The Preeminence of Jesus Christ, Col 1:15-18

(15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (16) For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. (17) He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (18) He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (1:15-18)

This passage should remove any doubt or confusion about the true identity of Jesus. As John MacArthur points out,

The Bible is supremely the book about the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament records the preparation for His coming. The gospels present Him as God in human flesh, come into the world to save sinners. In Acts, the message of salvation in Christ begins to be spread throughout the world. The epistles detail the theology of Christ’s work and personification of Christ in His Body, the church. Finally, Revelation presents Christ on the throne, reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords. [1]

Starting with Genesis and ending with the Revelation, Scripture bears witness to who Christ is (Luke 24:27; John 5:39; Acts 8:35). Again, as John MacArthur says,

But of all the Bible’s teaching about Jesus Christ, none is more significant than Col 1:15-19. This dramatic and powerful passage removes any needless doubt or confusion over Jesus’ true identity. It is vital to a proper understanding of the Christian faith. [2]

Summarizing J. Hampton Keathley, we cannot experience the power of Christ and the fruitfulness that we are to walk in if we do not have an accurate understanding of the Person and the work of Jesus Christ. [3]

Without truly understanding who Jesus really is and what He alone could and did accomplish through the cross, people become sitting ducks for cultic systems or false religious beliefs that seek to come to God other than exclusively through the Lord Jesus Christ. Always, all false belief systems either reject what the Bible teaches about the person of Christ (deny His deity or true humanity), or they seek to add something to the work of Christ (add some system of religious or ascetic works), or they will do both—subtract from His person and add to His work. In other words, what Christ accomplished on the cross is not sufficient, so some system of works is added as a means of true spirituality and access to God. [4]

Remember from the introduction that the heresy threatening the Colossian church centered its attack on the person of Christ. It seems to have been an early form of Gnosticism that either focused on some form of self denial (asceticism) or on the total lack of self control. Both taught that the spirit was good and matter was evil. The ascetic group taught that one could only overcome the evil of matter – the body – by rigorous self-denial and self-abasement via harsh treatment to the body. The other group advocated that unrestrained lustfulness was the only way to rid the body of evil. Neither could accept that God could become a man. In both systems, a secret, mystical knowledge was required for salvation.

So, in verse 15, Paul begins a defense of Christ’s deity by emphasizing Jesus’ relationship to 1) God, 2) the universe, 3) the unseen world, and 3) the church.

In Relation to God

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (1:15)

• ‘He is the image of the invisible God’ –
• Definition: ‘image’ – is the Greek word, ‘eikon’, means ‘an image, figure, or likeness.’
• ‘He is the image of the invisible God’ –
• We sometimes view an image as something less than the original; the reflection in a mirror or a statue. These generate a very good likeness of the original, but there is always a slight degradation. This is not the case concerning Jesus being the ‘image of the invisible God’. As we see in Heb 1:3, the NAS and the NIV make very clear, that Jesus ‘is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature’ (NAS), and ‘is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being’ (NIV). There is no implied inferiority or subordination with the Father, in any way.
• Jesus is the exact likeness and a perfect representation as well as the complete manifestation (to make clear or evident to the eye or the understanding; a public demonstration) of the Father. Jesus perfectly and exactly represents God’s divine nature (His perfection and His personality) and attributes (omniscience, omnipotence, immutable, justice, mercy, love). He is the full and complete revelation of God. (Heb 1:3; 2 Cor 4:4; Php 2:6; John 1:18; 14:9)
• In John 14:9, Jesus says that if anyone has seen Him, they have seen the Father (John 6:46; 1 Tim 6:16; Ex 33:20). Jesus makes God visible and understandable to mankind. He perfectly and accurately represented the divine nature and attributes of God to everyone He encountered. In Christ the invisible God becomes visible for all to see and understand. (John 1:14)
• As John Calvin put it, “For in Christ He [shows] us His righteousness, goodness, wisdom, power, in short, His entire self. We must, therefore, beware of seeking Him elsewhere, for everything that would set itself off as a representation of God, apart from Christ, will be an idol.” [5]
• Remember in the introduction that it was stated that Paul did not make a point by point refutation of the pre-Gnostic errors this letter was meant to attack. Had Paul chosen to do that, it would only have been understandable to those it was meant to refute, or those who were familiar with the error. Instead, Paul used a positive affirmation style to refute the errors. He used the truths of God to state clearly, concisely and directly who Jesus was, and in that way gave this epistle universal value for all generations to come. It should be an example to us that error can be effectively met head on by simply stating the truths of Scripture.
• Man is also said to be made in the image of God (Gen 1:27), which means he has a rational personality, possessing intellect (think), emotion (feel) and will (choose). However, God’s image in mankind was tarnished by the fall when Adam sinned. In Paul’s presentation here, he is emphasizing Jesus’ perfect humanity as the second Adam, as well as saying that Jesus Christ is none other than God Himself. Not only does this show us who Jesus is, but it also shows us what we were meant to be. Jesus is not only the perfect manifestation of God, He is also the perfect manifestation of man.

