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Jesus Christ is undoubtedly the most significant person of all human history. He stands, not just head and shoulders above all men, but like a cosmic giant that overshadows all others into virtual insignificance. Amazingly, He has had far more than His share of detractors.

Today, there are many clergymen, both Catholic and Protestant, who will have Him be no more than a man. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have Him as first an angel, then a man. The Christadelphians see Him as just a man who had no prior existence.

Following the lead of Arius, a presbyter (c.250 - c.336A.D.) in an urban parish in Alexandria, many today admit His existence in eternity but they insist He was the first creature to come from the Creator’s hands. Semi-Arians acknowledge that Christ was Divine but deny that He is equal to the Father. Their contention is that, rather than being created, Christ was an emanation from the Father coming into being sometime in the mystic past.

Because of their previous background it is probable that the majority of the early leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church were decidedly Arian in their teaching about Christ. The emphasis soon moved to Semi-Arianism, and later as the Church matured it moved to acceptance of the full deity of Jesus and acceptance of the Trinity doctrine. Today, there seems to be a resurgence of belief among a minority in the Semi-Arian position. These people seem to suffer from a hangover from the past.

As has often been suggested there are really no new heresies, the aberrations that come to the surface today are really old heresies in modern dress.

It is fascinating to note that God’s Word has an answer for all heresies. Sometimes they are found scattered here and there but on other occasions they can be found in the short space of a few sentences. Colossians 1:15-19

NIV ¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, KJV ¹⁵ Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶ For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. ¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
is sufficient answer for all of Jesus’ detractors. Here in magnificent fashion Jesus is shown to be God in the fullest sense. Of course there is much other evidence but our purpose will be to major on this passage.

Paul had to combat a Gnostic-type teaching which asserted that there are a number of emanations from God which were only more or less divine and which acted as intermediaries between God and mankind. It seems that false teachers were confusing the Colossians by their insistence that Christ was just a member of this hierarchical structure. Paul’s exalted teaching about Christ in Colossians shattered the Gnostic falsehood. Semi-Arianism, it will be noted, is a somewhat similar heresy on the point just made. Please join with me in a consideration of the wonderful things that Paul said about Christ in Colossians 1:15-19

NIV ¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, KJV ¹⁵ Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶ For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. ¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
. (Unless otherwise stated all Bible quotations are from the New International Version).

Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.”

It is true that it is said of man in the beginning that God made him in His “image.” - Genesis 1:26-27

NIV ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” ²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. KJV ²⁶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
. However, notice that this statement is balanced by the addition of the words “in our likeness.”

Man resembles God in several ways. Even after sin entered the world, even after the global flood of Noah’s day, he is still said to be in “the image of God.” - Genesis 9:6

NIV ⁶ “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind. KJV ⁶ Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
. However, it certainly could never be said of him that he was the exact counterpart of God. The Bible explains that men are “made in God’s likeness.” - James 3:9

NIV ⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. KJV ⁹ Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
. Why ever would Paul make this statement if he only meant that Jesus was the image of God in the same way as all other men? Clearly, this is not what He was saying. As the context is unravelled this will become clearer and clearer. Only the Divine can truly picture the Divine. Only God visible could be “the image of the invisible God.” Jesus was God tabernacling in human flesh and because He revealed “the invisible God,” He was able to say, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” - John 14:9

NIV ⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? KJV ⁹ Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
. Hebrews 1:3

NIV ³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. KJV ³ Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” While Colossians 2:9

NIV ⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, KJV ⁹ For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
asserts that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…”

Through their imaginations men have tried to create all sorts of images of God both visible and in their minds. The image that God reveals is shown forth in the person of Jesus Christ and unless we see Him as God we do not truly see the fullest manifestation of God available to us.

Jesus is “the firstborn over all creation.”

