Col 1:16-17

The Person of Christ,
Part 1—Col 1:16-17


Context: The Colossian Heresy

Overview: The Person of Christ— 1:15-17
ü Jesus Is God—15
a. Jesus Is Creator—16
b. Jesus is Sustainer—17


1. Evolution:

a. What is the pagan teaching of evolution?

(1) According to evolution, All things exist by chance, and by the operation of natural processes. There is no plan nor any logical order to the universe.
(2) According to evolution, Life came to be, and all changes to lifeforms took place, by gradual change over eons of time.
(3) According to evolution, The human race is merely an advanced species of the animal kingdom, and we ascended from lower orders of animals, again, over long periods of time.

b. Implications of evolution
(1) According to evolution, There is no purpose to creation, to mankind, nor to the life of any particular individual.

(2) According to evolution, If there is no creator, there is no retribution, so we may live life any way we choose.

(3) According to evolution, If we are merely a higher order of animal, a blob of protoplasm turned by accident into a human being, then life is not sacred.

b. A key philosophical distinction:
(1) Sanctity of Life—Or, "Quality of Life,"
(2) If you believe that life is not sacred—There is nothing wrong with ANYTHING!!! The Great Russian writer Dosteyevsky said—“If there is no God, then everything is permissible…”

b. The societal implications of the mad, depraved idea of evolution have devastated Western Civilization—This led to Nazism, Communism, hedonism. This doctrine of demons leads to ultimate despair

c. The bottom line on paganism and humanism. Paganism, evolution, leads to a mad society, turning on its young and its old in a depraved orgy of murder and destruction!!!

d. The Truth—the Biblical doctrine of creation....

2. The Truth About the Universe: God is the Creator—Acts 17:24-26

a. Creation by Divine Command—God created the universe by speaking it into existence. He said, "let there be.... " and it came into existence—

Psa 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. …9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

2 Pet 3:5 ...by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,

Heb 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

b. God Created ALL Things—The Almighty One made the earth and everything in it.

Neh 9:6 You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.

Rev 10:5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,

(3) Only in our age, with our increased understanding of the vastness and wonder of space, can we appreciate the extent and the majesty of creation..
(4) God created the entire eco-system—He made each plant type, created all of the microscopic life forms, formed each species of animate life, and gave them all the breath of life.
(5) All that we see on dry land, every rock, every geographical feature, God made.
(6) God Created the sea, and everything in it—Every fish, every mammal, every crustacean, every coral reef—
(7) God specially formed man, and made man in the image of God—Gen 1:26-31.

c. Creation and the Trinity--Creation was the act of the Triune God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
(1) Father—1 Cor 8:6
(2) Son—John 1:1
(3) Spirit—Gen 1:2, Job 26:13, Job 33:4

d. The purpose of Creation was for God's Pleasure: Rev 4:11è. God created because He Wanted to Create-
(1) There has been much speculation over the years as to why God would create anything—We wonder, "What was His purpose in founding the universe?"
(2) There have been many theories advanced, but the Bible is very silent on the issue, except for one thing—God made the universe because He wanted to do so.

Rev 4:11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

Prov 16:4 The LORD has made all for Himself,

e. Practical Implications of the Biblical Doctrine of Creation. This is the key to the cultural war raging in our nation at this moment.

3. Christ Jesus is the Creator and the Owner—“…all things were made by Him…”

a. All things—a Greek phrase which means “the universe…”
(1) Can this mean, as one modern-day false cult teaches, that Christ Jesus made everything except Himself.?
(2) Can this be interpreted to mean, as another false cult teaches, that there were numerous “gods,” etc. in existence before God “became” a God?
(3) NO!—John 1:3 "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." Acts 4:24, Heb 1:1-3,
(4) An OT praise to the Trinity! Neh 9:6 "You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You."

b. The heavens as well—a direct challenge to at least one modern cult, as well as to the Gnostics—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: …”
(1) Visible and invisible—including the spirit world—these too are created beings!
(2) The hierarchy of heaven!

c. By and For—all things were created by him, and for him:



3. The Eternal Sustainer—Col 1:17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

a. Again, an assault on the Gnostics of any age.—The precedence of Christ in time and the preeminence as Creator are both stated sharply. (A.T. Robertson)

b. The Eternity of Jesus!

(1) Jn 1:1-2, 8:58, 17:5
(2) Rev 22:13
(3) 2Corinthians 8:9
(4) Philippians 2:6-11.

c. The Sustainer of the Universe—Heb 1:1-3

(1) All things hold together in Him
(2) He upholds all
(3) He even upheld all while He was on the Cross!

4. The Head of the Church

a. First, Jesus Owns the church, because He paid for it! The Owner of the Church— ...”I will build my church...” Mat 16:13-19 –Acts 20:28 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."