THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST – (Part 1)
Colossians 1:18
The apostle shows us in this
text that it is the will, the pleasure, and the determination of the Father's
heart that his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, be pre-eminent in all things and
above all things. GOD HAS SO HIGHLY EXALTED; HONORED, AND MAGNIFIED HIS SON
THAT THE ONLY WAY ANY CREATURE CAN EXALT, HONOR, AND MAGNIFY THE TRIUNE GOD IS
BY EXALTING, HONORING, AND MAGNIGYING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. So determined
is the eternal, triune God to make Christ pre-eminent in all things that God
can only be known and revealed to men by the knowledge and revelation of
Christ. THE ONLY WAY GOD MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN IS THROUGH THE SON. AND THE
ONLY WAY GOD DEALS WITH MEN IS THROUGH THE SON. "The Father loveth the
Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John
WE ARE TRINITARIANS. We worship the one true and
living God in the trinity of his sacred Persons: the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. THERE ARE THREE DISTINCT AND SEPARATE PERSONS IN THE GODHEAD.
YET, THESE THREE DIVINE PERSONS ARE ONE GOD. The Father is the Father. The
Son is the Son. And the Spirit is the Spirit. They are three distinct Persons.
Yet, they are one God. There is no way to explain the doctrine of the Trinity,
or even illustrate it, in human terms. We simply believe it, because it is
plainly revealed in Holy Scripture. In the baptism of our Lord (Matt.
THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST (Part II)
Colossians 1:18
We know, worship, and serve the
triune God only as we know, worship, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. There is
no other God in this world but what Christ himself is. Thomas, with his hand in
the pierced side of the crucified, risen Christ, said unto him, "My Lord
and my God" (John
EVERYTHING GOD HAS EVER DONE, IS DOING, OR SHALL EVER
DO, HE DOES THROUGH THE MEDIATION OF HIS DEAR SON, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. The
triune God never does anything except what He does by Christ and for Christ.
THE COVENANT OF GRACE was made before the world was with Christ the
Mediator. That solemn compact of mercy, ordered in all things and sure was made
with Christ (Ps. 89:3-4, 19-37; II Sam. 23:5; II Tim. 1:9). THE WORLD WAS
CREATED BY GOD through Christ the Mediator. When Paul says, Christ is
"the firstborn of every creature'' (Col. 1:15), he is simply declaring
that Christ is the One out of whom creation was born. All things sprang from
him. He is the original cause of all things, "the beginning of the
creation of God" (Rev. 3: 14; John 1:1-3). God's PROVIDENTIAL RULE
of the world is by Christ the Mediator (Dan.
THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST
(Part III) Colossians 1:18
Our Lord said, "All things
are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son but the Father;
neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son
will reveal him" (Matt.
IN THE REVELATION OF GOD, CHRIST IS PRE-EMINENT.
God deals with men only in and through his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who said, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:65 10:9;
Eph.
And when this world is folded up like a worn-out
garment, WHEN TIME SMALL BE NO MORE, AND ALL MEN STAND BEFORE GOD IN
JUDGMENT, CHRIST SHALL YET BE PRE-EMINENT. Even at the bar of judgment God
will deal with men only in Christ. The Judge who shall sit upon the great white
throne in that day shall be none other than the God-man, Christ Jesus our Lord
(John 5:21-22; Rom. 14:1-12; II Cor, 5:10-11; Rev. 20:11-15). God has
determined that in all things HE MUST HAVE THE PRE-EMINENCE.
THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST (Part IV)
Colossians 1:18
Throughout the endless ages of
eternity, according to God's own wise and holy decree, the Lord Jesus Christ
shall have the pre-eminence. When all creation is brought to bow at the feet of
Christ and acknowledge him as rightful Lord of the universe, God will be
glorified (Col. 1:20; Phil. 2:9-11; I Cor.
What the sun is to our solar system, Christ, the Sun
of Righteousness, is to heaven and eternity. He is the Center of heaven, the
Light of heaven, the Life of heaven, the Strength of heaven, and the Joy of
heaven. Withdraw the sun from our solar system, and everything would be
darkness, destruction, and death. Withdraw Christ from heaven, and heaven
itself would be hell! IN HEAVEN CHRIST IS, AND FOREVER SHALL BE PRE-EMINENT,
BECAUSE FOR ALL ETERNITY CHRIST IS ALL! Christ is forever all our Reward,
all our joy, all our Peace, and all our Love. In heaven's eternal bliss, Christ
alone shall fill our vision, and Christ alone shall have our praise (Rev.
