Q18. Preeminence

[Pastor Ralph]

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20)  Which of Christ’s qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you? What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8). Why is the incarnation such a miracle?

[Old Jerry]

I think that the preeminence and greatest that is especially meaningful to me is he died on the cross and was raised again. Now we have a living God.

 

Jesus humbled himself when we became a Man-God.

 

The incarnation is such a miracle because he born a baby to a virgin.

[LT Lady]

The fact that Jesus Christ is the very image of God is very meaningful to me. How would I even know God’s heart if it were not displayed in the person of his Son. Yes, we can see it in the OT as God works among his people, but I think we see it more so in Jesus as he lived on earth and showed the true heart of the love of God. 

Jesus let go of all his rights in the godhead to come to earth and live a life of humility. He did it willingly knowing it was the only way to free us from the penalty of sin and give us a life of fellowship with God.

The Virgin Birth is a miracle beyond what the human mind could imagine. For God to take on human flesh shows His pity, mercy, and love for the human race that He planned to redeem. He knew there was no other way. And although the cross took care of our debt, perhaps an even greater part of the miracle is that God blesses us as a result of it with communion with Himself. Miracle upon miracle!
 

[Krissi]

To me, the most meaningful quality in your list is Cameo 3, that God in Christ is eternally pre-existent. Christ didn’t come into existence at His birth, but already existed in some inexplicable way prior to the historical event of His birth.

It was humbling for God to come in the form of a human, to lower Himself into our sinful world and allow Himself to be crucified. 

The incarnation is way beyond what my little mind can comprehend.  God is God – I am human – yet God assumed a human body and mind … this is incomprehensible. I understand why docetists (?) – the heresy that Jesus just seemed to be in a body – think the way they do. His body-ness is troubling. It seems to negate His god-status.

But His humanity wasn’t an illusion or mind trick, but real. The incarnation wasn’t a ghost-like apparition, but human life itself, and done in such a way that His divinity was untarnished.  

[Katy]

Q1. All the cameo’s of Jesus in this passage are pretty amazing. I think v 15. Which tells us He is the image of the invisible God , is a very important one for me . It gives me an imagine I can relate to , also as I learn about Jesus I am also learning about God. As I experience His love, patience, faithfulness, goodness, graciousness I am also experiencing God. I think I would find it hard to imagine God without Jesus to relate to. I also love the verse that says ‘in Him all things hold together’, maybe I am bringing this idea down too much to my weak human level. I often think it is great to start something or make something but the harder task can be to keep that ‘thing’ going. It can be hard work, monotonous, and repetitive. I take for granted that the world will keep functioning well, that one season will follow another and so on. I don’t stop and praise God enough for the way that He is the author and sustainer of life and this world.

Q2.Jesus humbled Himself by making Himself nothing and allowing Himself to be born in human likeness, and in the vulnerability that it brought. He chose to be born into poverty and continued in this way for all of His thirty three years on earth. He spent His life serving the ordinary people and was reviled, rejected and disbelieved. Eventually the Jewish leader got their wishes, and Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, and Herod who sent Him back to Pilate who gave in to the crowd and sent Jesus to be crucified. Jesus had also been humiliated by the soldiers,spat upon, a crown of thorns pushed down on His head, He was also flogged, His precious skin ripped apart over and over again. Humiliation after humiliation! At any time He could have stopped His torture but He didn’t. He persisted because He loved us. 
Q3.The incarnation is a miracle because it is something only God could do. It is beyond our understanding as human beings. God allowed it to happen so He could give us the opportunity of having forgiveness for our sins. The virgin birth of Jesus is the beginning of the journey to the cross. A long journey which took thirty three years. Praise God for His mercy towards us.

[Karen11]

On 8/29/2021 at 3:03 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20)  Which of Christ’s qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you? What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8). Why is the incarnation such a miracle?

All of them, cause each one means something to me, either saved me,  taught me, showed me  something..I need them all, I need of of Jesus.

Jesus humbled himself to serve and not to be served, when in actuality he is King and should be treated as one.

As birth is a miracle and from God, for God to become man is also a miracle from God himself.

