To the saints, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you from God our Father!
Into the Text
Paul begins his letter to the Colossian Christians with some astounding words of their identity. These words, written over 2,000 years ago, ring true of our identity in Christ today.
He first addresses the Colossians as saints. This is exactly how God sees every person who has trusted in Jesus as his or her Savior. We are His holy people, chosen and set apart for Him. We have been called out of this world to live for the world to come.
Paul then greets the believers with “Grace and peace to you!” This grace, God’s grace, is crucial for a saving faith in Jesus. Without it, we would be without hope.
Grace is God dealing with us infinitely better than we deserve. It is His unmerited favor. Did you catch that? We don’t deserve His grace, but He has pursued, loved, forgiven, and made us His children. It is not because we are better, more deserving, or more spiritually committed than other people. It is simply because of His love for us.
The Christian life is lived by trusting in God’s grace, given to us in Jesus. We are God’s beloved children, and it is His grace, not our performance, that will provide us with all we need to live for Him.
If we could truly understand grace and receive what Christ has accomplished for us, our hearts and lives would be filled with peace. The Colossians needed to hear this truth, and so do we today. I pray that studying the book of Colossians will help us to know Jesus better, the One “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and that we would be filled with His peace as we grow in the understanding of His grace.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and dealing with me infinitely better than I deserve by giving me your Son, Jesus. Please help me to know Him better. Amen.