2018-10-19
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit commands me to begin with both the literal and figurative meanings of COL 1: 15b, which describes Christ as the “Firstborn of all creation.” This continues our discussion of supporting Scriptures to the book of Colossians. Literally, we can look at LK 2: 7, “She gave birth to her first Son, wrapped Him in swaddling cloth and laid Him in a manger-there was no room in the inn.” This is a reference to Mary, who with Joseph, was in a lowly manger because she had been about to give birth to a most remarkable baby and was denied a room. This baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit and as the third member of the Trinitarian personalities of God; He was sent to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. “Christ is the visible image of our invisible Deity” [COL 1: 15a]. It would be this half divine, half human form that mankind with their limited perspective could see and hear. JN 14: 9 and 11, “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father…Believe me when I say that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me,” He would utter as an adult. In human history, God had given the Jews the Law, so that they would know what pleases Him and what does not. It was not until the coming of Christ’s ministry and great sacrifice on the cross, that believing mankind could have eternal forgiveness of sin [PS 103: 12-13; PS 106: 1-3; 1 JN 1: 9], salvation [PS 106: 8; IS 61: 1-2; JN 3: 16], and justification [RO 4: 3, 24-25].
The figurative meaning of COL 1: 15b where Christ is described as “the Firstborn of creation,” in my belief, is shown in 1 PET 1: 20-21, which describes what happened in the “pre-creation council” when the Father gave Christ His main “assignment.” “He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, Who raised Him from death and gave Him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.” Therefore, Christ’s main purpose is our redemption. Imagine the most important “board meeting” in the world, where the Father is the CEO, Who makes the decisions, Christ is the Firstborn Son, who does the work of creating the world and redeeming its people from their sins, and the Holy Spirit is in charge of inhabiting our souls as God’s “mouthpiece” on earth and Who councils us when we need the Father’s advice. EX 4: 22-23 is uttered by the Lord to Moses at the time the pharaoh of Egypt was being stubborn about letting the Jews leave Egypt. “Tell him I, the Lord, say, ‘Israel is my first-born son. Let them go, so they might worship Me, but you refused. Now, I’m going to kill your first-born son.’” This demonstration of God’s love for the His chosen people would have major implications, as He remembers His covenant. Later, in 2 SAM 7: 13 and PS 89: 4, 27-29, God enters in to the Davidic covenant. It promises a Descendant of the royal line of David will always rule over the Kingdom. This same notion is mentioned in GA 3: 16, referring to Christ.
There needs to be some mention of God’s unconditional love for His people shown in remembering the covenants made with us. As far back as EX 2: 24-25, God saw the suffering of the Jews under Egyptian slavery and remembered the Abrahamic covenant. By PS 89: 3, the Father made it clear that He had not forgotten this promise to protect His people. Again, in IS 46: 3-4, 10, & 13, IS 49: 6, 8-9, and IS 61: 1-2 God’s promise to protect and love His people is repeated. (Remember, anything He repeats in the Bible means it’s important to Him and us). While I’m citing a lot of passages here, it’s important for us to be familiar with them to know the Lord’s heart and will. PS 106: 44-45, “Yet the Lord heard them when they cried out, and He took notice of their distress. For their sake He remember His covenant, and because of His great love He relented” (when He was angry over the golden calf incident). Christ paid the ransom with His blood shed on the cross, which bought us out of slavery to sin [JN 3: 16]. RO 4: 23-25, “The words, ‘he was accepted as righteous’ (referring to Abraham, in GN 15: 6) were not written for him alone. They were also written for us, who are to be justified and believe in Him, Who raised our Lord Jesus from death. Because of our sins, He was given over to die, and He was raised to life in order to put us right with God.” The metaphor of the olive tree, in RO 11: 16-24 lets all Gentile believers in Christ know that as described in verse 17, they have been in-grafted to the cultivated olive tree (believing Jews) replacing branches that were not faithful. Thus, all believers, both Jewish and Gentile, are God’s chosen people. If you have forgotten it, reread COL 1: 16-23 about the person and work of Christ, Paul’s recommendations in COL 2: 4, and the fullness of a life in Christ, in COL 2: 5-15. These bring the notions discussed today in complete focus.
PRAYER: O Lord, as we approach You with the freedom and confidence You give us in EPH 3: 12, we do so in reverence and awe. Your wisdom, presence, and knowledge is so far superior to ours, that we are aware of Your ability to be depended upon to keep any promise You make. Long ago, You promised anyone who is a believer in the Lord Jesus would receive salvation, justification, and most of all eternal redemption. Your unconditional love is unparalleled anywhere else in the universe. You strengthen and grow our faith by our interactions with You and by bringing other believers into our lives who share their faith. Everything we do for You is time well spent. You give us many opportunities to worship You both corporately and alone; You are always available to us any time of day or night, any day of the year. Attending church is only one way to worship; what we do and how we do it, in work or in play are others. We thank and praise You for the fullness of our lives in Christ and for the perfect Paradigm He is for us. We utter these words of prayer in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to continue this Scriptural support of Colossians with a discussion of the concept of reconciliation. We are urged to assess the impact on our individual lives of Christ’s great sacrifice and Atonement. That will help us better understand the numerous blessings God gives us every day and our relationship with Him. It also helps us feel motivated to be as Christlike as we can in our relationships with other humans. One of the greatest blessings of my own life has been the friends that God has brought into it. His purpose is very clear to me; He wants me to have ever-increasing faith in His Son. The implications to my life and the motivations toward action that it brings have totally changed my life. Once miserable, angry, and lonely, it is now peaceful, dedicated to His service, and filled with friends who share my faith and further build it. How can I not think of EPH 20-22? “You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the Cornerstone being Christ Jesus Himself. He is the One Who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord. In union with Him you too are being built together with all the others into a place where God lives through His Spirit.” God knows-we are all sinners in need of Him. I can’t imagine how I tried to live my life without Him, but I did. When I first realized He had kept me in His sight from the beginning, it came as a shock to me. It’s not that often that an Ashkenazi Jew raised in that traditional faith feels the presence of Jesus Christ and comes to believe in Him! Moreover, it’s even less often that such a person is called to serve Him in a life-long ministry. But, those things happened to me. As RO 12: 2 describes, He has “inwardly transformed me by the complete renewal of my mind.” I may live in this world, but I am not of this world. Only our wonderful Lord can do this! Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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