Author crandallgl

Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints

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“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:“

Colossians 1:12-14

The Apostle Paul starts out by giving thanks unto the Father. In Colossians 3:17, it tells us “and whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” We owe our thanks unto God. Everything we have and everything we are in Christ is because of God.

We are saved by the power of God and we also live by His power as well. We are saved by grace (that is, His grace) through faith, it is not of ourselves, but instead it is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9). We are saved through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Col. 1:14; Rom. 3:24). We know that God is the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-7), and that He is able to perform that which He has promised (Rom. 4:21; Phil 1:6), that is eternal life to all those that believe on His Son. Therefore, we can go through this life with patience and longsuffering with joyfulness, while also giving thanks unto the Father.

For what has the Father done for us? The Scripture says in Colossians 1:12-13 that He has made us meet or fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, and that He has translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son or the Son of His love.

How has God made us meet to be partakers in the first place? This is the first question we will address. Before we were saved, we were lost. Romans 3 tells us that we are all sinners, and because we are sinners we, therefore, deserve death (Romans 6:23).

  • Romans 3:9 – Both Jews and Gentiles are under sin.
  • Romans 3:10 – There is none righteous, no, not one.
  • Romans 3:19 – All guilty before God
  • Romans 3:20 – No flesh justified by the deeds of the law. For by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Concerning us Gentiles, Ephesians 2:11-12 says “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” We once were without Christ and without God. We had no hope. Israel was God’s chosen nation, His elect. It says in Romans 3:2 that to Israel were committed the oracles of God. In Romans 9:4, the Israelites had the adoption, the covenants, the law, the service of God, and the promises. So, how did God make us fit to be partakers?

“For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.“

Romans 11:32

God concluded both Jews and Gentiles in unbelief, so that He might have mercy upon us all. Romans 11:11 says that “through their [Israel’s] fall salvation has come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them [Israel] to jealousy.” Then, in Romans 11:17, it says “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and the fatness of the olive tree.” Israel has fallen temporarily, and salvation and blessing having come on the Gentiles (through Israel’s fall, not rising). We have been made partakers of the root, which is Abraham, and the fatness of the olive tree, which is the blessing of Abraham.

In Romans 4:13, it says that “the promise, that he [Abraham] should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham , or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” In verse 3 of this same chapter, it said that “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” The same is true of us, when we believed the gospel, that is that God had “raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:23-25). God counted Abraham’s faith as righteousness. He does the same for us. He counts us righteous, when we first believed or trusted in Christ as our Savior. It is not through the law. “For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect” (Rom. 4:14). In other words, if righteousness came by the law, then faith doesn’t matter. Christ wouldn’t have needed to come and die for us, if the law could have given us life. We could just keep the law ourselves and expect to have eternal life by our own good deeds. But we know this isn’t the case. For it was in chapter three of Romans we read that we are all sinners. But, after declaring us sinners, it also says “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested” (Rom. 3:21). And in Romans 3:22 it says “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.” God counts us righteous, because of what His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, has done for us on the cross. It is through or by the faith of Jesus Christ. It is through His work on the cross. When we believe on Christ, our faith is counted as righteousness. Therefore, Romans 4:16 concludes that “it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.” Notice that it is of faith, that it might be by grace. Romans 5 and 6 goes on to talk about that more in detail. Romans 5:21 says “that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Then Romans 6 goes on to talk about our identification with Christ and how sin no longer has dominion over us, because we are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:11). We are now alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.“

Galatians 3:22

Now, if we go to Galatians 3, we see there once again that it is by the faith of Jesus Christ that the righteousness of God has come. And those that believe on Him will be justified. Starting in verse 6, we have Abraham again and God counting him righteous, because he believed God. Then in verse 9, it says “they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Gal. 3:13-14). In verse 16, it was to Abraham and his seed that the promises were made. We learn that the seed is Christ Himself. And verse 29 says, “and if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Here is an overview of what happens.

