col 1:18

The Person of Christ,
Part 2—Col 1:18


Context: The Colossian Heresy

Overview: The Person of Christ— 1:15-17
c. Jesus Is God—15
d. Jesus Is Creator—16
e. Jesus is Sustainer—17

And Now: Jesus is the Ruler of the church

Col 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

1. Each church is a body; The Kingdom of God (all true churches together) is a Body;

a. What is a church? “I will build my church…” Mat 16:13-20

(1) Church—
(a) the first mention in the Bible
(b) Greek: eklesia—ek = out , kaleo = callè it means a called out assembly
(c) Called from other pursuits
(d) Called by legal authority
(e) Called for a public purpose.

(2) MY church—Jesus owns the church, not any man nor any group of men
(3) Build—see Eph 4:11-16. It is not an option for a church to stay still. A church that is not building is not a church—Mat 7:24-25, 16:18

b. The church is built upon a Rock—Jesus is the Rock!
(1) Some think of the Rock as Peter
(2) Some think of the Rock as the confession of Peter.
(3) But in the Bible, the Rock is Christ
(4) In the Bible, the Foundation of the Church is Christ—Eph 2:20 "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,"


Psa 118:22 "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone."

Rom 9:33 "As it is written: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.""

1 Cor 10:4 "and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ."


1 Pet 2:6-7 "Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,""
1 Pet 2:8 "and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed."

Mat 21:42 "Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

Mark 12:10 ""Have you not even read this Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone."

Luke 20:17 "Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone'?"

Acts 4:11 ""This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'"

1 Pet 2:6-7 "Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,""

c. The church is a body


1 Cor 12:12 "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ."

1 Cor 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."

Rom 12:5 "so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

Col 1:24 "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,"

Col 2:19 "and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God."

Eph 1:22 "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,"

Eph 4:15 "but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ;"

Eph 5:30 "For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones."