Colossians Chapter 1 Verses 16-18

Col. 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 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 preeminence.” 

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” That Christ is the creator of all things is plainly set forth in the above as well as the following scriptures: 

1.  John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” 

2.  Eph. 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” 

3.  Rev. 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” 

The physical universe and all things in nature were created according to Genesis chapter 1 in 6 days and God rested on the 7^th day as he had finished the work of natural creation.  However, spiritual creation continues as the elect are created to be new spiritual creatures.  This happens at Christ’s appointed time.  The following verses show us both the sovereignty of God in bringing about the new birth in his own appointed time and the means by which he brings about the new birth making us new creatures: 

1.  John 3:8 “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” Just as the wind is sovereign to us in its going forth, so Christ is sovereign in the timing and action of causing the elect to be born again. 

2.  John 5:25 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”  The same voice that spoke the universe into being also spoke spiritual life into us when we were dead in trespasses and sins. Thus, before he spoke we had no spiritual life.  Then when he spoke by his powerful voice he imparted spiritual life into us. 

While we are not given much details of the creation of the angels, yet the scriptures tell us that he created all things and therefore we know that he created the angels.  Further we read in Ezekiel 28:14 “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”  Thus, even Satan was a created being.  Like Adam, he fell from the state in which he was created.   

“And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church:” Christ as the creator existed in eternity past and has no beginning.  The things which he created all have a beginning due to his act of creating them.  The church consists of people who have been born of the Spirit and thus are new creatures in Christ Jesus.  As their creator he is also their head and they are described as the body of Christ.  The church has only one head and that is Christ.  The body is to respond to the directions and messages of the head.  As a part of the body, each member should have a desire to worship and serve God according to the teaching the scriptures which our Head has given us. 

“Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”  Not only is Christ the creator of all things, but he is also the firstborn from the dead as he raised himself after 3 days and three nights in the grave.  This is also our hope that our bodies will also be raised and fashioned like unto Christ’s glorious body, according to the promise of God.  Thus in all things Christ is preeminent. 

Verses 20-22 

Col. 1:20 “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:”

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross.”  To state that he has made peace points to the fact that beforehand we were not at peace with God, but were at enmity with God.  The following verses bear this out:  

    1.  Rom. 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”

    2.  Rom. 5:10 “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” 

Enemies that are brought to a state of peace are reconciled.  What brings them to that state of being at peace is called reconciliation.  Before we were reconciled, we were at enmity with God because of our sins.  God is just and every sin and disobedience must be judged and punished in the sight of our Just and Holy God: Heb. 2:2 “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;” We were judged guilty because of our sins and the execution of God’s wrath had to be carried out.  Christ, according to the covenant of redemption, suffered the wrathful judgment of God for us as he suffered and died to atone for our sins.  Having justified us before God through his atoning blood sacrifice we were reconciled unto God.   

“By him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”  The all things has reference to God’s elect people.  Before Christ suffered on the cross, there were a great number of the elect of God who had died leaving their bodies on earth and their soul in heaven.  Moreover, Christ died for the elect not only from his day forward, but also all those who lived and died before his sacrifice.  Their bodies are on earth and their souls are in heaven.  Thus he reconciled both things in earth and things in heaven.   

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” Even the work of reconciliation has already been accomplished, yet there was a time that in our mind because of wicked works, that we viewed ourselves as being alienated from God and enemies to God.  However, we learned through the gospel of what Christ accomplished for us on the cross and now we are able to see that he has presented us unto the father being holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in God’s sight.  In Rom. 8:33 and 34 Paul asked the question: “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”  Thus, there is no charge that can be laid against us before our Just and Holy God because Christ has redeemed us and thus reconciled us unto the Father.   

Verses 23-29 

Col. 1:23 “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: 25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.” 