  • Abraham believed God and is counted righteous. (Gal. 3:6; Rom. 4:3)
  • All those which be of faith are also then blessed with Abraham. (Gal. 3:9)
  • Not justified by the law. (Gal. 3:11; Rom. 3:20-21)
    • if it were by law, then it is no more of promise. (Gal. 3:18; Rom. 4:14)
    • if law could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by law. Then Christ would’ve have need to come. (Gal. 3:21)
    • But God gave it to Abraham by promise (Gal. 3:18)
    • So, that it can be by faith and grace. Through the righteousness of faith. (Rom. 4:13-16)
  • The righteousness of God comes by the faith of Christ
    • the blessing of Abraham comes through Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:14)
    • the promise by faith of Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:22)
  • Christ is the seed (Gal. 3:16)
  • By faith in Him, we become the children of God. (Gal. 3:26-29)
    • we become a part of Christ (belong to His body), who is the seed of Abraham (Gal 3:29; Rom. 7:4; 1 Cor. 12:12-13)
    • Therefore, we are heirs according to the promise. We are recipients of the promise that came by the faith of Jesus Christ and given to us who have faith in Him. (Gal. 3:22, 29)
  • Therefore, we are justified by faith. (Gal. 3:11; Rom. 3:28)
    • we are made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).
    • We are found in Him, having the righteousness of God which is by faith. The righteousness that is through the faith of Christ, not through the law (Phil. 3:9)

Therefore, God has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance by justifying us. He has counted our faith as righteousness. We are made the righteousness of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are counted as righteous, because of what Christ did for us on the cross. Christ is the seed, and we are joined to Him. We are found in Christ.

“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.“

Philippians 3:9

Now that we know how God has made us meet to be partakers, the next question is what has He made us partakers of? And we have actually already answered this as well, at least in part. That is, we are made partakers of Christ. Back in Colossians 1:12, it says we are made partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. We as God’s saints have obtained an inheritance in Christ (Eph. 1:11). That inheritance is laid up for us in Heaven, the hope of eternal life (Col. 1:5; Titus 1:2-3). But, God Himself also has an inheritance. His inheritance is in the saints. Ephesians 1:18 says “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” God has his inheritance, and it is of the saints in light. And we are made partakers of that. We have become saints ourselves, when we believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior. When we believed that Christ died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again for our justification, we became partakers of the inheritance of the saints. Furthermore, Paul adds that God has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son. Then, Paul goes on to write that Christ is the “head of the body, the church” in Colossians 1:18. In other words, the “inheritance of the saints” is the “Kingdom of His dear Son” and that Kingdom is the Body of Christ. God the Father has made us to be partakers or members of the one Body, the new creature, to be members of Christ. To be partakers of His own Body. For it is in Him that we have redemption through His blood (Col. 1:14). It is in Him that we are found, not having our own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith (Phil. 3:9).

God wants us to know this. Colossians 1:9 says that He wants us to be “filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Ephesians 1:18, speaking of God’s inheritance in the saints, says that we should “know what is the riches of the glory” of it. Colossians 1:26-27 says God has made “known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” He has made this known to His saints, whom He has an inheritance in. And he wants us to know this. The only reason we are of any value is because of who we are in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ is our life. He is our righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30). God has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance by making us the righteousness of God in Christ. “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” (Col. 1:19).

In conclusion, God the Father has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance. He has done so by the faith of Jesus Christ. It was because of what Christ did on the cross for us, by being made a curse for us, that we can therefore have faith in him and have eternal life. When we do believe, we belong to Christ, who is Abraham’s seed. Therefore, we are heirs according to the promise. We are heirs through the righteousness of faith. By faith in Christ Jesus we became the children of God. We are made the righteousness of God in Christ. We have obtained an inheritance in heavenly places in Christ. God also has an inheritance in us. We have been joined to Christ, and are members of His own body, where Christ is the head of that body. For we are found in Christ, having His righteousness, not our own. For we are complete in Him! This was made possible because of what Christ did for us on the cross. Praise God! This is why we give thanks unto God.

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:“

Colossians 2:9-10

If you haven’t believed yet, I hope you would. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). Believe that Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again the the third day according to the Scriptures, and you will be made the righteousness of God in Christ. You will be found in Him, a member of His Body. He did all the work for you. All you have to do is just believe!

Strengthened with all Might

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“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;“

Colossians 1:11

We are able to walk worthy of the Lord, because of God’s strength. Whether we are talking about our salvation or walk in the Lord, both are by the power of God. Both are by His strength and glorious power. We do, of course, make the decision ourselves to believe or to apply the Scriptures in our lives (to be filled with the Spirit), but it is God that works in us to actually produce the fruit of the Spirit. It is God that saves us. We have our part in the ministry (both for our own edification and the edification of the whole church). One of us plants, another waters, but it is God that gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6). We are “strengthened with all [His] might, according to his glorious power.” It is by His power that we will be presented as perfect in Christ Jesus. The end goal for His saints, according to God’s will, is that we would all be presented as “holy, unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” (Col. 1:22).

The gospel which bringeth forth fruit (Col. 1:5-6) is, as the expression goes, “the gift that keeps on giving.” It not only saves us, but it keeps working in our lives everyday. The same power that raised up Christ from the dead is the same power that works in us. Ephesians 1:19 says, “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.” Paul uses four different Greek words for describing God’s power in this one verse.

  • dýnamis (translated “power”) – we get our word for dynamite from this.
  • enérgeia (translated “working”) – meaning energy.
  • ischýs (translated “mighty”) – meaning force.
  • krátos (translated “power”)- great strength.

Paul describes the Father’s power by saying it is the “exceeding greatness of His power.” This power as verse 20 says, was “wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” There is probably no better display of God’s power than the resurrection of Christ. For it was by the resurrection of the dead, that Christ is declared to be the Son of God.

“And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”

Romans 1:4

Ephesians 1:19 continues to say that His power is “to us-ward who believe.” We are saved by this same power, the power that rose Christ up from the grave and declared Him to be the Son of God. For Romans 1:16 tells us that “it [that is, the gospel of Christ] is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” And in verse 17, it says “for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” We are saved by the power of God. We are not saved by our own good works. Christ Jesus our Lord is declared the Son of God, because He arose from the dead. When we trust in Him, it is by that same power that saves us, because we are raised up with Christ. As Romans 6 teaches, we are identified with Christ. We are crucified with Him, buried with Him, and risen with Him. We are no longer associated or identified with our old man, that is Adam. But instead, we are identified with Christ. We have put on Christ, we have put on the new man (Gal. 3:27; Col. 3:10).

We see that we are saved by the power of God, His working, and His grace all throughout Paul’s epistles. Here are just a few samples. Notice I’m including references not just to the power of God, but also to His grace. God is the one that saves us, not ourselves. We do, of course, make the decision to believe, but it is by God’s power, working, operation, doing, and grace that saves us.

  • Rom. 1:16 – the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation
  • Rom. 3:24 – justified freely by His grace
  • 1 Cor. 1:18-31 – the preaching of the cross is the power of God
  • 1 Cor. 2:5 – our faith stands in the power of God
  • 1 Cor. 15:3-4 – Christ died for our sins (we didn’t die for our own sins)
  • Rom. 6 – we are identified with Christ
  • 2 Cor. 4:7 – the power may be of God, not of us
  • 2 Cor. 12:9 – the power of Christ may rest on us
  • Eph. 2:8-9 – saved by grace through faith, not of yourselves (or ourselves)

“That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.“

1 Corinthians 2:5

Our faith would be in vain, if it weren’t for the power of God (1 Cor. 15:14). If Christ didn’t rise, we would not have eternal life. But, we know that Christ Jesus our Lord did rise again (1 Cor. 15:20-23). Our faith does have something to stand on after all. It is supported by the resurrection of Christ Himself. We can have faith, because He rose again. “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him” (Rom. 6:8). Therefore, our faith is not in vain.

Now, not only are we saved by His power, but we also live by the power of God. This is indicated by our passage in Colossians 1. Colossians 1:11 said that we are “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power.” Speaking of our walk in the Lord, God’s power enables us to do so. It not only saves us, but it continues to work in us by giving us the strength needed to “walk worthy of the Lord, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).

  • 2 Cor. 6:7 – We are ministers by the word of truth, by the power of God
  • 2 Cor. 13:4 – We live with Him by the power of God
  • Eph. 3:7 – We are made ministers according to the gift of the grace of God…by the effectual working of His power
  • 2 Tim. 1:8 – We are to be partakers of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God
  • Gal. 2:20 – We live by the faith of the Son of God

God works in us to help us bring forth fruit unto Him. He works in us to help us with our infirmities, the present sufferings that we go through. This doesn’t mean that He promises to heal us. But, He does comfort us (2 Cor. 1:3) with the hope that we have in the Lord. He reminds us that the present day sufferings that we each suffer are nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18). Colossians 1:27 says that Christ is in us, the “hope of glory.” And when, Christ, who is our life, shall appear then shall we also appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:4). God also gives us the strength to defend ourselves and the gospel. Ephesians 6:10-11 tells us to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” It is His armour that gives us strength to fight our enemies. For it needs to be His armour, because our enemies are not flesh and blood, but principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12).

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:“

Philippians 1:6

God saves us by His power, and it is God that continues to work in us. It is by His power that we are made perfect in Christ. We are made perfect in Spirit (Gal. 3:3). Just how Abraham had faith in God that He was and still is able to perform that which He promised to him (Romans 4; Gen. 12:1-3), we too are to have faith in God that He is able to perform that which He has promised to us. That is, our salvation and holy calling that we have in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 1:9-10). To be clear, God promised us salvation in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is “according to His own purpose and grace.” We didn’t deserve this one bit. All that God has done and promised to us, He did so according to His grace. It’s in Christ Jesus that we have this promise.

Now, He which began a good work in us (once again, notice that it is He that has done this) will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. That is, until the day that we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:13-18), the day of our redemption, the redemption of our bodies (Eph. 4:30; Rom. 8:23).

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.“

Philippians 2:12-13

We are to work out (not work for) our own salvation. We do have our responsibility, but as verse 13 says “for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” It is our responsibility to yield ourselves as instruments of righteousness unto God (Rom. 6:13). It is God then that works in us to perform that which He wills and does. It is of His good pleasure to do so.

The end goal is for every man (all those that believe) to be presented as perfect in Christ Jesus. “That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:17). We are saved by the power of God, and we live by the power of God. We began in the Spirit, so shall we be made perfect in the Spirit (Gal. 3:1-3). And we are therefore, confident that because God began a good work in us, He will perform til that day of Jesus Christ.

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:“

Colossians 1:20-22

Christ made peace through the blood of His cross to reconcile us back unto Himself, and God the Father. He did so, so that he could present us as holy, unblameable and unreproveable in his sight. “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).

God has saved us and called us with a holy calling (2 Tim. 1:9). He will perform that good work which He first began when He saved us. We have a glorious hope in the Lord. We have eternal life in Him. Therefore, we are eternally secure in Him as well.

In conclusion, the gospel is the power of God to everyone that believes it. God has saved us by His power, the same power that rose Christ up from the grave. Not only are we saved by His power, but we also live by it too. So, whatever tribulation you happen to be going through just know that God is with you. God is the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3). We are “strengthened with all [His] might.” We have God’s strength working in our lives, because of who we are in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Christ Himself. We are crucified, buried, and risen with Him. He is the “hope of glory” in us. When He appears in the air, then we also will appear with Him in glory. That which God has begun in us, He is able to perform and carry it through. God is faithful!

If you haven’t believed the gospel yet, do so now. Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins personally, was buried, and rose again the third day. We have all sinned against God, and deserve death. But, Christ died for us. And, He arose from the dead, so that you and I can have eternal life in Him. Believe and you will be saved. By the power of God, you will be saved!

The Gospel which Brings Forth Fruit

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“Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:“

Colossians 1:6

The gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24) brings forth fruit into the world. It, of course, brings fruit every time that somebody hears it and believes it for the first time. But, it also brings fruit into the life of the believer after salvation. It produces experience or character in the believer. The gospel actually allows them to be able to serve God and bring forth fruit unto Him. In time past (before we believed), we were not able to bear fruit unto God. All of our efforts, in our own flesh, were futile. But now (as believers), we are able to bring forth fruit unto God. So, what changed?

“What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.“

Romans 6:21

In time past, we were servants of sin (Rom. 6:20), and in verse 21 it says that the “end of those things is death.” The “things” mentioned here are sin, the flesh or the old man. Everything we tried to do of ourselves (or still try to do) or in our own flesh was only unto death. We were in bondage to the law. As it says in Rom. 3:20, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law only condemned us, because it revealed that we were sinners. That we have all sinned against God and have come short of His glory (Rom. 3:23). Romans 7:5 says, “for when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.”

“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.“

Romans 6:22

“Since the day we heard it and knew the grace of God in truth (Col. 1:6) (the gospel),” we have been able to bring fruit unto God. We were delivered from sin. We are now no longer servants of sin, but servants of God. And we have our “fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” We have been delivered from the law and joined to something much better.

“Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.“

Romans 7:4

We have become dead to the law, and dead to sin (Rom. 6:2) by the body of Christ. It was because of Christ’s death on the cross that we have been set free. Not only are we now dead to the law of Moses, but we are married or joined to another law altogether. We are joined to a person. That is, Christ Himself, or the law of the Spirit (Rom. 8:2), which says we have life in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:13 says “Christ hath redeemed from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” The Lord Jesus Christ removed us from underneath the curse of the law and put Himself under it in our place, so that we could have eternal life in Him. This way we could be literally joined to Him and be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). We are joined to the one that is raised from the dead. This was for the purpose that we should bring forth fruit unto God. We are able to bring fruit unto God, because of who we are in Christ.

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.“

Romans 6:3-9

It says in Romans 6 that we are baptized into Jesus Christ, which means we are identified in and with Jesus Christ. We are identified with His death, buried with him, and also risen with Him. Since we are complete in Him (Col. 2:10), we should walk in newness of life. We should walk in newness of the life that we’ve been given in Him. It says that our old man was crucified with him for the purpose that it would be destroyed (forever), so that we don’t have to serve sin anymore. We are free from it, and “if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” Death no longer has dominion or control over Christ, because He rose again. Therefore, it no longer has dominion over us either, because we are raised with Christ. “Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:11).

We have been delivered from the law of sin and death and joined instead to the law of the Spirit. The law of Moses could not give us life, because it was weak through the flesh. All it did was condemn us. But what it could not do, God did by sending His own Son to condemn sin in His own flesh by dying for our sin. Now the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, because we are joined to Christ Himself, the one that died for our sins and rose again for our justification (Rom. 4:25). (Rom. 8:2-4)

Paul, then asks a rhetorical question to the Galatians. He asks “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3) The answer is, of course not. If we began in the Spirit (which we did), then we shall also be made perfect in the Spirit.

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.“

Romans 8:11-13

Now that we are joined to Christ and have life in Him, we have the Holy Spirit inside us to work in us to produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). He is there to quicken (make alive) our mortal bodies to mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body (the old man), so that we may live. This way we may bring forth fruit unto God. We are of course positionally already alive unto God through Christ.

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;“

Ephesians 5:18

Paul instructs us to be filled with the Spirit. It doesn’t happen automatically. We have to apply God’s Word to our lives to let the Spirit work in us. Being filled with the Spirit is the contrast of being drunk with wine (cf. Acts 2:4-15). When you are drunk with wine, or any alcohol, it is said then that you are under the influence. Instead of being under the influence of wine, we are to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit. That means what Colossians 3:16 tells us. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Being filled with the Spirit is like to get “drunk” with the Word of God. We are to mediate/think on God’s Word, give ourselves wholly to it, so that we may be examples to those that believe (1 Tim. 4:12-15). Now, spending time reading and studying is just the start. We are then to apply God’s Word in our lives. We apply it by faith. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). When we do this, it is God (specifically the Spirit) that works in us “both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). The Spirit works in us to put to death the deeds of the old man, and produces the fruit of the Spirit. “Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).

In conclusion, in time past we were not able to bring forth fruit unto God, because we were not believers. We were not in Christ at that time. But now, because we have believed the gospel, we are in Christ. We are crucified with him, buried with him, and risen with him. Therefore, we are no longer servants of sin, but servants of God. We are dead to sin, dead to the law, and joined to Christ. We now have the Spirit inside us to help us put to death the deeds of the body or old man and produce the fruit of the Spirit. We began in the Spirit; therefore, we will also be made perfect in the Spirit. We are “strengthened with all [God’s] might” (Col. 1:11). It is by His power that saved us, and it is by His power that helps us to walk lives worthy of Him.

Our Hope

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“For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;“

Colossians 1:5

Our hope is laid up for us in Heaven. We first received this hope when we first trusted in Christ as our personal Savior, when we believed the gospel. So what is hope? What is our hope? How is it different from the unbeliever’s hope?

What does “hope” mean?

When people generally use the word “hope,” they usually use it in a way that they do for wishing. People say “I wish [or hope] this [something] will happen [or won’t happen].” There is usually no confidence with that kind of statement. They have no expectation that it will come to pass the way they hoped it would come to pass. So, when it doesn’t happen the way the person wanted it to happen, they then are depressed and maybe even mad that they didn’t get their way. But, this isn’t how the Bible uses that word. We can be thankful that it doesn’t use it this way.

