Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Have you ever read the Good News that fills Paul's Letter to the Colossians? According to the New English Bible, he addresses it to the "brothers in the faith, incorporate in Christ" (1:1, 2). That idea of being "in Christ" is repeated over and over. Again, in verse 4, "we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus," and again in verse 8, "your love in the Spirit." Paul has a magnificent idea--the human race has been adopted in Christ. We are no longer orphans! Christ has become the new Adam, the new Head of the human race.
The idea is repeated in verse 13, He has "translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son." Again, it is repeated in verse 14--here is something Paul wants us to understand: In Christ "we have redemption through His blood." You must not think that this redemption is kept away from you until you do something first--note, the redemption is accomplished through His blood, that is, the blood that was shed at the cross. It was there that our redemption as the human race was accomplished. Whatever happened at the cross applies to you. Your own personal worthiness or unworthiness has nothing to do with it.
Verses 21 and 22 repeat the thought again, "You, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh."
And in chapter 2, verse 7, Paul prays for you that you may be "rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." That expression "the faith" doesn't mean a set of doctrines or a creed. It means a heart-appreciation for what Christ accomplished on His cross--that He redeemed you, set your feet in the path to eternal life, forgave you your sins, elected you to eternal life.
Stop worrying about whether God has accepted you or not. The truth is that He has accepted you in Christ, and now today, this new day, you are to be "rooted and built up in Him, in faith." Yes, please read this letter to the Colossians--and see the Good News that is there.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 1994 Phone Message.
Copyright © 2011 by Robert J. Wieland.
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