Complete in Christ: Colossians 1.19-29 (2)
Pray 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.
Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory
Blessed the one who walks not in the counsel of ungodly men;
stands not in the path of sinners, joins not scorners in their sin.
But his joy is in the LORD’s law, and he meditates therein.
Read Colossians 1.21-23.
In what sense are you “reconciled”?
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. That is, He brought us into favor with God, into the orbit of His grace. 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). Thus, Jesus 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 intends for all His faithful saints. We must press on to know more of eternal life in Jesus.
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…” (v. .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
Pray 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.
Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory
He shall flourish like a tree transplanted by the streams of grace;
rooted near life-giving waters, growing strong in this blessed place—
ever fruitful, never with’ring, prospering before God’s face.
Not so rooted are the wicked, like chaff blowing in the wind.
They shall not stand with the righteous but shall be judged in their sin.
For the LORD knows all the righteous, but the wicked’s ways shall end.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Men, check out the fall schedule of online reading and study groups. Lots of opportunities here to grow and make some new friends. And look over the free books in our clearance sale at The Ailbe Bookstore. Order several copies and share them around.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
