Understanding Jesus

“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”

Colossians 1:13-14 NLT

This book has been one of my favorites as a young Christian that helped me understand my identity because of Jesus, that resulted in freedom from sin in my life. Paul writes this letter to a church he’s never met, as he is in jail for preaching the gospel. But he is just so inspired by their faith and how it has been growing, and is being challenged by cultural expectations and pressures. 

So who are we?

Verse 12 says God qualifies us to take part in the inheritance for his holy people. Verse 13 says through his Son he rescued us from darkness. Verse 11 says by his glorious power we have the endurance and patience we need. We have this restored self that does not depend on us in any way, but is available to us freely through Jesus. 

And who is this Jesus that empowers us?

Verses 15 through 23 gives us this beautiful description of who Jesus is from the beginning. He is the first born among creation (original creation). He is the firstborn from among the risen from the dead (new creation). All of God’s fullness is in him. And by his blood he reconciled, made peace with everything. 

Understanding who Jesus is, and what my baptism brought me to be this new creation, it empowers me to repent of sin. The first time I studied this book, I had been a Christian for maybe six months. I came from the world with a lot of insecurities wanting to be what others around me wanted me to be. And I had this deep desired to be loved and be filled by earthly things that was never enough. In my mind, I felt defeated. It felt like I was incapable of overcoming sin. So I started confessing, praying and really digging in the scriptures. Studying Colossians allowed me to understand how much I was loved by the Creator, and it is him that empowers me to do anything. Colossians 2:10 says in Christ we are complete. How could my sin be bigger than Jesus’ blood? I had no excuse for something so glorious and holy. My response cannot be anything else but to grow in this faith and  present this truth to everyone. And I love how Paul did not view this as a duty, but as a goal. We have this mystery of Jesus revealed to us that enables us to live for him and in him.