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COLOSSIANS - Christ in you, the hope of glory!
Studies in the Letter of Paul to the Colossians
Part 1 - The Foundations of Christian Faith (Colossians 1:1-29)
5. Christ, the Image of His Father and the Creator of the Universe (Colossians 1:15-17)
Christ´s Throng of Angels
The witness of the apostle included myriads of holy and fallen angels. They are indebted to Christ, the Word of God become man, for their existence, disposition, hierarchy and rank. The almighty Son created not only the visible, but also the invisible, not only what is in the world, but also what is in heaven. With our form of inherent thinking, we have often lost the knowledge and belief in invisible powers and forces. This is true not only for the world of demons and the dead, but also for the guardian angels of God and power of His Holy Spirit. We need to carefully examine such statements in the New Testament, lest we fall into the dominion of Satan. In the name of Christ, we need to learn to discern the spirits. To that end Paul wrote: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6:10-13).
Christ – the Possessor and Lord of the Universe
Paul closes his revelation about Christ, the Creator, with the summary statement that all things were created through Him and for Him, and that everything consists in Him. Whoever contemplates these statements of the imprisoned Paul nearly has his breath taken away. Christ existed not only before all creatures, before all angels, before the existence of light and being, but much more, all these were created through Him and, therefore, belong to Him. You are the property of Jesus Christ, whether you know and like it or not. Most people steal from the possessions of their Lord, desiring to be free, single and independent. They deceive themselves and open themselves up to the spirit of darkness. We find no peace and rest apart from an orderly relationship with God and His Son. The early church father, Augustine, is reported to have said: “Our heart is restless until it finds its rest in the Lord God.
The world has no permanency or duration in itself. God is the constructive elementary power. His name, “Elohim”, is built upon the word “El”. In the Hebrew language “El” means power and might. Whoever wants to live without the holy, true and liberating power of God and His Son opens himself up to destructive powers, which poison, darken and devastate his mind and existence. We and our children only have a blessed existence when we harmonize with the salvation plan and will of the Son of God, when we submit ourselves to the law of His sacrificial love. The entire world lives from the mercy and grace of the Son of God. The creative Lord has patience with His recalcitrant creatures and waits for them to repent. Whoever chooses to continually run away from Him, however, continually acting in opposition to His and manifesting no repentance, will in the end stand and shudder before his Creator when he recognizes Him also as his Judge. We have our existence from Him, through Him, and in Him, whether we like it or not.
Critics bristle over these words of the apostle, and claim that here the Hellenistic-philosophic thinking of Paul can be seen. It is true that Paul grew up and was schooled in a Greek environment, in Tarsus. Nevertheless, he chose to pour this Semitic revelation into an Indo-Germanic thought form, in order for intellectuals and thinkers, too, to be able to comprehend the comfort of the gospel. The followers of Christ can be well consoled, for their life and future are embedded solely in Christ. They come from Him, have their existence through Him, live in Him, and hasten to Him. Jesus prayed for them: “…and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:14-17).
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, all angels worship You, for You were before them, created them, and redeemed us. You are the authorized Owner and King of the universe. We, too, altogether belong to You in both soul and body. Help us to serve You with joy and obedience, and give us the ability to discern the spirits, so that we might not open ourselves up to any antichristian power. Amen.
Question 23: What do the words of Paul mean when he states that Christ created all that is in heaven and on earth, and that He is the possessor of the universe?