Video Transcript: The Christ Hymn

Welcome back to the Biblical Studies lecture series on prisoner epistles. So far we've been looking at the general introduction of prison epistles, why we call these letters prison epistles. And we've moved on to look at the general background of the letter and establish that this letter was addressed to the Christians in Colossae and to also deal with some syncretistic tendencies in the church. In the last lecture, we looked at how Paul introduces the letter, a thanksgiving and a prayer he makes for the church. I drew your attention towards the end of that lecture. One of the great things that Paul highlights has the reason for which we should give thanks or be filled with gratitude. He actually mentions in verse 13 that he delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son and it is in whom we have redemption and forgiveness. 

As we go to the next space on Christ Hymn I would like to remind you about two key words there in the transferring transaction, redemption. He redeemed us from a state of corruption. I’ve often explained redemption from the Greek in this sense. Imagine a precious wedding ring that was bright, a shining, selling for 20,000 dollars got loss, got dumped in this rubbish dump. Got rusted and nasty. Someone discovers that and say, of what use is this ring. The process of redemption is restoring that ring to the beauty and quality of its original state. In a transfer He redeemed us from the corruptible state, the rusty, shaped by all kinds of things of the world, in the world of darkness, and guess what He did? When he transferred us at the end of verse 12. He brought us into the light now we can be seen. Rusting the people playing in darkness. They had a sick perhaps, now in the light. He redeemed us and because of the redemption, yes, we can sit back and thank God. He forgive us. We were the guilty ones. In the course of the transfer, part of the transaction that needs to take place is a people who were actually in debt with some, have seen and a broken relationship of God and then guess what God does in the kingdom of his beloved, He forgive, He wrote off our debt. 

You know, I learned a song. I can’t remember suddenly at what stage in school in grade school, but I love a song that I came to realize some people in America know. Said he paid that he did not owe. I owed a debt that I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song. Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid a debt I could never pay. In the transfer He redeemed the rusty, nasty to its original shining state, so that he can locate us in the place of life to be seen, with all glory. And he forgave us all that we owe, so that we can be part of the kingdom of his beloved son. It is the reason we should know something about his beloved son and Paul writes what we will call the Christ Hymn.

In his words He is Christ. He is the image of the invisible God. The first born of all creation. For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones or dominions, 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. He is the head of the body, namely, the church. He is the beginning. The first one of the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself all things whether on earth or in heaven. Making peace, not achieve peace, but making peace by the blood of his cross and you verse 21 who was alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds. He will say in that Christ, he made a change. 

So take note of some key things about him. In Christ Jesus, the one who brought the redemption of forgiveness as I mentioned earlier, he is the image of God. He's not only the image of God. In Him, all things were created. He is the fullness of God. So let us not have any doubt about who Christ is. The fullness of God is found in Christ and Christ is God. He is the means of reconciliation. Wow again quite controversial. He is the firstborn of creation. Paul makes this point that brings up this Christ Hymn to be able to draw our attention to the fact that it is this one who has come to make it possible for us. Those who were dead, not in a good state. Not in anything admirable, has now been transferred through him into a place, where we can identify the place as a place of light. We can identify the place as the kingdom of his beloved Son. In Christ who is the firstborn of creation is also the Christ who is the firstborn of the dead.

I should just pause here and go back a little bit to draw our attention to the fact that verse 15 has been very controversial in the history of the church and it reads: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. There was a very popular preacher in Alexandria. This popular preacher called Arius had all kinds of issues that will actually turn the church into some remarkable decisions. Arius was the one who taught and actually grounded one of his teachings in Colossians chapter one verse 15, specifically, this verse saying that this verse actually teaches that Jesus is not God. For Arius, we'll put up a few things here. You know, he will say Christ was not actually God. Christ and Spirit were created, the Father created them. It is on that basis He will be referred to as the firstborn of creation. Arius, for him, verse 15 of the passage we are looking at is clear. 

When the Bible says he's the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, it just means Christ was not. He only became when God created him. So he was the first to be created by God, not Adam. Arius will spark a lot of controversy. And the church will struggle with what Arius has to say. We have later on a whole council meeting to discuss what do we do with these Arius controversy? By the way, he uses other texts, but it's one of his key terms is from Colossians. And then later on as he develops his theological framework brings him in some of your favorite verses john 3:16. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. You know what he gave his only begotten Son, the oldest son he actually begotten is the firstborn of creation. Colossians 1:15. Don't resist him. He marries them and creates a doctrine. What then happens? The doctrine of the Trinity suffers because of how Colossians is read. 

