Colossians Lesson 3

The Colossian Letter—1:13-14
God Saves Sinners

The Theological battlefield
Who Saves Sinners?
How much of a sinner’s salvation is due to his or her own contribution to the process.
Easy believism

1. How God Saves Sinners part 1—Col 1:13 "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love…”

a. He—our salvation and deliverance are 100% a work of God
b. What He did—Delivered and Transferred.
(1) The two verbs are aorist, indicating a point in time.
(2) They are two parts of one whole: He delivered, He conveyed
c. Delivered by God From Darkness, Transferred to the Kingdom of Christ

Delivered (erusato). First aorist middle indicative of ruomai, old verb, to rescue. …God rescued us out from (ek) the power (exousias) of the kingdom of darkness (skotous) in which we were held as slaves. A.T. Robertson

d. Domain of Darkness—The word, exousias, in the Greek, means a domain, an authority. The word for darkness indicates the darkest of dark parts of the night.

e. Domain of Darkness This is the same phrase that Jesus used for the forces arrayed against Him (Mac)—

(1) Luke 22:52-53 "Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 "When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.""

(2) Darkness has an organization and a command structure!

Eph 6:12 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

(3) The Lost Love the Darkness

John 3:19 ""And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

(4) Darkness is incompatible with light

2 Cor 6:14 "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?"

(5) Darkness cannot defeat light

John 1:5 "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Comprehend can mean “understand,” but also means “does not overcome…”

(6) We were part of darkness, and we should therefore avoid it completely and oppose it as well—Eph 5:8 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light" Eph 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."

1 Th 5:4-5 "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness."

1 Pet 2:9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;"

b. The Kingdom of the Son of His Love—There are well over 100 direct references in the New Testament to the Kingdom of God, or Kingdom of Heaven. It is not only the kingdom that we will live in forever, but once we are saved, we are in it already.

c. This is not just the Kingdom of the Son, but of the Son of His Love—God, in His concern to demonstrate His love for us, uses special terms so we can understand the depth of the sacrifice He made to save us.

(1) One term is Beloved Son, or Son of His Love; the other term is monogenes—only begotten.

Mat 3:17 "And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.""

Mat 17:5 "While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!""

Mark 1:11 "Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.""

Mark 9:7 "And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!""

Luke 3:22 "And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.""

Luke 9:35 "And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!""

John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 1:18 "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him."

John 3:16 ""For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:18 ""He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

1 John 4:9 "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."

b. Transferred—removed, taken out. The word also means “rescued.”

2. Blood Atonement—Col 1:14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

a. Redemption refers to the buying back of something that was lost.
b. Redemption is through the blood

“…Through the redemption …” ... A releasing by ransom … God did not set men right out of hand with nothing done about men’s sins. We have the words of Jesus that he came to give his life a ransom … for many (Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28). Lutron is common in the papyri as the purchase-money in freeing slaves ….). (AT Robertson)

Gal 3:13 "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),"

1 Pet 1:18-19 "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

Rev 5:9 "And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,"

Psa 130:7 "O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption."

1 Cor 1:30 "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and redemption;"

Eph 1:7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace"

Eph 1:14 "who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

Eph 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Rom 3:24 "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"

Heb 9:12 "Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

Psa 49:8 “…the redemption of their souls is costly…”