4:9-11; 5:9-13). This is the ultimate end for which God said in the beginning,
"Let there be light." This world was created by God, so that "in
all things he (the Lord Jesus Christ) might have the preeminence."
AS GOD THE FATHER HAS GIVEN THE SON ALONE
PREEMINENCE, SO MUST WE. Let us honor the one true and living God in all
things. There is only one way for us to do so. We must honor the Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ (John
THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST (Part
V) Colossians 1:18
Christ alone has pre-eminence
as the Revelation of God, the Savior of Men, the Ruler of Providence, and the
Glory of Heaven. God the Father gives Christ all pre-eminence. And God the Holy
Spirit gives Christ alone pre-eminence. All the comfort, instruction, and
direction of God the Holy Spirit comes to men from the Lord Jesus Christ (John
THE HOLY SPIRIT, ACCORDING TO THE DISPOSITION OF THE
COVENANT OF GRACE, IS CHRIST'S AGENT IN THIS WORLD. He does nothing of
himself, speaks nothing of himself, and receives nothing to himself. It is the
Spirit's delight to do the Father's bidding. Christ is the Fountain of all
grace. The Holy Spirit is the channel through which all the blessings of grace
come to us, but Christ is the Fountain. If you will compare I Corinthians with
Ephesians 4:7-12 and Psalm 68:18-20, you will see that ALL THE GIFTS OF THE
SPIRIT ARE REALLY THE GIFTS OF CHRIST, which he has bestowed upon the
church for the glory of his own great name, for the furtherance of the gospel,
and for the spiritual welfare of his people.
Everywhere today men talk much about the Holy Spirit.
We are told, "This is the age of the Holy Spirit." They talk much
about the anointing of the Spirit, the baptism of the Spirit, the power of the
Spirit, and the presence of the Spirit, and say little about the Person and
work of the Son. This is all wrong. Those who preach the Holy Spirit and ignore
Christ do not have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks only of Christ; and
those who have the Spirit speak of Christ, only of Christ. Do not misunderstand
me. Believers reverence, worship, and honor the Holy Spirit. THE HOLY SPIRIT
IS GOD. But the only way to reverence the Spirit is to reverence Christ.
The only way to worship the Spirit is to worship Christ. The only way to honor
the Spirit is to honor Christ. All who have the Son have the Spirit also, and
have the gifts of the Spirit as God is pleased to give them. THIS IS THE AGE
OF THE SON. This is the age of Christ. This is the gospel day. It began
when the Sun of Righteousness arose with healing in his wings. And God has
determined in this day that Christ must have the pre-eminence.
THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST (Part VI)
Colossians 1:18
God the Holy Spirit speaks of
and reveals Christ to men. He takes the things of Christ and shows them to us.
In regeneration, he creates and forms Christ in us. He comforts our hearts by
showing us what Christ has done for us and is yet doing on our behalf. He gives
us assurance by applying the blood of Christ to our hearts and consciences. And
he both reproves us for sin and leads us in the paths of righteousness by
showing us the example Christ left for us to follow. When it was needed, the
Holy Spirit even gave men the ability to preach the gospel of Christ in
languages unknown to them. In the work of the Holy Spirit, Christ is
pre-eminent. He is the center and the object of the Spirit's ministry. He
neither seeks nor receives any honor to himself. He promotes the honor of
Christ.
TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE SPIRIT is to be baptized
into Christ's death, resurrection, and life. It is to be translated from death
to life in Christ (I Cor.
It may seem that this is an over-simplification of
the Spirit's work. I readily acknowledge that THERE IS MUCH MORE INVOLVED IN
THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAN I HAVE MENTIONED. BUT WHATEVER ELSE MAY BE
INCLUDED IN THE MINISTRY OF THE SPIRIT, IT IS THE SPIRIT'S DETERMINATION
"THAT IN ALL THINGS CHRIST MIGHT HAVE THE PRE-EMINENCE."
THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST (Part VII)
Colossians 1:18
The Lord Jesus Christ is everything to his Father. "The
Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John
IN HIS ESSENTIAL DIEY, AS THE SECOND PERSON OF HE
HOLY TRIITY, THE FATHER GIVES NOTHING TO THE SON, BECAUSE THE SON IS IN
EVERYWAY EQUAL TO THE FATHER AND POSSESSES ALL THINGS EQUALLY AS GOD WITH THE
FATHER AND THE SPIRIT. But in his Mediatorial character and office, as the
Representative of his people and as the reward of his covenant engagements the
Son was given all things by his Father (John 17:2), and has been given
pre-eminence in all things. Chris is he pre-eminent OBJECT OF HIS FATHER'S
AFFECTION (Prov.
THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST (Part VIII)
Colossians 1:18
As it pleases the Father to
give Christ preeminence in all things, it pleases every believer to know that
Christ is pre-eminent. Nothing can more effectually comfort and challenge the
believer's heart than the knowledge of Christ's pre-eminence. In Colossians
1:15-20, Paul gives us a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our
Redeemer, our Savior, our Friend, our glorious King holding in his almighty
hand all of creation. He who loved us and gave himself for us holds the whole
world in his hand. He who died on the cross knows the most distant star by
name. He not only knows it, but also guides it. Better still: He so controls
that distant star and all things in God's creation that he makes everything
serve the interest of his people (Rom.
1. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS
AN ALL-SUFFICIENT SAVIOR. In Paul's day, as in ours, there were some who
taught that Christ alone is insufficient, inadequate, incapable
by his own merits and grace to save his people. To dispel that heresy, Paul
says, "Christ is pre-eminent." He is able to do exceedingly and
abundantly above all that we ask or think (vv. 9-13).
2. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS
A SOVEREIGN SAVIOR. He who died on
3. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS
A RICH AND
4. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS
A SAVIOR WORTHY OF OUR HEART'S TRUST AND DEVOTION. You can safely trust
Christ in all things, and give him the devotion of your heart, because he is
pre-eminent. He to whom God the Father has given pre-eminence should have
pre-eminence in the hearts of his people.
THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST (Part IX)
Colossians 1:15
When God decreed that his Son
have pre-eminence in all things, nothing was omitted. In everything Christ is
pre-eminent. IN THE PURPOSE OF GOD, we who believe were chosen to be
conformed to the image of Christ that Christ "might be the Firstborn (the
glorious Head) of many brethren" (Rom.
THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST (Part X)
Colossians 1:18
Why must Christ have the
pre-eminence? Why must all things be put under his feet? Why should he have no
rival? Why is it that nothing and no one should rival him? Christ must have the
pre-eminence in all things, because GOD THE FATHER SAID THAT HE MUST
(Psa. 89:27). Why was Joseph made the prime minister
of
CHRIST WAS BORN UNTO THE
PLACE OF PRE-EMINENCE (Isa. 9:6-7). He is the Firstborn in the family of
God. As such he has a right to the Father's inheritance. He is the only
begotten of the Father. Therefore he has rightful possession of all the Father's property.
CHRIST MUST HAVE THE
PRE-EMINENCE BECAUSE HE HAS PAID FOR IT (Isa· 53:9-12). Any man who buys
and holds the title to an estate is lord of that estate. And Christ both bought
and holds title to God's creation. Therefore, he is Lord of all.
CHRIST ALONE DESERVES THE
PRE-EMINENCE. He has earned the right of pre-eminence by his obedience to
the Father's will, having fulfilled all that was required of him as the Surety
of the covenant (John 17:1-4). And he has earned the right of pre-eminence in
the hearts of his people (Psa. 116:12). Who else has loved us so freely? Who
other than Christ has done so much for us? Who but Christ has given us so much?
Who else but Christ has been a faithful Friend to our souls?
Let every redeemed, justified,
forgiven sinner say, with God our Father, "Christ alone must have the
pre-eminence!" In all our worship, in all our service, in all our gifts,
in all the affairs of our lives, in all the desires of our hearts, let us be in
agreement with the Triune God and determine "that in all things he must
have the pre-eminence". As John Gill puts it, "Christ ought to have
the pre-eminence and first place in the affections of our hearts, in the
contemplations of our minds, in the desires of our souls, and in the highest
praises of our lips."