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By Him-- For Him

By Him-- For Him

Words of Faith 10-7-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Colossians 1

    [16] 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.   [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 

 

         Sometimes there is a God idea that is more than a little bit difficult to wrap my brain around.  This is one of those.  To battle the heresy in Colosse, Paul revealed an enormous truth, and we are the beneficiaries. 

         Why is Christ preeminent over all creation?  It is because all things were created in Him and hold together in Him and are actually located in Him.  It is a rather magnificent statement if pondered and one that we cannot easily figure out.

         Paul gave a series of prepositional phrases in order to paint this big picture.  All things were created “in Him,” “through Him,” and “for Him" -- that is, with respect to Him.   He is the instrumental agent in creation, but he is also the location of creation.  Chew on that. Christ was the location from whom all came into being and in whom all creation is contained.  Wow.

         In other words, Christ is all-encompassing in creation.  All the tangible powers on earth and the invisible forces of heaven, the visible and invisible thrones and powers, rulers, and authorities were created by Him and for Him.  There is nothing that exists that does not ultimately serve the Lord Jesus Christ.  Perhaps that is why Paul wrote to the Philippians that eventually every knee would bow in heaven, and on earth, and even under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2).

         "All things" is used twice in this verse and translates an expression-- ta panta-- that was used in the sense of our word "universe." It means the totality of things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. 

         The forces we contemplate may be good or evil, that is, mediators of divine knowledge or malevolent foes in league with the power of darkness, or merely human patterns of authority-- but they all will serve Jesus. The point Paul celebrates is that Christ has majesty and power over all of them, whatever shape they take. They, like all things, were created by Him and for Him.

          You may have already realized that the reference to "thrones," "powers," "rulers," and "authorities" are an allusion to the angelic hierarchy that figured so prominently in the Colossian heresy. Paul's mention of these things does not mean that he recognized the existence of a hierarchy of spirit beings.  But whatever supernatural powers there may be, Christ is the One who made them, and He is their Lord.

         So that is big.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

         Is there some peace in that?  The fact that everything is in His ultimate control?  There may be some battles and skirmishes going on, but, in the end, but He is the sovereign ruler over all these things. 

 

         Lord and Christ Jesus, I am so blessed to know that You are above everything and You have everything in Your command.  I rejoice to know that there is nothing that is out of Your sight or out of Your control. In Jesus' Name.         

 

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

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