(3-minute read)

By, Through, and For Him

Colossians 1:15-20 is one of the most beautiful descriptions of our Lord Jesus Christ in all of Scripture. These lines poetically explain that Jesus is divine. Everything—both visible and invisible—was created through him. He sovereignly and powerfully holds everything together. Everything is for him and finds its meaning in him.  

Verses 21-22 continue to drive home the point that we were at one time alienated from God, even hostile to him. Yet, God himself redeemed us from our guilty status through his Son, Jesus Christ. 

But Jesus didn’t just rescue us. Through his death and resurrection, he makes those who follow him “holy and blameless and above reproach before him.” 

Pause and consider that for a moment:

We were once at enmity with God and utterly guilty (v. 21). Now, however, through Jesus, we are not only forgiven—we are also made holy and without blemish (v. 22). We are redeemed!

Verse 23 says that the above is true “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…” Paul is not describing works-righteousness—the idea that we must earn and keep our salvation by doing good deeds. Rather, continuing in our faith and not succumbing to false religions or philosophies is evidence that we are indeed Christians. Yes, we will falter because we are still sinners. But true Christians will persevere in their faith. They will not shift from the hope of the gospel.

Application: Don’t Settle

Verses 15-22 teach us why Jesus Christ is indeed the only path to heaven. As those verses explain, he is everything. Nothing (and no one) else is worthy or powerful enough to reconcile us to God and to make us holy, blameless, and above reproach (v. 22). Indeed, only God can do that. Therefore, to shift away (v. 23) from the gospel of Jesus Christ is to reject salvation. Even if today’s culture pressures us to believe that many paths lead to heaven, we must continue in our faith in Christ alone. Only he can redeem us and bring us to heaven. No other “god,” no philosophy or worldview, no amount of moral living can cleanse us from our sins and make us worthy to stand before the one and only true God of the Bible. 

Moreover, the exclusivity of Christ isn’t simply a concept telling us what not to do, namely “Don’t place your faith and hope in false gods.” Read vv. 15-20 again. That is the picture of the Lord we follow. Jesus keeps the entire universe together, including us. He is the only one who can bring peace and redeem this broken world. Only he can deliver us to a future that is filled with love and joy, where pain and tears will exist no more. Why then would we ever want to stray from Jesus?! Why would we settle for any other god or philosophy or even our own efforts? All of those ideas—indeed, everything outside of Christ—will fail us. 

Lastly, if you are considering following a regular Bible memorization plan (and I hope you do!), Colossians 1:15-20 is a great place to start. I regularly recite these verses in my head. Without fail, God uses them to remind me of his greatness and love and the resulting joy that I have in following him.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion

  1. Re-read Colossians 1:16. Then read Genesis 1:1 (reading the entire chapter would be even better) and John 1:1-3. What do these verses teach us about creation and the creative process? How does this show us that Jesus is God?
  2. Re-read Colossians 1:21-23. Then read Matthew 7:24-29. What do these passages teach about the different foundations of faith and the consequences of each one?