Having considered, in our study of Colossians, the principle of God’s Full Pleasure, we now enter into the second principle: Christ’s Full Divinity. One important aspect is Christ as the Creator of all things. "Christ is all and in all" (Col 3:11) in a number of ways, including the fact that all things came into being through him. Or to put it another way, all things owe to Christ their very existence.

Christ, Creator of All Things (Part 1)

Paul makes three related statements about Christ and the universe (Col 1:16-17). First, All things were created by him. Second, he is before all things. Third, In him all things hold together. They are the points of our lesson...

1 All things were created by Christ.

Paul goes to a lot of trouble to define the fullness of Christ’s work, power, and function as Creator.

First Paul says that "all things were created by Christ" —and later adds "...through him and for him." (Col 1:16). All things were created by Christ, through Christ, and for Christ. That doesn't leave any room to detract from Christ’s creative work or his part in Creation.

Second Paul makes sure we do not think that Jesus was the Creator of merely physical and visible things. The scope of Christ’s creation was all things "that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible" (Col 1:16).

Third Paul includes all authorities, "thrones or dominions or principalities or powers" (Col 1:16). Christ himself has no Creator. All creatures, angels, devils, human beings, animals, mountains, —or anything else supposed to have dominion— are under Christ’s dominion. However great their dominion, Christ is their Creator and that makes him greater, the supreme Ruler over all. This supreme authority was recognized by God (the Father) when he "delivered us from the power of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Col 1:13). Religious rulers are not exempt, and Paul says that Christ "disarmed principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it" (Col 2:15). Christ disarmed the religious rulers of his day in his preaching, and triumphed over them in his death and resurrection.

2 Christ is before all things.

We could have implied from Paul’s description of Christ’s part in creation that Christ is eternal —but Paul tells us anyway, "He is before all things" (Col 1:17). Paul does not say that Christ was the first created being. Rather, he "is before" all creation. Christ had no beginning. He is the beginning (Col 1:18). The Christ who rose from the dead and ascended to heaven was not brought into being by any cause. Everything created exists by a cause —or a series of causes and effects— outside of itself and before itself. But Christ is the Original Cause, whether it be of a grain of sand, or of our very life and salvation.

3 In Christ all things hold together.

By saying this, Paul lets us know that Christ is not just the Starter of creation, but is involved in its every development. Paul also says, "Christ is all and in all" (Col 3:11). There Paul is speaking of the church of Christ and its various members. Paul believes that Christ didn't only start the church, but continues to be involved in its development, right down to every part. This principle applies not only to the church but to all things Christ has made. It is a reasonable view of the cosmos that one thing triggers another — everything that is caused becomes iself a cause, and so things develop. It may also seem reasonable that the original cause becomes increasingly estranged from the subsequent causes as the progression continues and differences compound over time. Paul, however, sees Christ not only as the original Cause, but the One who, at all levels, connects one cause to another such that order rules, and chaos is defeated.

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