I have been going over again and again every word in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This is one letter where many erroneously think Paul puts down Sabbath keeping, that old Pharisee of the Pharisees Paul urges Christians to abandon Sabbath keeping and enjoy their liberty in Christ. (I continue to be astounded at how clever and powerful Satan is in foisting off his deceptions on devout Christians. NEVER underestimate Satan’s genius and abilities. You will pay a heavy price if you do).
Paul opens up this letter to the faithful brethren in Colosse, speaking of how they “knew the grace of God in truth.” Many are ecstatic and jubilant about the grace of God while having little understanding of that grace, thinking the grace of God releases them from any responsibility to obey God or keep His holy commandments. They turn the grace of God into license to live life as they please and slowly but surely their consciences become conditioned to forgetting God’s COMMAND to live holy lives. In time their consciences become hardened and they do not realize their peril and great loss.
Paul goes on to say that he prays for these believers that they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. (See Col. 1:9). Many Christians are devoid of godly wisdom and spiritual understanding of what God’s will is for them in their daily lives. Believing Jesus died for them is all they need to know and remember. But Paul exhorts them to “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing (pleasing God in all that they say, do or think), being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (verse 10). Many do not increase in the knowledge of God as they make no real effort to please God in all they say, do or think. Neither are they living fruitful lives abundant in good works. They stagnate, not realizing that with God one either makes continual progress in sanctification and knowledge or inexorably slip backwards into their old life and habits, quenching and eventually losing the Spirit of God from their minds and lives.
Paul then speaks of being strengthened with all (God’s) might, according to His glorious power. (See verse 11). Imbued with the glorious POWER of God, strengthened by God’s world creating Spirit, it is patently ridiculous to think one must ever give in to the fleshly nature and sin each and every day in thought, word and deed. Pastors who preach that devil’s doctrine will someday give answer to Jesus Christ for their satanic teaching.
Paul then says God’s Spirit makes us fit to be partakers of the inheritance God has in store for those who walk in holiness of life and that we have been delivered from the power of darkness and transported into the kingdom of His dear Son. (See verses 12 and 13).
Paul writes of how Jesus is merely the FIRSTBORN of God’s great family of spiritual sons and daughters, and as it pleased the Father that all the fullness of God should dwell in the Firstborn Son, it is equally the Father’s will that all of His fullness dwell in us also. (See verse 15 through 19, Chapter One).
Paul warns that we become alienated from God and enemies in our minds when we continue in sin. We distance ourselves from God and our minds become closed to receiving and understanding the truth. (verse 21). We will think the Bible is saying one thing when it is saying something completely different, and that it is God’s will “to present YOU holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight IF you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel” – that hope being fashioned and formed by God’s Spirit and nurturing teachers of God’s truth into an entirely new creation in Christ – filled with the fullness of God like the Firstborn Son! (Verses 22 and 23).
Paul then speaks of how this “mystery” has been hidden for ages and many generations, “but is now made manifest (or revealed) to His saints (those living holy lives)” (See verse 26). And that is WHY many pastors and preachers do not see or understand this truth as they do not live holy lives, even telling their congregations that such is an impossibility – that all sin continuously, day in and day out. (Remember my quoting the pastor recently how he told his congregation that all of them had certainly sinned that very day and were sinning still hourly!!!) He could probably quote Romans 7 by heart. I bet he couldn’t quote Colossians 1 by heart. And, of course, he grossly misunderstood what Paul was actually saying in Romans 7.
Notice that in verse 27, Paul speaks of this mystery being “Christ IN you, the hope of glory.” When Paul said, “Christ liveth IN me,” he meant it. That is our only hope of sharing someday in the glory of God – that we surrender ALL for ALL time to Christ as the LORD of our lives, our thoughts, our speech, our actions – not just believing He died for us.
Those are my comments on Chapter One of Colossians. We have yet to get to the passage that many distort and misunderstand thinking Paul is telling believers to abandon God’s holy, eternal Sabbath – a rank absurdity. To be continued…..
Christ’s Aged Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley