THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JESUS BEING PROMINENT AND PREEMINENT

(Reflections from Colossians 1:15-20)

There are a lot of people willing to give Jesus his due. Most sectarian groups that have deviated from historic Christianity have good things to say about Jesus. They are eager to give him a prominent place. Even unbelievers will often reflect positively on Jesus of Nazareth.

Such seems to be the case with a group of folks influencing the Colossian church in the First Century AD. In Carson and Moo’s Introduction to the New Testament, they have this to say about the limited understanding we have of these false teachers. “Paul puts emphasis on the supremacy of Christ (1:15–19), so it seems that the false teachers detracted in some way from a high Christology. Evidently they thought that Christ was no more than a beginning; to go on to spiritual maturity, it was necessary to follow their rules and practices. They may well have spoken of Christ in warm terms, but in the last resort they saw him as a created being and therefore as less than God.”^[1]

If this analysis is correct, two things stand out to me about these teachers’ assessment of Jesus. First, they call into question his supremacy. Secondly, they seem to negate Jesus’ sufficiency.

So, how does Paul combat the notion that Christ is something less than supreme? Look at what we learn from Colossians 1:15-20 about Jesus:

• He is the image of the invisible God (v. 15)
• All things have been created by him and for him (v. 16)
• He is before all things and by him all things hold together (v. 17)
• He is the head of the church (v. 18)
• He is the firstborn from the dead (v. 18)
• All the fullness of God dwells in him (v. 19).
• His death on the cross provides the means of peace and reconciliation with God (v. 20)

What incredible accolades! It is hard to read this passage and conclude that Jesus is anything short of being preeminent, that he is God (as shocking as that may sound). But not only is he supreme, he is fully sufficient. You don’t begin with Jesus and then move on to something else for greater spiritual maturity, as these false teachers seemed to proclaim. Jesus was fully God and fully human and his death on the cross is all we need to reconcile us to God. He then indwells his followers by the Holy Spirit and empowers us to grow spiritually as we cooperate with God’s work in our lives.

How about you? Is Jesus prominent in your life? Do you go to church because, after all, he deserves an hour or two of your time? Are you willing to identify with the Christian community because it has its advantages? You have your priorities and Jesus is one of them? If so, then yes Jesus is prominent; but he may not be preeminent.

You recognize and surrender to Jesus as preeminent when he is not a priority, but the priority. Jesus is preeminent when he is not an advisor you consider, but he is the Lord you love and obey. Jesus is preeminent in our lives when it is not “Jesus or” or “Jesus and” but simply Jesus (period). So, the question remains. Is he prominent in your life? Or is he preeminent?

^[1] D. A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, Second Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 523.