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Writer's pictureBrandon Joyner

Clinging to the Preeminence of Christ

While I was in college, I would spend my summer and winter breaks working. During the summer, I would work for a company that would produce pool chemicals and distribute them to majority of the pools within the Northeast. The two main chemicals that I focused on bottling and packaging were chlorine and muriatic acid. When each chemical was by itself, it worked well. But the moment the chemicals intermixed, you had big problem on your hands.

So before we could switch out the chemicals, we had to flush all the lines with water, removing any chemical residue. On rare occasion, a little bit of acid would mix with the chlorine, resulting in a poisonous gas similar to mustard gas. When that happened, the warehouse had to be shut down and the entire place flushed with water. If one became exposed to the chemical mixture, it would result in severe burning of the eyes, lungs, and skin.


From a spiritual sense, many churches experience this same type of phenomenan today. The flippant view of God's Word allows false doctrine to creep into the church. Just like the mixture of chlorine and muriatic acid, when you take a little bit of bad and mix it with a lot of good, you still alter the integrity of the good. End result, poison.


In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul is writing to a church that allowed the false doctrine of their day creep into the church. In efforts to find satisfaction and security outside of Jesus Christ, they accepted the new ideas of Gnosticism and other philosophies. The Apostle writes to them in Colossians 2:1-3:


For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.


The Apostle Paul literally struggled with anxiety over the hearts of those in the church of Colossae due to their lack of discernment. Paul reminds them that as Christians, they have the full hidden treasure of all wisdom and knowledge residing in their hearts. There was no need to look anywhere else.


When we fail to look to Christ in all things. When we fail to look to Christ for our discernment and comfort. Then we fail, period. The overall point that the Apostle makes throughout the entire book of Colossians is that Christ is preeminent. In other words, Christ is superior; therefore, our identity rests in Christ.


Christian, may your heart cling to the preeminence of Christ. May you continuously grow in your faith so that we can discern between that which is godly and that which is not. The Apostle Paul tells us these things... lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. (vs. 4). Today, may we grow in grace.

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