Day 8 - Where is Your Hope (Col 1:21-23)

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² 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, ²³ 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

Like all of the passages we have read so far in Colossians, there is so much packed into these three verses. Paul doesn’t waste a word and has big, heavy, full truths to share with this church and us.

He walks through a progression of where we were before Jesus – alienated, hostile in mind, doing evil deeds. Where we are now as believers – reconciled in his body of flesh by his death. And where he desires us to be – presented holy and blameless and above reproach.

The passage continues with an IF, and from reading through commentaries, these passages have historically given way to some false doctrines about salvation not being secure. However, when studying the totality of the gospels and letters by Paul and the early church leaders, we can be assured that our salvation is secure once we acknowledge our sins, our need for a savior, and Jesus as that savior.

So what does Paul mean here with his “if” if our eternal salvation is secure?

When we accept Jesus as our savior, it is the beginning not the end. Morf Morford likened it to learning to read…

“This would be like believing that reading is the purpose of ‘learning to read’; the skill of reading is not the end – it is the beginning! Reading, if anything, is the foundation, the starting point, the opening of a door; to perceive, or even worse, live, as if it were the end is to miss the point entirely. In the same way, ‘getting saved’ is not the end, or even the primary purpose of faith.”

The reconciliation Jesus accomplished for us has two parts:

·         Our eternal salvation – this is fulfilled and guaranteed immediately the moment we declare Jesus as our savior.

·         The start of working out (OUT, not for) our salvation here on earth – based on what Jesus has done, continuing to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus.

Yes, we will be in a new, perfect, absence of pain and suffering, face-to-face with God home someday for eternity. But we will also be accountable for our actions and how we lived our lives. We will be presented before our savior.

⁸ Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:8-10

This isn’t a judgment on whether or not we “get in” heaven, but rather a personal evaluation of our lives. An unveiling, a disclosure of what is in our hearts. Our motives, whether they were conscious or buried so deep we didn’t even know what they were. It is why we must not try to hide from God (even though we can’t). We need to seek Him, ask Him to reveal things to us now so we can be transformed into who we are capable of being through His creation. My defense mechanism is always to run, hide, ignore. But this keeps things in dark places that won’t be dealt with. And I don’t want to be in dark places. I don’t want to come face to face with Jesus and discover all that I missed out on because I hid and was ashamed or too proud to face things.

This is why Paul and others who had complete assurance of their salvation fought so hard for the Christian faith during their time on earth. They didn’t just rest in their salvation, waiting to die and go to heaven. Or even living as they pleased, knowing their salvation is secure. No, they are desperate for us to know that we must keep working out our salvation, transforming our lives…

¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:13-14

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, Philippians 2:12

¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ¹³ Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. Romans 6:12-13

¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, Ephesians 4:12-15

²² to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Hope of the Gospel

Paul’s IF tells us to continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel.

We can only live working out our salvation if our hope is set on the right thing. Our hope cannot shift from the gospel. What we put our hope in has a domino effect in all parts of our lives. As Christians, our hope is in Christ alone.

Hope is not just a desire, like saying, I hope I win the lottery. It includes an expectation based on a promise we believe. Christian hope is a sincere trust and reliance because we believe God and His promises.

In the armor of God we are to put on, hope is the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17).  “The fact that the helmet is related to salvation indicates that Satan’s blows are directed at the believer’s security and assurance in Christ. The two dangerous edges of Satan’s spiritual broadsword are discouragement and doubt. To discourage us he points to our failures, our sins, our unresolved problems, our poor health, or to whatever else seems negative in our lives in order to make us lose confidence in the love and care of our heavenly Father.” (McArthur New Testament Commentary)

After we are saved, what is at stake is where we put our hope, and as a result, what that looks like in our lives.  When our hope is in Jesus, we are able to trust God for the now and for the future. It results in freedom because our hope is not in what we ourselves can accomplish. Grace is foundational because if the hope depended at all on us it would be unreliable.

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:11-12

Jesus’ work reconciled us back to God. But it doesn’t end there. Like learning to read, the good stuff starts now, with our hope firmly planted in the promises of God. Living a life for Christ, transforming our lives by the renewing of our mind, pursuing God with a true commitment, working on our relationship, living by His standard of right and wrong, following even when we don’t understand.

God, thank you that the work of You Son secured my salvation. Help me not be content in this alone. Help me work it out here on earth, renewing my mind and transforming into your daughter who will be presented to you one day in full transparency. Mold my life in such a way as to hear you say, Well done, good and faithful servant. Welcome home. Isn’t it beautiful? Come, sit at my table and dine with me.

(Cornerstone, by Hillsong)