“For by Him (Christ) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16
In the Christian’s warfare against the powers of darkness in this world, the Apostle Paul identifies our enemy, the devil, Satan, the accuser of our brethren. He also adds that we “…wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) The Spirit of God in and through the Apostle makes it very clear who our true enemy is, the very enemy of God, who took his stand against the Lord and His Anointed during those three days at the crucifixion and afterwards. The Apostle will, after identifying who this enemy is, goes into great detail in his letters to different churches, or local bodies of believers in his day, to unveil, and reveal the saving power of the resurrection, Christ’s perfect and eternal work accomplished on Calvary, and the extraordinary grace of God which is available to whoever will come to Christ, and be delivered from the grip, and control of the god of this world. In this spiritual conflict which exists between God and Satan, also the Christian and the powers of darkness, what is that crucial piece of contested spiritual ground that must be taken, and kept, if the victory of the exalted and risen Christ is to be manifested in and through the church, the body of Christ, and in every believer? That ground is the truth of the preeminence of Christ, who is before all things, the Creator of all things, the One in whom we live and have our being, the Sustainer, Keeper, and Savior of us all, specifically of those who truly trust in Him for salvation. But what does preeminence mean, and how does this truth of Christ’s preeminence, apply to the believer to strengthen his faith in God, propelling him forward and upward to appropriate increasingly Christ as his life?
In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the believers at Corinth, he wrote specifically concerning the spiritual warfare in which every Christian finds himself. In his letter to the Ephesians, he identified the foe, or the enemy. In this letter to the Corinthians, he speaks of this crucial piece of high ground that is a salient feature, essential to seize and maintain. He speaks of the “weapons of our warfare…” which are “mighty in God” for the pulling down of strongholds. (2 Cor. 10:4) Paul then reveals that these “strongholds” in the mind, are to be cast down. What do they consist of? Specifically, they are the arguments, speculations, reasonings, imaginations, which possess one basic, fundamental characteristic: they all exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. This is Satan’s constant pursuit, to dethrone, debase, and destroy the true knowledge of God, who He truly is. He does this because God always blesses the truth concerning the revelation of Himself. He cannot and will not bless the lie, for Satan is the author of lies. What then of the truth of the preeminence of Christ, and why is it so very important?
When one speaks of the preeminence of Christ, one is speaking of Christ being absolutely, and eternally, “foremost” in position, power, preference, and privilege. Paul speaks of Christ being “…the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Paul goes on to write: “All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things exist. Additionally, He is the Head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in ALL things He may have the preeminence.” (Col. 2:17.18) In Christ, the Father was pleased that “…all the fulness should dwell.” (2:19) What should such a vision of Christ in truth do for faith? It strengthens the believer to believe Him fully for all, for Christ IS all in all.
Dear Father, Elevate Christ before us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.