He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 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. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 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. Colossians1:15-20
You might just want to start singing the Hallelujah chorus after reading our passage!!!
But this passage becomes even more meaningful when we unpack it and understand the background...
Epaphras was a worried man... He planted a new and vibrant church in Colosse and things were going well until some false teachers arrived...
They were well-educated and offered convincing arguments. They claimed to have a clearer knowledge of the "inside workings" of the faith. They emphasised the Jewish traditions and ceremonies. They fasted and dieted, they had lists of "do's" and "don'ts". They gave the Colossian Christians many things to _do_ that showed off their piety and holiness.
As they emphasised their deeds more and more, they had to push the life, teachings and saving work of Jesus more and more into the background so that the Old Testament Laws and Ceremonies could come into the foreground.
Epaphras went to Rome to get Paul's help... And Paul wrote to the Colossians: After establishing his caring and concern for the congregation, Paul begins to tackle the problem and his approach is interesting: he doesn't start by exposing the false teachings - he starts by lifting up the truth. He starts by exalting Jesus. He begins with a focus on Christ.
He will NOT allow Jesus to be pushed into the background. He lifts Him up with this incredible hymn of praise... And next week we'll chew over it in detail.
But in the meantime, read it again and this time sing HALLELUJAH at the end!!!
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
