The uniqueness of Jesus in a pluralistic culture
February 2002
by Paul Woolley
published in Conservatism magazine

Paul Woolley's Bible Brief

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or authorities; all things were created by him and for him..." Colossians 1:15-20

In the aftermath of September 11, religion in general, and Islam in particular has been placed firmly under the microscope. Of course, the analysis has not been positive. Secular commentators have been quick to assert that 'religion is the problem'. It is the cause of war and conflict. Our world would be a safer and happier place without it. Simple.

Clearly, as history shows, religion can be the source of conflict and war. Since the beginning of time, competing ideologically defined groups have engaged in battle to assert their supremacy. Christianity has been used to promote the cause of violence, as seen in the Crusades and the ongoing problems in Northern Ireland. Islam contains the concept of jihad or holy war. In fact, a number of Quranic texts encourage the destruction of 'infidels'. Confusingly, other Quranic texts point in an altogether different direction, promoting the cause of respect and tolerance.

Secularists miss one important point however. Overwhelmingly, it is not the historic religions that have been the major cause of oppression and evil in our world. No, the world's biggest oppressor has been (and still is) secularism itself. Consider the evil personalities of the twentieth century and their respective ideologies - Mao Tse-Tung in China, Stalin in Russia, Hitler in Germany and Pol Pot in Cambodia - common to all was an aggressive and unforgiving atheism.

In the light of all this, a brief consideration of the uniqueness of Jesus seems appropriate.

One of the best places to start is Colossians. Interestingly the small market town of Colosse in the first century was not unlike the UK today. Pluralism was not only a fact of culture, it was a mindset. In Colosse, an extensive portfolio of religious options and philosophies were on offer. Declaring the uniqueness of any particular religion was seen to smack of arrogance and narrow-mindedness. It was into such an environment, however, that the apostle Paul preached that 'in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.' (Colossians 2:9).

In Colossians 1:15, Paul begins with the explosive assertion that Jesus is 'the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.' Paul's statement takes us back unmistakably to the beginning of human history. In the beginning, God created human beings in 'his image' and instructed them to 'fill the earth and subdue it', to 'rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' (Genesis 1:28) It was God's intention that human beings should rule planet earth (look after it, not exploit it) as his representatives.

It does not take a genius to see that something went wrong. With breathtaking speed, human beings rebelled against God and have continued to do so ever since. The image of God in each of us is, at best, radically distorted. Even before September 11, the depth of human sin was clear by endless statistics: 1.3 billion people struggle to survive on 50p a day. One in five people live in abject poverty. Preventable diseases kill 35,000 youngsters every single day. Diarrhoea kills 8,000 youngsters every day. 60,000 people die daily of hunger. Life is cheap. 435 abortions take place in the UK every day. Suicide rates are increasing - 7,000 annually in the UK and Ireland.

In Colossians, Paul states that it was precisely into this lost and helpless world that Jesus, the 'image of the invisible God', was born. Paul writes that only Jesus reveals God to us on that basis that he alone is truly human. Jesus is the 'image of God' in a way that no one else ever has been or ever will be. In his humanness, God is seen. In Jesus, a living, breathing, first century, olive coloured Palestinian Jew, God has walked 'among us' and shown himself to us.

Secondly, Paul tells us that 'by him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.' (1:16) In short, Paul explains that God has created everything through Jesus. Paul's language not only takes us back to Genesis 1 but also to the Old Testament Wisdom literature where wisdom is called the 'craftsman' (Proverbs 8:30). Jesus is the 'wisdom of God'. Our world was not created morally neutral. It was created through Jesus. Paul adds that Jesus is 'before all things and in him all things hold together.' (1:17) One commentator notes that 'The whole of creation is established permanently in him alone. He is the sustainer of the universe and the unifying principle of its life. Apart from his continuous sustaining activity all would fall apart.' In our fragile world, it is tremendously reassuring to know that our destiny is not determined by the evil actions of individuals, groups or empires. Jesus holds everything together.

Paul, thirdly, tells us that 'God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.' (1:19-20) Jesus, Paul notes, is 'the place' in whom God in all his fullness was pleased to take up residence - Indeed, all God's qualities and activities - his Spirit, word, wisdom, glory and salvation - are perfectly displayed in Jesus. It is through Jesus that God restores all things, including our distorted humanity. Incredibly, God does this through the apparent absurdity of the cross.

Christians are under increasing pressure to consign religion to the private sphere and end all talk of the uniqueness of our God and his Christ. Contrary to popular opinion, such an approach will not help deliver world peace. Quite the reverse is true, in fact. Our challenge as the Church, therefore, is to show people Jesus. In so doing, we will bring hope to a lost and hurting world.