[:en]Our Daily Verse (1/17/20)[:]

[:en]SCRIPTURE:  COLOSSIANS 1

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15)

“He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18)

Paul’s Prayer (vs. 9-14)

  1. To fill them with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
  2. To live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way
  3. To bear fruits in every good work
  4. To grow in the knowledge of God
  5. To mature through God’s strengthening power
  6. To give thanks to the Father joyfully

Epaphras was one of Paul’s convert who founded the church in Colossae.  He came to visit Paul who was in prison and told him that false teachers had infiltrated the church with doctrines of Jewish legalism and Oriental mysticism.  They were combining ideas from other philosophies and religions ( such as paganism Judaism and Greek thoughts) with Christian truth.  They taught about “angels” , legalistic rules and bodiy disciplines which have no power to transform lives.  They believed that spiritual perfection was secret and exclusively hidden so that only few people could discover.  To counter this error, Paul wrote this letter to remind them that Christ alone is the only way to salvation.  There is no need for them to have “special knowledge” to be accepted by God.  Paul mentioned five benefits that God will give to all believers: inheritance, redemption, eternal kingdom, freedom from judgment and sins forgiven.

CHRIST DIETY AND SUPREMACY: (vs. 15-20)

  1. Jesus is not only equal to God.  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation
  2. He is the exact representation of God
  3. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together
  4. He is the head of the body, the church
  5. He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead with all supremacy
  6. He is supreme over all creations with all priority and authority
  7. He reconciles all things by making peace through His blood shed on the cross
  8. He comes from heaven, completely holy and has all the authority to judge the world.

What are the misconceptions of the Colossian church?

  1. They believe that matter is evil so Jesus cannot come to earth as true human being in bodily form.  Paul stated that Christ is the image, the exact likeness of God, is Himself God and died on the cross as a human being.
  2. They believe that God did not created the world because He would not have created evil.  Paul affirmed that Jesust Christ, who was God in the flesh is the creator of heaven and earth.
  3. They believed that Christ was not the son of God but just one of the many intermediaries between God and men.  Paul explained that Christ existed before anything else and He is the first of those resurrected.
  4. They insisted that Christ is not the source of salvation but that they could see God through special secret knowledge.  Paul proclaimed that the way of salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.

Lesson: 

The evidence of our salvation is demonstrated by faith, love and hope that produce spiritual fruits in our lives.  Salvation is through faith in Christ alone not through man-made rules, discipline or rituals.   We have to grow and become mature Christians by reading His Word.   Let us proclaim His message that salvation is through faith in Christ alone.

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