Book: The Way of the Word: Chapter 51: Colossians: The Supremacy of Christ
- Dr. Layne McDonald
- Jun 9
- 9 min read
If you were to travel about a hundred miles east of Ephesus in the first century, you’d find yourself descending into the Lycus River Valley. It was a region of striking beauty: towering mountains, mineral-rich hot springs in Hierapolis, and the bustling trade hub of Laodicea. But tucked away in the shadow of these more famous neighbors was a smaller, slightly fading city called Colossae.
Paul had never actually been there. The church in Colossae wasn’t a result of a direct apostolic visit but of a ripple effect. During Paul’s three-year stay in Ephesus, the Gospel radiated outward so powerfully that a local man named Epaphras heard the word, got saved, and took the message back to his hometown.
But years later, while Paul sat in a Roman prison, Epaphras showed up with a report. The news was mostly good: these people loved Jesus: but there was a "but." A strange, seductive, and sophisticated brand of spiritual "extra" was creeping into the congregation. Teachers were telling the Colossian believers that Jesus was great, but He wasn't enough. They were being told they needed Jesus plus secret knowledge, Jesus plus dietary laws, Jesus plus the worship of angels, and Jesus plus rigorous self-denial to truly be "complete."
Paul’s response is one of the most concentrated, high-definition presentations of Jesus Christ in the entire Bible. He doesn't just argue against the errors; he drowns them in the glory of Christ. He shows them that if you have Jesus, you have everything. You aren't lacking a single spiritual ingredient. You are complete in Him.
The Cosmic Christ: Creator and Sustainer
Paul wastes no time in getting to the heart of the matter. In Colossians 1:15-20, he penning (or perhaps quoting) what many scholars believe was an early Christian hymn. This passage is the "Mount Everest" of Christology.
"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." (Colossians 1:15-17)
When Paul calls Jesus the "image" (eikon) of the invisible God, he isn't saying Jesus looks like God; he’s saying Jesus is the visible manifestation of God. If you want to know what the Father is like, you look at the Son. The invisible, transcendent God has become tangible in the person of Jesus.
Then comes the word that has caused a thousand years of debate: "Firstborn." Cults and skeptics often point to this to say Jesus was the first thing God created. But in the biblical context, "firstborn" is a title of rank, not a marker of time. It refers to the one who has the rights of the heir: the supreme authority.
Paul backs this up by saying Christ is the Creator of everything. Not just the trees and the mountains, but the invisible world too. The "thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities" refer to the very spiritual powers the Colossians were being tempted to fear or worship. Paul says, "Why would you worship the servants when you have the Architect? Christ made them. He owns them. And He is currently holding the molecules of the universe together by the word of His power."
If Christ is the one keeping the stars in place and the atoms of your body from flying apart, He is certainly capable of holding your life together. This is the Christ-centered foundation: everything starts with Him, continues through Him, and ends for Him.
The Mystery Revealed: Christ in You
After establishing Christ’s cosmic supremacy, Paul makes a staggering pivot. This cosmic Architect, this sustainer of galaxies, has a "mystery" that was hidden for ages but is now revealed to His saints.
"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)
The "mystery" isn't a secret handshake or a hidden code. It’s a person. For the Colossians, who were being told they needed to climb a spiritual ladder of secret knowledge to reach God, Paul’s message was explosive: God didn't wait for you to climb up; He came down. And He didn't just come down to visit; He came to dwell within you.
In the Assemblies of God tradition, we emphasize the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit," but that empowerment is always for the purpose of magnifying this central truth: that the living Christ is active and present in the believer. The "hope of glory" isn't a "maybe" or a "wish." In the New Testament, hope is a confident expectation. Because Christ is in you now, you have the absolute guarantee of the glory to come.
The Sufficiency of Christ vs. The Empty Deceit
Moving into Chapter 2, Paul gets specific about the "Colossian Heresy." He warns them not to be taken captive by "philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition" (Col. 2:8).
The teachers in Colossae were likely pushing a proto-Gnostic mixture. They argued that the physical world was evil and the spiritual world was good. Therefore, to reach the "fullness" of God, you had to bypass the physical through asceticism (starving the body) or tap into higher spiritual realms through visions and angel worship.
Paul counters this with a single, devastating verse:
"For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority." (Colossians 2:9-10)
Think about that. All the "fullness" (pleroma) of God: every ounce of His power, love, justice, and divinity: lives in Jesus in a physical body. And because you are "in Christ," you are complete. You don’t need a "spiritual upgrade." You don’t need a secret ritual. You don’t need to appease lower-level spirits. When you have the King, you don't need to negotiate with the janitors.
The Victory Parade of the Cross
One of the most powerful images Paul uses to describe what Jesus did for us is found in Colossians 2:13-15. He describes our sin as a "record of debt" that stood against us. This wasn't just a list of mistakes; it was a legal document that condemned us before God's law.
"By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him." (Colossians 2:14-15)
In the Roman world, when a general won a massive victory, he would return to the city in a "Triumphal Procession." He would ride in a chariot, and behind him, he would parade the captured kings and generals of the defeated army, stripped of their armor and shamed before the world.
Paul says that’s exactly what Jesus did at the cross. While the world saw a dying man, the spiritual realm saw a conquering King. He took our "record of debt": the very thing the enemy used to accuse us: and He nailed it to the cross. He "canceled" it. The Greek word here is exaleipho, which means to wipe away or smear over, like wiping ink off a parchment so that not a trace remains.
Then, He turned to the "rulers and authorities": the demonic powers that thought they were winning: and He stripped them of their power. He made a public spectacle of them. For the believer, this means we do not live in fear of the demonic or the "elemental spirits of the world." We live in the victory of the one who already paraded them through the streets of heaven as defeated foes.
Living from the Top Down: The New Self
If Chapters 1 and 2 are the "theology," Chapters 3 and 4 are the "biography": how we live this out. Paul’s logic is simple: Since you have been raised with Christ, start acting like it.
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:1-2)
This isn't an invitation to be "so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good." It’s an instruction to live from your new identity. Paul uses the metaphor of clothing. He tells us to "put to death" and "put off" the old clothes of the flesh: sexual immorality, anger, malice, slander, and obscene talk. These are the rags of the old life.
Instead, we are to "put on" the new self.
"Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Colossians 3:12-13)
Notice the order. You don't "put on" these virtues to become holy and beloved. You put them on because you are already holy and beloved in Christ. Christian ethics is not a set of rules to earn God's favor; it’s a response to the favor we’ve already received.
The Word and the Home
Paul then applies this "Supremacy of Christ" to the most mundane areas of life: marriage, parenting, and work. He instructs wives, husbands, children, and bondservants (employees) to do everything "in the name of the Lord Jesus" (3:17).
In the Colossian context, this was revolutionary. He was taking the highest theological truths in the universe and bringing them into the kitchen and the marketplace. He tells workers to work "heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (3:23). If Christ is supreme over the cosmos, He is supreme over your 9-to-5. He is supreme over how you speak to your spouse. He is supreme over how you discipline your kids.
Everything is spiritual because everything belongs to Him.
The Call to Prayer and Wisdom
Paul closes the letter with a call to "continue steadfastly in prayer" and to "walk in wisdom toward outsiders" (4:2, 5). He knows that a church that understands the supremacy of Christ will be a church that talks to Him (prayer) and represents Him well to the world (wisdom).
He mentions several people in the closing: Tychicus, who carried the letter; Onesimus, the runaway slave from Philemon’s house; Mark, who had been restored to ministry; and Luke, the "beloved physician." These names remind us that the "Supremacy of Christ" isn't an abstract theory: it’s a reality that knits together a diverse, messy, beautiful community of people from all walks of life.
The Holy Spirit and the Colossian Life
From an Assemblies of God perspective, we recognize that living out the "Colossian life" is impossible in our own strength. Paul mentions that he toils and struggles with "all his energy that he [Christ] powerfully works within me" (1:29). The word for "powerfully works" is energeia, where we get our word "energy."
This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the one who makes the "Christ in you" reality functional. He is the one who empowers us to "put to death" the deeds of the flesh and "put on" the character of Jesus. We don't just study Colossians; we pray Colossians. We ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with the "knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (1:9) so that we can walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
Reflection Questions
In what areas of your life are you tempted to feel "incomplete," as if you need Jesus plus something else (success, approval, a specific experience) to be truly okay?
How does the truth that Christ is the "Sustainer of all things" change the way you look at the stresses or "chaos" in your life today?
Paul tells us to "set our minds on things above." What are three practical ways you can pivot your focus from earthly anxieties to Christ’s heavenly reality this week?
Look at the "put off" list in Colossians 3:5-9. Which of those "old rags" is the Holy Spirit nudging you to leave behind today?
How does the image of Jesus "disarming the powers" at the cross change your perspective on spiritual warfare and fear?
A Prayer for the Supremacy of Christ
Father, we thank You that You have not left us to wander in the dark. Thank You for Jesus, the image of the invisible God, who has made You known to us. We declare today that Jesus is supreme over our lives, our families, our work, and our world. Holy Spirit, help us to realize that we are complete in Him. Strip away any legalism, any fear of the enemy, and any pursuit of "empty deceit" that pulls our hearts away from the simplicity of the Gospel. Teach us to live from the top down, with our minds set on things above, empowered by Your strength to walk worthy of the King. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you find yourself searching for "something more" in your spiritual life, the message of Colossians is for you. You don't need a new technique or a hidden secret. You need a deeper realization of the Christ you already have. He is the Creator of the stars, the Sustainer of the universe, and the Victor over the grave. And He lives in you.
About the Author: Layne McDonald, Ph.D.
Dr. Layne McDonald is a scholar, author, and teacher dedicated to helping believers navigate the complexities of modern culture through a deeply rooted biblical worldview. With a focus on the intersection of theology, history, and practical discipleship, Dr. McDonald’s work seeks to equip the Church to stand firm in the truth of Scripture while engaging the world with grace and wisdom. He is the author of numerous books and resources designed to foster spiritual growth and cultural discernment.
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