Jesus Pre-eminent (Col. 1:18)

In the previous verses Paul had described the greatness of Jesus as the creator and preserver of the universe. He now moves on to describe (1) the greatness of Jesus as the head of the church and (2) his greatness as the ruler of the universal order that will yet come into existence. The apostle is not making a contrast between the three sets of reality over which Jesus rules; instead he connects them to one another and reminds his readers that if they want to continue appreciating the significance of Jesus they will have to keep the three sets in mind.

1. Jesus is head of the church

Every Christian will affirm that Jesus is head of the church. But it is possible that they will not all agree about what the meaning of this statement is. For example, the term ‘church’ is subject to a variety of interpretations. It can refer to a local church, to a national church, to a visible church, and to the invisible church – and Jesus would be regarded as the head of each. Nevertheless if Paul meant a local church, he would have used words that indicated he had the Colossians or another local gathering in mind. Yet he did not, so he did not have a local church in mind. The same answer will cover groupings of churches in an area. The visible church is made up of all persons in the world at any given time who have been baptised and attempt to live as disciples of Jesus – one enters the visible church through the rite of baptism. Paul did not have in mind only those who professed faith at the time he wrote this letter. He had in mind what has become known as the invisible church, the total number of all saved sinners.

So what does Paul say about this relationship between Jesus and his people. First, by using the terms ‘head’ and ‘body’, he reminds the Colossians of the real unity that exists between Jesus and his people. Second, the illustration reminds us that the church is dependant totally on Jesus Christ – a corpse without a head cannot do anything. So it what ways does Jesus help the church?

First, Jesus is responsible for the recruitment of those who make up his church. It is Jesus who comes to each of them, through his servants, the witness of his people, or by events in providence, and brings them into his church. He has promised to build his church throughout the centuries.

Second, Jesus is responsible for the rules by which the church lives. He has provided them in his Word. Some he gives in the form of clear commandments, others are deduced from incidents recorded in the Bible. Obedience to his rules is not merely our obligation, it is also the path of wisdom along which we should move with delight.

Third, Jesus is responsible for how the resources of the church are used. He knows what they are in all their varied richness, and he knows what each of his people need at any given time. He possesses the wisdom to know when to give them and he has the power to ensure that his people receive out of his resources.

Fourth, Jesus is responsible for protecting his church as its members encounter various enemies throughout history. There have been many strong opponents in the past and there are many today. But Jesus keeps his church and the enemies will never defeat it.

Fifth, Jesus is responsible for ensuring that his church will reach glory. That is his intention for his church, for its members to see his glory and share it. He will bring each of them to the perfect world, and that will involve them receiving resurrection life in its fullness.

The church is not dependant on Jesus as a last resort, instead it leans on him because he alone is capable and worthy of such trust. Local churches will come and go, national churches may disappear, the visible church may become very small, but the invisible church will survive because it is united to Jesus Christ.

The obvious response to Jesus should be a combination of admiration, assertion and anticipation. We should admire him greatly because of who he is in the church, we should assert his sovereign, unique position consistently, and we should anticipate what he has in store for his people in this life and in the next.

2. Jesus is the head of the new world

The old creation had a beginning that was inaugurated by Jesus; so too has the new creation. The new world began when Jesus rose from the dead.

Paul says that Jesus is the ‘beginning’. We might read this as if Paul meant that Jesus was merely commencing something, which is true, but would not be the whole meaning. It also includes in what way or manner he began it. So what has Paul in mind here that was begun by Jesus? I would suggest that he has in mind a new world marked by a new kind of life that is connected to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he began the new world. It was done silently as far as observers were concerned. There was no display of exaggerated pomp. Yet although it was performed quietly, it was also done powerfully because it was the occasion when he displayed their combined inability to detain him. These enemies were sin, death and the devil. The manner of the resurrection of Jesus was proof that he had accomplished a great victory over them. The beginning, the onset, of God’s kingdom was an action of great power – the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus was the activity of a ruler – Paul refers to him as the firstborn from the dead. He does not mean that Jesus was the first to be raised from the dead. The Bible records the resurrection of several individuals but their risings were different from that of Jesus. The resurrections of the daughter of Jairus, of the son of the widow of Nain, and of Lazarus were each a return to their previous manner of life. They returned at the same age in which they died and they looked the same as they did before they died. Their resurrections brought no change to their physical appearance, and we don’t know if the daughter of Jairus or the man from Nain ever became followers of Jesus. We hope that they did. But the resurrection of Jesus was on a different level from theirs.

In calling Jesus the firstborn from the dead, Paul is referring to the dignity of Jesus as the Father’s choice of him as the King of God’s kingdom. Now as God and man, Jesus by his resurrection entered into a position in which he enjoyed universal authority, as he claimed for himself in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. Paul describes this place of exaltation in the words of Philippians 2:6-11 – Jesus has been exalted to the highest position possible. By his resurrection he is declared to be Lord of all.

The title ‘firstborn’ is also a reminder that he was raised from the dead in order to obtain his inheritance, which is the new heavens and new earth which he will share for ever with his people. His resurrection was a powerful reminder that nothing can prevent Jesus from receiving what is rightfully is, the full inheritance. The writer to the Hebrews combines the words ‘church’ and ‘firstborn’ in Hebrews 12:23 when he calls God’s people ‘the church of the firstborn’, which is a reminder that they will share the inheritance that belongs to Jesus.

The resurrection of Jesus was not only a personal one, it was also a representative one. He rose on behalf of his people and ensured that eventually all of them would share in his resurrection when he returns. On that occasion, they will not be raised looking like what they had been before they died (as what happened to Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, and Lazarus). Instead they will be raised to look like the glorified Christ. The family of the firstborn will not only share his inheritance, they will also be conformed to his image.

The resurrection of Jesus brought about the situation in which he has pre-eminence in all things. There is not a part in the universe over which Jesus does not rule. This does not mean that all is subject to him gladly, but it does mean that his authority is beyond being ignored or overthrown. The knowledge of this fact should make us confident in the Lord, content with his providences, careful in how we live, and consoled in our troubles. Jesus is in control.