Christ is Creator

ReFocus: Humility in Ministry
Christ is Creator

“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
Colossians 1:16

One of the greatest hindrances in ministry is discouragement. It is a divisive liquid that congeals and solidifies within the walls of the heart if allowed to fester. It doubles over in our solitary, our relationships, and even in our ministries. It is not foreign; all are aware of the outcomes and consequences of its presence. But what exactly causes discouragement? If we are aware of what will be the outcome, why do we allow ourselves to fall into this over and over again? Ultimately, the cause, in some way or another, can be directed back to an improper view of Christ. What is presented within the first chapter of Colossians, specifically verse 16, will provide instruction for veering our view of Christ back in its proper place.

As mentioned a few weeks ago, Gnosticism was a prevalent religion within the church at Colossae. Along the same lines, it had also been thought that there were others that worshipped angels. With this being the case, Christ was claimed to be less than the angels, and thus, not revered in the proper status. Paul wrote this book to refute these false teachings. This is something that is absolutely evident, especially within our primary verse and the verse preceding as Christ is claimed to be both the image of the invisible God while also being the firstborn of all creation (1:15). Within verse 16, our primary verse, Christ is claimed to be Creator.

Immediately following the claim that Christ is the firstborn, Paul continues the list of supremacies by claiming that Christ is the Creator of all things. He states “for by Him all things were created…” (1:16When Paul was making this statement, he was essentially referring to a universal idea of creation; Paul was not claiming that Christ just created the physical, but that He also created the spiritual. The idea that is present is the same that is seen in John 1:3 when it is claimed that all things that came into being can be attributed to Christ, as nothing came into being apart from Him. This was to be an all-encompassing idea in relation to creation. By stating this, the writer made his point extremely clear; Christ created all things. He could have stopped here without going any further in the debate, yet he chose to state even the specifics of creation. It has been thought that Paul’s purpose in doing this was to blatantly refute the false teaching that Christ was lower than the angels.

Paul takes this a bit further by stating that all things within the heavens and the earth were created by Christ, whether visible or invisible. The writer goes out of his way to be intentional, so as to specifically state the obvious; the heavens and the earth were created by Christ. He also states that the visible as well as the invisible things were created by Christ. This is a very interesting concept. The idea that Paul presents here is that all things visible on earth, and even in heaven, were created by Christ. This extends from the concept of the, now visible, creation of land to the creation of heavenly bodies that will one day be seen. Paul also stated that Christ created those things which are invisible. It has been thought that this was a reference to the soul of man that is not necessarily visible to the human eye. It is unseen, yet Christ created it.

It is evident that Paul was being intentionally thorough as he was writing this letter. He finalizes this topic of creation by stating whether there are “thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” all things were created by Christ (1:16). Again, this is thought to stand in contrast against the previously mentioned false teaching that placed angels in a status to be worshipped. This is due, primarily, to the fact that the thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities mentioned within the verse could refer to specific ranks of angelic beings. Regardless, the point is extremely clear. There is nothing in this world that has existed or will exist that Christ did not create; He is the sole Creator, and to label Him as anything less is to neglect His omnipotence. He also created all things for Himself in order to showcase His glory and power.

Even though Christ’s ability to create is seen within this verse as the primary theme, there is another that is implied, though a bit more subtle. With the specifications of all that He has created, Christ’s sovereignty cannot be overlooked. Because Christ has created all things, He knows all things; even more, He knows how to fix all things, we do not. This is a slap in the face to pride. One of man’s biggest downfalls is the false sense of self-sufficiency that he possesses, which will, inevitably, lead to discouragement. With Christ being absolutely sovereign, we should trust that He has the ability to handle whatever situations we are facing, regardless of the circumstance. The challenge I present to you is the same challenge that faced me: trust in the sovereignty and ability of God; the first step in doing this is to loosen the reigns and to allow Him to be God.

Don’t allow discouragement to sour your ministry.

Happy Reading,

CBMaxwell