Colossians 1:15-23 Made Holy through Christ
21–22 Even though you were once distant from him, living in the shadows of your evil thoughts and actions, he reconnected you back to himself. He released his supernatural peace to you through the sacrifice of his own body as the sin-payment on your behalf so that you would dwell in his presence. And now there is nothing between you and Father God, for he sees you as holy, flawless, and restored,[no indictment against you] 23 “if” indeed you continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in. And this is the glorious news I preach all over the world.
Every day I grow in the revelation that grace and faith are essential for every aspect of my life. Twenty-four hours a day I need the grace of the Lord; I place my faith there. Grace is all about God’s favor covering me even though I do not deserve it. Grace is a priceless Gift of salvation given to me (and you) at a great cost to God. Any sin in my life—the sin I have committed against God’s Word of which I am aware or even unaware—is enough to convict and sentence me to death; so, God provided grace as the Life-Giving solution. God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for the sins of the world; but, we must place our faith in the work he has done, reject sin, and become devoted to God. Without a connection to Christ, I have no way to be forgiven for the sins I have committed. As well, without the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, I have no way of understanding what He calls sin or the wisdom on how to use my faith so I have the power to overcome it.
In our passage today, we see the conjunction “if” that serves as a conditional clause. A conditional sentence is made up of a “main clause” that expresses an action that can only take place when connected to the clause with the “if” that follows. Let’s look at one of our verses for a minute. “And now there is nothing between you and Father God, for he sees you as holy, flawless, and restored, [no indictment against you] 23 if indeed you continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon.”
Faith is the confident trust that God will do what he says he will do in his Word. So, “if” we are advancing in faith, we are growing in that trust, not only in our belief that we are forgiven of sin and will one day join God in heaven, but that we are trusting him with everything we need each day…even the things we view as simple, my friends! We overcome by faith, so let’s be honest enough to recognize our advancement in true faith will be painful to our flesh because we must grow in the likeness of Christ (Mat 16:24). Our sinful wills, attitudes, and actions must die, so Christ’s godly will, attitude, and action will live through us instead (Ro 5:13). Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Ro 10:17). Our lives are changed and brought into godliness through faith and trust in Christ. Make a decision today to advance in faith and in the likeness of Christ. Grace is sufficient and is there for you! (2 Cor 12:9).
Prayer: Lord, thank you for making me aware of this conditional standing. You love me unconditionally, but if I am really loving you the way you deserve, I will grow in the likeness of Christ. After all, he is the Vine and I am a branch of his life to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.