Saturday, 21 March 2015
For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 1 Corinthians 15:27
This verse goes back to verse 25, thus it makes verse 26 a parenthetical thought. The “For” at the beginning of the verse shows us this. The work of Messiah is on-going in time and it will continue until all things are placed under His feet (meaning that all things are subjected to Him.) This is found in Psalm 8 –
“You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet.” Psalm 8:6
This verse from the psalm is speaking of man, but in the greater sense it is speaking of Christ who took on the nature of man. Adam (man) fell and lost his right to the world. Christ came to reclaim that. It is this work of Christ that is on-going in the lives of people around the world. Someday this work will be complete and Death and Hades will be cast into the Lake of Fire. When this occurs, all things will have truly have been placed under His feet because, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.”
However, Paul wants to clarify the nature of the Godhead and so he continues with “But…” His term “all things” is speaking of the created order. Elsewhere, Christ’s authority and supremacy over all things is noted, such as in Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 2:5-9, etc. But it is not possible that He would have supremacy over the Godhead. Rather, He is a member of the Godhead. Therefore Paul notes that “it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.”
God is God. As the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all revealed to be “God” in the Bible, then it cannot be that one is greater than the others. They are co-equal because each is God. Therefore, He (meaning God) who put all things under Him (meaning Christ) is excepted. Paul will continue his explanation of this in the next verse.
Life application: We as Christians do not worship and serve a “lesser god.” Rather, we worship and serve Jesus – fully God. The doctrine of the Trinity is complicated, but it is neither contradictory nor irrational. It is logical and it reveals the true nature of God.
Glorious God! I look at the creation and am astonished at the wisdom and intricacy of what You have done. Once there was nothing and now there is a universe which is logical, orderly, and beautiful in the extreme. All things have purpose and all things reflect Your infinite wisdom. My soul is overwhelmed at Your splendid majesty and Your surpassing greatness. Truly O God You are to be exalted! Amen.