Colossians 1:16 Commentary and Bible Study

Christ created the heavens and the earth. Things that are in heaven do not refer only to the skies, the stars and the galaxies, for he adds, ‘visible and invisible’, and includes angel spirits, the invisible sphere of spirits, as well as the visible sphere of this present world and material universe. When we think about heaven we are therefore thinking about where God dwells, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the abode of the divine. But Christ created it. Well yes, because God had no need of the heavens, God is a spirit. God surrounds himself and immerses himself in whatever he wishes. He has no need of a place, even a celestial, spiritual place. Heaven is, using the image of old-fashioned language, where God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell, on a throne, occupying a court, a royal court, with attendants and various glorious surroundings. But God had no need of that. The dwelling place of God was created with man in view, knowing that one day there would be a redeemed humanity, glorified in heaven eternally with the Saviour, and of course, with glorified created bodies in a place. For us this environment was needed. So even the heaven of heavens, the dwelling place of God, was created by Christ. ‘Whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.’ That includes the angelic hosts of course, who are also described as principalities and powers elsewhere, who do his bidding. And it includes earthly thrones and powers. When Satan fell and so many demons fell with him, they continued to organise themselves in various levels of responsibility and organisation. When the apostle Paul says this, he is not distinguishing between good angels and fallen angels – it is true both of those who are obedient to God and of fallen angels, that there are different levels of being among them.All human authority also was created by Christ. The apostle Paul tells us this very clearly in Romans 13. Even in this fallen world, full of sin, where rulers, however exalted, are mere men and women and have sin-stained characters, and do many wrong things as well we hope some right things; even in this fallen world God has put into our hearts this need of order and government and the establishment of law and order. They keep this world from falling into a pit of sin and misbehaviour and anarchy. Yes, there are and always have been earthly authorities who are against Christ and abuse his laws and standards. How can they be for Christ? Well, they are for him in this tragic sense – that one day they must give an account to him, and they will glorify him because he will exercise his perfect judgement upon them. What a reproof this was to the heresy that is knocking on the door of the Colossian church, which said, ‘You have got to worship these angelic beings and Christ is quite lowly among them.’ ‘No,’ says Paul, ‘he created them all and they are all ultimately going to give account to him and they are for him.’