Colossians 1:15-20

¹⁵  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

The Scripture above is one of the most succinct descriptions of the person and work of Jesus Christ we find in Scripture. At the time Paul wrote this Epistle to the church in Colossae, the church was only perhaps 5-7 year old. Paul did not establish this church. There was not established orthodox beliefs in the first century. It seems as though the Colossian church was having a sort of crisis of confidence, trying to hash out what true and what was not in regards to life and faith. There was no NT cannon from which to base one’s understanding of Christ. Paul is attempting to establish a proper view of Christ here in Colossians 1.

Being such a young body of believers, those who professed Christ in Colossae likely had all types of cultural influences trying to distract them from Christ. Paul seems to worry that they would deluded by plausible arguments (2:4), taken captive by philosophies and vain deceit, human tradition, or elemental spirits of the world (2:9), and made to feel disqualified by others (2:18). These were real threats to the church in Colossae, and I believe the are real threats to the church today. That is why Colossians appears to be so relevant today. Paul models to us how to combat such fears and strengthen our faith. He does this by evaluating cultural presuppositions and assumptions based upon the truth of divine revelation as opposed to the other way around. This is a means by which we come to spiritual maturity today. We replace ideas we hear and assumptions we make that are contrary to Scripture with Biblical principles.

He strengthens the faith of the Colossian believers as follows:

• If all the fullness of God dwells in Christ (1:19), then the Colossians will not find fullness is anything else. (2:9-10)
• If all things were created by him (1:16), it empties any potential threat of its power. (2:8)
• Christ was always the means by which God planned to reconcile all things to himself (1:20), not visions or asceticism. (2:16-23)
• Christ is the head of the body (1:18), and those disqualified lose connection w/ the head (2:19)
• If Christ sustains the universe (1:17), he is able to sustain believers (3:3)
• No one is able to delude them with plausible arguments because all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge is hidden in Christ (2:3-4)
• No one can take them captive by human  philosophy or vain deceit (2:8) because they were filled with Christ, who is the head of all  rule and authority (2:10)
• No one can disqualify them (2:16) because God  had qualified them through the work of Christ  (1:12-14; 2:13-14).

Just as the Colossian church, we too can be encouraged and strengthened today by the words of Paul. We do not have to compromise the Gospel to accommodate culture. Christ can answer any question is has to bring if he is truly supreme and sufficient in all things.