Bible Study: Colossians 1

Hope you slept well
Let's get into our bible study again
Like I told you, we are studying the book of Colossians
We read chapter one today
Unlike how we did Corinthians where we studied 2 chapters daily, we will take Colossians 1 chapter at a time. This is because Colossians is more loaded with spiritual mysteries that need deeper explanation
Pray that the holy spirit gives us insight in all we read
Read this chapter with the awareness that Paul never met the Colossians before. He didn't take the gospel to them So this book was written as a load down of his deep understanding or a crash course on the mysteries of salvation from Paul
He first thanks them for their faith in Christ and then their love for the brethren. It is important that as Christians we never miss any of these. Faith in Christ and love for one another. We can't exercise faith in Christ if we don't love one another.
Remember Galatians 5 tells us that
our faith works through love. So without love we can't win the fight of faith.
Paul shows them the source of their faith and love in verse 5.
The hope of their heavenly treasures stored up in heaven.
This hope restores our faith and cheers up our heart towards our fellow brethren.
From verse 12 we see that we are made qualified to partake in the kingdom of light with other believers because as he delivered us out of the kingdom of darkness which the devil runs on earth, he took us into the kingdom of his dear son, which is of light.
In 15, Paul restates the certainty he stated to the Philippians of the supremacy of the name and person of Jesus Christ.
He is the first born of all creation, this is because he was first to be born again which happened in his resurrection.
He is then the express image of God whom we don't see. Recall Jesus telling Philip that when you see him you have seen the Father.
Jesus is the bodily representation of God the Father.
He went on the basis of that to establish Christ as the creator of everything. 16 says all thing were created by him and for him. This in extension means all things were created to be subject to him. That's why all knees bow at the mention of his name.
This is what pleases God the father than in God the son should all the fullness of both heaven and earth and anywhere else dwell. This is so that outside of Christ nothing will hold.
This works by the blood shed on the cross for all creation.
Please pay keen attention to 21-23.
This is as far as I'm concerned the bedrock lessons of salvation. He says we were once sinners, then Christ reconciled us back to God by the sufferings of his body. Then he presents us holy, spotless, and unaccused. And in 23 he gave the only conditions for us to remain so. 'If we remain in faith'. If we never begin to doubt the power of his love and grace. If we never doubt the efficacy of his death and sufferings. Remember Paul telling the Galatians in chapter 3 that if they be circumcised that Christ shall profit them nothing. Saying that if salvation was by works then Christ has died in vain.
This is the same message he is rephrasing here to the Colossians. This is a mystery. That just by holding fast to the purpose of Christ in our hearts we inherit the kingdom and its fullness. The summary of it all is that, Christ in us is the hope of glory. The constant consciousness of the ability of Christ assures us of glory of heavenly riches.
This is a mystery hidden for ages that even the devil is not privy to.
In 28 he brings all these to an amazing conclusion. He says he and all apostles have been teaching this mystery to the nations so that he may present everyone perfect in Christ.
In other words, our awareness and daily living by this mystery is all we need to be perfect in Christ.
This is deep.
I don't even think I've expressed and explained this mystery well enough.
I can't wait for when we will be doing this face to face.
May God bless your understanding as you read this.
Amen.