Three-in-One: The Relational GodSample

God's Fellowship (7)

Jesus is Supreme

Colossians 1:15–20 is an early church hymn or worship song. In some Bibles, the words are formatted like poetry so readers can see the song-like structure.

Maybe Paul put the hymn here to help explain important details about the identity and work of God’s beloved Son who he was writing about.

Or maybe Paul hadn’t planned to put the hymn here at all. Maybe as he was writing (or dictating to a scribe, which he often did), he was so caught up in the wonder and majesty of who Jesus was and what Jesus had done that he momentarily stopped writing (or dictating) and began to praise God.

Either way, these verses include some of the most beautiful, important, and powerful truths about Jesus Christ, the Lord of all. Read these verses silently and prayerfully. Then read them aloud. Then listen to someone else read them. Let the words fill your heart and soul. As you read, pause between verses 17 and 18 where there is a natural break between two related but different ideas.

• Verses 15-17 praise Jesus as the human embodiment of God and also as the Creator himself.
• Verses 18-20 praise Jesus as the firstborn of everyone who will be resurrected and also as the source of new creation himself.

Praise and worship Jesus as you read these lyrics about him.

Reflect

• Christ (in a human body) was the visible image of the invisible God (v. 15). The church (body of Christ) is called to now be the visible image of Christ (v. 18). What are some ways we can do that?
• What do you learn about God in these verses? (When Paul writes "God" he almost always means the Father.)
• What do you learn about Jesus in these verses? (When Paul writes "Lord" he almost always means Jesus).
• What do you learn about the Holy Spirit in these verses?
• What do you learn about humanity and yourself in these verses?