February
February 1
Chapter 1, Verse 10, con’t, “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Proverbs 19:27, “Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge” [ESV]. The Contemporary English Version renders it, “If you stop learning, you will forget what you already know.” Paul said as we are doing good works and bearing fruit, we should increase, not decrease, in the knowledge of God. αὐξανόμενοι, auxanomenoi, “growing,” in this case, means we are to obtain more and more knowledge to become mature. Our Christian maturity is entirely dependent upon what we know about God and how we apply what we know to our lives. This non-stop quest is how we become good disciples. When I was growing up and wanted to learn how to do something, I watched my dad, copied what he did, and asked lots of questions–especially when I mashed a finger. We fail God all the time. Failure should never slow us down or cause us to stop learning. Get to know God first by faith, then learn all you can about him. He is amazing and knowing more will build your confidence to serve him.
February 2
Chapter 1, Verse 11, “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,”
δυνάμει δυναμούμενοι, dynamei dynamoumenoi, “power being strengthened.” Both of these words are rooted in δύναμαι, dunamai, the Greek word meaning to be able or to have power. In English, we have dynamite, explosive power. Paul’s point is fairly obvious. He wanted the believers to be strong in the Lord so they would be able to carry out the gospel mission and be able to stand up to the rejection and hatred of the world. Nothing has changed. It is not hard, conceptually, to learn the tenets of the gospel message and, in turn, be willing to share it with non-believers. It can, however, be hard to face the belligerence that comes from some hearers. When confronted with the truth about sin, guilt, and the need for salvation, the response can be unnerving. That is why we need the power of God in our lives. Not only that, we need his power to live victorious lives everyday as we walk through through this world.
February 3
Chapter 1, Verse 11, con’t, “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,”
The circle of friends I move in from week to week has as one of its main interests, physical fitness. Some of us succeed and fail to reach our goals all the time. But we keep trying. In this verse, Paul talks about power and strength, both important features of fitness, the spiritual kind. Then he add the most important part, the source. “Be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might. δόξης, doxēs, “glorious,” speaks to God’s majesty, his exalted state which is above and beyond anything we can imagine. κράτος, kratos, “might,” from a root meaning to perfect or to complete, is talking about the power of God that overcomes every obstacle because it is from God. So you could say it this way,” the might in which his majesty excels.” All the power I can muster from within my humanity will often falter. It is imperfect. The power of God will never falter, it will never let me down, I can always depend on it, and with it I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37-39).
February 4
Chapter 1, Verse 11, con’t, “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,”
When I first read this, I think, “don’t quit, don’t whine, and do it with a smile.” The words ὑπομονὴν, hypomonēn, “endurance,” and μακροθυμίαν, makrothymian, “patience,” have similar meanings. The first is about perseverance or steadfastness as in “sticking with it” regardless of circumstance. The second is about longsuffering; that is, holding out while putting up with difficulty and not being angry about the circumstance. Paul put this phrase right in the middle of being strong and being thankful. Sometimes, it is hard to be strong and thankful without a lot of steadfastness and longsuffering. When we are doing our best to serve God by serving people, we have to stand our ground for what is right and be nice to people who are not always nice in return at the same time. The is never easy but always necessary to show others we stand for our faith and care all at once.
February 5
Chapter 1, Verse 11, con’t, “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,”
As already noted, patience is longsuffering and in the context it is the ability to wait without anger. But it is not a resignation about what is going on in your life. In Romans 2:1-8, Paul write, ” to those who by patience in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” Some people always want things “right now” and are not willing to wait–because they are selfish and do not consider the needs of others. The who think that way and are uncaring usually do not have joy because they do not know God. Believers, who are walking with God daily and seeking to do what honors God and benefits others, are willing to wait for God to show them what to do and when–no matter how long it takes. And while they are waiting for a thing to happen, they continue to serve and work and wait, knowing God is in charge. That is how we have joy, gladness of heart, while we wait to see God move and meet needs. Patience is always hard but it does not have to be a burden..
