Our Source of Assurance

 “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

(Colossians 1:21–23 ESV)

The assurance of salvation is something that we desperately need. It’s needed because, quite frankly, we don’t always feel saved. Circumstances arise that cause us to question or even to doubt it. 

It could be our outward circumstances. Our life situation may not be everything we want or hope it to be. And it causes us to feel that we’re outside of God’s blessing.

A struggle with sin can have this effect as well. As we face an ongoing battle with a certain temptation or sinful tendency, we begin to wonder if we are, in fact, saved. We begin to wonder if our hope has been misplaced.

We know that we’re saved by the grace of God. And we know that we receive this grace through faith in Jesus. But, as we face these struggles, where is the assurance of our salvation found?

Our tendency, when we face these struggles, is to look at our behavior. We think that, if we’re truly saved, it will be seen in our life. We think that an internal change should be evident.

While it’s true that the grace of God indeed produces fruit in our life, and while it’s true that it produces changes within us, the ongoing presence of sin can lead us to lose our sense of assurance. When change seems slow or even nonexistent, we begin to question our faith. When it seems that, perhaps, we’re less sanctified today than we were last week, we begin to question or to doubt our salvation.

It does so because, internally, our hope has shifted from Christ to ourselves. It’s shifted from a dependence upon Christ and the salvation he accomplished for us upon the cross, to a dependence upon ourselves and the works that we perform. It has shifted from a reliance upon the grace of God to a reliance upon our own inherent goodness. And this contradicts the very gospel we confess.

However, as we see in the above passage, we can have an assurance of salvation. We can, in fact, know that we are saved. And this assurance is provided by our faith.

Just as we are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus, so too are we assured of our salvation. Paul tells us that our salvation is certain as long as we have faith. It is certain as long as we remain stable and steadfast in our faith. It is certain as long as we do not shift from the hope of the gospel we have heard.

This makes perfect sense. It aligns perfectly with the message of the gospel. Because we are saved through faith, we are assured of our salvation by that same faith.

More Than a Man

 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Colossians 1:15-20

The beliefs that we have about Jesus are many. Many of us believe that although Jesus was a great man, he was a man. We think that he was a great teacher. We think that he was a great moral example for us to follow. We think that he was a great religious leader. And some of us would say even that he was a prophet.

Jesus is a man, to be sure. He is fully man. He is a man in every way as you and me.

However, by believing this way about him, we bring Jesus down to our level. We do so because, although he is a man, we make him into a mere man. Instead of seeing him for who he is, we make him weak and sinful, just like us.

However, according to Scripture, Jesus is so much more. And this is something we see in the above passage. Paul tells us, in several different ways, that Jesus is God.

He describes Jesus as the image of God, meaning that he shares God’s likeness. It expresses the fact that he is the embodiment of God. He is the manifestation of God.

He’s described as the firstborn of creation. And this does not imply that Jesus was created. It implies his authority. As the firstborn son, in Biblical times, received the largest share of the inheritance and leadership of the larger family, this is Jesus’ role. He possesses authority over all creation.

He is the creator. By him, all things were made. And this includes things both visible and invisible. They were made by him and for him, which tells us that all things belong to him.

He’s before all things, indicating that he preexisted all things. In other words, he is eternal. In him all things hold together, meaning that everything continues to exist only by his power and authority. He is the head of the church. And he is the firstborn from the dead, once again indicating his authority and the fact that he was the first to rise from the grave.

All of this is true of him that he might be preeminent in everything. This is true of him that he might be prominent, the greatest, and the foremost of all. Again, he is more than we could ever aspire to be.

The fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Jesus. This tells us that Jesus is God in every way. He isn’t partially God, nor does he simply possess some of the characteristics of God. He is fully God.

In Jesus, God was also pleased to reconcile to himself all things. And this was accomplished, peace was made, through the blood of the cross. It was by his sacrifice, it was by his death upon the cross, that our relationship with God was restored.

Jesus, then, is God and man. He is our maker and redeemer. He is the one to whom we look that we might be reconciled to God.

Qualified?

 “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

(Colossians 1:11-14 ESV)

I recently saw a study, conducted among Christians. It revealed that more than half of professing Christians, even in denominations that have a high view of Scripture, believe that they are saved by their own efforts. They believe that, by performing good works, they are enabled to receive the blessings of God. And, among Catholics, the number reached seventy percent.

While I’m not endorsing this study in any way, it does match my experience as a pastor. Over the course of my ministry, I’ve found that a majority of those who consider themselves Christian trust not in Christ for salvation, but in themselves. They find comfort not in Christ and what he has done, but in themselves and in what they have done.

This is not Christianity. It is not the Christian faith. In fact, it is another gospel. It is a gospel that cannot save.

