Daily Lesson for Thursday 19th of February 2026

Paul uses a very interesting expression in Greek to culminate his description of Jesus, obliquely pointing back to the Father, who was mentioned in Colossians 1:12. It is His fullness that the Father was pleased to have dwell in Jesus (compare Colossians 2:9). What is this “fullness”? John refers to it as being the Father’s glory, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com

But, based on this passage, that “fullness” encompasses a lot. It embraces God’s eternity and self-existence and His power to create and re-create. Most important, it underscores His wisdom in conquering sin and death through the most unimaginable means—the Cross. And thus, He transformed that most inglorious object into a testimony of His eternal love for every created being. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The only way sin could really be defeated forever, and all things be reconciled that could be reconciled, is summed up in that one glorious truth: God loved—He loved the universe, and He loved us so much that He risked everything to save us through Christ’s death on the cross. The Greek word for “world” is kosmos, which can encompass the whole universe. Paul refers to this universal demonstration in the context of following Christ: “We have been made a spectacle to the world [kosmos, universe], both to angels and to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9, NKJV).

“Heaven viewed with grief and amazement Christ hanging upon the cross. . . . By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them. At the beginning of the great controversy, the angels did not understand this. . . .

“But not so when the great controversy shall be ended. Then, the plan of redemption having been completed, the character of God is revealed to all created intelligences. . . .

“Well, then, might the angels rejoice as they looked upon the Saviour’s cross. . . . Christ Himself fully comprehended the results of the sacrifice made upon Calvary. To all these He looked forward when upon the cross He cried out, ‘It is finished.’ ”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, Pages 760, 764.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26a-08-to-reconcile-all-things/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26a-08-to-reconcile-all-things

Daily Lesson for Wednesday 18th of February 2026

In Hebrew the words for head (roʾš) and beginning (rēʾšît) are related. The first instance of the latter word in Scripture is in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning [rēʾšît] God created the heaven and the earth.” Jesus is head of humanity and of the church, not only because of the Incarnation but also because He is the Creator.

Image © John Baker at Goodsalt.com

In Greek, the word for beginning (archē) has a broad meaning. Here, “beginning” refers to Jesus as the source or initiator of the church (Colossians 1:18), and therefore its Head, just as He is the “beginning” or initiator of Creation.

Jesus is not only the initiator in terms of Creation and the church, He is also—through His resurrection from the dead (Romans 6:3-4)—the initiator of the new creation. Because the wages of sin is death, His victory over death also shows His victory over sin and His power to re-create us in His image. All this demonstrates why He is “the firstborn from the dead” (on the meaning of “firstborn,” see Monday’s study). His is the preeminent resurrection, even though not the first (Moses was the first, which is why the dispute with the devil ensued over his body [Jude 1:9]). Without Christ’s resurrection, no one else could be raised from the dead.

It’s helpful at this point to review briefly all the reasons Paul has given for Jesus having preeminence:

1. He is the perfect manifestation of the invisible God.

2. He is the agent by whom all things were created.

3. He existed before all things, and all things are brought together in Him.

4. He is the head of the church, which is His body.

5. He is the initiator of Creation and the re-creation.

6. He has conquered sin and death and thus earned the right to resurrect all who put their trust in Him as Savior.

7. Jesus has always existed, but now, by virtue of all this, He has come to have the preeminence as Head of humanity and Head of the church.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26a-08-the-beginning-and-initiator/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26a-08-the-beginning-and-initiator