CHRIST IN COLOSSIANS

When Colossians opens, it does not ease us in gently—it throws open the curtains and lets the blazing light of Christ flood the room. You do not meet a mild teacher there; you meet the Lord of glory. He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15)—meaning if you have seen Jesus, you have seen as much of God as a man can bear to see. God is not hidden behind Him; God is revealed in Him.

He was before all things (Colossians 1:17). Before your first breath, before your first sin, before the world spun into motion, Christ was. And not only was He there, but everything that now exists is held together by Him. The beating of your heart, the turning of the earth, the rising of the sun—it all hangs upon Christ. If He lets go, it all falls apart. We are not standing on solid ground, we are standing on a Person.

And yet—this is where the wonder deepens—the One who holds the stars was nailed to a cross. The One in whom all fullness dwells (Colossians 1:19) chose to bleed. He made peace through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). Not by ignoring your sin, not by excusing it, but by taking it, carrying it, and burying it in His own body. You were far off, cold, hostile, running your own way—but He did not stay distant. He came near enough to be wounded for you (Colossians 1:21-22).

Now hear this plainly: if Christ is who Colossians says He is, then He is not a supplement to your life—He is your life. “As you received Him, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6). You did not begin by your strength, and you will not continue by it. You came empty-handed, and you must keep walking empty-handed—clinging to Him, rooted in Him, built up in Him. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9), and in Him you are complete (Colossians 2:10). Not improved—complete.

So why live like beggars when you have such a Christ? Why chase shadows when you possess the substance? Lift your eyes. Set your mind on things above, where Christ is seated (Colossians 3:1–2). Put off the old man—the anger, the filth, the pride—and put on the new, which is being shaped into His image (Colossians 3:9-10). And above all, put on love (Colossians 3:14) for where Christ reigns, love rules.

Christ is not small. Christ is not distant. Christ is not optional.

He is all and in all.

BDD