Podcasts about one lord

ਗੂਜਰੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ਘਰੁ ੨ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ਹਰਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਜੀਅਰਾ ਰਹਿ ਨ ਸਕੈ ਜਿਉ ਬਾਲਕੁ ਖੀਰ ਅਧਾਰੀ ॥ ਅਗਮ ਅਗੋਚਰ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪਾਈਐ ਅਪੁਨੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਮਨ ਰੇ ਹਰਿ ਕੀਰਤਿ ਤਰੁ ਤਾਰੀ ॥ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਜਲੁ ਪਾਈਐ ਜਿਨ ਕਉ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਤੁਮਾਰੀ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਸਨਕ ਸਨੰਦਨ ਨਾਰਦ ਮੁਨਿ ਸੇਵਹਿ ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਜਪਤ ਰਹਹਿ ਬਨਵਾਰੀ ॥ਸਰਣਾਗਤਿ ਪ੍ਰਹਲਾਦ ਜਨ ਆਏ ਤਿਨ ਕੀ ਪੈਜ ਸਵਾਰੀ ॥੨॥ ਅਲਖ ਨਿਰੰਜਨੁ ਏਕੋ ਵਰਤੈ ਏਕਾ ਜੋਤਿ ਮੁਰਾਰੀ ॥ ਸਭਿ ਜਾਚਿਕ ਤੂ ਏਕੋ ਦਾਤਾ ਮਾਗਹਿ ਹਾਥ ਪਸਾਰੀ ॥੩॥ ਭਗਤ ਜਨਾ ਕੀ ਊਤਮ ਬਾਣੀ ਗਾਵਹਿ ਅਕਥ ਕਥਾ ਨਿਤ ਨਿਆਰੀ ॥ ਸਫਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਭਇਆ ਤਿਨ ਕੇਰਾ ਆਪਿ ਤਰੇ ਕੁਲ ਤਾਰੀ ॥੪॥ ਮਨਮੁਖ ਦੁਬਿਧਾ ਦੁਰਮਤਿ ਬਿਆਪੇ ਜਿਨ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਮੋਹ ਗੁਬਾਰੀ ॥ ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਕੀ ਕਥਾ ਨ ਭਾਵੈ ਓਇ ਡੂਬੇ ਸਣੁ ਪਰਵਾਰੀ ॥੫॥ ਨਿੰਦਕੁ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਕਰਿ ਮਲੁ ਧੋਵੈ ਓਹੁ ਮਲਭਖੁ ਮਾਇਆਧਾਰੀ ॥ ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਕੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਵਿਆਪੇ ਨਾ ਉਰਵਾਰਿ ਨ ਪਾਰੀ ॥੬॥ ਏਹੁ ਪਰਪੰਚੁ ਖੇਲੁ ਕੀਆ ਸਭੁ ਕਰਤੈ ਹਰਿ ਕਰਤੈ ਸਭ ਕਲ ਧਾਰੀ ॥ ਹਰਿ ਏਕੋ ਸੂਤੁ ਵਰਤੈ ਜੁਗ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਸੂਤੁ ਖਿੰਚੈ ਏਕੰਕਾਰੀ ॥੭॥ ਰਸਨਿ ਰਸਨਿ ਰਸਿ ਗਾਵਹਿ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਰਸਨਾ ਹਰਿ ਰਸੁ ਧਾਰੀ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਮਾਗਉ ਹਰਿ ਰਸ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਪਿਆਰੀ ॥੮॥੧॥੭॥English TranslationGUJRI, FOURTH MEHL, SECOND HOUSE:ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU:Without the Lord, my soul cannot survive, like an infant without milk. The inaccessible and incomprehensible Lord God is obtained by the Gurmukh; I am a sacrifice to my True Guru. || 1 || O my mind, the Kirtan of the Lord's Praise is a boat to carry you across. The Gurmukhs obtain the Ambrosial Water of the Naam, the Name of the Lord. You bless them with Your Grace. || Pause || Sanak, Sanandan and Naarad the sage serve You; night and day, they continue to chant Your Name, O Lord of the jungle. Slave Prahlaad sought Your Sanctuary, and You saved his honor. || 2 || The One unseen immaculate Lord is pervading everywhere, as is the Light of the Lord. All are beggars, You alone are the Great Giver. Reaching out our hands, we beg from You. || 3 || The speech of the humble devotees is sublime; they sing continually the wondrous, Unspoken Speech of the Lord. Their lives become fruitful; they save themselves, and all their generations. || 4 || The self-willed manmukhs are engrossed in duality and evil-mindedness; within them is the darkness of attachment. They do not love the sermon of the humble Saints, and they are drowned along with their families. || 5 || By slandering, the slanderer washes the filth off others; he is an eater of filth, and a worshipper of Maya. He indulges in the slander of the humble Saints; he is neither on this shore, nor the shore beyond. || 6 || All this worldly drama is set in motion by the Creator Lord; He has infused His almighty strength into all. The thread of the One Lord runs through the world; when He pulls out this thread, the One Creator alone remains. || 7 || With their tongues, they sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and savor Them. They place the sublime essence of the Lord upon their tongues, and savor it. O Nanak, other than the Lord, I ask for nothing else; I am in love with the Love of the Lord's sublime essence. || 8 || 1 || 7 ||

Welcome to Bible Bedtime. Tonight I will read Eph 4. After that, I will read from the Psalms and finish with the Lord's Prayer and my own prayer of dedication.Our email is BibleBedtimePodcast@gmail.com, or you can join us on Facebook! If you would like to join our Patreon group for $1-$5 a month, you can listen to all episodes - including extended episodes of full books of the Bible.You can also send a small donation to us on Venmo @Biblebedtime. All your support goes to offset the costs of doing the podcast and are ALWAYS appreciated but NEVER expected.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/biblebedtime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(This podcast was previously recorded and published on December 13, 2020)   Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...   People think they witness to God when they tell the name of the church they attend.  But when a person does this, he shows he is carnal and he brings division to the body of Christ according to the apostle Paul.   I Corinthians 3:1-4  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?   If we speak of God, we should speak of that which God has done with us or of that which God has said to us.   (They don't do that!  They speak of their church and love to tell where they go to church.  They think they witness to God when really they are promoting their church group.)   If we feel we have to identify ourselves, we should just say, "I am a Christian."   Ephesians 4:3-6   3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.   4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;   5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,   6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.  

2025 marks the 1700th Anniversary of the formulation of the Council of Nicaea, which was a theological council to address theological issues in the churches around the world. The Council delivered to us a formulation of the Nicene Creed which is a summary of the New Testament priorities about the Christian faith. Through various Biblical passages, we are going to consider the points of the Nicene Creed hoping to discover the essential uniting truths of the Christian faith in order to make life decisions based upon Christian convictions that may challenge cultural interpretations and assumptions.

Sermon: Magkaisa Para Kay Kristo: All for One Lord, All for His Kingdom! Series: God's Perfect Servant Speaker: Ptr. Allan Rillera Scripture: Mark 9:38-41 Huwag nating ituring na kalaban sa pagpapalaganap ng Gospel ang ibang mga ministry o simbahan. Hindi tayo dapat mainggit sa kanilang tagumpay; sa halip, makiisa tayo sa kanilang kagalakan habang patuloy nilang ibinabahagi ang mensahe ni Kristo.Ngayong Linggo, hinihikayat tayo ni Ptr. Allan Rillera na ituon ang ating pansin sa pagtatag ng Kaharian ng Diyos—isang kahariang para sa lahat at walang itinatangi. Tunay na ginagantimpalaan ng Diyos ang bawat pagsisikap na iniaalay sa Ngalan ni Jesus. Let us not regard other ministries and churches as our competition in the Gospel. We should not envy their success; instead, we should rejoice with them as they work to share the message of Christ. This Sunday, Pastor Allan Rillera urges us to focus on building God's Kingdom without borders or bias. God rewards every effort made in the Name of Jesus. Sermon Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lDx9r6enOvMeAFoBZf3nw8NpeN38sQ3z/view?usp=drive_link On our website: https://cbcp.org/blog/2025/10/26/magkaisa-para-kay-kristo-all-for-one-lord-all-for-his-kingdom/ Join a Life Group: https://cbcp.org/lifegroups Find an event: https://cbcp.org/events Learn how to give: https://cbcp.org/giving Website: https://cbcp.org Facebook: https://facebook.com/cbcponline YouTube: https://youtube.com/cbcponline Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cbcponline Instagram: https://instagram.com/cbcponline

Jesus is largely accepted as a real human being that walked the earth and died. Belief that Jesus existed doesn't make you a Christian. Instead, Christians believe the Jesus is not only our savior, but our king. He is the sovereign ruler of the universe.

2025 marks the 1700th Anniversary of the formulation of the Council of Nicaea, which was a theological council to address theological issues in the churches around the world. The Council delivered to us a formulation of the Nicene Creed which is a summary of the New Testament priorities about the Christian faith. Through various Biblical passages, we are going to consider the points of the Nicene Creed hoping to discover the essential uniting truths of the Christian faith in order to make life decisions based upon Christian convictions that may challenge cultural interpretations and assumptions.

Here, the creed starts to focus on the theological controversy of the day: who and what exactly is Jesus?

Homily for the 28th Sunday of the Year (C)

2025 marks the 1700th Anniversary of the formulation of the Council of Nicaea, which was a theological council to address theological issues in the churches around the world. The Council delivered to us a formulation of the Nicene Creed which is a summary of the New Testament priorities about the Christian faith. Through various Biblical passages, we are going to consider the points of the Nicene Creed hoping to discover the essential uniting truths of the Christian faith in order to make life decisions based upon Christian convictions that may challenge cultural interpretations and assumptions.

https://rumble.com/v70dtqq-16-oct-25-jesus-911-one-lord-one-faith-one-church.html Today's Topics: 1, 2) Paul Clay interviews Jesse on his book: One Lord, One Faith, One Church - An Inconvenient Truth https://sophiainstitute.com/product/one-lord-one-faith-one-church/ 3, 4) Paul Hawkins on the 14 October 2024 "Beads for Babies" 14 mile walk from one abortuary  to another, praying the Rosary in public, with a 30 foot rosary and holding signs which read "NO on Prop 139." How to sign up

10/12/2025 If the Father is the Divine Mind, the Son is the Divine Word. The Word emanates from the Mind, but the Mind is also realized in The Word.