 

[hanks]

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20) Which of Christ's qualities of pre-eminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you? What does it mean for Jesus to humble Himself (Philippians 2:7-8). Why is the incarnation such a miracle? 
They are all especially meaningful but I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that all things have been created through Him and for Him, and that in Him all these things hold together. This includes things, visible and invisible, in heaven, on earth, and throughout the universes. We can only worship and honour Him all the more as we look upon His creation. As an example, we have the complexity of a vast galaxy down to the minutest DNA molecule. To think our Lord Jesus Christ created it all and maintains them so that continue working. Absolutely amazing! We serve a great God! He was humble in that He was born into an obscure, oppressed place; in that He was born into poverty among a despised people; in that He was born as a child instead of appearing as a man; in submitting to the obedience appropriate to a child in a household; in learning and practicing a trade – and a humble trade of a builder; in the long wait until He launched out into public ministry; in the companions and disciples He chose; in the audience He appealed to and the way He taught; in the temptations He allowed and endured; in the weakness, hunger, thirst, and tiredness He endured; in His total obedience to His Heavenly Father; in His submission to the Holy Spirit; in choosing and submitting to the death of the cross; in the agony of His death ; in the shame, mocking, and public humiliation of His death; in enduring the spiritual agony of His sacrifice on the cross (David Guzik). The doctrine of the incarnation teaches that through the work of the Holy Spirit, God the Son has become fully human in time in order to die for the sins of humanity and defeat death by the power of His resurrection. This miraculous conception and Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ was necessary because of His deity and pre-existence. Jesus is God in the flesh. 
 

[Janzie]

On 8/29/2021 at 3:03 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20)  Which of Christ’s qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you? What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8). Why is the incarnation such a miracle?

  1.  a.  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.  His holiness and in His dying on the cross to bring us to God, giving us peace, shedding His blood and being obedient unto death.

     b.  Jesus left heaven, humbled Himself and became a man that he could identify with us, making it possible to bring us to God.  He came not to be served but to serve and to give His live as a ransom for many.

     c.  The incarnation is a such a miracle because God planned it in the beginning (knowing that Adam and Eve would mess up), that man could be redeemed.  The angel said to Mary, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And the God/man was born: Jesus - The one and only payment for our sins. 

[haar]

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20) Which of Christ's qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you?

All are meaningful but I think that Jesus being the image of the invisible God tells me that knowing and being to see Jesus attributes enables me to know and see the invisible God.

What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8).

I think it is humility at its peak for Jesus, being God, agreed to become human  and be born by a human so that he could die for me to be saved.

Why is the incarnation such a miracle?
 

[Reina]

The quality of Christ’s preeminence and greatness that means most to me is from verse 17, He was created before all things and then he created me, but does not leave me to myself by continues on with me .  He does not leave me or forsake me. Deuteronomy 31:6

He became a mere man the least of all to set an example of what we’re to be. Jesus did not come to be served He came to serve.

The Incarnation is such a miracle, because it happened only once and it involved The Lord, who willingly came to earth for us to die for us.  Unconditionally!! He Loves Us!!

[TraceyF]

The best quality to me is Jesus obeying God by dying on that cross to save us from sin. If we want to be free, we can repent and believe Jesus died on the cross. Oh what a blessing. A blessing no human can give.

God allowed Jesus to be humble by becoming a man on earth. He came to earth to teach, heal, make leaders, and save the Fathers children. Hallelujah!!!

Being a child on earth and growing into a man is truly a miracle. It shows unconditional love. Love is what He is.

[Zibuyile]

Q18.Which of Christ preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful  to you

He is the beginning  and the end

He was there in the beginning  everything  came through Him and exist forever 

What does it means for Christ to humble Himself

To be an example  unto us tha t we need to humble ourselves  so that God can lift us up 

Why is incarnation  such a miracle?

 

[Irmela]

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20) Which of Christ's qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you?

What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8).

Why is the incarnation such a miracle?

It is all so meaningful. When reading this passage again I was just struck again by "all things were created and exist  through Him (by His service, intervention) and in and for Him". 

Then it is just mentioned again in verse 17 and He Himself existed before all things and in Him all things consist - cohere, are held together. 

That means i am held together through Him and for Him. 

There is a reason for my existence. It is for Him. 

(Louis Gigleo's msg on the human molecule being held together by laminin and its picture just always amazes me afresh.) 

