The
Supremacy of Christ (1:15-29)
Continued
A. The Preeminent Person of Christ (1:15-20)
3.
In relation to the Church (1:18-20).
Up to this point, the preeminence of
Christ has been based upon what had been in Old Testament Scriptures. Now Paul
adds what is uniquely a part of the revelation that was revealed to and through
him; the Church, the Body of Christ (Eph. 3:1-10). Bruce calls this section
Paul’s “contribution to
apostolic Christology which is distinctively his own.”[1]
Interestingly, Paul now parallels Christ headship over the old creation, with
His headship over the church, the new creation.
Notice His threefold relationship to
the church:
a. “He
is also head of the body, the church” (1:18).
Paul alone reveals that Christ is the
head of the Church and that the Church is the Body of Christ. He has been
rejected as King by the leadership of Israel
b. “And
He is the beginning” (1:18).
The Greek word is apche,
meaning beginning or origin. It can be taken as supremacy in rank, precedence
in time, or creative initiative.[4] Here it
is best to take it as origin. He is the originating power and source of the
church. As He is the creator of the old earthly creation, He is also the
creator of the new spiritual creation.
The beginning is now expounded, “firstborn of the dead” (1:18). It is an
apposition to the word beginning. The phrase portrays Christ as the first in
resurrection, no doubt both in order and in rank (cp. 1 Cor. 15:20). This is
the word that unites Christ’s supremacy over both the old and new creation. It
is the uniting factor for the of ministry Paul to the Jew and Gentile (Acts
26:23). Christ is the first resurrected one. His resurrection is the basis and
the certainty for our resurrection (1 Thess. 4:14).
d. His preeminence (1:18c-20).
(a) The purpose—“so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything”
(1:18).
The Greek word is hina
(that) introduces a purpose clause, which is clearly to have first place. The
Greek word is proteuon, is only here in the New Testament,
and means to be first in time, rank, or both. Christ is to have first place “in everything.” The Greek is en pasin, can be taken as masculine, but in this case is neuter,
which is the ordinary meaning of the phrase in the New Testament (2 Cor.
9:6; Eph. 1:23; 1 Tim. 3:11; 2 Tim. 2:7; Titus 2:9; 1 Pet. 4:11). Christ is to have first place in all
aspects in the lives of the members of His body, the Church.
(b) The reason—“For it was the Father’s
good pleasure for all the fullness dwells in Him” (1:19).
“For”
(1:19), is the preposition hoti, giving the reason why Christ is
supreme. It could be translated “because.” It reveals the basis for His
preeminence or supremacy. The reason is stated in our text: “…it was the Father’s good pleasure for all
the fulness dwell in Him” (1:19). However, the Greek text reads: “because in Him was pleased all the fullness
to dwell.”[5]
This brings about two questions: First, who or what was pleased? Second, what is the fulness?
The word pleased is the Greek word eudokeo, meaning to be well pleased, and
sometimes carries the idea to choose, determine, or elect. It stresses here an
intention or resolve, thus, Bruce translates it “it was decreed”
and implies a subject.[6] Who or
what is the subject certainly is not Christ for He is the sphere in which the
fulness is found. The implied subject is God the Father. The Greek word is pleroma, meaning that which is full to capacity, a full measure. Some
take the word fulness as the subject, which is grammatically possible.[7] However,
most agree that the implied subject is God (cf. Col. 2:9). The evidence for
this view seems to be the strongest:
·
It
is certainly true that this was one word that Gnostics favored. It is hard to
determine how developed the Gnostic used of the word in the first century and
if it were developed to the point where Paul would be indebted to them for the
meaning. However, this type of development is unlikely.
·
Paul
was an Old Testament trained Jew. “There
is no need to look beyond the Old Testament for the source of Paul’s ideas”[8] observes
O’Brien.
·
In
the Greek Old Testament the word pleroma is used in the active sense of fulness
of content (1 Chron. 16:23; Psa. 24:1, 50: 12, 96:11, 98:7; Jer. 8:16, Ezek.
