Colossians 1:15-23

Theme: Jesus, who is fully divine and Lord over all creation, has made peace through the cross, justifying us to be blameless before God.

Aim: Continue following Jesus faithfully/in faith, staying close and true to the gospel.

SLOBS

15->20

1. What do we learn about Jesus in verses 15->20?

• “Image of the invisible God” (15) => if you know Jesus, you know the Father (John 14:7), he is God.
• “Firstborn of all creation” (15) => the firstborn has the inheritance rights, Jesus has that right over creation, and in him we share a heavenly inheritance. The foremost of all creation, the most important.
• “firstborn from the dead” (18) => Jesus is first of the new creation. Adam was the firstborn of the old creation, physical death, Jesus is the firstborn of the new creation and eternal life.
• “by him all things were made” (16) => God didn’t make things for Jesus as a gift or because Jesus couldn’t, Jesus has a vital and active role in the creation itself. Similar to John 1:3. A statement of the Trinity.
• “all things were made through him and for him” (16) => As above, Jesus had an active part in creation, and creation was made to bring glory to him.
• “all things hold together” (17) => He maintains creation and has an active role in it to this day. ‘He built the car and now he’s driving it’
• “reconcile to himself all things” (20) => One day, everything will be under Christ’s rule. It will be universal and complete whether you accept him or not.

2. Why do the Colossians need this?

• Who doesn’t?! Expands their view of Christ. He has done everything for you, you can’t add or subtract from him, stay focused.

21->23

3. What has Jesus done?

• Reconciled them to God -> complete change of lifestyle. 15->20 is about all things, 21->23 is specifically about the Colossians. The glorious and cosmic Jesus has done this for them. Jesus’ great power has been directed at them in love.
• ‘if’ in verse 23 -> because 23 is true of the Colossians, the previous verses also hold true. Faith => reconciliation.
• Paul says, ‘Don’t shift from the gospel!’
  • What can tempt us to shift and how do these things compare to Jesus?
  • How does this passage speak into that?

Notes

Paul has just finished verse 14 saying we have “redemption” and “forgiveness of sins” in God’s Son, but who is he? Paul goes on to describe Jesus in a hymn/poem of praise which leads him to encourage the Colossians to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast”

• Who is Jesus (15->20)

Supreme in Creation (15->17)

• Paul starts with “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God”, meaning that God has been revealed to mankind through the person of Jesus.
• Paul also says Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation”, here using ‘firstborn’ as title or rank rather than meaning that Jesus was created.
• Verse 16 tells us why Jesus deserves these titles:
  • Through Jesus “all things were created”
  • Similarly, all creation was made “for him”, meaning it is intended for his glory, not as a present.
• Everything the Colossians could see, hear, touch, as well as everything in the hidden, spiritual realm was created by Jesus, for the purpose of honouring him.
• Jesus’ part to play in creation is so vital that “in [Jesus] all things hold together”. Without him, nothing can exist.

Supreme in Reconciliation (18->20)

• Amazingly, this same Jesus “is the head of the body, the church” -> he directs and cares for his church, just as a head does for its body.
• Here Jesus is “firstborn from the dead”, meaning that upon his resurrection, Jesus was like the first fruit of God’s work to defeat sin, reconciling sinful people to him.
• The resurrection is a sign that Jesus is pre-eminent (the most important, most powerful), and that God fully dwelt in him.
• He is also the one through which God saves his people, and makes peace with all things, in heaven and on earth, by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
• His reign will be fully realised one day.

Application

• The natural response to this is praise! We read of Paul’s excitement!
• Before writing against false teachers, Paul paints a picture of Christ’s supremacy, which is an important thing for us to keep in mind, esp at the start of a new term and stage in life.
• We might sometimes feel like Jesus isn’t pre-eminent and faith seems boring and mundane, but Paul emphatically reminds us that Jesus is worthy and deserving of all our praise. What Jesus has done and Response (21->23)
• Paul brings it down to the Colossians, explaining how it affects them personally. “And you … he has now reconciled.”
• God has changed the Colossians “who once were alienated and hostile” and who did “evil deeds” now have been “reconciled” to be presented “holy and blameless and above reproach before [God]”
• The ‘if’ in verse 23 is an indication of the response, the gospel they have is of Jesus, who has already reconciled them.
• False teachers are tempting them to doubt this but Paul encourages them to stay “stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel”.
• The Colossians are saved by God’s work in Jesus, not by earning it.
• Paul still encourages them to be active in their faith.
• What are some ways we can be active in our faith?
• We should continue in our faith, standing firm in Christ
• What can temp us to shift away from Jesus?
  • Feelings of inadequacy
  • External pressures like doubts
  • Others seeming like ‘better Christians’ than us
• How does Paul refute these?
• God has fully reconciled us to himself solely through Jesus, he is all we need, there is no greater hope.

