Colossians 1:13-20

In Sunday school today, we covered Colossians 1:13-20. We talked about the supremacy of Christ and went through 15 characteristics of Jesus. (Keep in mind these are talking specifically about Jesus, not God.)

1. He brought redemption (v. 14); Jesus paid for our sins and died our death.

2. He is the image of the invisible God (v. 15); Jesus IS God.

3. He’s the firstborn over all creation (v. 15); in Jewish culture, the word for “firstborn” reflected importance rather than order. This verse is saying that Jesus was considered the most important man out of all creation.

4. By him, all things were created (v. 16); please don’t miss the enormity of “all things.” This includes all physical matter, all people, all immeasurable things such as love and pain, and even Satan.

5. All things were created through him (v. 16)

6. All things were created for him (v. 16)

7. He is before all things (v. 17)

8. In him, all things hold together (v.17); this is probably the most significant one for me. Jesus holds all things together, which means he held together the wood and the nails of the cross from which he was hung. He willed the executioners to carry out his killing. Think about that for a second. He could have stopped it at any point, but he loves people so much that, regardless of our sin and rebellion, he willingly held all things together while he was being beaten, dragged, whipped, kicked, spit on, and finally pierced and hung on the cross.

9. He is the head of the body/church (v. 18)

10. He is the beginning (v. 18)

11. He is the firstborn from among the dead (v. 18); keep in mind the Jewish meaning of the word “firstborn” (importance vs. order).

12. In everything, he has supremacy (v. 18)

13. In him, all the fullness of God dwells (v. 19)

14. He reconciles all things (v. 20); by offering himself as a sacrifice, he brings all people who accept him as their Savior back to God.

15. He makes peace through his blood, shed on the cross (v. 20); he satisfied the wrath that God had because of humanity’s sin and disobedience to Him. 

After going over those 15 characteristics, we concluded with 3 reflections:

1. Jesus is God; therefore, we exist to worship him.

2. Jesus is who he is regardless of whether or not you believe it. In a world full of ideas about relative truth, it’s hard to believe, but there is absolute Truth.

3. Satan & his demons were created for Jesus and by him; if Jesus can handle Satan, he can handle your problems if you give them to him.