So what does this expression firstborn mean in Colossians? The firstborn of creation, does it refer to created being or that which has precedence over creation? That's the reference or the language of the firstborn actually mean, Christ is actually the one who has, his preeminent role, trying to get my tongue to pronounce this English words well, over creation or it means literally the one who was born first and then everybody else follows. You may want to ask, What about the firstborn of the dead in the passage? What does it mean? I think and I found in recent years, James Dunn, a professor I mentioned earlier in this lecture series, who was a professor in Durham, the Lightfoot professor in the University of Durham in England, handles this particular subject quite well in his commentary. Dunn writes, it echoes the earlier Pauline talk both of Christ's resurrection, referring to the firstborn of the dead, as temporarily prior to the resurrection of all in Christ first in order, first fruits, and of Christ as using the Greek word there for firstborn among many brothers. The eldest in the family, destined to share his archetypical image. 

So here, the firstborn of the dead is easy to explain. The firstborn of creation becomes something that scholars wrestling with and what to do with. But even that, I think Dunn explains it well, because the firstborn of creation does not mean God gave birth to Christ as the firstborn. That is to say that somebody had a child with God sometime early on, not Mary, and how Jesus if we are going to drag that subject too far. The firstborn, as Dunn puts it, must denote primacy of our creation. And not just within creation. Is indicated by the conjunction link in the two verses. He is first born of all creation because in him were created all things created. That is, everything, the universe, the totality of created entities. It is his primacy or his pre-eminency, that is in question here and not what Arius will bring out. 

By the way, this controversy of Arius is what will actually influence the convening, one of the key issues that will influence the convening of the what we call the Council of Nicaea, just outside Constantinople, for the church to discuss and to really determine strong issues in the fourth century on the Trinity and a doctrine of Trinity. That is a subject that belongs to what we call systematic theology, or the study of doctrine in academic settings. But here I brought you back to Arius just to establish that this issue that has been big in Christianity and continues to brood in our churches and our belief system is partially rooted in the text we are working with, namely Colossians 1:15. Giving you something to think about as we go on. I hope as you enjoy the Christ Hymn that the understanding of the firstborn of creation and firstborn of the dead is clear enough. But in your living room, wherever you are sitting, standing, listening, think about it. What words would you say if you have read Colossians chapter one? 

I used to highlight cognitive dimensions or mental processes, and how the church grows to become resilient to false teaching. Why do we ask such a question? Well I asked that question because normally, when we have false teaching and issues related to false teaching in our context today, one of the things we like to do is oh, this is bringing confusion. Let's go and pray about it. Yes, we need to pray about it. And ask God for grace to deal with the issue. Well look at what one of the primary things that Paul puts forward. He prays for the church and in his prayer he adds about something we should give thanks to God for and in the prayer I highlighted knowledge as essential part of what they need to combat false teaching. And so if you begin to look at this text carefully, and begin to think through this question I pose here, you'll begin to see things like this. You have heard and you were expected for what you have heard to process and to make it part of your life. You have heard it and understood to be able to process and comprehend what is going on. 

Verse seven, you have learned and if I add one more to the list. He prays that you may be filled with the knowledge of God. Wow. So when we are dealing with false teaching, it's not enough just to move around and say, Oh, no, this is just easy. You know, we just go and pray. We need knowledge. We need an understanding of the truth. Let me just get you one more thing to think about. And if I have opportunity to give you homework, since you are doing this in your home and you don't give me something to grade, I'll give you one of these homework to do. Let's do it. In what way is the boundary between pre-Christian past and Christian status shown in the prayer wish for the church in Colossae. How do you see Paul's prayer and his aim for prayer showing departure from pre-Christian life, and Christian life. That's homework. I wish I could contact you to get the homework to grade. That’s one of those sessions for professors just in case you're thinking that way? That's not true. Most of us don't like grading. We like teaching. Think about this question. And as you think about that, you look through the passage and you look at some of the internal dynamics and words that are used like love, beloved, truth and how all these things are shaping what Paul is trying to convey.

And then I will draw your attention to what Paul will build on from the Christ Hymn from verse 21 of chapter one, and he writes, and you who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy, and blameless and above reproach before him. If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel, that you has, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul became a minister. Wow. Take a look at that. I like to be reminded of the past so that I can appreciate the present. Sometimes I like to be reminded of the past, so that my commitment for the future can be reignited. And Paul is doing just that. 

