To the Saints, Who are the Faithful

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.” (Colossians 1:1-6 ESV)

This message is addressed to the saints of God, and a saint is one who is holy, separate (unlike, different) from the world because becoming like Jesus Christ in character, mind, thinking, attitude, speaking, and actions. And it is addressed to the faithful in Christ Jesus, and the faithful are those who are full of faith, who are loyal, dependable, and trustworthy. 

And our Christian faith (belief) means to be persuaded of God, and it is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ, so it comes from God, and it is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing, not of the will nor of the flesh of man (humans). We cannot even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ, i.e. persuades us to faith in Christ.

And, according to the Scriptures, faith is obedience to God, and disobedience is unbelief. We cannot have faith absent of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For faith shows itself to be genuine by obedience, and by denying self, dying daily to sin, and by following our Lord wherever he leads us in doing whatever it is he has commanded us to do and to say.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-24; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Peter 1:1; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

Now Paul was thankful for the saints, who are the faithful in Christ Jesus, with regard to what he had heard regarding their faith. And the faith he was speaking of was not the kind that is popularly being taught in America today. For he did not teach a faith that was lip service only but that was not evidenced by true repentance and walks of obedience to our Lord.

And this faith involves not just love for God but for our fellow Christians, and for the people of the world, too. And this love is not human love, which is based in human emotions, but it is agape love which prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, upright, godly, morally pure, faithful, honest and obedient to our Lord and to his commands under the New Covenant. So, when we love others with this love we will not do evil against them but we will do to them and for them what is for their good (in the eyes of God).

And then he spoke of the gospel that they had heard, which had come to them, and of it bearing fruit and increasing among them since the day they heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. And the gospel that they heard was the one that Jesus taught that we, if we are to come after him, must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) the Lord. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, and obey our Lord, in practice, then we have the hope of eternal life with God (see Luke 9:23-26).

And what is the grace of God in truth? It is that God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, instructs (trains) us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10).

So, the description that Paul gave here of a genuine believer in Jesus Christ is one who is faithful to the Lord in service, and who is living a life in Christ different from the world because he is being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. He is one who has denied self and who is daily (consistently) dying to sin and following our Lord in obedience. He prefers what God prefers and he loves like God loves in all holiness and godliness. And he is being trained in the forsaking of his sins and in holy living, and his life is bearing results consistent with God, holiness, and the Scriptures.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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