February 2 | Colossians 1:18-20

---

DAILY READING

Colossians 1:18-20

---

REFLECTION

By Dave Mann

Preeminence

Today’s passage contains beautiful descriptions of the divinity of Jesus Christ.  Here are various aspects of Christ’s divine nature found in these verses.

• the head of the body, the church

• the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead

• in everything he has supremacy

• all God’s fullness dwells in Christ

• through Christ all things are reconciled to God

• peace-maker through his blood, shed on the cross

The third point above could benefit from a bit more explanation.  The key word the NIV uses is “supremacy.”  If you read this phrase in several translations, you will see that there are a variety of ways the Greek word is rendered.  When several translations have different ways of expressing a thought, that is a good indication that the word in the original language is profound, and it is hard to portray the entirety of the idea in one word in English.  It is not that one word is right and all the others are wrong.  It is rather that the original word is rich with multiple facets of meaning.  Here is the key phrase at the end of verse 18, as translated by six versions, each emphasizing a different part of this gem of Scripture.

• so that in everything he might have the supremacy (New International Version)

• that in everything he might be preeminent (English Standard Version)

• that in all things he might have the preeminence (King James Version)

• so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything (New American Standard Bible)

• that he might become in all [things] -- himself -- first (Young’s Literal Translation)

• so in everything he is most important (Easy-to-Read Version)

How might we allow this passage to take root in our hearts?  I can remember different times when the Holy Spirit called me to allow Christ to have first place in my life.  The Spirit helped me take a step toward a deeper devotion.  However, it often was the case that though I had opened a new aspect of my life to Christ’s control, he was still not first.  Christ had moved up to a higher level, but there were still other things that had a grip on my affections.  If I was honest, there were still additional steps to take before Christ would have the supremacy, become preeminent, have the preeminence, have first place, become first, or be most important in my life.

I wonder if life is a series of steps, allowing Christ to have more of us each time.  We may never arrive at the point where Christ is truly preeminent – that is, until we arrive at perfect sanctification when we stand before Jesus, and God’s presence transforms us into the likeness of his Son (1 John 3:2).  May that day come quickly.

PRAYER

Lord God, I am struck by the beauty of your written Word, as you inspired the human authors to describe the Lord Jesus.  I long for the day when you so inspire me to allow Christ to have his rightful place in my heart – first in everything.  May the Day quickly come when I stand face to face with Jesus, and his character has forever sealed his preeminence in my heart and in all the world, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of seven. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.