Defining the pre-conversion past in verse 21, spiritually you were alienated from God, he reminds. You know, in terms of your mindset, you were hostile in the mind and note it is in the past. In terms of conduct you live with evil deeds. Note, it is the past. It is not accusation of the present, but it's a reminder of who they were, how they thought and how they conducted themselves in the past. So something to think about if you are following this lecture on your computer. Paul, is touching on from verse 21 to 23, the past, the present, and the future, reminding them of some of the things I just showed you or told you about about their past, establishing their current standing firm and clear so that he can point them to the future. So past reminder, you were alienated. You were distanced. You were separated from God. You had no standing or relationship with God. As far as a stunning or walk with God is concerned, you were out. In terms of mindset and thinking with clarity and knowledge of the truth or spiritual wisdom, as he mentioned earlier on, zero. You were rather hostile in the mind. You think about dark things, evil things, negativities, things that do not bring glory to God. And because of that your way of life is characterized as evil deeds. But guess what has happened? 

Let's look at the text verse 21. You who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, verse 22 has now look at the word now. Present, now. You are now reconciled in His body of flesh, by his death. You are now reconciled not by cheap means but by God's beloved son, paying the price of bearing the cost of reconciliation in his body on the cross by means of death. In order that, he did this in order that not that we may glory in the past behavior, past deeds, past mindset. No, he did this for a purpose. So that he said in order that verse 22 we might be presented holy and blameless and above reproach before him. 

Continues to verse 23, saying, if indeed you continue in the faith stable and steadfast, not shifting and the future wants to be reminded that we should not be shifting from the hope because it's the hope of the gospel that we heard. And it is the hope has been proclaimed. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven. And Paul says, just in case you are not sure, it is of which I am a minister. It is so important that Paul nails down and really establish clearly to the church, where we came from, where we are and where we are going. And if we only understand this, then in the midst of false teaching, you don't throw in the towel at the slightest thing or you don't give in to all kinds of deception that will distract you. 

As we look forward beyond this passage, one’s attention is drawn to what happens in verse 24 to 25 Now, I rejoice in my suffering for you. And in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that has given to me for you, to make the Word of God fully known. Now, if you notice carefully from verse 24, you should look at that text carefully and feel worried about a line that says my suffering for you for the sake in the flesh, and I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Maybe you've not thought about that. But think about that. Paul highlights his suffering. And as he highlights his suffering, he also highlights his commission. And then from there he goes on and touches on his message. Some of the things he says about his suffering, they make you scratch your head a little bit. But let's try to unpack that. 

Rejoice because he's suffering is for their sake. This is the problem. He seemed to be suggesting that his suffering will bring completion to Christ’s work. Is he suggesting to us that what Christ has done is not enough? Think about that. Do you actually think

Paul is suggesting that the work of Christ is incomplete. Or do you think he suggesting that Christ needed him to suffer in order that his work on earth will be completed? Is that something going on with Jewish apocalyptical view of the end of the world and how it's going to end that we don't know. That we need to know to understand what is going on. Now, if you are following this biblical study series, you may not be aware about how many articles, pages, and arguments are made on this subject. Who is Paul to claim that a work of Christ is not complete? And he comes to complete it through his suffering. Who is Paul actually suggesting that without him Christ's work will not be completed. Except when you understand the Jewish apocalyptic framework of how suffering will come in the end. That a major form of suffering will be launched and then some degree of suffering will come to actually consume or to bring into completion some of the things that are happening in the end, some things that we have in some of the ancient texts. Paul does not seem to suggest that what Christ has done is not enough. In fact he seemed to be suggesting that what Christ has done is very important and is complete for our salvation. Thinking about the end time in terms of his struggle though, he seemed to suggesting within the Jewish apology framework that Christ's suffering has triggered something. That he's suffering as a significant figure is adding on to it to bring in completion, some of the things they would anticipate. 

Again, I don't agree with James Dunn, the British scholar I mentioned earlier on, on everything he says in his commentary. But I think this too, he actually does a good job. And so I will bring him into this conversation here. But first, let's look at what one of my colleagues at Wheaton College Douglas Moo has to say on that. Moo writes, Paul, is not of course, suggesting that the redemptive suffering of Christ requires any supplementation. Paul is convinced that Christ's death on the cross is completely and finally capable of taking care of the human sin problem. It is not that there is anything lacking in the atoning suffering of Christ, but that there is something lacking in regard to the tribulation that pertains to Christ as the Messiah as he proclaimed in the world. 

