WHAT characterizes this Epistle is that we are looked at as risen; dead and risen, but not yet seated in heavenly places; but the Holy Ghost revealing our places in heaven, but walking as risen men in the world, looking for heaven.
In different Epistles we get various aspects of the Christian. In Ephesians we are seated in the heavenlies. Romans, alive in this world. Here (Colossians), we are risen; not in glory. We get here, more fully than elsewhere, life unfolded: " Your life is hid with Christ in God." Then you should walk according to that. He puts us to run the race. People get confused by connecting these " ifs " with redemption. " Christ in you the hope of glory;" in you Gentiles; an entirely new thought; a thing never heard of before. You get that side of the mystery; not Christ come in glory to take up His people, but Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Verse 8 is the only place the Spirit is named in this Epistle.
Verse 10. " That ye might walk worthy," &c. He puts the walk first; not merely avoiding -wickedness; a natural man might do that; but "filled with the knowledge of his will." Christ left traces of His path in the wilderness. In the ordering of Israel the tabernacle was in the midst of the camp, and they were to march in the same kind of order as they encamped, but when they wanted to find a way through the wilderness, the ark went before them; it was grace. It is remarkable there is no direction as to the walk, but " filled with the knowledge of his will." Are you that? How often we do not know if we are right, even when we desire it. Seeing the path through the wilderness tests the state. The vulture's eye hath not seen it.
If we are to walk worthy of the Lord, we must be filled with the knowledge of His will. Men ought to read Christ in you as distinctly as the ten commandments on the tables of stone. This is the apostle's comparison, not mine. We shall be perfectly like Christ in glory, and the eye is directed to that now. He says, as it were, I am going away, and I cannot be glorified in my own person down here, but I should be in you. You are called to walk worthy of the Lord.
The first thing that struck me, when I began to think at all seriously, was that Christ never did anything for Himself; it ought to govern our hearts, our motives, everything. He was never weary of doing good. As a man He sat weary at the well, yet ready to speak to a poor woman. He had come down so low as to be dependent on her for a drink of water. We should walk, here having Christ before the heart, governing us, as the only motive. He was at all times, and in every case, governed by divine principles; sensible to everything around Him, but never governed by what was around Him; governed always by what was divine. We should always be governed by Him. He was at all times the expression of divine perfections.
" Christ is all and in all;" not all in all; that is never said of Christ. God is " all in all." Our calling is to walk worthy of the Lord; we are in that place epistles of Christ., I am called to walk through this world to express Christ. There are three ways in which we are told to walk worthy: of God,, of the Lord, and: of the vocation. `f Hereby, perceive we the love of God, because, he laid down, his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives 'for the -brethren." It: is the spiritual, state that discerns what' is worthy of the Lord.
Verse 11. "Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power." You would expect it was to do something great. No; 'to be patient. There is no will when. I, am patient. You will find where you fail through the day it is patience has failed. We get wisdom to show what the path is; strength to walk in it; not strength to overcome but strength to endure. We idol not read; resist the devil and you will overcome him, but " resist, and he will flee from you." He knows he has met Christ, for flesh would not resist him.
Verse 12. " Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." Now he comes to what set him in the path. I am fit for heaven-made meet. I cannot look up to God without having the consciousness, I am fit to be there in light. An exercised heart looks at Christ. The thief was fit to go to heaven. He confessed the Lord when the disciples were afraid to do it. He says " Lord," and cared for nothing, though he was in agony, but " Lord, remember me;" and it is an ugly place to be remembered on a gibbet.
Do you believe that Christ by His work has made you fit? I do not ask have you accepted it. God has. He gave His Son in love, and accepted Him in righteousness, and the thing that gives me peace is what God thinks of it. We are delivered from Satan's power; resist him and' he will flee from you; Christ has broken his power. I am delivered from the power of darkness, but that did not content God; He has translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. We have got a positive place-the kingdom of the Son of His love; not of light, though it is that. God has two special names-light and love; and I get the love as well as the light. He is not content to say it is in light, but it is love too. Then he speaks of the fullness of Christ's character, but I cannot go into it all.
Verse 16. I get blessed revelations brought close down to me. You must not suppose that we do not know Him because He is not present, for we know Him a great deal better, because we have the Spirit. I am not a stranger to God; I know Him, and as my Father. You cannot get further than the Father; if you get that you get everything. I have met God, I know what He is, and He is all love to me. We have the real revelation of God to our souls.
See Him in John 4 Had He a hard word for the poor Samaritan woman? No; He says: " If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." I have got it. He is all love to me. It makes me feel what a poor creature I am, these blessed revelations.
1 John 4:16: " God dwelleth in him and he in God." We have the consciousness that He dwells in us. When I make my abode with the Father and the Son up there; they will make their abode with me down here. One has a consciousness that He is with us, in us. He goes on revealing Himself to us.
The time is coming when Christ will take to Himself His great power; then I shall get glory.
His first coming did not bring the world into order; at His second coming everything will be brought into order in earth and heaven. Look at the earth now; oppressions, wars, &c.; that was how Christ found the world, and He was a Man of sorrows in it. In heaven we read the angels were cast out, and we never hear of them there again. Do you think Christ will allow such things? Not for a moment. He will reconcile all things, but you hath He reconciled. It is never said, God is reconciled to us. God's love was the spring of it all. I joy in God, instead of hiding myself from Him like Adam. You are brought now to enjoy His love. " Herein is love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment."
I cannot realize this wonderful love of God without loving Him. It is the sense of its mother's love that makes the child obedient. I am reconciled; I am fit to be in the light. There is no " if " in what has gone before. " Perfect love " accomplished all: " by one offering perfected forever." The word "forever" means uninterruptedly; the " if " never comes in as to redemption. The thief goes straight to heaven.
In the wilderness we are tested. You must set out for Canaan, or you will not get there. We have the journey to take where the dangers are and thus we are-thrown on the faithfulness of God to keep us, and that is dependence. The danger is real, but the dare is faithful; it' is constant dependence; He has to keep us every moment. " No man shall pluck them out of my hand," but why does he say so if there is no 'danger? Satan would like to do it. "Pluck;" is the same' word as " catcheth:" the wolf catcheth the sheep. In 1 Cor. 1:8,8Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:8) we have: " Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ;" and then he begins and blames then for every single thing as to their walk. They had more gift than grace -these poor Corinthians.
Christ is in heaven because my sins are gone, but when I come to my path, there is not an instant that I am not dependent on His faithfulness; every instant of every day I need to be in dependence on Him. " He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous." God had been considering Job; it is God who directs Satan's attention to Job, but He forces Satan to own that Job was no hypocrite. He withdraweth not his eyes for one instant. He has a constant unceasing care over us every moment. It is not a question of my walk, but of the unchanging faithfulness of the living Lord. He never takes His eye off us. If mine are always on Him, He will guide me with His eye. " As 'he is, so are we in this world." Is it presumption for us to believe what God says, though it is most wonderful? blessed too! Look at Israel. They were going on wretchedly, "A stiffnecked people;" but what do I hear from the mountain? " I have not seen iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel." No encouragement to carelessness, but encouragement to lean on the 'Beloved. We are strengthened, but we need it; and have to walk in the sense of our need of it.
The Lord give us beloved friends the full; blessed consciousness, of the full 'efficacy of the work of Christ.
(J. N. D.)