In the previous lesson we saw in more detail Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, this time we will meditate more on what it means to be called into the light.
At the end of that prayer (v. 12) Paul uses the following description: “saints in light.” We will stop here so that we can be struck once again with the beauty and grandeur of the Gospel.
Before, the questions about how to be holy and how to stay in the light begin. Paul reminds them:
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14
Into the Light, Into His Kingdom
A reminder that this work is not ours; rather, it is the Lord’s work on our behalf. He’s saying, do not believe that this depends on your strength; but from the power of God.
Being transferred into the light, doesn’t mean that we are better than anyone else; it means we have received redemption; through the Son and now we are part of his kingdom.
Just as we said before, we cannot leave this truth as something we already know or as something common. It is a truth that should move us and should lead us to surrender our lives to our redeemer.
Let us remember that Paul’s purpose in this letter is to rebut false teachings and highlight the Supreme place of Christ in the lives of the Colossians, and that it may also be so in our lives.
The Plague of Darkness
As I read verse 13, I can’t stop thinking about the exodus from Egypt; but not only in the output, specifically in the plague of darkness; read Exodus 10:21-23 to remember how this event was.
The Word tells us that the darkness for the Egyptians was so dense that no one could get up from their place. Just try to imagine yourself in that darkness. Remember that dreaded quarantine time we recently experienced? Even the most ordinary tasks become complicated.
Imagine three days without being able to move because you can’t see a thing. If you decided to try to do something productive, you would surely fail or even hurt yourself.
Paul reminds us that the Father removed us from the domain of darkness, from that dense darkness that did not allow us to move and act according to how we were designed.
Later in chapter 2:13 it says: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.” We were like the Egyptians, living in darkness and through Christ we were transferred into the light, receiving forgiveness for our sins.
On the cross, Christ paid our ransom from the kingdom of darkness, let us read as Isaiah prophesied: “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)
The Lord kept his people from darkness during the plague in Egypt, and through the work of Christ has saved us also from darkness. How will we respond to this?
Our Response
Let’s not allow the daily life of this world and not even that of living the Christian life to limit us from understanding how wonderful it is that we have been redeemed. Christ overcame the darkness and has taken us out of it, and all this totally undeserved.
This truth is not one more that we should simply know, like multiplication facts. It is a truth that we must celebrate and treasure because our life and our eternity depend on it.
As we will see later, it is being transferred into the Light that allows us to enjoy a new nature. It is the weapon that we have against darkness, that the Lord has redeemed us; that we are complete in Him.
We were dead; but if you have put your faith in the redemptive work of Christ; you have been raised with Him. You have part in the inheritance of the saints in the Light. In Him, we have our hope.
In the following lessons we will continue to be amazed by this Word of Truth, by the Gospel, since it is the only way in which we can be renewed in our understanding and yearn to live for his glory.
