Jesus, writes the Apostle Paul, was fully Man and fully Divine.

The Apostle Paul opens up Colossians 2 with a declaration that Jesus, the young Rabbi that the Jewish Pharisees convinced the Roman authorities to put to death, and who it was claimed then rose again on the third day and ascended heaven, was in fact fully Divine. Paul says:

'For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form' (Col 2:9).

This is a reference to previous teaching in his letter to the Colossians that God is both transcendent and immanent - that He is paradoxically both far above us, and yet nearer to us than our own breathing - and that Christ is pre-eminent over the supernatural and the natural:

'The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross' (Col 1:15-20).

A pluralistic society

With each new race that arrived in Colossae, so a new religion, philosophy, and spirituality would arrive. As these races learnt to live together, so too did the religions, and as the races bred with each, so too did the religions. Not only were the core beliefs and philosophies being taught and followed, but also diluted and contaminated beliefs and philosophies. This was an incredibly pluralistic society, and into the mix was added Christianity.

God's immanence

It is no wonder, therefore, that the church Paul was writing to had lost its way slightly. The church in Colossae had lost sight of God’s nearness and was looking to fill the gap with other beliefs. They had so overstated their belief in God’s transcendence that they had missed out on His immanence. Furthermore they were undervaluing Jesus, and were placing him alongside other beings, idols and philosophies. This syncretism led to the church in Colossae having few clear doctrines and little distinction to their faith.

Placing Jesus at the centre

The failure to recognize Jesus as Divine led to a belief system similar to the one that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe and teach: that Jesus was simply a special created being. The truth that Paul was trying to reinforce is that Jesus was not only a being, but is THE being over all creation (Col 2:9-10).

For the Apostle Paul, the marker of whether a particular belief, religion, mode of teaching, philosophy, or even tradition, is not hollow, deceptive and based on the principles of the world, was simple. The marker was whether or not it recognized Jesus Christ, the man who was born incarnate of the virgin Mary, lived as a human, died a sinner’s death, rose again on the third day, and ascended into heaven, as Lord and King. Fully man and fully God. The Apostle Paul was urging people to place Jesus at the very centre.

Perhaps this extreme egalitarianism and syncretism is why Paul urged the church to continue to live in Him (Christ), rooted and built up in Him (v.6). I’m sure it is why Paul said ‘See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophies’ (v.8).

To discover more about Paul's teaching in Colossians, read Part Two: Jesus Is Not Enough