Jesus the Light 9 Supremacy of Christ
He is before all things…so that He Himself may have first place in everything Col.1:17,18
Gen.1:1 immediately unlocks the most profound spiritual principle governing all of life. This opening revelation simply states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
God is before all. He is above all and transcends all. He has the prior place of greatest honor, the central place. The Lord is supreme over all and the source of everything.
In short, God is central, supreme, and first in everything. He is our first recourse, the origin of all things good, and our first consideration in all of life.
How does this relate to Christ being supreme? Because God said: “Let there be Light and there was Light.” Here God introduces us to His Son. Here He is brought forth and showcased as the co-creator and the co-source of all life and light to follow.
Yes, from eternity, Jesus, Himself uncreated, is prior to all things made. Listen well to the revelation of Christ’s supremacy as recorded in John 1:1-4: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. All things were created by Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”
And who is this Word who was with God, and is God, and created all things? It is Jesus the Light as John 1:14 reveals: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us and we have seen His glory, glory as of the Unique One from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus expresses the unseen depths of the heart and mind of the infinite, invisible God. Apart from the revelation of Christ as the Word, we would yet be in darkness, bondage, and misery. John 1:18 states: “No one has seen God at any time; the Only Son who is Himself God and in closest fellowship with the Father, He has made God known.”
Why would we seek out any other so-called revelations? Why would we add to or subtract from what He has revealed about the eternal Word contained in His written Word, the Bible? Why?
We have good authority to abide by the written Word of God alone, because Jesus, the eternal Word, said this in John 5:39: “The Scriptures testify of Me.”
Christ opened these very Scriptures to His followers in Luke 24:27-45: “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. He said to them, ‘All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds that they might understand the Scriptures.”
Jesus the eternal Word of the Father, bears witness to the Written Word of God. And the written Word of God is our infallible testimony to Christ, the eternal Word. Do not be led astray by imitation pretended revelations whatever they may be.
The Son from all eternity is Supreme. Col.1:17: “He is before all things and in Him all things stand together.” Anything not having its origin in the Supreme One, Christ Jesus the Lord, will not stand.
All the inventions and institutions of men will crumble to dust and be consumed in the flame. He only supports what He originates. He is Supreme over all He has brought into being. He must reign unrivaled there.
Christ is there before any church was ever founded, before any apostle was chosen, before any gospel was ever preached. He is before and exalted above all Councils, Popes, Archbishops, Reformers, Missionaries, General Overseers, Pastors, and Priests.
Christ has First place in everything! What can a man or a denomination, or institution add to Him? Nothing! Rather, they compete with the Lord Jesus reigning as the Supreme One over the hearts of men. 1 Cor.8:6 declares without controversy, that we have but “one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
With this undisputable reality before us, why are we running after men; why are we identified with and strongly attached to our denominations? 1 Cor.1:10-13 rebukes this carnality: “I plead with you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together to end your divisions and to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and purpose. Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, ‘I am with Paul,’ or ‘I am with Apollos,’ or ‘I am with Peter,’ or ‘I am with Christ.’ IS CHRIST DIVIDED? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he?”
No, Dear Listener, there is only one Savior, King, Lord, and Head; and He shares His throne with no one. 1 Cor.7:23 makes this clear: “You have been bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” But multitudes actually are slaves of men, all the while vainly protesting that they are servants of Christ alone. How foolish!
Does not your General Overseer bow at the name of the Lord Jesus? Do not Popes, Pastors, and Priests do the same? Why then are you bowing to men rather than to Christ? Why do the words and traditions of men, their statements of faith, catechisms, and man-made decrees rule your heart rather than Jesus the Light, the eternal Word, who alone has revealed the invisible God to the world? Why?
And do you think that your denomination is the way the truth and the life? Nonsense! Why then are you serving a denomination rather than following the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who alone is the Way and the Truth and the Life? Why? Why are we doing this? No one comes to the Father except by Him!
Jesus is Supreme!
One Savior. Acts 4:12: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved!”
One Shepherd. Heb.13:20: “The God of peace brought up from the dead the Great Shepherd of the sheep…Jesus our Lord.”
One Overseer. 1 Pet.2:25: “You have returned to the Overseer of your souls.”
One Head. Col.1:18: Christ is “Head of the body, the church.”
One Foundation. 1 Cor.3:11: “No one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
One Priest. Heb.10:19,21: “We have confidence to enter the Holy Place by the blood of Jesus since we have a great Priest over the house of God.” 1 Tim.2:5: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus.”
One Bridegroom. 2 Cor.11:2: The church has been betrothed “to one Husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”
One Lord. 1 Cor.8:6: “There is one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”
One Vine. Jn.15:5: “I am the Vine and you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing.”
One Captain. Heb.12:2: “Fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the Captain and Perfecter of faith.”
Jesus is Supreme! One Savior, One Shepherd, One Overseer, One Head, One Foundation, One Priest, One Bridegroom, One Lord, One Vine, One Captain. JESUS IS SUPREME!!
Copyright Steve Phillips 2019