By Ruth Dusingize 
HIGHLIGHT: Was Jesus Christ created? This week, we are looking at Jesus Christ as the image of the invisible God, as the firstborn over all creation, as the head of the church, as the initiator and as One by and through whom all things are reconciled, as revealed in the book of Colossians, which was written by the Apostle Paul.
Memory Text: Colossians 1:15-17 NKJV
[15]He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
[16]For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. [17]And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
SABBATH: As we resume our study of Colossians, Paul reveals the glorious truth of redemption through Christ. God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we find forgiveness and eternal life. This week, we’ll explore one of Scripture’s most profound portraits of Jesus—“the image of the invisible God” and “the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15). Every ray of light and every hope of salvation shines from Him alone, calling us to walk as redeemed children of His kingdom of light.
(READ Colossians 1:9-15)
SUNDAY: IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD
God created man in His own image so that He would reflect His character through fellowship shared together. However, sin distorted God’s original plan. This is why Jesus Christ came into the world as the ‘Second Adam’ to represent and reveal God. This idea means that if God the Father had come into the world instead of Jesus, He would have been like Jesus.
In addition, Jesus Christ declares that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father in Heaven and that He and the Father are one. Thus, when we see Jesus Christ, we see God.
(READ Genesis 1:26&27; 5:3; 1Corinthians 15:49; 2Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 1:3; 10:1; John 1:1-3,14,18; 5:17; 8:12; 10:11,14,30; 11:25; 14:6,9,11; Matthew 11:27; Exodus 3:14)
MONDAY: FIRSTBORN OVER ALL CREATION
In the Old Testament, the firstborn title was not given to an individual, necessarily meaning that they are the first among their siblings. However, this title symbolised rulership and authority given to them regardless of their position as per birth, as we see in the case when David is anointed as king. In the same vein, Jesus Christ has the title “firstborn over all creation” and “firstborn from the dead,” not because He was created but because He created the world, thus given the right to superiority over all creation. Furthermore, Jesus Christ is eternal and was there and witnessed the beginning of all things.
(READ Luke 2:7; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 1:5; 4:11; 1Samuel 16:10-13; Psalms 89:27; Exodus 4:22; Colossians 1:15-17; Ephesians 1:4; 3:9; 6:12; John 1:1-3; 1Corinthians 2:7; Galatians 1:17)
TUESDAY: HEAD OF THE BODY
Jesus, declared as the “Head of the body” denotes Him as the Head of the church which is made up of you and I. He is the Only One with authority over the church, and He also has tender care over her(the church). He is the One who provides her(the church) growth and most importantly, He saves her because He loves her. Just as He is her Shepherd, He leads her to living fountains of water, He knows her to the point of giving His life for her to grant her eternal life. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the only person whose commands we have to obey.
(READ Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 2:10; Exodus 18:25; Numbers 31:26; Deuteronomy 28:13; Isaiah 7:8; Hosea 1:11; Micah 3:9; 1Corinthians 11:3; 12:12-27; John 10:11,14&15; Revelation 7:17)
WEDNESDAY: THE “BEGINNING”(AND INITIATOR)
Jesus Christ, by virtue of the incarnation, is the head of the church and also because He is the Creator. He began Creation and also the church as well. Likewise, by His death and resurrection, through believing in this truth, He creates a new image in us by His power and victory over death. Hence, He is also the “firstborn from the dead.” In addition, without Christ’s resurrection, no one could be raised from the dead.
(READ Colossians 1:18; Romans 6:3&4; Jude 9)
THURSDAY: TO RECONCILE ALL THINGS
God loved the universe, He loved you and I so much that He risked everything to save us through Christ’s death on the cross. This is the only way that sin could be defeated forever and that we could be reconciled back to Him. In addition, Jesus was fully God at the same time that He was fully man. As such, He fulfilled the prerequisites necessary for reconciling man to God, and only by His blood are we purchased back to Him.
(READ Colossians 1:12,19&20; 2:9; John 1:14; 3:16; 1Corinthians 4:9
FRIDAY: FURTHER THOUGHT
The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight. The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. The Word of God declares Him to be ‘the express image of His person.’ Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God. In speaking of his pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God.
He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent. He is the eternal, self-existent Son.
(READ The Desire of Ages pp.760-764; Evangelism pp.614&615 by Ellen G White)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- If Jesus were anyone other than God Himself, what could it mean except that the Father sent some created being to die for us? Why is that so radically and crucially, different from God Himself, in the Person of Christ and dying for us?
- God, the Creator, died for us. What could our work add to that? Why is the idea that our works could add to what Christ has already done for us blasphemous?
- If you had to give up a limb or an eye, what would you choose? What does this tell you about how vital each person is as a member of the church?
- What must you change so that you can better experience Christ’s preeminence in your own life?
- What does it mean to be conformed to the image of Jesus? In what practical ways do you see that work of transformation, by God’s grace, happening in your life?
- How is Jesus the Lord of your life? What does His preeminence over all things mean for you? How does His pre-eminence give you hope?
Edwin Kyle Kule