Colossians 1:15-20
Ancient religions’ efforts to know God were often drawn into polytheism, because the only way for them to know God was by what they saw. They fell into the wind trap – John 3 – they couldn’t see the wind so they looked at its effects. Thus we have Ra, the sun god of Egypt, or Thor, the Norse god of thunder, or Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. These cultures didn’t know God, instead worshipping different aspects of creation. Effects of the wind.
The Israelites were the only culture to have some knowledge of the Creator God, though veiled. The difference between the Israelites and all other ancient cultures is that God revealed Himself to Abram. People can’t know God, but He could and did reveal Himself to people. The very word “revelation” is a revealing of knowledge. We didn’t figure out God, He introduced (revealed) Himself to us. But the God revealed in the Old Testament is heavily veiled, almost hidden. No one could see His face, the Israelites couldn’t even spell out His full name, instead they just used the consonants—YHWH. Descriptions of God, like Ezekiel 1, were awe-inspiring, completely overwhelming, and often frightening (consider a 1000ft pillar of fire lighting up the night sky). But they were reduced to similes and metaphors. That is, unless you have the key to unlocking the veil.
God is so far above and beyond our understanding that words literally cannot describe Him. God’s majesty is so incredible, His just-ness so bright, His love so warm that no thick blanket can help us to wrap our minds around that sensation or experience. All that leaves us with is fear and dread, save for the gift of His revelation to us. His message to us, His logos, offers us a much clearer picture of the omniscient and omnipotent Creator.
By looking at Jesus, we see the Father, the Creator (John 14:9), and are given the capacity and ability to know Him more than many throughout history.
Jesus is the Author and King of Creation (v15-17)
The ancient Israelite culture used the word “firstborn” to associate rank and title, not birth order. The poem goes on to confirm Jesus as the Creator, making Him fully equal to God. Jesus is not a created being, but preexisted with God, as God. He shares identity with God. What does that mean? The best example scripture gives us of the relational nature of the Trinity is marriage. Genesis 1:26-27 says He created THEM in the image of God. Unity in plurality is a major characteristic of God. Deut. 6:45, the Shema, (explain) included the phrase “The Lord our God is one” – “one” in the Hebrew is “echad”, the same word used in Genesis 2:24 when God said that husband and wife become one “echad”. This denotes a complete union of two separate entities. While marriage is an earthbound (and in our state, imperfect) illustration, it gives us a good description of the identity of the Trinity—perfectly unified as One (echad). Just like a married couple shares a name and an identity – you cannot know one outside of the context of the other – Jesus shares identity with God the Father and God the Spirit. Jesus IS God.
Jesus Connects Creation to God (v18-20)
The poem then goes on to connect Jesus to the church as a living organism of which He is the head. The work of Jesus to defeat death by rising up victorious as the sacrifice to reconcile humans to God makes Him the connecting bridge between God and humanity. Through Jesus we know God. This is how the bridge ilustration works. God and humanity are separated with a giant chasm in the middle because of our sin. Jesus comes and through the cross (draw a cross connecting the separate cliffs) gives us a bridge that we can walk on to get to God. His connecting work allows us to be in the presence of God again, in the same way Adam and Eve were, walking through the garden. We are offered that relationship again with the ripping of the curtain and Paul’s declaration that we can call God “Abba”. Daddy, the informal of informal words is a powerful image. Jesus connects us to God.
Next Steps
John 3:16 gives us a helpful picture: the word “begotten” may lazily be used today in terms of biology, but that’s incorrect. The proper understanding of begotten instead means “chip off the old block”. The word literally means something of the same nature or substance. Jesus IS God. When we see Jesus, we SEE God. When we know Jesus, we KNOW God. Jesus is the revelation God gave us about Himself. Jesus is how God chose to let us see Himself. What do we do with that?
- Trust in Jesus’ gift to you – salvation through belief in His work. Trust it literally happened, and that it is all you need to know God.
- Glorify Jesus through your words and deeds, giving Him the worship He deserves as Creator. Relish the gift you have in getting a relationship with Him; the God of Heaven knows you personally and loves you!
- Submit to Jesus, whether it’s the first time ever or the first time today. Practice continual submission to His lordship. Let Him be your KING.
The ancients hung on to shadows and crudely drawn imaginations. We have the real thing. Don’t settle for cheap knock-offs.
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