In 1614, scientist Galileo Galilei was accused of heresy for supporting the Copernican theory, which claimed that the sun was at the center of the solar system. This idea was revolutionary at a time when most people believed the Earth was the center of the universe. The Catholic Church upheld this view as part of its doctrine. In 1616, the church banned Galileo from teaching or promoting these theories.

In 1632, Galileo was once again condemned for heresy after publishing a book. He was called to appear before the Inquisition in Rome, where he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, and eventually placed under permanent house arrest at his villa.

Today, we take it for granted that the sun, not the Earth, is at the center of our galaxy.

When we read through the book of Colossians, Paul focuses on two main ideas: Jesus is supreme, and Jesus offers us wholeness. Understanding God’s fullness encourages us to dedicate our lives to Him. When we see that Jesus is superior, we become more like Him. Through Jesus, we become the complete person God intends us to be. We find wholeness when we make Jesus the center of our lives, not ourselves. You become whole, and I become whole only when Jesus is at the center.

Jesus is the true center.

Colossians 1:9-14 NIV

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

This is what Jesus has provided for us.

What a beautiful depiction of who we can become in Christ! Paul wouldn’t have prayed these things if they weren’t attainable.

A crisis had emerged that threatened to destroy the ministry of the Colossian church, and Paul felt compelled to step in. Paul needed to pray because false teachers had infiltrated the church. The followers of Jesus were confused about the true gospel and the false gospel.

Paul was deeply concerned about this group of believers. The purpose of his letter was to teach the truth and correct their course. He wanted them to understand the truth and move that direction.

The false teachers denied the true nature of Jesus. Once Christian believers identified the deception, they could genuinely follow Jesus in their daily lives. Wrong doctrine results in wrong living.

The Colossian Heresy, as it is called, was a mix of Jewish legalistic teachings that required strict self-denial and abstinence from anything considered indulgent, Gentile polytheism, in which many gods were worshiped, and Gnostic practices. The Gnostics believed that all physical matter—anything you can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch—was evil. These beliefs led to two extreme practices. (1) Reduce contact with evil or be indifferent to the sensory world. (2) Follow fully one’s desires and impulses.

Following Jesus required neither of these things. Let’s look again at all the things Paul mentioned that were given to the Colossian believers.

• Wisdom and understanding provided by the Holy Spirit.
• The ability to live a life worthy of the Lord that pleases Him in every way.
• Every good deed produces fruit.
• Growing in the knowledge of God.
• Strength sourced from God’s glorious power for enduring patience.
• A share of the inheritance in the kingdom of light.

This all comes from following Jesus. Nothing else is needed.

Verses 13 and 14 are one of my favorite passages. “God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Before trusting and following Jesus, we lived in darkness, in the realm of evil. However, God rescued us through Jesus’s sacrifice and brought us into His kingdom, the kingdom of light.

All of this comes from following Jesus; there is nothing else to add.

Make Jesus the center of your life.