Tag: unity

Posted on

Colossians 2:19b – In Search of a Body

A crowd of people in the style of a stained glass window. Each person is depicted with an aura around their head.

… from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Summary: The body Paul describes can seem elusive in a world marked by divisions in the church. Exploring the concept in more detail leads us to a place of hope and introspection. 

Paul raises a very interesting question in this passage: Does the body grow from the head? 

It seems like a silly thought, but then I’ve never seen how the body of a human (or anything else) begins life. The miracle of life always begins hidden away from sight. 

However, if we use the body as a metaphor for an organization, then yes, it begins with the head. Jesus is not only the “head” of the church, he is also the heart and the soul. 

Continue reading “Colossians 2:19b – In Search of a Body”
Posted on

Colossians 2:9 – Full of Jesus

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form …

Summary: Sometimes we have to experience something to know what it is. When it comes to understanding the spiritual reality of Jesus, tasting is believing. 

It is interesting how God’s Spirit weaves patterns in the fabric of our lives (John 3:8). Today, before writing this meditation, I was at a Bible Study discussing a similar question. In this passage, Paul writes: 

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The last part of his sentence reads, “… attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” 

Continue reading “Colossians 2:9 – Full of Jesus”
Posted on

Colossians 2:8d – The Path to Unity

…rather than on Christ.

Summary: As we come to the end of this verse, Paul points us, once again, to the only one who can save us: Jesus. 

Wait a minute! How did we get here again? 

Let’s review: 

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

In this one sentence, Paul has outlined a major threat to those of us who believe in Jesus. A “hollow and deceptive philosophy” is a persuasive argument that looks substantial on the outside but inside is empty, void of any real value. 

Continue reading “Colossians 2:8d – The Path to Unity”
Proudly powered by WordPress