• ‘the firstborn of all creation’ –
• Definition: ‘firstborn’ – is the Greek word, ‘prototokos’, and is sometimes translated ‘first-begotten’ (Heb 1:6; Rev 1:5) but means ‘first-born; or preeminence, first in rank.’ Jesus is the ‘firstborn before all creation, and that He himself produced creation.’ But the word meaning within the passage carries the meaning of primary as to position or rank, rather than a concept of birth order.
• Firstborn: [6]
• The word appears 130 times in the Septuagint, the Greek OT. Roughly half of these come in the genealogies of Genesis and Chronicles. In the genealogies the meaning is the standard meaning of firstborn.
• Preeminence, first in rank:
• In Deut 21:17 and Gen 27, firstborn was more of a title, referring to the double portion of the inheritance for which the firstborn was entitled.
• In Greek and Jewish culture it was the firstborn who had the right of inheritance. But it was not necessarily the firstborn that got the inheritance; Jacob received the inheritance over Esau, Israel was called God’s firstborn (Ex 4:22) even though there were many other nations that came into existence before Israel; both Joseph and David rose to higher rank or prominence than their older brothers. Ps 89:27, speaking of the Messiah, “I also shall make him My first-born, The highest of the kings of the earth” (NAS) defining His rank, not His birth order.
• In the NT, the emphasis in the word ‘firstborn’ is on the word ‘first’ (protos), stressing priority or superiority as opposed to birth order. In Rom 8:29, Jesus is referred to as the ‘firstborn among many brethren’, which is a reference to His superiority, sovereignty and leadership over glorified believers. In Heb 1:6 (“And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “and let all the angels of God worship Him”)
• Jesus was also called the “firstborn of the dead” (Col 1:18; Rev 1:5). This is a reference to His resurrection from the dead, even though He was not the first person resurrected. It refers to Him being the preeminent one, the highest in rank of those resurrected.
• In John 1:18, Jesus is called ‘only-begotten’, which is the Greek word, ‘monogenēs,’ which carries the meaning of ‘unoriginated or with no beginning in respect to time.’ Jesus did not ‘become’ a being, but eternally is the Son.
• It is the words that the Apostles used to describe Jesus that help us to understand who Jesus is – the uncreated, co-existent and eternal second person of the Godhead.
• Objection: “first created”
• The JW’s contend that Paul was trying to say that Jesus was ‘first-created.’ However, there is a Greek word for ‘first-created’, it’s ‘protoktisis’, and if that was what Paul meant, he would have used the correct word. But ‘first-created’ does not describe Jesus because Jesus is ‘self-existent.’ There was never a time when Jesus did not exist.
• Firstborn cannot carry the meaning of ‘first created’ because it is not in harmony with John 1:18, ‘only-begotten’. ‘First-begotten’ would necessarily imply at least a ‘second-begotten’. ‘Only-begotten’ means no one else follows, and refers to the uniqueness of Jesus, the only one of His kind, not the first one of His kind.
• Jesus cannot be first created because of what follows, “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.” Not all other things as the JW’s contend, but all things.
• The central point of the pre-Gnostic heresy attacking the Colossian church was that Christ was a created being. “The position taken by those who deny the deity of Christ falls into the trap of agreeing with the Gnostics against Paul. In other words, if we interpret this passage [as the JW’s do] as saying Jesus is a part of the creation, and not the Creator Himself, we are left with a Jesus who looks very much like the Gnostic ‘aeons’ that Paul is arguing against!” [7]
• ‘firstborn over all creation’ – Jesus is the preeminent one, the highest in rank over all creation because He created all things. And as the saying goes, “all means all.” Jesus is over everything in creation.

