The Preeminence of Christ

Why should Jesus be preeminent?
Is He in your life?

Do you know what preeminent means? One dictionary defines the term as "superior to or notable above all others; outstanding." In other words, to be preeminent is to be "more" or "better" than anything else. For example, if something is beautiful, the preeminent would be more beautiful; if someone is excellent in inventiveness, the preeminent would be more inventive; if someone has authority and power, the preeminent would have more authority and power.

Jesus should be preeminent because He is preeminent. Ultimately, "every knee shall bow." But why?

HE CREATED EVERYTHING. In the final analysis, everything that exists is his handiwork. (True, many things have gone to waste.) The witness of John 1:3 declares clearly, "without him was not any thing made that was made." And Revelation 4:11 resonates with this praise and acclamation: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things." Since when should the created by more or better than the Creator? Of course He is preeminent!

EVERYTHING WAS CREATED FOR HIM. Jesus is the reason for the existence of all things. Their foremost purpose for being is Him and Him alone. The conclusion of Revelation 4:11 leaves no doubt: "for thy pleasure they are and were created." When something or someone exists for the pleasure and purposes of another, who is more or better? Of course He is preeminent!

HE IS BEFORE ALL THINGS. Can you name one thing that came before Jesus? Since He made all things, how could any of those things be before Him? So if their order of existence is after Him, why should they be before Him in any other way? At one point in His earthly ministry, Jesus commented to the Father about having been with Him "before the world was" (John 17:5). And in the first chapter of Revelation, Jesus speaks of Himself as Alpha, the beginning and the first. That being the case, how could anything after Him be more or better than He? Of course He is preeminent!

HE HOLDS EVERYTHING TOGETHER. "By him all things consist" means exactly that. Without Jesus, everything would come apart. What a mess that would be. What havoc; what chaos! What thing or being, that is so dependent on Him for its continued existence, would dare think itself somehow more or better than He? Of course He is preeminent!

Having established the preeminence of Christ, we need to decide whether we shall accept and yield to Him in his preeminence. In other words, is Jesus preeminent in your life and in mine? If not, then why not? After reading the previous section, does it make sense that we should be preeminent instead of He? No. If we say that He is preeminent in our lives, what does that mean?

Having Christ preeminent in my life should have some very practical, very visible results. What ought those to be? Here are two verse fragments to guide your thinking and discussing of this very important truth: "For in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28) and "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20).

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