Describing Jesus
When we trust Jesus for our forgiveness of sins and for eternal life, when we believe in Him for these things, God the Father responds to our faith in a mighty way:
Colossians 1:13-14
He (the Father) has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We have a new citizenship. Our transfer is a complete one, and we now fully belong to Christ’s kingdom. The domain of darkness no longer has custody over us. By taking our well-deserved punishment, Jesus has provided the redemption we could never have obtained on our own. God the Father rewards our trust in Jesus with citizenship in the kingdom of the Son He loves. However, this is just the start of our new life in Christ.
Now that we are a part of His kingdom, it’s certainly fair to ask: What is Jesus like? Is there more to who He is than just my Savior? How does He help us understand the Father? And even if it might feel disrespectful to ask, we may even be wondering…Why is Jesus the one who rules over our new citizenship?
The next section of Paul’s introduction specifically deals with these kinds of questions. It is overflowing with the truth of who Jesus is and why all the authority ascribed to Him is rightly His. It is time well spent to read over and meditate on this magnificent passage.
These verses contain seven main descriptions of Jesus, but there are also many wonderful details for us to ponder. Read slowly…what grabs your attention?
Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation;
because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities –
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.
He is also the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that He might come to have first place in everything.
For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,
and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself
by making peace through the blood of His cross –
whether things on earth or things in heaven.
This is a comprehensive description of Jesus, a lot here to digest. However, this is who our Savior truly is…supreme above everything.
When you read through this list, did anything surprise you?
Now that we are members of His kingdom, if we are going to relate to Jesus, if we are going to know Him better…then we need to see Him properly.
How closely does this description match how we think of Jesus? Do we honor Him as much as He deserves? Or do we see Him as something less?
Keep Pressing,
Ken