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”, He was asking the single most important question that can be asked of every human. In 325 AD, that question became front and center for the early church. The core dispute at Nicaea involved the nature of Jesus Christ. If there is only one God, how could both the Father and Jesus the Son be truly divine? The group following the Biship named Arias did not believe Jesus was God in the same way and with the same substance as the Father. They believed the language about Jesus being begotten by God implied that he was the ultimate created being, but creature none the less. This group declared, “There was a time when he (Jesus) was not.” The church leaders at Nicaea boldly rejected this view, affirming the deity of Jesus. God of God, light of light, very God of very God! This deity of Jesus was not a new belief invented at this gathering; rather, it was the affirmation of three centuries of Christian doctrine taught in the New Testament and affirmed by the early church. Today, the Scripture text will reveal that the fullness of God dwelt in Jesus, and that all things were created by, through, and for Him.

Christian Franklin continues our journey through the Nicene Creed with part 4: One Lord, Jesus Christ. This series is based on the book 'What's a Christian, Anyway?' by Glenn Packiam. Sunday September 28th, 2025.

We're continuing our series in Acts at the 4:30pm Service and this Sunday, Senior Pastor, Sam Williamson, is preaching on Acts 8:14-25 - One Church, One Spirit, One Lord

Lesson presented at The Crossings Church Collinsville in Collinsville, IL – a non-denominational church that meets Sunday mornings at 2002 Mall Street, Collinsville, IL just outside of St. Louis. For more like this, visit the sermons page at https://crossingscollinsville.com/ The post Wes Woodell – One Lord appeared first on The Crossings Church Collinsville.

The Nicene Creed continued:who is Jesus? John 1:1-14

Exodus 3:13-17; Psalm 2; Hebrews 1:1-14; John 8:42-59

In this week's sermon, we discuss the "Shemah" in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. We look at how we listen and love, and how this affects who we are and what we do. We're glad that you made it to this sermon! We are also available on Youtube. For more information on our worship services or church as a whole, visit fbcwest.com

Message from Rev. Dr. John Yates III on August 24, 2025

In this sermon, from 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1, we'll learn that God expects our full devotion and worship. He is a jealous God and doesn't want to share us with demons who are found in the idolatries of the world. While we have freedom in Christ, we are called to serve Him and others, not to be served. In everything we do, we are to do it for the glory of God.

ਸਲੋਕੁ ਮਃ ੩ ॥ਭਰਮਿ ਭੁਲਾਈ ਸਭੁ ਜਗੁ ਫਿਰੀ ਫਾਵੀ ਹੋਈ ਭਾਲਿ ॥ ਸੋ ਸਹੁ ਸਾਂਤਿ ਨ ਦੇਵਈ ਕਿਆ ਚਲੈ ਤਿਸੁ ਨਾਲਿ ॥ ਗੁਰ ਪਰਸਾਦੀ ਹਰਿ ਧਿਆਈਐ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਰਖੀਐ ਉਰ ਧਾਰਿ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਘਰਿ ਬੈਠਿਆ ਸਹੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਜਾ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕੀਤੀ ਕਰਤਾਰਿ ॥੧॥ ਮਃ ੩ ॥ ਧੰਧਾ ਧਾਵਤ ਦਿਨੁ ਗਇਆ ਰੈਣਿ ਗਵਾਈ ਸੋਇ ॥ ਕੂੜੁ ਬੋਲਿ ਬਿਖੁ ਖਾਇਆ ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਚਲਿਆ ਰੋਇ ॥ ਸਿਰੈ ਉਪਰਿ ਜਮ ਡੰਡੁ ਹੈ ਦੂਜੈ ਭਾਇ ਪਤਿ ਖੋਇ ॥ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਦੇ ਨ ਚੇਤਿਓ ਫਿਰਿ ਆਵਣ ਜਾਣਾ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਗੁਰ ਪਰਸਾਦੀ ਹਰਿ ਮਨਿ ਵਸੈ ਜਮ ਡੰਡੁ ਨ ਲਾਗੈ ਕੋਇ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਹਜੇ ਮਿਲਿ ਰਹੈ ਕਰਮਿ ਪਰਾਪਤਿ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥ ਪਉੜੀ ॥ ਇਕਿ ਆਪਣੀ ਸਿਫਤੀ ਲਾਇਅਨੁ ਦੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮਤੀ ॥ ਇਕਨਾ ਨੋ ਨਾਉ ਬਖਸਿਓਨੁ ਅਸਥਿਰੁ ਹਰਿ ਸਤੀ ॥ ਪਉਣੁ ਪਾਣੀ ਬੈਸੰਤਰੋ ਹੁਕਮਿ ਕਰਹਿ ਭਗਤੀ ॥ ਏਨਾ ਨੋ ਭਉ ਅਗਲਾ ਪੂਰੀ ਬਣਤ ਬਣਤੀ ॥ ਸਭੁ ਇਕੋ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਵਰਤਦਾ ਮੰਨਿਐ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਈ ॥੩॥ਸ਼ੁੱਕਰਵਾਰ, ੩੧ ਸਾਵਣ (ਸੰਮਤ ੫੫੭ ਨਾਨਕਸ਼ਾਹੀ)(ਅੰਗ: ੯੪੭)ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿਆਖਿਆਭੁਲੇਖੇ ਵਿਚ ਭੁੱਲੀ ਹੋਈ ਮੈਂ (ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਨੂੰ ਲੱਭਣ ਵਾਸਤੇ) ਸਾਰਾ ਜਗਤ ਭਵੀਂ ਤੇ ਢੂੰਢ ਢੂੰਢ ਕੇ ਖਪ ਗਈ, (ਪਰ ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ) ਉਹ ਖਸਮ (ਪ੍ਰਭੂ) (ਹਿਰਦੇ ਵਿਚ) ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਦੇਂਦਾ, ਉਹ ਨਾਲ ਕੋਈ ਜ਼ੋਰ ਨਹੀਂ ਚੱਲ ਸਕਦਾ ।(ਪਰ, ਹਾਂ) ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਦੀ ਮੇਹਰ ਨਾਲ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਸਿਮਰਿਆ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ ਤੇ ਹਿਰਦੇ ਦੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ । ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! (ਗੁਰੂ ਦੀ ਮੇਹਰ ਨਾਲ) ਮੈਂ ਘਰ ਵਿਚ ਬੈਠਿਆਂ ਖਸਮ ਲੱਭ ਲਿਆ ਜਦੋਂ ਕਰਤਾਰ ਨੇ (ਮੇਰੇ ਉਤੇ) ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕੀਤੀ (ਤੇ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਿਲਾਇਆ) ।੧।ਜੋ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਆਪਣੇ ਮਨ ਦੇ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਤੁਰਦਾ ਹੈ ਉਸ ਦਾ (ਸਾਰਾ) ਦਿਨ (ਦੁਨੀਆ ਦੇ) ਧੰਧਿਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਭਟਕਦਿਆਂ ਬੀਤ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਤੇ ਰਾਤ ਨੂੰ ਉਹ ਸੌਂ ਕੇ ਗੰਵਾ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ, (ਇਹਨਾਂ ਧੰਧਿਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਪਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ) ਝੂਠ ਬੋਲ ਕੇ ਜ਼ਹਿਰ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ (ਭਾਵ, ਦੁਨੀਆ ਦੇ ਪਦਾਰਥ ਮਾਣਦਾ ਹੈ) ਤੇ (ਅੰਤ ਨੂੰ ਏਥੋਂ) ਰੋ ਕੇ ਤੁਰ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ; ਉਸ ਦੇ ਸਿਰ ਉਤੇ ਮੌਤ ਦਾ ਡੰਡਾ (ਤਿਆਰ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ) ਹੈ, (ਭਾਵ, ਹਰ ਵੇਲੇ ਮੌਤ ਤੋਂ ਡਰਦਾ ਹੈ), (ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਨੂੰ ਵਿਸਾਰ ਕੇ) ਹੋਰ ਵਿਚ ਪਿਆਰ ਦੇ ਕਾਰਣ (ਆਪਣੀ) ਇੱਜ਼ਤ ਗੰਵਾ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ; ਉਸ ਨੇ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਤਾਂ ਕਦੇ ਯਾਦ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੁੰਦਾ (ਇਸ ਲਈ) ਮੁੜ ਮੁੜ ਜਨਮ ਮਰਨ ਦਾ ਗੇੜ (ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਨਸੀਬ) ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ।(ਪਰ ਜਿਸ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਦੇ) ਮਨ ਵਿਚ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਦੀ ਮੇਹਰ ਨਾਲ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਵੱਸਦਾ ਹੈ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਕੋਈ ਮੌਤ ਦਾ ਡੰਡਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਲੱਗਦਾ (ਭਾਵ, ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਮੌਤ ਡਰਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਸਕਦੀ) ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! ਉਹ ਅਡੋਲ ਅਵਸਥਾ ਵਿਚ ਟਿਕਿਆ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ (ਇਹ ਅਵਸਥਾ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ) ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦੀ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਨਾਲ ਮਿਲ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ ।੨।(ਇਸ “ਵੇਕੀ ਸ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ” ਵਿਚ, ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਨੇ) ਕਈ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਦੀ ਮੱਤ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਆਪਣੀ ਸਿਫ਼ਤਿ-ਸਾਲਾਹ ਵਿਚ ਲਾਇਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੈ, ਕਈ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਦਾ ਕਾਇਮ ਰਹਿਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਹਰੀ ਨੇ ਆਪਣਾ ਸਦਾ-ਥਿਰ ਰਹਿਣ ਵਾਲਾ ‘ਨਾਮ' ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੈ ।ਹਵਾ, ਪਾਣੀ, ਅੱਗ (ਆਦਿਕ ਤੱਤ ਭੀ) ਉਸ ਦੇ ਹੁਕਮ ਵਿਚ ਤੁਰ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਭਗਤੀ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ, ਇਹਨਾਂ (ਤੱਤਾਂ) ਨੂੰ ਉਸ ਮਾਲਕ ਦਾ ਬੜਾ ਡਰ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ, (ਸੋ, ਜਗਤ ਦੀ ਕਿਆ ਅਸਚਰਜ) ਮੁਕੰਮਲ ਬਣਤਰ ਬਣੀ ਹੋਈ ਹੈ, ਹਰ ਥਾਂ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦਾ ਹੀ ਹੁਕਮ ਚੱਲ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ । (ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦੇ ਹੁਕਮ ਨੂੰ) ਮੰਨਿਆਂ (ਭਾਵ, ਹੁਕਮ ਵਿਚ ਤੁਰਿਆਂ ਹੀ) ਸੁਖ ਪਾਈਦਾ ਹੈ ।੩।English TranslationSHALOK, THIRD MEHL:Deluded by doubt, I wandered over the whole world. Searching, I became frustrated. My Husband Lord has not blessed me with peace and tranquility; what will work with Him? By Guru's Grace, I meditate on the Lord; I enshrine Him deep within my heart. O Nanak, seated in his her own home, she finds her Husband Lord, when the Creator Lord grants His Grace. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: Chasing after worldly affairs, the day is wasted, and the night passes in sleep. Speaking lies, one eats poison; the self-willed manmukh departs, crying out in pain. The Mesenger of Death holds his club over the mortal's head; in the love of duality, he loses his honor. He never even thinks of the Name of the Lord; over and over again, he comes and goes in reincarnation. But if, by Guru's Grace, the Lord's Name comes to dwell in his mind, then the Messenger of Death will not strike him down with his club. Then, O Nanak, he merges intuitively into the Lord, receiving His Grace. || 2 || PAUREE: Some are linked to His Praises, when the Lord blesses them with the Guru's Teachings. Some are blessed with the Name of the eternal, unchanging True Lord. Water, air and fire, by His Will, worship Him. They are held in the Fear of God; He has formed the perfect form. The Hukam, the Command of the One Lord is all-pervasive; accepting it, peace is found. || 3 ||

ਰਾਮਕਲੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ਦਖਣੀ ਓਅੰਕਾਰੁੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ਰੋਸੁ ਨ ਕੀਜੈ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਪੀਜੈ ਰਹਣੁ ਨਹੀ ਸੰਸਾਰੇ ॥ ਰਾਜੇ ਰਾਇ ਰੰਕ ਨਹੀ ਰਹਣਾ ਆਇ ਜਾਇ ਜੁਗ ਚਾਰੇ ॥ ਰਹਣ ਕਹਣ ਤੇ ਰਹੈ ਨ ਕੋਈ ਕਿਸੁ ਪਹਿ ਕਰਉ ਬਿਨੰਤੀ ॥ ਏਕੁ ਸਬਦੁ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮ ਨਿਰੋਧਰੁ ਗੁਰੁ ਦੇਵੈ ਪਤਿ ਮਤੀ ॥੧੧॥ ਲਾਜ ਮਰੰਤੀ ਮਰਿ ਗਈ ਘੂਘਟੁ ਖੋਲਿ ਚਲੀ ॥ ਸਾਸੁ ਦਿਵਾਨੀ ਬਾਵਰੀ ਸਿਰ ਤੇ ਸੰਕ ਟਲੀ ॥ ਪ੍ਰੇਮਿ ਬੁਲਾਈ ਰਲੀ ਸਿਉ ਮਨ ਮਹਿ ਸਬਦੁ ਅਨੰਦੁ ॥ ਲਾਲਿ ਰਤੀ ਲਾਲੀ ਭਈ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਭਈ ਨਿਚਿੰਦੁ ॥੧੨॥ ਲਾਹਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਰਤਨੁ ਜਪਿ ਸਾਰੁ ॥ ਲਬੁ ਲੋਭੁ ਬੁਰਾ ਅਹੰਕਾਰੁ ॥ ਲਾੜੀ ਚਾੜੀ ਲਾਇਤਬਾਰੁ ॥ ਮਨਮੁਖੁ ਅੰਧਾ ਮੁਗਧੁ ਗਵਾਰੁ ॥ ਲਾਹੇ ਕਾਰਣਿ ਆਇਆ ਜਗਿ ॥ ਹੋਇ ਮਜੂਰੁ ਗਇਆ ਠਗਾਇ ਠਗਿ ॥ ਲਾਹਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਪੂੰਜੀ ਵੇਸਾਹੁ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਚੀ ਪਤਿ ਸਚਾ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹੁ ॥੧੩॥ ਆਇ ਵਿਗੂਤਾ ਜਗੁ ਜਮ ਪੰਥੁ ॥ ਆਈ ਨ ਮੇਟਣ ਕੋ ਸਮਰਥੁ ॥ ਆਥਿ ਸੈਲ ਨੀਚ ਘਰਿ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਆਥਿ ਦੇਖਿ ਨਿਵੈ ਜਿਸੁ ਦੋਇ ॥ ਆਥਿ ਹੋਇ ਤਾ ਮੁਗਧੁ ਸਿਆਨਾ ॥ ਭਗਤਿ ਬਿਹੂਨਾ ਜਗੁ ਬਉਰਾਨਾ ॥ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਵਰਤੈ ਏਕੋ ਸੋਇ ॥ ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰੇ ਤਿਸੁ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਹੋਇ ॥੧੪॥ ਜੁਗਿ ਜੁਗਿ ਥਾਪਿ ਸਦਾ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ॥ ਜਨਮਿ ਮਰਣਿ ਨਹੀ ਧੰਧਾ ਧੈਰੁ ॥ ਜੋ ਦੀਸੈ ਸੋ ਆਪੇ ਆਪਿ ॥ ਆਪਿ ਉਪਾਇ ਆਪੇ ਘਟ ਥਾਪਿ ॥ ਆਪਿ ਅਗੋਚਰੁ ਧੰਧੈ ਲੋਈ ॥ ਜੋਗ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਜਗਜੀਵਨੁ ਸੋਈ ॥ ਕਰਿ ਆਚਾਰੁ ਸਚੁ ਸੁਖੁ ਹੋਈ ॥ ਨਾਮ ਵਿਹੂਣਾ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਕਿਵ ਹੋਈ ॥੧੫॥English TranslationRAAMKALEE, FIRST MEHL, DAKHANEE, ONKAAR:ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU:Don't be angry — drink in the Ambrosial Nectar; you shall not remain in this world forever. The ruling kings and the paupers shall not remain; they come and go, throughout the four ages. Everyone says that they will remain, but none of them remain; unto whom should I offer my prayer? The One Shabad, the Name of the Lord, will never fail you; the Guru grants honor and understanding. || 11 || My shyness and hesitation have died and gone, and I walk with my face unveiled. The confusion and doubt from my crazy, insane mother-in-law has been removed from over my head. My Beloved has summoned me with joyful caresses; my mind is filled with the bliss of the Shabad. Imbued with the Love of my Beloved, I have become Gurmukh, and carefree. || 12 || Chant the jewel of the Naam, and earn the profit of the Lord. Greed, avarice, evil and egotism; slander, inuendo and gossip; the self-willed manmukh is blind, foolish and ignorant. For the sake of earning the profit of the Lord, the mortal comes into the world. But he becomes a mere slave laborer, and is mugged by the mugger, Maya. One who earns the profit of the Naam, with the capital of faith, O Nanak, is truly honored by the True Supreme King. || 13 || The world is ruined on the path of Death. No one has the power to erase Maya's influence. If wealth visits the home of the lowliest clown, seeing that wealth, all pay their respects to him. Even an idiot is thought of as clever, if he is rich. Without devotional worship, the world is insane. The One Lord is contained among all. He reveals Himself, unto those whom He blesses with His Grace. || 14 || Throughout the ages, the Lord is eternally established; He has no vengeance. He is not subject to birth and death; He is not entangled in worldly affairs. Whatever is seen, is the Lord Himself. Creating Himself, He establishes Himself in the heart. He Himself is unfathomable; He links people to their affairs. He is the Way of Yoga, the Life of the World. Living a righteous lifestyle, true peace is found. Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, how can anyone find liberation? || 15 ||

Spencer (@thebasementgamr) and Shelby (@shelbylynnlives) discuss the need to save digital media and where the line maybe should be drawn on personal collections.