In Relation to the Universe

(16) For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. (17) He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (1:16-17)

• ‘For by Him all things were created’ (1:16a) –
• ‘For by Him’ – As Albert Barnes said, “There could not possibly be a more explicit declaration, that the universe was created by Christ, than this.” [8] Paul pulls no punches in clearly and openly declaring that Jesus created the entire universe by His own power and His own ability.
• ‘all things’ – Every plant, every insect and every animal that exists or ever existed on earth. Every rock, every mineral. Every planet that circles every star, in every galaxy. Everything that exists in the known and unknown universe. Every atomic and sub-atomic particle. Everything.
• ‘were created’ – Creation is an explicit example of the attribute of omnipotence. Creation, by its very nature, requires access to unlimited power, and only God can access that attribute. No created being has the ability to access unlimited power. Mankind has trouble enough just accessing the limited power that God makes available to them.
• To press this even further, John Gill said, “… eternal things can never be said to be created; this is a contradiction in terms; the Father is not created by Him, nor He Himself as the Son of God, nor the Spirit; but everything that is made is created by Him. Hence it follows that He Himself is no creature, otherwise He must create Himself, which also is a contradiction, since every creature is made by Him; and consequently He must be God, for He that made and built all things is God.” [9] But this verse says nothing about Jesus being eternal, does it? No, but indirectly it does. Adam Clarke points out that creation is the work of “an infinite, unlimited, and unoriginated Being; possessed of all perfections in their highest degrees; capable of knowing, willing, and working infinitely, unlimitedly, and without control: and as creation signifies the production of being where all was absolute nonentity, so it necessarily implies that the Creator acted of and from Himself.” [10] A being that is infinite and unlimited must by necessity be eternal. Therefore, if Jesus created the universe, then He necessarily acted as an infinite and unlimited being, which makes Him eternal, and which also makes Him God. (Ps 102:25; Is 44:24; John 1:3; 1 Cor 8:6; Heb 1:2, 10; Col 1:20)
• Also, keep in mind that the Gnosticism Paul was combating, sought to put creation as far from God as possible, since a God of spirit would not create matter, which was viewed as evil. Paul made sure that he cleared up any ambiguity, Jesus created the entire universe. And unlike the JW’s, everyone understood that only God had creative power, and saying that Jesus created the universe was saying that Jesus was God.
• ‘both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities’ (1:16b) –
• In the first part of this verse, Paul boldly states that everything was created by Jesus. He continues by restating this fact several times, in different ways, to convey the same concept again and again. This is classic Pauline literature. He first says that Jesus created everything in heaven and on earth. That in itself leaves nothing untouched by the fingerprint of God. He then restates that by saying everything visible and invisible was created by Christ. Again, nothing is left out. Whatever is visible and invisible encompasses every possible object or particle, as well as every physical or spiritual being in the known universe. He ends it by saying that all thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities were created by Jesus. (1 Ch 29:11; Php 2:10)
• Some believe that ‘whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities’ refers to various ranks of angels, an allusion to the pre-Gnostic thought that worshipped angels (2:18). Gnosticism tried to push the act of creation away from God’s involvement, but Paul joins it to God. If these refer to the various ranks of angelic beings, then Paul is clearly saying Jesus is not an angel. (Eph 1:21; 1 Pet 3:22)
• Some understood this to refer to civil authorities, leaders, kings or monarchs. Clearly, Jesus as creator God has authority and rule over both the earthly and the angelic beings that He created.
• Paul groups together the whole universe of created beings, actual or imaginary and then sets Christ separate and above as their Lord and Creator.
• ‘all things have been created through Him and for Him’ (1:16c) –
• Paul now ends as he started, with Jesus as the creator of all things. The repetition is designed to emphasize this truth so that there would be no misunderstanding about what was being said. This Scripture is one of the pillars of the doctrine of the Trinity. If this passage is understood literally, it settles the question about the divinity of Christ.
• As was discussed in the introduction, the heresy Paul is addressing said that a good spiritual emanation like Jesus could not have made the evil material world. Paul is refuting their belief, and rather strongly: all things, no matter where you go in the universe, heaven or earth, angels or men, Jesus made them all.
• In the debate between creation and evolution, here are a few facts about the universe, as mankind understands it. The universe bears witness to an intelligent design that appears to have been fashioned to benefit mankind. First, the earth is just the right distance from the sun to sustain life. Any closer or further away, and earth would be either too hot or too cold for life. Second, earth has just the right kind of atmosphere, the right thickness to protect us, and the right composition to support life. Third, plants breathe in what we exhale and visa-versa. Everything is composed of collections of atoms, which contain three particles, protons, neutrons and electrons. These particles are perfectly balanced. The slightest change in the mass of a proton would result in the destruction of hydrogen, the most basic element of our universe, and that would destroy our universe. And that’s just touching the surface of the intelligent design argument.
• ‘by Him’, ‘through Him’, and ‘for Him’ – As discussed above, it is by Jesus’ own power that the universe was created. The word ‘by’ would also seem to convey a past event. It is then restated that everything was created through Him, meaning that Jesus is the sustainer of the universe. The word ‘through’ firmly separates the creator from the created. And lastly, everything is said to be created for Him. The word ‘for’ conveys the purpose of creation – for His own pleasure.

