Will you please turn to the letter to the Colossians, chapter 1? We will begin with verses 15 through 23.
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
for in Him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through Him, and unto Him;
and He is before all things, and in 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.
For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fullness dwell;
and through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.
And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, yet now hath He reconciled
in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before Him:
if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister.
Dear Heavenly Father, we want to thank Thee for gathering us together again this morning. We do gather in the name of Thy beloved Son, and it is our confidence, knowing that Thou art in our midst.
Dear Lord, we want to remove our shoes, standing on holy ground before Thee, and look to Thee and wait for Thee to speak to us. May Thy words fall upon the depths of our hearts, that they may bear fruit unto Thyself.
Open our understanding. Give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, because without Thy Spirit, Lord, we are totally helpless. But we praise and thank Thee: Thy Spirit is here, and Thy Spirit is working. So we just trust Thee to complete the work this morning.
We give Thee all the praise and glory and worship, in Thy precious name. Amen.
Thank God for gathering us together again this morning. The burden for this time is on this matter of the way to fullness.
The Colossian believers had a very good beginning in Christ Jesus. They had love toward all the saints, and they had hope for the inheritance waiting for them in heaven.
But in their eagerness to reach fullness, or perfection, because of their lack of the full knowledge of God’s will, they were being misled into what is called the Colossian heresy.
Instead of holding fast to Christ, they began to trust in Jewish ritualism and Gentile philosophy. They were being told that if they wanted to be complete, merely trusting in the Lord Jesus would never do. They had to add something more to Him.
They had to keep certain rules and regulations, and they had to be initiated into some philosophical, speculative concept. Then they would arrive at fullness.
Now, these false teachings are very tempting, because these things cater to our flesh. Our flesh loves to do something so that we have something to boast of. This is the reason why such heresy can come in so easily.
Unless we are filled with the full knowledge of God’s will, unless we know that we are really nothing before the Lord, then we will be delivered from such temptations.
So the apostle Paul is writing this letter to the Colossians. He prayed for them that they might be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Brothers and sisters, this full knowledge of God’s will is a very important thing in our lives. It is not merely knowledge in our minds; it must become wisdom and spiritual understanding. Then it will deliver us from all distractions and enable us to grow into maturity.
Last night, we shared together on the prayer of Paul, and we really feel the need of such prayer. Brothers and sisters, we are all familiar with what we call the knowledge of God’s will. Probably we have heard it so many times that we are tired of it.
But the problem is this: does this knowledge really become understanding and wisdom? Do we really see what is the full knowledge of God’s will? Or, to put it another way, do we really have a revelation or vision?
Do we see Christ as God sees Him? We all know our Lord Jesus. We all have certain knowledge of Him. But do we really see Him as the heavenly Father sees Him?
This is what is needed. May the Lord enlarge our horizon and allow us to see Christ as God sees Him. Because in the eyes of the Father, all the fullness is in His Son. If we want to enter into fullness, He is the only way.
So the apostle Paul tries to tell us what he saw concerning our Lord Jesus. He says that Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
God is invisible because He is Spirit. But because He is invisible, does that mean that He is unknowable?
You remember one day when Paul was walking on the streets of Athens. He saw that the city was full of altars. Even though the Athenians were famed for their intelligence, they were very superstitious. They worshipped all kinds of gods.
In order to play safe, they were afraid that they might miss some god and then be condemned. So there was an altar inscribed, “To an unknown god.”
The apostle Paul used this opportunity to preach the unknown God to them. It is all right not to know all the other so-called gods, but this is the God whom we must know. Yet He is invisible. How can we know Him?
Through the ages and generations, God tried to reveal Himself to man. As we find in Hebrews 1:1, in the old days God spoke in many portions and in many ways through the prophets to the fathers.
But in these last days, He has revealed Himself in His Son. When He sent His Son into this world, the invisible God was made visible, because He is the image of the invisible God.
The word image is icon in Greek. An image is not merely something of outward appearance. It speaks especially of the inward quality. It is not something derived or something put on; it is original. It is something that expresses itself from within.
So our Lord Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He reveals what is invisible—not outward appearance, but inward character.
The Bible says in John 1:18:
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.
The Son is in the bosom of the Father. He knows the Father so deeply—not superficially or outwardly, but in the very nature and character of the Father. He is the visible manifestation of the invisible God.
You remember John 14. During the last night when He was with His disciples, they had been with Him for over three years. They stayed with Him, walked with Him, saw what the Lord did, and heard what the Lord said.
