The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith

The Encouragement of Scripture

Colossians 1:12-29 gives an amazing description of our Lord Jesus Christ and of our relationship with Him. I find this a particularly encouraging section of Scripture in an era gone berserk over power and politics. First is a list of some of the attributes of Jesus Christ, then is a list of some of the benefits of our relationship with Jesus Christ, followed by a list of some of the results of those benefits in our lives, and all from this one passage of Scripture.

Some of the Attributes of Jesus Christ are (Col. 1:15-20):

1. [He] is the image of the invisible God,
2. [He is] the firstborn of every creature.
3. By Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.
4. All things were created by Him and for Him.
5. He is before all things and by him all things consist.
6. He is the head of the body, the church.
7. [He] is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence.
8. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell…
9. Having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself (the Father), … whether they be things in earth or things in heaven

Here is a list of some of the benefits we enjoy as Believers in Christ (Col. 1:12-14, 21, 26-27)

1. Giving thanks unto the Father, who has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
2. [The Father] has delivered us from the power of darkness
3. [The Father] has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
4. In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
5. …You, who were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death,
6. [He] presents you holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight.
7. Even the mystery, which has been hid from ages and from generations, now is made manifest to His saints to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Finally, some of the results of those benefits for each of us include (Col. 1:23-25, 28-29):

1. [The responsibility to intentionally] continue in the faith grounded and settled.
2. [The responsibility to] be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven.
3. We rejoice in suffering with Paul (the writer of Colossians) who was “made a minister who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and [endure] that which is [left] behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the church.”
4. We are ministers of the church with Paul “according to the stewardship of God which is given to me for you, to [fully declare] the Word of God, even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints.
5. God would make known [to His saints, i.e. Believers] what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning and teaching everyone in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
6. Whereunto [we all] labor, striving according to [God’s] working, which works in [us] mightily.

Jesus Christ continues to be the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8) and our mandate to follow Him, preaching the gospel to everyone locally and to the “uttermost parts of the world” (Acts 1:8) is also the same as when it was first proclaimed.

 

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