The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Colossians 1:3-8,
"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit."
Paul had heard about the folks in Colossae. He had heard of their faith and love: faith in Jesus Christ and love for God's people. Paul understood that the Colossian's faith and love could only "spring" from the hope they had, stored up for them in heaven. So Paul recognized the gospel had come to them, brought to them by Epaphras. It was only through the gospel message that the Colossians apprehended, understood God's grace, "since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace".
These days it is often taught just backwards. Some say that it is some kind of special enduing by God's grace that provides an ability to apprehend, understand the gospel. God appoints one to understand the gospel and not another. If one does not respond to the gospel, we are to shrug our shoulders and say "God just didn't tap this one." This would be news to Paul. It was clearly his perspective that the gospel message itself is unique, and very powerful. It is a message God wants all to hear, all to consider, all to respond to. The message speaks of God's grace in that we, who deserve God's judgment for our sins, can be forgiven if we embrace Jesus Christ in faith. This is grace! God's grace provided the means and the message to find our way into his family, and it is our response to that message that brings God's grace to us.
Why is this important? If we limit our understanding that the gospel message is an incomprehensible message, unless preceded with some kind of fanciful enduing from God, we miss entirely how the gospel mission has been designed and deployed by God. Additionally, if we reduce God's grace to some kind of "roofie", as if God dropped something in our drink when we were not looking, we miss the transcendent nature of God's grace. God's grace is his expression of love for us, a love that extends beyond our ability to apprehend. Nevertheless, he expresses his love in providing us an opportunity we do not deserve. He has made a way for all mankind into his family, into eternal life-- if we embrace Jesus Christ in faith! This love of God is expressed by Jesus Christ dying on that miserable cross for our sins, suffering the judgment we deserve. This love of God is expressed in communicating to us through a message of his own device, the gospel, brought to us by those he himself has prepared. He doesn't manipulate us into believing - he provides us the opportunity to do so. This is God's grace!
Paul considered the gospel to be the power of God for salvation. He says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes", Romans 1:16. In another place he says, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message [the gospel], and the message is heard through the word about Christ." Romans 10:17. This is not an issue of Calvinism versus Arminianism. It is much broader than that, as it transcends Calvinism, Arminianism, Semi-Palegianism, etc. The theological debates between these schools provide the wrong presumptions, the wrong premises, and frame their debates improperly. It is an issue of current-day theology that finds its origins in the teachings of the sixth-century Augustine (a wonderful believer and teacher) brought forward through the reformers - at odds with Paul, with the Scriptures. These theological schools all contain much truth, contain much of what Scripture has to say and we are indebted to the adherents of these schools who have promoted much needed reforms in the church over the centuries. However, as is often the case, it is in the "distinctives" that we often run into those "troubling" passages of Scripture that seem to provide frustration.
Scripture is sacred ground. Theology is not. It is my firm belief that when we enter in to the pages of Scripture, we best check our theology at the door. How difficult that is to do so! I struggle as much as anyone!
Nonetheless, I celebrate with Paul the amazing power of the gospel! So powerful a message, it provides the opportunity for any of us to enter into God's family!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit."
Paul had heard about the folks in Colossae. He had heard of their faith and love: faith in Jesus Christ and love for God's people. Paul understood that the Colossian's faith and love could only "spring" from the hope they had, stored up for them in heaven. So Paul recognized the gospel had come to them, brought to them by Epaphras. It was only through the gospel message that the Colossians apprehended, understood God's grace, "since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace".
These days it is often taught just backwards. Some say that it is some kind of special enduing by God's grace that provides an ability to apprehend, understand the gospel. God appoints one to understand the gospel and not another. If one does not respond to the gospel, we are to shrug our shoulders and say "God just didn't tap this one." This would be news to Paul. It was clearly his perspective that the gospel message itself is unique, and very powerful. It is a message God wants all to hear, all to consider, all to respond to. The message speaks of God's grace in that we, who deserve God's judgment for our sins, can be forgiven if we embrace Jesus Christ in faith. This is grace! God's grace provided the means and the message to find our way into his family, and it is our response to that message that brings God's grace to us.
Why is this important? If we limit our understanding that the gospel message is an incomprehensible message, unless preceded with some kind of fanciful enduing from God, we miss entirely how the gospel mission has been designed and deployed by God. Additionally, if we reduce God's grace to some kind of "roofie", as if God dropped something in our drink when we were not looking, we miss the transcendent nature of God's grace. God's grace is his expression of love for us, a love that extends beyond our ability to apprehend. Nevertheless, he expresses his love in providing us an opportunity we do not deserve. He has made a way for all mankind into his family, into eternal life-- if we embrace Jesus Christ in faith! This love of God is expressed by Jesus Christ dying on that miserable cross for our sins, suffering the judgment we deserve. This love of God is expressed in communicating to us through a message of his own device, the gospel, brought to us by those he himself has prepared. He doesn't manipulate us into believing - he provides us the opportunity to do so. This is God's grace!
Paul considered the gospel to be the power of God for salvation. He says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes", Romans 1:16. In another place he says, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message [the gospel], and the message is heard through the word about Christ." Romans 10:17. This is not an issue of Calvinism versus Arminianism. It is much broader than that, as it transcends Calvinism, Arminianism, Semi-Palegianism, etc. The theological debates between these schools provide the wrong presumptions, the wrong premises, and frame their debates improperly. It is an issue of current-day theology that finds its origins in the teachings of the sixth-century Augustine (a wonderful believer and teacher) brought forward through the reformers - at odds with Paul, with the Scriptures. These theological schools all contain much truth, contain much of what Scripture has to say and we are indebted to the adherents of these schools who have promoted much needed reforms in the church over the centuries. However, as is often the case, it is in the "distinctives" that we often run into those "troubling" passages of Scripture that seem to provide frustration.
Scripture is sacred ground. Theology is not. It is my firm belief that when we enter in to the pages of Scripture, we best check our theology at the door. How difficult that is to do so! I struggle as much as anyone!
Nonetheless, I celebrate with Paul the amazing power of the gospel! So powerful a message, it provides the opportunity for any of us to enter into God's family!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment