Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, and descended into hell (compare Romans 10:7; Ephesians 4:9).
Imagine Christ’s descent into hell: demons in an ecstasy of glee—strutting and parading, gloating and cackling as they celebrate the death and demise of the Son of God. Then Satan arrives amidst thunderous applause. There’s backslapping and high-fives; congratulations for finally winning what they believed to be the ultimate victory.
Read More triumph, cross, Satan
Christ alone is all-sufficient, all powerful, and complete. He alone is preeminent. He alone is over all, for all, and our all in all. And as such, Christ alone is the One you can live and die for.
Chapter one is a magnificent declaration of the pre-eminence of Christ.
Read More pre-eminence of Christ, Christ aloneSince Darwin and his theory of evolution in the mid 1800’s people have increasingly rejected the creation Story (Genesis 1-3). This rejection is the basis for secular humanism and why so many Westerners have a problem with Christ (1 Corinthians 1:23).
The theory of evolution is simply not true.
Read More the Church, Christ’s pre-eminenceThe Apostle Paul had an amazing ministry. He opened up the Gentile world to the Gospel, planted churches throughout Asia Minor, defended the faith before all and sundry, persevered through persecution, dealt with conflict, warned God’s people about the lies of the devil, taught the truth, and laboured to the point of exhaustion.
Read More Christ’s pre-eminence, Paul’s ministryMany of the Christians in Colossae would have been Gentiles. Lacking the traditions and historical understandings of their fellow Christians with Jewish roots, they are particularly susceptible to the “ideas of the day.” Paul is writing to remind them to grow their lives with deep roots in Christ and to build their futures on a foundation that is firm and wide …
Read More fresh start, forgiveness, rootsJesus said “I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest” (John 10:10). Jesus intends for us to enjoy a full and rich life. The life he desires for us is not without boundaries, but they are set by God not people, to fulfill us. The Colossians are in danger of being dragged down again by human rules and regulations …
Read More trust, freedom, self-achievement, sinful desiresPaul is showing the Colossians how much richer they are than they realize. In Christ they have found everything that the human heart truly desires – freedom from the burden of sin and of course “life in its fullest” (John 10:10). The call then is to focus our lives heavenwards and not on the things of this world that drag us back to our miserable origins.
Read More new person, pleasing God, focus, Holy SpiritPaul summarizes his thoughts so far in his letter to the Colossians. We are to have an attitude of gratitude to God at all times for the great gift of Jesus in our lives. As in daily life, our inner attitude finds its way out in verbal and practical expression.
We are God’s covenant people, and when we gladly accept this role, it has practical implications.
Read More gratitude, love, Holy Spirit“Honor Christ and put others first” (Ephesians 5:21). This is the principle underlying this passage. In our desire to please God we are to live out our personal relationships by placing the other person ahead of ourselves. This is how it works in the kingdom of God.
Read More Holy Spirit, relationships, self-interestPaul shows us here how to deal with two areas that many Christians struggle with, namely prayer and sharing the gospel. His advice is pithy and plain – pray diligently and speak the truth of the gospel at every opportunity. These are matters in which Satan manages to deflect and defeat us more often than we’d like to admit.
Read More thankfulness, prayer, witness, discipline