He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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. And 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, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. | Colossians 1:15–23
This Sunday, we did an introduction for the book of Hebrews, by looking at the first three verses. These verses act as a thesis statement of sorts, laying out for us what the rest of the letter seeks to accomplish. Through nine different claims, the author of Hebrews makes it clear that he intends to use his writing to describe the person and work of Jesus. He is going to do this by showing how all of the Old Testament (OT) prophecy and typology is fulfilled in Jesus. One of the ways that theologians have explained this is through the three OT roles that Jesus came to complete: Prophet, Priest, and King.
These three roles are the means by which God guided and watched over His people through OT history, and they set the stage for how Jesus would establish His sovereignty and lead His people:
Prophet: Jesus is the revelation of God’s glory, the ultimate truth.
Priest: Jesus is the mediator between God and humanity, the ultimate way.
King: Jesus is ruling over His creation, the ultimate authority of this life.
In the verse above, we see this. Jesus is the source of all things and the purpose for their existence. He not only created, but holds all things together. He has reconciled all things to Himself and all of it is to point to His glory and authority. He sits on the throne over His world.
I had someone ask me how I make a text like this applicable. I told them: I don’t have to. If everything is from Him, through Him, and to Him, then every single part of this life is affected by His existence. If ALL THINGS exist to proclaim that He is preeminent, then the issue isn’t how to make this more important, but how to get the unimportant things out of the way so that we can see Him for who He is.
We need to make Him the means by which we determine what is true.
We need to find our hope and purpose in our adoption as children of God.
We need to find our comfort and peace in the fact that He has a plan and the sovereignty to accomplish it.
Jesus is preeminent: He is the King of King and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega. At no point does He have to prove Himself or make Himself applicable by submitting to our felt needs. He is God. We either recognize this, and give Him the honor He deserves, or we reject this and dishonor Him. We either put Him in His rightful place and see the world as He has designed it, or we build our own kingdoms that have foundations of sand. Our lives can either be lived in line with the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, or we can live for this temporary world, and the destruction that comes with short-term thinking.
Today is inauguration day; the United States of America has a new president. Like the president before him, he can choose to submit to the preeminent or he can trust in his own power and authority. Like every president before him, we should pray that he does the former, not only for his own salvation, but because there are always consequences for not living in line with the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
The best news is, no matter what he chooses, Jesus still reigns. One day: every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10–11). As Christians, let us not live for today or tomorrow, but for that day, when Jesus comes in full glory, to punish all wickedness and to remake His world in perfection.