2017-09-08
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Today, I am led to write about the second chapter of Colossians. Paul continues what he started sharing in COL 1: 24 about his labor for the church. He had the objective to acquaint those who didn’t know him personally with himself and the goals of his work that God gave him. You’ll remember that this epistle is being written to the people of Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae-three towns close to each other in Asia Minor [modern day Turkey]. COL 2: 2-3, “I do this in order that you may be filled with courage and may be drawn together in love, and so have the full wealth of assurance, which true understanding brings. In this way, you will know God’s secret, which is Christ Himself. He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge.” We should not be surprised that this statement of Paul’s aims is repeated, due to the importance that our Lord places on unity in our faith in Christ and in understanding the long-held secret to real assurance in this faith, which is Christ in us.
Understanding the meaning of the word “fullness,” as it is implied in COL 1: 19, JN 14: 9, 11, and 1 JN 1: 5 and 7, we will know that Christ has all the Father’s qualities and the full measure of His goodness. Taking this notion one step further, we are exposed to and created to be able to learn what this means to our lives because of God’s secret, which is Christ in us. We are also able to draw upon God’s love letter of wisdom and truth, His teaching in the Bible. The Father holds none of this back. The only thing that we and the Son are not allowed to know is the exact day and time when the Son will return to earth [MT 24: 36]. If there are any details we are not given in the Scriptures, I suspect it is to bring us to faith in our Trinitarian God.
As mentioned earlier in this series of messages, Paul’s major concern at the time the epistle to the Colossians was written, it was the competition for people’s minds that came from The Colossian heresy and Gnosticism. That is why COL 2: 4’s warning was included, “I tell you then, do not let anyone deceive you with false arguments no matter how good they may be.” This passage on Paul’s labor for the church closes with his acknowledgement of the people’s resolute firmness of faith in Christ.
The next section of this epistle deals with the fullness of life in Christ. Paul urges the people to “live in union with Christ by keeping your roots deep in Him, building your life on Him, and becoming stronger in your faith as you were taught. Be filled with thanksgiving” [COL 2: 6-7]. With some honest introspection, all who believe in Christ can attest to how their lives were made better by His presence in them. Paul takes this opportunity to differentiate, as we do in modern terms, between a human-crafted life and a God-centered one. Human-crafted lives are ones filled with idolatry, human hero worship, and materialism. God- centered lives are filled with faith, obedience to Him, and hunger for His word. By far, the latter are happier lives, in this author’s experience. COL 2: 9-10 repeats what is said above about Christ having the fullness of God, the Father. “For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in His humanity, and you have been given full life in union with Him.” Our loving God wants us to be unified and to feel connected with all three personalities of our one and only God.
Moreover, the Son, through His obedience to the Father, is supreme over every other spiritual ruler and authority. On the cross, Christ has freed Himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities, stripping them of their power. COL 2: 11, “In union with Christ you were circumcised, not with the circumcision that is made by human beings, but with the circumcision made by Christ, which consists of being freed from the power of the sinful self.” Dear Readers, this is huge! It means that we are saved [JN 3: 16], justified [RO 4: 3], and eternally forgiven [1 JN 1: 9], something only Christ’s Atonement and our faith in Him could do. No other god, human, ruler, or authority in our history could do this, except Christ Himself!
PRAYER: O Lord, we stand in awe and reverence of You, heads bowed and hearts open to Your Spirit. Our gratitude is so great for uniting us in union with Your Son and the fullness of life He brings, that we can’t find adequate words to express it. You are to be thanked and praised for eternity for the love You show us every day and every night. You never have abandoned us, even in the lowest points in our lives [PS 9: 9-10; PS 16: 8-11]. As we speak to You in prayer, we are aware that we are never alone or unable to access You in times of need. It is our opportunity to tap into Your wisdom, to receive encouragement during controversial times in our lives, and to get Your input in decision-making. You have forged amazing and edifying relationships in our lives, and You enrich them in our communal and private worship of You. We thank, praise, offer our loyalty for and to You, as well as respond to the grace You bestow upon us. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Lord commands that I pick up at COL 2: 12 and continue writing about the rest of this compelling chapter of COL. I’ve lived all over the country in the course of my life, and in each place there has been a church that has welcomed me. This is not a secret society that keeps its beliefs and practices to itself. Nor, is it a belief system that teaches separation from all those different than itself. Being a Messianic Jewish believer in Christ hasn’t forced me to accept lies and artificial teaching that others find strange and formidable. Instead, I have been brought into relationships with unselfish, kind, and good people, who love the Lord. The examples they have set for me have made me want to be a better person myself. God knows I needed this and is aware of my pre-Christ life. Learning the love of Christ has given me a complete change of my way of thinking for the better, and I have found great comfort in knowing that I can be, without feeling worthless and unloved. What a great gift the Christian life is! Praise and thanks be to the Lord!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2017. All Rights Reserved
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