If you ask the average person to describe what it means to be a Christian, they will probably identify a moral view, lifestyle choice, or even a political position. While Christianity does have implications for all these areas, that is not what it means to be a Christian. Today’s passage reveals that Jesus Christ is the essence of the Christian faith. The heart of the Christian message has to do with the nature of Christ and the reason He shed His blood on the cross. Paul describes Jesus as both “the image of the invisible God” and “the firstborn over all creation” (v. 15). Paul’s choice of words is deliberate, probably intended to counter aspects of the false teaching that had crept into the church in Colosse. By taking a human nature, Jesus brings the image of the invisible God to light. The fact that Paul calls him the “firstborn” does not mean that Jesus was the first created being; it means that He is superior to creation. Jesus existed as God before He was born in Bethlehem. Indeed, He existed as God before anything was created (v. 17). As Creator, Jesus upholds all creation. Paul goes on to say that Jesus died “to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (v. 20). By “all things,” he primarily means people who are alienated from God because of sin (v. 21). As Creator, Jesus is the glue that holds the universe together. But He is also the Redeemer who reconciles us to God by the death of His physical body (v. 22). Paul reminds the Colossians that this was the message that was preached to them. It is the bedrock of the Christian faith. >> With so many varying ideas about Christianity swirling about, we must remember the first principles of our faith. Christianity is about Jesus, the Creator who took on human nature to die for us.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.