For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions of principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 

Colossians 1:16 

Our chief purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. God created us for this end. This gives us purpose in life that transcends any lesser goal such as the pursuit of status, wealth, or glory. When our text tells us, ‘All things were created through Him and for Him,’ it is the articulation of that chief purpose. It implies a great deal more than what solely involves us. Our text indicates that all which Christ has created, He has created for Him. This includes all that is in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers. How all these are for Him exactly is beyond our comprehension, especially when we observe some of the things that are going on in the world. How is it that all these are for Him? We freely admit that how these principalities and powers exist for Him is beyond our understanding. Somehow He uses all these for His Own glory. We will be in His eternal presence before we understand it all. Until then we can trust Him to do all things after the counsel of His Own will. He is the Sovereign Creator Who does all things well with what He created for Himself. 

Our Gracious God and our Creator, 
we rejoice that You do all things well. 
We praise You that all that You have created, 
exists for Your glory.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions of principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 

Colossians 1:16 

Christ is the Creator of all that is. This is a continuation of yesterday’s topic.  Our text declares, ‘by Him all things were created,’ and goes on to delineate them. These are all the things ‘that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.’ If we understand the implications of this statement, it will significantly alter our view of the world and all who are in it. It will remove from our mind all ideas of fate or coincidences. Even our view of the hardest of situations becomes clearer and wiser if we recognize the First Cause, Who has created all the second causes. So much of what occurs in this scene of time is incomprehensible to us. Often our only consolation is that Christ has created all that is and controls all that occurs. We do not see all He sees or know what He knows. Our plans are not His plans. We trust Him even when we cannot understand what He is doing. When we look to Christ, we see our Creator, our Savior, and our Upholder, Who has created all things and is the One for Whom they were created. 

Our Glorious, Sovereign God, 
we rejoice that all that is, is of You. 
We praise You that You are the First Cause, 
behind all the second causes. 

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions of principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 

Colossians 1:16 

Christ is the Creator. This is a simple, but exceedingly broad statement. Our text is reiterating what the rest of Scripture affirms. The Bible begins, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’ Speaking of Christ as the Word of God, John says, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.’  Hebrews declares that God has spoken to us in these last days, ‘by His Son…through whom also He made the worlds.’ These are a few references of many that confirm the truth that Christ is the Creator. Therefore if we are speaking of God as our Creator, we are, of necessity speaking of Christ. This matters immensely when it comes to the discussion of our interactions with Him as our Savior. The One Who created us is the One Who lived and died for us. He is more interested in our wellbeing than we are. He has humbled Himself, endured humiliation, sacrificed Himself, and continued under the power of death for a time all for our benefit. This is the epitome of love, demonstrated to us in the most practical way. Our Creator cares this much for the good of us whom He has created. We love Him because He first loved us.  

Our Great and Gracious God, 
we rejoice that You have created us. 
We praise You that You have given us  
a relationship with You through Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 

Colossians 1:15 

How is Christ ‘the firstborn over all creation?’ In order to understand this, we must consider the rights and privileges of the firstborn in ancient society. The firstborn was the one who would obtain the largest portion of the inheritance. He would become the chief representative of the family. He would become the titular head of the clan with all the power and possessions that went with that. He would be responsible to lead the family, assure their survival, their prosperity and defend them. If Christ is ‘the firstborn over all creation,’ then this is His role. This is central to the discussion of redemption in the broadest sense. Whereas we think of redemption in personal terms, Christ came to redeem, not just people, but in a larger context, the whole of creation. Hence, at the end, we have a new heavens and a new earth. Christ accomplishes all this. Thus as ‘the firstborn over all creation,’ He is the Head with all authority to ensure the wellbeing of all creation. We will see the completion of this sweeping project at the end of the age.  

O God of grace and glory, 
we rejoice in Christ in every way. 
We praise You that He is the firstborn of creation.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning