He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 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. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 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 by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:13-20
There are many times we as Christians can argue as to the meaning of Scripture. And providing our interactions are well seasoned with a merciful and compassionate attitude to one another, far from being needless and childish bickering, they can be a clear signal of saints driving one another into the bosom of Christ, in pursuit of knowing Him more intimately. The key is, not that we may be right or wrong, but that we may know Him more clearly, and love Him more dearly as a result of that knowledge. Not only that, but we are reminded of the words of Christ Himself, who tells us that it is the knowledge of His Word that will set us free.
Quite recently I have been involved with a few such interactions, both here at Aletheuo and elsewhere, that certain doctrines have been debated to come to an understanding of the truth. At times I have been so convinced that my own understanding has been correct, just as others have too, that without even realising the shift, it has suddenly become about who is right and who is wrong. Which as I’m sure you will have noticed, fully contradicts the sentiments of the preceding paragraph!
My purpose for drawing attention to the above portion of Scripture was to maintain a right perspective when approaching God’s Word. From the text above, it can be seen clearly that all of creation, both seen and unseen, was made by, through, and for Christ Himself. He is fully God in every way, yet at the same time fully Man. He is the firstborn from the dead, whose path into eternal life, every single one of the elect shall follow without fail. The whole of the created order was for His sole purpose, and that was to redeem a people for Himself, paid for in full by His own blood. He is the Word made flesh, the Alpha and Omega, and as the text makes crystal clear, demands pre-eminence in all things.
With this in mind, it is my exhortation when wrestling to find the truth of Scripture, that we do so only by first focussing upon the person and work of Jesus Christ, and how the Scripture itself relates to Him. This is why I can say with confidence that He is the true Servant Israel, or the true Temple, or the One who is seated upon the throne of David, and so on. For every Scripture, from both Old and New Testament, testifies to Him, and to His Kingdom yet to be revealed. If we fail to keep this truth in the forefront of our mind when reading the Word of God, and I count myself utterly guilty in this, we not only fail to come to a knowledge of the truth, but we miss the point of Scripture entirely!
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