Yet on that last night, Philip asked a foolish question. He said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”
I wonder how the Lord felt. The Lord said, “Philip, have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know Me? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father. How sayest thou, Show us the Father?”
So, brothers and sisters, who is our Lord Jesus? He is the image of the invisible God. If we know Him, we know the Father. If we do not know Him, no matter how we try, we do not know the Father.
All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily. He and the Father are one. They share the same life, the same nature, and the same character. There is nothing more nor anything less.
Therefore, if we want to know God the Father—if we want to have the full knowledge of God—we can only find it in Christ. He is the fullness of the Godhead.
Outside of Him, we are not able to touch God, because God has committed Himself altogether to His Son. Any knowledge of God has to be found in the Son. The more we know the Son, the more we know the Father.
The fullness of God is in Christ, and it is only in Him that we can find God and grow in the knowledge of God. If we really see this, then we will not go somewhere else to get the knowledge of God. The knowledge of God is not in philosophy, nor is it in ethics. It is only in Christ Jesus.
The Lord Jesus, in His relationship with the Father, is the image of the invisible God. Then Paul goes on to say that He is the firstborn of all creation. This speaks of His relationship with creation.
This verse has been a great problem in Christian circles. Because it says that He is the firstborn of all creation, some people think that He is the first created being.
But our Lord Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. He is begotten; He is not created. What, then, does it mean that He is the firstborn of all creation?
In our common understanding, firstborn is a term related to time. In a family there may be seven children, but the first one born is the firstborn. That is the common use of the word.
If we explain “firstborn” in Colossians 1:15 in that way, then we will conclude that our Lord Jesus is the first created being. But as we read the Bible, we find that the term firstborn is used in two different ways: one is according to time, and the other is according to quality.
Dr. Lightfoot, a well-known scholar, said that firstborn is used in the Bible to represent priority and sovereignty. You find this usage many times.
For instance, in Exodus 4:22, God sent Moses to speak to Pharaoh:
Israel is My son, My firstborn.
And I have said unto thee, Let My son go, that he may serve Me.
At that time, Egypt was a great and ancient empire. Israel was merely a people, and they were actually slaves in Egypt. There was no nation of Israel yet. Yet God said, “Among all the nations, Israel is My firstborn.”
According to time, this cannot be applied. It can only be applied according to quality. In other words, God made Israel the first among the nations. Israel was to be the model of the nation that God desired. It had priority and sovereignty.
Another instance is found in Psalm 89:27, where God speaks concerning David:
I also will make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.
Before David there were many kings in the nations, and even in Israel David was not the first king. Saul was the first king. Yet God said that David was the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
Why? Because God took David as a model of kingship. In the history of the children of Israel, when God mentions the kings in Judah, He always compares those kings with David. David is the measurement of kingship in the sight of God. He has priority and sovereignty.
This was a common practice among the children of Israel. In the case of Abraham, Ishmael was the firstborn according to time. But in God’s eyes, it was not Ishmael; it was Isaac, because Isaac had the right of the firstborn.
Even in the case of Isaac, the firstborn according to time was Esau. Yet it was not Esau but Jacob who had the right of the firstborn. And in the case of Jacob, the birthright came upon Joseph.
So in the Bible, the term firstborn is used in two different ways: one according to time, and the other according to quality.
Here in Colossians, our Lord is the firstborn of all creation. It is not used in the common way, because He is not created. He is begotten of the Father, eternally generated. He is before all creation.
If He is before all creation, then He is not created. But in relation to creation, He has priority and sovereignty. This is explained in the following verse.
Paul says, “For in Him were all things created.” In the English Bible, and also in the Chinese Bible, translators sometimes find that this verse does not make sense if they translate it according to the original wording.
According to the Greek original, all things were created in Him. How can all things be created in Him? It does not make sense to our human understanding, so translators try to use other words, such as “by Him.” Actually, “through Him” occurs later in the verse, but the Scripture says that all things were created in Him.
This explains His priority and sovereignty. Where do all things come from? The very idea of all things—the idea of heaven and earth and everything in them—where does that idea come from? The idea comes from our Lord Jesus. It is conceived in Him.
When you see a building like this, before such a building exists, there must be someone who has conceived the idea. The architect conceives a building in his mind. The concept of the architect is according to his nature.
If he is a very artistic person, the building he sees in his mind will be artistic, because the building that becomes a reality is an expression of the architect.
