Rescued, Released, Secure, Forgiven
He rescued us from the domain of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his dear son, in whom our release is secure and our sins forgiven. (Colossians 1:13-14)
Col. 1:9-18, 2:10; Isa. 59:7; Jn. 1:4, 3:19; 2 Cor. 4:5; Eph. 5:8; 2 Tim. 4:18; I Jn 1:5-6
What Is God Saying?
Paul never visited Colosse, although his missi0nary journeys took him through that part of the world. He knew the conditions in which they lived and the philosophical crosscurrents that could cause them to lose their balance as they endeavoured to live a life of faith in Jesus Christ. The ‘Colossian heresy’ was not limited to Colosse, but its teaching was like a festering boil in the young church there. Paul heard about it and he prayed about it (Col. 2:1-2). He prayed they would see Gnosticism for what it was. He wanted them to know the Gospel in its simplicity and power. They did not need to go through ceremonies and rituals and attain secret knowledge before God could accept them. Paul said, ‘It is not what we know that makes us Christians, but Whom we know and trust and love and obey. Christ alone.’ In Him who was truly God and truly Man they had ‘all the riches of assured understanding’ (Col 2:2). ‘In him our sins forgiven’ (Col. 1:14 NEB).
How Does This Apply To Us?
Being a Christian means having a wonderful new relationship with God through Christ. Read Colossians remembering that the words come from a person who knew what a conversi0n meant from his encounter with the living Christ. Christianity has nothing to do with elitism and superior knowledge (I Cor. 1:26, 27). Information is good and necessary but transformation is the bottom line. As a dedicated Hebrew scholar, he did not lack knowledge. But all his accumulated learning and all his zeal for religious correctness, by his own words, were ‘counted as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord’ (Phil. 3:8). Let us cut through the wrappings people have added to religion. Then ‘we will worship God in the Spirit and glory in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 12:3). We are forgiven. We are rescued. We are released. We are secure. We are brought out of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son.
Pray With Me
Almighty God, in Your love and power, You have rescued us. Deliverance has come. There is not one hostage held by Satan who cannot walk out as a free person. The door is open. Oh, the joy of this discovery! It gives me a moment of clear insight and confidence. If it is true in this shining moment, let it become a reality throughout the whole day. If it is true of this day, let it become the habit of my life, until my whole life becomes a life that is whole.
It is done. I am rescued from darkness. I am brought to the kingdom of Your dear Son. There will be growth and there will be testing. They go together, but nothing will ever undo the benefits given by Your hand. I pray that I may come to realize that I have been brought away. I belong to the kingdom of Christ. I do not belong to the domain of darkness. By Your grace, this is the truth, now and forever. May I not look back with longing on that which only means captivity and misery. Let the knowledge that my sins are forgiven lead me to the enjoyment of Your kingdom. ‘Then will I teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will be converted unto you.’
Praise to Jesus, by whom my release is secured and in whom my hope is secure to the glory of His grace. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Prayer is the cultivation and enjoyment of our relationship to Jesus Christ. We are not struggling to find it. We have been found. Prayer is not appeasing an austere and distant God; it is talking with a friend. It is sharing with Him the things that are on our hearts—our hopes and disappointments, our joys and burdens. Prayer is not bowing before a shrine or going through a ritual; it is trusting a friend who lives, loves, and cares.
