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Jesus is Supreme

Colossians 1:15-20

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, as he spoke (or wrote) about Christ, he naturally 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.

Read & Reflect

Colossians 1:15-20

Copy Colossians 1:15-20 in a journal, paying close attention to Jesus the ruler of all creation (verses 15-17) and Jesus the head of new creation (verses 18-20).
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?

Extra Info

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These verses are a main source for truth about Jesus (we call biblical truths "doctrines").

In Genesis 1, we learn that humanity was created in the image of God. In Genesis 3 we learn that humanity rejected God’s good rule of life and their God-given identity. They rejected being the image of God.

Jesus came — fully God and fully human — the "visible image of the invisible God," to both reveal God to us and also show us how to recover our intended identity as the image of God. When we follow Jesus and surrender our lives to him, we are slowly transformed into the people God created us to be and restored to the identity he planned for us.

Extra Verses

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John 1:14-18

John 14:7-9

Hebrews 1:3

Extra Things

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2103 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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