It has been well said, “A text taken out of context is but a pretext.” No one who has given the passage in which this statement is contained reasonable consideration could possibly arrive at the conclusion that Christ is a mere creature. The term “firstborn” can have a literal meaning as can be seen by reading Luke 2:7

NIV ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. KJV ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
. However, the term is often used in the Bible for reasons other than to identify one physically born first. The natural firstborn in a family was entitled to certain rights and privileges which gave him the chief position among the offspring in a family, a position of honour and dignity. This figure was often transferred to other people and things to indicate their pre-eminent position. The following are some examples:

Yahweh said of His chosen nation, “Israel is my firstborn son.” - Exodus 4:22

NIV ²² Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, KJV ²² And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
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He also calls the tribe of Ephraim His “firstborn son.” - Jeremiah 31:9

NIV ⁹ They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son. KJV ⁹ They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
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David was raised to the pre-eminent position, “the most exalted of the kings of the earth” and consequently Yahweh refers to him as His “firstborn.” - Psalm 89:27

NIV ²⁷ And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. KJV ²⁷ Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
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Speaking to Job, Bildad the Shuhite said, “death’s firstborn devours his limbs.” - Job 18:13

NIV ¹³ It eats away parts of his skin; death’s firstborn devours his limbs. KJV ¹³ It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.
. Evidently, this was the description of a disease considered to be the chief among the fatal maladies of the day.

Quite positively, the above examples of the Bible usage of the term “firstborn” cannot be taken literally. Is it not possible then that when Jesus is called “the firstborn over all creation” it means that He holds the chief or pre-eminent position over all creation? The context makes it quite clear that this is what Paul intended to convey, for he said that Jesus is “the firstborn over all creation for (ie, because) by him all things were created.”

It is only too obvious that as Creator, Christ must have the pre-eminent position over all creatures - all creation. We are told plainly why Christ is called “the firstborn”; it is because He created all things and not because He was first-created Himself. The Revised English Bible provides a clear picture of what Paul intended to convey: “his is the primacy over all creation.” Surely it is clear that it is quite out of order to apply the term “firstborn” in a literal sense in this passage. It should also be noted that had Paul wished to say that Christ was “first-created,” he had a word (protoktistos) available, but neither Paul nor any other Bible writer uses this word with reference to Christ.

Paul was demolishing the Gnostic arguments and, as we are beginning to see, without knowing it was shattering those of all Arians at the same time.

“all things were created by him.”

Is it true that Jesus is just a lesser God acting on behalf of God the Father? Did Jesus merely create in the power received from the Almighty Father? Paul answers, “all things were created by him.”

Now let us notice something vitally interesting! Listen to what Yahweh says at Isaiah 44:24

NIV ²⁴ “This is what the Lord says — your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, KJV ²⁴ Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
, “I am the LORD (Yahweh), who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.” (emphasis supplied)

What an incredible refutation of Arianism we have here! Paul says that all things were created by Jesus; Yahweh says that all things were created by Him without assistance from anyone else. Jesus was not some emanation from Yahweh creating on His behalf. No! No! No! If we let Scripture speak for itself we have to acknowledge that Jesus is Yahweh. Yahweh is a name of the Triune Godhead; Jesus is a Member of the Trinity and the Divine Name is often used with reference to Him. For another clear example which shows that Jesus is Yahweh the Creator, compare the reference to Jesus found in Hebrews 1:8-12

NIV ⁸ But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. ⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” ¹⁰ He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. ¹¹ They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. ¹² You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” KJV ⁸ But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. ⁹ Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. ¹⁰ And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: ¹¹ They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; ¹² And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
with the reference to Yahweh contained in Psalm 102:24-27

NIV ²⁴ So I said: “Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. ²⁵ In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. ²⁶ They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. ²⁷ But you remain the same, and your years will never end. KJV ²⁴ I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. ²⁵ Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. ²⁶ They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: ²⁷ But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
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If it were true that Jesus is merely a created “thing,” we would have to conclude that He created Himself, for it is positively stated that “all things were created by him.”

All things were created “for him.”

This being true, how can it be legitimately claimed that Jesus is just a deputy-creator, creating for a greater God? If we want to be faithful to Scripture we never could make such a claim. We must also ask, “Why would anyone want to deny that Jesus is a member of the Godhead, the Almighty Creator?” I believe the Scriptures and I cannot deny the obvious. Jesus created for Himself and not for someone else.

“He is before all things.”

