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Christ and His glories: without the appreciation and apprehension of these the worthy
walk is not possible.
The basis of all our belief, experience and service comes next (1: 14):
"In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."
It is true all the critical Greek texts omit `through His blood', but in the light of the
parallel verse in Eph. 1: 7 there can be no doubt that the thought was very much in Paul's
mind, as later he refers to `peace through the blood of His cross'. Notice the extent of
that forgiveness (chapter 2: 13), `having forgiven you all trespasses'.
Now follows a description of the One through Whom we have this inheritance,
through Whom we are rescued from the authority of darkness and in Whom we have this
great redemption. He is the `image of the invisible God'. In defining the word for
`image' (eikon) Dr. Bullinger's Critical Lexicon states: "denotes not merely the image
but also the pattern . . . . .". In Christ is the pattern of the invisible God, a thought which
is expanded in verse 19, "for in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell"
(R.S.V.), or again (2: 9) `for in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily' (R.S.V.).
It may be beyond our ability to comprehend the wonder and immensity of this fact, yet it
remains true that in some sense God was wholly present in Christ. He is also `the
Firstborn of all creation', and this "because by Him were all things created', and the
remainder of verse 16 clearly places the emphasis on all things, as John puts it in his
gospel (John 1: 3):
"All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was
made. In Him was life."
So He is the Creator Himself, the very Source of all life, a point further emphasized by
the following verse (Col. 1: 17):
"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" (R.S.V.).
All such descriptions as `chief corner stone', `foundation' and `head' come together in
this thought. Without Christ, even if a creation were possible, it would be self-destroyed;
it could not `hold together'. The whole universe, the whole created order, depends upon
Him both for existence and maintenance. No other being is of more importance than the
Lord Jesus Christ. The context of these three verses makes it plain that `Firstborn' does
not mean the first created being, as some erroneously claim: in which case the first
created being has become of greater importance than the Creator.
He also `is the Head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the Firstborn
from the dead', and this is so that in this sphere (the church which is His body), `in all
things He might have the pre-eminence': and perhaps this is the most complete and
satisfying definition of the worthy walk. Through Him also is reconciliation and peace,
`through the blood of His cross'. We can no doubt include ourselves within the scope of
verses 21 and 22: