“Christ is everywhere in Colossians; Christ is everything in Colossians. Certainly the letter is Trinitarian. The Father (1:2, 3, 12, 19; 3:17) and the Spirit (1:8) are vital and present. But Christ shines most brilliantly. He is designated as ‘Christ’ (18 times; e.g. 1:2; 2:2; 3:11; 4:4:3), ‘Jesus Christ’ (1:1; 4:12), ‘Christ Jesus’ (1:4), ‘Christ Jesus the Lord’ (2:6), ‘the Lord Jesus’ (3:17), and ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’ (1:3). He is God’s ‘beloved Son’ (1:13). He is God’s ‘mystery’ (1:27). He is the sphere in which our maturity will be realized (1:28). In Him ‘are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (2:3). He is the sphere in which the believer lives his life (2:6). He is the soil in which we thrive and the arena in which we are built up to become what we were designed to be (2:7).

Christ has died (2:20), been buried (2:11-12), is risen (3:1) and is now exalted to the place of supreme authority in the entire universe (3:1). Thus Christ has utterly defeated Satan and all demonic powers (2:10, 15). Remarkably, Paul tells us that with Christ we have died (2:20), been buried (2:12) and been raised (3:1). Thus we share in His victory and authority. Indeed, ‘you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God’ (3:3).

Christ is the substance and reality of all God’s purposes and grace (2:17). He is ‘the head’ of the body, the Church (2:19) and as such is both the supply line of all we need and the binding support which holds us together as His people. At His return we will ‘be revealed with Him in glory’ (3:4). Christ is the goal and pattern after which God is remaking us and to which He is conforming us (3:10). Christ overcomes all human, earth-bound distinctions that separate people (3:11). He has forgiven us all our sins (2:13; 3:13). His word is to become the substance of our thoughts, the meditation of our hearts, the song on our lips, the theme of our conversations, and the substance of our worship (3:16). His name is to be stamped over everything we say or do (3:17a). He is the channel of our ever-flowing stream of thanksgiving to the Father (3:17b). He governs and defines marriage (3:18-19), parenting (20-21), and our employer/employee relationships (3:22-4:1).

Christ is worth being imprisoned for (4:3). To Him we bend the direction of our lives, rendering our service (4:7, 12) and from Him we receive our ministries (4:17).” (Colossians and Philemon for Pastors, pp.35-36)