fbpx

Colossians: Week 2 | Day 1

by

 

Week 2 | Colossians 1:15–23

Memory Verse for the week:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19–20)

Day 1

Read

Colossians 1:15­–17 (NIV)

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Study

Throughout this study, we will be pointing you to Biblia.com and the free Faithlife Study Bible as a resource to help you go deeper into Colossians. For full instructions on how to sign up for an account, click here.)

A helpful Bible study technique is to look up cross references. Verses with related people, places, or ideas can help interpret one another. The New International Version of the Bible that we’re using on Biblica.com gives cross references to other related Bible passages. If you click on the little superscript letters above certain words, you’ll see the cross references listed.

In verse 16 you’ll notice that a key cross reference is John 1:3. Read John 1:1-4. What parallels do you see between John’s Gospel and Colossians 1:15­–17? What point are both John and Paul making about Jesus?

Think about

  • Scholar N.T. Wright says, “It’s by looking at Jesus that we discover who God is. He is ‘the image of God, the invisible one’. Nobody has ever seen God, but in Jesus he has come near to us and become one of us.”[1] What does it mean to you that Jesus became one of us? How could reflecting on Christ’s nearness strengthen your faith?
  • Ponder what it means to you that Jesus is over ALL creation, including you. How should that affect the choices you make?

Pray

Every verse we will read this week calls us to praise! Our passage last week ended with “For he 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” (Colossians 1:13­–14). This passage gives us greater insight into who our Savior is. Jesus Christ, the one in whom, through whom, and for whom all things were created. He is the One who loves you and died for you. He left behind the glory of heaven to be with us and one of us. Rejoice in that today!

Talk about

Have a meaningful conversation about this passage with one of your CF Encouragers, a friend, or join us virtually in the Faithlife Community. (Search groups for Engage God Daily. For full instructions, click here.)

  • If someone asked you “Who is this Jesus that you follow?” how would the verses we looked at today shape your answer? How would you describe Jesus?

[1] Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 151.

To listen to last week’s message go to cfhome.org/messages