Colossians 1:15-23, Part 2

That said, this is indeed a remarkable passage on christology. As mentioned, the reason is not that it presents a high view of Christ, since it is impossible to present a higher view of Christ than any other passage that affirms his deity. Rather, its significance rests in the details that it provides about the nature and the work of Christ. But before we proceed in that direction, we must say something about Christianity as a system of thought.

Christianity is a complete and coherent belief system; it addresses every category of thought, living, and reality – often in explicit terms, but at least in principle or by implication. Putting this in terms suited to our purpose, Christianity is system of thought summarized and contained in a series of doctrines that are arranged and considered in what we call systematic theology.

These doctrines are biblically and logically related such that any topic can be, and often must be, discussed in relation to other topics. In fact, one way for a believer to comprehend truth and to guard against error is to do precisely that – that is, to learn each biblical doctrine itself as well as its relation to all other doctrines. Then, since they are related in such a manner that the central principles necessitate or authenticate all the others, and that all of them affirm or justify one another, as a result of grasping these doctrines as a system, each one gains greater depth and security in the Christian's thinking. When placed in the context of a system, the understanding of one doctrine enhances and fortifies the understanding of all others. And there is a similar benefit when Christianity is advanced and defended as a system (Acts 17:22-31).

Therefore, systematic theology is paramount – not just beneficial, but essential and necessary – to spiritual development and church operation. Of course, it is just a formal term to denote a comprehensive, interrelated, and coherent understanding of biblical doctrines. Some theologians insist that Scripture contains logical paradoxes and apparent contradictions. We must condemn this as satanic, and purge this stubborn wickedness from our churches. They further insist that when Scripture affirms both sides of a contradiction, we must believe both of them. We must denounce this as moronic, and in fact, impossible.

This is because when one proposition is said to contradict another, by definition it means that to affirm one is to deny the other. So to affirm both sides of a contradiction is to deny both sides in reverse order. That is, if X contradicts Y, then to affirm both X and Y is to deny Y and X. The person who claims to affirm both sides of a contradiction either believes one and lies about the other, or he believes neither. His pretense about affirming scriptural teachings in the face of opposition and ridicule amounts to nothing, since he is in a manner an even greater enemy of the truth.

The teaching that there are contradictions in the Bible (even if only apparent ones that we cannot resolve in this life), and that we should affirm these contradictions, has done incalculable damage to the cause of Christ. It has sown the seed of rebellion against God and disdain for his revelation, and the evil harvest has plunged Christian theology into generations of disrepute. In false reverence, these believers say, "Only God can reconcile what our finite minds perceive as contradictions." But in reality they boast, "We declare as contradictory what he declares as clear and coherent revelation."

Scripture never admits to containing actual or apparent contradictions, and all alleged self-contradictions have been demonstrated as false and slanderous. How great is the mercy of God, and how deep is his patience, that he does not right away smite those who blaspheme his word! They perform the sacrilege in his house and in his name, as if doing him a service, and persecute those who oppose them. But "God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7). When theologians fornicate with the devil in God's own bed, divine judgment will not forever tarry. There is a time when they will both be cast into the outer darkness. In contrast, we insist against the combined force of all contrary tradition and authority that the Bible is actually and apparently – and obviously – self-consistent. Let those who dissent be anathema.