Colossians 1:15-20
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1:15 — “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
Paul begins by showing who Jesus is.
Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.” That means Jesus perfectly reveals God to us.
John 14:9 — “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”
Hebrews 1:3 — “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…”
Then Paul calls Jesus “the firstborn over all creation.” This does not mean Jesus was created. It means He has the highest rank, authority, and inheritance over creation.
Psalm 89:27 — “And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.”
So before we even get to verse 17, Paul is already lifting Jesus above creation, not placing Him inside creation as a creature.
Colossians 1:16 — “For in him all things were created…”
This verse explains why Jesus is “over all creation.”
Colossians 1:16 — “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…”
Paul includes everything:
Visible things.
Invisible things.
Earthly things.
Heavenly things.
Thrones, powers, rulers, and authorities.
Then he says:
Colossians 1:16 — “all things have been created through him and for him.”
That is huge.
Creation is not only through Jesus. Creation is for Jesus.
John 1:3 — “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
1 Corinthians 8:6 — “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”
So verse 16 gives the foundation for verse 17:
Because all things were created through Him and for Him, all things also depend on Him.
Colossians 1:17 — “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
This verse has two major truths.
1. “He is before all things”
This means Jesus existed before creation.
He did not begin at Bethlehem.
He did not begin when Mary conceived.
He did not begin when He entered the world in human flesh.
The Son is eternal.
John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 8:58 — “‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’”
Micah 5:2 — “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah…out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
So when Paul says “He is before all things,” he is not only saying Jesus came first in time. He is saying Jesus is above time, before creation, and supreme over everything created.
2. “In him all things hold together”
This is the part that hits the heart 🤍
Jesus did not create everything and then step away from it.
He sustains it.
He upholds it.
He keeps it from falling apart.
He gives creation its order, purpose, and continued existence.
Hebrews 1:3 — “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory…and sustaining all things by his powerful word…”
Acts 17:28 — “For in him we live and move and have our being.”
Nehemiah 9:6 — “You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens…You give life to everything…”
So Colossians 1:17 teaches that Jesus is not just the starting point of creation. He is the ongoing Sustainer of creation.
Everything that exists continues because He holds it together.
The stars.
The earth.
The church.
Your breath.
Your life.
Your faith.
Your future.
Your weary heart.
All held by Him.
Why This Anchor Changes the Whole Passage
With Colossians 1:17 as the anchor, verses 15–20 become a declaration of Christ’s sustaining supremacy.
Colossians 1:15 — He reveals God.
The invisible God is made visible in Christ.
Colossians 1:16 — He created all things.
Everything was made through Him and for Him.
Colossians 1:17 — He holds all things together.
Creation continues because of Him.
Colossians 1:18 — He holds the church together.
He is the head of the body.
Colossians 1:19 — He holds the fullness of God.
All God’s fullness dwells in Him.
Colossians 1:20 — He restores what sin fractured.
He makes peace through His blood on the cross.
That is so powerful.
The One who holds creation together is also the One who reconciles creation back to God.
Connection to the Church
Colossians 1:18 — “And he is the head of the body, the church…”
After saying Jesus holds all things together, Paul immediately says Jesus is the head of the church.
That matters.
The church is not held together by human strength, personalities, leaders, traditions, or programs.
The church is held together by Christ.
Ephesians 1:22–23 — “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church…”
Ephesians 4:15–16 — “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
Jesus sustains creation, and Jesus sustains His people.
Connection to the Cross
Colossians 1:20 — “and through him to reconcile to himself all things…by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
This is stunning when tied back to verse 17.
The One who holds all things together allowed His own body to be broken.
The One who sustains creation shed His blood for creation.
The One through whom all things were made entered the world He made, suffered in it, died in it, and rose again to reconcile what sin had damaged.
2 Corinthians 5:19 — “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.”
Ephesians 2:13 — “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
So Jesus does not merely hold all things together mechanically, like the universe is a machine.
He holds all things together redemptively.
He is not cold power.
He is holy love.
He sustains, redeems, reconciles, and restores.
“That was for me.”
John 19:30 — “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
The sky in this image almost feels like creation itself is bearing witness — sorrow, glory, victory, and love all at once.
