Colossians 1:13-14

Colossians 1:13-14

He delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son – in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Christ delivered us.  He saved us.  There is no more simpler way to say that.  I cannot save myself.  I am not saved because I know some secret knowledge that other people don’t know.  I am not saved because I’m better, smarter, or more likeable than other people.  I am saved because Christ died.  I am saved because God extended His grace to me.  Yes, I received that salvation.  But I am saved because of Jesus and His sacrifice for my sake.  I am saved because through Jesus Christ my sins are removed.

Why are you saved?  Do you ever find it easy to think that you are saved because of something you have done or because of a way you believe?  If it were not for Christ, could we believe or behave in any manner pleasing to Christ?

Second Thought:

Through Christ, we are transferred out of the kingdom of darkness.  We really need to learn this lesson, too.  When Paul talks about the world of darkness, he’s talking about the world around us.  Paul is talking about our natural sinful human nature.  We are not good by nature.  We are simply not good people!  We are a people born in darkness.  We are born under the authority of darkness!  The only reason we are not currently in darkness is because of Christ.

Do you ever believe that you are inherently a good person?  Why is this dangerous?  How often do you hear the people around you speak about the people around them as being “good?”

Third Thought:

We are transferred into the kingdom of Christ.  We don’t earn it.  We don’t deserve it.  We are transferred.  Another way of saying this is that we are exchanged.  God sent His Son to this earth so that God could exchange His Son for us.  God gave His Son over to the world of darkness as our exchange.  The world killed Him, and God raised Him from the dead and reclaimed Him for Himself.  But we are God’s exchange.  God paid a heavy price for our redemption.

Have you ever thought of yourself as an exchange or a trade?  What does it mean to you to realize that you are worth so much to God that He would send His Son as an exchange?

Passage for Tomorrow: Colossians 1:15-18