Day 3
Lisa Scheffler, author
Read
Colossians 1:19–20 (NIV)
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 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.
Study
- The Faithlife Study Bible gives us a helpful definition for “reconcile.” In the note for 1:20, it says, “The Greek word used here, apokatallassō, refers to the act of restoring a relationship to harmony.” What has Jesus reconciled according to this verse? How?
Think about
- Scholar N.T. Wright notes that in this poetic passage, Paul starts with creation, and ends with the hope of new creation. He says, “The Jesus through whom the world was made in the first place is the same Jesus through whom the world has now been redeemed. He is the firstborn of all creation, and the firstborn from the dead.”[1] What connection do you see between this passage and the hope for the future that Paul emphasizes in Colossians 1:4–14? How do these verses give you hope?
Pray
Apart from Christ, we would stand before God guilty and condemned. In Christ, we have peace with God. Whereas sin and death separated us from God, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross has reconciled us to him. We have harmony with our Creator. In your prayer time today, rejoice in that harmony. Confess your sins, accept God’s forgiveness, and know peace.
Talk about
Together, go back and read Colossians 15–20 aloud. Discuss the truth about Jesus that means the most to you right now in your present circumstances. Encourage one another with those truths?
[1] Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 152.
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