A Complete Salvation Series

A Complete Salvation

Colossians 1:1-8

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints ¡X 5the 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 6that 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. 7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

I His Greeting vs. 1-2

Paul the Apostle ¡Vfulfilling his divine calling to preach the gospel, to testify to the veracity of the death, burial, and resurrection, and to establish churches throughout the world by continually planting the seed of truth into the hearts of receptive people ¡V a man who speaks w/ an anointing and w/ authority.

Writing to the those who have received the message of truth; who had been set apart from sin unto God (holy) by an act of grace; and who remain faithful to the task in the midst of persecution, unrest, and apostasy.

II His Thanksgiving vs. 3-4

Paul was thankful that the believers at Colossae had an authentic faith measurable by their love for one another and by the growth of the church in Great Commission ministry. Paul was grateful that there was tangible evidence that this church was alive and fruitful to the glory of God. He was glad to know that they had a positive and powerful testimony and reputation.

III His Message vs. 5-6

Note: Faith and love spring forth from the hope that every believer has in Christ. It is a hope that is founded upon the promises of Christ as the living word found in God¡¦s written word. It is also a hope that is continually lived and proclaimed bearing fruit throughout the world.

Word: Gospel ¡V refers to the good news that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins, was buried, and that He arose from the grave on the third day conquering sin and death thus providing a means for all men to have their sins forgiven and to be redeemed.

A The Gospel is Received by Faith

1 An Issue of Trust

Notes: pistis to be persuaded something is true and to trust in it completely w/out reservation.

Origin: pistis comes from the root word peitho meaning to obey. All genuine faith is rooted in the spirit of obedience. Faith w/out works, w/out obedience, w/out love is not faith at all.

Verse: This is my command: Love each other. Jn 15:17

But someone will say, ¡§You have faith; I have deeds.¡¨ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. Jm 2:18

Truth: Authentic faith is not dead intellectual accent, but rather it manifests an experiential lifestyle of loving religious conviction and compassion.

2 An Issue of Fact

Idea: Faith is not a blind leap of faith. Rather it is based on fact and grounded in evidence.

Verse: Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 1 Cor. 15:1-6

Idea: Faith is built on something stable and trustworthy ¡V proven by fire ¡V it can w/stand any and all test.

B The Gospel Results in Love

Truth: Genuine faith does not exist in a vacuum, but will ultimately manifest itself in a changed life. B/c Christ is love, those who are possessed by His love will exude His love. True believers will love the truth, the church, and the lost..

Verse: We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ¡§I know him,¡¨ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God¡¦s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 Jn 2:3-6