The reason for thanking God the Father (12)

 

 

 

 

[Colossians 1:1-8] 

 

 

 

(2) Let's reflect on the expression "truly understood the grace of God" in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

As we engage in our faith journey, isn't it true that the more we grow in our spiritual life, the more we confess that everything is by the grace of God?  When we consider our families, we acknowledge that we have come this far by God's grace.  When we look at the Lord's church, we recognize that we have reached this point today by God's grace.  Even as we reflect on our own lives, we cannot deny that we have journeyed thus far entirely by God's grace.  Thus, with a heart of gratitude, we humbly offer praise to God through hymn “God’s Great Grace it is has Brought Us” verse 1: “God's great grace it is has brought us All this way in faithfulness.  God's unbounded love which sought us How can tongue of man express?  His strong hand is watching o'er us Whether sleeping or awake.  He makes all things pleasant for us In the Lord for Je-sus' sake.”  For those who truly understand that being who they are is a result of God's grace, they should diligently work for the Lord and His church, empowered by the strength of that grace.  We ought to labor more than those who do not realize this grace.  If we merely say, "It is the grace of God," but do not work and toil accordingly, we are making that grace ineffective (1 Cor. 15:10).

 

In today's passage, Colossians 1:6, the Apostle Paul writes to the faithful saints in Colossae, saying, "This gospel that has come to you, as indeed in the whole world, it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God."  Let's contemplate what Paul means by "the grace of God" by considering three aspects:

 

  • The fact that the gospel of Jesus Christ reached unbelievers in Colossae itself is the grace of God (Col. 1:6).

 

At the time when the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians, those in Colossae who were now believers had once been unbelievers.  Before the gospel reached them, they did not believe in Jesus.  The remarkable aspect is that the grace of God worked even before they became believers.  If we wonder who proclaimed the gospel to them, we can glean from Colossians 2:1 that it was not Paul who brought the gospel to them.  He mentions, "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face."  Rev. John MacArthur suggests that when Paul ministered in Ephesus for three years, the Colossian church likely began, but the one who pioneered it was not Paul.  The person mentioned in Colossians 1:7 as "Epaphras" is said to have come from Colossae to Ephesus, heard the gospel from Paul, believed in Jesus Christ for salvation, returned to Colossae, and played a key role in establishing the Colossian church (MacArthur).  The fact that the gospel reached us when we did not believe in Jesus is the grace of God.  If it were not for this grace, we would not have had the opportunity to hear the gospel.  If we had not heard the gospel at all, we would not have known about Jesus.  Therefore, Paul says in Romans 10:13-15: "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'"

 

  • Hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ and coming to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ is entirely the great grace of God (Col. 1:6).

 

That the unbelievers in Colossae came to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe in Him for salvation is a manifestation of the complete grace of God.  The Apostle Paul highlights this truth in Colossians 1:6.  The fact that the gospel reached the unbelievers in Colossae was an act of God's grace in itself.  It was through God's saving work in Epaphras that these unbelievers in Colossae heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and came to believe in Him for salvation.  Therefore, Paul emphasizes the profound grace of God in Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."  This salvation by God's grace is further clarified in Colossians 1:13-14, where Paul describes how believers in Colossae obtained "redemption, the forgiveness of sins" through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross and how God delivered them from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son.  The reconciliation of the Colossians, who were once enemies of God due to their wicked behavior, through the physical death of Jesus Christ, and their presentation as holy, blameless, and above reproach before God (Col. 1:21-22) showcase God's abundant grace.  In Colossians 3:10, Paul declares that God's grace results in believers becoming a "new self."  Verses 12 and 24 further explain that God's grace transforms believers into "chosen ones, holy and beloved," destined to receive heavenly blessings from the Lord. In summary, God's grace is fully displayed in the Colossians hearing and accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ by His sovereign grace (Col. 2:6).

 

  • Recognizing God's grace itself is the grace of God (Col. 1:6).

 

In a brief devotional written under the title "God's Grace" on July 22, 2009, I reflected on Romans 5:12 and the concept of grace.  The devotional emphasized how sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and how, through one man's disobedience, all became sinners.  However, where sin increased, the grace of God overflowed even more.  The devotional highlighted verses like Romans 5:15, which speaks of the gift that abounds for many through the grace of one man, Jesus Christ.  It further emphasized that the gift is not like the result of that one man's sin, but it surpasses it.  The text continued to expound on how, through Jesus Christ's obedience, believers receive the gift of eternal life, and all these blessings are a manifestation of God's complete grace.  Reflecting on this devotional, I see that coming to believe and understand each verse of Scripture quoted, starting from Romans 5:12, is in itself an act of God's grace.  The reason is that without God's grace, we could never comprehend His Word.  Another short devotional, written on November 30, 2021, under the title "Later Understanding is Grace," echoed a similar sentiment.  It highlighted how the disciples did not comprehend Jesus' actions according to the Old Testament Scriptures until later, after Jesus received glory.  The devotional expressed the idea that later understanding is also God's grace, acknowledging that the delay in understanding could be due to misunderstanding rather than lack of faith.  One more short devotional, titled "Seeking Understanding" and written on February 22, 2021, stressed the importance of seeking understanding according to God's Word before earnestly crying out to God for help in desperate situations (Ps. 119:169).  The devotional defined understanding as recognizing both our helplessness and the fact that God is our true Helper.

 

In the perspective of the Apostle Paul, when writing a letter to the faithful saints in the Colossian church and stating, "...since the day you heard it (the gospel) and understood the grace of God in truth..." (Col. 1:6), there are three aspects of God's grace received by the faithful saints in Colossae: (1) The gospel of Jesus Christ came to (through Epaphras) the unbelievers in Colossae (v. 6), (2) They heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 6), (3) They heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and truly understood the grace of God (v. 6).

 

  • Reflecting on the statement that among the saints in the Colossian church, "this gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world" (Col. 1:6).

 

There are said to be three things that cannot be hidden according to the Talmud: "coughing, poverty, and love."  A cold cannot be hidden due to the inevitable act of coughing, and poverty cannot be concealed.  Furthermore, a loving heart cannot be hidden. Another thing that cannot be hidden is "fruit" (Internet).  When we consider Matthew 7:16 and 20, where Jesus mentions that a tree is known by its fruit, the meaning is that, just as one can recognize a tree by its fruit, prophets can be discerned as true or false by their actions.  In verses 17-18, Jesus states, "Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit."  In the well-known analogy of the vine in John 15, Jesus says there are branches that do not bear fruit and branches that bear fruit (v. 2).  In other words, Jesus speaks of disciples who bear fruit and those who do not.  Here, the disciples who bear fruit are those who abide in Jesus and live in Him (vv. 4, 7), keeping His words (v. 7).  These disciples abide in Jesus and pray to God the Father in Jesus' name (vv. 7, 16), thus bearing much fruit.