In Christ, All Things Hold Together (Colossians 1:15-17) Meditation

A Meditation on Colossians 1:15–17

There is this teenager.

He was born into a Christian family. His dad and mom love God and their children dearly. I know the parents have worked hard to care for him, guide him, and point him in the right direction. But for now, he does not believe in God. Apparently, he thinks, “It’s all a fairy tale.”

But I am encouraged by his honesty and continued communication with his parents. That matters. And I find myself saying, “In due time, may he come to know the Lord. Lord, open his eyes to see the beauty of Christ.”

This is not wishful thinking. His parents are praying for him, just as the apostle Paul prayed for the Colossians:

“We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col. 1:9).

Is there someone in your life who reminds you of this teenager?

Perhaps it is your spouse. Maybe your parents or children. Maybe it is yourself. Maybe you have a difficult time believing in God. Maybe you are not sure Christianity is true. Maybe you wonder whether Jesus is just one religious figure among many.

I have some news for you. I consider it good news.

There was a group of people living in a region in modern-day Turkey some two thousand years ago. The apostle Paul had not met many of them personally, but he had heard of their faith. They lived in a time and place filled with many philosophies, religions, temples, spiritual claims, and so-called gods. Many attractions in the world, including financial wealth and material possessions, were pulling them in different directions.

The common denominator? They all claimed to have the truth.

So how would the Colossians know if Christianity was true? What made Christianity different?

It was Christ Jesus.

Jesus did not merely claim to be one teacher among many. He did not simply say he knew the truth. He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He did not say that if we followed him long enough, perhaps one day we might find eternal life. He said that life is found in him.

That is a stunning claim.

But different does not automatically mean true. So how do we know that Christ is who he claimed to be? How do we know that he is not merely useful, inspiring, or religiously meaningful, but truly Lord over all?

Colossians 1 tells us.

Christ is not merely one piece of life. He is “the image of the invisible God.” He is the perfect revelation of the God we cannot see. He is “the firstborn of all creation,” not meaning that he was created, but that he is supreme over all creation. All things were created by him, through him, and for him. He is before all things. And in him all things hold together.

Let me ask you a question.

How “together” is your life these days?

If your thoughts scatter, if your emotions are restless, if your work feels overwhelming, if your relationships feel like they are falling apart at the edges, I have news for you. And it is good news, if you would listen to it.

Your life may be trying to tell you something.

God has designed life so that we begin to unravel whenever Christ is not at the center.

Sometimes this happens in an irreligious way. We forget the Creator God. We live as though we are cosmic accidents. We deny the existence and supremacy of God because, frankly, the thought of a Creator is inconvenient. If there is a Creator, then we are not our own. We were made by him and for him.

So instead of living as the Creator intended us to live, we try to build our lives on achievement, control, success, and self-protection. But those things were never meant to satisfy the soul. No wonder we are frustrated. No wonder life feels like it is coming loose at the edges.

But sometimes this happens in a religious way.

We make Christ our so-called “number one priority.” And this is more dangerous than we may realize, because we can keep hanging around Jesus without surrendering to Christ as the center of all things.

Both irreligious people and merely religious people have one thing in common: the self remains at the center.

Mere religion manages sin. Mere religion stays busy with church activities while the heart remains unmoved. Mere religion asks Christ to bless the life we are still trying to control. Prayer becomes a burden when we try to steer God toward the blessings we want. We make God useful for our purposes.

But that is not Christianity.

Christianity is not using Christ to hold our lives together.

Christianity is discovering that Christ himself is the One in whom all things hold together.

What comes to your mind when you read Colossians 1, especially verses 15–17?

For me, I get emotional. I am drawn to Jesus Christ, not merely because he is useful, but because he is beautiful.

“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” (Col. 1:15–17).

This is not merely a scientific statement, though it is true over all creation.

This is not merely a theological statement, though it is full of glorious theology.

This is a statement of adoration.

Paul had once been a deeply religious man, trying to hold everything together through zeal, law-keeping, and self-righteousness. Martin Luther knew something of that same burden centuries later. But when Christ met them, religion became worship. Duty became delight. Fear gave way to wonder.

They did not merely find Christ useful.

They saw him as beautiful.

That is why Christians follow Christ, even when it costs them. That is why the supremacy of Christ is not only about power, glory, and honor. It is also about love. We follow Christ because we have come to see that he is more beautiful than everything that once pulled our hearts away from him.

The Colossians lived in a world full of secular pressure, cultural competition, and promises of fullness from different philosophies. We know that world too. The basic premise of the world has not changed much. We are told to prove ourselves, improve ourselves, compare ourselves, and secure ourselves.

We juggle so many things. We run from one obligation to another. Perhaps you are parked somewhere, waiting for your child’s swim lesson to finish. It is evening, but your day is not over. You still have a child to care for, a parent to look after, a message to answer, a bill to pay, a conversation with your spouse that keeps getting pushed back because there just does not seem to be enough time.

But the good news does not say, “Hold everything together.”

The good news says, “In Christ, all things hold together.”

I know this teenager has not yet seen the beauty of Christ. But his parents continue to pray, love, speak, listen, and wait. They are doing what they can to introduce him not merely to Christianity as a religion, not merely to Jesus as a priority, but to Christ as life itself.

Not merely as an idea, but as Lord.

Not merely as the One we serve, but as the One in whom we rest.

In Jesus, all things hold together.

In Christ, our scattered hearts are gathered.

In Christ, we stand.

Today and forevermore.

Amen.