How well do you know Jesus? If you’re a Christian, you know that He’s your Savior and the Son of God. But what if you wrote down everything you understand about Him? Would you be able to fill up both sides of even one sheet of paper? Becoming a believer is simple—we only need to believe that He died to pay the penalty for our sins and then ask Him to pardon us. But we can’t stop there. After salvation, we have a responsibility to continually grow in our knowledge of Christ.
Here’s a test to determine how you’re doing: Are you anxious or worried about anything? Have you become discouraged because of a situation that seems hopeless? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you may need to broaden your understanding of who Jesus Christ really is. Most of the things that trouble us result from a limited perception of the Savior. He is so much bigger than we can possibly comprehend, and none of our circumstances are beyond His ability to handle.
Photography by Charles F. Stanley
Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians, who were beginning to doubt Jesus was enough. After listening to false teachers, they became convinced that they needed something more. But Paul’s description of Christ in Colossians 1:15-20 refuted this misconception with a stunning portrait of the sufficiency and grandeur of the Savior. In this short passage, Paul uses the word all seven times to show that Jesus is supreme in power and wisdom.
THE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER
Verse 16 tells us, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible.” John 1:3 says that nothing came into being apart from Jesus, so we can be certain that He didn’t start with some form of matter and craft it into all that fills the universe. Hebrews 11:3 explains how He did it: “The worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Christ spoke everything into existence, and His energy was in no way depleted. He was still omnipotent after He finished because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The first chapter of Genesis describes how the Lord said, “Let there be ... ” before each element of heaven and earth came into being. And because of the plural pronouns used in Genesis 1:26—“Let Us make man in Our image” (emphasis added)—we also know that all three members of the Trinity were involved in the process. From the intricacies of a single atom to the massive expanse of the universe, all came into existence at Christ’s command. This is the amazing power of the Son of God.
To catch a glimpse of our great Savior’s handiwork, all we have to do is lift our eyes to the heavens on a dark, cloudless night. Too often, our time is spent indoors as we focus on earthly concerns. We’re usually so busy rushing around that we fail to stop and marvel at Christ’s grand nighttime display.
That’s why I love being out in the wilderness where there are no manmade lights or sounds. As dusk falls, I watch the stars begin to appear. At first only a few are visible, but gradually the darkness fills with countless shining dots. Did you know that starlight travels 186,000 miles per second to reach us? That’s over 16 billion miles in a day. And from our earthly perspective, we can see only a fraction of the stars in the universe. There are an estimated 100 billion galaxies, and the one nearest to ours is an amazing 25,000 light-years away.
There is no way for a human mind to grasp the enormity of such a vast and unsearchable universe, but Christ knows exactly where every star is because He hung each one in space and holds them all in the hollow of His hand. The universe moves according to His precise order: “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17). The Son of God maintains the earth’s orbit around the sun and keeps it spinning on its axis at just the right angle and speed to sustain life. Everything Christ created is under His sovereign, omnipotent, omnipresent control.
A NEW SPIRIT
Considering how vast and immeasurable God’s creation is, we can humbly agree with David’s words in Psalm 8:3-4: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” Think for a moment about the power, glory, and majesty of the Son of God, who is so far beyond our comprehension. How could such a one as this condescend to come to Earth as a helpless baby and be crucified on a cross in order to reconcile human beings to the Father? Yet that’s exactly what He did (Col. 1:20).
Although the universe is a magnificent manifestation of Christ’s supremacy, there’s another aspect of His creative power that affects every believer personally. The moment someone places trust in Him, He comes into that person’s life and recreates his or her spirit. Before salvation, we were spiritually dead, but now we have Jesus’ very life through the Holy Spirit who indwells us. This means we are the possessors of His eternal, indestructible being.
What’s more, the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that we have been given the mind of Christ. That means we can now understand what He has revealed to us through His Word, His Spirit, and His creation. A result of our new life in Christ is that we can grasp spiritual truths in the Bible as His Spirit teaches us. And digging into His Word helps us discover who Christ really is—then we see the evidence of His power and the imprint of His hand everywhere.
Each aspect of creation is one more example of how great and infinite Christ is. If He can hang the stars in space and keep oceans within their boundaries, can He not deal with our problems? We are held securely in His hands, but sometimes we act as if we have to scramble so He won’t drop us. Peace and trust come when we realize He’s the one who has us in His eternal grip and will never let go.
No one is more sufficient, powerful, or loving than your mighty, majestic Savior. Jesus has all the creative and sustaining power to handle whatever you’re facing. He wants you to stop fretting, so make that list of everything you know about Him. Read each of those truths and rest, knowing that He cares for you and will meet all your needs according to His good will.
Adapted from the sermon “Christ Above All” by Charles F. Stanley
