🎶 Colossians 1:19–20 | A Song for Assurance

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📧 In today’s email…

• 🪶 Paul’s poetry

• 🤔 A daily inventory

• 🎙️ Resources to help you savor Christ’s sufficiency

• 🧠 A brilliant quote from C.S. Lewis

 🧠 Memorize

_{see if you know what words go in the blanks}

For in ____ all the _________ of _____ was pleased to _______,

and through ____ to ________ to himself ___ _______, whether on ______ or in ________, making _______ by the _______ of his _______.

Colossians 1:19–20

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🪶 Paul’s Poetry—Or Paul’s Fighting Song? 🤔 🥊

Like we mentioned yesterday, Paul’s letter to the Colossians takes a departure in style when we get to the passage from where our memory verse comes.

This is because of an obvious shift into repeated words and phrases that are structured more artistically than the rest of the letter, like a poem.

Now, there’s a lot of debate that surrounds this passage, mostly centered around if Paul is really referencing an early Christian hymn.

Regardless of the debate, all scholars agree that the parallelism and repetition presented is worth noting, seen in these phrases:

• v16a&b “all things were created” (total of two times); v17a&b “he is before all things,” “in him all things hold together”; v19 “all the fullness of God”; and v20 “reconcile to himself all things.”

•  v15 “firstborn of all creation”; and v18 “firstborn from the dead.”

In each of these keywords/phrases, Paul uses exactly the same term, pas for “all things”/”all” and prōtotokos for “firstborn,” respectively.

The repetition of these words isn’t by chance.

You may remember that the entire point of this letter is to address false teaching that was going on in Colossae, and Paul masterfully uses artistry to emphasize what was so severely lacking in these false teachers’ words.

Paul’s art goes on the offense.

Like a 1-2 jab, Paul uses “all things” and “firstborn” to bust down the weak words of the false teachers, championing two essentials of the faith:

• Christ’s supremacy as Creator

• Christ’s sufficiency as Redeemer

In this poetry, Paul sets himself up for the rest of the letter that follows, which hinges on Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency as the cornerstone of his argument.

Apply & Respond: Resting in Daily Devotion 

As we discuss Christ’s sufficiency, we must remember that in our own lives, the same distractions that plagued the Colossians creep into our daily activities.

These distractions often go unnoticed until we reach a breaking point, wondering:

“How did I get here?”

Here’s the cool thing:

There’s a way to keep track and correct course.

It comes in what we call a daily inventory.

The Inventory

Keeping a daily inventory is familiar with those who have experienced working in support groups.

But for those of you who aren’t sure of what this is, a daily inventory is a check-in that evaluates your emotions, thoughts, words, and actions.

It helps you see where God is at work and where sin is competing for your attention and affection.

Here’s an easy template you can follow that takes just a few minutes to complete:

• Did I spend time in God’s Word today?

• What has been weighing on my heart today?

• What can I thank God for today?

• Where, in my life, am I seeking to gain God’s approval, despite the promises described in Colossians 1:19–20?

• Have I displayed the Holy Spirit’s fruit in my life—my interactions, conversations, and in private moments?

💡 Keep this inventory for a few weeks, and then revisit your entries to see which patterns of thinking, speaking, and doing are present.

Then, talk about your experiences with a trusted friend, family member, or your pastor.

Recommended Resources 🎙️ 

Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into this week’s passage:

• 🎙️ John Piper teaching: “All the Fullness of God in Christ: Colossians 1:19–20, Part 1” (link here)

• 📚️ Colossians and Philemon: A 12-Week Study (link here)

• 📚️ Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary by N.T. Wright (link here)

• 🎵 “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death” by Keith & Kristyn Getty + Matt Papa to help you savor the work of Christ (listen on Spotify | listen on Apple Music)

• 😃 If you want a drink that supports your immune system and overall health, try Immune Ready for 30% OFF (link here)

Wisdom 🧐 

“Let us be on our guard against false doctrine. Unsound faith will never be the mother of really sound practice, and in these latter days, departures from the faith abound. See then that your loins be girded about with truth, and be very jealous of receiving anything which cannot be proved by the Bible.

Do not think for a moment that false doctrine will meet you face to face, saying, “I am false doctrine, and I want to come into your heart.” Satan does not go to work in that way. He dresses up false doctrine like Jezebel — he paints her face and attires her hair, and tries to make her like truth. Do not think that those who preach error will never preach anything that is true. Error would do little harm if that was the case. No! Error will come before you mingled with much that is sound and scriptural.”

J.C. Ryle

Answer key ✅ 

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:19–20