Welcome to Walking With Christ. I'm Jeremy, and I'm really glad you're here today. This devotional series is a short time we set aside to reflect on a portion of Scripture, and we do that contextually, thoughtfully, and prayerfully. And as we go verse by verse through these chapters of the Bible, we seek not only to understand God's Word a little bit more, but also to apply it and to let it shape how we live, think, and walk with Christ each and every day. As Colossians 2 verse 6 says, Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. Last time we opened Colossians 1 by looking at both Paul's and Christ's submission to God the Father's will. And today we pick up in chapter 1 verse 3. We're reading from the ESV. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Barely into the opening of Paul's letter to the Colossians, we find once again that Scripture is a treasure trove of truths and insights into the heavenly domain. Therefore, it's always worth our time to carefully read and consider each passage of Scripture with a humble and open heart, as the Spirit leads us into all understanding. This passage begins with the Apostle Paul stating, we always thank God. The we here likely refers to his beloved gospel worker and his assistant, Timothy, who may have transcribed this letter for Paul. And it may have also included Epaphras, the presumed founder of the church in Colossae, who came to Paul for help leading the church to truth. Paul says that they collectively thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout Scripture, we see the relationship in the Trinity, or the Godhead, clearly defined in this manner, where there is God the Father and Christ the Son. Scripture does not combine these two distinct persons, nor does it mix up their relationship. The Father is always the Father, and the Son is always the Son. The Father is most often referred to in the New Testament as God, or the Greek, Theos, while Christ is given the title of Lord, or the Greek, Kyrios. When we consider this distinction, we find that the New Testament teachings make far more sense than if we blend the two persons, or blur their roles, or make them out to be one entity manifesting in different forms. While the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can all rightly be identified as God, the Bible teaches they each have a unique personhood and an individual role. To illustrate this, of marriage, Jesus quoted Genesis 2 verse 24, when he said, But does this mean that the wife becomes her husband, or that the husband becomes his wife when they get married? No. They remain distinct personalities, but they are now unified. They are one, spiritually and physically, through marriage. Furthermore, Christ never said that He was the Father, and this is important to keep in mind when we think of the Godhead. Considering biblical context, when Christ said that He and the Father were one in John 10 verse 30, He was not trying to say that they were the same person, nor that He was the Father, but that He and the Father were perfectly united in spirit and purpose, which he candidly explained to the Pharisees in the preceding verses in John 10 verses 31 to 38. Yet, and this is really important, just because Christ is not the Father does not make Him any less than the Father. Paul expounded on this in Colossians 1 verses 15-17. He, Jesus Christ, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through Him and for Him. He, Christ, is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And Paul said in Philippians 2 verses 5 to 7, During his time on earth, Jesus said he was here to do the Father's work, and that he was submitting to the Father's will, that he was not acting in his own authority, and we see that he had to push aside his own will to accomplish what the Father required of him. That's in Luke 22, verse 42. Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, Mark 16, verse 19, and Colossians 3, verse 1. Christ makes intercession to the Father on our behalf, that's Hebrews 7, verse 25. And Christ even calls the Father, My God, in Revelation 3, verse 12. None of Jesus' statements here make any sense unless the Father and the Son are separate persons, each with their own will and role in the heavenly realm, and yet working perfectly together to bring about our redemption and salvation through the Holy Spirit's intercession in our heart. The relationship of the Father and Son is extraordinary, and it's exclusive in heaven, and it is no mistake that Scripture defines this accordingly. Because of Christ's position as the only begotten Son of the Father, that's John 3, 16, and His perfect obedience to the Father's will, as we read in Hebrews 5, verses 8-10, the Father granted Him all His own power and authority to rule and reign over every creature in heaven and on earth. That's from Ephesians 1, verses 19 to 23. And even more so, at His coming, Christ will bear the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We see that in Revelation 19, verse 16. And that's also His Father's title, as we see in 1 Timothy 6, verse 15. and every knee will bow to Jesus and His Father, confessing Christ as Lord to the glory of the Father." Reference Philippians 2 verses 10 to 11 and Romans 14 verse 11. So in every way, Christ is God and the exact image and representation of His Father. We see that in Matthew 1 verse 23 and Colossians 1 verse 15. He speaks and acts with the full authority of the Father and is to be adored, worshipped, and obeyed just as much as we would God the Father. So, in closing, if you've struggled with the concept of the Trinity, or the Godhead, or how the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit works, don't worry. Many of us have. After all, we're trying to understand God. But it doesn't need to be a stumbling block for us. The Bible gives us all we really need to know and understand about this topic. As always, I would encourage you to search the Scriptures for yourself. Read the very words of our Lord Jesus and see how He spoke of His role and the Father's role. And read through the New Testament epistles, looking closely at what the apostles wrote about the Godhead relationship. While it's difficult to understand, the Trinity and Godhead are not as mysterious or cryptic as we may have been told. But to get a better understanding, we've got to put aside man's interpretations and even our own ideas about it, and instead approach God's Word with an open heart and an open mind to what Scripture really says. And I hope this moves you in your prayer and your study time to be a little more intentional about giving honor and praise to both the Father and the Son, especially in their unique roles, as they are each instrumental in our salvation and sanctification through the unity and oneness of the Holy Spirit. Thank you so much for listening today, and I do hope to see you here next time as we unpack God's word verse by verse on walking with Christ.