The Centrality of Jesus Christ

He rescued 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.
—Colossians 1:13–14

Someone has said, “Jesus Christ is the star of astronomy. He is the rock of geology. He is the lion and lamb of zoology. He is the healer of all diseases and the harmonizer of all discords. Great men in history have come and gone, but He lives on. Satan couldn’t seduce Him. Herod could not kill Him. Death could not destroy Him. And the grave could not hold Him. Praise God for Jesus Christ.” What a magnificent description of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet such a description pales in comparison to the description we’re going to see from Colossians 1.

This week, as the days draw near to Christmas, we are going to focus on Jesus Christ, the Creator, Originator, and Reconciler of all things. Now, the first fourteen verses of Colossians 1 are introductory. Paul expresses his excitement for what was happening in the Colossian church. He then prays for the Colossians, that they would have a knowledge of God’s will, that they would obey God’s commands, and that they would experience God’s power. And then when we come to verse 15, we are in the very heart of this letter.

The Colossian Christians were being tempted to embrace other belief systems. The temptation was not to discard Christianity but to add to Christianity. They were being told that Jesus Christ is important, but they needed something else or someone else. The false teachers said, “You need Jesus and this philosophy. You need Jesus and this thought system. You need Jesus and this experience.” “There’s nothing new under the sun,” as Solomon said (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Somebody once said that for the last two thousand years people have been trying to nail to the cross of Jesus Christ a sign that says, “Necessary but not enough.” Even today people continue to try to add to what Jesus Christ did for us. They say to be saved you need Jesus Christ and good works. Jesus Christ and baptism. Jesus Christ and some other philosophy. So the apostle Paul writes this letter to the Colossians as well as to all of us to say, “No. Jesus Christ is sufficient. He has sufficiently saved you. He has sufficiently secured you. He has sufficiently empowered you to live a victorious life. You need nothing and no one other than the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“How do I know that, Pastor?” you ask. “How do I know that Jesus is sufficient for my salvation?” Or maybe you are saying, “I’m already a believer, but I’m going through a trial right now in my life. How do I know that Jesus Christ is sufficient to carry me through that trial?” Well, Paul answers that question by showing how Jesus Christ is central to three important realms of this universe. And when you understand the centrality of Jesus Christ in these areas, you will understand why Jesus is sufficient for whatever need you are facing.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Jesus Christ: Creator, Originator, and Reconciler” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

 

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