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There is no doubt then, that as far as the material creation is concerned, the Lord Jesus
Christ was its originator and is its upholder, and only One could fill this role, namely God
Himself. Anything less than this would have nullified Paul's aim and argument, namely
to combat the Colossian heresy in respect to degrading the Person and Work of Christ. It
would have played into the hands of the opposers.
When the Apostle describes creation, he relates it to all things in heaven and earth,
visible and invisible, but he concentrates on the invisible heavenly beings, `thrones,
dominion', `authorities', `principalities and powers', for he had the erroneous teaching at
Colossae in view, which exalted angels and worshipped them (Col. 2: 18) putting them in
the place of Christ Himself. These heavenly beings rather than being equal with God,
must have been created by Christ and such owed their being to His work and were
subject to Him. These five classes of angel-princes seem to represent the highest orders
of the angelic realm, the aristocracy of heaven. Some were hostile powers and were
conquered by the Saviour's work on the cross (Col. 2: 15). This, too, exalted Christ far
above them.
There is no doubt, then, relative to the creation of this gigantic universe which
includes the heavens, Christ is pre-eminent as Creator and Lord. No created being,
however great, could fill this role. The whole witness of the Word of God, the Old and
New Testaments, points to God as Creator. The epistle to the Hebrews states that "He
laid the foundations of the earth, the heavens are the work of His hands" (Heb. 1: 10), and
"He that built all things is God" (Heb. 3: 4). God has not deputized any creature to do
this work, nor could such a being accomplish anything so gigantic. But this is only half
the story. Paul is now going to consider the new creation, and here, as in the material
realm, the Lord Jesus Christ is First and Supreme.
No.54.
The Epistle to the Colossians (4).
pp. 105 - 109
We have seen how the Apostle Paul in chapter 1: was seeking to counteract the error
that was creeping into the Colossian church, which denigrated the Lord Jesus Christ from
His position as First and Last. The Apostle has asserted the Lord's primacy in creation
and its maintenance. He now turns to the spiritual creation, and here, as in the material
creation, Christ is first:
"And He is the head of the Body, the church: Who is the beginning, the Firstborn
from the dead; that in all things He might have the pre-eminence (first place)"
(Colossians 1: 18 R.V.).
It is clear that the title `the Firstborn from the dead' balances `the Firstborn of all
creation' (1: 15). It was in resurrection, His victory over death, that He became the First
of a new order. He was the `Firstfruits' (I Cor. 15: 23) in resurrection and the Beginning
(arche) of a new creation. This word occurs in the Divine titles used in Rev. 21: 6, "I