Exegetical Paper: Colossians 1:13-20
The Text
Colossians 1:13-20
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:13-14
Many points need to be drawn out in verse 13. First, the Scripture talks about Christ delivering us. This idea of deliverance is a central theme throughout the Old Testament. The book of Exodus shows how God delivered his people out of slavery from the wicked Pharaoh. The book of Judges shows how God delivered his people from all their enemies. Richard Melick suggests that the terminology used here refers to God's redemptive activity, and its wording comes from warfare. He points out that the following words, "dominion" and "kingdom," emphasize this point.[1] N.T. Wright also points toward this idea of deliverance as alluding to the exodus. He says, again he alludes to the Exodus, this time referring mainly to the dramatic rescue operation in which God delivered his people from the dark power of Egypt (see Exod. 6:6; 12:27; 14:30), transferring them into a new land: for he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”[2]
Second, the Scripture talk about Christ delivering us from the domain of darkness. Here, Paul points out that there are two domains: the domain of darkness and the other is "the kingdom of his [God's] beloved Son." Paul shares this idea with other New Testament writers, as well as with Jesus himself. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus talks about these two domains separating the sheep from the goats.
So, the belief is that the human race is held in captivity by sin, and because of the work of Jesus Christ, in his death and resurrection, he has defeated this power and has now established his kingdom. Therefore, Christ has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to his kingdom. Of course, this new kingdom does not mean a geographical place because those who believed in Christ did not change their location. Still, rather, it speaks of Christ invading Satan's territory and delivering us from the domain of darkness. Wilbur Fields stated that in ancient times, conquering generals often transported conquered peoples from their homelands to other lands. Similarly, God, having defeated Satan in our lives, has transferred us to a new realm.[3] Peter O'Brien points out that those who have been transferred to Christ's kingdom should live accordingly. “They are now “children of light” (υἱοὶ φωτός, 1 Thess 5:5) and are to behave accordingly.”[4]
Thirdly, we need to point out that the Scripture, when referring to Christ's kingdom, calls it "the kingdom of his beloved Son," or more accurately, "the son he loves."[5] Now, there are a few different reasons why Paul would describe Jesus as the "beloved Son." First, before Jesus started his public ministry, he was baptized by John the Baptist. When Jesus came out of the water, the Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven said, "You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased."[6] So Paul is probably alluding to that instance, which is an instance that declared Jesus to be the anointed King of Israel.[7] Another reason could be because Jesus is the representation of the true Israel. Where Israel had failed God by disobeying and rebelling against him. Christ was perfectly obedient and submissive. So, Christ is the only one who could deliver us from the domain of darkness into his kingdom.
Fourthly, there's a debate about what the kingdom of Christ means. N.T. Wright states:
On the basis of 1 Corinthians 15:23–28 we may infer—though the point is controversial—that Paul conceived of the establishment of this kingdom as a two-stage process. First there is ‘the kingdom of Christ’, which begins with Christ’s resurrection and exaltation and continues until all enemies are subdued. Then there comes the final kingdom of God, the restoration of all things. This distinction does not, of course, correspond directly to the language about God’s kingdom on the lips of Jesus; it belongs to a later perspective.[8]
Richard Melick also refers to the kingdom of Christ being a temporal kingdom when he said:
Pauline literature contains few references to the kingdom of Christ. Sometimes Paul used the phrase “kingdom of Christ,” while at other times he used the phrase “kingdom of God.” He did seem to distinguish between them. The kingdom of Christ is an intermediate kingdom which will someday be handed over to the Father. This is taught directly in 1 Cor 15:24.[9]
So, the kingdom of Christ does seem to be temporary. The kingdom began with Christ's resurrection and will end upon Christ's return. So, the kingdom of Christ is a kingdom that already exists, and there seem to be many Scriptures that point toward this kingdom being the church. So, we do not have to wait for Christ's return to establish his kingdom, for his kingdom is already established (Heb 12:28; Rev. 1:9; Mark 9:1).[10] But when Christ returns, then the kingdom of God will be established once and for all.
As we move into verse 14, two significant terms are used: redemption and forgiveness of sins. Redemption emphasizes liberation from bondage. To the pagans, redemption carried the meaning of being purchased from the slave market.[11] From this way of thinking, there have been some false teachings that stated Jesus died on the cross to pay off Satan. This is a ridiculous idea since Christ does not owe Satan anything. So, instead of trying to interpret this Scripture from outside sources, it is best first to interpret it from the Bible itself.
When the Jews thought of redemption, they would think about when God redeemed them from the Egyptian Pharaoh. They were enslaved to the wicked Pharaoh, but God redeemed them or liberated them from their bondage. So, we have redemption from sin because of Christ and through Christ.
To better understand this point, we need to understand the problem that sin brings. Sin is an abomination to God, and because of God's justice, sin must be dealt with. The Scriptures tell us that the wage of sin is death.[12] The problem that sin brings is: how will God punish sin without destroying us? So, these two concepts, redemption and forgiveness of sins, go together. As we stated, because of God's justice, he must punish sin; he cannot just overlook it. This concept of redemption also brings with it the idea of propitiation. There was a price that had to be paid for sin, and Christ was the sacrifice of atonement for our sins. Now because of what Christ did on the cross, we are both redeemed and forgiven of our sins. At the cross, the justice and mercy of God meet.
