1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Today begins our reading of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This was another letter written by Paul while he was in prison in Rome. From what we know, Paul had never visited the small town of Colossae. The church there was started by Epaphras, who may have been a convert of Paul’s. Paul wrote the letter to combat false teaching that had already begun to infiltrate the Colossian church.
…We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints…
Paul had never been to Colossae. He had never met the believers there. But he was thankful to God that he heard about two main things in the lives of the Colossian believers–faith in Christ Jesus and love for all the saints.
These two things–faith and love–go hand-in-hand. They are the core of the Christian life. I must trust in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I must embrace Him, rely on Him, boast in Him alone. And the evidence and outpouring of that faith in Christ is my love for all the saints. That word “all” really stands out. I can’t pick and choose. Just as in a physical family, my brothers and sisters are my brothers and sisters whether I agree with them, like them, enjoy them or not. Faith in Christ teaches me to love His people. Indeed, that really is the only way I can love them. Faith is what opens me up to the power of the Spirit and the flow of Christ’s love. As the Spirit fills me, His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control then manifest themselves in my relationships with others. If I have no love…or if I only love those whom I enjoy being around anyway…then the reality of my faith in Christ Jesus is non-existent or weak at best.
Faith in Christ…love for all the saints…springing from the hope we have in heaven…and the truth that we have in the gospel of grace. That about sums up the heart of Christianity.
Lord, strengthen my faith and give me a greater love for your people.
