Colossians: Alive In Christ Shembull

We saw yesterday how Christ is like a magnet for Paul – he is always drawn back to him. That ‘magnetic effect’ becomes very clear in these verses. Paul, in thinking about what the Father has done for his people in verses 12–13, now helps the Colossians (and us) to see who Christ really is. This is a key passage in the letter, and in the whole Bible, because it focuses us on the absolute centrality of Jesus Christ in everything. The Colossians (and we too) need to be constantly reminded that the Christian life is Christ. 

These verses are jam-packed with great things about Christ, but the big idea going through them is Christ’s supremacy over everything. We read that: 

• all things have been made by him (v. 16) 
• all things were created for him (v. 16) 
• he is before all things (v. 17)
• in him all things hold together (v. 17)
• he is pre-eminent in everything (v. 18) 
• all of God’s fullness is in him (v. 19)
• all things are reconciled through him (v.20)

Christ is clearly supreme over all – whether it's supernovas, seagulls, sandstorms, spiritual forces or science. It has all been made for him and finds its proper end in him. In fact, we might say that if we don’t understand Christ, we don’t really understand anything in the world around us. We’re left in the dark and can only be confused about what our world is all about. But, from these verses, we can see that all the details of our life find their goal in him. We have been made by him, through him and for him.

Reflection

1. To what extent does the world around you acknowledge Christ? What does that tell you about the world? 

2. Are there areas of your life that aren’t related to Christ? 

3. Given that God's fullness has been given to Christ (v.19), how should we treat Christ?