Colossians 1:15-20
Verse 15 states that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.” Richard Melick points out that the word “image” (eikōn) conveys one of two nuances of meaning. Both of these meanings were present, but one of them towered over the other. The first one was that of representation. The image would represent or symbolize the object pictured. This usage often occurred in the context of coins, which would have the ruler's image. The second meaning of the word was manifestation. This meant that the "image" was more than a symbol. Rather, it brought the actual presence of the object.[13] This idea is also brought up in Hebrews 1:3, which says, "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature…" Christ is the replica of God. He makes the character of God known to us. He brings what was invisible to visibility. O'Brien stated, "The very nature and character of God have been perfectly revealed in him; in him the invisible has become visible.”[14]
The amazing thing about this is that both the Old and New Testaments clearly state that no one has ever seen God. But Jesus is the exact imprint of his nature, so as John 1:18 states, "He has made him known."
The second thing verse 15 states about Christ is that he is the firstborn of all creation. "Firstborn," or in Greek, its transliteration is prototokos, is repeated twice within the passage and has its fair share of theological discrepancies. This word shows up eight times within the New Testament, and every time within the NASB, it is translated as "firstborn." The literal meaning of this word pertains to "birth order"[15] or “the oldest son in a family (Luke 2:7; Hebrews 11:28)”[16] Although this is the literal meaning of prototokos, from the context in which Paul uses, it seems that he’s pointing toward something else.
Many heretical teachings have come from taking Colossians 1:15 literal. The passage says, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (ESV). Some have looked at this passage and claimed the "firstborn of all creation" points toward Christ being created by God. In claiming Christ was created, they claim Christ was fully human but not fully God. This, as we know, is a heresy.
Vincent says that while the Greek is ambiguous regarding Colossians 1:15, "we must carefully avoid any suggestion that Christ was the first of created things, which is contradicted by the following words: in Him were all things created."[17] BDAG points out that an implicit component is within prototokos: "the special status enjoyed by a firstborn son as heir apparent in Israel.”[18] When talking about Christ, it goes on to say he is "the firstborn of a new humanity which is to be glorified, as its exalted Lord is glorified (Rom. 8:29).”[19] In essence, BDAG is talking about not Christ being the created firstborn but having the special status or preeminence of a firstborn. This is seen a little clearer when taken in context. Colossians 1:18 says, “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (ESV).
In conclusion, "firstborn" in Colossians 1:15 and 18 does not refer to Christ as being created by God and hence points toward Christ not always preexisting. It is pointing toward Christ's special status or preeminence over all things, as stated in Colossians 1:18b. The context here clearly shows what Paul was trying to convey. So, one needs always to read a passage in its context and not just draw one word out and build a theological principle on a fallacy.
Verse 17 moves from Christ as the creator to Christ as the sustainer. Christ was before all things, and in him, all things hold together. Christ is not a creator who forgot about his creation. He is not the creator who created and then left it to itself; he is the creator who sustains his creation. He maintains it daily.
Verses 19-20 state that the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Christ and that through him he reconciles all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. In the Greek, there is no word for "God," but the grammatical subject of "fullness" must be a circumlocution for "God in all his fullness."[20] So, what is meant by the fullness of God dwelling in Christ? Christ has the full power and authority that God has. The Colossian Christians should not fear Christ because he is for them. As Romans 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Some interesting questions are brought up because of this passage. What does it mean to be reconciled to himself? What does all things mean? Does this mean salvation is automatic for all human beings? These are just some of the questions brought up because of this passage.
First, let's look at what is meant by "to reconcile to himself all things." It was mentioned earlier that Christ was the only one who could deliver us. In the same way, he was the only one who could reconcile us to himself. On the cross, he took the penalty of sin, and we are reconciled to him.
So, what is meant by reconciling all things? Does this mean that all have automatic salvation? No. N.T. Wright stated, “The process of reconciliation between God and man, however, does not simply happen by some automatic process. Paul clearly believed that it was possible for human beings to reject God’s offer of salvation, and that at the last judgment some, having done so, would thereby be themselves rejected (see Rom. 1:18–2:16; 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:5–10).”[21] Also O’Brien said, “To assert that verse 20 points to a universal reconciliation in which every man will finally enjoy celestial bliss is an unwarranted assumption.”[22] So, the work on the cross does not bring automatic salvation to anyone. It opens the door so that we can receive the free gift of salvation, but it is still up to each person to accept or reject the gift.
Application
David Garland sums up the application of this passage nicely when he says, “Christ is mediator of creation, victor over the powers, and Lord over all of God’s created order (1:15-17); and Christ is also Lord over God’s new order, the church, where one finds reconciliation (1:18-20).”[23] The application for us is that Christ is the mediator, the bridge between God and humankind. He is the one who has delivered us from the bondage of sin. A bondage that would have led to our destruction, but instead of allowing us to perish in our sins, Christ came and died on the cross so that he could redeem us from our sins and forgive us.
Not only can we draw strength from knowing that Christ redeemed and forgave us, but we can also be strengthened because he is preeminent over all things. All powers, whether spiritual or earthly, are subject to him. So, there is no need to fear.
[1] Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 206.
[2] 2. N.T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 12, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 65.
[3] Wilbur Fields. Philippians Colossians Philemon. (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1969), 145.
[4] 4. Peter T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 44, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 28.
[5] 5. N.T Wright, 66.
[6] 6. Mark 1:11
[7] 7. N.T. Wright, 66.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Richard R. Melick, 207.
[10] Wilbur Fields, 145.
[11] N.T. Wright, 67.
[12] Romans 6:23.
[13] Richard R. Melick, 214-215.
[14] Peter T. O’Brien, 43.
[15] Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and William Arndt. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 894.
[16] Timothy Friberg, and Barbara Friberg. Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament. (Victoria: Trafford Publishing, 2005), 338.
[17] Marvin R. Vincent. Word studies in the New Testament: Volume III. (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2000), 468.
[18] BDAG, 894.
[19] Ibid.
[20] N.T. Wright, 80.
[21] Ibid., 81.
[22] Peter T. O’Brien, 57.
[23] 23. David E. Garland, Colossians and Philemon, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 82.
