Paul is concerned about false doctrines that teach Christ isn't equal with God. In our passage today he presents Christ as the very image of God, as the Word who created all things, as the One who holds all things together, and as the supreme Leader of the church.
"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." (Colossians 1:15) When we try to picture God in our minds we often conclude that He is unimaginable and unknowable. He is so far above us, and so completely different from us, that we can't even begin to feel like we have an accurate impression of Him. But He has shown Himself to us through the Son. His loving heart is revealed to us through the loving heart of Jesus Christ. His character is displayed to us by the way Christ lived His life. If we want to know who God is, all we have to do is look at Jesus. He is the visible image of the invisible God---in all His love, in all His glory, in all His righteousness, and in all His mercy.
The Greek word "prototokos" has, perhaps unfortunately, been translated into English as "firstborn", causing some critics of the Bible to claim that Paul is saying God the Son was created by God the Father. But as we continue to look at the rest of today's passage, we see that Paul is not saying any such thing. He will clearly demonstrate that God the Son was with God the Father always and that He existed before all other things and was actively involved in the creation of all things. So God the Son was not created; He is a creator. The word "prototokos" more accurately means "first in rank, supreme, chief, preeminent". So what Paul is really saying is, "The Son is superior to all that exists."
In another sense though, it would not be wrong to call Christ the firstborn of God, for when He became flesh and dwelt among us, He physically became the offspring of God and the firstborn of many who would become the sons and daughters of God through Him. Though the Son has always existed, He did not exist in the flesh until He came into the world to carry out God's plan of salvation, and in this way Paul could also be saying, "God the Son is the prototype (the original model, the example) of what God is going to make out of all who will believe in Christ. God is working to transform those who believe in Christ into the image of Christ." (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18)
"For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:16-17) God the Son existed before time and space existed. He was with God all the way back into eternity past. He was the Word of God who spoke the universe and everything in it into being. He created all things and He holds all things together.
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking we are holding our lives or the lives of those around us together. We think we're holding our households together or our workplaces together. The Lord never intended us to feel that kind of pressure. The creation existed before we were born and the world kept turning day after day before we were born. If we die before Christ comes for His church, the world will go on without us. Of course we're supposed to honor our responsibilities, but the people around us aren't going to die if we stop micromanaging their lives. Our homes and workplaces aren't going to fall apart if we delegate some tasks to others. We're working ourselves to death and making ourselves sick with stress by thinking everything depends on us. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that Christ is the One holding all things together. The One who created the galaxies is more than able to take care of you and all the people and situations in your life. Trust Him with them.
"And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy." (Colossians 1:18) The church would not exist without Christ. He is the only reason the church exists, therefore He is the head of it. Without a head, a body can't live, so He is the One holding the church together and causing it to be alive and active. He is also the firstborn from among the dead, not because He is the only person who ever rose from the dead, but because He's the only person who ever rose from the dead never to die again. He is the first to rise from the dead in an immortal, eternal, incorruptible body. But He won't be the last, for those of us who have trusted in Him for salvation will be given immortal, eternal, incorruptible bodies like His. (Philippians 3:21, 1 John 3:2)
"For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross." (Colossians 1:19-20) In just the few verses we've studied today, Paul has presented all the gospel we would need to know to be saved. He has told us that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God. He's helped us to picture what God is like by reminding us that Christ is the visible image of God's character. He's told us that Christ existed before anything was created and that He created all things and holds all things together. He's said that Christ came into the world to be the firstborn of many who will become the sons and daughters of God by faith in Him who shed His blood for us. And he's concluded by telling us that, because of Christ, the future ahead of us is glorious because someday we will be like Him.
What else do we really need to know? Paul doesn't have to give a long speech full of complicated words in order to share with us the gospel message. He's told us all we need to know in order to begin our relationship with Christ. If you don't already know Him, why wait? If you believe He is who He says He is, and if you believe He is who Paul and all the other apostles say He is, there's no better time than right now to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life.
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