Seeds for 1/16/2023 - Colossians 1:13-14

Scripture: “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Observation: Whenever we encounter a word like “for,” especially at the beginning of a sentence, we’re looking at the writer—Paul in this case, giving us a rationale for the things he or she just said. So, what’s the reason for Paul going on and on about his and his kingdom co-workers’ prayers for the Colossian believers? Why this praying about growing in knowledge, character, service, joy, and fruitful Christian living? They are all good things, always appropriate for prayer, but in this particular case, Paul’s reasoning seems to be that the job of freeing us from sin’s consequences is the beginning, not the end, of our journey.

After all, “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son” (emphasis mine). Some presentations of the gospel are mainly, or even entirely, about rescue from the “dominion of darkness” (life apart from God). But the whole gospel includes being brought in the the kingdom of Christ, the one who makes that rescue possible because of His redeeming, forgiving work. Being brought into the kingdom is the goal and rescue is the first step. Now that the Colossians have responded to the gospel with faith, Paul and his friends are praying that faith will be more than simply agreeing with some important and powerful new ideas. It must be a personal relationship that matures as they pursue greater faithfulness and transformation in Christ—living in the light of His kingdom.

Application: Which part of the gospel do I lean most toward—rescue from the dominion of darkness (saving faith in Christ) or being brought into the kingdom of the Son (practical transformation by Christ)? Which do I need to appreciate more?

Prayer: Lord, keep me grateful for your redeeming grace and pressing onward to full spiritual maturity as a citizen of your kingdom. Amen.

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“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)

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