Knowing the Truth
Colossians 1:13
Adrian Rogers once said, “If you are wrong about Jesus, it doesn’t matter what else you are right about.” Believers must grasp essential truths about the Lord Jesus Christ to give a ready defense against heresy. Chapter one of Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae instructs the believers on significant truths about Jesus Christ.
One significant truth about Jesus is what He accomplished for believers through their salvation. In this passage, Paul encourages the Colossian believers to express thanksgiving for their salvation.
The words of our text are, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness” (v. 13a). The NIV translates it, “He has rescued us.” The word means not only to be rescued, but also to be liberated. It means not only to be liberated, but also to be saved. This is the first reason to be thankful for our salvation. We’ve been rescued from the “power of darkness.”
In the New Testament, darkness is often used in reference to ignorance, falsehood, evil, Satan and sin. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We have been rescued from the territory of sin. Paul’s use of military language here gives us the picture of God’s great rescue operation for you and me.
On April 25, 1980, Americans awoke to shocking news. The secret rescue mission for American hostages in Iran had failed. The failed rescue mission came at the expense of eight American lives and $25 million in expenses. Thank God His rescue mission did not fail. Oh yes, it looked as if it had failed. The power of darkness thought it had failed, but on the third day “up from the gave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign.”
Paul goes on to say He “conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (v. 13b). The Greek word translated “conveyed” in the NKJV was used in secular literature of a person taken from one country and settled as a citizen in another.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary states it might be rendered “reestablished.” We were once part of the dominion of darkness, but now we are part of the kingdom of God’s Son. The tense of this verb indicates that this transaction took place at the moment of salvation. God plucked us from the territory of sin and planted us with Christ. He did this because of “His love.” “The Son of His love” is the measure of the Father’s love for His church.
Melton– Lessons by Frankie Melton, pastor of Heath Springs Baptist Church, Heath Springs. He has a B.A. degree from Charleston Southern University, and a Ph.D. and M.Div. from Southern Seminary.