Surprising Image

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the one who is firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15).

Of course he is. That’s the whole point of Genesis 1. There is a firstborn, or first created, son of God. It was humanity. And God created them to be overall creation, the image of God standing before the world, ruling the world on God’s behalf.

But no. There’s a surprise here. The Colossians hymn goes on:

“Because all things were created by him: both in the heavens and on the earth, the things that are visible and the things that are invisible” (Col 1:16, CEB).

We discover here that Adam was not simply the image, he was the image of the image. Whereas much of the NT operates with an Adam Christology, such that Jesus is seen as fulfilling the role God gave Adam at creation, we discover here that before Christ stood in the place of Adam, Adam stood in the place of the eternal Son. The one who is God’s original image not only rules over all creation, he created all the powers he made:

Whether they are thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities, all things were crated through him and for him. (Col 1:16)

The original image-bearer is the one who holds all things together.

But for all the “alls” and “everythings,” there is more. While we tend to see that the divinity is all, and sufficient, for the identity of God and God’s son, there is more to be had.

This ontological status was not sufficient for the Son to be head over all things. There was a second Adam to whom rule was given. And this human rule over the earth had to be joined to the divine. There is a new creation with a second Adam at its head.

He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the one who is firstborn from the dead, so that he might occupy the first place in everything. (1:18)

“So that.” First place in everything was obtained by an action here on earth–a faithful death and death-conquering resurrection. The enthronement now over all is not so much a testimony to his preexistent preeminence, but to his human fidelity to God even to the point of death on the cross. Humanity was created to play the role of the Son. And the Son came to fulfill the role that was always his.

He rules the world for God because he took those who were supposed to be like him, but were alienated, and recreated the cosmic space within which they might be one with God again:

“All the fullness of God was pleased to live in him, and he reconciled all things to himself through him–whether things on earth or in the heavens. He brought peace through the blood of his cross.” (Col 1:19-20)

The extent of the Son’s reign is the extent of his reconciling death: the whole cosmos has been reconciled to God. The original image did what the image of the image failed to do: faithful execute the rule of God, in God’s name and on God’s behalf, upon the earth for the sake of the whole cosmos.

The author is out of town. Comments are welcome, but I will not be participating in blog conversation this week. Also, previous installments on Colossians 1 can be found here and here.