So, brothers and sisters, where does the idea of creation come from? It is all conceived in the mind of our Lord Jesus. It is all in Him. He is the architect of the universe. He designed it, and His design is according to His nature.
That is the reason why the psalmist says:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament showeth His handiwork.
Everything is to speak of Him. Everything is to glorify Him. Everything is some expression of Himself. All things are created in Him.
Not only is creation conceived in Him, but the actual One who builds all things is also He. The Bible says that all things were created through Him. He is not only the architect; He is also the engineer. He is the One who does the work.
Then all things are unto Him. Everything is made for Him because God has made Him the heir of all things. He is the owner of the whole universe. The universe is His inheritance, given to Him by the Father.
This is His place with creation. He is before all things, and all things consist in Him.
What does it mean that all things consist in Him? It means that all things have their origin in Him. Before Him there is nothing, but out of Him come all things. All things are maintained and continued through Him.
He is the One who brings all things together into one. If you take Him out, all things will disintegrate.
You remember when our Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross. At twelve o’clock noon, when the sun should have been shining at its brightest, darkness came over the whole earth from twelve until three.
The One who brings all things together was being crucified. The earth began to quake, and the stones began to break apart. It was a small indication that if Christ is taken out of operation, all creation will be scattered. It will lose its harmony and its meaning.
Christ is the fullness of creation. Only when all things are summed up in Christ will the fullness be manifested.
This shows us who Christ is. Not only is He the fullness of God; He is also the fullness of all things. If you want to understand anything, either in heaven or on earth, without the knowledge of Christ Jesus, you do not understand. He is the meaning and the fullness of all things.
Not only is He the fullness in the old creation; He is also the fullness in the new creation. The Bible says that He is the head of the body, the church.
When our Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down upon this earth. One hundred and twenty believers were gathered together in the upper room in Jerusalem, praying.
When the Holy Spirit came down, in one Spirit they were baptized into one body. This was the beginning of the mystical body of Christ.
When our Lord Jesus came to this earth, the Word became flesh. He took upon Himself a human body, and in that body He lived for thirty-three and a half years.
But after He was raised from the dead, He went into heaven. On the day of Pentecost, He took upon Himself another body. It is a mystical body, a corporate body. All those who belong to the Lord are members of this one body.
In one Spirit they were baptized into one body, and He continued to speak and to do. That is the book of Acts. Brothers and sisters, in this new creation, He is the head and the church is His body.
All the riches of the Head are given to the body, and the body is to express the riches of the Head. He is the Head, the authority, and the church is to do His bidding.
When we hold fast the Head, then the whole body is united together and ministers one to another. There will be the increase of God in the body.
But when we remove Christ as the Head and allow other things or other persons to become the head, the whole body disintegrates. Christ is the fullness of the body. Only when we hold fast the Head are we held together, and there will be the increase of God in the body.
He is the beginning. Before Him there was no church. He said, “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
He is the firstborn from the dead. Again, this term firstborn cannot be explained according to time, because in the Old Testament people had been raised from the dead. Elijah did that, and Elisha also did it.
Even when Christ was on earth, He raised the son of the widow of Nain, and He raised Lazarus. So this cannot be understood according to time.
The firstborn here is again used according to quality. The other people who were raised from the dead still lived in mortal bodies, and they still went into death. But the Lord said, “I am the resurrection, and the life.”
When He was raised from the dead, He took up a spiritual body, an incorruptible body. He is the resurrection and the life. He has the priority, and He has the sovereignty.
Do you remember Romans 8:29?
For whom He foreknew, He also foreordained to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Here again, firstborn is used in a special way. God has predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His beloved Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
In other words, all those who are conformed to His image begin to take upon themselves His character. He becomes the very model. We will all be like Him, and He is firstborn in that sense.
If you read Hebrews 12:22–23, we did not come to Mount Sinai; we have come to Mount Zion, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.
What is the assembly of the firstborn registered in heaven? In that assembly there are many firstborn. According to time, you cannot explain it. Christ is the firstborn, and we will all be like Him. We are also firstborn. It is the assembly of the firstborn. We share with Him as co-heirs.
It is very clear that the firstborn in Colossians cannot be explained by time. The only way to explain it is according to priority and sovereignty.
Why is the relationship of our Lord Jesus with God the Father in such a way? Why is His relationship with creation in such a way? Why is His relationship with the new creation also in this way?
It is because it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Him, that He might have the first place in all things.
