Re:Verse passage –Colossians 1:15-19 (day three)
“He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.”
There’s a way to live such that death will not put an end to life. That way is not a narcissistic fountain-of-youth fantasy (which has no basis in reality), but rather an intimate fellowship with one another through forgiveness, generosity, faithfulness, kindness, humility, and sacrifice. Jesus is the one person in all of history who has lived that kind of life. In the future, everyone will live like Jesus. Or, to put it another way, everyone who has life in the age to come will be alive only because he or she has learned the eternal kind of life. This is Paul’s point, that Jesus is the first of his kind, the first human being who lives the eternal kind of life, and the one—the one—who will teach you to live it.
These conclusions are so insightful and encouraging, Bryan. Thank you for them!
Yes, Bryan! “This is Paul’s point, that Jesus is the first of his kind, the first human being who lives the eternal kind of life, and the one—the one—who will teach you to live it.”
My understanding is that Paul’s prayer for the Colossians is for their further sanctification. He is offering them and now us progressive instruction toward the goal of maturity (Christlikeness). These are not separate topics but rather these topics are connected and are progressively moving us to maturity.