Colossians 2:15 And
having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly,
triumphing over them in it.
In context, we know that
the principalities and powers being referenced by Paul are those that are
evil. This was declared more explicitly
in his letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places.”
Jesus’ death, burial and
resurrection were public events. His
resurrection openly proved His power and authority over Satan and all his evil
forces. Satan had tried in many ways to
thwart the coming of the Messiah. I am
sure he thought he had finally won when Jesus was crucified and buried. I think he had convinced himself that he had
finally proven himself the most powerful—but he didn’t count on the
resurrection. I wonder if even now he
truly thinks he has a chance at winning, or is he just determined to take as
many with him as he can at his final defeat.
He knows the scripture as well as we.
He has always had to operate within the parameters that God has
established for him—as evidenced by the record of his attacks on Job. His commitment to his losing cause is amazing
to me. But isn’t that the pathetic
mindset of many who reject the truth of God and His word. It’s like they think if they believe
something different hard enough and commit themselves to it with great passion,
that it will prove to be true. All that
just to avoid humbling themselves before God and accepting the gift of
salvation that He offers in His Son. They
just don’t want to be accountable to God.
They choose to put all their energy into serving the flesh and enjoying
the pleasures of sin for a season instead of putting that same energy into
serving God and enjoying His presence and His blessings for eternity.
Colossians 2:16-17 Let no
man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or
of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come;
but the body is of Christ.
Paul is warning the
Colossian believers that these false teachers would try to provoke them to
guilt by judging them for eating what they identify as unclean or for not
observing set holy days. This would
indicate that they would make use of the Old Testament scriptures to teach that
obedience to the law is what God demands of them, contrary to the freedom in
Christ that Paul and the other apostles were teaching. In fact, the law they were espousing was
according to the traditions of men and not according to the intent for which
God established it. The laws and holy
days were originally established as a picture the ministry of the Messiah in
the life of the believer. They were but
shadows to the reality that would be lived out by Christ in the flesh.
Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very
image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by
year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
The whole of the law and
the holy days were dominated by a sacrificial system that required that an
innocent animal without blemish be killed and its blood shed to provide
temporary atonement for their sin. This
system along with the design of the tabernacle and temple and ministry of the priests
all pointed to the coming Messiah who would willingly lay down His life as the
only acceptable sacrifice before God to provide atonement for mankind once for
all for all who would turn to Him in
faith and repentance.
Hebrews 10:7-10 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the
volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he
said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou
wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that
he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
1Timothy 2:4-6 Who will have all men to
be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all,
to be testified in due time.
This does not mean,
however, that all men are automatically saved.
Scripture is very clear in declaring that the gift of salvation is only
bestowed upon those that accept it through faith and repentance that are
evidenced by obedience.
Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of
works, lest any man should boast.”
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.”
John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him,
and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
James 2:26 “For as the body without
the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth….”
John 3:36 “He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
(to be continued…)
No comments:
Post a Comment