• ‘He is before all things’ (1:17a) –
• The word ‘before’ refers to Christ’s pre-existence, before the creation of the universe. Paul is saying that Jesus is eternal. To have an existence prior to creation must be an eternal being. It is also equivalent to the phrase, ‘In the beginning’, which is found in Gen 1:1 and John 1:1 (cf. 1:1-3)
• ‘He is’ – By starting this verse with, ‘He is’, Paul would seem to be referring back to John 8:58 where Jesus said, ‘Before Abraham was born, I am.’ Not ‘He was’, but ‘He is’, present tense. When the universe began, Jesus already existed and still does (John 1:1-2; 1 John 1:1). He has eternally existed. He is God. (1 Cor 8:6; Heb 13:8; Rev 1:8, 11)

• ‘and in Him all things hold together’ (1:17b) –
• Definition: ‘hold together’ – is the Greek word, ‘sunistao’, and means ‘to place together, to set in the same place, to bring or band together; unite parts into one whole.’
• Not only did Jesus create the universe, but He now sustains it. Jesus is the controlling and unifying force in nature. He maintains its order. He maintains the delicate balance necessary for life to exist. He is gravity, centrifugal and centripetal force. If He were to cease in His sustaining role, the universe would sink back into the nothingness from which it was created. (Heb 1:3; Ps 75:3)
• Have you ever considered what holds an atom together? The atomic and nuclear bombs show the power that is unleashed when atoms are forcefully split apart. Splitting atoms create a chain reaction of splits that releases an enormous amount of energy. But what is the force that holds them together? Atoms are made up of negatively charged electron particles orbit around a nucleus of positively charged protons and neutrally charged neutrons particles. But what holds them together? No one has figured out the science of that. By all rights, atoms should fly apart all on their own, but they don’t.
• Putting verses 15 and 16 together, Paul gave three reasons why Jesus holds the primary place over creation:
• Jesus is creator.
• The Gnostics believed that Jesus was a lessor being but Paul said by Jesus all things were created, which was affirmed by Apostle John (John 1:3) and writer of Hebrews (Heb 1:2). Jesus is not a lessor being, He is God and the creator of the material universe. From the smallest atom to the largest star, the largest galaxy.
• The universe also appears to demonstrate that it was carefully designed (the Anthropic Principle).
• The universe also testified to the intelligence of a Creator by the order evident everywhere within it. (Ps 119:1-4)
• Jesus is before all things.
• Before the universe came into being, Jesus already existed. (John 1:1-2; 1 John 1:1; John 8:58; Micah 5:2) The Revelation describes Jesus as the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Rev 22:13) To be in existence before time began means He is eternal and only God is eternal.
• Jesus holds all things together.
• Jesus created, maintains and sustains the universe. Jesus literally holds all things together. Remember the hydrogen atom example above? He is gravity, He keeps the planets, the moons and the stars in motion. If the delicate balance that keeps atoms together should happen to fail, the entire universe would break apart, or explode, just as it says in 2 Pet 3:10.

