The Preeminence of Christ

One of the messages of Colossians is the preeminence and power of the Savior.  For example, Paul taught them in the first chapter, “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: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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.”  Christ created all things and was in the beginning before all things.  It is He who is the head of the Church, and He received the “fulness” from His Father (1:16-19).  The Colossians may have been letting their focus shift to other people or aspects of the gospel, but Paul wanted to bring them back to an understanding of the centrality of the Savior.  He sought “Christ in you, the hope of glory” and that was the focus of His preachings: “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ” (1:27-28).  He sought to put Christ at the center of their lives—just as He is preeminent over all the creation. 

               Paul continued through this short epistle to focus on the center place of Christ in the gospel.  He told them, “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”  Christ has all the power and traits and perfectness of the Father, and He has “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”  Because of that, we can be “complete with him, which is the head of all principality and power” (2:3, 9, 10).  He “sitteth on the right hand of God” and so, Paul taught, “set your affection on things above.”  We should “put on the new man” patterned after Him for “Christ is all, and in all.”  Because Christ is the essence of goodness and perfection, we should seek to “put on” His attributes: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (3:1-2, 10-14).  Paul wanted the Colossians and us to see that Christ is the One whom we should seek and focus all our efforts in the gospel; He is preeminent and merits our hearts more than any other earthly thing.  As King Benjamin put it, “that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent” (Mosiah 3:17).  Perhaps Paul’s message to the Colossians is best summed up in these four simply words: “Christ is our life” (3:4).  He is our light and life and without Him there is no hope or salvation.