OCT 23

Colossians 1:23
Memorise 1 Corinthians 15:58
“…grounded and settled…”

The first part of Colossians 1:23 reads, “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel…” Paul links this verse to the previous verse by the word “if”, to point out that there will be some who will waver in their faith. We know that we must never waver, but instead be grounded on Christ the solid foundation; and be settled and steadfast (same Greek word in 1 Corinthians 15:58), building upon this firm foundation. A building that has a rock solid foundation (“grounded”) and has pillars that burrow deep into this foundation (“settled”), will not move much when an earthquake occurs, compared to a building which has neither a solid foundation nor deep pillars. We need to know more than just the basics of Christianity; we need to study God’s Word deeply to build upon our knowledge of saving faith. For indeed some will be moved away from the hope of the gospel: the passive voice indicating that it is an external factor that moves them away, i.e., false teachers. The gospel brings hope, pointing us to the eternal joys that await true believers. In contrast, the false gospels brought by these false teachers will bring only despair.

We must therefore not allow ourselves to be moved from hope to despair. We must be crystal clear that our own faith stands on nothing else but Christ Jesus. We must study God’s Word to build upon this foundation and ensure that we do not fall prey to the seducing words of these false teachers. For example, if we start to believe the false teachers who say that we must keep the law perfectly otherwise we lose our salvation, then we will not only be continually disappointed in ourselves, but we may also become overly critical of others who do not keep the law perfectly either. I remember one such teen who became so critical of herself and others that it was impossible to hold a casual conversation with her, as she took everything seriously. She had forgotten God’s Word that Jesus Christ had already kept the law perfectly on her behalf, and thus succumbed to false teachers who had advocated such a Pharisaical streak. Instead of having the joy of salvation, she sank into the depths of despair, and could not find a church that she could comfortably settle in.

Thought: If I am grounded and settled, I am not easily moved.
Prayer: May I be both grounded and settled on Christ.