In verse 17 Paul says, “All things cohere in Him.” This means that all things now subsist together in Christ, just as all the spokes of a wheel subsist together in the hub. Christ is the hub of all things that exist in the universe; they all subsist together in Christ as the hub. Scientists recognize the fact that there is some kind of power in the universe that holds everything together. This scientific fact fits Paul’s concept of all things subsisting in Christ. The holding power, which is the hub, the center, of the universe, is Christ. Because Christ is this holding power, all things subsist in Christ; He is the center that holds everything together, the hub that holds all the spokes. Everything in the universe, living and non-living, subsists in Christ as this hub. Without Christ, the universe and everything in it would collapse. We are upheld not by the earth but by Christ. Apparently we exist on the earth, but actually we are existing in Christ. Our existence is maintained by Christ in whom all things are held together.
Christ is the Firstborn of all creation in order to express God. We have pointed out in the previous message that Christ is the image of God (Col. 1:15). God is invisible, but if we look at God’s creation, we will see that creation is the expression of the invisible God. In creation we see the expression of God’s power and nature. In the words of Romans 1:20, “The invisible things of Him, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made, so that they would be without excuse.” Christ is the image of God expressed in creation. If we see this, we will realize that all material things were created in Christ, through Christ, and unto Christ and that they all subsist in Christ for the purpose that God may be expressed.
We need to see that Christ is the Firstborn among all created things; the various aspects of God’s creation are the expression of God in Christ. When we look at the heavens, we should be reminded of Christ. When we consider the earth, we should think of Christ. We should be mindful of Christ even when we look at ourselves. Every aspect of God’s creation was created in Christ, through Christ, and unto Christ. All these things continue to subsist in Christ for the expression of God. This expression of God in creation is Christ as God’s image.
The universe is the expression of God by Christ. Throughout the universe we see Christ, the image of the invisible God. We see Christ everywhere and in everything. Therefore, we should live Christ, not anything else. The Christ whom we live is all-inclusive. He is the image, the expression, of God in the original creation. Thus, our concept of the universe should be altogether related to Christ. We should only know Christ and live according to Christ.
Colossians 1:18 says, “He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things.” This verse shows that Christ is the first in resurrection as the Head of the Body. As such, He has the first place in the church, God’s new creation (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15).
According to Colossians 1:18, Christ is the beginning of the new creation, the Firstborn from the dead. As the Firstborn of all creation, He was the first item of the old creation. Now in resurrection Christ as the Firstborn from the dead is the first item of the new creation. Hence, He is the beginning of the new creation that He might have the first place, the preeminence, in all things.
As the Son of God, Christ passed through two births. The first birth took place at His incarnation, and the second, in His resurrection. All Christians realize that Christ was born through incarnation, but not many regard His resurrection also as a birth. Acts 13:33 indicates that Christ was begotten, or born, in resurrection. Through resurrection He was begotten as the Son of God.
Before His incarnation, Christ was not a man; He was simply the infinite, eternal God. But in the fullness of time, Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, and nine months later He was born in a manger in Bethlehem (Matt. 1:18, 20; 2:1; Luke 2:7). According to John 1:14, the Word who is Christ became flesh. This means that He took the step of becoming a man. How marvelous that through incarnation the infinite, eternal God became a man! However, in becoming man, He did not cease to be God.
After living on earth for thirty-three and a half years, Christ was crucified. Then in resurrection He took a second step to be born the second time and become the firstborn Son of God. Before His resurrection, Christ was the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16), but through resurrection the only begotten Son became the Firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:29). According to Hebrews 2:10, God is leading many sons into glory. These many sons are the many brothers of Christ as the firstborn Son.
Through the two births of Christ, divinity has been brought into humanity, and humanity has been brought into divinity. By the incarnation of Christ, God was brought into man. Prior to Christ’s incarnation, God was outside of man. However, through Christ’s incarnation, God was brought into humanity. We may say that with the birth of Christ in incarnation God was born into man. Therefore, by Christ’s first birth God was brought into man and became one with man. Then through Christ’s resurrection man was brought into God. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, God was living in a man, for God was in Him. Now, through Christ’s resurrection, man has been brought into God. As a man, Christ is in the heavens. God has been brought into man, and man has been brought into God. In this two-way traffic God came into man through incarnation, and man was brought into God through resurrection. In eternity Christ was God. Through His incarnation He became a man, and through resurrection He became the firstborn Son of God.
