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There are times when we consult a dictionary to understand the meaning of a word and how it is used in different contexts. The same principle applies to Bible study. Examining the original Greek word can help us better understand a passage by revealing the range of meanings a word may have and how it was used by the biblical writers. This can also help us evaluate English translations, since a single original-language Greek word may be translated as multiple different English words. And, a translator’s choice can sometimes reflect interpretive decisions (doctrinal or translation bias). Studying the original language helps us move closer to the meaning intended by the inspired writers.
Did you know that the most widely used lexicon in Christian seminaries is "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature," universally known as BDAG (named after its editors/authors Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich)? Many consider BDAG as the standard because of its exhaustive scope. It provides deep, authoritative historical definitions for every Greek word in the New Testament, the Apostolic Fathers, and related early Christian literature. It serves as the baseline reference for graduate-level exegesis, academic research, and seminary classrooms worldwide for New Testament Greek study.
"Creation" in Colossians 1:15 is the Greek noun "ktisis". Anyone can do a Google search and ask: What is the meaning of "ktisis" according to BDAG? And the answer is: According to the standard BDAG Greek-English Lexicon (page 573 of the Third Edition), the Greek noun "Ktisis" is defined by three primary meanings in the New Testament and early Christian literature:
1. The Act of Creating / Founding: This refers to the process or act of bringing something into existence or establishing it.
2. The Product of a Creative Act: This refers to that which has been created, which BDAG divides into distinct sub-categories.
3. An Authority Structure / Institution: This refers to a system of established authority or a governmental or social body that is the result of a founding action.
We know from a previous study that the definition of "all things" (Greek "ta panta") is determined by the context where it is written and that it seldom refers to the heavens and the earth or the entire universe. Likewise, "creation" (Greek: ktisis) and the related verb "created" (Greek: ktizo) in Colossians 1:15-16 has several meanings that are determined be the context where they are written.
Consider this, the third definition of "ktisis" is an authority structure or institution that refers to a system of established authority. Does the context of Colossians 1:15-16 include this language? We see a "kingdom" in verse 13 and thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities in verse 16. Sounds a lot like a governmental authority structure, doesn't it? Maybe more so than the creation of the universe? We don't see anything about thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities in the Genesis 1 & 2 creation of the heavens and the earth.
This leads to two other common Greek phrases worthy of consideration, "en Christo" usually translated "in Christ," or "en auto" usually translated "in him." Many of the times "in Christ" or "in him" (referring to Christ) are used, the sense of the Greek preposition en (meaning "in") is locative, and it refers to the sphere in which God has accomplished certain things. The apostle Paul uses “in Christ” or "in him" in this sense, describing the realm in which God’s saving work is accomplished and experienced "in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:3,4,9,10,20; 2:15; 3:6). In Colossians 2:10, we read: "and you have been filled in him (en auto), who is the head of all rule and authority."
These phrases occur 4 times in Colossians 1:
Colossians 1:2. "…the faithful brethren in Christ…”
Colossians 1:16. “For in him all things were created..."
Colossians 1:17. “…and in him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:19. “For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.”
We need to ask why some translations and many Bible teachers translate "en auto" as "by him" (KJV and ESV) in Colossians 1:16 while others translate it "in him" (NIV and NRSV). Theologians like Dr John. MacArthur use "by him" to support his claim that Colossians 1:15-19 is the most significant passage of Scripture about God becoming a man. If "by Jesus" the universe was created, there is his proof (for "by him all things were created"), right? Again, the context and scope of what Paul is communicating should be considered.
In Psalm 8:6-8 "all thing" are defined "You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas." Is it possible that "all things" in Colossians 1:16 are defined as well. "For in 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." Colossians 1:16 ESV
Beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea were the "all things" that God put under Adam's feet. In Christ, all thrones, dominions, rulers or authorities were created through him and for him. As we continue to read the context of Colossians 1:16 we come to Colossians 2:10 & 15: "and you have been filled in him (in Christ), who is the head of all rule and authority. He (God)disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Christ Jesus)." Colossians 2:10, 15
Paul returns to the very same categories. Doesn't that suggest that he is concerned with authority structures and powers, and not the creation of the entire universe?
In 1 Corinthians 15:45 we read: "Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven."
If Paul is drawing an Adam-Christ parallel here, then “all things” need not mean every object in the universe. Rather, it could mean "all things" within the sphere of authority that God has subjected to Christ and that would include us if we are "in Christ."
"And he (God) put all things under his (Christ's) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." Ephesians 1:22-23
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:6-8
I love this prayer: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him," Ephesians 1:17
Mark Rohde can be reached at marklrohde@icloud.com.