For Jesus to humble Himself was to strip Himself of all His glory, to leave all that He was behind, put it oneside and come as a "seed" to grow one cell at a time inside the body of a virgin and then be born as a man-child and experience all that humans do  ...   hunger, pain, joy, satisfaction, desertion , acceptance, love, laughter, exhaustion, tiredness after a days hard labour, mocking, betrayal, etc. 

The Creator Himself became and lived as the created. And because of that (He remained sinless) He sacrificed Himself as the Sinless, Spotless Lamb so I (we) can forever be with Him. 

[haar]

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20) Which of Christ's qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you? What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8). Why is the incarnation such a miracle?

My take is that God so love me that he send his son who humbled himself to become man in baby Jesus, to live here and show me and humanity all the qualities of the invisible God and then die and resurrect carrying my sin and thereby become the first to rise from the dead. Hallelujah.
 

[AKINYELE AYOMIDE PETER]

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20)  Which of Christ’s qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you? What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8). Why is the incarnation such a miracle?

¶ The summation of it all the fact that all all of God's fullness of the father dwells in him is outstanding to me because whosoever would house God in such manner must be more than just a man.

¶ For Jesus to humble himself means He stirpped off himself of all privileges and titles and became an ordinary man... Infact that God could come in man's nature is the greatest show of humility.

¶ it's a big miracle because it by pass human laws. It shows how unlimited God is, only man can be limited but He is a Spirit...even the devil was dumbfounded.

 

[Eldress Rowe]

All of Christ's qualities of preeminence and greatness are meaningful to me but the one that is most meaning is "In Him all things hold together".  Not only doe He save us but He sustains and keep us despite all the forces of evil.  The heavens have their stability and continuance from Him, the earth is bore up by Him, the angels in heaven are confirmed in their estate by Him, and live, move and have our being in Him.  It would all burst asunder and break into pieces if it was not held together by Him.

 

For Jesus to humble himself means that he voluntarily took upon Himself the form of a servant and appeared in the likeness of sinful man even though He was without sin.  He lost nothing of what He had, his fulness of grace nor the perfections of His divine nature for it was covered ad out of sight.

Incarnation was such a miracle because that which was Spirit was made flesh and dwelt among us in order to be the Savior of mankind.

[Janzie]

On 8/29/2021 at 3:03 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20)  Which of Christ’s qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you? What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8). Why is the incarnation such a miracle?

 1.  a.  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.  His holiness and in His dying on the cross to bring us to God, giving us peace, shedding His blood and being obedient unto death.

     b.  Jesus left heaven, humbled Himself and became a man that he could identify with us, making it possible to bring us to God.  He came not to be served but to serve and to give His live as a ransom for many.

     c.  The incarnation is a such a miracle because God planned it in the beginning (knowing that Adam and Eve would mess up), that man could be redeemed.  The angel said to Mary, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And the God/man was born: Jesus - The one and only payment for our sins. 

 

[EMC]

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20)

• Which of Christ's qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you?
  • He is the most important being, was there before creation he is actually the creator and therefore omnipotent 
  • He is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, there is none like Him
• What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8).
  • According to Philippians 2, Jesus humbled himself by coming down to earth as a human being and taking the nature of a servant. As a human being he brought us closer to God
  • In addition he was obedient to his father even when threatened with death
• Why is the incarnation such a miracle?
  • It is a miracle in that God who is supposed to be invisible allowed himself to be seen in Jesus Christ. Christ had a human nature and experienced all that a human being experiences; hunger, thirst, anger, pain, compassion etc.

[Kayla M]

On 8/29/2021 at 3:03 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q18. (Colossians 1:15-20)  Which of Christ’s qualities of preeminence and greatness is especially meaningful to you? What does it mean for Jesus to humble himself (Philippians 2:7-8). Why is the incarnation such a miracle?

 a. He is the visible image of the invisible God. If we want to know what God the Father is like, look at Jesus. 

b. Jesus is the preeminent being in all of creation. He placed all of that aside, his reputation, everything, to become like a human being. Even death which he has authority over, he subjected himself to it to accomplish his father’s purpose. 

c. Jesus was not just about her baby boy…he is also God. The God-man, where Mary is his earthly mother and God his father. How is this possible? No idea! This is a miracle indeed.