2016-04-29
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Over the last five weeks, I’ve been directed by the Holy Spirit to introduce this series of devotions by covering how to study God’s word, why write a series about Colossians, the spread of the early church to Colossae, Hierapolis, and Laodicea, the time in history, the culture, opposition in the form of the “Colossian Heresy,” Paul’s urgency to spread the Gospel, our need to be alert (timing), and the overarching reason for this study—getting to know God better. Now, it’s time to do an overview of these four precious chapters so packed with important teaching from God.
Our Lord Jesus came to His earthly incarnation knowing He had a vital, life-giving task to do for the Father. He had been charged with the responsibility of suffering and physically dying on the cross, so that sinners could come to faith in Him and be redeemed [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25]. He learned this at a kind of “pre-creation council” described in 1 PET 1: 20-21. It would be the greatest act of sacrifice ever. Christ knew He would suffer, as He uttered on the night of His arrest in the Garden of Gesemane, in LK 22: 42, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” He was facing the “cup of suffering” so great as never before, to take the world’s sin with Him to the cross. HE 4: 15 reveals that He knew all the same temptations we do, but faced them without giving in and sinning. His perfection is not equaled in any human.
With this in mind, we must ask, “For what purpose did Paul so urgently write this epistle to the Colossians?” To find the answer, we must temporarily put the spotlight on the competition to Biblical truth that was happening in ~60 AD. It was to refute heresy! We and all who read this book need to know exactly Who Christ is, which is covered clearly in COL 1: 15-20. a) He is the visible image of the invisible God; the Firstborn over all creation (15). B) He did the work of creation of all things on earth and in heaven, visible and invisible (16). c) He existed before everything; in Him all things hold together (17). D) He is the Head of the church [His body]; He was the First to be resurrected and is supreme over all (18). e) The Father is pleased to have His fullness dwell in Christ (19), and f) for Christ to have peace made between Himself and all believing earthly and heavenly beings, made through Christ’s blood shed on the cross (20).
No set of human-crafted regulations or deceptive philosophies brings the fullness of God in contact with people, as Christ does [COL 2: 8]. These things, like knowing the Ten Commandments without belief in Christ, can do no more than map out a lifestyle, or even at best, let us know what pleases God and what doesn’t. For justification (being deemed acceptable to God-GN 15: 6; RO 4: 3), salvation, and eternal forgiveness for sins [1 JN 1: 9] to happen, there must be genuine repentance and profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Human regulations and deceptive philosophies do nothing to help us restrain sinning. It is a fact that “All are sinners and fall short of the glory of God,” RO 3: 23. We need to participate in sanctification, that covenantal system in which we genuinely reveal, confess, and stop sins, while God works to purify (perfect) us in preparation for that day when He brings us back to His side in heaven, our glorification. Our God forgives us for our wrongdoing or wrong-thinking, as we forgive others [COL 3: 13]. We must understand the impact of COL 2: 23, which is concluding that human-crafted regulations and deceptive philosophies do nothing “to restrain sensual indulgence.”
Human philosophies offer no advocacy, no help in gaining eternal life. This gives rise to the theme of the book of Colossians, which is Christ’s advocacy for us. In the Father’s “final court” at the Last Judgment, Christ is our Advocate, the One Who speaks up on our behalf and judges us with equality and fairness, compassion, and grace [RO 2: 6-11]. God gave Him authority to be our Judge as far back as Daniel’s vision in DN 7: 13-14. Over time in studying the Bible and listening for the direction of the Holy Spirit in prayer, we learn what constitutes righteousness and what doesn’t. It is through our maturing faith and it’s practice that we gain righteousness. It is through being obediently faithful and living righteously that we are moved forward on the path to eternal life. And yet, we must understand what grace really is. EPH 1: 8-10, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God’s will is that we become “dead to sin, alive in Christ” [RO 6: 4-6, 11; COL 2: 11-12, 20]. In COL 2: 12 and COL 3: 1, the phrase, “you were raised with Christ” is used. To understand the blessing it is, know “we were buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through our faith in the power of God, Who raised Him from the dead.” That is why we can take comfort in RO 8: 29, which tells us “Christ is the Firstborn among many brothers”—leaving us with the hope of the resurrection.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come to Your mighty throne with reverence and awe, to express our great gratitude for Christ’s unselfishness in atoning for our sins and opening a way for us to be saved, justified in Your sight, and eternally forgiven. Moreover, we acknowledge Christ’s supremacy over all beings on earth and in heaven, and for His giving us the hope of the resurrection. PS 119: 74, “May those who fear You rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in Your word.” We pray that false teaching and other heresies won’t ever compromise either our discernment or wisdom, as these flow from seeing clearly what is Biblical truth. There are those who live sometimes punishing, legalistic lifestyles due to human-crafted regulations. This neither produces happiness or restrains sensual indulgence. We ask that You, through Your Spirit, to ground us solidly in truth, which forwards our journey to eternal life. Let us hold dear and precious COL 3: 3-4, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share His glory!” We eagerly await the day when PS 17: 15 comes true. “And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see You face to face.” It is only through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and our faith in Him that we have such joy and peace to anticipate. We offer You our heartfelt love, honor, thanks, and praise, in His holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We will look at an outline of the book of Colossians, and if space allows, some additional suggestions for studying the Bible. Our Triune God has such an important impact on our everyday lives, that we have trouble comprehending just how important this is. He lives with His people, just as He promised Moses so long ago that He would. That is how we can say truthfully, He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. His omnipotence is conveyed to us through Christ’s supremacy in every aspect of life. His power in us, which is “the glorious riches of our faith, the very mystery of God, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” [COL 1: 26-27; COL 2: 2-3]. He is omniscient-- knows everything about us and about everything in the universe. It is all laid out bare before Him [HE 4: 12-13]. We need have no fright, no worry about this, because the love He has for us is beyond that of any human being. He is our greatest Support, the Source of any righteousness we have. As for His omnipresence, He is with each believer at all times, always ready to hear our prayers and answer them [PS 116: 1]. These supernatural attributes are unmatched in any other being. This makes us a truly blessed people when we have obedient faith and let Him drive our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. He is here for us at any time of day or night, any day of our earthly and heavenly lives. He is the Light of our lives, our Savior and Redeemer. Blessed be the Lord Jesus forever and ever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2015. All Rights Reserved.
<-- Back to Archives