Jesus the Creator

Colossians 1:15-22

He is the image of the invisible God (V15) so if anyone sees Jesus they have seen God (Jn 14:9)

Want to pray to God? – pray to Jesus. Want to worship God? – worship Jesus. When the invisible God appears in physical form he appears as Jesus.

Jesus is what God is like.

for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, (V16) In the beginning God created everything that has been created. God did not create Jesus and then use him to create everything else. Here we read Jesus is the creator and created everything that has been created.

In fact, so did the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus. God the father is the creator, God the Son, Jesus, is the creator, God the Holy Spirit is the creator. There is only one God the creator whichever way you look at him. He created all the things we can see and all those we can’t see and that includes all the things in heaven!

It includes whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers. (V16) He created the King, governments, prime ministers, Shire mayors, police, ministers, teachers, parents. If all these people acknowledged Christ as God and did their job according to his way of doing things then everything would work as it should. All of these authorities are answerable to God whether or not they see themselves as answerable. In the same way that you and I will answer to God so will they – whether they acknowledge or even believe in him now.

We can tell them what we believe God wants them and us to do but when it comes to it, its their decision – godly or not That’s why the Bible teaches us to pray for those who have authority, that those with authority have it only from Jesus so unless their rulings conflict with our duty to Jesus we submit to them. 

all things have been created through him and for him. (V16) Everything was created by Jesus, through Jesus and for Jesus. No one is more important than Jesus. No one has any right to take charge except Jesus or with his permission. Anyone who ignores his right to rule acts as a rebel against the King of Kings – and rebels can’t expect to be made welcome or treated kindly. Jesus came first and Jesus comes first.

He is before all things and in him all things hold together. (V17) Jesus existed before anything else existed. He was there before time began; he was there in order to begin it all. 

If Jesus decided he had had enough of rebels and half-hearted, lukewarm followers he could call a halt, stop holding all things together and drop the lot. Despite how much we think we are in control Jesus hand is under the lot, holding all things together. One day Jesus will say to the universe, “that’s it. I’m shutting down the lot – I will cease holding all things together. Now watch it all disintegrate completely while I start again with a new world.” 

Of course, he also says the same to each of us individually. When the time comes and Jesus decides to cease holding together me and my life or you and your life he will then call on you and me to answer as to whether you lived in his creation as a rebel or as a submitted servant of the creator king.

He is the head of the body, the church (V18) A group of Christians represent Christ and are called the church. They appear to the rest of the world as Christ’s body – when they see us people in the world around us should be seeing Christ. But that won’t happen unless we actively make him the head of this body of Christians. This is Christ’s church and our job is to be consistently trying to find out what Jesus wants us, his church, to do. Then people who come across us will go away thinking, “Ah, so that’s what Jesus Christ is like! I’d love to know him even more.”

he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. (V18) Jesus is the “only begotten son of God” He was miraculously conceived in Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit and God so loved us that he gave his only begotten son to be crucified to take away the sins of the world.  He is God’s firstborn making him the inheritor of God’s kingdom.

And he is also firstborn from the dead. He was the first and only one to be killed, buried and then be raised back to life, never to die again.  Our expectation is that in due time we too will die and then follow his example and be raised to life eternal.

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, (V19) In every way Jesus was God in human form. He was God incarnate. In no way was Jesus less than God. And this was the way God the Father wanted it.  God made it known that he loved Jesus, was pleased with him and expects us to listen to Jesus and obey him.

and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. (V20) There is a way to find peace with God, to be reconciled to him, to be forgiven. This was done by God himself by taking on human form and suffering death as we all deserve to do. This was God’s idea, his plan. It is a plan of complete extent ranging from all that is in heaven, all in the universe and to you and me.

And you, who were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. (V21) What hope is there for all of us, rebels against the King of Kings – people described as sinful? God was pleased to reconcile us to himself by the blood of Jesus Cross.

We were completely helpless to make our relationship with God anything other than alienation, death. God took the initiative and did everything necessary to make our relationship with him as adopted children of the most high God. The reconciliation is so complete. As we accept Jesus death to be on our behalf then Jesus presents us to God and declares us to be holy, blameless, above reproach.

 Is it fair for someone else to take my punishment – your punishment? No – but it is merciful and loving. Is it just? Yes, because it meets the due reward for rebellion, for sin, which is death. Is it fair that God should ask someone else – his Son, in fact – to take that punishment? No – because that’s not what happened. God himself in a human body met the requirements of his own law and saved us from having to do so. He had to do this in an incarnation, in a human body because only in this form could God die.

The exchange is gloriously wonderful: From: were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds To: reconciled to God himself, presented holy and blameless and above reproach before him. No wonder we give praise, thanks, and ourselves in his service – in the service of God the Creator Father, God the Creator-Saviour Son Jesus and God the Creator-Holy Spirit of God, of Jesus who dwells in and with us