Monday, February 26, 2007

KNOW God's Will

Some observations from Colossians 1

KNOW his will and redemption is the forgiveness of sins not just the rejection of christ.

In relation to the previous post you can see here that the definition of redemption is forgiveness of sins not just our rejection of Christ. Also Christians often struggle with the question, what is the will of God? Numerous books have been written about how we can know the will of God. But the will of God is not lost or a mystery. He clearly tells us His will throughout the Bible. Beyond His revealed will in Scripture it is up to us to know what He has gifted us with and then to use those gifts for His glory and to make wise decisions in life. If we are walking obediently to His revealed will in Scriputre we will make wise decisions and thus be in God's will. He is sovereign and His will is going to be done even when we are disobedient. It just may have some consequences on our part for our disobedience. We also choose to learn and do His will the hard way sometimes. But the Bible clearly tells us that we cannot thwart the plans of God(Job 42:2, Is. 14:27). A great short book that just takes the Scriptures that plainly tell us what God's will is and then how we live knowing God's will is Found:God's Will by John MacArthur.

Now on to Colossians 1 -

9For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously

12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,


Redemtion/Salvation is the forgiveness of sins not just the sin of the rejection of Christ.

14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.


the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,
27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.


AND a litte perseverance of the saints, you must persevere if you are truly saved, elect.

yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--

23 IF indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Today in Colossains I read something very lovely. It directly relates to a conversation I have been having with a friend regarding the notion/argument that our sins do not send us to hell and cause the wrath of God to be poured out on us, but instead it is merely our rejection of Christ. Well, that's wonderful if you wish to believe an unbiblical statement because you wish for God to be subject to your free will so that life can be fair, wait wait didn't our mothers tell us life isn't fair. Anyway, in a God sense "life isn't fair" takes on a new meaning in that it isn't fair because instead of sending us all to hell as we deserve he showed mercy on some of us and he is God so he can do that however he pleases. Sorry for that rabbit chase but here it is in the bible plain and simple that sin is indeed what sends us to hell. Here Paul is telling the saved to walk with Christ and put their old selves to death.

5Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

6For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience.


Now the scripture may indeed, and I think it does but I don't have the reference handy, tell us that our unbelief or rejection of Christ also condemns us to hell. Of course it does because unbelief is a sin(Heb. 3:18-19). Sin is why we are separated from God and sin is why Jesus died and sin is what we must accept Him to save us from so that we can have a relationship with God and go to heaven. Sin is what we need saving from. We have sinned against God and we need a savior. Sin is the issue and has been since Genesis 3. That is where sin began and that is where God first told us their would be a savior to save his people from sin and that savior was slain before the foundation of the world. This world was created so that God could redeem a people to the praise of his glorious grace! Oh my word when you reject this you reject the gospel. These people are taking a hate for a twisted version of calvinism and letting it rule them to the point of twisting the gospel and essentially it isn't the gospel anymore. sad.

A side note of something we discussed a couple of weeks ago that is also dealt with in Colossians 3 is the church being separate from the Jews and Jerusalem. This is covered many times I think, but it clearly says it here as well -

11there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
12those who have been chosen of God.


Once again we see that God's people are the church. God's people in the OT were the Jews, but now God's people are whoever He chooses, greek, jew, slave, etc.