In Relation to the Church

He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (1:18)

• ‘He is also head of the body, the church’ –
• Definition: ‘head’ – is the Greek word, ‘kapto’, is used metaphorically here, and means ‘anything supreme, chief, prominent; of persons, master, lord: of a husband in relation to his wife; of Christ: the Lord of the husband and of the Church; of things: the cornerstone.’
• This Scripture uses the metaphor of the head, who is Jesus, and the body, which is the church. The human body is a living organism that cannot exist without a head, which supplies control and direction. Severing the head would bring instant death. So it is with the church. The church is completely powerless and dead without Jesus as its head.
• The metaphoric usage of Christ as head of the church implies that Jesus has the supremacy, the authority and the right to direct the church in all matters.
• And the church as the body implies, as Keathley points out,

The figure of the church as the body reminds us of a number of elements: (1) Submission—the church is always to submit to its head. (2) Union—every member of the body is in vital union with Christ who is its source of life. (3) Unity—the church is one body of mutually adapted parts that are to be working together as a team, as one. (4) Diversity—the church is a diversity of abilities and gifts varying in function, in strength, and in honor, yet all are vital to the body. (5) Mutuality—each member is dependent on one another as are the members of our body. No man is an island. (6) Necessity—the growth, care, function, and submission of each member of the body to its Head is vital for the effective function of the body. [11]

Even though the church is hopelessly divided into constantly disagreeing and warring factions, as the ‘body of Christ’, we are joined together in the bonds of fellowship and mutual love. All true believers are joined together under the headship of Christ, no matter what local congregation they choose to attend.

• ‘and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead’ –
• Jesus is the beginning because He is the firstborn from the dead, by the means of His resurrection. Jesus was the first who rose from the dead to immortality. All others, who were raised from the dead, died a second time. But not Jesus. His resurrection makes ours possible. His death and resurrection gives us our new life. (1 Cor 15:20)

• ‘so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything’ –
• Definition: ‘first place’ or ‘preeminence’ (KJV) – is the Greek word, ‘proteuo’, and means ‘to be first, hold the first place.’ Jesus ranks first in dignity, honor and power.
• This is a summary of everything Paul has said about Jesus from verse 15 through 18. But this is also directly related to His resurrection as the first born from the dead. By nature of who He is as sovereign Lord and creator, and by what He has accomplished through the resurrection, Jesus’ preeminence is universal, supreme and absolute. Jesus reigns supreme over creation, the visible and the invisible world, and the church.
• Again, to quote Keathley,

There are undoubtedly many points of application that might be made from these verses, but four things stand out, especially in the context of the false teachers at Colossae.