February 6
Chapter 1, Verse 12, “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of light”
εὐχαριστοῦντες, eucharistountes, “giving thanks,” is a form of εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteó, meaning “to be thankful.” Itself a combination of eu, “good” and charis “grace,” literally means thankful for God’s good grace. And that is the point. God’s grace is always good and when applied to life produces good things. While it has always been difficult for me to understand the working of God’s triune nature (Father, Son, Holy Spirit–one God in three persons), I do understand that Jesus, the Son, always deferred to the Father and acted in accordance with his will. Jesus said, in John 8:28, “and when you have lifted up the Son of Man [talking about the crucifixion], then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.” That idea is what is in view here in verse 12. Paul was telling the believers in Colossae that acknowledging the Father as the one who give knowledge, power, endurance, and patience is key to understanding the divine relationship; Jesus as Lord and Savior, and Holy Spirit as the one who indwells, empowers and guides. God truly is great.
February 7
Chapter 1, Verse 12, con’t, “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of light”
ἱκανώσαντι, hikanōsanti, “having qualified,” from the verb that means “I make sufficient,” only occurs twice in the New Testament. The idea is having reached the place of sufficiency as in becoming competent to do something. Competence implies having reached a level to function in a task without assistance. In the present context, we must understand there is nothing we can do to become competent, much less maintain the level of sufficiency. But this is not on us. It is on God. Being qualified, in this verse, goes back to verse 4, where Paul wrote, “since we heard of your faith in Jesus Christ. . .” We must understand it is our faith relationship with Jesus that gives us standing before God. We are saved, kept by his power, will enter heaven, and will enjoy the benefits of divine inheritance, all because of faith. And while we should focus on the good works of service, they have nothing to do with our eternal life. That is all about Jesus and knowing him.
February 8
Chapter 1, Verse 12, con’t, “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of light”
τὴν μερίδα τοῦ κλήρου, tēn merida tou klērou, “the share of the inheritance;” the words share, a part of or portion, and inheritance, a portion assigned, are not significant standing alone. But in light of Romans 8:16-17, the have great significance, “the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. . .” We are not simply heirs as compared to a human family through which we may receive a part of the whole estate willed to us if there are others with legal claim to that estate. “Fellow heirs,” συνκληρονόμοι, synklēronomoi, which is properly joint heirs, means that we lay claim to everything Christ lays claim to; that is, everything in creation equally with him. This is only possible by the decree of God and his word. we do not even deserve to be heirs to anything that is God’s, but through the blood of Jesus, the Father sees us worthy, just like his Son who gave his all that we may, by faith, be included in all the benefits of the kingdom for all eternity.
February 9
Chapter 1, Verse 12, con’t, “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of light“
ἁγίων ἐν τῷ φωτί, hagiōn en tō φωτί, “saints in the light.” The adjective ἅγιος, hagios, usually used to mean set apart, literally means different, with the context yielding different from the world. Hence, it is often translated saints because at its core, its New Testament meaning is clearly different from the world and like or special to the Lord. Everyone who has been saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus is a saint. This is not a term to be applied to a select group or individual believer because of special service or by decree of men. God has declared all believers to be saints. “In the light” means part of a radiant source. The source is Jesus. In John 9:5, Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” And to those who are believers he said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14.). Paul was emphasizing two truths. Believers are, and should be, like God and not like the world. And, we are to be reflections of the true light, which is Jesus. When people see us, they should see Jesus in us.
February 10
Chapter 1, Verse 13, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”
ἐρρύσατο, errysato, “has delivered.” The general meaning of this verb is I rescue. When I was a teenager, part of my summer was spent as a Red Cross trained lifeguard at a local swimming pool where all the cool kids would hang out. I was never a cool kid, more of an outcast, loner type. But I forced my way into the popular circle by working hard to excel in academics and sports, more than most. I guess I was accepted because I was good at everything I tried to do. One of the kids, who really did not like me, found himself in the pool about to drown. He yelled for help and I sprang into action. Who he was and what he thought about me did not matter. At that moment, his life was in my hands. I rescued him, resuscitated him, and we became friends. When I was drowning in sin, crying out to God for help, he reached down a plucked me out of the fires of hell and saved my soul. My eternity was, and is, in his hands. Now, we too, are friends.
February 11
Chapter 1, Verse 13, con’t, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”
ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους, exousias tou skotous, dominion — darkness, “domain of darkness;” this phrase sounds as bad as it is. While a domain may be thought of as a physical place, it is more about power and authority. It especially has to do with moral authority (or the power to deny morality) and spiritual power. Dominion/domain speaks to someone having the power to control personal choice and the liberty to do as you please. In other words, it is being under control. Darkness, as used here, is addressing physical and moral darkness. Figuratively, it is talking about the principle of sin and the result of sin. Metaphorically, it can be though of as meaning someone has pulled the wool over your eyes concerning the truth so that you believe a lie. The world without Christ lives this way. Satan, the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and the evil one who disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:4), “the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9), is the master of the domain of darkness who seeks to lead all humanity to hell.
February 12
Chapter 1, Verse 13, con’t, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”
When I was a kid, I used to get on a city bus, drop in a token, request a transfer, change buses with the transfer ticket, and finally get to school. Someone had to pay for that token (my dad) and I had to remember to make the transfer or else risk ending up at the wrong place. μετέστησεν, metestēsen, “transferred,” means “I cause to change its place.” That is good news for Christ followers. when we put our faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, God takes care of the transfer. He paid the price for the token by sending his Son to die for us on the Cross. When Jesus raised from the dead, he became to one able to transfer us out of the domain of darkness and in the kingdom of God. And we do not have to worry about remembering the time or place of the transfer. Holy Spirit, who is our guide on the journey, lives in us and will deliver us to heaven at just the right time. As the old hymn says, “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, his blood washed it white as snow.”
February 13
Chapter 1, Verse 13, “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”
Believers are part of God’s kingdom because of ἀπολύτρωσιν, apolytrōsin, “redemption.” The meaning of this word is compelling. It is a combination of ἀπο, apo, a marker of dissociation or separation and λύτροο, lytroo, meaning to loose what is bound; literally, “buying back from.” It can be expressed as re-purchasing or winning back what was previously forfeited or lost. The Greeks used it as a technical term for money paid to buy back prisoners of war or to free slaves. Every human is born in sin and is spiritually and habitually in bondage to sin, influenced by Satan and the dominion of darkness. This enslavement can only be removed if someone pays the ransom (price of freedom). The Son of God, Jesus Christ, did just that at Calvary. His sacrifice was full payment, satisfying God requirement; and his resurrection defeated death for all who believe. This is why Paul said, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19). That is the least we can do to thank him for redeeming us.
February 14
Chapter 1, Verse 13, “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins“
I am very thankful for the word ἄφεσιν, aphesin, “forgiveness;” it is the act of releasing someone from an obligation or debt. In this verse, it is payment for a debt impossible to pay for yourself. This forgiveness is a pardon for ἁμαρτιῶν, hamartiōn, “sins.” We only need to know that any deed, thought, or action that goes against God is sin (Romans 3:23). We must consider forgiveness of sin from 3 vantage points.
First, forgiveness is not automatic, but it is available to everyone. Romans 3:23, “the wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God), but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (salvation [and forgiveness] come through faith in Christ alone).”
Second, When God forgives, unlike people, he forgets. Psalm 103:11-12, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” He will never bring up your past sin as some sort of punishment. Remembering our sin is all on us.
Third, as believers, living in sinful bodies, forgiveness is available to us every day for our now sin. 1 John 1:5-10, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
The steadfast, never-ending, love of God is always around. It is intimately available to all who trust Jesus. And his love is the key to being forgiven–today and forever.