How should we understand the words, “in him all things were created” in Col 1.16? Although commonly taken to mean Christ created the universe, this view has contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. In what follows I’ll name six problems with old-creation readings before laying out why a new creation approach makes sense. I presented this talk at the 2025 Unitarian Christian Alliance (UCA) conference in Uxbridge, England. Scroll down to see the full-length paper. For those listening to the audio, here’s a quick reference to Colossians 1.15-20 Strophe 1 (Col 1.15-18a) 15a      who is (the) image of the invisible God, 15b      firstborn of all creation 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him 17a      and he is before all things 17b      and all things hold together in him 18a      and he is the head of the body of the Church,[12] Strophe 2 (Col 1.18b-20) 18b      who is (the) beginning, 18c      firstborn from the dead, 18d                  in order that he may be first in all things, 19        for in him was pleased all the fulness to dwell 20a      and through him to reconcile all things in him, 20b      making peace through the blood of his cross 20c                  whether the things upon the earth 20d                  or the things in the heavens Here’s Randy Leedy’s New Testament Diagram Here are the slides in the original PowerPoint format Download [13.82 MB] Here are the slides converted to PDF Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab Download [3.16 MB] To read the paper, simply scroll down or read it on Academia.edu.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out these other papers by Sean Finnegan Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Below is the paper presented on July 25, 2025 in Uxbridge, England at the 2nd annual UCA UK Conference. Access this paper on Academia.edu to get the pdf. Full text is below, including bibliography and end notes. Colossians 1.16: Old Creation or New Creation? by Sean P. Finnegan Abstract  How should we understand the words, “in him all things were created” in Col 1.16? Although commonly taken to mean Christ created the universe, this view has contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. In what follows, I will explain the difficulties with the various old creation readings of Col 1.16 along with five reasons for a new creation approach. Then I'll provide a new creation reading of Col 1.16 before summarizing my findings in the conclusion. Introduction  Colossians 1.15-20 is a fascinating text of great importance for Christology. Commonly understood to be a hymn, it is fascinating in its cosmic scope and elevated Christology. Although many commentators interpret Paul[1] to say that Christ created the universe in his pre-existent state in Col 1.16, not all scholars see it that way. For example, Edward Schillebeeckx writes, “There is no mention in this text of pre-existence in the Trinitarian sense.”[2] Rather he sees “an eschatological pre-existence, characteristic of wisdom and apocalyptic.”[3] G. B. Caird agreed that Paul's focus in Col. 1.15-20 was not pre-existence (contra Lightfoot), rather, “The main thread of Paul's thought, then, is the manhood of Christ.”[4] In other words, “All that has been said in vv. 15-18 can be said of the historical Jesus.”[5] James Dunn also denied that Paul saw Christ as God's agent in creation in Col 1.15-20, claiming that such an interpretation was “to read imaginative metaphor in a pedantically literal way.”[6] James McGrath argued that “Jesus is the one through whom God's new creation takes place.” [7] Andrew Perriman likewise noted, “There is no reference to the creation of heaven and earth, light and darkness, sea and dry land, lights in the heavens, vegetation, or living creatures,”[8] also preferring a new creation approach.[9] To understand why such a broad range of scholars diverge from the old creation interpretation of Col 1.16, we will examine several contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. While explaining these, I'll also put forward four reasons to interpret Col 1.16 as new creation. Then I'll provide a fifth before giving a new creation reading of Col 1.15-20. But before going any further, let's familiarize ourselves with the text and structure. The Form of Col 1.15-20  To get our bearings, let me begin by providing a translation,[10] carefully structured to show the two strophes.[11] Strophe 1 (Col 1.15-18a) 15a      who is (the) image of the invisible God, 15b      firstborn of all creation 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him 17a      and he is before all things 17b      and all things hold together in him 18a      and he is the head of the body of the Church,[12] Strophe 2 (Col 1.18b-20) 18b      who is (the) beginning, 18c      firstborn from the dead, 18d                  in order that he may be first in all things, 19        for in him was pleased all the fulness to dwell 20a      and through him to reconcile all things in him, 20b      making peace through the blood of his cross 20c                  whether the things upon the earth 20d                  or the things in the heavens Here I've followed the two-strophe structure (1.15-18a and 18b-20) noted more than a century ago by the classical philologist Eduard Norden[13] and repeated by James Robinson,[14] Edward Lohse,[15] Edward Schweizer,[16] James Dunn,[17] Ben Witherington III,[18] and William Lane[19] among others. By lining up the parallel lines of the two strophes, we can clearly see the poetic form. Strophe 1 15a who is (the) image… 15b firstborn of all creation 16a for in him were created all things… 16e  all things have been created through him… Strophe 2 18b who is (the) beginning, 18c firstborn from the dead … 19 for in him was pleased all… 20a and through him to reconcile all things in him… Such striking repeated language between the two strophes means that we should be careful to maintain the parallels between them and not take a grammatical or exegetical position on a word or phrase that would disconnect it from the parallel line in the other strophe. Some scholars, including F. F. Bruce,[20] Michael Bird,[21] David Pao,[22] among others proposed vv. 17-18a as an independent transitional link between the two strophes. Lohse explained the motivation for this unlikely innovation as follows. Above all, it is curious that at the end of the first, cosmologically oriented strophe, Christ is suddenly referred to as the “head of the body, the church” (1:18a κεφαλή τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας). Considering its content, this statement would have to be connected with the second strophe which is characterized by soteriological statements. The structure of the hymn, however, places it in the first strophe.[23] For interpreters who prefer to think of the first strophe as cosmogony and the second as soteriology, a line about Christ's headship over the church doesn't fit very well. They restructure the form based on their interpretation of the content. Such a policy reverses the order of operations. One should determine the form and then interpret the content in light of structure. Lohse was right to reject the addition of a new transitional bridge between the two strophes. He called it “out of the question” since vv. 17-18a underscore “all things” and “serve as a summary that brings the first strophe to a conclusion.”[24] Now that we've oriented ourselves to some degree, let's consider old creation readings of Col 1.16 and the problems that arise when reading it that way. Old Creation Readings  Within the old creation paradigm for Col 1.16 we can discern three groups: those who see (A) Christ as the agent by whom God created, (B) Wisdom as the agent, and (C) Christ as the purpose of creation. Although space won't allow me to interact with each of these in detail, I will offer a brief critique of these three approaches. As a reminder, here is our text in both Greek and English. Colossians 1.16 16a      ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα 16b                  ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, 16c                  τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, 16d                  εἴτε θρόνοι εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· 16e      τὰ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται· 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him 1. Christ as the Agent of Creation Scot McKnight is representative in his claim that “The emphasis of the first stanza is Christ as the agent of creation … and the second is Christ as the agent of redemption.”[25] This view sees the phrase “in him were created all things” as Christ creating the universe in the beginning. However, this position has six problems with it. Firstly, the context of the poem—both before (vv. 13-14) and after (vv. 21-22)—is clearly soteriological not cosmogonical.[26] By inserting vv. 15-20 into the text after vv. 13-14, Paul connected the two together.[27] V. 15 begins with ὅς ἐστιν (who is), which makes it grammatically dependent on vv. 13-14. “It is widely accepted,” wrote Dunn, “that this passage is a pre-Pauline hymn interpolated and interpreted to greater or less extent by Paul.”[28] By placing the poem into a redemptive frame, Paul indicated how he interpreted it. The fact that God “rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred (us) into the kingdom of his beloved son” is the controlling context (v. 13).[29] As I will show below, I believe vv. 15-20 are ecclesiology not protology, since ecclesiology naturally flows from soteriology. Rather than remaining in the old domain of darkness, vulnerable to malevolent spiritual powers of this age, Colossian Christians are transferred into the new domain of Christ. The context makes it more natural to interpret the creation language of vv. 15-16 in light of Christ's redemptive work—as references to new creation rather than old creation. Doing so retains the contextual frame rather than jumping back to the beginning of time. A second problem arises when we consider the phrase “image of the invisible God” in v. 15. Although some see a Stoic or Wisdom reference here, I agree with F. F. Bruce who said, “No reader conversant with the OT scriptures, on reading these words of Paul, could fail to be reminded of the statement in Gen. 1:26f., that man was created by God ‘in his own image.'”[30] Immediately after making humanity in his own image, God blessed us with dominion over the earth. Philo also connected humanity's image of God with “the rulership over the earthly realms.”[31] But if the Christ of v. 15 is the pre-existent son prior to his incarnation, as the old creation model posits, “How can he be the ‘image of God,'” asked Eduard Schweizer, since “the one who is thus described here is not the earthly Jesus?”[32] It is precisely by virtue of his humanity that Jesus is the image of God not his pre-existence.[33] Thus, image-of-God language points us to the creation of a new humanity. A third problem is that “firstborn of all creation” prima facia implies that Christ is a member of creation (a partitive genitive). This is how Paul thought about Christ as firstborn in Rom 8.29 when he called Christ “firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Clearly he saw Christ as a member of the “ἀδελφοῖς” (brothers and sisters). Furthermore, “πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως” (firstborn of all creation) in v. 15 parallels “πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν” (firstborn from the dead) v. 18. Although the former (v. 15) can be taken as a genitive of subordination (firstborn over creation) or as a partitive genitive (firstborn of creation), the latter (v. 18) is unambiguously partitive. Because v. 18 includes the word ἐκ (from/out of), instead of a multivalent genitive, it must mean that Jesus was himself a member of the dead prior to his resurrection. Likewise, he was the firstborn member of creation. To take v. 15 as a genitive of subordination and v. 18 in a partitive sense allows theology to drive exegesis over against the clear structural link between v. 15b and v. 18c. In fact, as the BDAG noted, Christ is “the firstborn of a new humanity.”[34] He is chronologically born first and, by virtue of that, also preeminent.[35] Fourthly, the phrase, “ἐν αὐτῷ” (in him), implies soteriology not protology as it does throughout the Pauline corpus. The prepositional phrases “in Christ,” “in the Lord,” “in him,” and others that are similar occur more than a hundred times in Paul's epistles. McKnight elucidated the sense nicely: “This expression, then, is the inaugurated eschatological reality into which the Christian has been placed, and it also evokes the new-creation realities that a person discovers.”[36] Creation in Christ is not likely to refer to Genesis creation. In fact, apart from Col 1.16, there is no text within Paul or the rest of the Bible that speaks of the origin of the universe as something created “in Christ.”[37] Sadly translators routinely obscure this fact by translating “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “by him.”[38] Amazingly, the NASB and ESV render “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “in him” in every other usage apart from Col 1.16![39] For the sake of consistency, it makes better sense to render “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “in him” and let the reader decide how to interpret it. Fifthly, the line, “and he is the head of the body, the Church” (v. 18a) clearly roots the first strophe in redemptive history not creation. Our English translations follow Robert Estienne's verse divisions, which confusingly combine the last line of the first strophe (v. 18a) and the first line of the second (v. 18b), obscuring the native poetic structure. As I made the case above, the structure of the text breaks into two strophes with v. 18a included in the first one. As I mentioned earlier, vv. 15-20 are a pre-existing poem that Paul has modified and incorporated into the text of Colossians. Ralph Martin pointed out that the poem contains “no less than five hapax legomena” and “about ten non-Pauline expressions.”[40] Additionally, there appear to be awkward additions that disrupt the symmetry. These additions are the most explicitly Christian material. It is likely that the original said, “and he is the head of the body” to which Paul appended “the church.” Edward Schillebeeckx commented on this. In Hellenistic terms this must primarily mean that he gives life and existence to the cosmos. Here, however, Colossians drastically corrects the ideas … The correction made by Colossians is to understand ‘body' as a reference to the church, and not the cosmos. This alters the whole perspective of the cultural and religious setting … The cosmic background is reinterpreted in terms of salvation history and ecclesiology. In fact Christ is already exercising his lordship over the world now … however, he is doing this only as the head of the church, his body, to which he gives life and strength. Thus Colossians claims that the church alone, rather than the cosmos, is the body of Christ.