Paul contrasts Christ with created “things.” He who made all things is necessarily before all “things” in point of time. Christ does not come from the realm of time; He is from the vast immeasurable ages of eternity.” John reports that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” - John 1:1

NIV ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. KJV ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
. Before everything else Jesus was there.

Christ could not possibly be before “all things” and at the same time be a “thing” Himself.

“in him all things hold together.”

We are reviewing one amazing statement after another. Now we see that because of Jesus the Universe is a Cosmos and not a chaos. If He ceased to be, the whole creation would fall to pieces. Could it be said of any mere creature “in him all things hold together”? Of course not, but Jesus is not a creature; He is the Creator! He is Yahweh. He is a member of the Trinity.

Nehemiah 9:6

NIV ⁶ You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. KJV ⁶ Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
says of Yahweh, “You give life to everything.” Paul says that it is Jesus who does this.

He who created is alone able to sustain. As the song writer so aptly put it, “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” We are entirely dependent upon Him. Every heartbeat is a signal that He is there and that He cares for us. He cares for us and loves us so much that He, the Creator and Upholder of the Universe, condescended to come down to this little planet, to His beautiful creation which we have marred, and suffer and die for us that we might find salvation and forgiveness in Him.

He is the Creator of the first chapter of the Old Testament. He is the helpless babe of the first chapter of the New Testament.

He who made all things became the man who had nowhere to lay His wonderful head - and all for our sakes. The weeping Jesus - the great King of the universe was nailed to a cross by men such as we, the work of His hands, in rebellion. How sublime is the gospel! What love! What grace! God surely loves us! How comforting to know that “the helm of the universe is held by the hands which were pierced for us.” - Alexander MacLaren.

He is the head of the body- the church.”

Having revealed Christ in His role as Creator, Paul now indicates His relation to the Church. He draws a parallel between Christ’s relation to the material creation and to the spiritual creation (the Church). Christ is supreme over nature and He is the chief One in the spiritual realm too.

Christ is “the beginning.”

Christ is “the beginning,” the arche. This Greek word is also used in relation to Christ in Revelation 3:14

NIV ¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. KJV ¹⁴ And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
. Arians like to claim that this text too teaches that Christ was the first to be created. But rather, it means that He was the beginner, or the prime source, of creation. Many translations make this fact clear to us:

“the origin of God’s creation.” - The New Revised Standard Version.

“the source of God’s creation.” - The Revised English Bible.

Just as our Lord is the origin of Creation, He is also the origin (beginning) of spiritual life to the Church.

Christ is “the firstborn from among the dead.”

It hardly needs to be demonstrated that Christ was not the first to rise from the dead. However, His is the primacy in this sphere as well, for all others resurrected before and after Him owed their freedom from death to His triumph over the grave. Truly, He is the pre-eminent One from among the dead. Christ was different from all other men because He is the source of all life; He alone had the power to lay down His life and to take it again (John 10:18

NIV ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” KJV 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. This commandment have I received of my Father.
). He alone has “the keys of death and Hades” - Revelation 1:18

NIV ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. KJV ¹⁸ I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
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Christ came from among the dead as their representative, that those who have died in Him might be guaranteed deliverance.

“So that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

The sovereignty of Christ is unrivalled. Christ is Lord of creation - Lord of His Church - Lord of the dead. Pre-eminence is the theme Paul is expounding; he is showing the absolute supremacy of Christ, and it is not consistent with the context to try and insist that in the middle of it all Paul is saying that our Lord is a mere creature.

“God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.”

Christ was God in human form. As Paul said a little further on in his epistle “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” - Colossians 2:9

NIV ⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, KJV ⁹ For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
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What a wonderful testimony to the absolute Deity of Christ Paul gave when he wrote to those misguided Christians in Colossae! We see more clearly now that Paul not only demolished the Gnostic arguments but, without knowing it, shattered those of all Arians at the same time. We need not be misled if we study the Word of God, for the answer to all heresies is found therein.

We learn of the living Word through a study of the written Word. As we come to know Him we find that He is sufficient for all our needs. But what of you and me? Have we surrendered our lives to Him that He may have the pre-eminence in our lives?

“Christ is not valued at all unless He be valued above all” - Augustine.