What is typically said of Israel’s God, is now said of Jesus. Jesus has not displaced God, rather revealed and made him known.

Study

1. Who Paul writing about in verses 15->20 and how do we know?
   • ‘He’ is Jesus, the Son of God.
   • Might appear to be God the Father from the context of the previous verses 12->14
   • “He is the image of the invisible God” -> makes no sense to be the Father, be the image of himself? He’s also still invisible
   • “making peace by the blood of his cross” -> must be Jesus
2. Write down all the things we learn about Jesus
   • “Image of the invisible God” (15)
     • How can you have an image of something invisible?
     • God has been revealed to mankind through Jesus.
     • If you know Jesus, you know the Father (John 14:7), he is God.
   • “Firstborn of all creation” (15)
     • Does this mean God made Jesus? / What does Paul mean by this phrase?
     • No => the firstborn has the inheritance rights, Jesus has that right over creation, and in him we share a heavenly inheritance.
     • Paul uses this more like a title or rank.
     • The foremost of all creation, the most important.
   • “all things were made through him and for him” (16) => Jesus had an active part in creation, and creation was made to bring glory to him. God didn’t make things for Jesus as a gift or because Jesus couldn’t. Similar to John 1:3. A statement of the Trinity.
   • “all things hold together” (17) => He maintains creation and has an active role in it to this day. ‘He built the car and now he’s driving it’
   • “head of the body, the church”
     • What does it mean for Jesus to be head of the Church?
     • Directs and cares for his church, just as a head does for its body.
   • “firstborn from the dead” (18)
     • What on earth does this mean?!
     • Jesus is the first fruit of God’s work to defeat sin.
     • Jesus is first of the new creation.
     • Adam was the firstborn of the old creation, physical death, Jesus is the firstborn of the new creation and eternal life.
   • “reconcile to himself all things” (20)
     • What does Paul mean by ‘all things’?
     • One day, everything will be under Christ’s rule. It will be universal and complete whether you accept him or not.
     • How do you think this would have made the Colossians feel?
     • How does this make you feel? / How is this an encouragement for us?
       • Meant to be an encouragement if/since we are in Christ.
3. Why does Paul write this to the Colossians?
   • Expand their view of Christ
   • Keep them focused on him
   • Remind them of the gospel -> Jesus has done everything for you, there’s no need to add or subtract from him.
4. Why is this important for us?
   • Keep Christ’s supremacy in mind at the start of a new year/term/stage of life
   • Sometimes we might feel like Jesus isn’t pre-eminent, reminder that Jesus is worthy and deserving of our praise.
5. Compare what the Colossians were to how they are now in verses 21->23
   • “alienated and hostile in mind” => at war with God, far apart from him, completely different to him.
   • “doing evil deeds” => disobeying God’s law, immoral
   • “reconciled” => they have a new relationship with God, no longer at war.
   • “holy and blameless and above reproach” => they gain Jesus’ righteousness, evil deeds have been erased.
   • We see a complete change in lifestyle.
6. What are some of the things Paul tells the Colossians to do in verse 23?
   • “continue in the faith” => don’t be tempted to leave Jesus.
   • “stable and steadfast” => not turning to the right or to the left.
   • “not shifting from the hope of the gospel” => stay close and true to what you’ve been taught.
   • What can tempt us to shift and how do these compare to Jesus?
     • Feelings of inadequacy
     • External pressures like doubts
     • Others seeming like ‘better Christians’
     • Paul reminds us that we have been fully reconciled to God, Jesus is all we need, he has done it all for us.
7. How does this encourage you to “continue in the faith” and what are some practical ways we can do this?