‘How can I be saved?’ Answers from ‘Colossians’

There is surely no greater question than ‘How can I be saved?’, yet how few people ask it. Many try to find salvation by membership of a church or organisation. They say, ‘I’m an Anglican,’ or ‘I’m a Roman Catholic’, or Baptist, Methodist, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Jew or Muslim. This is the usual answer when asked about faith in proformas.

When I was visiting Indonesia, a young Muslim man explained to me that there were seventy-two separate groups within Islam and that only those in one of those groups were acceptable to God and would be saved. I asked him which group he was in.

“Oh, I’m in the group that are going to be saved!”

People think that because they belong to the organisation they are somehow ‘protected’. However, membership of an organisation, however good its teaching, of itself cannot put anyone right with God. The Bible is clear that religious rites, such as circumcision, baptism, confirmation, ordination or even consecration saves nobody. The Lord reminded the prophet Samuel,

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Similarly he says to the church at Thyatira that God’s judgment awaits those members of the church who do not live as he wants.

“Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay you each according to your deeds.” Revelation 2:23

In 1513 Pope Julius II died. He had achieved much, in material terms, for Rome. It was he who had the old St. Peter’s pulled down so he could build a much more impressive edifice. He was a powerful, arrogant, promiscuous and deceitful man constantly embroiled in warfare. Shortly after his death a pamphlet, ‘Julius Excluded from Heaven’, probably written by the great scholar Erasmus, was widely circulated and became very popular. It satirically describes what happens when a drunken Julius arrived at the gates of heaven and tries to open the gate with the key of his secret money chest. He is surrounded by the soldiers who have died in his military campaigns who had been promised admission to heaven, whatever they had done on earth. Peter refused him admission. Julius responds by threatening Peter with Bulls of Excommunication! Julius is described as the enemy of Christ, as a Julius Caesar returned from hell, and is accused of many vices which included drunkenness, pederasty, adultery and an obsession with money. He is contrasted with Jesus who, it claimed, is the true head of the church. The story finishes with Julius threatening to muster an army to capture heaven.

The Bible clearly teaches,

“For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no-one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” Ephesians 5:5-6

In recent years there have been innumerable stories of senior clergymen being actively involved in promiscuous relations with men, women and children. Clearly their cloth will not save them.

Who needs saving?

The unanimous verdict of both the Old and New Testaments is that there is nobody who is naturally good enough to stand in God’s presence. King David confirmed what God saw in men.

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have altogether become corrupt; there is no-one who does good, not even one.” Psalm 14:2-3

God’s decision about his own people in Isaiah’s day (around 700 BC) was damning,

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2

The Bible teaches that sin is the fundamental problem of all mankind. Hardly a page can be read without this being stressed - it makes no difference whether a person is Jewish, religious or doesn’t subscribe to any faith. Paul concluded,

“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

How can we be saved?

We are in a desperate plight. We cannot save ourselves by what we do. The answer given in the Bible is that salvation is a gift, given only to those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The first ten verses of Paul’s first letter to the troubled church at Corinth puts Jesus centre stage. Jesus is mentioned repeatedly. Similarly the opening chapter of his letter to the Philippians leaves no doubt that his message is about Jesus Christ. Read the first few verses of his letter to the Colossians. It is not belonging to a church or organisation that saves anyone, it is living in a relationship with Christ that is the key to salvation. A local church will usually contain some who are saved as a result of their living in this relationship and some who are not. The key is to be ‘in Christ’ (Colossians 1:2). Paul doesn’t commend them because of their membership of a church but for their submission to the Lord Jesus.

“ . . . we have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus . . .” Colossians 1:3

This is the message of the whole Bible and Paul stresses that it is from the Bible that people come to know the truth. The prime role of churches is to teach people what the Word of God is saying. Rituals are no substitute for this.

“ . . . that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.” Colossians 1:5

The Christian ‘good news’ or ‘gospel’ is that anyone who enters into a personal relationship with Christ will be saved into eternity by him.

“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.” Colossians 1:6

Everybody needs to hear and have this message explained to them. This is what the Colossians needed.

“You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf . . ” Colossians 1:8

Note that Epaphras, who himself was a faithful minister of Christ, passed on the apostolic message; Paul says he was acting ‘on our behalf’. To teach the precise message of the apostles is what true members of the ‘holy, catholic, apostolic church’ always do. We are simply channels of God’s message.

To submit to Christ’s rule and so accept the gift of salvation is only the beginning of a new life. Baptism, the initiatory rite, indicates that a person has died to the old life, that their sin has been washed away, and they have risen to live a new life for the Lord Jesus. Growth in the Christian life involves a growth in understanding and an increase in our determination to live effectively for Christ. This is why it is essential for all Christians to become involved with like-minded Christians who are also centred on living for Christ in the way his apostles make clear. God has given us his Scriptures to teach and encourage us and we neglect them at our peril. This is why Paul wrote his letters.

“ . . . we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9-10

Every person who has entered into such a personal relationship with Christ is considered by God to be one of his holy people, We are all his ‘saints’. Note how Paul uses this term repeatedly for all those ‘in Christ’.

“ . . . we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.” Colossians 1:4

“ . . . giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” Colossians 1:12

“ . . . the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.” Colossians 1:26

It is a move away from apostolic teaching to just use the word ‘saints’ for those that the church considers ‘distinguished’. God sees all people who are truly in Christ as his sanctified, holy saints. Our standing does not come from ourselves but simply because we have been given our Saviour’s righteousness through our relationship with him. Everyone in Christ’s kingdom is given the status of being a saint because we have all been forgiven our sins because of and by Jesus.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14

A patient of mine with terminal cancer had just become a Christian. She moved to the local hospice and I went to visited her there. She was holding firmly onto her Saviour even though she was unwell. We looked at a passage in the Bible that reassures us that all who are ‘in Christ’ are eternally secure. We read,

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, . . . ” Romans 8:1

To make this simpler to understand, I wrote her name on a piece of paper and placed this inside a Bible saying,

“Let this Bible represent the Lord Jesus and this piece of paper represent you. Because you are now ‘in Christ’, God does not see your sins at all, he sees that you are in Christ and have ‘his righteousness’. Furthermore Jesus has now gone to heaven and because you are in Christ he will take you to be with him there.”

Apparently this meant a lot to her and a nurse told me later that she asked her to read the whole chapter of Romans 8 to the other patients in that unit.

Christians are now new people who are living for Christ. We are now members of the Kingdom of God. The only way to be acceptable to God is for us the be recognised as being ‘holy’, to be given this status as a free gift. This is only given to those who are ‘in Christ’; they are credited with Christ’s righteousness.

Why is Jesus so important?

Some readers may have been concerned at the way Paul puts Jesus at the centre of his message. A group of young people from another church came to one of our evening youth services and I went to welcome their leader. As I sat next to her, the first thing she said to me was,

“You people talk too much about Jesus!”

I tried to answer her by showing that this was really a compliment as the apostles did the same. We looked together at the beginning of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. In the first ten verses he keeps mentioning ‘Christ Jesus’, ‘the Lord’ and ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’. The first chapter finishes with this reminder that Jesus Christ is everything to a Christian.

“ . . . Christ Jesus who has become for us our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

She couldn’t see this. For her the church should be focussing on remedying people’s social and political needs.

It is not only Paul who focusses on Christ and the forgiveness all can find through him. When God spoke to Joseph to tell him that his fiancée, Mary, was about to have God’s child he was told,

“You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

The only people who will be forgiven their sins would be ‘his people’, Jesus’ followers. Matthew then recalls the Old Testament prophecy about God’s Messiah,

“The virgin shall be with child, and they will call him ‘Immanuel’ - which means, ‘God with us”. Matthew 1:23 and Isaiah 7:14

It is surely for this reason that the next section of Paul’s letter to the Colossians emphasises who Jesus is and why this is so important. The only way anyone can be forgiven their sins is if God himself takes responsibility for our wrongdoings. If Jesus is not God we cannot be forgiven our sin - but,

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible . . . He is before all things, and in him all things hold together . . . For God was pleased to have all his fulness dwell in him. Colossians 1:15-19

It is because he is the one and only Son of God that, by his dying on that cross, as our substitute he can pay for our sin and so reconcile us to God.

“ . . and through him to reconcile to himself all things . . . by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:20

The apostle emphasises that this forgiveness and reconciliation is complete. We cannot become more holy in God’s eyes than the Lord Jesus has made us through his death. This is thrilling news for those in Christ.

“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation . . .” Colossians 1:22

Turning to Christ is only the start

One evening Billy Graham, the great twentieth century evangelist, was walking through a city when a drunkard, who was propping up a lamp-post, recognised him and called out,

“I’m one of your converts.”

Billy Graham replied,

“That may be so, but you are clearly not one of Jesus Christ’s converts.”

There are unfortunately many who make a beginning to the Christian life with good intentions but who quickly turn away from him. A past experience of an emotional religious experience, of baptism or confirmation should just be the beginning of a life with Christ. Salvation is only found in Christ – leave him behind and we leave all hope of salvation. Paul continues the above sentence about our complete salvation,

“ . . . to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” Colossians 1:23

It does not say ‘not moved from the church’. The New Testament is full of warnings that people may remain in the church institutions and yet drift from living with and for the Lord Jesus.

This gospel, that salvation is found when we are in Christ, is the universal or catholic gospel.

“This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul have become a servant.” Colossians 1:23

In an African primary school the children were set the task of composing and then reciting a poem about the Christian life. When it was his turn, a nine year old stood up and started his recitation,

“If you would be a Christian, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on . . . “

and so he continued! Paul says very much the same later in this letter. It is not starting the race that counts, it is the finishing. We start this new life by individually turning to Christ as our King and our Saviour from sin. We continue as we daily spend our lives living to please him.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6

A Costly Message

In March 2018 a twenty five year old radicalised Islamist went on the rampage in a supermarket in the south of France, killing three people and injuring sixteen others, two seriously. He then kidnapped a terrified woman and used her as a shield. At this point a local policeman, Lt Col Arnaud, himself a committed Christian, offered himself in the woman’s place. The exchange took place. The woman was released but Arnaud was stabbed and shot to death. Arnaud’s brother said,

“He gave his life for strangers. He must have known that he didn’t really have a chance. If that doesn’t make him a hero, nothing does.”

It cost Jesus his life to release us from sin and enable us to enter God’s Kingdom. Paul had suffered much to ensure that this message became widely understood throughout the Roman world. He was eventually executed because of his determination to complete the task God had given him. This passion is what the next section in this letter describes. Nothing mattered so much to Paul as the passing on of the full message of God to Christ’s people everywhere.

“I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.” Colossians 1:26

Paul cannot refrain from reminding us what this message is,

“ . . . to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27

The message is simple, it is about who Christ is and what he came to do. It is clearly vital that everybody has the opportunity of both hearing about and responding to this invitation of Jesus. Paul now moves away from talking about himself to describing the role of all Christians. Paul’s life is just an example of how other members of God’s church should live. We all need to tell others about who Christ is, what he has done for us and how we can be saved by entering into a relationship with him.

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyoneperfect in Christ. To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28-29

This perfection can only be Christ’s righteousness that has been given to his people.

Christianity is Christ

W H Griffith Thomas wrote a classic Christian book entitled ‘Christianity is Christ.’ In this he wrote,

“Christianity is the only religion in the world which rests on the Person of its Founder. A man can be a faithful Mohammedan without in the least concerning himself with the person of Mohammed. So also a man can be a true and faithful Buddhist without knowing anything whatever about Buddha. It is quite different with Christianity. Christianity is so inextricably bound up with Christ that our view of the Person of Christ involves and determines our view of Christianity.
The relation of Jesus Christ to Christianity differs entirely from that of all other founders towards the religions of philosophies which bear their names. Platonism, for example, may be defined as a method of philosophic thought from Plato; Mohammedanism as the belief in the revelation vouchsafed to Mohammed; Buddhism as the following of principles enunciated by Buddha. But Christianity is an essence adherence to the Person of Jesus Christ.
It has also been pointed out that Christianity alone of the great religions of the world calls itself by the name of its Founder, and that while we call other religions by the names of their founders, the adherents of these religions do not call themselves by these names. This fact is full of very deep meaning.”

A Christian is devoted to Jesus Christ, is deeply grateful to him for the salvation he won on that cross and now lives to please him in the company of other followers of Christ.

BVP

Dec 2018