“If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”  The idea here is that we are to continue in the faith.  The faith under consideration is the faith that was once delivered to the saints as Jude said: Jude 1:3 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”  This faith is the doctrine and practice and government of the New Testament Church which the Lord establish and on which we are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone (Eph. 2:20).  Also, we are to be grounded and settled in this faith.  This means that we are to have as a foundation the faith which was once delivered to the saints and to be immovable from that foundation.   

Moreover, we are not to move away from the hope of the gospel.  This hope we are told is an anchor of the soul: Heb. 6:19 “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”  This hope is founded on the promise of God which we read in Tit. 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”  God made this covenant promise which embraced his elect family before the world began.  This covenant promise is the promise we read about in Rom. 8:29, 30: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”   

Paul also said that this gospel was preached to every creature which is under heaven.  I am sure that Paul was not saying that every elect child of God heard this gospel of the grace of Christ.  Rather this seems that he is saying with the term “under heaven” that every one who was a part of the church “kingdom of heaven” had heard this gospel.   

Moreover, Paul affirmed that he had been made a minister of this gospel.  To be a minister of the gospel requires a calling from God to the work of the gospel ministry.  Also, the person called must be led by the Spirit of God in learning the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Finally, the man called to the ministry must apply himself in reading, studying, and meditating on the word of God and spend much time in prayer for the guidance of the Lord.   

“Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:”  Paul stated that he rejoiced in his sufferings for the saints and faithful brethren to whom he was writing.  Paul had suffered much by the persecutions of the Jews towards him.  While we would not think of our pain and stress during the sufferings, yet the end result is what Paul was rejoicing in.  For in his sufferings he was blessed to preach the gospel of the grace of Christ to God’s elect family and see them rejoice in the good news and then to grow in their knowledge and labor for Christ’s name’s sake and as the disciples of the Lord.  Paul said that this suffering was for Christ’s body’s sake.  The body of Christ to which he was referring was the Lord’s church.  His church is often referred to as the body of Christ.   

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;” God made Paul a minister and revealed to him the things which are included as a part of the cannon of scripture by his writings.  This was not self made up or just a few rational reasonings of man, but as Paul said in 2 Tim. 3:16, 17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”  So Paul wrote by the inspiration of God and we are blessed to have these things today because of God’s inspiring Paul to write.  This took place on God’s time table, not on man’s time table.   

“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:” There are several scriptures that teach us that the things we have in this New Testament age were hidden from God’s people for many generations: 

    1.  Matt. 13:17 “For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” 

    2.  Luke 10:24 “For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” 

    3.  1 Cor. 2:7, 8: “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 

    4.  Dan. 12:8, 9: “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”   

Moreover, there are people in this New Testament age that the mystery of the grace of Christ is still hidden:

    1.  Matt. 11:25 “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” 

    2.  2 Cor. 4:3 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” 

    3.  Matt. 13:10, 11 “And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” 

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” We are indeed a blest people that God has made known to us in this day the mystery of the gospel of the grace of Christ.  We are blessed to have Christ in us which is our hope of glory.  God promised, but that promise does not mean that the promise was unto me.  The reason I know it was unto me is the indwelling of Christ in me as a result of the spiritual birth.   

“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:”  The “every man” Paul is referring to are those who make up the elect family of God and have heard and believed the gospel of the grace of Christ.  The warning and teaching of the word of God is designed to present the “every man” perfect in Christ Jesus.  The word, perfect does not always mean without any fault or blemish as we are also sinners.  However, sometimes it means mature and that is the meaning here.  In preaching the gospel of the grace of Christ and preaching the whole counsel of God, the design is to mature God’s children in their worship and walk here as they live on earth.  Again, we go back to 2 Tim. 3:16, 17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”  Thus, the scripture and the teaching of the scriptures are designed to mature the man of God.   

“Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”  Paul knew and confessed that it is the Lord who begins the work of the ministry in a person with the phrase “according to his working.”  And Paul also recognized that that which the Lord had begin in him also worked mightily in him.  Similarly all God called ministers should recognize the working of the Lord in them that has called them and worked in them to minister the gospel.  Moreover, it should be our desire that He would work in us mightily as well.