My church will begin a study of the book of Colossians this weekend. We will be working through the book over the next several weeks (something I am looking forward to). Even though I have read the letter many times, we were all encouraged to read the letter again as a way of preparing for the messages and discussion during our LifeGroup meetings.
One of the benefits of reading a book of the bible several times in a short amount of time is the way different ideas, thoughts, and peculiarities seems to come to the forefront. One of these ideas is found in verse 3 of chapter 1. Paul is commending the church Colossae for their hospitality and kindness toward other saints. As he does so he makes this simple statement, identifying who he is giving thanks to. He writes, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
While there are many things that we could discuss about this description, the one that came to mind this time around is the relational reality of God’s connection to Jesus. Paul describes God as the Father of Jesus. Is there something that we have missed in the kind of relationship that exists between God and Jesus. We have grown so accustomed to the speaking of Jesus’ divinity we forget that while he walked upon this earth he did not relate to Jesus upon this aspect of who he was.
Jesus was a man in the full meaning and implications of what that means. To dismiss this is to negate a critically important part of who Jesus is. Even though Jesus had and has an eternal relationship with the Father, Jesus lived for himself the kind of life we can experience with the Father. When we were adopted into the family of God we were given access and permission to call God our father as well.
Add Comment