Salvation Summaries

OVERVIEW OF COLOSSIANS

Paul (with Timothy) wrote this letter to Colossian believers to address some problems they were having because of false teachings about Christ. They were being deluded by false teachers to believe that Christ alone is not sufficient for their salvation, and because of this, their salvation was not assured.  In response to this, Paul “pounded the table” that Christ, who is the source of all wisdom and knowledge, is all one needs for salvation, and that believers are made complete by Him (and in Him). To prove his point, Paul reminded them of Christ’s deity and power (the visible image of the invisible God, the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth), role (head of the church) and purpose (by Him God reconciled everything to Himself).  He also reminded the Colossians of how their life has changed from when they were not saved to becoming saved.  Paul concludes this short letter with a laundry list of do’s and don’ts to help the believers live in a way that pleases the Lord.

One potentially easy way to remember what Colossians is about is the acronym ABC, where A is what they were like, spiritually, After becoming saved; B is what they were like Before they were saved; and C stands for Christ, as He alone is sufficient for their salvation.

SALVATION VERSES IN COLOSSIANS

Colossians contains a number of verses that show what happens when a person becomes saved, and others that provide assurance of one’s salvation.  But Colossians also includes one verse that seems to indicate a person’s salvation is conditional rather than secure.

Does Paul know whether the people he is writing to are saved?

The answer to this question is “yes.”  It is clear that Paul knows that the people he wrote to are saved based upon what he told them and how he described them:

• they are holy and as faithful brothers and sisters in Christ (1:2)
• they trust in Christ (1:3)
• love all of God’s people (1:3)
• the good news changed their life (1:6)
• God has forgiven all of their sins (1:14)
• the Lord has rescued them from Satan (1:13)
• they are holy and blameless before God (1:22)
• they have assurance of their salvation (1:23)
• they have a strong faith in Christ (2:5)
• they accepted Christ as Lord (2:6)
• they have union with Christ (2:10)
• they have come to Christ (2:11)
• they were raised to a new life because of trusting in Christ (2:12, 3:1)
• they’ve died with Christ (2:20)
• the Lord will give them an inheritance (3:24)

If Paul knew then that other people are saved, can we know the same thing today?

I would answer this question in this way: if people are saved today in the same way they were in Paul’s day (God and the Bible haven’t changed, so it’s reasonable to assume that the way to become saved has not changed), and if Paul could know that others are saved, then we should be able to know that others are saved too.

“But how?” you might ask.  We can use the same list above that Paul used to describe the Colossian Christians. For example, if you know that another person has trusted in Christ (1:3), has a strong faith in Christ (2:5), accepted Christ as Lord (2:6), a love for God’s people (1:3), and has a changed life after hearing the good news (1:6), then you know, and they know, that they are saved.

How were the people that Paul wrote to saved?  Was it a one-time event, or a life-long process?

The people were saved after hearing and understanding the gospel of God’s grace that was preached to them by Epaphras. Having understood the gospel, they received faith from the Lord, and accepted Him as Lord of their lives.  This can be seen from the following verses:

• Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

• Colossians 1:3-8 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints– 5 the 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 6 that 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. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

• Colossians 2:6-7 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

As a result, the salvation of these particular people was a one-time event rather than an ongoing or life-long process.

Let me make a comment here about salvation that some may disagree with.  I think it’s unfortunate that some church denominations downplay, or even dismiss, the idea of witnessing to others under the view that God has already predetermined who is saved and who is not, so witnessing to save another is unnecessary.  I’m afraid that those who think this way are missing something.  How were the Colossian believers saved? From hearing the gospel preached to them by Epaphras.  Did God already know that they would be saved?  Yes. Does that mean Epaphras did not need to preach to them?  No. Epaphras was the instrument God used to save these Colossians.  In the same way, we today can be the instrument God uses to save others. In addition, it’s not only our responsibility, as Christians, to tell others the Good News, it should be something that we want to do as well.

And while I’m on the subject of possibly offending a  few readers (sorry!), let me make one more controversial comment.  It is interesting to note that there is no mention of circumcision or baptism in the salvation of these believers. Paul describes the believers in a number of different ways (faithful, trusted Christ, love other believers, etc.) but never mentions that they had been baptized or circumcised. That’s not to say that circumcision and baptism don’t play a role in one’s spiritual life, but rather to simply note that neither appeared to be required for these people to be saved.