainer (Col. 1:17) and the Reconciler of all things (Col. 1:20-22). He is the Head of the church (Col. 1:18) being the first to be resurrected from the dead, guaranteeing the resurrection of His people (Col. 1:18). In Christ all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Col. 1:19; 2:9) and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found (Col. 2:3). In short, Christ is greater than all powers (Col. 2:15), the redeemer of all creation (Col. 1:20), and the source of all knowledge and wisdom (Col. 2:3). All the things the Colossian heresy sought outside of Christ were to be found in Christ. Through identification with Christ, Christians have “fullness in Christ” (Col. 2:10). No more need be added because no more can be added. Christ is supreme and sufficient!

            Christ is thus the central figure in God's redemptive work. It is through Him that God restores all creation. It is through Him that God crushes and will crush all opposing powers. It is through Him -- and specifically because of His work on the cross -- that God establishes peace between God and man. Thus, Christ is preeminent in old creation, being its creator, sustainer, and goal, and Christ is preeminent in new creation as the new Adam and the theanthropos (God-man). All of this centers in His reconciling work on the cross. In short, Christ is at the center of creation and salvation. In light of the Christ-hymn, "God, man and the world are each now to be understood in relation to Jesus Christ."[13]

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Bibliography

Achtemier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary. San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc., 1985.

Arnold, Clinton, The Colossian Syncretism: The Interface Between Christian and Folk Belief at Colossae. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1997.

Bailey, James and Lyle Vander Broek, Literary Forms in the New Testament.  Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992.

Bruce, F. F., The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1984.

Kittel, Gerhard, and Friedrich, Gerhard, Editors, The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985.

Martin, Ralph, Interpretation: Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1991.

Marshall, I.H., The New Bible Dictionary. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1996.

Orr, James, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Albany, OR: Ages Software, Inc., 1999.

Vine, W. E., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1981.

Wright, N. T., Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Colossians and Philemon. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1986.

Wuest, Kenneth S., Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.

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Note: This is the culmination of four separate hermeneutical studies: (1) Historical analysis, (2) literary analysis, (3) lexical analysis, and (4) contextual and comparative analysis. If you would like to see the work that went into this final product, click HERE to download the pdf file of the above analyses.

© Richard J. Vincent, January 6, 2001