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He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. – Colossians 1:18 (NASV)

Verses Col. 1:15-20 form a unit. If it was not a literary gem composed by the apostle himself, it was probably a hymn or other fixed testimony of the early church adopted by Paul and reproduced here by him either without change or with alterations suitable to the needs of the Colossian church. It is, in any case, a unit and for that reason is here printed in its entirety. And since it clearly consists of two parts these have been reproduced here in parallel columns. The relation of the theme to its two divisions is as follows.

A. In Creation (Col. 1:15-17)

B. In Redemption (Col. 1:18-20)      

Col. 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, The firstborn of every creature,

Col. 1:16 For in him were created all things In the heavens and on the earth, The visible and the invisible, Whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities, All things through him and with a view to him have been created;

Col. 1:17 And he is before all things, And all things hold together in him.

Col. 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 pre-eminence,

Col. 1:19 For in him he [God] was pleased to have all the fulness dwell,

Col. 1:20 And through him to reconcile all things to himself, Having made peace through the blood of his cross, Through him, whether the things on the earth Or the things in the heavens.

 

Very striking and solemn are these lines. Note the following points of correspondence between A. and B.:

 

A.

B.
(1) “Who is” in verse Col. 1:15 Col. 1:18
(2) “The firstborn” in verse Col. 1:15 Col. 1:18
(3) “For in him” in verse Col. 1:16 Col. 1:19
(4) “In the heavens and on the earth” in verse Col. 1:16 Col. 1:20

 

Not only do the same expressions occur in both columns but they occur in the same sequence! There is a definite idea-and-form parallelism. The glory of Christ in Creation is balanced by his majesty in Redemption. There are also other items of resemblance; for example, the expression “all things,” occurring four times in verses Col. 1:15-17 and twice in verses Col. 1:18-20. And the words “through him” of verse Col. 1:16 are repeated twice in verse Col. 1:20.

…

The so-called “laws of nature” have no independent existence. They are the expression of his will. And because he delights in order and not in confusion it is possible to speak of laws. He who in answer to prayer grants assurance of salvation is also able in answer to prayer to grant rain!

The present-day application of this truth is immediately evident. Since the Christ of Calvary rules the heavens and the earth in the interest of his kingdom and to the glory of his Name, always over-ruling evil for good, neither automation nor bomb nor communistic menace nor depression nor economic unbalance nor fatal accident nor gradual decline in mental vigor nor hallucination due to nervous disorder nor any invader from outer space (about which some people have nightmares!) will ever succeed in separating us from his love (Rom. 8:35, Rom. 8:38). He who tells us how to go to heaven and actually brings us there, also knows how the heavens go; for he, all things having been created and “holding together” in him, through him, and unto him, causes them to perform their mission and to go to the place predestined by him.

- William Hendriksen