Trending
Last week we considered the meaning of "all things" (Greek: ta panta) in 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Colossians 1:16 which Wayne Grudem interprets as all things created by God (the heavens and the earth) as in Genesis 1:1. Many mainstream Christian theologians, like the late Dr. John MacArthur, use Colossians 1:15-19 as proof that Jesus created the universe. Is that what this passage is really all about?
I recently listened to a YouTube video by John MacArthur titled: "Christ Above All, Colossians 15-19." Here are some of his opening remarks: "The most important personality in the universe...a very vital portion of Scripture...that is the God of heaven revealed as the Son...this is the very heartbeat of Christianity. This is the very essence of all that we believe, the very foundation of our faith. This is the battleground over which we fight with the cults...and everything that wants to take out of Christianity it's very life blood. And, that is the issue of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, that is Paul's theme in Colossians 1:15-19....In the Old Testament there is the preparation for Jesus coming. In the gospels, there is the presentation of Christ, he is come. In Acts, there is the proclamation, the message of salvation in Christ is announced. In the epistles, we study the personification, that is for me to live is Christ or how Christ who has died and risen from the grave, returns to live in his people. And in Revelation, there is the predomination or the Christ on the throne, the reign of the king, the lamb on the throne...so the Bible is the book about the revelation of God and the coming of Christ into the world. It is the book about God becoming a man. In every aspect of the Bible, facets of this are made clear. But, of all of the statements in the Bible, in the Word of God about God becoming man, none is more significant than the one in Colossians 1:15-19."
Here is what Colossians 1:15-19 says: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 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. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,"
"Deity of Christ" is foreign to this passage and foreign to the Bible. But, "deity in Christ" is fairly well documented. Is there a difference? "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ." "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form," "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." "understand that the Father is in me (Jesus speaking) and I am in the Father."
Regarding the creation of all things in this passage, it is clear that redemption and forgiveness of sins (vs 14) comes from the risen, exalted Christ. He is the image of God (In the Bible, an image is never the original itself. An image represents, reflects, manifests, or reveals something else.). All things were created in Him, through him and for him.
One problem with this creation being about the Genesis creation is that Jesus had not been raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of God when God created the heavens and the earth. Since the context is about the risen Jesus it fits that he is the firstborn of a new creation by being the firsborn from the dead. The first mortal human being to put on immortality. We know from 1 Corinthians 15 that mortal must put on immortality. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus confirms this: "I died, and behold I am alive forevermore."
Another problem with making the creation in Colossians 1 about the Genesis creation is the reference to thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities. Where is that in Genesis 1 and 2? Compare the language of Colossians 1:16 with Ephesians 1:10 & 21 "as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him. far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." Similar language could be because both passages are talking about the same thing. God has given the risen Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18)
So, if we let Scripture speak for itself, is the theme of this passage "the deity of Christ" as the late Dr MacArthur would have us believe? Is it about God becoming a man and Jesus creating the universe? That would contradict what Paul preached in Athens in Acts 17. Or, could it have to do with the broader context of the entire New Testament? "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus..."Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." "And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Mark Rohde can be reached at marklrohde@icloud.com.