“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9-10).
Much like a modern-day superhighway, there are three “lanes” of thought featured in the passage quoted above. The first lane involves an affirmation of Jesus’ deity. The second lane speaks of our completion in Christ while our third and final lane concerns Jesus’ supremacy over “…every ruler and authority” (NLT).
As we merge into the first lane of our journey through this passage, its important to note that Jesus did not surrender His deity at His incarnation nor did He surrender His humanity at His resurrection. (1) Jesus was and is the God-man, fully God and fully human. Those who are in Christ are complete in Him- and no other person, belief, philosophy, material possession, or spiritual being can provide us with anything more than we already have in Jesus.
Our final lane of thought is this: Jesus “…is the authority over all authorities, and the supreme power over all powers” (Phillips). This sweeping acknowledgement of Jesus’ sovereignty thus invalidates the need for any spiritual intermediary other than Christ. This declaration is reminiscent of Paul the Apostle’s directive to a young first-century pastor named Timothy…
“As I said when I left for Macedonia, please stay there in Ephesus and try to stop the men who are teaching such wrong doctrine. Put an end to their myths and fables, and their idea of being saved by finding favor with an endless chain of angels leading up to God—wild ideas that stir up questions and arguments instead of helping people accept God’s plan of faith” (1 Timothy 1:3-4 TLB).
Instead of seeking guidance or favor with God through a different intercessor, we should instead approach Him through the mediator He has already established. That mediator’s identity is also given to us in the New Testament book of 1 Timothy: “…there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5 CSB).
Since every “principality and power” is subject to Christ, we would be ill-advised to seek spiritual favor with anyone other than Him. We’ll talk more about this idea when we reach the eighteenth verse of this chapter but for now, we’ll close this portion of our study with a message from Jesus Himself: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
(1) Gromacki, Robert G. Stand Perfect in Wisdom. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984, pg. 104, quoted in Notes on Colossians 2019 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable (2:9-10a), https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/colossians/colossians.htm#_ftn189
Image Credit: MassDOT [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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