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Both in the old creation and in the new creation, both in the universe and in the church, Christ occupies the first place, the place of preeminence—Col. 1:15, 18.
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For Christ to be the first means that He is all; since Christ is the first both in the universe and in the church, He must be all things in the universe and in the church—3:10-11.
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Christ should have the preeminence in our personal universe—v. 17; 1 Cor. 10:31:
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As those who have been chosen by God to be His people for Christ’s preeminence, we are under His heavenly rule—Dan. 4:26; Matt. 5:3.
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Christ, the preeminent One, must be the centrality and universality in our church life, family life, and daily life—Col. 3:17; 1 Cor. 10:31.
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Under God’s heavenly rule everything is working together for our good; this is especially true of the things in our personal universe—Rom. 8:28:
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Our personal universe includes ourselves, our families, and the church.
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In our personal universe many things happen day by day for the purpose of making Christ preeminent; we need to realize this and be submissive to God’s heavenly rule—Eph. 1:11; Rev. 4:11.
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In order to give Christ the preeminence in all things, we must be willing to be adjusted, to be broken, and to be made nothing so that the Lord can have a way in us, through us, and among us for the building up of His organic Body—Eph. 3:17; 4:16.
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If we have a vision of the preeminence of Christ, our living and our church life will be revolutionized, for we will realize that in all things Christ must have the first place—Col. 1:18.
Morning Nourishment
Col. 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation.18 ...He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things.
In both the old creation and the new creation Christ is the first and occupies the first place, the place of preeminence.... If we see this as a vision, not as a mere doctrine, our living and our church life will be revolutionized.
In the Bible to be the first is to be all. Since Christ is the first both in the universe and in the church, He must be all things in the universe and the church. As the first, He is all. God’s way of reckoning in this matter is different from ours. According to our estimation, if Christ is the first, then something else should be the second, third, and others in sequence. However, from God’s point of view, for Christ to be the first means that He is all. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 74-75)
Today’s Reading
The first Adam included not only Adam as an individual, but all of mankind. In the same principle, in the eyes of God, the firstborn of the Egyptians included all the Egyptians. The firstborn includes all. Therefore, for Christ to be the Firstborn in the universe means that He is everything in the universe. In like manner, for Christ to be the Firstborn in resurrection means that He is everything in resurrection. For Christ to be the Firstborn both of the old creation and of the new creation means that He is everything both in the old creation and in the new creation. This corresponds to Paul’s word in Colossians 3:11, where he says that in the new man, in the new creation, “there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.” In the new man Christ is everyone and in everyone. In the new creation there is room only for Christ.This Christ is the image of God, the full expression of God. He is not the hidden God, the concealed, mysterious God; He is God expressed, the image of the invisible God. Furthermore, He is the first among God’s creation. As we have pointed out, this indicates that He is everything. He is the Alpha, the Omega, and all the letters in between (Rev. 22:13).
Perhaps you are wondering how this understanding of Christ can help you in a practical way. If for a period of thirty days you are occupied with the revelation of Christ in Colossians, you will be revolutionized, reconstituted, and transformed. Pray over these messages on Colossians and have fellowship concerning them....When you see this vision, you will hate everything that issues from the self. You will despise not only your hatred, but even your love, kindness, and patience. As this vision causes you to hate the self, it will constrain you to love the Lord. You will say, “Lord Jesus, I love You because You are everything. Lord, there is no need for me to struggle or strive to do anything. O Lord, You are so much to me. You are God, You are the Firstborn of all creation, and You are the Firstborn from among the dead.” I suggest that you pray-read Colossians for thirty days. Pray until all the aspects of Christ revealed in this book saturate your being. We do not need regulations or teachings—we need to be infused and saturated with Christ as the all-inclusive One.
If Christ is infused into you, you will drop everything that is not Christ, and you will be constituted with Christ in your very being. Religion gives people doctrines and teaches them how to behave. The book of Colossians, on the contrary, speaks of the all-inclusive Christ. This Christ is already in us, but we need to see Him, know Him, be filled with Him, be saturated with Him, and become absolutely one with Him. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 75-77)
Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msg. 9; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 24-25,30,353; CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “Fellowship concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups,” ch. 12