If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” Colossians 1:23 [KJV]
Many Christians today are being moved away from the truth of the gospel. The church is changing into a different image from what I was taught in my early days of being a Christian. Certain teaching and doctrines are being changed to mean something different than what is taught in the Bible. Heresy has entered into the church that has brought about dissensions. These dissensions have brought about church splits, shut down, and closures. I personally have witnessed this three times in three different denominations.
What happened is always the first question asked. The answer I can now say is that the focus had changed to something other than Christ and Him crucified. If you take the crucified Lord away, then what do you have left? The answer is nothing. Without Christ, we have no power, redemption, or forgiveness of sin. This is what the apostle Paul was saying to the Colossians, and to us as well.
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Colossians 1: 13-14 [KJV]
Who has delivered us from darkness? I just cannot imagine not having Christ redemptive work in my own life. We would lose power to overcome our failings, let alone our own sin. We are complete in the redemptive work of Christ. His righteousness becomes our righteousness through the cross. The gospel is the preaching, teaching and revelation of Christ. Christ should be our focus every day.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrew 12:2 [KJV]
Christ is the head of all principality and power, [see Colossians 2:10]. If you have heard a different story other than the truth of the Gospel, beware. Let us ask ourselves the question, “who has beguiled you with enticing words,” states the apostle Paul in Colossians 2:4. The Gospel is more than mere words or historical fact. It is a reality for those who believe. It is faith becoming a fact in our lives. That is the power of Christ being revealed. It is in Christ that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge is hidden [see Colossians 2:3]. This is later revealed in our mind through the moving of the Holy Spirit. Our personal victories are rooted in Christ.
Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught.” Colossians 2:7
Are you rooted and built up in Him? Many who became Christians are still babes in Christ, for they have not been taught. Do not allow this to be a deterrent in your walk in the Lord. Buy a Bible and begin to read it. There are many versions if you do not like the King James Version. Try “NIV [New International Version] or the New King James Version, which is a little easier to read than the old King James version. I have read all three versions. Check out the Bible Translation List site to see a list of 2024 best. The Bible I now use is the new Scofield Study Bible authorize King James Bible. The copyright in mine is 1967 by Oxford University Press. I have had it for a while and I have highlighted many scriptures in yellow and used bible tabs, and sticky tabs to mark pages. Here is a picture of my Bible opened in the book of Colossians. Scofield notes are on the bottom of the page. These are His study notes. Scofield was a theologian, minister, and writer. This is my favorite Bible, and it has become more precious to me the older I get.
I would encourage you to read the book of Colossians this week. To be rooted and built up in him, one must read, listen, and hear the word or sermon. One must make time to do this every day. This is how we grow and learn in life. We read and experience life. We learn about our Lord by reading the Bible. We must gain knowledge of who Christ is and our relationship with Him and the Father. We must learn from the experience of others such as those listed in the Bible, and those who later followed Christ and have written about their own experiences. This helps our faith to grow.
7That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Ephesians 3:17-19 [KJV]
We should all be grounded and rooted in Christ love. We all need to pray that Christ will reign within our heart by faith and that we each continue to grow in His love. Our faith must be grounded and settled so that we do not move away from the joy of our salvation. The quote below, is what I have written in my Bible.
Faith is dependent on what the heart knows.”