In Him All Things Hold Together

 

Years ago, my husband worked at a university and would occasionally bring home copies of The Chronicles of Higher Education, a newspaper for college faculty and staff. The front-page story of one issue caught my attention in a big way. While I don't remember the article's title, I'll never forget its topic: The Theory of Everything. In simple terms, this is a hypothetical theory or equation within the field of physics that, if found, will explain, predict, describe, or unify the entire universe, accounting for all particles and forces, known or yet to be discovered. I had never heard of this theory before the moment my eyes fell on that article, and was stunned. "But that's Jesus," I said. "What they're looking for is Jesus." 

Most of Colossians 1, especially from verse 13 on, speaks of the greatness of Christ. One of my favorite phrases in the Bible, part of verse 17, is usually translated as "in Him all things consist" or "in Him all things hold together." Here's the entire verse from the Amplified 2015 version: 

And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]

Proverbs 8:22-31, describing how Jesus was fully part of the creation of wisdom long before the physical creation, is a supporting passage. While I am someone who loves and respects academics, at this point I can't help but see how true the truth of Isaiah 29:14 is: "...And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their discerning men will be hidden" (Isaiah 29:14b, AMP 2015). 

1 Corinthians 1 expounds further. Picking up in verse 20: "Where is the wise man (philosopher)? Where is the scribe (scholar)? Where is the debater (logician, orator) of this age? Has God not exposed the foolishness of this world's wisdom?" Verse 25: "[This is] because the foolishness of God [is not foolishness at all and] is wiser than men [far beyond human comprehension], and the weakness of God is stronger than men [far beyond the limits of human effort]. In verse 27, Paul writes that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world to shame the strong, so that (v. 28-29) He might reduce to nothing the things that are, so that no one may boast in the presence of God.

The Theory of Everything has not been found. It won't be. What holds the physical universe together isn't a force, theory, or equation. It's a person, and His name is Jesus Christ.