December 23, 2021 A TRUE KNOWLEDGE
Colossians 2:2-3 “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Chapter 2 of Colossians tells us that there was a mystery which was hidden from past generations, but was manifested to the saints (ones who accepted Jesus as Savior) at the birth of Jesus; and the mystery is “Christ in you (us), the hope of glory.” The writers of the Old Testament and the prophets, knew that God had a plan of redemption, but they did not fully understand what the plan was. Much of what we read in the Old Testament points to, or foreshadows Jesus. The awesome news for us is that the mystery has been revealed, and the mystery is that Christ lives in us! Christ fulfilled the requirements of the Law; He dealt with the sin issue and has restored us to fellowship with Himself. Now that the mystery has been revealed, there is more to take place in us. Paul was ‘admonishing,’ ‘proclaiming,’ ‘laboring,’ and ‘striving’ in the power of God that believers may be complete in Christ. In Galatians 4:19 Paul we see the heart of Paul when He said “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” The mystery being revealed is not the end of the story; now we are to be being formed into His image, and to find our completeness in Him. If we are searching for wisdom, knowledge, and life to the fullest, we need to search no longer, because all wisdom, knowledge, and life to the fullest are found only in Christ-and He is in us! It was Paul’s prayer for all believers that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from understanding that Christ Himself is in us. Christ in us is the hope of glory. For us, the mystery has been revealed; now we are to be about learning Christ and discovering what all it means that He is living in us and that He IS our life. There is a striving, a seeking, a laboring for the people of God; that He might be formed in us-and that calls for us to die to ourselves. The striving, the seeking, and the laboring is a good striving, seeking and laboring-it leads to life. Only by discovering that Christ lives in us, will we be fulfilled.
Colossians 2:5-7 “For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”
Blessings,
Buddy