Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.
This passage of scripture cautions us against philosophies and traditions which have a tendency to denigrate the authority and position of Christ within the God-head. Paul saw fit to address this issue with the Colossian believers, and his instructions are also pertinent to us too, since there are very many who hold the view that Christ was merely a good man or a good prophet, who gradually ascended to the God-head over a period of many years. Others teach their adherents that He is a lesser God than the Father, and that because of this He remains in a totally submissive role, without any inherent power or authority. These views are also now currently held by some Christian denominations, and the result is that Christ is belittled to some extent in the minds of millions.
The passage for today addresses these variant views, and seeks to reiterate the truth that has always been from the beginning, that Jesus Christ is fully God in the highest sense of the word, and that His incarnation in no way diminishes or interferes with His rank and authority. When the apostle emphasizes the fact that all the fullness of the God-head resides in Christ bodily, he means that Jesus is on the same level as the Father, and therefore has the authority to save and to judge according to His discretion. Furthermore, this authority was not given to Him as many suppose, but was always His as a full participating member of the God-head. Let's read:
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
John 8:57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
John 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." ...... 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 30 I and my Father are one.
Christ in the present tense is the same as He was in ages past in eternity, the only difference being that He has taken on human flesh and blood to save us, but this fact, instead of lowering His position, has actually resulted in His exaltation, as is stated in the scriptures. Let's read:
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
A father is at work when he receives a desperate call from one of the neighbors that his house is burning down, and he remembers that his children are inside. He then goes into overdrive and rushes home, only to find the house fully engulfed in flames, yet he believes that his children might still be alive on the inside. He then makes the tough decision to go rescue them, so he runs right into the burning house, and sure enough, there are his children, huddled together in one room suffering from smoke inhalation. In his frenzy he grabs a blanket and wraps it around them, then with all his might he lifts them up and runs through the front door with his precious bundle, thus saving them from certain death. But in the process he is severely burned, and some of the scars remain for the rest of his life.
Question: Is that brave and courageous father then regarded as being less honorable because of the burns he sustains, or is he now more highly exalted in the minds of his children who now owe their very lives to his brave actions? Of course he will be much more highly exalted in their minds, because of what he has accomplished in their behalf.
The wounds Christ incurred on the cross to save us from certain death will always remain with Him, and throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity, we will be reminded of that one brave act on Calvary, as he ran into our burning house to save us. As we behold the wounds in His hands, our hearts will ascend in gratitude and praise for His heroic act, and instead of becoming a lesser God as a result, those wounds will actually be where His omnipotent power will be concentrated, because bright beams of light were to be seen emanating from His hands, as the prophet beheld them in vision. Let's read:
Habakkuk 3:3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.
Christ as He is in the present tense means much to us, for we are all made the beneficiaries of His redeeming love, as manifested in our behalf on Calvary. Even to those who may not know it, or who may not care to know, the great sacrifice of Jesus for the human family results in major blessings to everyone, and therefore the appropriate response is commitment to love and obey His every word, that would have prevented us from being burnt in the first place. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to seriously consider what has been done for us by Christ, and it is the will of God that our response be in the affirmative. Let's read:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!