When our teaching is Christ centred we challenge, correct and change wrong teaching. The positive way to deal with the error around us is to, like Paul, present boldly the real Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God, ..."

Bishop Lightfoot in his greatly valued and much quoted commentary says: "He is the perfect image, the visible representative of the unseen God".

'Eikon' (image) here means "manifestation". God is perfectly expressed and revealed in Jesus Christ. No longer can it be said "we do not know what God is like." We do know - God is seen in Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of the Lord's reply to Philip's request, "Show us the Father." (John 14:8 NKJV)

John 14:9 "... He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; ..."

This important Colossian statement stresses the eternal relationship of the Father and the Son. The Son represents the real Father and manifests His true likeness. He is indeed the exact representation of His being (Hebrews 1:3: ). Jesus Christ Himself is God, therefore is the absolute, the authentic representation of God's being as the second Person in the Godhead. As God-Man Jesus Christ shines with His own and His Father's brightness, and completely makes known the divine being, nature, character. As Jesus Christ manifested the Father, so it is our great calling and privilege to be the image and manifestation of Him.

Romans 8:29 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, ..."

Colossians 1:15 "... the firstborn over all creation."

"Just as the firstborn son had certain privileges and rights in the biblical world, so Christ has certain rights in relation to all creation - priority, pre-eminence and sovereignty (Colossians 1:16-18 )." NIV Study Bible

His priority to all creation implies His pre-existence before creation and His incarnation to be our Saviour (1 Peter 1:18-21 ). The contention of the false teachers then and now, that reduce Christ to a creature, is refuted by His being prior to creation, and the very wording illustrating His relationship to creation as that of "the firstborn", and never that of first created, which is emphatically ruled out by 1 Colossians 1:16 where He is acclaimed to be creator of all things.

Jesus Christ is always seen as the Lord of creation, occupying the position of 'prototokos' "firstborn" , that is as the heir and owner and over all. Has the wonderful truth been grasped in its fullest comprehension by us - that the heir of all things has made those who are in union with Him joint-heirs with Himself? (Romans 4:14 ).

Colossians 1:16 "... For by him were all things created, ..."

In this grand affirmation Christ is the Creator, therefore eternal, for by Him all things were created. This truth explodes the wrong gnostic idea that Christ was an inferior agent of creation.

As Bishop Lightfoot commented: "He is the source of its life, the centre of all its developments, the mainspring of all its motions".

His superiority over all creation is established in His being the cause of all created.

Colossians 1:16 "... that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, ..."

These words describe more than the vast extent of what is created by Christ, they allow for no exceptions, bringing the full meaning of "all things". Therefore there is nothing in the entire created universe, whether visible to us or not, that preceded him nor can supersede Him. Christ Jesus is above all, and is indeed sovereign Lord of all.

Colossians 1:16 "... whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: ..."

Angels, no matter how high the position or great their power or function, are created beings who serve the Lord their Creator. (Hebrews 1:2 ). It is gross error and idolatrous worship that exalts the created above the Creator, even though that creature be an angel of light.

Colossians 1:16 "... all things were created by him, and for him: "

"For Him" - "all things, as they had their beginning in Him, tend to Him as their consummation, to depend on and serve Him". Marvin Vincent

(Hebrews 2:10; Revelation 22:13 ). In Jesus Christ we see the full splendour and purpose of creation, and as the redeemed, who are created in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:10 ), we find our ultimate realisation in Him. We are His and "for Him". His expressed desire to have us with Him, will be gloriously fulfilled (John 17:24 ).

Colossians 1:17 "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. "

The majestic "He is" lines up with the mighty "I AM" that Jesus rightly claimed to be:

John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, ... Before Abraham was, I am."

"Before all" points to His eternal being, He, with whom we have to do, filled the immeasurable span of eternity. "By Him ... consist" acclaim Him as the preserver - the maintenance of all things - all things depend on His sustaining power.

As Bishop Lightfoot expressed it so well. "He is the principle of cohesion in the universe. He impresses upon creation that unity and solidarity which makes it a cosmos instead of a chaos".

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QUESTIONS FOR GROUP INTERACTION

1. In what positive way can you deal with error?
2. Why do you know what God the Father is like? (Colossians 1:15 ).
3. How has the truth of Jesus Christ being the heir of all things affected believers? (Romans 4:14 ).
4. Who is Jesus Christ affirmed to be? (Colossians 1:16 ).
5. What does the continuous exercise of the power of Christ Jesus mean for the material and immaterial universe? (Colossians 1:17 ).