So, how does the Bible use it? How does it define “hope?” Let’s start by looking at Philippians 1. Philippians 1:20 says, “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” Here the Apostle Paul uses hope with the words “earnest expectation.” Also, the word “boldness” is used. It is an earnest expectation. It is an expectation that we have in earnest. In all seriousness or reality, we have a guarantee that it will happen. Paul says according to this earnest expectation and hope that he has, “in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [instead writes] that with all boldness.” In this whole chapter, we see his confidence, even though we was in prison.

  • Philippians 1:6 – Being confident
  • 1:11 – Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God
  • 1:19 – I know that this shall turn to my salvation
  • 1:20 – Earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be ashamed, but with all boldness
  • 1:25 – And having this confidence
  • 1:26 – Rejoicing may be more abundant

Paul, who seemed to be in a hopeless situation, remained confident. He remained confident, because of the hope that he had in Christ Jesus our Lord. And we see this with Abraham as well in Romans 4.

“Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.“

Romans 4:18

Abraham, who against hope or beyond hope, it says of him that he still “believed in hope.” The hope that Abraham had was to “become the father of many nations.” God promised that to him back in Genesis 12:1-3. But, Abraham was a hundred years old and Sarah, his wife, was definitely passed the age of child bearing. So, once again it would appear on the surface that it was hopeless. That they were beyond any hope of having one child, let alone becoming the father of many nations. But, that didn’t stop Abraham from believing in God. For it says in Romans 4:20, “He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Then, it continues on to say in verse 21, “And being fully persuaded that, what he (God) had promised (to Abraham), he (God) was able to perform.” God was and is able to perform that which He promised. In verse 17, it says “As it is written, I have (past tense) made thee a father of many nations.” And verse 18, “according to that which was spoken (past tense), So shall thy seed be.” Because God said, therefore it will come to pass. He says it like it has already come to pass. That’s how confident we can be that God will perform that which He promised. And Abraham believed God. Therefore God imputed righteousness to Abraham (Rom. 4:3,22). He imputes righteousness to us also who “believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered up for our offences and raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:24-25).

So, we have both Paul and Abraham as examples of both faith and hope and what both those terms mean. Faith is simply us trusting in what God has told us or promised to us. God says that He’s going to do something, and so we simply believe Him that He will do what He said He would do. And hope, is that expectation itself. For Abraham, it is the fact that God would make him a father of many nations. For us today, it is eternal life in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, members of His own Body.

What is our Hope?

  • Eternal life – Titus 1:2
  • Resurrection of the dead – 1 Cor. 15
  • Adoption, the redemption of our bodies – Rom. 8:23
  • Blessed Hope, the Rapture – Titus 2:13

The four things that I’ve listed here are basically the same thing. But, they start with the most general basic idea of our hope and gets more specific at the end. The first thing is eternal life. Where once we were dead, but now we have been made alive, given life.

“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;“

Titus 1:2

 Speaking of the “hope of eternal life” it says that “God, which cannot lie, promised before the world began.” That which God has promised, He is also able to perform it. He promised to give eternal life to us in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in Christ Jesus, that we find life. And we get into Christ, by believing that He died for our sins on the cross and was buried, and rose again for our justification or righteousness. Romans 5:18 says that “by the righteousness of one [Jesus Christ] the free gift [salvation, life, righteousness, etc.] came upon all men unto justification of life.”

Having eternal life means we will be resurrected. On one hand, we already have been resurrected. Eph. 2:6 says “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” But, practically we are still looking for that resurrection. In 1st Corinthians 15, Paul reassures us that there is a resurrection from the dead. Some were teaching that there is no resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:12). If that were true, then it would mean that Christ didn’t rise again. And if Christ isn’t risen, then our faith is in vain, we are then false witnesses of God, and are of all men most miserable (1 Cor. 15:13-19). Why would we be the most miserable amongst men? Because, we would have had hope in Christ only in this life. But, we know that there is a resurrection of the dead, Christ did rise again, and therefore our faith is not in vain, and we are not the most miserable. Because, we hope in Christ not only in this life, but in the life to come.

