1. For context, first read 1:13–14, 21–22, and then 1:15–20. Discuss the relationship between what Colossians teaches about who Jesus was and what he did for us.
   
2. The term "firstborn" in v. 15 has to do with his supremacy (i.e., like the firstborn in a Jewish family as the recognized head of the family), not with his having a beginning. What does vv. 15–17 teach about Jesus' relationship to everything that has had a beginning?
   
3. Look at the list in vv. 16–17. Can you envision anything in the universe that has not been made by Jesus? How would you explain this to someone who might say, "Jesus was perhaps the greatest of men—but he had a beginning like the rest of the world"?
   
4. What would v. 18a teach you about your church—and your study group?
   
5. One thing might seem to be beyond the control of Jesus in this world, i.e., death. What does v. 18b say about that?
   
6. Some things seem to be occurring now in the world that are not fully under the reign of Christ—oppressive political powers, unjust economic systems, immoral social realities, etc. In the short run, it is difficult to reconcile those realities with the fact that God's reign has come into this world in Jesus. What promise do we find about "all things" in v. 20?
   
7. What is one main thing you learn (or are being reminded) about Jesus from this text?
   

According to Jesus, 2011 Study Series • Copyright © 2011, Lake Avenue Church