"All of life is business with God…" John Calvin
In Colossians, as in many of his letters, Paul begins by laying a doctrinal foundation of what God has done for us in Christ, before exhorting his readers to then live according to that marvelous truth. In the first two chapters, Paul has unfolded for us the sovereign supremacy of Christ, and the magnificent mystery … Continue reading Citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom
In our passage this week, the nature of the pressures faced by the Colossian church are brought to light at last with Paul’s pastoral concern for them and his condemnation of the practices and the practitioners of the false teachings that threatened to undermine the believers’ faith in the all-sufficiency of their salvation in Christ. … Continue reading Christ Plus Nothing
Last week we considered how Paul could rejoice in suffering, and how we also, because of the riches of the glory of Christ in us, can face our trials with joy. This week we considered how our mutual loving encouragement, a deeper understanding of our Savior, and the actual practice of living out our faith … Continue reading The Triumph of Christ
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake . . . Rejoicing in suffering. What a concept. What a counter-cultural, upside-down, foolish-in-the-eyes-of-the-world notion. And yet, what a thoroughly biblical response to the trials and pain Christians face in this fallen world. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer. Quite to the contrary, it … Continue reading Why Paul Rejoices in Suffering
“Jesus did not come into the world for us; we came into the world for Jesus.”[1] Pause. Read that again. We are so used to a faint, if unconscious, view that the world revolves around us, that we’re blinded to the Scriptural truth that the universe really and truly exists because of, through, holds together … Continue reading He Is
It’s been a hard couple of weeks. The domain of darkness is sharply apparent. A young woman was murdered on a train in North Carolina and nobody moved to intercede or help her as she died. The initial response was silence. In Utah, a well-known young man was assassinated in front of a crowd of … Continue reading A Prayer We All Need
Open your bible to the New Testament, and there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself in one of the letters written by the Apostle Paul. Reading through his epistles, we feel like we know Paul because he wrote in such a personal way to his readers. We hear his exhortations, frustrations, and patient corrections to … Continue reading Grace To You and Peace
Beginning next week, I'll be leading a Bible study for the women at our church. We'll be studying the book of Colossians and marinating in the supremacy and sufficiency of our Lord Jesus Christ. A few months ago, I wrote a post on Colossians 1:3–5 for the enCourage blog, which I'm sharing here to give … Continue reading All in the Family
Grateful 