The Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus My Lord

I. The Excellency of Christ in Creation
A. The Beginning of the Creation of God - Col. 1:18; Rev. 3:14
1. Christ is God's thought in creation
B. The prototype nature of Christ to creation - Col. 1:15
1. Image and dominion - Col. 1:12-15; Gen. 1:26-28
C. The One who makes God visible and knowable - Col. 1:15a; John 1:18
D. The Firstborn of all creation - Col. 1:15b
E. The Firstborn out of the dead - Col. 1:18
F. The Sphere of all creation - Col. 1:16a "in Him"
1. All things in the universe have a relationship with Christ
2. Christ is the unifying factor of the universe
G. The Agent of creation ("through Him") - Col. 1:16b; John 1:3
H. The Goal of creation ("unto Him") - Col. 1:16c
I. The preexistence of Christ before creation - Col. 1:17a "He is before all things"
J. The present power of Christ with creation - Col. 1:17b; Heb. 1:3
K. The Heir of all things in the universe - Heb. 1:1-2
L. The purpose in creation - Eph. 3:9-11
M. His masterpiece created in Christ Jesus - Eph. 2:10
N. The creation of the new man in Christ - Eph. 2:15
II. Christ Having the First Place in All Things
A. The first place because all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him - Col. 1:18b-19
1. He is to "become" the first place in all things - Col. 1:18
B. The first place as the Head of His Body - Col. 1:18
C. The first place in the Father's love - Col. 1:13
D. The first place in the Father's plan for the universe - Col. 1:16
E. The first place in the Father's good pleasure - Col. 1:19
F. The first place in creation - Col. 1:16
G. The first place in eternity past - Col. 1:17a
H. The first place in the present existence of the universe - Col. 1:17b
I. The first place in God's administration through the church - Col. 1:18a
1. Christ, as the resurrected Head and Source gives existence to the church
- Col. 1:18
J. The first place as our source - the Beginning/ Source/ Origin - Col. 1:18
K. The first place in the process of reconciling the universe - Col. 1:20
L. Becoming first place to those who belonged to another - Col. 1:21-23 (Eph. 2:12; 4:18)
M. The first place in relation to our sufferings, i.e. we participate in His death for the producing of His Body - Col. 1:24; 2 Cor. 4:1-12
N. The first place in God's administration to produce the church - Col. 1:25-26
O. The first place in all our fellowship with one another - Col. 1:27-29