Who is Jesus Christ? The answer to that question, more than anything else, is what sets apart Christianity from every other religion or philosophy or movement. Christianity is distinctively known for what we believe about Jesus Christ. The answer to this question also provides us with a comprehensive view of the origin, meaning, and ultimate purpose of the entire universe.

It actually sounds a bit silly, even irreverent, to speak of only ten things we should know about Jesus. There are thousands of things to know about him, perhaps millions. Indeed, when we arrive in the new heaven and new earth we will discover that there is an infinity of truths about our Savior that it will be our joy to see, know, and savor. But for now, today, let’s consider the ten things said about him in Colossians 1:15-20. There Paul writes:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:15-20).

Ask a Mormon, “Who is Jesus?” and he will tell you that he was the first-born child of Elohim. He was the product of the physical union between the Father-God and the virgin Mary. For a time, God and Mary were actually husband and wife and they had sexual relations, as any married couple would, and conceived Jesus!

Ask a Muslim and he will answer by saying that Jesus is just like Abraham and Moses and Isaiah. He was a prophet of God. But he was not himself God. In fact, he wasn’t even the most important of the prophets. Mohammed, who lived 500 years after Jesus, was God’s greatest prophet. Besides, Jesus didn’t really die on the cross as Christians believe. He was rescued by God and carried to a safe place in the heavens. Since there was no death there was no atonement for sin. Since there was no death there was no resurrection either.

The Jehovah’s Witness would insist that prior to his coming to this earth Jesus was Michael, the archangel! He’s only a creature, the first product of Jehovah God’s creative work. When he was born of the Virgin Mary, he was divested of his spiritual, angelic nature and became wholly and exclusively a man. Jesus isn’t God.

Then there is the theological liberal who believes that because of his exceptional virtue and humility and spiritual sensitivity, God adopted Jesus to be his Son. He endowed him with miraculous powers and through him proclaimed the wonderful message of the Universal Fatherhood of God and the Universal Brotherhood of Men!

So, who is Jesus Christ? The answer to that question, more than anything else, is what sets apart Christianity from every other religion or philosophy or movement. Christianity is distinctively known for what we believe about Jesus Christ. The answer to this question also provides us with a comprehensive view of the origin, meaning, and ultimate purpose of the entire universe.

Here in Colossians 1:18 the Apostle Paul insists that Jesus Christ must be given preeminence in all things. Let me say that again: all things! When I say “all things” I literally mean all. The word “all” or “every” or “each” occurs 8 times in this short paragraph. The simple fact is that Paul’s letter to the Colossians is fundamentally and essentially about the centrality, supremacy, and preeminence of Jesus Christ in all things.

Perhaps this phrase captivates and energizes me because of the pervasive indifference toward Jesus Christ that I see in our society. In fact, the word “indifference” is probably too charitable. The name of Jesus is all too often a cussword, a casual throwaway, an exclamation of frustration or anger, or at times something far worse. It is stunning to think that the most powerful, most beautiful, most loving, most truthful person in the universe, indeed, the very creator of this universe, could be treated with such ugly contempt.

Here in vv. 15-20 Paul provides us with 10 reasons why Jesus is and must be acknowledged as preeminent in all things.

(1) Jesus must be preeminent in all things because he is the image of the invisible God (v. 15a).

Several biblical texts make it clear that God is, by nature, invisible. It isn’t just that he has not been seen: he cannot be seen (cf. John 1:18; Romans 1:20; 1 Timothy 6:16; Hebrews 11:27). Even here in Colossians 1:15 he is described as “the invisible God.”

So what hope is there for knowing and believing in God? The answer is Jesus! Philip certainly felt the urgency to “see” God. “Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us” (John 14:8). To which Jesus replied: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

The word translated “image” refers to a likeness or visible representation. How exact or precise the resemblance is between the original and the copy must be determined by the context. To say someone is “like” another person often conveys the idea of moderate similarity, but not necessarily exact representation. On the other hand, you’ve undoubtedly heard someone described as “the spitting image” of another. If one may be reverent in saying so, God the Son (Jesus) is the spitting image of God the Father!

We could just as easily answer the question: What is God like? by saying: God is like Jesus. Of course, Paul’s point isn’t that Jesus “looks like” the Father, as if to suggest the Father has a physical frame and face which the Son reflects. The Son “images” the Father in terms of moral character, will, and the attributes of deity. They, together with the Holy Spirit, share a common divine nature, glory, and purpose.

(2) Jesus must be preeminent in all things because he is the firstborn of all creation (v. 15b).

But if being the “image” of the Father seems to confirm the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the second phrase in v. 15 appears to destroy it, for there we are told that he is also “the firstborn of all creation” (v. 15).

Does this phrase suggest that Jesus was the first created being in a series of other created beings? Does this mean the Jehovah’s Witnesses were right all along? No. Part of the problem is related to translation. We have to determine the best way to render this phrase. Is it, “the first born of all creation,” or “the first born over all creation”? Either is grammatically possible but there is a world of difference between them. Is Jesus “of” creation in the sense that he belongs to it as its initial or original member? Or is Jesus “over” creation in the sense that he is its source and sovereign Lord and maker? I believe it is the latter, and for several reasons.

First, observe how v. 16 begins: “For by him all things were created.” The word “for” indicates that what follows in v. 16 supports or explains what has preceded in v. 15. In other words, Paul is saying, “Here is ‘how’ Jesus is the firstborn of/over all creation: it is by virtue of his having created all things.” If Jesus were merely one of the many and varied parts of creation, belonging to them as if he were himself a creature, Paul would not have said that Jesus created all things.

Second, to say that Jesus is himself a creature is inconsistent with Colossians 1:17. There Paul declares that the Son of God is “before” all things, similar to our Lord’s claim in John 8:58 that “before Abraham was, I am.”

Third, to say that Jesus is a creature would be inconsistent with what Paul clearly said about him elsewhere, primarily in Philippians 2:6-11 (esp. v. 6).

Fourth, to say that Jesus is a creature would be inconsistent with what John clearly said of him in John 1:3 – “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”

Finally, the word “firstborn” itself does not necessarily mean first in a sequence or first in time. It can also mean first in “rank” or “supreme in dignity.” The point is that the Son, by virtue of being the image of God, has a pre-eminence and exercises a sovereignty over everything else that exists. The word is used this way of King David in the Old Testament. In Psalm 89:27, God says of David: “And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.”

The point, then, is that Jesus Christ is utterly unique, distinguished from all of creation because he is both eternally prior to it and supreme over it in the sense, as v. 16 makes clear, that he is its creator.

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