Benny Nalkara, CMI

The Christological hymn in Col 1:15-20 is a magnificent passage of praise exalting Christ as the Lord in creation and as the author of reconciliation. This passage which is widely considered as a pre-Pauline text is intended to strengthen the readers and to correct the erroneous views of the false teachers, especially the Gnostics, who taught that it was necessary to obey the angelic powers. According to them these supernatural powers control the communication between God and humankind and they considered Jesus as only one among them.
After writing a lengthy prayer (1:9-14), Paul (or the close associate of Paul) begins his doctrinal section in the letters. Vv 12-14 are already a transition to the hymn. The hymn with its focus on Christ’s pre-eminence and what has been accomplished through Christ functions as a foundation for the arguments against the false teachings. Some of the scholars look for the background of the hymn in Hellenistic Judaism. Some attribute it as a part of general influence of the theme of Wisdom in Colossians. The entire hymn focuses on the relation of Christ to the powers. We find two distinct parts for the hymn where the pre-eminence of Christ is clearly portrayed: the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ as the creator of the entire universe (vv. 15-17) and the pre-eminence of Jesus as the redeemer/reconciler (vv. 18-20) of the entire universe.
He is the image of the invisible God: image (eikon) here means “complete likeness”. Close identification between the Son and the Father is intended here. By saying that Christ is in the image of God, he affirms that he is an accurate picture of what God is, and in fact, he is God. To call Christ the image of God is to say that in Him the being and nature of God have been perfectly manifested – that in Him the invisible has become visible. First born of all creation: the concept of the firstborn is important for the OT. Here it is not a temporal advantage but ather the superiority as the agent of creation.1:16 explains why Christ reigns supreme overall creation and highlights his unique position. The author says in 1:17 – He is before all things: It’s a reference to pre-existence of Christ. In him all things hold together: Not only Christ acts as the agent of creation, but also the creation is maintained in him. The creative power of God is revealed in the action of his chosen instrument, and thereby Christ is exalted above all other beings. Using the creation dimension of the hymn, Paul underlines that Christ was necessarily superior to all powers. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe.
The second part of the hymn (vv18-20) describes how Jesus is having the pre-eminence in the resurrection and thus his unique role in the redemption. He is the head (kephale) of the body, the Church (1:18) – It’s a Semitic concept, the first, one in charge. Jesus is also presented as the First born from the dead”- to emphasize that he is first one in all things. Fullness (pleroma) (1:19) refers to the fullness of God in its totality. God dwells in Christ. The verse probably pertains to the whole of the salvific work accomplished through Christ. In 1:20, the author states that God willed “through him to reconcile all things” – Christ becomes the agent of reconciliation. The broken harmony of the universe has been restored through Christ. There has been a cosmic reconciliation. The mention of God “making peace through the blood of his cross”- refers to celebrating Christ’s triumph and the cosmic reign. As a matter of fact, the emphasis is on Christ’s universal mediation. He is the cosmic redeemer and reconciler of what He has created.
Colossians 1:15-20 is a statement of the cosmic significance of Jesus Christ. In the man Jesus of Nazareth, we have the incarnation of the eternal Son of God: the one “in,” “through,” and “for” whom all things were made in the beginning, and who, by means of the cross and resurrection, has brought into existence a new beginning. Jesus Christ is the cosmic creator and is the cosmic redeemer. It is the explosive truth that this Jesus who lived, died, resurrected and ascended – the One whom the Colossians believed in and were to worship – was none other than the full, incarnate revelation of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord of the cosmos. It is Paul’s thunderbolt claim and most comprehensive statement of what it means to confess Christ as LORD over all things.
For Paul, the whole creation is conceived by God in the person of Christ, and it is in him, through him and for him that all things were created. The whole cosmic process is moving towards its goal and we have to get active1y invo1ved in this process. The supremacy of the Cosmic Christ is not only based on the fact that he is the image of God, but also on his work of reconciling, redeeming, reclaiming, renewing and restoring all things. Our relationship with him as believers should be the affirmation and proclamation of this truth and as his disciples the attempt to re-create, reconcile and redeem everything after his model.