Friday, 24 March 2017
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, Colossians 1:13
In the previous verse, we were instructed by Paul that we have been qualified to be “partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” As this is the case, we must not have possessed that right before. Paul now makes that explicit with the words, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness.”
Being delivered means that we were in a state from which we needed delivery. The word used is found in the Lord’s Prayer – “…deliver us from evil.” It is a word which indicates being rescued as if being snatched up. Therefore, we can see that in receiving Christ, we were drawn from that state to another one. It is a clear indication that all are already on the path to destruction. Only through Christ does that change. It is another validation of Jesus’ words in John 3:18 which state that we are “condemned already.”
“The power of darkness” is the dominion of Satan. This isn’t just an external force which comes against us, but rather it is a legal rule over us. Satan has authority over this world (as is seen to elsewhere in Scripture), and man must be brought out of this rule. This is what Christ came to do. John explains this purpose very clearly in his first epistle –
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8
It is this dominion, or power, of darkness which we are snatched out of. We are then conveyed “into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” The word “conveyed” is used in the manner of taking a people group from one country to another. In the writings of Josephus, he uses the word when speaking of the deporting of the Israelites by the Assyrians. They were conveyed from one kingdom to another. This is what happens to the believer in Christ. He is conveyed from the power and kingdom of Satan to that of the Lord Jesus.
Again, it shows that there can be no other path to God than Jesus Christ. If there were, then it would have been pointless for Christ to come. But only He can bring us out of that realm of darkness and into this kingdom. It is a kingdom of “the Son of His love.” This means that Christ Jesus is the object of His love. It is to Him that the kingdom is given. All rights to authority belong to Him. He is the ruler of God’s kingdom for the redeemed of the world.
Life application: If you have been led to believe that there are many paths to God, then you are a foe of God in Christ. You are indicating that Jesus’ death was not necessary in order for men to be redeemed, and that redemption can be realized in other ways. What you are espousing is a fickle God who purposely sent His Son to die for no satisfactory reason. But it is you who are being unreasonable. Think the issue through clearly, and then receive God’s wonderful gift of salvation which came at such a high cost.
Lord God, Your word teaches that there is but one way to be reconciled to You, and that is by faith in what You have done through Your Son Jesus. Old Testament and New, He is there on every page, waiting to be discovered if we will but just look. Grant us wisdom to understand that You are not a fickle God who says one thing and then does another. Rather, You have given Your word, You have sent Your Son, and You have opened a path, one path, back to You. Thank You for Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.