Galatians 2:20 — “The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Not just “for the world” in a distant way… but for me. For you. For every believer looking back in awe. ✨
...Jesus is firstborn from among the dead... - v 18
Colossians 1:18 — “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
The cross is the cost of that victory.
But “firstborn from among the dead” points especially to the resurrection victory after the cross.
It means Jesus is the first in rank and the firstfruits of a new resurrection life.
Not “firstborn” as in created. And not merely the first person ever brought back from death, because others were raised before Him, like Lazarus in John 11:43–44. But those people eventually died again.
Jesus is different.
Romans 6:9 — “For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.”
So “firstborn from among the dead” means Jesus is the first to rise into permanent, glorified, death-conquering resurrection life — and His resurrection guarantees the future resurrection of His people.
1 Corinthians 15:20 — “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
1 Corinthians 15:22–23 — “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”
That is why verse 18 says:
Colossians 1:18 — “…so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
He is supreme over creation in Colossians 1:16–17.
He is supreme over the church in Colossians 1:18.
He is supreme over death because He rose and will raise His people too.
Because Jesus rose first, death does not get the final word over those who belong to Him. ✨
The Bible does not say all the surrounding tombs opened. It says many tombs opened, and many holy people were raised.
The passage is:
Matthew 27:50–53 — Jesus dies, the temple curtain tears, the earth shakes, rocks split, and tombs break open. Then Matthew says many holy people who had died were raised to life, and after Jesus’ resurrection they came out of the tombs and appeared to many people in Jerusalem.
The important timing phrase is:
Matthew 27:53 — “They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection…”
At Jesus’ death:
The earth shook, rocks split, and tombs were opened.
After Jesus’ resurrection:
The raised holy people came out and appeared to many.
Colossians 1:18 — “He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead…”
And:
1 Corinthians 15:20 — “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
Jesus is still the firstborn from among the dead and the firstfruits. He is the first to rise in the ultimate, victorious, death-defeating resurrection.
A few careful notes:
The Bible says many tombs, not all tombs.
It says many holy people, so these were likely faithful believers/saints who had died before Christ’s resurrection.
Matthew does not give us every detail. He does not clearly say whether they were raised at the exact moment of Jesus’ death but waited to appear, or whether the tombs opened at His death and they were raised after His resurrection. But because Matthew 27:53 says they came out after Jesus’ resurrection, many understand it as: the tombs were opened by the earthquake, but the saints came out after Jesus rose.
And that makes theological sense because Jesus has the supremacy. He is not one resurrection among many. He is the resurrection source.
John 11:25 — “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’”
So the picture is powerful:
The earth trembles at His death.
The tombs are cracked open.
Death’s grip is being shattered.
But Jesus rises first in victory.
Then others come forth as a testimony that His resurrection has power over the graves of His people.
Because Jesus rose first, the graves of His people cannot stay sealed forever. ✨
Heart Message
Colossians 1:17 — “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
This verse reminds us that Jesus is not scrambling to manage creation.
He is before it.
He is above it.
He is sustaining it.
He is Lord over it.
He is working through it.
He is reconciling what sin broke.
And personally, this verse is deeply comforting.
When life feels scattered, Christ is not scattered.
When the world feels unstable, Christ is not unstable.
When your heart feels tired, Christ is not weak.
When your circumstances feel like they are coming apart, Jesus is still the One in whom all things hold together.
That does not mean everything will feel easy. But it does mean nothing is outside His sustaining authority.
Simple Takeaway
Because Jesus is before all things and holds all things together, I can trust Him with everything that feels too big, too broken, too uncertain, or too heavy for me.
He is not just part of my life.
He is the One holding my life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are before all things, and in You all things hold together. Help me see You rightly — not as small, distant, or limited, but as supreme, eternal, powerful, and near. When my thoughts feel scattered or my circumstances feel uncertain, remind me that You are still sustaining all things. Hold my heart close to You, and teach me to rest in Your authority, Your love, and Your finished work on the cross. Amen. 🤍
Prayer requests can be emailed to me at this address.
Sharing God's Word through these platforms, too!
Add comment
Comments