The Universe Held Together: Discovering the Supremacy of Christ

There's something profoundly comforting about knowing that the universe isn't held together by random chance or unexplained scientific phenomena. When we look at the intricate design of our world—the precise distance of Earth from the sun, the exact tilt of our planet that creates livable seasons, the delicate balance of oxygen and nitrogen in our atmosphere—we're witnessing something far more intentional than accident.

The book of Colossians offers us a breathtaking vision of Christ that transforms how we understand everything around us and within us. It declares that "in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17). This isn't just poetic language; it's a fundamental truth about the nature of reality itself.

More Than a Good Teacher

Our culture is comfortable with a sanitized version of Jesus—a wise teacher from 2,000 years ago who said nice things and helped poor people. That Jesus fits neatly into our modern sensibilities. He doesn't challenge our autonomy or demand our allegiance.

But that's not the Jesus revealed in Scripture.

Every major world religion acknowledges Jesus as important—a prophet, a teacher, an enlightened man. Yet every one of them stops short of declaring him as God incarnate. This is the dividing line of human history. The question isn't whether Jesus was a good person; it's whether he is God himself.

Colossians 1:15-16 settles this question with stunning clarity: "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him."

Want to see what God looks like? Look at Jesus. Want to know how God loves? Watch Jesus. Want to understand God's priorities? Listen to Jesus.

Created By Him, For Him, Through Him

Here's a truth that should both humble and liberate us: the universe wasn't created for us. It was created for Christ.

If you could check the tag on everything that has ever been created and continues to be created, it would read: "Made in Jesus." Every mountain, every ocean, every star blazing in distant galaxies, every subatomic particle—all of it exists because of Christ, for Christ, and through Christ.

This reality invites us to exhale. We're not carrying the weight of making the universe work. We're not responsible for holding everything together. That's Christ's job, and he's been doing it since before time began.

The "firstborn over all creation" doesn't mean Jesus was the first thing created—verse 16 makes clear he was present in the creation moment itself. Rather, "firstborn" speaks to his status, his supremacy, his exalted position above all things. Just as King David was called God's "firstborn" despite being the youngest in his family (Psalm 89:27), Jesus is the firstborn in terms of rank and authority.

The God Who Holds Your Life Together

What's true of the universe is true of your life.

The same Christ who positions Earth in the Goldilocks zone—not too close to the sun, not too far away—is the Christ who positions you exactly where you need to be. The same power that stabilizes planetary orbits stabilizes your anxious heart. The same wisdom that designed the moon to control ocean tides is at work in the circumstances you can't explain.

When life feels chaotic, when you're overwhelmed by circumstances beyond your control, when anxiety threatens to undo you—remember Colossians 1:17. Christ is before all things. Nothing you're experiencing caught him by surprise. The future isn't just something God knows about; it's a place where God already is.

Consider what God told Paul when he struggled with a persistent problem: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Whatever weakness you're facing, whatever sin you can't seem to overcome, whatever circumstance you can't explain—the grace of Christ is sufficient. He wants to hold you together.

Reconciliation Through the Cross

But here's the problem humanity faces: we were enemies of God. Not just distant from him, not just unaware of him, but actively opposed to him because of our sin. Romans 3:23 tells us plainly that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

That person who lives a "good life" but never bends the knee to Jesus? They don't exist. We've all fallen short. Our best efforts are like filthy rags before a holy God. We need reconciliation, and we're powerless to achieve it ourselves.

This is where the gospel becomes gloriously good news.

Colossians 1:19-22 declares: "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross... But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation."

Christ didn't reconcile us through good advice or moral teaching. He reconciled us through his physical death on a cross. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. But through Christ's sacrifice, when God looks at believers, he doesn't see our sin—he sees Jesus.

The Unshakeable Grip

Some worry about losing their salvation, about somehow slipping from God's grasp. But consider this image: a parent walking a young child across a busy street, holding their hand tightly. If the child tries to pull away toward something dangerous, does the parent let go? Of course not. The parent's grip tightens.

We're not saved by the strength of our grip on God. We're saved by the strength of God's grip on us.

Romans 8:38-39 assures us: "Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Nothing can separate you from God's love—not even your own sin. Christ is not only the author of your faith; he's the finisher. He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion.

Servants of the Gospel

So what do we do with this magnificent vision of Christ? We become servants of the gospel.

If Christ is supreme over all things, shouldn't he be supreme over every area of your life? Your work, your relationships, your entertainment, your finances, your time? Does he get your first and best, or your leftovers?

What if God positioned you in your workplace specifically to share the gospel with a coworker? What if you're in your neighborhood because God wants you to be a witness to your neighbors? What if your current circumstances exist so you can be an ambassador for Christ?

The gospel of reconciliation through Christ isn't meant to be hoarded. It's meant to be proclaimed. When we truly grasp the supremacy of Christ—that he created all things, holds all things together, and reconciled us to God through his blood—we can't help but share this good news with everyone we meet.

Christ is supreme. He is sufficient. He is holding you together. And he invites you to trust him completely, making him Lord not just of your eternal destination, but of every moment of your daily life.

That's a Christ worth worshiping. That's a gospel worth sharing.