Reflections on Colossians 1 from Hope Nottingham's Volunteer Manager Alex Rodmell
One of my favourite passages in the Bible can be found in Colossians 1:15-17.
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers,
and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
In this passage, Paul writes about the supremacy of Christ, and as I reflect on this passage, there are three things that stand out to me:
1. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
One of the questions that people can ask, or wonder about, is what is God like? Well, this passage tells us. If we want to know what God is like, we just have to look to Jesus. The way Jesus acted, the things he spoke, the love he showed, these were all reflections of his Father’s character. Jesus shows us completely what God is like and who he is.
2. …for through him God created everything…
There are things, many things, that I do not understand. How things work; why things are a certain way; and what are the motivations behind the things people do. Yet, the middle section of this passage clearly tells us that God created everything through Jesus. So, even though I may not understand, a creator does understand their creation, and therefore Jesus understands everything in this world and the unseen world. He knows what’s going on and I know that I can trust in him.
3. …and holds all creation together.
But things can feel like they are falling apart. Things go wrong and we can feel confused, lost, and hurt. It’s this last part of the passage that brings me both comfort and reassurance. Even though I may not understand what is going on, I do know what Jesus is like and see how he demonstrates his love. For me, the fact that Jesus ‘holds all creation together’ brings me great reassurance and comfort. I know that whatever I am facing, and whatever I will face in the future, Jesus is holding it all together and he’s got it – we can totally rely on him!