Overcome the World

If our world is great, and the universe is vastly greater, how big is the One who powerfully created it? The Bible tells us, “For by [Jesus] 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” (Colossians 1:16).

This is good news because this same Jesus who created the universe is the One who has come to rescue us from our sin for every day and forever. The night before He died, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

When facing the large and small challenges of life, we call on the One who made the universe, died and rose again, and won victory over this world’s brokenness. In our times of struggle, He powerfully offers us His peace. God’s grace is immeasurable, His mercy inexhaustible, His peace inexpressible.

In Colossians, Paul combats false teaching that seems to have included both severe self-discipline and the idea that the material world is bad and we are saved by avoiding it (see 2:16-23). Paul argued that the teachers were missing the point entirely. By focusing on their own ideas and rules (vv. 18, 22), they were missing Christ—the One through whom everything holds together (v. 19).

Colossians 1:15-17, often believed to be a Christian hymn, beautifully reinforces the truth that the gospel includes hope for the material world, God’s good creation. Because Jesus is the One who holds creation together (vv. 17-18), He restores not only harmony between people and God but between the creation and God (v. 20). Believers, as those living in His kingdom (vv. 12-14), can experience a taste of this renewed creation, even as we long for the final restoration.

—Bill Crowder, condensed