Background

Having thanked God for them, Paul goes on to explain to the Colossian Christians how he prays for them to grow in wisdom and understanding so that they can live lives worthy of Jesus. He wants them to grow and be fruitful through knowing God the Father better, and to be strengthened by his power. This comes by knowing they are in the kingdom of His beloved Son. This prayer sends Paul into an explosion of song in which he declares the glory of this Son, Jesus, the One who makes visible the invisible God. The apostle’s poem or song celebrates Christ in creation, incarnation, reconciliation and resurrection. He shows us what God is like. Everything is made through him and for him. And by his death, God reconciles ‘everything to himself’ in the hope of new creation. The poem beautifully declares the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ. And then begins to explain the difference that his person and work make for us, e.g. we are reconciled to God, with access into his presence, holy, without a single fault! Wow!!

To Think About:

  • How the kingdom of which we are citizens is the ‘kingdom of the beloved Son’ (v.13) – we are invited to somehow participate in the familial relationship between Father and Son, by the Spirit. And knowing we are beloved children of God is essential to our faith and life!
  • How it is possible to know these amazing truths about Jesus, and the difference they make, and yet drift from them (v.23). It is important to ‘stand firm’ in believing such truths.

To Discuss:

  1. The ‘glorious power’ we are to be strengthened by could better be translated ‘the power of glory’. How might a revelation of the glory of Jesus empower us?
  2. Choose one truth about Jesus that this poem declares – and explain what it means to you.
  3. What else strikes you and stirs you as you read this extraordinary passage of Scripture?

To Do:

  • Try meditating on a different part of this poem over the next two weeks and see how much you get out of it. Come and share something from it next time.

There is a PDF version of this study here.