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man [Jesus Christ] came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.“

1 Corinthians 15:20-22

“And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.“

Romans 8:23

Therefore, we have the promise of adoption as well. That is, the redemption of our bodies. We won’t have to deal with the present sufferings that we go through now anymore, once we are resurrected. In Romans 8:23, it says about us who “have the firstfruits of the Spirit” are “groaning within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” So that we don’t have to suffer anymore, but be delivered from this present evil world (Gal. 1:4). In the next verse, it says we are saved by hope. It is a hope that we see not. If we saw it, we wouldn’t hope for it. But, we instead hope for that which we see not, so then we will patiently wait for it to come (Rom. 8:23-25). When it does come, then we will rejoice! For then will our hope arrive! It will arrive when Christ appears, for He is our hope (Col. 3:1-4; 1 Tim. 1:1). This appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is called a Blessed Hope in Titus 2:13.

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;“

Titus 2:13

This blessed hope is also called the Rapture, which simply means a catching away. We read more about this in 1 Thess. 4:13-18. In verse 17, it says that we will be caught up together with them (those who have died in Christ previously) in the clouds, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. From that point onward, we will always be with the Lord. So, we have the hope of eternal life, which means we will be resurrected, we will receive the adoption, and all of this is summed up in us being caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. “When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4).

Where is our Hope?

  • In Heaven – Col. 1:5; Phil. 3:20
  • In Christ – 2 Tim. 1:9; Eph. 1:3; 1 Tim. 1:1

Our hope is in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Our conversation or citizenship is in Heaven. Our home is there, which is where Christ is. For Christ Himself is our hope. Our hope is in the Lord!

When is our Hope?

  • When will it happen? when we are caught up – 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Col. 3:1-4
  • When did we first receive it? When we believed the gospel. – Col. 1:5-6; Eph. 1:13-14
  • When was it planned? Before the world began. Titus 1:2; Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9-10

In contrast, the unbeliever in any age has a very different hope. In Proverbs 10:28, it says “the hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.” Before salvation came to us Gentiles through Israel’s fall, it says in Ephesians 2:11-12 that we had no hope, and that we were without Christ and without God in this world. If the unbeliever dies in their sin (without first believing), then they will be eternally lost forever with no chance of being saved later. As it says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after the judgment.” After they die, comes judgment. The wicked/unbeliever from any age that dies in this life will suffer for all eternity. They will suffer the second death and be sent to the Lake of Fire. Their hope is only death, not life. Believers, on the other hand, while we may die in this life, we still have a hope of eternal life that is to come.

Speaking again of our hope, we are therefore instructed to comfort one another with the hope that we have in the Lord. His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:16-17). We are secure in Christ. We have Christ literally in us, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). When God looks at us, He sees us in Christ and Christ in us. Christ is made for us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).

This is why we can rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be instant in prayer (Rom. 12:12). For when “Christ who is our life appears, then we also shall appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4). He is the hope of glory in each and every one of us.

God is the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our tribulation so that we may also comfort one another in any trouble with the same comfort that he comforts us with. That is this hope of eternal life that we have with Christ in God. Therefore, our hope of each other is stedfast. We know that as we are partakers together of the sufferings, we will also be partakers of the consolation. (2 Cor. 1:3-7)

As believers, we have the hope of eternal life and therefore, we will be resurrected, because Christ Himself rose again from the dead. Christ, the hope of glory, is in each one of us, and when he appears we also will appear with Him in glory. We are saved from wrath through Christ. We are saved by His life. (Rom. 5:9-10).

If you’re an unbeliever, and want to have this hope of eternal life, then all you have to do is believe the gospel. Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins (you are a sinner, you have sinned against God), that He was buried (He took away your sins and buried them out of His sight forever), and He rose again the third day for your justification. There is nothing you can do to save yourself. Christ did it all for you. Believe and you will be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Renewed in Knowledge After the Image of Christ

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For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Colossians 1:9-10

In the previous lessons, we learned that it was by the will of God to make Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ and a minister to make known what is the mystery of Christ. We also learned that God has saved us and given us a holy calling “according to His own purpose and grace” (2 Tim. 1:9-10). He had given that to us in His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ Jesus is God’s elect that He had chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). We as believers are simply chosen in Him.

God wants us to know this mystery, and the glory of it. In the verse above, He wants us to be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col. 1:9). This is for the purpose that we “might walk worthy of the Lord.”

Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Colossians 1:28

Here, it says that we “may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” First, notice that it says every man. A major thing that distinguishes the mystery from the prophetic program with Israel is the fact that in the Body, there is now no difference between Jew and Gentile. Under the law, if a Gentile wanted to be saved they had to go through the nation of Israel. The middle wall of partition was still up, but now that wall is broken down (Eph. 2:14). Salvation has now come unto the Gentiles, not because of Israel’s rising, but rather through their fall (Rom. 11:11; Isa. 60:3).

