The Person and Work of Christ (Colossians 1:15-23)

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church.

It sometimes seems simplistic, but followers of Jesus really are all about Him. There is nothing greater, more complex, or further to learn than Christ. In other writings, when Paul speaks about people being babes in their understanding and that they cannot handle “deeper” more substantial teaching, he is not implying that there is more to learn beyond the Gospel. The Gospel itself is the deep teaching. One could spend their entire life meditating on the person and work of Christ and not exhaust the topic.

This is something churches today need to keep in mind. Everything comes back to Christ. There is no deeper or secret knowledge to discover. We are not about finding ways to have our best life now, or expand our boundaries, or any other “new” ideas out there. In fact, the new ideas are what inevitably crop up in church life that threaten to distract us from being church. Paul reminds the Colossian believers here of this truth.

Any teaching, any project, any practice or activity in the church that does not relate to the Gospel or our life in Christ is a potential problem. Keep this mirror and measuring rod of truth handy.