Introduction and Purpose: Colossians 1.1-18 (2)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 1.1, 2
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

Sing Psalm 1.1, 2
(St. Thomas: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord)
How blessed are they that shun sin’s vain and wicked ways.
For them has Christ salvation won; He loves them all their days.

God’s Word is their delight; they prosper in its truth.
In it they dwell both day and night to flourish and bear fruit.

Read Colossians 1.21-23

Preparation
1. Why did Jesus reconcile us to God?

2. What does He expect of those He has thus reconciled?

Meditation
Paul continues to unpack the work of Jesus for us who were once His enemies, as demonstrated by our wicked works (v. 21). By His death, Jesus reconciled us to God. But that was just the beginning of His work in us.

He intends to present us “holy, blameless, and above reproach” in the sight of God (v. 22). He is at work within us even now, enabling us to make progress toward that end (Phil. 2.13; 2 Cor. 3.12-18). Getting saved is just the beginning of salvation. Increasing in salvation is what the Lord expects of all His faithful saints. Our lives should demonstrate regular and increasing progress toward the end for which Jesus died to save us.

This means we have work to do (v. 23). We must be “grounded and steadfast” so that we “continue in the faith” day by day. When we are planted in the Word of God, like a tree by a flowing stream, our leaves and fruit will flourish, and we will increase in the knowledge of God, love for Him, and service in His Name. Any who are not pursuing this course, and are not increasing in their salvation, have “moved away from the hope” of the Gospel, which is the hope of seeing and partaking of God in His glory (Rom. 5.1, 2).

The form of Paul’s “if indeed” (v. 23) is more on the order of “and of course.” If Jesus has saved us and has conveyed us into His Kingdom, of course we will press on day by day to increase in Him.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“And of course, if Jesus has saved us and has conveyed us into His Kingdom, we will press on day by day to increase in Him.” But of course, this demands some participation on our part. Just because Jesus has done this miraculously loving work of salvation for us doesn’t mean that it is His responsibility to make us like Him.

To not work at our own growth and expect that we will mature is merely wishful thinking. If indeed. Of course.

Reading a book doesn’t make one an author.
Nor does watching football make one a linebacker.
There is study and learning, effort, and prayer, and with football a whole lot of bulking up is included in the package deal.

But some believers expect to be class act Christians merely because we want to be. Or we think because we have read about it, or we have seen some dynamic people live out their faith, then that is enough for us. Been there, done that. We dust off our hands and move on to the next thing.

But Paul tells us that all this is ours “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel…” (vs.23). That sounds like effort to me.

We need to decide to follow Jesus. No turning back. And really work at growing in our love by keeping the Law of God. No equivocating. Just doing it. Full speed ahead.

“My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end” (Psa. 119.112 NIV).
Or. “I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end” (Psa. 119.112 NKJV).

Either way. We set our hearts.
We obey His commands.
We do this forever.
To the very end.

Reflection
1. What’s the difference between working for your salvation and working out your salvation?

2. How does Psalm 1 lead us to think about the “grounding” we need?

3. “To not work at our own growth and expect that we will mature is merely wishful thinking.” Explain.

Here are two things required of us that we should be without blame or spot in God’s sight. The one is that we should be constant in faith, the second not to shrink from the hope of these heavenly treasures, promised by the gospel, preached to all creatures under heaven. Lancelot Ridley (d. 1576), Exposition on Colossians 1.23

Thank You for the Gospel, Father; help me live it in love today as I…

Closing Prayer: Psalm 1.3-6
Pray that God will continually bring forth the fruit of righteousness in you, and that you may encourage faith and fruitfulness in others today.

Sing Psalm 1.3-6
(St. Thomas: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord)
Firm planted on the banks of God’s great stream of grace,
they raise unending praise and thanks to His great glorious face.

The wicked are not so, but, driven by the winds,
they fall and perish, weighed with woe, when once God’s wrath begins.

In Jesus’ righteousness, though sinners fail and fall,
His flock He will preserve and bless, who on His favor call.

T. M. and Susie Moore

Listen to our summary of last week’s study by clicking here.

Restoring All Things
For a more thorough study of Christ’s work of restoration, download the five installments in our ReVision series, “Restoring the Reconciled World,” by clicking here.

Such a Great Salvation!
Want to learn more about the greatness of our salvation? Order your free copy of our book, Such a Great Salvation, by clicking here.

If you find Scriptorium helpful in your walk with the Lord, please seek the Lord, asking Him whether you should contribute to the support of this daily ministry with your financial gifts. As the Lord leads, you can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, all Scripture are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.