(a good reason to break the fourth wall.)

Yesterday morning, when I realised I hadn't left myself enough time to really dig my cleats into the Word before I needed to leave the house, I prayed more than usual against the inclination to read only so I could say I had read. I had to remind myself that there was no reason to read if it wasn't because of the content, if it wasn't because reading the Word was life-giving (and a command).

I tried to pray it but I barely believed it. Thanks be to God that He caught me anyways. Colossians is an excellent read from a literary perspective (initial engagement) but also excellent for the rich and beautiful content (continuing engagement).

Here's the one that snagged me like a brier:

  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:9-15)

I've read it dozens of times before but on this particular day I found it jaw-dropping astonishing. It's beautiful and perfect and I'm thankful to God that he has rescued me from my dead body and my evil heart.

• Fullness--lacking nothing; having abundance
• Circumcision of the heart--irreversible cleansing
• Buried and raised with Christ--dead to sin, alive clothed in His righteousness eternally
• Legally debt-free--no longer working as a slave to clear an impossible balance
• Uncondemned--
• Uncondemned--
• Uncondemned--

--because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit

who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

• He has taken away the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us. He nailed it to the cross.

• He triumphed by the cross.

And then I checked the note in my study Bible to see if the scholars could also stir me up to worship. To my delight, they did. They trot out a list of marvellous, impossible, impeccable things and the simplicity of language is brilliant and delicious.

Here Paul declares that the Christian is complete in Christ, rather than being deficient as the Gnostics claimed. This completeness includes the putting off of the flesh (v. 11), resurrection from spiritual death (v.12-13), forgiveness (v. 13) and deliverance from legalistic requirements (v. 14) and from evil spirit beings (v. 15).
The New International Version Study Bible. Ed. Kenneth L. Barker. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. 2014. Print.

Well, it's all very good news (for those who are in Christ). It's all very good news.

[The only other thing I can say is that if you're reading this and you want this completeness, life, and freedom that I'm describing but don't know the middle steps to get there, then PLEASE---send me an email and allow me the privilege of explaining further. You can also comment on the blog and since comments get filtered through me, I will see it as an email but never publish it, so the correspondence will be private.]

Know this God.

  Know Him!