Scripture: “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”
Observation: In our “observation tool box” the phrase “so that” should always get our attention. “So that” indicate reason, purpose, and rationale. Be on the lookout for “so that.”
Paul says something we’d expect by this point as we read through the letter to the Colossians, that Jesus is the one they proclaim and no other. They also teach and admonish with “all wisdom.” Why? To what end? “So that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ” (emphasis mine). Paul isn’t interested in merely exposing them to Christ. Neither is this like a dinner party where someone (Paul) introduces one of his friends (Jesus) to other friends (the Colossians) with no expectation that they will become friends themselves. No, his proclaiming, admonishing, and teaching work is aimed sharply at a bullseye: “everyone fully mature in Christ.”
It’s important to remember that we are not saved to stall. We’re not redeemed to tread water. God’s goal for us is “everyone fully mature in Christ.” I recently encountered an insight from NT scholar Scot McKnight, who wrote, “People grow because they are on a quest or in a crisis.” Yes, let that sink in. We could write reams reflecting on that, but let’s just note for now that Paul is on a quest and he wants us to experience a personal crisis if we’re not questing after full maturity in Christ. That’s the point. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” is not about standing still but always moving “further up and further in” in Christ.
Application: Are you on a quest to grow in Christ or are you stalled right now? Are you aiming for “fully mature in Christ,” something short of that, or have you thought much about it?
Prayer: Lord, keep me from settling for stalling out in my spiritual growth. Give me a heart to quest after full maturity in you. Amen.
“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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Aren’t we always seeking Christ as Christians everyday of our lives? I am. I am trying to mature in Him but feel I fall short. It is a lifetime “quest” seeking to grow, improve, learn His way.