God wants us to be perfect or mature or complete in Christ. Speaking of our position in Christ, we are already complete in Him (Col. 2:10) the moment that we believed the gospel. But, from a practical point of view we are still on this earth in our old bodies waiting to return home (which is Heaven), to receive our new bodies and to be with our Lord. In Ephesians 3:4, it says “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.” Then, if we are to turn back to Colossians 4:5, we learn that we are to “walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” God has revealed this mystery to his saints through the ministry of the Apostle Paul, because He wants us to know it. And once we know it, we are to walk in it. We are to pray that God would open to us a door to be able to speak this mystery and to make it manifest to them that have not yet learned of this mystery (Col. 4:3-4). Everything that we do by the Spirit working in us is for the purpose of edifying (building up) the Body of Christ. It is for the purpose of making all His saints perfect in Christ Jesus.

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Ephesians 4:12-13

This perfect man that Ephesians 4:13 mentions is the same as the Body of Christ. It is the one new man. This perfect man is unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. In Colossians, we learn that “it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” (Col. 1:19). What fulness? The fulness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9). “That in all things he might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18).

In Scripture, we learn of three images. We have the image of God, the image of Adam or man, and we have the image of Christ.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 1:26-27

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

Genesis 5:3

The first two we find in the book of Genesis. In the beginning, when God created man, He created him “in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Originally, we were created in the image of God. It was considered very good. But, something happened. We (specifically, Adam sinned) sinned. Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” So, when we come to Genesis chapter 5 and verse 3, where it says Adam begat his own son, what image was his son born of? It says “he begat a son in his own likeness, after his image.” Seth and the rest of mankind from that point onward was after the image of Adam.

We had sinned and we needed a savior. We cannot save ourselves. But, thanks be unto God, for he has provided a solution. He provided a Savior, a Redeemer. That would be His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ came and died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). He was delivered up upon that cross for our offences/sins, and was raised again for our justification (righteousness) (Rom. 4:25). All you have to do be saved is to believe in what He did for you at the cross.

When you believe, you are made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). You become a part of the Body of Christ, the new man, the perfect man. The final image is found in Colossians.

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Colossians 3:10

The new man, it says, is “renewed in knowledge after the image of him.” That is, the image of Christ. And it says there at the end that Christ created him. The “him” at the end there is once again the new man. Christ created the new man.

God created us after His own image originally. Then, Adam sinned against God and begat a son after his own image. That’s why we are all born with a sin nature. When born, we are all in Adam. And we would be doomed if the story stopped there. But, Christ came to “make in himself of twain [Jew and Gentile] one new man, so making peace” (Eph. 2:15). He created us (those who believe) in Himself, after his own image. Believers are taken out of Adam and put into Christ. We are no longer after the image of Adam or man in general. But now, we are after the image of Christ. We have been redeemed through His blood (Eph. 1:7).

Christ has “made peace through the blood of His cross” in order to “reconcile all things unto himself” (Col. 1:20). We have the hope of being conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29) and for our bodies to be “fashioned like unto his glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). We have this hope “which is laid up for us in heaven” (Col. 1:5). All of this can be yours, if you just believe. Recognize that you are a sinner. You have sinned against God. Then, believe that Christ came and died on the cross for your sins, was buried (took away your sins forever), and rose again the third day for your justification. Believe and you will be saved! You will be renewed in knowledge after the image of Christ.

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Ephesians 2:11-16

In conclusion, God made Paul an apostle and gave to him a new revelation, from Jesus Christ Himself, to make known to His saints what is the mystery of Christ. This mystery was “kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25-26). But now, God has revealed it in this dispensation of grace. He has saved us and called us in Christ Jesus our Lord. It was Christ that was chosen before the foundation of the world. And we are chosen in Him, when we believe the gospel. God wants us to “come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4) and be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col. 1:9), so that we “might walk worthy of the Lord” (Col. 1:10), and to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28). We have been reconciled unto God through the blood of His cross and are made after the image of Christ. Therefore, we are to walk in that wisdom, to be renewed in knowledge (day by day), because of who we are in Christ.

We are complete in Him! (Col. 2:10) We are renewed in knowledge after the image of Christ!