August 15, 2011
Father, Son, Holy Spirit: One God,
Three Divine Persons
Part Two
The Deity of Christ
Colossians 1:13-14
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My friend told me not long ago that she would never accept the deity of Jesus Christ. She had no problem accepting that Jesus was the Son of God, but she denied vehemently that Jesus was God. She said that no matter how many Bible passages we read affirming the deity of Jesus Christ, she would never change her mind. She had made up her mind before she read the Bible. So often, we refuse to accept what God revealed about Himself through the Bible. Happily my friend had a loving dad who read the Bible over the telephone every day with her and God changed her heart and she believed Jesus was indeed God. God gloriously saved my friend and her dad. Instead of forcing our ideas into the Bible, so that we misconstrue verses according to our own preconceived ideas, we must instead allow God to speak to us through the Bible. God speaks to us as we listen to Him, trusting Him to help us understand His written revelation of Himself. So we will study the Bible today, to learn to love God more.
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14
Rescued Us, Transferred Us. God loves for us to understand what He has done for us. In Colossians 1:13, God draws our attention to: (1) He rescued (“ἐρρύσατο“) us from the domain of darkness and (2) He transferred (“μετέστησεν“) us into the kingdom of His beloved Son. Paul emphasizes the completed fact of transference here. In spiritual fact, God the Father rescued me from the domain (“ἐξουσίας“) (and authority) of darkness. I needed rescuing and He rescued me once and for all, done, complete, finished rescue. But that was only half the story. He also transferred me in the same way. I no longer live under the authority of darkness or in the realm of darkness, because God rescued me and transferred me. Now I live in the kingdom of His Beloved Son, Jesus. As you live today, how does it feel to live in the kingdom of Jesus Christ? Let us ponder for a moment this whole idea of rescue and transfer. God the Father used His divine power to rescue us from the power and authority of the realm of darkness. God the Father used His divine power to transfer us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, that we should live there forever. We see here the revelation of the divinity of the Son because of the activity of God the Son in the plans of God the Father. God the Son played an active role in the rescue and transfer, and the plan of God for us was truly the plan of both God the Father and God the Son, acting in perfect harmony, as always.
Redemption and Forgiveness. In Colossians 1:14, the work of God the Son comes into sharp focus to grab our attention. In verse 13, we see God the Father’s work (rescued, transferred), and now in verse 14 we see God the Son’s work: (1) redemption (“ἀπολύτρωσιν“) and (2) forgiveness (“ἄφεσιν“) of sins. Paul does not speak about the dust rings of Saturn here, but our very spiritual lives from the perspective of spiritual eternity. We should base our entire lives upon the truths revealed to us here, because they describe who we really are in Christ, and what has happened to us in Christ. Every day we should live in the certainty of redemption, and most Christians do not really understand the term redemption. In the New Testament, redemption means deliverance obtained by having paid by a ransom, or the buying back of a slave. Do not be confused. God never paid a ransom to Satan for you, and Satan never owned you. God created you and always owned you, but sin caused spiritual death, and the wages of sin is death. You existed in the spiritual domain of darkness. The debt due was always due to the righteousness and justice of God, because you had incurred a debt by sinning for which you could never repay to God. God cannot ignore the debt, or He would be unjust. Instead, He paid the debt Himself and bought you back through the death of God the Son. God the Son paid the price of sin for you, and suffered once and for all by giving His life a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:6, page 1855). Because He paid the price for your sins, you now enjoy forgiveness resulting from redemption. God the Father never holds a grudge against us because we sinned. We needed rescuing and transferring, and it cost Him His Only Son, to redeem us. Because God the Father loved us, God the Father gave the life of His beloved Son, to redeem us and forgive us, so we could all live together in eternal love. Are you ready to have a great day yet?
So we learn more about the Trinity today.
● God the Father rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.
● In God the Son, we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
● We understand the plans of God because He loves us, and has disclosed His plans to us, so that we might love Him all the more, every day.
Application for Today
As I live today, I am going to enjoy the kingdom of God the Son, and delight in my redemption and forgiveness. Today, I will not live as if I am still living in the domain of darkness, but instead live in the brilliant love of God as I ponder His plans for my life, as I walk in His kingdom. Let me know how your walk in the kingdom of His Beloved Son went today. Are you ready for a great day today?
