The Godhead Bodily

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature...For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Col 1:15; 2:9

Recall the Old Testament theophanies—those temporary incarnations of the Second Person of the Trinity, who took upon Himself human form, descending into His own creation, to speak with His beloved creatures…eye to eye. He walked with Adam in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), dined with Abraham before the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 18:1-33), wrestled with Jacob until dawn (Genesis 32:24-30), and spoke face-to-face with Moses (Exodus 33:11). These and others were temporary. Momentary enfleshments, albeit of the most Unique and Beautiful kind.

But they weren't permanent. Those Old Testament dress rehearsals ( I speak respectfully) were prefatory to the complete and irreversible incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who became flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone forever so that He could be that blessed and only substitutionary Lamb for sin, the only Mediator between man and God. Reconciling us to the Godhead, Father, Holy Spirit, and Son.

Having become us, living among us, perfecting the law for us, imputing His righteousness to us, and interceding even now in heaven, what comfort was the early church in need of? What would make Paul speak so deeply and decisively about the deity of Jesus?

Well, Paul tells us, in Colossians 2 verse 8,

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit.”

People were being tempted by the empty ideas of men—White Hat emissaries of the Devil, but actual mercenaries of hell, who wanted to rob the children of God of the blessedness that is in Christ Jesus.

What heresies?

First, there was the external influence of Platonism. This was particularly attractive to the Hellenistic Christians of Colossae, Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, Thessalonica, and Alexandria, native-born Platonists. His dualistic view of reality, distinguishing sharply between the spiritual (seen as good) and the material (often seen as lesser or flawed), permeated every part of Greek intellectual culture. It had done so for 400 years. They treated Plato’s Idea the same way we treat the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, together with the Federalist Papers. Even if they didn’t recognize it, Platonism underwrote their thinking, being so much a part of their culture. For New Testament Greek Christians, the allure of Platonism was massive, especially in its almost natural symbiosis with Christianity. Plato’s belief in creation, sin, the immortality of the soul, a transcendence of God, and the distinction between the visible and invisible worlds were compelling to Greek followers of Christ. But Platonism, as a lens through which to view reality, creation, and purpose, rejected the idea of Christ. It was "foolishness" unto the Greeks, Paul says to Corinth. (1 Cor.2:14) ‘God cannot become man!’

That was the external temptation.

Internally, there were temptations too. Birthed alongside the Apostolic Church were new encroaching heresies, together with old heresies dressed up in Christian garb.

Gnosticism: The belief in salvation through secret knowledge, depicting Jesus as lacking true humanity or material substance.

Docetism: The belief that Jesus only seemed to have a physical body, denying His true incarnation and suffering.

Ebionism: The belief that Jesus was a prophet and not divine, emphasizing adherence to Jewish law.

Modalism: The belief that God is a single person who manifested in different modes as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, rather than three divine Persons.

And, who can forget the Judaizers, who went about Asia Minor teaching the Gentile Christians that they needed to adopt circumcision and the dietary laws of the Old Testament to be truly saved?

"Don't be swayed by any of it," Paul was saying. And then he opens up the truth about Who Jesus really is...God of very God, with us, one of us, for us. And he uses carefully crafted words to describe Him. Stark words. Bold words. True words.

Pay special attention to the word 'image,' or 'eikōn' of verse 1:15. It's where we get our English word ‘icon’ from. But don’t be fooled by the sleight-of-hand morphology in the deceptive religions of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. This word does not mean a statue or a painting. ‘Eikōn’ means real… true in time and space. It's a word that carries with it, not a copy, but a perfect representation, an exact likeness. Christ, as the image of the invisible God, makes known to us the unseen Father, taking in His nail-pierced Hands, the hand of man, as it were, and placing them lovingly in the Father’s. He says to us, ‘If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. I and the Father are One.’ He embodies the fullness of God, making visible the Invisible, tangible the Intangible. In Him, the essence and nature of God are revealed, cracking open something of the mystery of the Divine.

So, 'Eikōn' is not a reflection. The Son is the living, breathing... 'firstborn of every creature.' ‘Firstborn’…now there’s a phrase that tripped up many a 1st Century heretic. “See, He’s born, not eternal…” But the title, 'prototokos,' does not (Not!) mean order of birth. It means order of supremacy. The Son before all else, above all else. In Christ, all things ARE. In Him, all things HOLD. His preeminence in all things, both seen and unseen are His firstborn honors.

And Paul does not leave the subject alone in his letter. One chapter over, we come across a staggering declaration in verse 9,

'For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.'

Breathtaking!

Here, the word “fullness” (plērōma’) means the totality, the complete fullness of a thing. In this case, full Godhead residing in Christ. It is a declaration unparalleled in all history, asserting that in the Person of Jesus, the entirety of God's essence, His nature, and being dwells bodily. Now Jesus’ words to his disciples are clearer.

In this truth, dear ones, lies the very heartbeat of our faith. Even “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27) Christ, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, in you. It’s a declaration that boggles the philosophies and human wisdom of every age, a Divine counter-philosophy to guide us to the simplicity and purity of Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. No wonder Augustine said,

"We are Nourished by Faith, that We May Be Enabled to Apprehend Things Divine."

Only a saving faith can even begin to plumb the mystery of this truth.

We too must cast aside every vain philosophy, every teaching of man that would seek to diminish Christ’s supremacy or question Christ’s sufficiency. In Christ alone, we find our hope, our salvation, our all. As we come before Him in prayer... we come to God in Christ. So let your heart be stirred.  Let awe fill it. May this knowledge of who Christ is, His supremacy and sufficiency, shape our prayers, guide our reading eyes, and inform our worship supplications. Because in knowing Him, truly knowing Him, we find not only salvation to the uttermost, but we find the purpose and meaning of our existence and the help we need in time of trouble. So, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, not as strangers but as beloved children, made nigh by the blood of Christ.