If we consider all these passages from the book of Colossians we can see that there is a sequence and a particular line of thought throughout the book from chapter one to chapter four. As the apostle Paul wrote this book, he surely had a line of thought in his spirit.
The line of thought in the book of Colossians begins with God, who is a mystery. All that God is and all that God has are a mystery. Paul begins his Epistle from this point.
Paul continues his line of thought by revealing that the mystery of God is Christ Himself. What is unable to be understood in God, can be understood in Christ; what cannot be seen in God, can be seen in Christ; and what cannot be apprehended and realized in God, can be apprehended and realized in Christ. Paul’s first point is that God is a mystery, and his second point is that this mystery is Christ.
Then the third point in the line of thought in Colossians is that since Christ is the mystery of God, God has made Him to be everything. The fact that God has made Christ everything is clearly revealed in the first two chapters of this book. Paul unveils Christ in three aspects: what He is to God, what He is to creation, and what He is to the church.
The first aspect of who Christ is to God that is revealed in Colossians is the Son of God’s love. What is a son? A son is the manifestation of the father. When we see a son, we know that there is a father somewhere. We do not need to ask this son whether or not he has a father. As long as there is a son, there must be a father. In addition, by observing the son, we can see what the father is like. In the same way, as the Son of God Christ manifests His Father. Christ is not only called the Son of God but “the Son of His love.” This indicates how pleased God is with Christ as His Son.
The second aspect of who Christ is to God as revealed in Colossians is God’s image. God is invisible, but He has an image that is visible. This is Christ. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. We cannot see God, but we can see Christ. We cannot touch God, but the apostles said that they not only saw Christ but even touched Him (1 John 1:1).
Christ is also the One in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells. Thus, Paul reveals three aspects of who Christ is to God. He is the Son of God’s love, the image of the invisible God, and the One within whom all the fullness of God dwells.
In the first chapter of Colossians, Paul also unveils several items of what Christ is with regard to creation. The first item is that Christ is the Firstborn of all creation. This is a mystery. Christ is not only the Creator, He the Firstborn of creation. Creation is an action, and Christ is the Firstborn of this action. Christ is also the first item of this creation. This makes Christ not only God the Creator but also the first action of creation and the first creature of creation.
In addition to being the Firstborn of all creation, Christ is the One in whom, through whom, and unto whom all things were created. In Him means in the power of Christ’s person. All things were created in the power of what Christ is. Through Him indicates that Christ is the active instrument through which the creation of all things was accomplished. Unto Him, or for Him, indicates that Christ is the end of all creation. All things were created unto Him for His possession. In, through, and unto indicate that creation is subjectively related to Christ. Christ is the One in whom, through whom, and unto whom all things were created.
Christ is also the One in whom all things subsist. All things subsist and are joined together in Christ. Christ is like the hub of a wheel. All the spokes of the wheel are joined together in the hub. If you take away the hub, all the spokes will be disconnected, and the wheel will cease to exist. All the items in the entire universe are joined together and have their existence in Christ.
Christ is so much to the old creation, and He is also so much to the new creation, the church. The first item of who He is to the new creation is the Firstborn of the dead, the Firstborn of resurrection. Again we see that Christ is the Firstborn. Christ died and then was resurrected from the dead. He is the Firstborn of the dead, the Firstborn of resurrection.
Christ is also the Head of the Body, the church. Thus, to the church Christ is both the Firstborn of resurrection and the Head of the Body.
The whole universe is composed of three big items—God, the old creation, and the new creation. Besides these three items, there is nothing else. To God, Christ is the Son of God’s love, the image of the invisible God, and the One in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells. Besides Christ and outside of Christ, there is no God. Within Christ is God, the essence of God, and the reality of God. Everything of God, all of God’s fullness, dwells in Him. With regard to the old creation, Christ is the Firstborn of all creation, the One in whom, through whom, and unto whom all things were created, and the One in whom all things cohere. To the new creation, Christ is the Firstborn of resurrection and the Head of the Body, the church. This is the Christ whom we receive when we believe in Him. Generally those who receive Christ consider that He is the One who was crucified on the cross, bore our sins, shed His blood, and was buried and resurrected. This is what they believe and confess. In this portion of the Word, however, Paul depicts a Christ who is much more than this. The Christ who is the mystery of God is so much to God, to the old creation, and to the new creation. This is the third point in the apostle’s line of thought in the book of Colossians. Paul’s desire was to unveil such a Christ.