Colossians 1:15–20

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by 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.

Why is Jesus worthy of praise? Colossians 1:15–20 counts the ways. These ways can be neatly divided into two broad categories: (1) Jesus’ Supremacy in Creation and (2) Jesus’ Supremacy in Salvation.

Jesus’ Supremacy in Creation

1. Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). The Son of God is the perfect reflection of the unseen God. All his unrivaled beauty, all his radiant glory is displayed perfectly in the Son of God. And God delighted for all his fullness imaged in the Son to dwell in the man Jesus of Nazareth (Colossians 1:19). Thus, he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3). So when we desire to see and praise the glory of the unseen God who dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16), we look at Jesus of Nazareth, because we behold “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). We praise Jesus because Jesus is God.
2. Jesus is the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15–17). The uncreated Son of God existed eternally in joyful fellowship with his Father before creation breathed its first breath. He was before all things. The Son of God created all things in concert with the Father and the Holy Spirit. All things were made by him and all things were made through him (John 1:3). The Son of God bears up the universe by the word of his power, keeping it from flying apart (Hebrews 1:3). In him all things hold together. And the Son of God is the goal of all creation. All things were made for him. We praise Jesus because we only exist through him and for him.

Jesus’ Supremacy in Salvation

1. Jesus is the head of the body, the church (Colossians 1:18). Jesus nourishes us in our faith, unites us together in our faith, and grows us in our faith (Colossians 2:19). We praise Jesus because he has united us in him, who is the head, source, and object of our faith.
2. Jesus is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18). Jesus is the Last Adam who is the beginning of a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus is the firstborn of the dead in that though all died in Adam, Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection so that all in him are made alive (1 Corinthians 15:20–22). While the first Adam was a living being, Jesus, the Last Adam, became a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). In him the old has passed away and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). We praise Jesus because he makes us new and gives us resurrected life.
3. Jesus the Son of God reconciled all things, making peace by the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:19–20). Jesus through his death has given us peace with God. Through the cross of Jesus, God reconciled sinful man to him, not counting our trespasses against us (2 Corinthians 5:19). Through the cross of Jesus, God transferred us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13–14). Jesus through his cross has given us peace with one another. He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, making us one body, killing the hostility (Ephesians 2:14–16). Through the cross of Jesus, God brought all things back under the rightful rule of his Son by disarming all rulers and authorities (Colossians 2:15), and then bestowing on Jesus the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9–11). We praise Jesus because of the cross.

Jesus is worthy of praise because of his supremacy in creation and his supremacy in salvation. Jesus created and Jesus renewed. Thus, Jesus is worthy of praise because in all things, creation and salvation, whether in heaven or on earth he is preeminent (Colossians 1:18). Praise his name.