THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST

Gal. 1:15-19

Morning Meditation 1/8/2014

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;"

Jesus Christ, as God's Beloved Son, and as the Redeemer of men, has been so honored by the Father that in all things, in all spheres, in all times, and in all Eternity He should have the PRE-EMINENCE. He has the pre-eminence.

HE HAS THE PRE-EMINENCE IN POWER

"For by Him were all things created." All things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible (vs 16). It pleased God that "by" Him, "through" Him, "in" Him, and "for" Him, were all things brought into existence, and without Him was not anything made that was made: John 1:3, "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." This leaves no place for evolution. Evolution is Satan's lie and man's excuse for his sins. If evolution is true then one makes his own set of moral values and crash lands at the Great White Throne Judgement without a possibility of forgiveness.

John 8:21, "Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come." The idea here is that those to whom Jesus is speaking will seek Him when it is too late. Therefore they cannot come where He is, i.e., heaven.

Jesus has the pre-eminence in power. He is able to carry out His Father's will with irresistible power. The power He has to save is clearly declared in John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"

This same power is inherent in the Gospel. Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

1 Corinthians 2:1-5, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

HE HAS THE PRE-EMINENCE IN HIS BIRTH

No one has ever had a birth like His. Therefore He is pre-eminent in His birth.. He is called, "The Firstborn of every creature." Colossians 1:16 says, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:" Jesus is previous.

He is the "first born" of every creature. He could say, "I am the First: the Beginning and End." This is brought out in Revelation 21:6, "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." He is the Firstborn from among the death. Colossians 1:18, "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Hebrews 1:3, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"

HE HAS THE PRE-EMINENCE IN HIS LIKENESS

This is found in Colossians 1:15, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" Angels are holy, many of His people in every age have been Godly, but Christ alone in His essential character was the express image of His Father's Person. Hebrews 1:3, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"

He could say, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." John 14:9, "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?"

HE HAS THE PRE-EMINENCE IN HIS AUTHORITY

Colossians 1:17 says, "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." This is the reason Tozer said, "He is previous." What ever in creation you can name both seen and unseen, Jesus Christ the Eternal Son, is there. He is before it all.. Then Paul says, "and by him all things consist." This means that He did not only make all things, He made them where they would be dependent on Him to exist. All the Lord has to do to destroy this earth is the loosen His grip and things would immediately loose their cohesiveness and disintegrate. Revelation 20:10-11, "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them."

HE IS PRE-EMINENT IN THE CHURCH

Colossians 1:18, "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

The Head of the church is ignored in many because they "take Him for granted." They assume He is for whatever they are doing since they are His children. However, the children are like sheep and need a shepherd. John 10:11says, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

John 10:16 says, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd."

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White