The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 78

mnterial universe. We may linger on the exhnustlcss theme of the glory of Christ ns we sec further illustrations of it-- I. IN me nELATION TO THE CHURCH, 1. "He i3 tlie Ifead of the body, the OT,urch." For he is its Founder; the Church is his creation (Mau. xvi.18 • xviii.17-20). Havin" " 11II power m• h ea".en _an d earth" , h'1s glory and grace are so great ' that he ca.n sustaiu" '-l~o wh?lo ~hurch 1~ hfc, nnd rule and guide each member of it. Our life is bound up lnth his hfo; our interests nro mnde his own by the sympathy of our living Head. (Illustrate from Acts vii. 56; ix. 4; xviii. 0, 10; xxiii. 11; xxvii. 23, 24; 2 Tim. iv. 17, lt1.) 2." Wl10 is the Beginning "-the first in time and the first in power in relation to the Church. Because he is "the First and the La~t," "the Be!!innin"' of the creation of God," ho is nlso the Fountain," the Prince [or,' Author'] of life" (A~ts iii. 14) to bis Church. Every act of pardon granted, every shower of reviving grace bestowed, every interposition of Providence, is from him. (Illustrate from Jesus Christ's use of" I" ancl "mo" in John xiv.-xvi.) 3. "The Firstbornfrom the dead." He is the supreme Lord from among all who have entered the grave, by virtue of his being the first to rise to the new life from the dead. Note the contrast between the resurrection of Christ and of others. Dying voluntarily, though sinless (John x. 17, 18), he rose by his own power (John ii. 20), not to die again (R.om. vi. 9), in an immortal body (Rev. i. 18). 'l'hus he is the Cause, the Pledge, and the Pattern of our resurrection, and has supremacy over his Church in both worlds (Ilom. xiv. 0). Already we have seen that he is " Firstborn," and Lord of the mateiial creation ; and he has the same position in the spiritual creation, " that in all things he might have the pre-eminence." He is the Image and Manifestation of God, the First Cause and the Final Cause, the Creator and Preserver of the universe, the Head and Lord of the Church, the Author and Pattern of our glorious resurrection. Yes; and in all things he shall have the pre-eminence (Ps. lxxii. 17; 1 Cor. xv. 25). 'l'he day will come when commerce, science, art, literature, shall all be consecrated to him; when the minority shall become a majority, and an innumerable multitude shall "honour the Son even as they honour the Father" (John v. 23; Rev. vii. 9-17). II. IN HIS WORK As THE UNIVERSAL RECONCILER. Whichever of the alterndtive renderings of ver. 19 in the Revised Version we adopt, the precious pr::ictical truth is the same. 1'he pre-eminence of Christ is assured by "the fulness " that abicles in him. All the Divine perfections are bis (eh. ii. 9). We may take the term in its widest signification-a fulness of life and power and glory, of goodness and grace, without limit and without end. 1'hus the Man Christ Jeans, fnll of a Divine life (John iii. 34; v. 26), was qualified to be the Agent by which the great reconciliation in the universe should be accomplished (ver. 20). "'.!.'be well is deep;" the place is "holy ground." 'l'he reconciliation of "things npon the earth" is a mystery; how much more of" things in the heavens" I Notice: 1. Sin introduced discord into the universe, which spread to this earth. It not only separates men from God, but brings thereby calamities to "the whole creation." Sin left to itself works universal ruin ; "when it is full grown it bringeth forth death." God must stand in a different relation to sinners and to the unfallen. If the guilty are to be saved, a new relation must be established between them and God. This is" the reconciliation" (Rom. v. 11). 'l'he chauge in man's heart is a result, but the sequel of the change of relations established by "the reconciliation" (2 Uor. v. 18, 19). 2. To effect this reconcifri,tion a propitiatory sacrifice was nee,led. 'l'o show ~i~hteous _g_race to the guilty both the holiness and the love of God called for a D1nne sacrilice. No theory can fully clear up this myste1·y of Divine mercy; but faith accepts it and Christian experi- ence attests it (Luke vii. 35). No sacrifice less than "the death," " the blood of the cross," could effect this reconciliation (Rom. v. 6-10; 2 Cor. v. 21). 0 paradox of mercy! 1'be shedding of human blood stirs up strife; Cbrist's blood briui~ down peace. Innocent blood cries for vengeance; the blood of the cross pleads for pardon (Heh. xii. 24). 3. But what is meant by the reconciliation of the things in the heavens Y It is not universal restoration of the devils and the damnc,I; for J:'aul is speaking of what God has already_ done by the ~)ood of t!1e cross, and i~ ver. 23 he speaks of the final salvation of believers as cond1t1o~al. 'I he passage winch best il\ustratos ours is Eph. i. 10. We can only throw out hmts as to the mcanrng. \Ve know that cmgols are iutcusely interested in the work of reLbnption (Eph. iii. 10;  f2 THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. ( CH, I, 1-29.