Through Him and For Him (Colossians 1:15-17)

This episode covers Colossians 1:15-17 and the supremacy of Jesus over all creation. Paul gives us one of Scripture’s clearest pictures of who Jesus really is—not simply a good teacher, prophet, or spiritual guide, but the visible image of the invisible God, the Creator of everything, and the One who holds all things together. What does it mean that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” and “the firstborn over all creation”? We explore why seeing Jesus is seeing God, why Jesus didn’t begin at His birth, and why understanding His eternal nature changes the way we understand Christianity altogether. Jesus is co-eternal, co-equal, and co-existing with the Father—God in the flesh. Colossians also tells us that everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, was created through Jesus and for Jesus. That includes more than what we can see or fully understand. While we may not have answers for everything about the physical and spiritual worlds, we can have faith beyond our best understanding. Everything exists for His glory—and that includes us. We were made for Him, and our fullest selves are found in Him. Finally, Paul reminds us that Jesus doesn’t create and abandon. “In him all things hold together.” When it feels like everything in life is falling apart, Jesus is still holding it all together. Instead of pulling away when life becomes uncertain, we can get closer to Him. The more clearly we see who Jesus is, the more our response becomes awe, worship, and wonder. Jesus was before us, He is beyond us, and everything ultimately depends on Him.