[Let the message of Christ dwell among you] … richly …
Summary: Experiencing Christ involves separating the wheat from the chaff, or as we say these days, the signal from the noise. Paul wants you to succeed and experience Christ richly.
Is it true that salvation is all about who we know rather than what we know?
Putting the burden of faith on what we know is a common misconception. We know this is true because so many people do it!
It is not that there isn’t precedent for relying on what we know. By the time Jesus was a man and walked on earth, almost the entire priest class was obsessed with knowledge about God rather than knowing God.
We know that this is true because when God, in the form of Jesus Christ, came and walked among them, they didn’t recognize him.
In fact, they argued with him!
The Pharisees, Sadducees, and teachers of the law continually found fault with Jesus because he didn’t follow their rules.
But Jesus knew who he was. He didn’t argue with the Pharisees based on his opinion about God. Jesus knew what he was talking about because he is God (John 10:30).
After the people who didn’t know God but thought they knew everything about God had killed Jesus, Jesus proved them wrong again by rising from the dead.
Then he sent God’s own Spirit among the believers, beginning with his disciples whom he now called Apostles. As a result, the knowledge of God began to spread among the Jews with fire (Acts 2:3-4) and power (Acts 4:33, 2 Timothy 1:7). Eventually, even some Gentiles were drawn into a relationship with the living God (Acts 10:44-45).
At this point, a man known as Saul began to persecute the people who believed in Jesus (Acts 8:3). In his own words, he “persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13). He did this because the believers disagreed with what he thought he knew about God.
Then, Saul (also known as Paul) saw the light. He met Jesus face to face, and that changed everything. In a flash of light, everything he thought he knew about God evaporated, and the reality of God changed him forever. Paul’s encounter launched his mission to share the true gospel, though not everyone grasped it.
What happens next has caused a lot of confusion among the believers.
Paul argues that we need to stay true to the gospel message. He argues against anyone who gets it wrong, such as the “the circumcision” group (Ephesians 2:11-13), and argues for a correct understanding of faith.
Why do I go into all this background about Paul and the Gospel message?
Because the “message of Christ” is really a letter of introduction and an invitation to meet Jesus personally. Not necessarily like Paul did on the road to Damascus, but by faith. Through faith, we can experience the living presence of God through his Holy Spirit. Through faith, the “message of Christ dwell(s) among us.”
To experience the “message of Christ” richly, it is best to experience it directly. Paul relied on Christ’s revelation, not human ideas, to keep the message pure. Enjoy Jesus. Don’t let anyone water down his message. Rely on the Scriptures, and Christ will dwell among you richly.
Application: Trust Jesus by letting His word guide you.
Food for Thought: How can we spot the difference between human teachings and Scripture?
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