He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:15-20

Jesus, in his role as Creator, not only constructed that which we can see, experience and measure in the material world, but those invisible, immeasurable things which fill the spiritual world we live in. Any power that would try to assert authority or claim a special revelation of knowledge would have to also claim supremacy over the authority of Jesus, its Creator. No angel, no matter what rank, no spirit, no matter how pure its motive might be, can change the reality of the revelations brought to us by Jesus and his Apostles.

Jesus made peace through the blood of the cross, a selfless sacrifice, and brought the entirety of spiritual authority under his control, winning a war that had not even begun.

If you are questioning the validity of a message, consider the messenger. If they “proclaim another gospel,” even if they are an angel, they are invalidated before the message even began (2 Corinthians 11:3ff). But if the One responsible for your making has already brought you a complete message, what authority can you claim to reject it? We have the perfect image, the perfect representation of the Creator, the self-sacrificing, all-loving Jesus.

Ethan Kirl

Originally published September 7, 2021