What Does It Mean That You Were Made For Christ? | Colossians 1:16

What Does It Mean That You Were Made For Christ? | Colossians 1:16

By Pastor Autry Watkins IV | Transformation Church | December 22, 2025

We live in an age obsessed with purpose. Podcasts promise to help you "find your why." Leadership gurus insist you must "discover your authentic self." Self-help books overflow from Amazon's digital shelves, each claiming to unlock the secret to a meaningful life. But what if the search for purpose in ourselves is fundamentally flawed from the start? Paul's letter to the Colossians confronts us with a truth so radical, so comprehensive, that it demolishes every human-centered philosophy: "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him" (Colossians 1:16). Notice that final phrase: *for him*. Not for yourself. Not for your self-actualization. Not even primarily for God's glory in the abstract, but specifically *for Christ*. You were made for Him. Everything was. This changes everything.

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The Cosmic Scope of Christ's Creative Authority

Paul doesn't begin with application. He begins with declaration. Before we can understand what it means to live *for* Christ, we must grasp that all things were created *by* Him and *through* Him. The apostle piles up phrases like a master architect displaying blueprints: "all things... in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities." Why this cosmic scope? Because the Colossian church faced a subtle but deadly threat: philosophies that diminished Christ. Some taught that Jesus was merely one intermediary among many between God and creation. Others promoted ascetic practices and angel worship as necessary additions to faith in Christ. Paul's response is not to argue incrementally but to assert comprehensively: Christ is not one agent among many in creation—He is the sole agent through whom all things came into being. Consider what "all things" includes. The galaxies spinning in the darkness of space. The subatomic particles physicists are still discovering. The angelic hierarchies—thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities—that exist in realms we cannot see. Your DNA. Your personality. Your Tuesday morning. Every electron, every angel, every moment exists because Christ spoke it into being. As John's Gospel declares, "All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3). This is not metaphorical language or pious exaggeration. This is ontological reality. Christ is not a creature, no matter how exalted. He is the Creator. And if He created all things, then He possesses absolute authority over all things. The Christ who sustains the cosmos by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3) has every right to claim your Monday morning commute, your career ambitions, your secret thoughts, your retirement plans. He made them all. He owns them all.

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. — Colossians 1:16

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. — John 1:3

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. — Hebrews 1:3

Created Not Just By Him, But For Him

But Paul doesn't stop with Christ as Creator. He presses further into even more unsettling territory: "all things were created... *for him*." The preposition matters immensely. Christ is not just the efficient cause of creation (the one who made it), but the final cause (the purpose for which it was made). You exist for Christ's pleasure, Christ's glory, Christ's purposes. This inverts everything our culture—and often our churches—tell us about the purpose of life. We're taught that God exists to serve our flourishing, that Jesus died to make us happy, that the gospel is primarily about our self-actualization and life enhancement. But Colossians 1:16 declares something far more glorious and terrifying: you were made to bring pleasure to Another. Consider the implications. Your career was not given primarily so you could achieve your dreams, but so Christ could be glorified in your work. Your marriage was not designed primarily for your happiness, but to display Christ's love for His church (Ephesians 5:32). Your singleness, if that's your calling, is not a waiting room for real life to begin, but a gift enabling undivided devotion to the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). Your suffering—that thorn in the flesh you've begged God to remove—may exist so that Christ's power can be perfected in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). This is where the rubber meets the road. If all things exist for Christ, then nothing in your life is ultimately about you. The chronic illness. The difficult boss. The prodigal child. The unfulfilled longing. These are not random obstacles to your happiness that God has inexplicably failed to remove. They are instruments in the hand of a sovereign Creator who is working all things—including the painful things—toward the purpose for which you were made: to glorify Christ. Does this feel crushing? It should—if you're trying to be your own god. But if you understand the gospel, this truth becomes the most liberating reality imaginable. You were not made to carry the weight of being the point of your own existence. That burden was always too heavy. You were made for something infinitely better: to delight in Christ, to reflect Christ, to worship Christ forever.

All things were created through him and for him. — Colossians 1:16

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. — Ephesians 5:32

The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. — 1 Corinthians 7:32-35

But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' — 2 Corinthians 12:9

When Created Things Become Ultimate Things

Here's where this doctrine exposes the idolatry of our hearts. An idol is not just a carved image in a pagan temple. An idol is any good thing we make into an ultimate thing. It's taking something created *for* Christ and attempting to make it exist *for* us instead. It's functional atheism wearing religious clothing. Paul's phrase "all things were created through him and for him" demolishes every rival claim on our ultimate allegiance. That career you're pursuing? Created for Christ. That relationship status you're desperate to change? Exists for Christ's purposes. That political outcome you're convinced would fix everything? Subordinate to Christ's kingdom. That comfort, security, or approval you're frantically trying to secure? Meant to point you to Christ, not replace Him. The Colossian Christians faced this temptation through ascetic practices and mystical experiences that promised deeper spirituality. We face it through therapeutic Christianity that makes Jesus into a life coach, or prosperity gospel that makes Him into a divine ATM, or progressive Christianity that makes Him into a mirror for our political preferences, or traditional Christianity that makes Him into a validator of our cultural preferences. In every case, we're attempting to reverse the purpose of creation: instead of all things existing for Christ, we try to make Christ exist for all things we want. But notice God's patience with our idolatry. In His mercy, our idols always disappoint. The career doesn't satisfy. The relationship doesn't complete you. The political victory doesn't usher in utopia. The approval you sought evaporates. Why? Because "all things were created... for him," and things used against their design will always malfunction. C.S. Lewis captured this perfectly: "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." The gospel meets us here, in the rubble of our broken idols. Christ didn't just create all things for Himself. He entered His creation to redeem idolaters like us. On the cross, Jesus absorbed the judgment we deserved for our cosmic treason—for taking things made for Christ and using them for ourselves. In His resurrection, He secured the power we need to live for the purpose we were made. Through His Spirit, He's reorienting our disordered loves back toward Himself.

All things were created through him and for him. — Colossians 1:16

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. — Romans 1:25

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. — 1 John 5:21

Living in Light of Your True Purpose

So what does it look like to actually live as someone made for Christ? It begins with a fundamental reorientation of how you approach every single day. When you wake up Monday morning, the first question isn't "What do I need to accomplish today?" but "How can Christ be glorified in me today?" This isn't semantic game-playing. This is spiritual warfare against the self-centeredness that wants to hijack even our Christian obedience. Consider your work. Paul writes elsewhere, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Colossians 3:23). If you were created for Christ, then your spreadsheets and sales calls and diaper changes and surgeries and legal briefs are acts of worship when done for His glory. You're not just enduring work until you can get to "real" ministry. Your work *is* ministry when you're working for the One you were made for. Consider your relationships. If all things—including the difficult person in your life—were created for Christ, then your interactions with them are not primarily about you getting what you need. They're about Christ getting what He deserves: a display of His patient love through you. This transforms how you approach conflict, forgiveness, and even that awkward conversation you've been avoiding. You're not performing for their approval or nursing your wounds. You're representing Christ because you exist for Christ. Consider your suffering. This is perhaps where "made for Him" becomes most personally challenging. When you're in the valley, when prayers seem unanswered, when the diagnosis is bad, when the relationship ends, when the job disappears—what then? If you were made primarily for your own happiness, suffering is a cosmic mistake. But if you were made for Christ, then even suffering can serve that purpose. Paul could say, "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings" (Philippians 3:10). Suffering conforms us to Christ, displays Christ's sufficiency, and prepares us for glory with Christ.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. — Colossians 3:23

That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. — Philippians 3:10

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. — Romans 8:28-29

Application

Let's get ruthlessly practical. This week, I want you to conduct an audit of where you're actually living as though you were made for yourself rather than for Christ. First, examine your disappointments. What has frustrated you recently? A unmet expectation? A denied request? A circumstantial setback? Now ask: Was my frustration rooted in Christ not being glorified, or in my plans being disrupted? Be honest. Often our anger reveals that we've made ourselves, not Christ, the point. Second, examine your pursuits. What are you working toward right now? What's consuming your mental and emotional energy? Is it something that exists for Christ's glory, or have you subtly made Christ a means to that end? Would you still pursue it if it brought no personal benefit but gave Christ glory? This question exposes whether we're using Christ to get what we want, or surrendering what we want to who Christ is. Third, examine your secret thoughts. What do you think about when your mind wanders? What captures your imagination in those unguarded moments? Our daydreams often reveal our functional gods. If Christ created you for Himself, does your thought life reflect that purpose, or are you mentally living in a different kingdom? Fourth, examine your money. Jesus said your treasure reveals your heart (Matthew 6:21). Look at your bank statement. Where is your treasure? What purchases reflect that you were made for Christ? What purchases suggest you're living for comfort, status, or security instead? Finally, don't let this examination drive you to despair or mere self-effort. You cannot, by trying harder, reorient your entire existence from self to Christ. Only Christ can do that, and He's doing it through His Spirit. Confess where you've lived for yourself. Believe that Christ's sacrifice covers that cosmic treason. Ask His Spirit to reorient your loves. Then step into today knowing that the One you were made for is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

You were made for Christ. Not for your career. Not for your comfort. Not for your preferred political outcomes. Not even for your family. You were made *for Him*—created by His power, through His agency, for His purposes. This truth will either crush you or liberate you, depending on whether you're clinging to the illusion that you're the point. But for those who have tasted the gospel, who have seen the beauty of Christ, who have experienced His grace—this is the best news imaginable. You don't have to carry the impossible burden of being the purpose of your own existence. You were made for something infinitely better: to glorify and enjoy the One who loved you enough to die for you, who rose to secure your future, and who is even now making all things—including your life—work toward the purpose for which you were created. Rest in that. Live for that. You were made for Him.

For Further Reflection

In what areas of your life are you currently living as though you were made primarily for yourself rather than for Christ? Be specific.

How does understanding that "all things were created for Christ" change the way you view your current circumstances—especially the difficult ones?

What good things in your life (career, relationships, comfort, etc.) are you tempted to make into ultimate things? How can you tell the difference?

How would your daily routine change this week if you practically lived out the truth that you were made for Christ's glory rather than your own satisfaction?

When have you been most tempted to use Christ as a means to get what you want, rather than surrendering what you want for who Christ is? What does repentance look like in that area?