Colossians 1:15-23, Part 1

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by 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.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

It is often suggested that we have in this passage probably the most exalted christology in Scripture, or the highest view regarding the nature and the work of Christ. Preachers and commentators have a tendency to call whatever biblical topic or passage they currently deal with "the most" this or that. But even disregarding this, the statement is misleading because it is impossible to have a more exalted view of anyone than to affirm or imply that he is God. And since Scripture affirms and implies the deity of Christ in numerous places, this passage does not present a higher view of Christ, but the normal and proper view of Christ. There is nothing here that surprises the Christian or stretches his belief. This is the Christ that we know and recognize from all other portions of Scripture, including the Old Testament. An overly dramatic reaction is unhelpful. Nevertheless, the passage is indeed descriptive and substantial. It includes details on the implications of Christ's deity and his exalted station as a divine-human person.

The common assumption is that Paul is answering a heresy – namely, Gnosticism, a precursor to Gnosticism, or a set of false doctrines with Gnostic tendencies. Since the passage presents a high view of Christ, and it is assumed that Paul responds to the heresy by affirming a contrary position almost point-by-point, from this perspective it would appear that the heresy threatens the faith of the Colossians with a doctrine that denigrates the person of Christ or that presents a false and downgraded christology. This may indeed be the situation that Paul faces as he writes this letter, but as mentioned, it is not necessarily the case, and it is not necessary to assume such a background for an accurate understanding of the text.

For example, the Gnostics teach that God did not directly create the universe, but through a series of emanations. Each step in the series stands further away from God than the previous one, so that by the point where matter is produced, it is so far from God that matter is essentially evil and opposed to him. And since matter is evil, Jesus Christ could not have walked the earth in a genuine body of flesh. This could explain Paul's emphasis on an accurate and exalted christology.

The assumption that he is responding to a Gnostic or Gnostic-like heresy is consistent with his insistence on Christ's divine nature (1:15), his direct creation of all things (1:16), and his incarnation in and atonement by a physical body (1:22). That is, Christ was not only one in a series of emanations, but the very image of God. And it was he who created all things, so that God did not create by a series of emanations. His work of redemption was accomplish through his incarnation in and atonement by a physical body (also 1 John 4:2-3).

However, it is a fallacy to conclude from this that Paul is indeed writing in response to such a Gnostic or Gnostic-like heresy. Just because something could be true does not mean that it is true. And it is absurd to suggest that one cannot understand what Paul is saying without acknowledging this Gnostic or Gnostic-like heresy as the letter's background or occasion. Truth is not generated by and does not depend on falsehood. Christ is "the image of the invisible God," and can be described and understood as such, whether or not anyone denies it. It is true that he redeemed believers "by [his] physical body through death" – a doctrine that can be preached and believed – whether or not there is a heresy that regards matter as evil.

All the heresies in the world cannot force God to reveal anything to us that he does not wish to reveal. And if he wishes to communicate something to us, he does not need heresies to arrange the context for the revelation, although he can use and has used them as occasions to disclose and implement truth. The point is that truth can be revealed and learned apart from the background of falsehood and deception. God is before Satan – he does not need the devil to give him identity and purpose. Likewise, truth is before falsehood – it does not need heresy to give it context and meaning. And even if some teachings were at first declared and expounded against such a background, if they were presented in positive and substantial form, then they can be understood even without this original context. Christ is the image of God, creator and sustainer of all things, the head of the church, and redeemer of all who believe, no matter what. In fact, it is when we understand the nature and the work of Christ apart from any heresy that we are able to apply the true doctrine against any heresy.