Before We Start to Drift

Today's Reading: Colossians 1:21-23

Colossians 1:23 (ESV) "if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister."

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at the beach. My siblings and I would go play in the water until our skin wrinkled. But about every 20 minutes or so, we would hear a familiar whistle and see our mom, who hadn't moved from her beach spot, many yards down the beach, waving her hands in the air. While we were busy playing, we didn't notice that we had drifted. Once she called us, we knew we needed to go closer to where we started so we didn't move too far away.

In today's passage, Paul reminded the Colossians where they were in Christ so they would not drift. While he had not personally met the people of the church in Colossae, he knew they were steadfast in their newfound faith in Jesus the Messiah. With the weight of cultural pressure around them, they needed to be encouraged not to give in.

After giving his declaration about Jesus in Colossians 1:15-20, Paul redirects the readers to where they are in light of who Jesus is. While the words "hostile" and "evil" (Colossians 1:21) may feel uncomfortable to read, it was those very words that pointed the Colossians to the hope they had in Christ. Before they came to Jesus, they were gentiles, worshipping other gods, and their minds were set on being far from God. But because of Jesus' death and resurrection and their faith in Him, they were now welcomed into the family of God.

Before Jesus, they were excluded. Because of Jesus, they were reconciled.

Paul ends this portion of his letter by giving them two instructions for how to live out that truth and not drift from their faith: First, they needed to continue to be established and firm. Second, they needed to anchor their hope in the gospel. (Colossians 1:23)

The NIV translation of Colossians 1:23 - which says, "continue in your faith, established and firm..." - uses the Greek word for "established" (themelioō), which refers to laying the foundation of a building. And the Greek word for "continue" (epimenein) used in NIV translates to "remaining in a place or locality." The truth of the gospel was where the foundation started and where the Colossians needed to remain and build from.

Without Jesus, our foundation is faulty, and we have nothing to anchor to. In light of the gospel, we are to build a life of steadfast faith that does not move.

So before we start to drift, let's anchor and establish our faith in Jesus. The answer to everything we need is found in the gospel, where the Truth we know in Jesus becomes the hope we live. When the foundation of the world around us looks anything but secure, we have a firm foundation to anchor us.

Prayer: Dear God, I am so thankful that, because of Jesus, we have a firm foundation in You and Your Word. When the pressures of culture and the problems of our circumstances try to push us down the shore, help us not to drift away but to continue to remain firm in our faith. Show us how to live in light of the hope we have in the gospel. In Jesus' name, amen.

More Moments About Colossians 1:21-23

Colossians 1:21-23 can be broken down into two parts: the reality of our reconciliation (vv. 21-22) and our response to it. (v. 23)

Jesus' death and resurrection made reconciliation possible because we, like the Colossians, are now able to be presented to God as "holy and blameless and above reproach" (Colossians 1:22). What that means is we no longer have to live defined by our sin or as slaves to it. We can allow Jesus to change and transform us.

Paul reminds us that the effects of the gospel don't just happen; they are the results of daily choosing to let the Holy Spirit transform us into the image of Christ. This is why Paul encourages the Colossians to remain firm in the gospel so they don't fall away when they encounter persecution.

Our response to being reconciled is not just to know the gospel but to live it out. Just as Jesus told His disciples to go into all of the nations, proclaiming the gospel, (Luke 9:1-3) Paul continues to proclaim it to the Colossians. He is living out his response to being reconciled to Christ, which is being a servant of the gospel. (Colossians 1:23) We are also called to do this today.

Major Moment: Once hostile, we are now reconciled.

This was originally published in the First 5 app from the Colossians: How to Know the Truth in a World of Divided Opinions study,