Provided by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, February 21, 2026.

Central Theme: This week, we will look at one of the most comprehensive and sublime statements about Jesus in the New Testament. What does it mean that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God,” yet also “the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15, NIV)?

Read in Class: Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 10:1-4. Ask the class to identify the common thread in these passages.

Study: What do both of these passages tell us about Jesus’ preexistance?

Apply: God, the Creator, died for us. What could our works add to that? Why is the idea that our works could add to what Christ has already done for us so blasphemous?

Share: Your friend says, “If Jesus is God and the image of God, then why is He called the firstborn over all creation? How would Jesus be called the firstborn unless He was created at some time in the past?” What do you tell your friend? Hint: Hebrews 11:17 tells us Isaac was Abraham’s only begotten son, but he wasn’t his only son who was born. He was the only chosen son. “Only begotten” means “only chosen,” and not only born.

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 5:23, and Colossians 2:10. Ask the class to identify the common thread in these passages.

Study: What does “head” mean in these passages? What does Paul mean when he calls Jesus the “head of the church” (Eph. 5:23)?

Apply: If you had to give up a limb or an eye, what would you choose? What does this tell you about how vital each person is as a member of the church?

Share: Your friend asks whether the brain can feel the pain in the little toe. Or if Christ, being the head of the body, can feel the pain of the smallest member of the body? What do you tell your friend? See The Intimate and Sacred Privilege of Suffering With Christ.

Read in Class: Colossians 1:18. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is the connection between the idea of Christ as the head and Him as the “beginning”?

Apply: What must you change so that you can better experience Christ’s preeminence in your own life?

Share: What would you say to someone who does not believe that the Father and the Son have always co-existed? Why is this such an important truth? How would you explain that there has never been a time when the Father was without the Son, except at the cross, when there was a temporary “sundering of the divine powers”? (See Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 924.)

Read in Class: Colossians 1:19-20. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is this reconciliation that comes through the cross, and how comprehensive is it?

Apply:  How does Jesus, through the cross, bring peace to a broken, chaotic world, and how does this “reconciliation” apply to our daily lives?

Share: Your friend mentions that heavenly beings never sinned, so how would the cross reconcile heaven to Christ? What do you tell your friend?

Mission: Do you know someone who needs to be reconciled with Christ? Can you share the story of the cross with them this week?