The Essence of Calvin's Theology

I'm reading Timothy George's book, Theology of the Reformers, the author quotes Calvin's commentary on Colossians 1:17 as the "orienting focus of his [Calvin's] entire theological program". I thought this was a nice bridge from the last sermon series on Colossians to the new series on "Hard Questions." The centrality of Christianity is the person of Christ. To win people to Christ we must introduce to the person of Jesus Christ. We must present not only our personal relationship Christ, but doctrinal truths about His person. Or as Calvin puts it, we must present the "excellencies of His person." Here's the verse and the paragraph about the verse from Calvin's commentary.

Colossians 1:12
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

John Calvin
Giving thanks. Again he returns to thanksgiving, that he may take this opportunity of enumerating the blessings which had been conferred upon them through Christ, and thus he enters upon a full delineation of Christ. For this was the only remedy for fortifying the Colossians against all the snares, by which the false Apostles endeavored to entrap them — to understand accurately what Christ was. For how comes it that we are carried about with so many strange doctrines, (Hebrews 13:9) but because the excellence of Christ is not perceived by us? For Christ alone makes all other things suddenly vanish. Hence there is nothing that Satan so much endeavors to accomplish as to bring on mists with the view of obscuring Christ, because he knows, that by this means the way is opened up for every kind of falsehood. This, therefore, is the only means of retaining, as well as restoring pure doctrine — to place Christ before the view such as he is with all his blessings, that his excellence may be truly perceived.