Preeminence of Christ

Jesus is preeminent over all creation, everything was created by him and for him. Jesus is preeminent over the church, his redeemed people whom he reconciled by his blood.

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Colossians 1:15-20

i He is the image of j the invisible God,

Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the God man,

k the firstborn of all creation.

preeminent over all creation.

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For by 1 him all things were created, l in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether m thrones or n dominions or rulers or authorities—

Because he created all things, all that is in heaven and on earth, everything that is visible and invisible, whether thrones or kingdoms or rulers or authorities-

all things were created o through him and for him.

everything was created by Jesus and for Jesus.

And p he is before all things,

He surpasses everything, (in terms of dignity and being eternal)

and in him all things q hold together.

and he is the sustainer of everything.

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And r he is the head of the body, the church.

And he is the head of the body, his redeemed people, the church.

He is s the beginning,

He is the beginning,

t the firstborn from the dead,

the first to resurrect from the dead,

that in everything he might be preeminent.

in order that he would be preeminent in everything.

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For u in him all the v fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

Because God, in all his fullness ,was delighted to dwell in him

and w through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven,

and to reconcile everything to himself, be it on earth or heaven,

x making peace y by the blood of his cross.

this was done through making peace by the blood of Jesus on the cross.

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Comments

Sujay Thomas

- 16a-b should be Id-Exp.
- 17 could be an Inference to 16, making 16 a Bilateral. But what you've done works.
- 18a should be a progression from 17
- 18b-20b is not a Ground. I don't think Paul was aiming for that. I think the Series relationship would work best.
- Similarly 19-20 isn't Ac-Pur, but Series. We cannot say that Jesus was God in order that he might reconcile all things. I get what you're trying to convey - that Jesus was God-made-flesh in order to reconcile 'flesh' to God, but I think Paul was saying this: "The fullness of God was pleased to: (1) dwell in him and (2) reconcile all things to himself by his death"

- An alternative way of seeing the passage would be to see the pattern a-b-a', like a burger (take this with a pinch of salt, for I maybe wrong):
+ Bun 15-17: Creator, Sustainer Jesus is the firstborn of Creation
+ Meat 18a: Jesus is the head of the church, the body
+ Bun 18b-20: Firstborn of Creation Jesus is God who redeemed all Creation

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