Good morning, ladies - especially you, Julie! I hope I beat you this morning. :)
Today we work on figuring out the main point of the book of Colossians. It's easy to get lost in all the verses so I think this is a great exercise. I'm interested to see what the Tuesday lady had to say, and of course to read any comments from the rest of you.
Lesson One, Day Two
6 comments:
To me, the overall message of Colossians can be summed up in the word: ENCOURAGEMENT. It seems that whether Paul is telling them not to fall for false doctrines, listing vices they should avoid or characteristics they should strive for daily -- whether he's reminding them of their sinful past, or making sure they understand that, as Gentiles, they are no less a part of God's kingdom, his motivation is to ENCOURAGE them to keep fighting, to stay on course, to make sure Christ is their head (their only head) as they continue in the faith.
I find the theme of Colossians is Christ. Everything goes back to Christ...He is from the beginning, he has the preeminence over all other powers on earth and beyond. We are to listen to Him over any philosopher or legalist, we are to obey Him rather than our earthly lusts. He is the author and finisher of our faith, He is everything to the Church.
Done for today!
OK, Jennifer and Ann. You both make good arguments. Do you have a theme verse?
Hmmmm...
I could defend either argument, I think! :)
To defend mine, 3:16
"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
To support Ann's, 1:18
"He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything."
Or (so Ann and I can both be right!), 2:2
"...that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ
Himself..."
:)
oops, I didn't come back until now...I didn't realize there would be follow-up assignments! :) I'll do the lesson and answer that second question later...
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