[41] If this is true, it shows Paul's careful concern to disallow a strictly old creation or protological reading of the first strophe. For by inserting “of the church,” he has limited the context of the first strophe to the Christ event. “The addition of ‘the church,'” wrote Dunn, “indicates that for Paul at any rate the two strophes were not dealing with two clearly distinct subjects (cosmology and soteriology).”[42] Karl-Joseph Kuschel wrote, “The answer would seem to be he wanted to ‘disturb' a possible cosmological-protological fancy in the confession of Christ … to prevent Christ from becoming a purely mythical heavenly being.”[43] Thus Paul's addition shows us he interpreted the creation of v16 as new creation. Lastly, theological concerns arise when taking Col 1.16 as old creation. The most obvious is that given the partitive genitive of v. 15, we are left affirming the so-called Arian position that God created Christ as the firstborn who, in turn, created everything else. Another thorn in the side of this view is God's insistence elsewhere to be the solo creator (Isa 44.24; cf. 45.18). On the strength of this fact, modalism comes forward to save the day while leaving new problems in its wake. However, recognizing Col 1.15-20 as new creation avoids such theological conundrums. 2. Wisdom as the Agent of Creation Dustin Smith noted, “The christological hymn contains no less than nine characteristics of the wisdom of God (e.g., “image,” “firstborn,” agent of creation, preceding all things, holding all things together) that are reapplied to the figure of Jesus.”[44] Some suggest that Col 1.15-20 is actually a hymn to Wisdom that Paul Christianized.[45] The idea is that God created the universe through his divine Wisdom, which is now embodied or incarnate in Christ. Dunn explained it as follows. If then Christ is what God's power/wisdom came to be recognized as, of Christ it can be said what was said first of wisdom—that ‘in him (the divine wisdom now embodied in Christ) were created all things.' In other words the language may be used here to indicate the continuity between God's creative power and Christ without the implication being intended that Christ himself was active in creation.[46] Before pointing out some problems, I must admit much of this perspective is quite noncontroversial. That Jewish literature identified Wisdom as God's creative agent, that there are linguistic parallels between Col 1.15-20 and Wisdom, and that the historical Jesus uniquely embodied Wisdom to an unprecedented degree are not up for debate. Did Paul expect his readers to pick up on the linguistic parallels? Afterall, he could have just said “in her were created all things” in v. 16, clearly making the connection with the grammatically feminine σοφία (Wisdom). Better yet, he could have said, “in Wisdom were created all things.” Even if the poem was originally to Wisdom, Paul has thoroughly Christianized it, applying to Christ what had been said of Wisdom. However, the most significant defeater for this view is that applying Wisdom vocabulary to Christ only works one way. Wisdom has found her home in Christ. This doesn't mean we can attribute to Christ what Wisdom did before she indwelt him any more than we can attribute to the living descendants of Nazis the horrific deeds of their ancestors. Perriman's critique is correct: “The point is not that the act of creation was Christlike, rather the reverse: recent events have been creation-like. The death and resurrection of Jesus are represented as the profoundly creative event in which the wisdom of God is again dynamically engaged, by which a new world order has come about.”[47] Once again a new creation approach makes better sense of the text. 3. Christ as the Purpose of Creation Another approach is to take ἐν αὐτῷ (in him) in a telic sense. Martha King, a linguist with SIL, said the phrase can mean “in association with Christ everything was created” or “in connection with Christ all things were created.”[48] Lexicographer, Joseph Thayer, sharpened the sense with the translation, “[I]n him resides the cause why all things were originally created.”[49] William MacDonald's translation brought this out even more with the phrase, “because for him everything … was created.”[50] The idea is that God's act of creation in the beginning was with Christ in view. As Eric Chang noted, “Christ is the reason God created all things.”[51] G. B. Caird said, “He is the embodiment of that purpose of God which underlies the whole creation.”[52] The idea is one of predestination not agency.[53] Christ was the goal for which God created all things. A weakness of this view is that purpose is better expressed using εἰς or δία with an accusative than ἐν. Secondly, the parallel line in the second strophe (v. 19) employs “ἐν αὐτῷ” in a clearly locative sense: “in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.” So even though “ἐν αὐτῷ” could imply purpose, in this context it much more likely refers to location. Lastly, Paul mentioned the sense of purpose at the end of v. 16 with “εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται” (for him has been created), so it would be repetitive to take “ἐν αὐτῷ” that way as well. To sum up, the three positions that see Col 1.16 as a reference to old creation all have significant problems. With these in mind, let us turn our attention to consider a fourth possibility: that Paul has in mind new creation. Reasons for a New Creation Reading I've already provided four reasons why Col 1.15-20 refers to new creation: (1) calling Christ the image of God points to the new humanity begun in Christ as the last Adam;[54] (2) since the firstborn of the old creation was Adam (or, perhaps, Seth), Jesus must be the firstborn of the new creation; (3) saying Jesus is the head of the church, limits the focus for the first strophe to the time following the Christ event; (4) the context of the poem, both before (vv. 13-14) and after (vv. 21-22) is soteriological, making an old creation paradigm awkward, while a new creation view fits perfectly. The Catholic priest and professor, Franz Zeilinger, summarized the situation nicely: “Christ is (through his resurrection from the realm of death) Lord over the possession granted to him, of which he is the ἀρχή (beginning) and archetype, … and head and beginning of the eschatological new creation!”[55] Additionally, a new creation paradigm fits best with Paul's elaboration of what visible and invisible things in heaven and on earth he has in mind. Once again, here's our text. 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him By specifying thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities, we discern Paul's train of thought. Form critics are quick to point out that v. 16d is Paul's addition to the poem. Without it, the reader may have thought of sky, land, and animals—old creation. However, with v. 16d present, we direct our attention to political realities not God's creative power or engineering genius. Martha King noted the two possible meanings for εἴτε: (1) specifying the “invisible things” or (2) giving examples of “all things.” Taking the second view, we read “in him were created all things, including thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities.”[56] Randy Leedy also presented this position in his sentence diagrams, identifying v. 16d as equivalent to v. 16c and v. 16b, all of which modify τὰ πάντα (all things) at the end of v. 16a. (See Appendix for Leedy's diagram.) Perriman pressed home the point when he wrote: The fact is that any interpretation that takes verse 16 to be a reference to the original creation has to account for the narrow range of created things explicitly listed. … The Colossians verse mentions only the creation of political entities—thrones, lordships, rulers and authorities, visible and invisible—either in the already existing heaven or on the already existing and, presumably, populated earth. What this speaks of is a new governmental order consisting of both invisible-heavenly and visibly-earthly entities.”[57] Understanding v. 16d as equivalent to “all things” in v. 16a nicely coheres with a new-creation paradigm. However, taken the other way—as an elaboration of only the invisible created realities—v. 16d introduces an asymmetrical and clumsy appendix. A New Creation Reading of Col 1.16 Now that we've considered some problems with old creation views and some reasons to read Col 1.16 from a new creation perspective, let's consider how a new creation reading works. New creation is all about the new breaking into the old, the future into the present. G. F. Wessels said, “Paul made clear that there is a present realized aspect of salvation, as well as a future, still outstanding aspect, which will only be realized at the eschaton.”[58] New creation, likewise, has future and present realities. Exiting Old Creation Before becoming part of the new creation, one must exit the old creation. “Our old humanity was co-crucified“ (Rom 6.6). “With Christ you died to the elemental principles of the world” (Col 2.20). “As many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into his death” (Rom 6.3). We were “co-buried with him through baptism into the death … having been united with the likeness of his death” (Rom 6.4-5). Our death with him through baptism kills our allegiance and submission to the old powers and the old way of life “in which you formerly walked according to the zeitgeist of this world, according to the rule of the authority of the air, the spirit which now works in the children of disobedience” (Eph 2.2). Entering New Creation As death is the only way out of the old creation, so resurrection is the only way into the new creation. “You have been co-raised with Christ” (Col 3.1). God “co-made-alive us together with him” (Col 2.13).[59] By virtue of our union with Christ, we ourselves are already “co-raised and co-seated us in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2.6). The result of this is that “we also may walk in newness of life” (Rom 6.4). For those who are “in Christ, (there is) a new creation; the old has passed away, behold (the) new has come into existence” (2 Cor 5.17). “They have been ‘transported,'” wrote Schillebeeckx, “they already dwell above in Christ's heavenly sphere of influence (Col 1.13)—the soma Christou … that is the church!”[60] Community For the people of God, “neither circumcision is anything nor uncircumcision but a new creation” is what matters (Gal 6.15). Those who “are clothed with the new” are “being renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created, where there is no Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, (or) free, but Christ (is) all and in all” (Col 3.10-11). Through Christ God has nullified the law “in order that he might create the two into one new humanity in him” (Eph 2.14-15). Thus, within new creation, ethnic identity still exists, but it is relativized, our identity in Christ taking priority ahead of other affiliations and duties. Lifestyle When the lost become saved through faith, they become his creation (ποίημα), “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph 2.10). This means we are to “lay aside the former way of life, the old humanity corrupted according to deceitful desires” and instead be clothed with “the new humanity created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph 4.22-24). Rather than lying to one another, we must “strip off the old humanity with its way of acting” and “be clothed with the new (humanity), renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it” (Col 3.9-10). “The ones who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts” and instead “walk by the spirit” (Gal 5.24-25). Ultimately, All Creation Although new creation is currently limited to those who voluntarily recognize Jesus as Lord, all “creation is waiting with eager expectation for the unveiling of the children of God” (Rom 8.19). Because of the Christ event, the created order eagerly awaits the day when it will escape “the enslavement of corruption” and gain “the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (v. 21). Like a bone out of joint, creation does not function properly. Once Christ sets it right, it will return to its proper order and operation under humanity's wise and capable rulership in the eschaton. Eschatology God predetermined that those who believe will be “conformed to the image of his son, that he be firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Rom 8.29). Thus, the resurrected Christ is the prototype, “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15.20). Whereas “in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (v. 22). We await Christ's return to “transform the body of our humble station (that it be) shaped to his glorious body according to the energy which makes him able to also to subject all things to himself.” (Phil 3.21). This is the end goal of new creation: resurrected subjects of God's kingdom joyfully living in a renewed world without mourning, crying, and pain forevermore (Isa 65.17-25; Rev 21-22). The Powers Taking Col 1.16 as a new creation text adds key information about the present governing powers to this richly textured picture. In Christ God created thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities. He made these through Christ and for Christ with the result that Christ himself is before all things, and in Christ all things hold together (Col 1.17). He is the head of the body, the Church (Col 1.18). We find very similar language repeated in Ephesians in the context of Christ's exaltation.[61] Ephesians 1.20-23 20 Which [power] he energized in Christ having raised him from the dead and seated (him) on his right (hand) in the heavenlies 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name named, not only in this age but also in the one to come; 22 and he subjected all things under his feet and gave him (as) head over all things in the Church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in all. The parallels are striking. Both speak of Christ's resurrection, Christ's exalted position of authority over all the powers, Christ's role as head of the church, and both mention the fullness. It's easy to miss the connection between these two passages since most think of Eph 1.20-22 as ascension theology and Col 1.15-20 as creation theology. But, if we adjust our thinking to regard Col 1.16 as new creation, we see how the two fit together. In Ephesians we see Christ's ascension to God's right hand as the reason for a cosmic reordering of authorities with the result that all rule, authority, power, and dominion are subjected to him. (Though we may be accustomed to reading these powers in Eph 1.21 as only malevolent owing to Eph 2.2 and 6.12, the list here must be mixed, since only benevolent powers will survive the final judgement and continue into the age to come.) Instead of exaltation, in Colossians Paul employed the language of creation to describe Christ's relation to the powers. Perhaps lesser terms like reassign, reorder, or establish were just too small to adequately express the magnitude of how the Christ event has changed the world—both in heaven and on earth. The only term big enough to convey the new situation was “creation”—the very same word he routinely used elsewhere with the meaning of new creation.[62] We can gain more insight by considering what the powers of Eph 1.21 and Col 1.16 mean. McKnight saw them “as earthly, systemic manifestations of (perhaps fallen) angelic powers—hence, the systemic worldly, sociopolitical manifestations of cosmic/angelic rebellion against God.”[63] I partially agree with McKnight here. He's right to see the powers as both heavenly and earthly, or better, as the heavenly component of the earthly sociopolitical realities, but he has not made room for the new authority structures created in Christ. John Schoenheit helpfully explained it this way: Not only did Jesus create his Church out of Jew and Gentile, he had to create the structure and positions that would allow it to function, both in the spiritual world (positions for the angels that would minister to the Church—see Rev. 1:1, “his angel”) and in the physical world (positions and ministries here on earth—see Rom. 12:4-8; Eph. 4:7-11).[64] We must never forget that Paul has an apocalyptic worldview—a perspective that seeks to unveil the heavenly reality behind the earthly. He believed in powers of darkness and powers of light. In Christ were created thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities (Col 1.16). He is “the head of all rule and authority” (Col 2.10). These new creation realities make progress against the old powers that still hold sway in the world outside the Church. Although the old powers are still at work, those who are in Christ enjoy his protection. With respect to the Church, he has already “disarmed the rulers and authorities” (Col 2.15). We can don “the armor of God that we be able to stand against the methods of the devil” (Eph 6.11) and “subduing everything, to stand” (v. 13). We find glimpses of this heavenly reality scattered in other places in the Bible. Peter mentioned how Christ “is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and power having been subjected to him” (1 Pet 3.22). In John's Revelation, he addressed each of the seven letters to the angels of their respective churches.[65] Although it's hard for us to get details on precisely what happened at Christ's ascension, something major occurred, not just on earth, but also in the spiritual realm. Jesus's last recorded words in Matthew are: “all authority in heaven and upon earth was given to me” (Mat 28.18-20). Presumably such a statement implies that prior to his resurrection Jesus did not have all authority in heaven and earth. It didn't exist until it was created. Similarly, because of his death, resurrection, and ascension, Christ has “become so much better than the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to them” (Heb 1.4). Once again, the text implies that Christ was not already superior to the angels, but “after making purification of the sins, he sat on the right hand of the majesty on high” at which time he became preeminent (Heb 1.3). Perhaps this also explains something about why Christ “proclaimed to the spirits in prison” (1 Pet 3.19). Another possibility is that Christ's ascension (Rev 12.5) triggered a war in heaven (v. 7) with the result that the dragon and his angels suffered defeat (v. 8) and were thrown out of heaven down to the earth (v. 9). Sadly, for most of the history of the church we have missed this Jewish apocalyptic approach that was obvious to Paul, limiting salvation to individual sins and improved morality.[66] Only in the twentieth century did interpreters begin to see the cosmic aspect of new creation. Margaret Thrall wrote the following. The Christ-event is the turning-point of the whole world … This Christ ‘in whom' the believer lives is the last Adam, the inaugurator of the new eschatological humanity. … Paul is saying that if anyone exists ‘in Christ', that person is a newly-created being. … In principle, through the Christ-event and in the person of Christ, the new world and the new age are already objective realities.[67] New creation is, in the words of J. Louis Martyn “categorically cosmic and emphatically apocalyptic.”[68] In fact, “The advent of the Son and of his Spirit is thus the cosmic apocalyptic event.”[69] In Christ is the beginning of a whole new creation, an intersecting community of angelic and human beings spanning heaven and earth. The interlocking of earthly (visible) and heavenly (invisible) authority structures points to Paul's apocalyptic holism. The Church was not on her own to face the ravages of Rome's mad love affair with violence and power. In Christ, people were no longer susceptible to the whims of the gods that have wreaked so much havoc from time immemorial.[70] No, the Church is Christ's body under his direct supervision and protection. As a result, the Church is the eschatological cosmic community. It is not merely a social club; it has prophetic and cosmic dimensions. Prophetically, the Church points to the eschaton when all of humanity will behave then how the Church already strives to live now—by the spirit instead of the flesh (Gal 5.16-25). Cosmically, the Church is not confined to the earth. There is a heavenly dimension with authority structures instantiated under Christ to partner with the earthly assemblies. God's “plan for the fulness of the times” is “to head up all thing in the Christ, the things upon the heavens and the things upon the earth in him” (Eph 1.10). Although this is his eschatological vision, Zeilinger pointed out that it is already happening. [T]he eschatological world given in Christ is realized within the still-existing earthly creation through the inclusion of the human being in Christ, the exalted one, by means of the proclamation of salvation and baptism. The eschaton spreads throughout the world in the kerygma and becomes reality, in that the human being, through baptism, becomes part of Christ—that is, in unity with him, dies to the claim of the στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου (2.20) and is raised with him to receive his eschatological life. The people thus incorporated into the exalted Christ thereby form, in him and with him, the new creation of the eschaton within the old! The body of Christ is thus recognizable as the expanding Church. In it, heavenly and earthly space form, in a certain sense, a unity.[71] The Church is a counter society, and embassy of the future kingdom shining the light of the age to come into the present in the power of the spirit with the protection of Christ and his heavenly powers over against the powers of darkness, who/which are still quite active—especially in the political realities of our present evil age (Gal 1.4). We bend the knee to the cosmic Christ now in anticipation of the day when “every knee may bend: heavenly and earthly and subterranean” (Phil 2.10) and “every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ (is) Lord” (v. 11). Christ's destiny is to fulfil the original Adamic mandate to multiply, fill, and have dominion over the earth (Gen 1.28). He has already received all authority in heaven and earth (Mat 28.18). God has given him “dominion over the works of your hands and put all things under his feet” as the quintessential man (Ps 8.6). Even so, “Now we do not yet see all things subjected to him” (Heb 2.8), but when he comes “he will reign into the ages of the ages” (Rev 11.15). Until then, he calls the Church to recognize his preeminence and give him total allegiance both in word and deed. Conclusion We began by establishing that the structure of the poetic unit in Col 1.15-20 breaks into two strophes (15-18a and 18b-20). We noted that Paul likely incorporated pre-existing material into Colossians, editing it as he saw fit. Then we considered the problems with the three old creation readings: (A) Christ as the agent of creation, (B) Wisdom as the agent of creation, and (C) Christ as the purpose of creation. In the course of critiquing (A), which is by far most popular, we observed several reasons to think Col 1.16 pertained to new creation, including (1) the image of God language in v. 15a, (2) the firstborn of all creation language in v. 15b, (3) the head of the Church language in v. 18a, and (4) the soteriological context (frame) of the poem (vv. 13-14, 21-22). To this I added a fifth syntactical reason that 16d as an elaboration of “τἀ πάντα” (all things) of 16a. Next, we explored the idea of new creation, especially within Paul's epistles, to find a deep and richly textured paradigm for interpreting God's redemptive and expanding sphere of influence (in Christ) breaking into the hostile world. We saw that new Christians die and rise with Christ, ending their association with the old and beginning again as a part of the new—a community where old racial, legal, and status divisions no longer matter, where members put off the old way of living and instead become clothed with the new humanity, where people look forward to and live in light of the ultimate transformation to be brought about at the coming of Christ. Rather than limiting new creation to the salvation of individuals, or even the sanctifying experience of the community, we saw that it also includes spiritual powers both “in the heavens and upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” (Col 1.16). Reading Col 1.15-20 along with Eph 1.20-23 we connected God's creation of the powers in Christ with his exaltation of Christ to his right hand “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph 1.21). The point from both texts is clear: as “the head of the body, the Church” (Col 1.18; Eph 1.22), Christ is “before all things” (Col 1.17), “first in all things” (Col 1.18), and “far above all” (Eph 1.21), since God has “subjected all things under his feet” (Eph 1.22). Christ is preeminent as the firstborn of all new creation, “the new Adam … the starting point where new creation took place.”[72] Although the old powers still hold sway in the world, those in the interlocked heaven-and-earth new creation domain where Christ is the head, enjoy his protection if they remain “in the faith established and steadfast and not shifting away from the hope of the gospel” (Col 1.23). This interpretation has several significant advantages. It fits into Paul's apocalyptic way of thinking about Christ's advent and exaltation. It also holds together the first strophe of the poem as a unit. Additionally, it makes better sense of the context. (The ecclesiology of Col 1.15-18a follows logically from the soteriological context of vv. 13-14.) Lastly, it is compatible with a wide range of Christological options. Appendix Here is Col 1.16 from Leedy's sentence diagrams.[73] Of note is how he equates the τὰ πάντα of 16a with 16c and 16d rather than seeing 16d as an elaboration of τά ὁρατά. Bibliography Bauer, Walter, Frederick William  Danker, William F. Arndt, F. Gingrich, Kurt Aland, Barbara Aland, and Viktor Reichmann. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000. Bird, Michael F. Colossians and Philemon. A New Covenant Commentary. Cambridge, England: The Lutterworth Press, 2009. Brown, Anna Shoffner. “Nothing ‘Mere’ About a Man in the Image of God.” Paper presented at the Unitarian Christian Alliance, Springfield, OH, Oct 14, 2022. Bruce, E. K. Simpson and F. F. The Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Ned B. Stonehouse. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1957. Buzzard, Anthony F. Jesus Was Not a Trinitarian. Morrow, GA: Restoration Fellowship, 2007. Caird, G. B. New Testament Theology. Edited by L. D. Hurst. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 2002. Caird, G. B. Paul’s Letters from Prison. New Clarendon Bible, edited by H. F. D. Sparks. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1976. Carden, Robert. One God: The Unfinished Reformation. Revised ed. Naperville, IL: Grace Christian Press, 2016. Chang, Eric H. H. The Only Perfect Man. Edited by Bentley C. F. Chang. 2nd ed. Montreal, QC: Christian Disciples Church Publishers, 2017. Deuble, Jeff. Christ before Creeds. Latham, NY: Living Hope International Ministries, 2021. Dunn, James D. G. Christology in the Making. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996. Dunn, James D. G. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon. New International Greek Testament Commentary, edited by Gasque Marshall, Hagner. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996. Heiser, Michael S. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019. King, Martha. An Exegetical Summary of Colossians. Dallas, TX: SIL International, 1992. Kuschel, Karl-Joseph. Born before All Time? Translated by John Bowden. New York, NY: Crossroad, 1992. Originally published as Beforen vor aller Zeit? Lane, William L. The New Testament Page by Page. Open Your Bible Commentary, edited by Martin Manser. Bath, UK: Creative 4 International, 2013. Leedy, Randy A. The Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams. Norfolk, VA: Bible Works, 2006. Lohse, Edward. Colossians and Philemon. Hermeneia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1971. MacDonald, William Graham. The Idiomatic Translation of the New Testament. Norfolk, VA: Bibleworks, 2012. Mark H. Graeser, John A. Lynn, John W. Schoenheit. One God & One Lord. 4th ed. Martinsville, IN: Spirit & Truth Fellowship International, 2010. Martin, Ralph. “An Early Christian Hymn (Col. 1:15-20).” The Evangelical Quarterly 36, no. 4 (1964): 195–205. Martyn, J. Louis. Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1997. McGrath, James F. The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2009. McKnight, Scot. The Letter to the Colossians. New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Joel B. Green. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018. Norden, Eduard. Agnostos Theos: Untersuchungen Zur Formengeschichte Religiöser Rede. 4th ed. Stuttgart, Germany: B. G. Teubner, 1956. Originally published as 1913. Pao, David. Colossians and Philemon. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament, edited by Clinton E. Arnold. Grand Rapid, MI: Zondervan, 2012. Perriman, Andrew. In the Form of a God. Studies in Early Christology, edited by David Capes Michael Bird, and Scott Harrower. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2022. Philo. The Works of Philo. The Norwegian Philo Concordance Project. Edited by Kåre Fuglseth Peder Borgen, Roald Skarsten. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005. Robinson, James M. “A Formal Analysis of Colossians 1:15-20.” Journal of Biblical Literature 76, no. 4 (1957): 270–87. Schillebeeckx, Eduard. Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord. Translated by John Bowden. New York, NY: The Seabury Press, 1977. Schoberg, Gerry. Perspectives of Jesus in the Writings of Paul. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2013. Schweizer, Eduard. The Letter to the Colossians. Translated by Andrew Chester. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1982. Smith, Dustin R. Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2024. Snedeker, Donald R. Our Heavenly Father Has No Equals. Bethesda, MD: International Scholars Publications, 1998. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Thrall, Margaret. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Vol. 1. The International Critical Commentary, edited by C. E. B. Cranfield J. A. Emerton, G. N. Stanton. Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark, 1994. Wachtel, William M. “Colossians 1:15-20–Preexistence or Preeminence?” Paper presented at the 14th Theological Conference, McDonough, GA, 2005. Wessels, G. F. “The Eschatology of Colossians and Ephesians.” Neotestamentica 21, no. 2 (1987): 183–202. Witherington III, Ben The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary of the Captivity Epistles. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Yates, Roy. The Epistle to the Colossians. London: Epworth Press, 1993. Zeilinger, Franz. Der Erstgeborene Der Schöpfung. Wien, Österreich: Herder, 1974. Footnotes [1] Since the nineteenth century biblical scholars have been divided over whether Paul wrote Colossians. One of the major reasons for thinking Paul didn't write Colossians is his exalted Christology—the very conclusion this paper seeks to undermine. A second major factor to argue against Pauline authorship is the difference in vocabulary, but this is explainable if Paul used a different amanuensis. The theologically more cosmic emphasis (also evident in Ephesians) is likely due to Paul's time in prison to reflect and expand his understanding of the Christ event. Lastly, the proto-Gnostic hints in Colossians do not require dating the epistle outside of Paul's time. Although Gnosticism flourished at the beginning of the second century, it was likely already beginning to incubate in Paul's time. [2] Eduard Schillebeeckx, Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord, trans. John Bowden (New York, NY: The Seabury Press, 1977), 185. [3] Schillebeeckx, 185. [4] G. B. Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, New Clarendon Bible, ed. H. F. D. Sparks (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1976), 177. [5] Caird, 181. [6] James D. G. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, New International Greek Testament Commentary, ed. Gasque Marshall, Hagner (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 91. “[W]hat at first reads as a straightforward assertion of Christ's pre-existenct activity in creation becomes on closer analysis an assertion which is rather more profound—not of Christ as such present with God in the beginning, nor of Christ as identified with a pre-existent hypostasis or divine being (Wisdom) beside God, but of Christ as embodying and expressing (and defining) that power of God which is the manifestation of God in and to his creation.” (Italics in original.) James D. G. Dunn, Christology in the Making, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 194. [7] James F. McGrath, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2009), 46. [8] Andrew Perriman, In the Form of a God, Studies in Early Christology, ed. David Capes Michael Bird, and Scott Harrower (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2022), 200. [9] In addition, biblical unitarians routinely interpret Col 1.16 as new creation. See Anthony F. Buzzard, Jesus Was Not a Trinitarian (Morrow, GA: Restoration Fellowship, 2007), 189–90, Robert Carden, One God: The Unfinished Reformation, Revised ed. (Naperville, IL: Grace Christian Press, 2016), 197–200, Eric H. H. Chang, The Only Perfect Man, ed. Bentley C. F. Chang, 2nd ed. (Montreal, QC: Christian Disciples Church Publishers, 2017), 151–52, Jeff Deuble, Christ before Creeds (Latham, NY: Living Hope International Ministries, 2021), 163–66, John A. Lynn Mark H. Graeser, John W. Schoenheit, One God & One Lord, 4th ed. (Martinsville, IN: Spirit & Truth Fellowship International, 2010), 493–94, Donald R. Snedeker, Our Heavenly Father Has No Equals (Bethesda, MD: International Scholars Publications, 1998), 291–92, William M. Wachtel, “Colossians 1:15-20–Preexistence or Preeminence?” (paper presented at the 14th Theological Conference, McDonough, GA, 2005), 4. [10] All translations are my own. [11] Stophes are structural divisions drawn from Greek odes akin to stanzas in poetry or verses in music. [12] Throughout I will capitalize Church since that reflects the idea of all Christians collectively not just those in a particular local assembly. [13] Eduard Norden, Agnostos Theos: Untersuchungen Zur Formengeschichte Religiöser Rede, 4th ed. (Stuttgart, Germany: B. G. Teubner, 1956), 250–54. [14] James M. Robinson, “A Formal Analysis of Colossians 1:15-20,” Journal of Biblical Literature 76, no. 4 (1957): 272–73. [15] Edward Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, Hermeneia (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1971), 44. [16] Eduard Schweizer, The Letter to the Colossians, trans. Andrew Chester (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1982), 57. [17] Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 84. [18] Ben  Witherington III, The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary of the Captivity Epistles (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007), 129. [19] William L. Lane, The New Testament Page by Page, Open Your Bible Commentary, ed. Martin Manser (Bath, UK: Creative 4 International, 2013), 765. [20] E. K. Simpson and F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1957), 65. [21] Michael F. Bird, Colossians and Philemon, A New Covenant Commentary (Cambridge, England: The Lutterworth Press, 2009), 50. [22] David Pao, Colossians and Philemon, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament, ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapid, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 87. [23] Lohse, 42. [24] Lohse, 43–44. [25] Scot McKnight, The Letter to the Colossians, New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Joel B. Green (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018), 144. [26] Col 1.13-14: “who rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred (us) into the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have the redemption, the forgiveness of the sins.” Col 1.21-22: “And you being formerly alienated and hostile in thought in the evil deeds, but now he reconciled (you) in his body of the flesh through the death to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him.” [27] In fact, we can easily skip from vv. 13-14 to vv. 21-22. [28] Dunn, Christology in the Making, 187–88. [29] Sadly, most translations erroneously insert a paragraph between vv. 14 and 15. This produces the visual effect that v. 15 is a new thought unit. [30] Bruce, 193. [31] Moses 2.65: “τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τῶν περιγείων” in Philo, The Works of Philo, The Norwegian Philo Concordance Project (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005). See also Sirach 17.3. [32] Schweizer, 64. [33] For a helpful treatment of how the image of God relates to Christology, see Anna Shoffner Brown, “Nothing ‘Mere’ About a Man in the Image of God” (paper presented at the Unitarian Christian Alliance, Springfield, OH, Oct 14, 2022). [34] Walter Bauer et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. “πρωτότοκος,” 2.a. [35] Franz Zeilnger wrote, “Christ is temporally the first of a series that essentially proceeds from him, and at the same time its lord and head.” Franz Zeilinger, Der Erstgeborene Der Schöpfung (Wien, Österreich: Herder, 1974), 182. Original: “als “Wurzel” ist Christus zeitlich der erste einer Reihe, die wesentlich aus ihm hervorgeht, und zugleich ihr Herr und Haupt.” [36] McKnight, 85–86. [37] The closest parallels are 1 Cor 8.6; Heb 1.2; and John 1.3, which employ the preposition δια (through). Upon close examination these three don't teach Christ created the universe either. [38] ESV, CSB, NASB, etc. Notably the NET diverges from the other evangelical translations. Roman Catholic, mainline, and unitarian translations all tend to straightforwardly render “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “in him” in Col 1.16; cf. NABRE, NRSVUE, OGFOMMT, etc. [39] Chang, 150. [40] Ralph Martin, “An Early Christian Hymn (Col. 1:15-20),” The Evangelical Quarterly 36, no. 4 (1964): 198. [41] Schillebeeckx, 186. [42] Dunn, Christology in the Making, 191. [43] Karl-Joseph Kuschel, Born before All Time?, trans. John Bowden (New York, NY: Crossroad, 1992), 336. [44] Dustin R. Smith, Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2024), 5–6. For more on wisdom Christology in Col 1.16 see Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 89, Roy Yates, The Epistle to the Colossians (London: Epworth Press, 1993), 18–19, 23, G. B. Caird, New Testament Theology, ed. L. D. Hurst (Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 2002), 46, McGrath, 44, 46. [45] See Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 89. See also Yates, 18–19, 23. [46] Dunn, Christology in the Making, 190. [47] Perriman, 199. [48] Martha King, An Exegetical Summary of Colossians (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 1992), 53. [49] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), s.v. “ἐν,” 1722. He recognized the cause was both instrumental and final. [50] William Graham MacDonald, The Idiomatic Translation of the New Testament (Norfolk, VA: Bibleworks, 2012). [51] Chang, 147. Similarly James McGrath wrote, “[I]f all things were intended by God to find their fulfillment in Christ, then they must have been created “in him” in the very beginning in some undefined sense, since it was axiomatic that the eschatological climax of history would be a restoration of its perfect, original state.” McGrath, 46. [52] Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, 172. [53] “God so designed the universe that it was to achieve its proper meaning and unity only under the authority of man (Gen. 128; Ps. 86). But this purpose was not to be implemented at once; it was ‘to be put into effect when the time was ripe' (Eph. 110), when Christ had lived a human life as God intended it, and had become God's image in a measure which was never true of Adam. Only in unity with ‘the proper man' could the universe be brought to its destined coherence. For one who believes in predestination it is but a small step from this to saying that the universe was created in him.” Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, 178. [54] See also Paul's Adam Christology in Rom 5.12-21; 1 Cor 15.21-22, 45-49. [55] “Christus ist (durch seine Auferstehung aus dem Todesbereich) Herr über den ihm verliehenen Besitz, dessen ἀρχή und Urbild er ist, … und Haupt und Anfang der eschatologischen Neuschöpfung!” Zeilinger, 188. [56] King, 54. [57] Perriman, 200. [58] G. F. Wessels, “The Eschatology of Colossians and Ephesians,” Neotestamentica 21, no. 2 (1987): 187. [59] I realize my translation is awkward, but I prioritized closely mirroring the Greek over presenting smooth English. The original reads, “συνεζωοποίησεν ὑμᾶς σὺν αὐτῷ.” [60] Schillebeeckx, 187. [61] Scholars who make this connection include Caird, New Testament Theology, 216, Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, 177, McGrath, 44, Perriman, 201. [62] In fact, only two of the texts I cited above explicitly say “new creation” (2 Cor 5.17 and Gal 6.15). In all the others, Paul blithely employed creation language, expecting his readers to understand that he was not talking about the creation of the universe, but the creation of the new humanity in Christ—the Church. [63] McKnight, 152. [64] Mark H. Graeser, 493. [65] Rev 2.1, 8, 12, 18; 3.1, 7, 14. [66] See Gerry Schoberg, Perspectives of Jesus in the Writings of Paul (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2013), 280–81, 83. [67] Margaret Thrall, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, vol. 1, The International Critical Commentary, ed. C. E. B. Cranfield J. A. Emerton, G. N. Stanton (Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark, 1994), 423, 26–28. [68] J. Louis Martyn, Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1997), 122. [69] Martyn, 121. [70] Whether the old gods actually existed or not is a topic beyond the scope of this paper. Interested readers should consult Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019). [71] “[D]ie in Christus gegebene echatologische Welt verwirkliche sich innerhalb der weiterhin existenten irdischen Schöpfung durch die Einbeziehung des Menschen in Christus, den Erhöhten, mittles Heilsverkündigung und Taufe. Das Eschaton setzt sic him Kerygma wetweit durch und wird Wirklichkeit, indem der Mensch durch die Taufe Christi Teil wird, d. h. in Einheit mit ihm dem Anspruch der στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου stirbt (2, 20) und mit ihm auferweckt sein eschatologisches Leben erhält. Die so dem erhöhten Christus eingegliederten Menschen bilden somit in ihm und mit ihm die neue Schöpfung der Eschata innerhalb der alten! Der Christusleib ist somit als sich weitende Kirche erkennbar. In ihr bildet himmlischer und irdischer Raum gewissermaßen eine Einheit.” Zeilinger, 179. [72] “Der neue Adam … Ausgangsort, in dem sich Neuschöpfung ereignete,” Zeilinger, 199. [73] Randy A. Leedy, The Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams (Norfolk, VA: Bible Works, 2006). This is now available in Logos Bible Software.

Imagine Jesus showing up unexpectedly: would you scramble to hide something? In today's message, Pastor Johnny urges you to abide in Jesus, so when He returns, you stand confident, not ashamed. Are you living ready for His return, or banking on extra time to clean up? Are you trying to keep something hidden from God?

Imagine Jesus showing up unexpectedly: would you scramble to hide something? In today's message, Pastor Johnny urges you to abide in Jesus, so when He returns, you stand confident, not ashamed. Are you living ready for His return, or banking on extra time to clean up? Are you trying to keep something hidden from God?

In today's message, Pastor Johnny reminds you how false teachers can charm huge crowds with convincing doctrine. Peter warned that many will follow their destructive ways in the end times. Popularity doesn't mean truth; only God's Word does. Are you always comparing what you hear with Scripture?

In today's message, Pastor Johnny reminds you how false teachers can charm huge crowds with convincing doctrine. Peter warned that many will follow their destructive ways in the end times. Popularity doesn't mean truth; only God's Word does. Are you always comparing what you hear with Scripture?

Ever been swayed by something that sounded right but felt off? In today's message, Pastor Johnny describes how false teachers toss out heresy disguised as biblical, aiming to mislead people off the path. Knowing the truth for yourself is your shield! Will you delve deeply into the Word of God to stay grounded?

Ever been swayed by something that sounded right but felt off? In today's message, Pastor Johnny describes how false teachers toss out heresy disguised as biblical, aiming to mislead people off the path. Knowing the truth for yourself is your shield! Will you delve deeply into the Word of God to stay grounded?

Our series continues this time looking at the Son! Note: I got the Day of Atonement sacrifices mixed up with the Sin offering in this lecture. Sending out the goat into the wilderness is the Day of Atonement offering procedure, not the sin offering! 

13th July 2025 - Derry City. Ministered by Pastor Ryan Penn.

Recorded on Sunday, June 29, 2025. Scripture cited: John 10:1-5; John 14:6-7.Support the show

Ryan Adamsfalse

The name 'Jesus' derives from the Aramaic 'Joshua' which means 'the LORD who saves.' Jesus was a common first century Jewish name. Because the people were anticipating a savior who would deliver them from their enemies, parents of infant sons would name them 'Jesus' in the hopes that their baby boy might be that savior.How are we to understand the eternal Son of God - who always existed - coming into existence in human flesh as a human being, to be the Savior of the world?

Listen to Bishop Doyle's sermon, "One Lord, Trinity Sunday" held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Orange, TX. More at www.texasbishop.com

By Kristen Padilla

Established In The Faith · The Unity Of The Church Ephesians 4:1-6 (KJV) 1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Established In The Faith · The Unity Of the Church 2 Ephesians 4:1-6 (KJV) 1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Sermon - Genesis 11:1 - 9 - Many Languages, One Lord by Community Lutheran Church

God gives gifts to his church to unite them in celebrating and proclaiming that Jesus is Lord.

https://andrewhorval.substack.com/p/one-lord-god-71a