Through Christ, God has been brought into us, and we have been brought into God. When we were born again, simultaneously Christ was born into us, and we were brought into God. Therefore, in our Christian life we have an inward and personal experience of both of the births of Christ. With Christ, His birth in resurrection came thirty-three and a half years after His birth through incarnation. However, in our experience of Christ, God was brought into us and we were brought into God at the same time. We should praise the Lord for the marvelous traffic between God and us.
God has accomplished two creations, the old creation and the new creation. The old creation includes heaven, earth, mankind, and millions of different items. The new creation is the church, the Body of Christ. Colossians 1:15-17 unveils Christ as the first in the original creation, as the One who has the preeminence among all creatures. Verse 18 shows that Christ is the first in resurrection as the Head of the Body. He is the One who has the first place in the church.
The first creation came into being through the speaking of God. In the words of Romans 4:17, God called the things not being as being. The new creation, on the contrary, came into being through resurrection, through the death and resurrection of the old creation. In this new creation, the church, Christ is the Firstborn from the dead.
Both in the old creation and in the new creation, Christ is the first. If the old creation is in Christ, through Christ, unto Christ and subsists together in Christ, so the new creation is all the more. As the new creation, we, the church, are in Christ, through Christ, and unto Christ. Moreover, we are moment by moment subsisting together in Christ. Outwardly we are the old creation, but inwardly we are the new creation. In the church we are in Christ, through Christ, and unto Christ, and we subsist in Christ to be God’s expression in Christ.
In both the old creation and the new creation Christ is the first and occupies the first place, the place of preeminence. Both in the universe and in the church, Christ is the preeminent One. If we see this as a vision—not as a mere doctrine—our living and our church life will be revolutionized. We will realize that in all things Christ must be the first.
In Colossians 1:18 Paul says, “That He Himself might have the first place in all things.” In the Bible to be the first is to be all. Since Christ is the first both in the universe and in the church, He must be all things in the universe and in the church. As the first, He is all.
God’s way of reckoning in this matter is different from ours. According to our estimation, if Christ is the first, then something else should be the second, third, and others in sequence. However, from God’s point of view, for Christ to be the first means that He is all. He is the Alpha, the Omega, and all the letters between (Rev. 22:13).
The first Adam included not only Adam as an individual but all of mankind. In the same principle, in the eyes of God, the firstborn of the Egyptians included all the Egyptians (Exo. 12:12). The firstborn includes all. Therefore, for Christ to be the Firstborn in the universe means that He is everything in the universe. In like manner, for Christ to be the Firstborn in resurrection means that He is everything in resurrection. For Christ to be the Firstborn both of the old creation and of the new creation means that He is everything both in the old creation and in the new creation. This corresponds to Paul’s word in Colossians 3:11, where he says that in the new man, in the new creation, “there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.” In the new man Christ is everyone and is in everyone. In the new creation there is room only for Christ.
The revelation concerning Christ in Colossians is both all-inclusive and extensive. Colossians reveals that Christ is everything. Christ is the Firstborn both of the old creation, the universe, and of the new creation, the church (1:15, 18). The universe is the environment in which the church, the new creation, exists as the Body of Christ to express Christ in full. The new creation is not as extensive as the old creation, the universe. The church is all-inclusive, but it is not extensive. For Christ to be the Firstborn of both the original creation and the new creation means that He is both extensive and all-inclusive. In the new man there is room only for Christ; Christ is all and in all (3:11). This shows His all-inclusiveness. However, the fact that He is the Firstborn of all creation indicates His extensiveness. In the words of Ephesians 3:18, Christ is the breadth, length, height, and depth.
It makes a tremendous difference when the vision of the all-inclusiveness of Christ pervades our being. When we see this vision, we will hate everything that issues from the self. We will despise not only our hatred but even our love, kindness, and patience. As this vision causes us to hate the self, it will constrain us to love the Lord. We will say, “Lord Jesus, I love You because You are everything. Lord, there is no need for me to struggle or strive to do anything. O Lord, You are so much to me. You are God, You are the Firstborn of all creation, and You are the Firstborn from the dead.” We need to pray until all the aspects of Christ revealed in Colossians saturate our being. We need to be infused and saturated with Christ as the all-inclusive One. If Christ is infused into us, we will drop everything that is not Christ, and we will be constituted with Christ in our being.