29 Nov. 2010 - Colossians 1:15-23

Colossians 1:15-23

"the supremacy of christ"

Paul begins this passage by describing Christ as God - he is the firstborn over all creation, the image of God, through him all things were created, he is before everything (time and position) and through him is everything held together. Each of these images was used in the old testament to describe God. so, here Paul is using these same descriptions and  his knowledge of the words and life of Christ to show that Christ is God.

on a side note, Paul was not a christian that made general assumptions much, as far as we can tell. He uses his knowledge of the old testament, eyewitness accounts of people who spoke with Christ, especially the disciples, and his own encounter with Christ.

Paul then names Christ the head of the church, which is a term that paul uses frequently in reference to Christ, and the first to be raised from the dead. each of these titles paul uses to demonstrate the superiority of Christ over everything - time, creation, the church, life & even death. why is Christ superior? firstly because he is God (yet at the same time a separate entity from God - kind of like how ice is water but is, at the same time, not water) and secondly because God (referring to the part of the trinity referred to as God the father) allowed his entire being to be in christ  (see, Christ is God and yet not God at the same time. confusing, i know) and making him the means by which mankind can be reconciled to God (the whole).

phew, explaining the trinity is pretty hard... i don't even understand everything about is, but then i don't presume to know everything either... 

Paul then concludes the passage with a general overview of salvation:

• alienated from God by sin
• we can be reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Christ which removed the stain of sin
• stay following the gospel of Christ, do not reject it.

this is the core of the gospel that paul said he preached to the church when he was in Colosse and is the core of how he presents the gospel in his other letters to remind the churches of their conversion.