February 15
Chapter 1, Verse 15, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
In verses 15 through 20, we see Christ’s relationship, not especially with the Father, with all creation. Upon reading these verses together, we can see Paul defining the person of Christ and his absolute supremacy over all that is. I really believe verse 13 should end with a comma and verse 14 should begin with “who” instead of “he,” making a direct connection between what Jesus did and who he is. εἰκὼν, eikōn, “image,” can be rendered “mirror-like representation.” When I look into a mirror, what do I see? Myself, and not another. It is like looking at the artistic representation of a face printed on a coin or looking at a statue. Eikon can also describe the living manifestation of God. And that is exactly what is in view here. When we see Jesus, and we will, all of us, saved and unsaved, we will see the eternal God in his fullness, omnipotent, omniscient, and holy. Finally, we will begin to understand what it means for him to be fully man and fully God.
February 16
Chapter 1, Verse 15, con’t, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, tou Theou — aoratou, “the God invisible,” the word for God translated here was used long before the New Testament was written and meant “the supreme being who owns and sustains all things.” In Hebrew thought, that would make it roughly equivalent to יְהוָ֖ה, Yahweh of the Old Testament. Invisible, as used here, simply means “unable to be seen by the naken eye.” The phrase here in verse 15 is clearly talking about Father God. In Genesis 15, Abram saw a burning lamp, heard God’s voice, but did not see him. In Exodus 3 Moses saw a burning bush and Exodus 34 he saw a flame at Mt. Sinai. In both instances he heard the voice of God but did not see him. In John 1, we discover the meaning of these events. In John 1:14, John wrote, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory; glory as of the Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Then in verse 18, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father side, he has made him known.” For whatever reason, God has chosen to reveal his glory and all he is through the person of Jesus Christ. Thankfully, we can know the Creator through faith in Jesus who is Lord of all.
February 17
Chapter 1, Verse 15, con’t, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, prōtotokos pasēs ktiseōs, “firstborn over all creation.” Prototokos is use 8 time in the New Testament referring to either (1) birth order, (2) supremacy of rank, or (3) priority in time. Here, it clearly indicates #2 since Jesus has always existed as part of triune God. In terms of #3, that will be seen in verse 18 with his relationship to the church. The ESV misses the intent of pases; insted of “of all” it should be “over all.” Contrary to what some cultists teach, it is not difficult to understand the difference between Jesus’ natural birth to Mary (also prototokos) and his place in the creative order; actually not in but outside and over the entirety of creation. In both Greek and Jewish culture, the firstborn son was the one with right of inheritance, not always the first chronologically. This is seen with Esau and Jacob in Genesis 25. The Lord Jesus Christ has always been and will always continue to be (John 1), just like God in the Old Testament when he said to Moses, “I Am that I AM” (Exodus 3:14).
February 18
Chapter 1, Verse 16, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.”
ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ, hoti en autō, “because in him;” Anytime you see for in scripture, especially at the beginning of a sentence, always as “why is it here?” In this verse, it explains the argument of the previous verse. Paul just stated that Jesus is pre-eminent in creation and now he argues as to why that it true. Simply put, he is pre-eminent (of the highest rank/before all others) because he is the Creator! This is exactly where the cultists lose their argument that being firstborn just means the first among many. So, by him or more particularly, in him, all things were created. That is about as plain and all inclusive as Paul could make it. From the smallest part of an atom in matter to the largest galaxy in the vastness of the universe–Jesus made it all. And then he thought enough of me and everyone else to invade our world in the flesh to provide salvation for us all.
February 19
Chapter 1, Verse 16, con’t, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.”
ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, en tois ouranois kai epi tēs gēs, “in the heavens and upon the earth;” This is where, in the most comprehensive and unqualified sense, creation is attributed to Jesus. Paul’s words are in complete agreement with John’s assertion in John 1:3, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” What Jesus did during the six days of creation is amazing because all the parts work in perfect harmony. And I am reminded that after those six days and a day of rest, then God created man. I would say he left his best and worst for last–best because he did it and worst because of what man has become. In Paul’s time, they didn’t know the earth was just a speck in the vastness of space and they didn’t know know that the human brain is a super computer that is capable of processing 100 billion complex tasks every second. They only knew that everything not upon the earth was in the heavens. There is not way for us to know how infinite God made everything out of nothing. Could it have been a “big bang?” Yes, but only if it came for a big God.
February 20
Chapter 1, Verse 16, con’t, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.”
Some things going on around you, you can see, other things, I would say most things, you cannot see. In the physical world, I think of things like computer chips, microprocessors. They are exchanging microscopic electrical charges at an amazing rate. I cannot see it happening, but I can see the result on the computer monitor. The spiritual world is much the same. God is at work guiding all of his creation toward and end we all know is coming because many of read about it in the bible–think primarily the book of Revelation. All the while, Satan and his minions are in the world and in the heavens doing their best to wreak havoc on God’s plan. What they do not know is that, even when their efforts seem to be successful, ultimately they will fail because they, too, are part of his plan. Our sovereign God, pre-eminent Christ, is never caught off guard. On my best day, God is over all. On my worst day, God is over all. Praise his holy name.
February 21
Chapter 1, Verse 16, con’t, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.”
In this world, there are many levels of so-called authority; that is, someone who wants to rule over someone else, especially in government regardless of where you are on the planet. In my world, it starts at the town level, then county, then state, then federal, and some would erroneously say world government. In this verse, visible world government is not in view. In fact, it is not about government at all. In Paul’s time, many people, and apparently some in the Colossian church, worshipped angels. The four words here describe actual positions in the world but Paul was using them to personify other worldly beings. He did so because, in their worship of angels, they had brought Christ down to the same level of authority as the angels. Paul was saying, NO. In Ephesians 1:19, Paul clearly stated that the risen Christ is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. . .” and in verse 21, “he put all things under his feet.” In all of the universe, there is no greater power than that of Jesus who is the Christ.
February 22
Chapter 1, Verse 16, con’t, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.“
When I read this phrase, I look back to the first part of the verse thinking Paul just said that–well nearly so. “Created,” in verse 16, is used to express two ideas. In the first use, the aorist tense carries us back to the act of creation. Everything that happened in the creative act was the result of Christ. The second time it is used, it is in the perfect tense. This indicates that everything was created at a point in time and it remains created with a definite purpose. The creation started with Jesus, it is held together by Jesus, and it exists not for me but for him. He is totally responsible for all that is and ever will be (sovereign) and all of it is here for his benefit, not ours. So, the real issue here is not whether God created everything or not. The issue is whether or not I am willing to submit myself to the authority of God’s Word. It is the truth and I have to decide whether or not to believe it. I do.
February 23
Chapter 1, Verse 17, “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων, autos estin pro pantōn, “He is before all things.” The emphatic use of the pronoun autos is here for emphasis, meaning, “He Himself,” or “He and no other.” autos estivi used together in this context suggests that He is is the equivalent of I AM in the Hebrew Old Testament. Jesus even spoke of his preexistence along with his claim of deity in John 8:58, saying, “Before Abraham was, I am.” And as he prayed after the Passover supper with his disciples, he spoke of his preexistent relationship with the Father, saying, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed (John 17:5). The preposition pro simply means “prior to,” and the adjective panton is talking about all things created. Looking back to verse 16, this is Paul’s way of restating the obvious. The Lord Jesus Christ, eternal God, predates everything we can see in the universe no matter how far way it is.