1. Christ alone is to be the object of our worship, the sole means of deliverance from the power of darkness, and the means of transference into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son, the only one in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12), or [a] religious system that can bring us to God (John 14:6).
2. No Christian leader, like Diotrephes of 3 John 1:9, should ever seek to have the place of preeminence, nor should Christians seek to put their leaders, no matter how skilled or dynamic, on a pedestal (cf. 1 Cor. 1:11-17; 3:4-9). Such actions not only usurp Christ’s place of preeminence, but they cause pride in people and cause them to get their eyes off the true source of blessing and fruitfulness in ministry (again cf. 1 Cor. 3:6-9).
3. The same also applies to the worship of angels. Angels, at least the good angels, are ministering spirits, sent out by the Lord to render service to the body of Christ (Heb. 1:14), but they are never to be made preeminent or worshipped in any way as in prayer or in seeking guidance from angels (cf. Rev. 19:10; 22:8). Our prayers are to be directed to the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
4. Finally, the figure of Christ as the head of the body, which is the church, is one of seven major figures that teach us a number of important truths regarding Christ’s relationship with the church, and ours to Him (for an overview of these seven, see the addendum at the end of this study). Weirsbe has some excellent and practical points on this figure:

There are many images of the church in the New Testament, and the body is one of the most important (Rom. 12:4ff; 1 Cor. 12:14; Eph. 4:8-16). No denomination or local assembly can claim to be “the body of Christ,” for that body is composed of all true believers. When a person trusts Christ, he is immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit into this body (1 Cor. 12:12-13). The baptism of the Spirit is not a post-conversion experience—for it occurs the instant a person believes in Jesus Christ.

Each Christian is a member of this spiritual body, and Jesus Christ is the Head. In Greek usage, the word head meant “source” and “origin” as well as “leader, ruler.” Jesus Christ is the Source of the church, His body, and the Leader. Paul called Him “the Beginning” which tells us that Jesus Christ has priority in time as far as His church is concerned. The term beginning can be translated “originator.” 

No matter which name you select, it will affirm the preeminence of Jesus Christ in the church. The church had its origin in Him, and today it has its operation in Him. As the Head of the church, Jesus Christ supplies it with life through His Spirit. He gives gifts to men, and then places these gifted people in His church that they might serve Him where they are needed. Through His Word, Jesus Christ nourishes and cleanses the church (Eph. 5:25-30). 

No believer on earth is the head of the church. This position is reserved exclusively for Jesus Christ. Various religious leaders may have founded churches, or denominations; but only Jesus Christ is the Founder of the church which is His body. This church is composed of all true believers, and it was born at Pentecost. It was then that the Holy Spirit came and baptized the believers into one spiritual body. 

The fact that there is “one body” in this world (Eph. 4:4) does not eliminate or minimize the need for local bodies of believers. The fact that I belong to the universal church does not release me from my responsibilities to the local church. I cannot minister to the whole church, but I can strengthen and build the church by ministering to God’s people in a local assembly. [12]

Now, let's reread these verses in the Amplified. 

(15) He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. (16) For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, [things] visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [that is, by His activity] and for Him. (17) And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.] (18) He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything. (Col 1:15-18 AMP)

Footnotes

[1] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, p 43.
[2] Ibid, p. 44.
[3] J. Hampton Keathley III, The Supremacy of the Person of Christ (Col. 1:15-18).
[4] Ibid.

[5] Calvin’s Commentary, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
[6] Much of this section is summarized from James R. White, The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief, (Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, MN, © 1998), pp. 105-117.

[7] Ibid, p. 115.
[8] Albert Barne’s Commentary, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
[9] John Gill’s Commentary, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
[10] Adam Clarke’s Commentary, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
[11] J. Hampton Keathley III, The Supremacy of the Person of Christ (Col. 1:15-18).
[12] Ibid.

The primary sources for this study use J. Hampton Keathley III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, from bible.org, Copyright ©1996-2020 Bible.org, and all attributions are reprinted with permission granted by bible.org, and John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992).

This study uses many of the commentaries, dictionaries and the Greek Lexicon which are all part of 'The Online Bible', Computer Program, © 2023, Larry Pierce, http://www.onlinebible.net/, unless otherwise referenced. See Greetings and Thanksgiving, Colossians 1:1-4 for full attribution.

All Scriptures quotes are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Revision, unless otherwise noted. Verse links from Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/