Col 1:18-20 | TNotes | STEP | 1:18 head of the church: The Greek word kephalē (head) usually has the sense of authority over or chief when Paul uses it as a metaphor (see also 2:10 , 19 ; 1 Cor 11:3-10 ; Eph 4:15 ; 5:23 ). • which is his body: The metaphor of the church as Christ’s body expresses the essential unity of Christ and the church (see also Col 1:24 ; 2:19 ; 3:15 ; Eph 1:23 ; 2:16 ; 4:4 , 12 ; 5:23 , 30 ). • supreme over all who rise from the dead (or the firstborn from the dead ): See study note on Col 1:15.

1:18 ^a head of the church: The Greek word kephalē (head) usually has the sense of authority over or chief when Paul uses it as a metaphor (see also 2:10 ^b, 19 ^c; 1 Cor 11:3-10 ^d; Eph 4:15 ^e; 5:23 ^f).

• which is his body: The metaphor of the church as Christ’s body expresses the essential unity of Christ and the church (see also Col 1:24 ^g; 2:19 ^h; 3:15 ⁱ; Eph 1:23 ^j; 2:16 ^k; 4:4 ^l, 12 ^m; 5:23 ⁿ, 30 ^o).

• supreme over all who rise from the dead (or the firstborn from the dead): See study note on Col 1:15.
1:19 ^p God in all his fullness emphasizes that God has chosen to reveal himself fully in Jesus Christ. Seeing Jesus and understanding him therefore means seeing and understanding God (see John 14:6-11 ^q). The false teachers seemed to be saying that Christians needed to look to other spiritual beings to find out more about God (see Col 1:16 ^r, 20 ^s). But Christ is sufficient for all our knowledge of God (cp. 2:8-9 ^t).
1:20 ^u Through Christ, God has reconciled everything to himself, reestablishing his rule over all creation, including both the spiritual and the earthly realms.