Take a moment to read Colossians 1:15-17 before reading the devotional below.
Today’s passage is perhaps the most significant summary of what defines Christianity: the claim that Jesus is God. There is so much theology packed into these three little verses, so take time to read them over a few times and write down anything you notice. Here’s what I’m seeing:
1. Jesus was visible as a man on earth.
2. An invisible God cannot be seen until he appears visibly somewhere. His appearance was Jesus.
3. Jesus existed before anything was created. This language also implies that he himself is not a created being.
4. Jesus is the supreme ruler of all creation — a position only God himself could hold.
5. Verse 16 is confusing — “through him God created everything” — so is Jesus God or did God use Jesus as a separate being? (You might want to check out Genesis 1 to see the interplay between God and his Spirit during creation which is referenced here regarding Jesus. Also take a look at John 1, which describes Jesus as “the Word” who became flesh in order to live among people.)
6. Jesus created the physical and spiritual realms and it was created for himself.
7. We already established that Jesus existed, and the use of that word directly ties back to the name God had been going by since the beginning of Israel’s history — “I AM.” Jesus also made this claim in John 8:58.
8. Jesus holds all of creation together. This points to an absolutely beautiful intertwining of God’s very being and ours.
Here’s your freedom for today: Jesus’ claims to be God are what give him the power to set you free. Some like to say that Jesus never claimed to be God, or that he was simply a moral teacher. Others try to simplify God rather than embrace the complexity here as we see the interplay between Jesus, God (the Father), and the Spirit. These names are almost interchangeable at times, and at other times they seem to be quite distinct. If Jesus is not God, then he does not have the power to set you free. His resurrection and the complex nature of one God described in three persons is what makes it possible for your sin to be permanently erased.