I found this information in my dad’s study Bible and thought it would make a good post. We will be discussing the preeminence of Christ in the book of Colossians.
First off, what does the word ‘preeminence’ mean? According to Merriam-Webster, it means having paramount rank, dignity, or importance. Other synonyms of the word are outstanding, superiority, and supremacy.
As believers, we know that Christ is superior to all because He is God. So why would Paul stress this in his letter to the Colossian church? During the time frame that this letter was written, the idea of Gnosticism had crept up in the church. This was a movement that tried to marginalize Christ within the church. It was a mix of Jewish and Greek teachings, as well as some mysticism that tried to teach that Christ wasn’t God. They thought that there was a secret that needed to be revealed to the people in order to be saved and that receiving Christ wasn’t enough. They also believed that Christ was an angel. This is a blatant attack against the Gospel! As such, Paul wrote to the believers in the Colossae to remind them of the preeminence of Christ. He is God, there is no question.
We’ll do a little bit more of a deep dive into Colossians to see Paul’s examples. The examples of Christ’s preeminence are broken down into 5 sections, which will then be separated into 4 different posts for the month of September.
