“And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has He reconciled in the Body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight—if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and 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, whereof I, Paul, am made a minister.”
Colossians 1:21-23
There’s only one; the question is do you have it and are you living in it?
The Faith.
In his epistle to the church in Ephesus Paul wrote about there being “one Body, one Spirit, one Hope, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism and one God and Father of all” (Eph. 4:4-6). A simple study of the Scriptures will help the serious-minded student to soon conclude what he meant by these things: “One Body” (the Body of Christ—i.e., the Church). “One Spirit” (the Holy Spirit). “One Hope” (the Hope we have in Christ alone as the “Anchor of the Soul”—Heb. 6:17-20). “One Lord” (the Lord Jesus Christ). “One Baptism” (Believer’s Baptism). “One God and Father of all” (the Heavenly Father).
But, the question is, what is this “one Faith”?
There’s no doubt it’s the Faith talked about in Heb. 11:6 where it talks about “saving” or “pleasing” Faith, which simply believes “God is” and “is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
Yet, even there we must balance it with James’ warning about “demonic faith,” which believes “there is one God and trembles” (James 2:19)—yet there is no repentance; or “dead faith,” which is “faith without works” or no visible evidence of inward-working faith.
What, then, is this “one Faith” that’s referred to in today’s Manna: “If you continue in THE FAITH, grounded and settled”? The answer is found by simply reading on: “And be not moved away from the Hope of the Gospel.” And, what is “the Hope of the Gospel”?
Simply, “Jesus and Him crucified” (I Cor. 1:17-2:5). Hallelujah!
Paul knew Christ must be preeminent in everything because of Who He is and what He came to do on the Cross. That’s why he wrote “For it pleased the Father that in Him (Jesus) should all fullness (Grk. ‘pleroma’—‘completeness, that which fills up, sufficiency, etc.’) dwell.” Simply put, we don’t have to look anywhere or to anyone else to find all we need.
“In Christ and in Christ alone.”
That’s why Paul went on to write “And, having made peace through the Blood of His Cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself.” Or, another way to put it is “It’s only through Jesus’ shed, atoning/covering Blood on the Cross that we’re brought back to God and experience His Peace that passes all understanding.”
Oh, dear Pilgrim, in this day-and-age of “feel good religion,” shallow emotionalism, mysticism, etc., it’s important that we’re “grounded and settled (Grk. ‘hedraios’—‘immovable, steadfast, etc.’) in THE FAITH”—thoroughly convinced there’s only one way to be saved. And, that’s through Jesus. . .God’s only Son. . .and sinless Lamb (Jn. 1:29, 36; 3:16; 14:6).
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated December 17, 2009
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