It leads to one of two results. It can lead us to continually question our salvation as we’re regularly confronted with our shortcomings. This ultimately leads us to despair, as we realize that we do not and cannot live a life good enough to merit salvation. Or, it leads us to pride, as we sincerely begin to believe that we are good enough and that we’ve one enough to merit salvation.

According to Scripture, we are lost and can do nothing to save ourselves. As we see in the above passage, we are part of the domain of darkness. We are a part of the domain of sin, and the enemy of our souls.

Everything necessary to attain our salvation has been performed by Christ, and by Christ alone. We are not qualified for salvation because of anything in ourselves or anything we’ve done. We’re qualified by God himself.

It is he who has delivered us from the domain of darkness. It is he who has transferred us into the kingdom of his Son. And it is in Christ that we have redemption, and the forgiveness of our sins.

For this reason, we must not trust in ourselves. We must trust in the Lord, who alone can save. And when he enables us to do good works, praise be to God. 

Forgotten Prayers

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father…”

(Colossians 1:9-12 ESV)

 

Quite often, our prayer life is very self-focused. We pray to the Lord only about our needs and desires. But most of us, at times, do pray for others as well.

 

We pray for those who have various health needs. We pray for those struggling with addictions or other self-destructive habits. We pray for those who may have lost a job. And we pray for the lost, that they might encounter the gospel and be led to faith in Jesus. But rarely do we pray for our fellow believers.

 

When we do pray for our fellow Christians, it’s for an obvious problem. Perhaps they are struggling with their faith. Perhaps they are questioning God or struggling with a sinful tendency. But, even more rarely, do we pray for those who seem grounded in the faith.

 

There are those in the church who seem rock solid in their faith. They seem to have an unwavering trust in Christ. And they’re active in the ministry of the church.

 

They participate in Bible studies. The teach Sunday School or help with youth ministry. They serve on the church council. They help to serve funeral lunches, make repairs to the church building, and reach out to the lost.

 

People like this don’t seem to need prayer. They seem to have it all together. And, for this reason, we rarely, if ever, lift them up to the Lord.

 

Paul, however, prayed regularly for a group of believers. He prayed for a group of believers who had a sincere faith and a great love for one another.

 

He prayed for their growth in faith and understanding. He prayed for their life of faith. He prayed that they might bear fruit. He prayed that they might be strengthened for endurance and patience.

 

In the same way, we can pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can pray for those who seem strong in faith. We can pray for those who are active in ministry.

 

We can pray for God’s ongoing work in their life. We can pray for their continued growth in faith and service. We can pray that fruit would be borne from their faith that brings glory to God.

 

 

Our Source of Hope

“Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing-- as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”

(Colossians 1:5-8 ESV)

 

Hope is something for which we all yearn. And, while this has always been the case, it’s something that’s become even more true in light of our present circumstances. It’s become more true as, right here in America, as well as around the world, we’ve been dealing with new and unfamiliar difficulties.

 

As we face trials of many kinds, it’s common for us to feel hopeless. We want to know that this is not all there is to life. We want to believe that there is something better coming to us. We want the assurance that the trials of life will not continue forever.

 

We see, in the above passage, where this hope is found. Paul had been speaking of the hope possessed by the Colossians. And of this, he says, they had heard before in the word of truth.

 

This word of truth, he goes on to tell us, is the gospel. It’s the good news of Jesus. So, from this gospel, the Colossians had heard of the hope laid up for them in heaven.

 

In the same way, we hear of this hope. As we hear the gospel, as we hear the word of truth, we learn of this hope. And it is the only source where this can be found.

 

Although there is much wisdom in this world, to which we ought to pay attention, nothing else can provide to us the good news of Jesus. Nothing else can reveal to us the hope that is laid up for us in heaven. Nothing else can enable us to understand the grace of God in truth. This is something that can only come to us through the Word of God.

 

This is why it’s so important for us to make use of it. This is why it’s so important that we do not neglect it. Apart from this Word we will not learn of this hope. Apart from this Word there is only despair. We need to be continually filled with the hope that the gospel brings to us.

 

And this hope is needed, of course, not only by us. It is needed by the world around us. It is needed by a world that is trapped in despair. It is needed by a world that seeks hope from sources that cannot provide it.

 

The Colossians had received the gospel, they had heard it, from a man named Epaphras. He was the founding missionary of the Colossian Church. It was he who had brought to them the message of the gospel, which provided this hope of which Paul was speaking.

 

In the same way, believers in Jesus bring this message to the world around us. We bring this message to a hopeless world. As we proclaim to them the Word of Christ, as we proclaim to them the gospel of Christ, they are enabled to receive the hope that it provides to one and all.