Colossians 1:1–23 Christ Supreme

Prayer: With expectant hearts and minds, we seek your truth, O God. In this study, help us to be attentive as we listen, careful as we speak, and awake to your wisdom. Open our hearts to your Scripture and give us the courage to change in light of what we read. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

With your group, take turns reading the introduction and text and answering the questions in each section.

Introduction

Ancient religions were scary. In Colossae, people worshiped over a dozen different gods, and when Christianity arrived in the first century, religious fanaticism had already made the small ancient city a hotbed of spiritual practice. Types of pagan worship in the small Roman city ranged from prayer and fasting to bloody, violent public festivals of whipping and self-mutilation. Many individuals also practiced Judaism.

At the time, people didn’t just stay with one god. According to Clinton E. Arnold, “It was common for a person at this time not only to worship more than one god or goddess (polytheism), but also for the religions themselves to reflect a borrowing of ideas and forms of worship from one another.”¹ Ancient religions tended to flux and change over time, and it was normal to follow multiple faiths—even mixing each religion’s traditions and ideas with the others.

In the letter to the Colossians, Paul and his co-author Timothy reach out to a church they did not plant and have never visited to address issues like this religious syncretism (mixing). In the first chapter, Colossians does this by showing that God and his son Jesus Christ are greater than the gods that surround the Colossian church. Paul asserts Christ’s supremacy in one of the most beautiful passages of the New Testament: verses 15 through 20 of this chapter are poetic and vivid—and for many, difficult to understand.

The beginning of the long-form poem about Christ’s primacy is set off by an inclusio. Hebrew writers employed this figure of speech, but in modern English it is almost unheard of. In an inclusio, similar phrases set off a section by serving as brackets: one before and one after. As an example, in Jesus’ famous sermon on the mount, he begins and ends the beatitudes (blessings) with the words, “for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them” (Matt 5:3, 10).² Beginning and ending the section with the same phrase shows readers and listeners that the beatitudes are a unit.

Picking out this bracketing can be difficult for a modern English speaker. But it occurs here when Paul writes twice that “all things” were created by Christ. Between these phrases, he clarifies what those “all things” are: a whole new system of spiritual rulership and authority. Reading this repetition of phrases as an inclusio helps us to see that Paul is identifying Christ as the originator of the church; it saves us from the confusion of thinking that Jesus is the creator of the material world.

This study will go through Colossians chapter 1 verses 1 through 23.

Section 1

Colossians 1:1–8
^1:1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ^1:2 to the saints, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you from God our Father!
^1:3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ^1:4 since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. ^1:5 Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ^1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. ^1:7 You learned the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave —a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf— ^1:8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

The point: Paul and Timothy begin the letter by greeting the church and telling them that in their prayers to God, they are grateful for them and for the movement of the gospel.

Question: According to Paul and Timothy, what has caused the Colossian church’s “faith and love”?

Section 2

Colossians 1:9–14
^1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ^1:10 so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects —bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, ^1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully ^1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. ^1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ^1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The point: Paul and Timothy relay a prayer that the Colossians would grow in wisdom and please God with every part of their lives in light of the redemption they have in Jesus.

Question 1: Paul and Timothy pray that the Colossians would be strengthened with “all power” in God’s “glorious might.” For what? As in, what do they hope the Colossians will accomplish with that?

Question 2: This paragraph repeats the same idea with a different word three times (example: growth and expansion). Can you find them? In your opinion, does this happen more or fewer than three times?

Section 3

Colossians 1:15–20
^1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,
^1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him.
^1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
^1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.
^1:19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son
^1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 

The point: Jesus is the image of God and the originator of the church.

Question 1: Can you see the inclusio? What clarifying information is between the two bookend phrases? (Hint: there are two dashes that set off the bracket-phrase,)

Question 2: The last verse of this section says that through Jesus, God was pleased to reconcile “all things” to himself. What does “all things” refer to? (Hint: the “all things” are redeemed through Christ.)

Section 4

Colossians 1:21–23
^1:21 And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds as expressed through your evil deeds, ^1:22 but now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him— ^1:23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

The point: The Colossians were reconciled and washed from their godlessness through Christ; now they have the option to remain in that gospel.

Question: According to Paul, how could the Colossians know they were once “strangers and enemies” of God?

Read through the text again below.³

Section 1

Colossians 1:1–8
^1:1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ^1:2 to the saints, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you from God our Father!
^1:3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ^1:4 since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. ^1:5 Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ^1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. ^1:7 You learned the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave —a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf— ^1:8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Section 2

Colossians 1:9–14
^1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ^1:10 so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects —bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, ^1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully ^1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. ^1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ^1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Section 3

Colossians 1:15–20
^1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,
^1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him.
^1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
^1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.
^1:19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son
^1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 

Section 4

Colossians 1:21–23
^1:21 And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds as expressed through your evil deeds, ^1:22 but now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him— ^1:23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

Discussion and application questions

1. Paul writes that God, “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves.” How do you think this verbiage would resonate with a group of people living in a city full of different religions and gods?
2. In section 3, verse 19 says that “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son.” In the Old Testament people said that God’s presence “filled” the Jerusalem temple, and in Exodus 40:34, the glory of the Lord “filled” the tabernacle (God’s temporary dwelling-place with Israel during the Exodus).⁴ Why would Paul use the same words used to describe these places for Jesus?
3. In verse 21, the Scripture says that we “were at one time strangers and enemies in [our] minds.” Do you feel like you were once a stranger or an enemy to God? Do you feel “reconciled” now? Discuss.
4. In the modern West, people tend to think that our “self” is supreme, not God, and certainly not Christ. How might it be comforting to recognize that Jesus is the first one to be raised from the dead? How might it be comforting to see Jesus as supreme?

Conclusion:

Challenge: When you encounter things this week that ask for your devotion, remember that Christ is primary. Pray to God that he would make you wise in light of the redemption he has given.

Blessing: May God fill you with the knowledge of his will so that you may live worthily and please him. May you be empowered by his strength and might to live in joy and peace as you regard Christ as preeminent.

1. Clinton E. Arnold, “Colossians,” in Romans to Philemon, vol. 3 of Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: New Testament. ed. Clinton E. Arnold; Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 373.[↩]
2. Scripture and/or notes quoted by permission. Quotations are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.  All rights reserved.[↩]
3. We find that rereading the text is very helpful—please don’t skip this part of the study![↩]
4. In Ezekiel 44:4, the prophet says, “As I watched, I noticed the glory of the LORD filling the LORD’s temple.” “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34). See also John 2:18–21, where Jesus sees the Jerusalem temple and refers to “his body” as the temple.[↩]