Our Growth in Christ - Fraser Leach
v2-4 What God has done for us
v5-7 Our response
v8-11 Why we should respond in this way
A lot of these thoughts are referenced through the Mirror translation of the bible, although I have also looked at other versions.
What God has done for us
v2 He has poured out his grace and peace on us.
We are “overwhelmed with grace” and “fully acquainted with the awareness of our oneness” - with God and that is peace.
v3 He has given us everything we need for a good (godly) life. We can now be “living life to the full” where “everyday life mirrors our devotion and romance with the Maker”
“He introduces us to ourselves again so that his original intention is clearly perceived”
v4 He has given us great and precious promises and we are included in the divine nature. We are not some kind of substandard inferior being, we are part of God by nature and God’s plan for us is not to somehow improve us, but to restore us back to where we always inherently were. To give us “restored participation in our godly origin”
What do we do?
We move forward. We use this position we have in God and the blessings God has poured out on us, to grow and develop. We don’t just ignore them and waste them. We enjoy their benefits.
“Explore the adventures of your faith”. Not having to do this or that to payback for God’s gift, or because we ought to, BUT being free through God’s gift to go on an adventure. At the same time as being dedicated to it like a “conductor of music”
We add to what we have got.
To our faith > goodness
to goodness > knowledge
to knowledge > self control
to self control > perseverance
to godliness > affection
to affection > love
Notice that the greatest of these is love. We might expect it to be godliness, but affection is also above that. We often think of godliness as doing the right thing or following God’s rules but it is relationship that God is interested in (within himself and with others), so all these are then steps along the way to building good, deep, strong relationships.
Why do we respond like this?
Some of this has already been hinted at.
It is so we are not ineffective and unproductive (v8), so we won’t forget what God has done for us (v9), so we will never stumble (v10) and will receive a rich welcome into the kingdom (v11).
It’s not to pay God back for what he has done. It’s so we can move on from a great start and fully enjoy what God has done for us. It’s so we are not selfish and therefore can live fulfilled lives and reach out to others.
It’s not us reaching out so we are acceptable to God (win our salvation), rather, God has already given us the good things (our salvation) and out of that we are set free to enjoy life and do good to others.
Further, from the Mirror, all this that God has done “guards you from being ineffective and barren in your knowledge of the Christ life”
ie - it is not to make you work hard or to earn this or do that, but rather it is all about knowing Jesus in a deeper way.
If you feel that you haven’t got it, you actually have, you just can’t see it. Your “spiritual blindness and short sightedness” is not to the hard work you have to do but it is to the grace of God in your life and to your inherent standing in him.
It is very easy to become blind to this and think, ‘have I done enough, am I good enough’. My thinking has been like this at times recently, rather than just accepting the blessings of God and our position in Christ that sets me free to move on and into new things with joy.
In Col 2v19 Paul is talking about those who have lost connection with the Head (Jesus), not because they are being immoral or not following the rules but because they are insisting on following loads of rules that don’t really exist, rather than emphasizing a loving relationship with God that sets us free and brings joy.
Further in v10, we are told to “make every immediate effort to become cemented in the knowledge of our original identity”, not in the good works that we perhaps feel we ought to be doing. Then out of this knowledge he will “draw our lives into the full volume of the ages, the royal song of our saviour Christ Jesus”
I want to be part of that royal song sharing in his love and giving out that love. I want to respond to God’s good gifts and love to me by
Accepting the gifts - taking them on board
Enjoying the gifts
Letting others know about the gifts to enjoy, because they’ve got the gifts too.