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

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

Colossians 1:15 

Christ is all there is to see of God. If we want to see God we look to Christ. The Scripture confirms this in various ways. The writer of Hebrews says that Christ is, ‘the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person.’ When Christ spoke to the disciples in the upper room, His response to Philip’s request that He show them the Father was, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father?’  Our text affirms that Christ is the image of the invisible God. From those passages, and the rest of Scripture we conclude that if we want to see God we must look to Christ. This is encouraging because the Scripture gives us abundant revelation about the Person and work of Christ. As we see Him in various situations, we learn how God views things. True spirituality is seeing things from God’s point of view. Thus when we see Christ at the wedding feast of Cana, in conversation with Nicodemus, engaging the woman at the well, or healing the man at the pool of Bethesda, we are seeing what God does as He interacts with the people in all those situations. This shows us God’s perspective and so we learn of Him.  

Our Wise and Wonderful God, 
we rejoice that You have shown us Christ. 
We praise You that as we see Him, 
we see You.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.  

Colossians 1:13-14 

Forgiveness of sins lies at the heart of any full discussion of redemption. Adam and Eve broke the covenant of works which God had made with them. Sin entered into the world and death by sin. That has affected every one of us. As Isaiah puts it, ‘All we, like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way.’ We are all sinners, breakers of the law of God, by nature and by choice. Thus we need forgiveness of sins. Christ’s incarnation, life, and substitutionary atoning sacrifice was all to the purpose that we might have forgiveness of sins and be redeemed. Therefore when we discuss redemption, we discuss forgiveness of sins. Paul makes much of the fact that this forgiveness of sins is through the blood of Christ. Christ’s sacrifice, most specifically the shedding of His blood, is the foundation of our forgiveness. Thus in preaching the gospel, we make much of Christ and of the blood of Christ. We publish this as far and as wide as we are able. Our challenge today is, ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.’ Rest by faith in Him today.  

Our Gracious God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that You have shed Your blood for us. 
We praise You that because You have, 
we have forgiveness of sins. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.  

Colossians 1:13-14 

God makes no apologies for blood atonement. More modern theology blushes at the idea, considering it antiquated and barbaric. God, however, declares it necessary. The Old Testament is full of it from the sacrifice of Abel to the sacrifices of the Tabernacle and later the Temple.  Our text points out that the forgiveness of sins we have is through the blood of Christ. The Old Testament sacrifices were the types, symbols, and shadows of the once-for-all blood sacrifice of Christ. His sacrifice was not optional but necessary. The writer of Hebrews points out that without the shedding of blood is no remission of sins. Therefore he declares that ‘now once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.’ The blood of Christ is indispensable for the accomplishment of redemption. If God does not blush at blood atonement, neither should we. He has refused to spare His Own Son to redeem us. He has given the Lamb of God for us that we might have forgiveness of sins through His blood. Therefore we make much of Christ. He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.  

Our Holy and Wise God, 
we rejoice that You have not spared Your Son. 
We praise You that with His stripes we are healed. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning