“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” (Colossians 1:15–18)

I don’t know how many times I had read those verses before the full weight of their glory whelmed me like a tsunami. But now that it has, my life will never be the same. Everything has changed. The difference is profound. Its dazzling view left all other sights cold and dull. With its melodic sweetness, I have heard that which gives sound to all music. One glimpse of this woman’s beauty rendered all others but a faint, forgettable impression. I now know why I got up this morning and why I should get up tomorrow. I know the purpose of blue, heat, tadpoles, and B-flat major. I know why I love to love my wife. I know the purpose for my church, my ministry, my money. I know why I should pray, sing, read, rest, love, feel, experience, move, play, eat, and cry. I know why I should live. I know the meaning of life. I know.

But it’s not just about me, as though I’ve had some unique, personal, existential epiphany. I now know everything there is to know about you. I know why you matter in the world, why you should get up in the morning, the reason for your existence, your ministry, your money, your family, your job, your hobbies, your love, your everything. I now know the meaning of your life.

You and everything else in the universe are about one thing . . . Jesus. He is the reason for everything.

 

The Chief End of Man Revisited

At this point, you may be underwhelmed by my overwhelm. You may be thinking I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer to regard this as a profound discovery. It’s sort of like a fish saying to all of the other fish, “Guess what! We live in water. Did you know that? Isn’t that amazing?” Of course, it’s all about Christ. That’s why we call ourselves Christ-ians. But my experience and observations suggest that the significance is lost on most of us.

Let me get at it this way. If asked the question, “What is the chief end of man?” most Christians would respond with something like, “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This answer from the Westminster divines is as well-known as it is well-stated. Who could argue with it? And yet, Scripturally speaking it is a shade too broad. It leaves out what the Bible itself states to be the ultimate goal of mankind. I should say, it leaves out Who the Bible states to be the ultimate goal of mankind. God’s plan for the universe is not about His glory abstractly. It’s about His Son’s glory. God made everything for Jesus. Therefore, if we are going to do what we have been made to do, we must strive to do everything for Jesus. He is the reason for everything. I suggest, then, that we need to add a little something to the common response, something like, “by exalting, loving, and serving the Lord Jesus Christ for whom the entire universe was created.” It will not roll off the tongue as easily, but it is more scripturally precise (a precision with universal implications).

This means that if you and I do anything for any other purpose than to expressly glorify Jesus, we are missing its point. There is only one way to glorify God in life, by living for Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in marriage, by loving for Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in careers, by working for Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in the Church, by worshipping Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in missions, by proclaiming Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in politics, by governing according to the commands of Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in parenting, by teaching children to glorify Jesus. There is only one way to glorify God in art, by creating for the praise of Jesus. Jesus is the reason for everything.

I have made the assertion, now let me prove it.

 

Firstborn of Many Brothers

The magnificent words of Colossians 1:15-18 emphatically declare the supremacy of Christ in all things. They exalt the wonder, beauty, majesty, and glory of Jesus like no other text in Scripture. They demand a response. They demand contemplation and adoration. One cannot read them with a mere yawn and shoulder-shrug unless he either misses or dismisses what is being said. Consider what is proclaimed:

Jesus is the image of God (v15). What does God look like? He looks like Jesus. How can we know God? Know Jesus. Jesus said it Himself: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). John said it when he affirmed that although no one has seen the Father, His Son has revealed Him (John 1:18). Jesus of Nazareth is God, the fullness of deity dwelling in bodily form (Col. 2:9). This is the amazing truth of the incarnation. There is no moving past Jesus in order to get to God, no graduating from the school of Christ to the school of the divine. Jesus is the complete and final revelation of God to mankind. If you want to know God, know Jesus. If you want to love God, love Jesus. If you want to see God, see Jesus. If you want to worship God, worship Jesus.

Jesus is the head of the body, the church (v18). This is husband-language which will appear later in Ephesians 5:22-33. He rules over, provides for, protects, sanctifies, and loves the Church. He is the supreme authority over the Church. She, in turn, exists to honor, respect, and serve Him. Moreover, He became the beginning and creator of this new fellowship of God’s people when He rose from the dead. As the firstborn from the dead, Jesus secured their future resurrection hope by His own resurrection. Jesus is the cause of, and the hope for, the Church. He is the reason for her existence.

He is also the originator of a new peace between Himself and all of creation (v20). In the end, all of Christ’s enemies will be removed from His kingdom, all remnants of creation’s curse will be redeemed, and all things in heaven and earth will be reconciled to Him who is all in all (cf. Eph. 1:22-23). Do you see? The future of everything is determined by its relationship to Him. You will either find eternal, universal friendship with Him, or you will be His eternal foe.

But the expression which must not be missed is the first use of firstborn, where Jesus is the “firstborn of all creation” (v15). Here, the reference is not to His resurrection, but to His cosmic preeminence. It means that Jesus is supreme.

Our ears miss the significance because when we hear firstborn, we think merely of birth order. We think of firstborns as energetic, logical, ambitious, etc. But that is not Paul’s concern. By calling Jesus the “firstborn of all creation,” he affirms that the entire universe of created beings has been summoned to one allegiance—to worship Jesus. That is the meaning inherent in the Old Testament use of the term. Let me explain.

During the patriarchal period, when a father died, his oldest son (i.e. firstborn son) received the greater portion of the family estate and was given headship over all other siblings. This is called primogeniture. The famous Old Testament story of Jacob stealing his brother Esau’s blessing by dressing in animal skin and pretending to be Esau shows how primogeniture worked. Remember it? Isaac, the aged father, knew death was knocking at his door. Before succumbing to the Grim Reaper, he wanted to bless his firstborn son. So he told Esau to prepare a special meal and then return to receive this precious blessing. But Isaac’s second born son, Jacob, colluded with his mother to trick the hoary, virtually blind father into thinking that he was Esau. By dressing to look and smell like Esau, Jacob presented himself as the firstborn son. The deceived old man unwittingly blessed him instead of Esau.

Isaac’s blessing in Genesis 27:27-29, especially near the end, gives a clear and significant expression of the primogeniture concept. The (apparent) firstborn son received these words:

Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.

Do you see what came with being the oldest son? All other brothers in the family would submit to, serve, even worship (“bow down to”) the firstborn son. The father invested authority over the entire family to him.

With that still in mind, think about Romans 8:29:

For those whom [God] foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren (emphasis added).

This verse was not inspired by the Holy Spirit and penned by the apostle Paul so that Christians would have something to argue about when we get bored with eschatology. Too often in our debate about the who of predestination, we miss the why. Why has God predestined anyone? You say, That’s easy! We have been predestined to be conformed to Christ’s image. God is making us more like His Son. Yes, but if you stop there you will miss the even greater point being made. The reason He is making us like His Son is so that Jesus will enjoy the firstborn blessings of worship and devotion from His brothers. As God’s firstborn son, Jesus is in line to be the head of His Father’s children and rule over all of His brothers. This is primogeniture at the cosmic level. God is adopting sons into His family to give Christ multitudes of “younger brothers” who will serve and bow down to Him.

Think of it. You and I exist, not because God was just so lonely without us, but because He wanted to bequeath to His Son a heritage of servant-worshippers. By sovereignly electing us to salvation, God ensured a family headship for His firstborn Son. In the final analysis, God does not sanctify us for our sakes, but so that Christ will be worshipped and adored as King by a people worthy of Him.

But it’s not just us. Christ is the firstborn of “all creation.” The Father commands every created being to serve and bow down to Christ. Jesus is the supreme Lord of everything that exists. Anyone (or anything) who does not exalt Him works against his created purpose and, worse, finds himself to be the enemy of his King. (Remember the cursed fig tree of Mark 11?)

By this, the utter sinfulness of sin is revealed. We tend to place the stress of sin’s wickedness on the audacious insolence of a creature disobeying the commands of a holy Creator. Indeed! Who would argue otherwise? Yet, when we consider that the primary purpose for all of creation is to exalt Christ, another equally damning aspect of sin emerges—It is the height of evil for creatures who were made for the express purpose of worshipping God’s Son to rebel against Him. Sin is sin because it defies God’s Son.

 

Why God Created

Have you ever pondered the question, Why did God create anything? When I was a boy, I remember trying to think of absolutely nothing. I was unsuccessful. Then I tried to imagine there being absolutely nothing, no shoes, no rocks, no balls, no houses, no lunch, nothing. Again, no success. Then I tried to picture myself being God and being the only thing that was. There I was, just me (Me?), the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I began to wonder what we would talk about. (Doesn’t seem like there would be much, since we all knew everything. Plus, there wasn’t much to know.) I wondered what we would do. Turns out, as a boy I was pretty bored being God (at least until my teen years). Nevertheless, there was a point in the ancient past when only God existed. Why did He decide to change that? Why bring existence to other things and beings? What was His motivation in creating the universe with all of its variety?

Many philosophical and theological answers have been given over the centuries. Some would suggest that God is a creating God, that His nature compels Him to make things. Others would argue that God is a loving, merciful being who needed objects toward which to show His love and mercy. Still others might assert that the answers are hidden in the mind of God far beyond our ability to understand. While there may be secondary truth to some of these responses, the Bible gives us the first and most important answer. The reason why God created everything was, “So that [Christ] Himself would come to have first place in everything” (Col. 1:18). That is the purpose statement for the universe. That is the ultimate answer to the ultimate why question. It’s the same declaration as verse 16: all things have been created through Him and for Him. If it exists, it was made for Jesus. That goes for every plant and animal, every star and planet, every nation and people group, every man and woman. The rocks cry out that Jesus is Lord! The mountains clap their hands and shout that Jesus is Lord! The heavens declare that Jesus is Lord! And one day, every human knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord! (Phil. 2:9-11). Jesus is the reason for the creation of everything.

 

One Purpose—To Worship Christ

The question each of us must now ask is, Do I live for the express purpose of giving Jesus Christ first place in everything? By this, I do not mean merely that you determine to be a better human being or go to church or stop wasting so much time with video games or be nicer to your mother. I mean, do you view the very reason for your existence to be that of intentionally exalting Christ in every aspect of your life? People can go to church without an intentional desire to exalt Christ. They can pay taxes, remain faithful to their spouse, and work hard at their job without consciously seeking to give Jesus first place in those things. One can even sing beautiful hymns and praise songs with eyes closed and hands lifted, listen to hours of sermons every week, or attend regular prayer meetings without a deliberate desire to worship and honor God’s Son as King and purpose of all creation. Even a desire to worship God is not good enough, because God has explicitly revealed how He wants to be worshipped. If you want to worship God, you must worship His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Anything less or different is idolatry.

The ramifications of this extend to every aspect of our lives. Marriage, for example, is not a civil or cultural issue; it is a Christ-exalting issue. Therefore, we must seek to intentionally honor Christ in every marriage, every lovemaking encounter, and every anniversary gift. Childrearing must be careful to focus not on making well-behaved kids, decent citizens, or successful grownups, but on teaching children to give Christ first place in everything they do. The list goes on and on.

If Christ has first place, then everything else falls at least to second. And here, I think, is where we often miss the point. This doesn’t mean merely that going to church or abstaining from certain major sins are to be elevated to the top priorities of our lives. It’s much thicker than that. It means that we regard everything in life to be a means for purposefully exalting Christ, and everything that does not exalt Christ we regard to be a failure. Suffering has one purpose—to worship Christ. Sex has one purpose—to worship Christ. Singleness has one purpose—to worship Christ. Technology has one purpose—to worship Christ. Politics has one purpose—to worship Christ. Music has one purpose—to worship Christ. Family has one purpose—to worship Christ. Religion has one purpose—to worship Christ. Friendship has one purpose—to worship Christ. Theology has one purpose—to worship Christ. Church membership has one purpose—to worship Christ. Worship has one purpose—to worship Christ. Whatever it is, it was created for Christ.

How rare is it, I wonder, for a Christian to make most decisions based upon what will bring Christ the most glory? Who among us finds the very definition for existence to be that of serving and amplifying our Firstborn Brother? Every spring, I hear high school graduates explaining why they have chosen one college or career path over another, and only occasionally do they give specifically Christ-exalting reasons. Usually, their choices depend upon what makes them happy, where they will have the most fun, where the scholarship money is, where their friends are going, or what opportunity affords the highest salary potential. They even pray this way: “Lord, show me where I can have the most fun and learn a lot and build good friendships.” Then a little Jesus gets thrown in: “And help me to stay out of trouble, and to live according to Your values.” But Christianity is not about Jesus helping us out or coming along to assist in what we are doing. We exist to make Him happy. We are called to assist in what He is doing. And He is working to build His kingdom, to proclaim His salvation, to claim His inheritance. That should be our goal, too, whether making college and career decisions, marriage decisions, parenting decisions, hobby decisions, money decisions, or any other decisions.

One more example. When pastors and worship leaders prepare worship services, they must be intentional about worship. The goal should be to give Christ first place. If, instead, the greater concerns center on what the worshippers want to do, experience, etc., then don’t call it a worship service. (Call it a members’ meeting.) If a man plans a surprise birthday party for his wife, and makes all of the arrangements according to what will most please his guests—as he determines the menu, he chooses according to what they would prefer to eat; as he coordinates the entertainment, he selects what he thinks they would most enjoy; as he recommends gifts, he suggests things they would be willing and eager to bring—he might claim that the evening is all about her, but in truth her preferences were never considered. Likewise, sometimes we gather to “worship Christ” while all of the arrangements are made in deference to the worshippers.

 

Intentionally Christ-Obsessed in All Things

If Jesus is the reason for everything, then it follows that He is the reason for me. I should live my life for His purpose. Therefore, everything I do, think, feel, say, and want should be, ultimately, for Him.

Now, any Christian would find it difficult to disagree with that statement. But when we put it in the terms of living intentionally “so that He would come to have first place in everything,” the perspective changes a bit. At least, it makes the living out of the principle a little more specific. Put simply, my life, in every respect, should be lived with the express purpose of exalting Christ. I should live intentionally Christ-obsessed in all things. And so should you. Everything in our churches, jobs, families, and hobbies should be intended to give Christ first place. We should vote according to what will most obviously exalt Christ. Our choices in child-raising and schooling must be motivated by a desire to consciously give Christ first place. What we think about, what we read, what we watch, all should be determined by a sincere and purposive desire to exalt Christ. Our every moment should be devoted to loving Christ, serving Christ, obeying Christ, considering Christ, knowing Christ, and proclaiming the excellencies and the majesty of Christ. He is why you and I exist today on planet earth.

 

Conclusion

To close this chapter, here is a list of things that life is not, ultimately, about:

• Life is not about growing up; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about getting married; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about having children; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about a good job and home; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about a comfortable retirement; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about fun and pleasure; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about sex; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about relationships; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about being a good citizen; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about being nice to people; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about American conservatism; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about freedom; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about world peace; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about feeding the hungry; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about sports; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about technology; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about making it through another day; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about growing the Church; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about missions; it is about Christ.
• Life is not about anything that is not Christ; it is about Christ.

Many of these things are good, God-given parts of our lives. But they are given to us as ways to declare the supremacy of His Son. To the extent that we use them for other purposes, we sin against their Giver because the purpose of everything is the exaltation and worship of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the highest duty and joy of every human being is to glorify Christ, to give Him first place in every aspect of life.