Focused Solely on Christ aka The Supremacy of Jesus Christ
Colossians 1:12-23 or 1:15-20
International Sunday School Lesson
February 3, 2013
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
(This is a scripture about faith, faith in Jesus Christ. If they aren’t a part of your lesson you need to tack on verses 21-23.)
Do you believe that God rescued you from the kingdom of darkness and made you a part of the kingdom of light? That as a result you are an heir because your sins were forgiven?
According to today’s scripture it is clear that there are three tenses to faith: past, present and future. A lot of people don’t teach it because a lot of people don’t like it. Could I be clearer?
You had faith and you were reconciled to God. Paul then uses two important words: If and Continue. God will not let His Son’s sacrifice be treated contemptuously by insulting His grace (Hebrews 10:29).
Now do we need to understand it? No, we just need to have faith.
When we read the scriptures that precede verses 21-23 we may not understand them either, but we have faith in them don’t we?
Don’t you have faith that Jesus is the image of God?
Don’t you have faith that EVERYTHING was created by and for Jesus?
Don’t you have faith that EVERYTHING is subject to and held together by Christ?
Don’t you have faith that God who must have order had a plan to bring it all about?
Don’t you have faith this order was brought about through Christ’s blood shed on the cross?
Don’t you have faith that through this blood you too were reconciled to God?
Having faith doesn’t mean you have to understand, just accept. God was willing to accept you despite your evil behavior. It doesn’t seem too much that we should have to continue in our faith, “not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”
That is what Paul wanted for these Colossians and what he would want for us today. He heard about them being taught the gospel by Epaphras. Since then he prayed for them as he would for us that they would continue in their faith and grow in their knowledge of God actively living out their Christian lives going forward not make it a one time or part time event.
Continue, hold firm. The gospel was, is and shall be the truth!
For Discussion:
1. Discuss what comes to mind when you think of the kingdom of light and the dominion of darkness.
2. Explore and discuss the origins of the word redemption.
3. Discuss Jesus being the image of our God who has never been seen and what that means to you.
4. Discuss that Jesus “is before all things”. Does it mean time, place or something else?
5. Discuss what you have or don’t have in place for helping new Christians to continue in their faith where you worship.
6. Discuss the words if, continue, established and firm from verse 23.
Upcoming Adult Sunday School Class Commentaries
2-10-13: Raised with Christ Full Life in Christ Colossians 2:6-15
2-17-13: Clothed with Christ Colossians 3:5-17
2-24-13: Disciplined for Life aka Spiritual Disciplines for New Life Colossians 4:2-17 or 4:2-6
3-3-13: Daniel’s Vision of Change Daniel 7:1-3, 9-14 or 7:9-14
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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