Colossians 1:13-20
13 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Rescued from the domain of darkness: God reached down into our darkness, pulled us out, and placed us into the kingdom of Jesus. We went from being in Adam and to being in Christ. This is true salvation: Not only forgiveness but being placed into Christ as a brand-new creation. Because of this rescue we have redemption and forgiveness in Christ. Notice that, according to Paul, redemption and forgiveness are a package deal. We cannot be redeemed and partially forgiven. We are completely redeemed and completely forgiven.
Image of the invisible God: Jesus is not lesser than God, according to Paul. He is the firstborn of God. This means that He is the ultimate expression of God’s nature and carries the final authority over humanity as creator. This is how Paul establishes the supremacy of Christ.
All things hold together: This is Jesus on a subatomic level. Jesus is holding all things together, the entirety of the physical universe. Paul expresses this so that we understand the authority He has to save and be eternal life for all people. However, not everyone has accepted Him as Savior and therefore He is only the head of the church. This means that Christ is inherently lord over the church. We do not need to make Him first or elevate Him. He is already supreme.
Fullness: The entirety of God’s fullness exists in Christ. He is not a demi-god. He is the image of the invisible God. Everything that God is inherently is revealed in Christ. In other words, Paul wants us to know God through Christ. When we believe, Christ shares His fullness with us.
Reconcile all things to Himself: God has reconciled all of creation to Christ. This is God’s role in reconciliation. However, humans must believe in the Gospel to be reconciled (see also 2 Corinthians 5:19-20). When this happens, we are restored to relationship with God.
