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OCTOBER 10

1:12 qualified us. The Greek word means “to 1:27 Gentiles:…Christ in you. The Old
make sufficient,”“to empower,” or “to author- Testament predicted the coming of the
ize.”God qualifies us only through the finished Messiah and that the Gentiles would partake
work of the Savior. Apart from God’s grace of salvation (Is. 42:6; 45:21,22; 49:6; 52:10;
through Jesus Christ, all people would be 60:1–3; Pss. 22:27; 65:5; 98:2,3), but it did not
qualified only to receive His wrath. inheri- reveal that the Messiah would actually live in
tance. Literally, “for the portion of the lot.” each member of His redeemed church, made
Each believer will receive his own individual up mostly of Gentiles.That believers,both Jew
portion of the total divine inheritance,an allu- and Gentile, now possess the surpassing rich-
sion to the partitioning of Israel’s inheritance es of the indwelling Christ is the glorious
in Canaan (Num. 26:52–56; 33:51–54; Josh. revealed mystery. the hope of glory. The
14:1,2). in the light. Scripture represents indwelling Spirit of Christ is the guarantee to
“light” intellectually as divine truth (Ps. each believer of future glory.
119:130) and morally as divine purity (Eph.
5:8–14; 1 John 1:5). The saints’ inheritance
exists in the spiritual realm of truth and purity
where God Himself dwells (1 Tim. 6:16). Light, enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet
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then, is a synonym for God’s kingdom. now He has reconciled in the body of His
flesh through death, to present you holy, and
1:19 all the fullness. A term likely used by blameless, and above reproach in His sight—
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded
those in the Colossian heresy to refer to divine
powers and attributes they believed were and steadfast, and are not moved away from
divided among various emanations. Paul the hope of the gospel which you heard,
countered that by asserting that the fullness which was preached to every creature under
of Deity—all the divine powers and attrib- heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
utes—was not spread out among created 24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and
beings but completely dwelt in Christ alone. fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflic-
tions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which
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is the church, of which I became a minister
dominions or principalities or powers. All according to the stewardship from God which
things were created through Him and for Him. was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all God, the mystery which has been hidden
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things consist. And He is the head of the body, from ages and from generations, but now has
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn been revealed to His saints. To them God
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from the dead, that in all things He may have willed to make known what are the riches of
the preeminence. the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles:
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him
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fullness should dwell, and by Him to recon- we preach, warning every man and teaching
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cile all things to Himself, by Him, whether every man in all wisdom, that we may present
things on earth or things in heaven, having every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this
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made peace through the blood of His cross. end I also labor, striving according to His
21 And you, who once were alienated and working which works in me mightily.
DAY 10: How does Colossians 1:15,16 define Christ as God?
The Greek word for “image” means “copy” or “likeness.” Jesus Christ is the perfect image—the
exact likeness—of God and is in the very form of God (Phil.2:6;John 1:14;14:9) and has been so from
all eternity. By describing Jesus in this manner, Paul emphasizes that He is both the representation
and manifestation of God.Thus, He is fully God in every way (2:9; John 8:58; 10:30–33; Heb.1:8).
“The firstborn over all creation.”The Greek word for “firstborn”can refer to one who was born
first chronologically, but most often refers to preeminence in position or rank (Heb. 1:6; Rom. 8:29).
In both Greek and Jewish culture, the firstborn was the ranking son who had received the right of
inheritance from his father, whether he was born first or not. It is used of Israel who, not being the
first nation, was however the preeminent nation (Ex. 4:22; Jer. 31:9). Firstborn in this context clearly
means highest in rank, not first created (Ps. 89:27; Rev. 1:5) for several reasons:
1.Christ cannot be both “first begotten”and “only begotten”(John 1:14,18;3:16,18;1 John 4:9);

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