He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 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.
Comment: Creation didn’t happen by chance, it happened through the agent Jesus by God! Jesus is presented as Pre-eminent and the first of several listed things is that He is the Creator God! And not just of what we can see but of everything. This makes some people skeptical. Me? It makes me amazed! And you? Jesus is pre-eminent as the Head of the Church. No pope or president of moderator is mentioned here. People have responsibilities but they are truly foolish if they even begin to think that they replace the ‘Head’! Jesus is pre-eminent in His Resurrection. A resurrection to His sort of life is promised to all His true followers – for the followers it is here by inference, but it is spelt out clearly in the New Testament in many places! Jesus is pre-eminent as the Reconciler. Here it mentions the method of reconciliation – the Cross; and the extent of the reconciliation – He has removed the division between God and His Created world; and for us what is very significant ‘And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.’ But a condition is applied – here stated thus ‘if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard’. Aging tends to lead to complacency but that is a ‘no-no’! Paul ends this passage. thus – ‘and of which I, Paul, became a minister.‘ Metaphorically I think that he wears a ‘dog collar’ often so called. A symbol of slavery! In Greek the word for slave is ‘doulos’.
1 Corinthians 6 19-20 – Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Prayer: Father as Your child I gladly will live as Your ‘doulos’.
As I read it! 