Dunn will clarify, what seems ambiguous with Moo. Foreshadowed is the apocalyptic thought that there is an appointed sum of suffering that must be endured in order to trigger, as it were, the final events of history. Cite in Revelation six verse nine to 11,  Ezra 4: 33 to 43. The thought then, is that the death of Christ has, as it were, activated the first trigger, but those sufferings are not yet complete. Otherwise, the second and final trigger would have been activated too. It was because Paul saw himself as the major actor in the final drama of Gods reconciling purpose, that he could also see his all too real suffering as somehow bringing to completion what was still outstanding of the suffering of Christ, crucified with Christ, by which the world was redeemed and transformed. 

So when Paul says his suffering will bring the completion of Christ's work, he is not saying Christ's work is not complete. But it's alluding to apocalyptic framework that says, what Christ has begun is being completed in what he is doing in terms of the suffering he’s bearing, rather confirming the vision of the church and what is unfolding. Paul’s commission. for Paul, his suffering is linked, Christ's suffering is linked to Paul’s suffering. And it is something that is made known fully through the word of God. And just in case, we wonder, there is a mystery that has been made known here. In Colossians Paul is not going to actually spell out the whole mystery, but that mystery we will say it's in Christ and it's the work of Christ. In Ephesians, just getting you thinking and excited about this series, continue to follow the series because in Ephesians, he is going to actually make clear what the mystery is. And he will explain the dimensions of the mystery in so many ways. But far away Paul rejoices because of the faith in Christ, and I’ll bring the discussion of chapter one to an end. 

Let me try to bring your thought to also the message of Christ with the outline I gave you early on. For Paul the message of proclamation is Christ. If you have not noticed by this time, in Colossians one is Christ is Christ is Christ. And the task of his proclamation including warning and teaching people so that they will be matured. He also underlined in his message that they need to understand that his suffering is for their sake, and there is a cost involved. Christ himself suffered. And as he does all this, it tries to strengthen their knowledge base to be able to withstand the influence and infiltration of false teachers. 

Verse 24, to two verse five. Let's make this general observation. So that when we come back in the next lecture, we can actually spend more time trying to get ourselves into chapter two of Colossians. For I want you to know, Paul begins how great a struggle I have for you. And for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face,

but their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ. In  whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with possible arguments. For though I am absent in body yet I am with you in spirit. Rejoicing to see your good conduct and the firmness of your faith in Christ Jesus. 

Paul here lays the perfect foundation. In chapter two he is going to be touching on the false teaching, what they are, how they need to handle it, and the elements of the false teaching that need to be addressed and remember I mentioned to you the notion of kingship in chapter one. Keep that at the back of your mind in the course of this lecture on Colossians because when we reach chapter three, he is now going to link the fictive kinship of God's family to what should happen in the macro family, for churches that meet in people's homes. And he's going to actually encourage them to the best of his ability in four short chapters as we have it to be the men and women God wants them to be in the church. 

Let me just recap quickly what we have been doing or trying to do so far in chapter one. In chapter one, we have seen the greetings. We went through Paul's prayer and underlined key things in his prayer. We saw how he ignites the heart of gratitude, showing what God has done in Christ and create a perfect link showing that if in Christ we have been transferred from darkness into light that is every cause to burst into this praise and heart of gratitude. So in Christ Hymn he mentions Christ who was the creator, He was in all, He is the fullness of all in all. And in Christ, he goes on to show us how our past look like. How in Christ we have been reconciled in his flesh, through His death and is been given hope in the world and from there he comes back to now talk about the suffering, the message and the commission he as an apostle is given along that. From here on, he will go specific with the false teaching. 

And I hope that as we follow through this lectures, you will come to realize that Christianity has never been an easy piece of cake. Christians go through challenges and Christians are encouraged. And when Christians are encouraged to deal with the hard things in the church they are not encouraged only by pounding them down. But they're also reminded of who they have become. What they hope for, where they are going, has the basis for which it is worth? All the struggles, all the challenges and all the efforts to live up to what Christ desires for His church. When we come back, we'll have a lot of fun moving on to Colossians and I hope so far you have learnt a few things from this wonderful book. Thank you

This is Dr. Dan Darko in his lecture series on the prison epistles. This is session number three, the Christ Hymn in Colossians chapter one verse 15 through chapter two verse five.