12:19, 19:7). It also draws attention to the filling of God in his creation, His
immanence and involvement in His creation (Psa. 72:19; Isa. 6:3; Ezek. 43:5).[9]
·
The words ‘be
pleased’ in the Old Testament denote the good pleasure of God, indicating
election and the exercise of His will (Psa. 44:3, 147:11, 149:4).[10] It
is more likely that Paul would have used the word in the Old Testament sense,
and that God would naturally be the implied subject.
The
fulness of deity “dwells in Him”
(1:19). The word is katoikesai (dwell) means to take up residence, dwell
permanently. This is important because it contradicts the basic idea of
Gnosticism, that the dwelling was temporary. Today, Christian Science carries
on this idea by teaching that the divine power in Christ was only temporary.
Christ
is to have preeminence because of who He is. Christ also is to have preeminence
because of what He has done: “and through
Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of
His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven”
(1:20). This is an additional reason and seen by the conjunction “and” (kai). The work of Christ was for reconciliation. The word
reconcile is apokatallaxai, meaning to transfer from one state to another, to
change. The word is intensive, therefore meaning to change completely or
perfectly. The word does not appear outside the New Testament (Col. 1:20, 22;
Eph. 2:16). It is exclusively used by Paul. The word presumes hostility and
estrangement, thus it is an act of changing from enmity to friendship. It is to
restore harmony where there is hostility. The word is never taken as a mutual
reconciliation; rather it is looked upon as a one-way event.[11] It is
God the Father who reconciles man to Himself.
The
method of reconciliation is by “having
made peace through the blood of His cross” (1:20). It is clear from the
text that the work of reconciliation is accomplished by the work of Christ on
the cross (2 Cor. 5:18-19). Christ and the cross are agents of reconciliation.
This act does not become effective until the reconciliation that has been made
is “received.” Paul states in Romans 5:11 of believers, through Christ “we have now received the reconciliation.”
To receive Christ by faith is to receive reconciliation, thus making the act
effectual on an individual level. Reconciliation “is a finished work of God
by which man is brought from an attitude and position of enmity with God to an
attitude and position of amity and peace with God by means of the removal of
the enmity through the cross.”[12]
The
purpose is to reconcile “all things” unto Himself. The all things are described
as “things on earth or things in heaven”
(1:20). We can understand the need for reconciliation of things on earth. Man
is a sinner and needs to be reconciled to God. Universalism teaches that all
men, even Satan and the fallen angels will be saved eventually, and this is a
key verse that they use. This is not so! Both common sense and Scriptures are
clear:
·
First, this
text says nothing of a third classification, “things under the earth” (cf.
Phil. 2:10, Rev. 5:3, 13), which is commonly connected with the place of the
lost.
·
Second,
Scripture is clear that Satan and the fallen angels are eternally lost. They
are consigned to the “lake of fire” where they are tormented “forever and ever”
(Rev. 20:10). It is also clear that the lost at the Great White Throne Judgment
are consigned to the same place (Rev. 20:15). The Universalist has to do word
games with “forever and ever,” by saying the word forever means age lasting,
and when the ages are over, they will be saved. That is nonsense! Such a
concept does away completely with anything being eternal, including God. As
Baker points out, “For
ever and ever means time indefinitely extended. The life of God is eternal. The
life of the believer is eternal. And the punishment of the unsaved sinner is
eternal. To deny one of these is to deny them all.”[13]
[1] Bruce,
“Colossians Problem—Part 2,” 105.
[2] Gromacki, STAND
PERFECT, 66
[3] Johnson, “”Studies
in Colossians—Part 3: Christ Pre-eminent,” 18.
[4] Vaughan, COLOSSIANS,
183.
[5] George Ricker Berry
[6] F.F. Bruce, COLOSSIANS,
72.
[8] O’Brien, COLOSSIANS,
52.
[9] Ibid, 52.
[10] Ibid, 52.
[11] S. Lewis
Johnson, Jr., “Studies in the Epistle to the Colossians. Part 4: from Enmity to
Amity,” 143.
[12] Ibid, 144.
[13] C.F. Baker, WHAT
IS UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION?, 16.
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