Colossians is very clear that Jesus Christ is Creator God. You can understand why Paul would be so insistent on letting the Colossians know this fact since they were being drawn toward believing that Jesus wasn't sovereign over all things. Knowing that Jesus is the Creator puts him on a different plane than mere man. Knowing that Jesus is our Creator-God not only affirms his deity, but also insists that he is worthy of our submission.
In Colossians 1:15 we read that Jesus is the “firstborn of all creation.” At first glance, this verse seems to undermine everything we just talked about. We might as well pack up and go home, if that were the case. But the idea of firstborn here cannot possibly be that Christ is the first created thing because, as verse 17 says, he is ‘before all things.” Paul is not constructing faulty logic. He is listing Jesus' credentials and this, too, is one of them. John Piper states:
“the reason Paul called Christ the firstborn ‘of all creation’ is ‘because in him all things were created.’ The reason is not that he was the first and greatest created thing. The reason is that every created thing was created by him. This does not incline us to think then that ‘firstborn of all creation’ means ‘firstborn among all created things,’ but rather “firstborn over all created things.’”[1]
In relation to the Father, Jesus is as a firstborn son, privy to all the rights, powers and attributes of the King. So Jesus is not firstborn in the sense of creative order, but firstborn in the sense of authority. If the Father says, "let there be light," you'd better believe that Jesus can make it happen (and -- spoiler alert -- he did).
Colossians 1:16 goes on to assert the Doctrine of Christ as Creator: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things were created through him and for him.” This passage tells us that Jesus Christ is the Creator God of Genesis 1. The things that are in heaven and the things that are in earth, the things that are visible and the things that are invisible, all things are created by Jesus. Peter T. O'Brien, commenting on this passage, says: “’Heaven’ and ‘invisible’ correspond as do ‘curse’ and ‘visible.’ The expression in parallel lines embrace everything, for they are no exceptions… all things have been brought into existence by the creative act of God in Christ.”[2]
Jesus Christ is not only the Creator God, he is the God who sustains all things. Colossians 1:17 puts it this way: “And in him all things hold together.” Millard Erickson writes about this passage, “After a statement about the role of Christ in creation, Paul links him to the continuation of the creation as well.”[3] In Jesus Christ, all things continue to exist. At every moment, Jesus Christ is holding all creation and sustains it by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus Christ not only brings things into existence as Creator, but he also keeps things existing as sustainer. Can you believe that? Every particle of your body is being held together by Jesus. You are reading this (and not falling asleep while reading it) because Jesus made your eyes, nerves and brain, made the light by which you see, made your mind capable of cognition and critical thought... and he lets you continue to enjoy those privileges.
Take a minute to think about all the ways that Jesus is your creator and sustainer. You'll be thinking for a while, I assure you. May your heart be moved to worship as you consider these things.
[1] John Piper The Pleasures of God (Multnomah, 1991) p. 39
[2] Peter T. Obrien Colossians, Philemon; Word Biblical Commentary (Thomas Nelson Publishers,1982) p.46
[3] Millard J. Erickson Christian Theology (Baker Books) p. 414
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