November 24
Colossians 2: 2: That their hearts might be
comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full
assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and
of the Father, and of Christ;
There are believers who God has truly saved
who do not realize they have assurance that God has truly saved them. One of
the problems is where they look for assurance and what they think assurance is.
We make a mistake if we look to past experiences, to religious works, to our
fruit and love toward others, or if we seek a feeling. We, indeed, should seek
assurance. But we will never have it if we seek assurance any place but where
assurance is to be found. The assurance of understanding is given through the
preaching of the gospel in spirit and in truth. (Col 1: 23) It is revealed by God. (Col 1: 26-27; Lu 10: 21) And it
is in Christ alone. So, if we would have true assurance of understanding we
must come to God, hearing the gospel and believing on Christ.
First, full assurance of understanding is Christ
himself. The hope of the gospel is not a what, it is a whom, “Christ in you,
the hope of glory: Whom we preach,…” (Col 1: 27-29) The full assurance of
understanding is knowing Christ himself from Christ himself, “In whom are hid
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2: 3) The highest wisdom and
knowledge we obtain is Christ, whom to know is life eternal. (Jn 17: 3) “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in him:” (Col 2: 5-6) When God reveals Christ in our heart, we do not
begin in Christ then turn elsewhere for assurance. We go on walking in Christ,
getting all wisdom and knowledge from Christ about Christ. (Col 2: 7-9) Everything
God will reveal to us concerning God, our salvation and our pilgrimage in this
world is in Christ.
Two, full assurance of understanding is in what
Christ has accomplished for his people. We have full assurance knowing we are
complete in Christ. (Col 2: 10) Full assurance of understanding believes the
body of the sins of our flesh has been put off by Christ, not by our hands. (Col
2: 11) We have full assurance believing that Christ accomplished this for us
when our old man was buried in the baptism of God’s justice unto death when
Christ endured that baptism on the cross. (Col 2: 12) Believers are fully
assured believing our new man arose to eternal life with Christ when God raised
him from the dead. (Col 2: 12) We have full assurance because while we were
dead in our sins, God quickened us together with Christ, forgave us of all our
trespasses, erased every charge against us, and took the law out of the way
from barring our access to God. (Col 2: 13)
Believer, full assurance of understanding is not found looking
to self or listening to men who point us to the law. Assurance is given through
hearing the truth preached in the gospel, by divine revelation, and is Christ
and his finished works. By the term “assurance”, Paul means that we are settled
on Christ in faith. When we know and believe the Lord Jesus we are done
wavering between the various opinions of man’s vain imaginations. We stand fast
in Christ, knowing we have this understanding from Christ so that we know the
true Christ and are in the true Christ. The Apostle John said that, “And we
know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we
may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his
Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (1Jo 5:20) Whether
we have a feeling of assurance or not does not change the truth that the
believer has full assurance because our full assurance is Christ Jesus the Son
of God himself.