February 24
Chapter 1, Verse 17, “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.“
The word συνέστηκεν, synestēken, is usually translated either “hold together” or “consist.” It comes from συνιστάω, synistao, “together with” and ἵστημι, histémi, “to stand.” So it is properly “stand together.” The idea here is coherence. Something that is coherent makes sense, it has natural balance, it stands unified, it works in harmony, it has visible and measurable symmetry. And so it is with what we call the natural universe. But there is nothing natural about it. That implies it happened on it own and is maintained by the balance from within itself. Paul makes it clear here that Christ made it and he is the one, the only one, capable and actually holding it all together. Hebrews 1:3 begins, “And H is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. . .” Jesus is the word and he is truly the creator and sustainer of all things.
February 25
Chapter 1, Verse 18, “And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας, kephalē tou sōmatos, tēs ekklēsias, “head of the body, the church;” So far, Paul has open up our understanding of the glory of Christ as the glue that holds everything in the universe together–the material or natural world. Now he moves on to the world of grace. Do not think of kephale, then, physically, but more metaphorically. Once again, a present tense verb is present (is) meaning he is continually the first cause and director–the Head of nature and the Head of Grace–especially with regard to his church. He is the Head who guides, directs, and controls the actions of the body. And it is the body that has the responsibility of representing him to the world. The head has given ample instruction to the body. It seems to me that many in the church either are not listening or they do not want to follow the leader.
February 26
Chapter 1, Verse 18, con’t, “And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
The word body is used figuratively to describe what follows–the church–and is only relevant as it relates to the head–Jesus, the Christ. Some argue that the church is a particular ecclesiastical body with a name; i.e., Catholic, Baptist, among many. The is certainly not true. ἐκκλησία, ekklésia, “church,” is from ἐκ, ek, “out” plus καλέω, kaleo, “to call,” and is literally called out ones. In Paul’s time, the Greeks used ekklesia to describe the assembly of citizens who came together to conduct the business of a city. The church is comprised of every believer who, with a repentant heart toward God, has trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord, regardless of denominational affiliation. In Romans 12:4-5, Paul describes the church this way, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” All over the world, the church is a supernatural, living organism called to focus on Jesus, his love for humanity, and his desire to see everyone redeemed.
February 27
Chapter 1, Verse 18, con’t, “And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
This is the third time in this short paragraph this terminology is used. Here, arche, “beginning,” has a dual meaning. Jesus is the beginning of everything (John 1) and he is the one who gives life to the church. He is the source of all things as well as the power that keeps it all running. “Firstborn from the dead” almost seems strange, for how is one born from death? Clearly, this refers to the resurrection of Christ after his sacrifice at Calvary. He was not the first person to resurrected (think Lazarus who was actually resuscitated) but he was the first to return from the dead never to die again and in a glorified body. In 1 Corinthians 15:23, Pauls calls Jesus, “the first-fruits of them that slept.” When John first encountered Jesus in his Revelation vision, Jesus said to him,” Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold am alive forevermore, and I have the keys to Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17-18). His resurrection paved the way for us to live forever with him when we leave this world. Do not be afraid of death because the presence of God awaits on the other side. As Paul said, “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
February 28
Chapter 1, Verse 18, con’t, “And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
πρωτεύων, prōteuōn, “holding preeminence,” from πρῶτος, prótos, “first” or “most important,” This is the only use of this form in the New Testament. It’s present tense indicates that Jesus continually and always has first place in everything. The phrase in view begins with ἵνα, hina, translated here “that,” but literally “so that” to show an action producing an intended result–or cause producing effect (often called a hina clause). I think about thus: Jesus died (casue/action) so that I might have eternal life (effect/result). Now, here is the rub. The Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely preeminent whether or not anyone believes it or accepts it. While much of the world completely ignores Jesus, he is still preeminent. In popular Christian vernacular, we hear it said, “Just put Jesus first in your life,” often said with little enthusiasm or seriousness. The fact is, if we (I) would truly put Jesus first in our lives, as is our duty, our challenges in life and understanding our circumstances and how to handle them would go better for us in every case.
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