We already said yesterday that first place does not mean merely first, with somebody else second and third. First means everything.
Brothers and sisters, all fullness—whether in relationship to God, in relationship to creation, or in relationship to the new creation—is all in Christ.
If He is the fullness of everything, then how can we get into any fullness outside of Him? What the Lord desires is that we may have a larger vision of our Lord Jesus, because this is the way the Father looks upon His Son, and He wants us to see Him in like manner.
But this is not the end. When the apostle Paul went to Corinth, he was determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
We have seen Jesus Christ, but we have not yet seen Christ crucified. In the following verses, beginning with verse 20, we see the work of our Lord Jesus.
And through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.
Here we find the work of our Lord Jesus. When we talk about His work, usually we think only of that work concerning us. Yet we find here that through Him He reconciles all things, whether things upon the earth or things in the heavens. He made peace through the blood of the cross.
The blood of the cross not only redeems us from our sins. The effect of the blood of the cross is greater than that: it touches the whole universe. It brings peace to all things.
What is reconciliation? Reconciliation simply means bringing everything back to harmony. And that is peace.
We know a little, though not very much, that once upon a time the peace in heaven was broken because Lucifer, the archangel, rebelled against God.
Even though he was cast out of heaven, somehow there was a stain, as if the blood was needed to cleanse everything. So even the things in heaven need to be brought into harmony, and it is the blood of our Lord Jesus on the cross that does the work.
Not only the things in heaven, but also the things on earth need reconciliation. We understand this a little more. We know that our forefathers rebelled against God, and because of the sin of man, the whole earth entered into chaos.
All things today are groaning for freedom. Even though this world has been corrupted, it is still very beautiful. Yet all things are groaning. If we have spiritual ears, we can hear the groaning.
Creation is under the bondage of corruption and vanity. It was not willing for this; it was man who put it into this kind of condition. So creation groans for emancipation, for the manifestation of the sons of God.
When the sons of God are manifested, creation will be released. Brothers and sisters, it is the blood of the Lord Jesus that reconciles all things unto Himself.
There is something significant in the translation of verse 20. In many translations we find the phrase, “to reconcile all things unto Himself.” But Darby’s translation uses the word itself.
What does that mean? It means that all things will be reconciled to the fullness. God wants to reconcile all things to His fullness.
What a restoration that is. One day everything will manifest the fullness of God. The heavens and the earth will be at peace with the fullness and will always speak to the glory of God. What a day that will be.
This is His work, affecting the heavens and the earth.
How about us? With us, there is a bigger problem—a bigger problem than all things in heaven and earth have. By the blood of the cross, all things in heaven and earth will be reconciled, but with man there needs to be something more.
And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, yet now hath He reconciled
in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before Him.
In other words, we not only need the blood of the Lord Jesus to wash us clean from all our sins, but we have the Adamic nature. We have the flesh in us. Just forgiving our sins will not complete the work.
It needs the body of the flesh of our Lord Jesus. He died on the cross. When He died, we died in Him and with Him.
When He was raised from the dead, we were raised together with Him. No longer I, but Christ lives in us. The Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives until He can present us holy, unblamable, and irreproachable.
Brothers and sisters, here you see the work of our Lord Jesus. He will save us to the uttermost, that we may not only be saved, but be saved to the very end—saved to the full purpose of God.
This is what Christ is, and this is His work. How can we really receive such a work?
The following verse says, “If indeed.” When you find the word if in the Scripture, there is a meaning. It means that you are now getting into the matter of experience.
In the area of truth, there is no “if.” It is only when you come to experience that there is a condition.
We have seen who Christ is: He is the fullness. We have also seen His work: He is able to bring us into His fullness. Now, how can we enter into that?
If so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard.
The problem with the Colossians was that they did not stand firm and rooted in Christ. Therefore, they were being led astray.
There is this condition here: if we really want to enter into fullness, we have to abide. Then God will work it out in our lives. May the Lord help us.
Dear Lord, we praise and thank Thee for what Thou art. Thou art so much greater than we have ever thought.
We praise Thee for Thy work. It is so much more than we have ever realized. Thou art the fullness, and Thou art the way to fullness.
O Lord, open our eyes, that we may see Thee and see what Thou hast done, that we may seek Thee with all our hearts, in the faith and in the hope of the gospel.
Not just for ourselves, but for Thy sake, that Thy purpose may be fulfilled and Thy glory may be completed. We ask in the name of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.