Christ Above All: The Letter to the Colossians

The Colossian church faced pressure from their culture to view Jesus as just another power in the pantheon of powerful gods. They also faced pressure from the Jewish community to keep the traditions and Jewish law in order to be accepted by God, relying on their own work for salvation and limiting Jesus’ power. Paul writes this letter to remind them of the reality of the Gospel; namely that Jesus Christ is above all powers and is powerful to save. Jesus Christ is above all; and because of His life, death, and resurrection, they now get to experience His resurrection power changing their lives and relationships. Two thousand years later, we face similar pressures to our Colossian brothers and sisters. On the one hand, we face pressure to view Jesus as one voice among many and limit His authority in our lives. On the other hand, we face the pressure to justify ourselves through our work, again questioning Jesus’ power to save. Both of these pressures lead us to question who Jesus is and what place He has in our lives. Just like the Colossian church, we need to be reminded that Jesus Christ is above all powers, reigning as a resurrected King who invites us into His Kingdom to live life as it was meant to be lived, changing our lives and our relationships.