When I think of what’s supreme, I think of Taco Bell.
- Fries Supreme
- Nachos Supreme
- Beef Crunchy Taco Supreme
- Beef Soft Taco Supreme
- Beef Burrito Supreme
- Chicken Burrito Supreme
- Steak Burrito Supreme
- Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco Supreme
I could keep going, but you get it. It seems like Taco Bell would have us think that everything they want to sell us is “supreme.” And while that makes for good advertising (I could go for some Taco Bell right now), if Paul wants us to learn anything from the book of Colossians, it’s that not everything can be supreme. There can be only one over all in authority and control. And it’s Christ alone who is supreme. He is the preeminent One. He is our supreme authority and the head of the church. And the only way we can respond to God with true humility and true worship is if we are holding onto our supreme Head: Jesus Christ.
And in Colossians, Paul tells us what makes the Lord Jesus preeminent. The fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Christ (Col. 1:19). Christ is full deity. He is God. And this is why He’s the preeminent one. This is what makes Him preeminent. This is why He’s supreme. He is fully God. He’s the “God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other” to quote Deut. 4:39. The earth is His and everything in it (Psalm 24:1). He made it and He owns us. The Lord Jesus is supreme because He is God.
And yet, the supreme God became man. Why did the supreme Son of God become man? God had a reason. And that reason was reconciliation (Col. 1:20). Sin destroyed man’s relationship with God. Sin created a barrier between us and God. The guilt of our sin was the barrier. We were guilty of offending God’s holiness. And God’s holiness demanded that a penalty must be paid. Someone had to bear the wrath of God. And Christ bore that wrath. He paid that penalty (1 Peter 2:24). The barrier of sin’s guilt has been removed. Christ paid our penalty once and for all. Reconciliation is handled. God now extends His offer to everyone to respond in faith so they will no longer be His enemies. Christ is supreme and He has handled man’s supreme problem. Now we can experience peace with God (Col. 1:21–22).
We were totally cut off from God. There was no relationship. In our knowing, we thought as enemies of God. In our doing, we acted as enemies of God. That was what we were. But the supreme Son of God died to set this relationship right. Once you place your faith in the Son of God, you are no longer alienated from God. We’re renewed in the spirit of our minds (Eph. 4:23). We’re called to set out minds on heavenly things instead of earthly things (Col. 3:2). And we’re commanded to put off that old self that could only work evil deeds.
God sent His Son to die to set our relationship with Him right. Christ died so you could one day stand before His judgment seat “holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight.”
- Holy means we’re set apart from a sinful and condemned world.
- Unblameable means we’re free from defilement and therefore acceptable.
- Unreproveable means no accusation of blame can be leveled against us.
We are justified. God declares us perfectly righteous because of the saving work of Christ. When you place our faith in Christ, God pardons you sin and accepts you as if you had never sinned.
Have you recognized the supremacy of Christ and have you trusted in what He done to make peace between you and God? Have you been pardoned and accepted by God? How can you know? God’s Word tells you how you can know.
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister (Col. 1:23).
The Word of God says that a proper relationship between you and God now will one day lead to you standing before the Lord “holy, unblameable, and unreproveable.”
The only requirement is that you continue in the faith. This doesn’t mean you can lose your salvation. The Christian is sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. Jesus said He won’t lose what the Father has given Him, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord (Eph. 4:30; John 6:39; Rom 8:39). Paul also wrote in Philippians 1:6: “that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ.”
But this verse in Colossians is a warning. It’s a reason to stop and examine yourself. Are you continuing in the Christian faith? Is your faith in Christ strong and firm? Do you remain unshifted from your hope in the gospel? Or have you taken your mind off of Christ? Is your mind set on things above or are they set on things on this earth?
Here’s how you can know: Can you say that Christ is supreme in your life? Is He the preeminent one in your life? Is He your authority? Or are you? If Christ is not supreme, you’re not strengthened and firm in your faith. Your hope isn’t in the gospel, but in the things of this world. If God has done a work in you and you’re giving Christ supremacy over your life, then you can look forward to your appearance before Christ holy, unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.
If that’s the case for you, praise God and thank Him for His wonderful work. Continue to give Him the preeminence in your life. Submit to His authority and trust His control. Decide now to totally submit to your supreme Saviour by giving your all to the one who became a man so you could be reconciled to God.
Photo by Miguel Andrade on Unsplash.
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