GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
COLOSSIANS 1:4
4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints,
Faith is trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Any other kind of faith is valueless toward eternal life. The object of our faith—Jesus our Savior—must always be before our eyes.
Why does Paul place Jesus’ title “Christ” ahead of his name in some places? It isn’t always certain; sometimes there doesn’t seem to be a clear reason. Here, “Christ” might come first because being our Christ—the Messiah, promised from the Garden of Eden onward (Genesis 3:15)—is the reason that the Son of God took up our humanity into himself. He did not merely disguise himself, like King Jehoshaphat in the battle; he became a man to set us free from sin by his death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). When Paul wants to emphasize Jesus’ office as the Messiah, he often places “Christ” ahead of the Lord’s name.
What then is the relationship between our faith in Christ and our love for “all the saints”? Our love for people falls into the realm of good works. All good works which do not flow from faith in Christ are considered sin before God. This is why it’s impossible for a human to cooperate in his own conversion (Ephesians 2:12, “at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel”), but that’s going beyond the scope of this passage. When a Christian does a thing—thought, word, or deed—no matter how far short of God’s law it may fall, it is taken as a good work and praised by God because of the work of Jesus on our behalf. The verse before us (Col. 1:4) is one of the primary passages that teach this truth, but there are others: “My brothers…you are full of goodness” (Rom. 15:14), “You do not lack any spiritual gift” (1 Cor. 1:7), “your work produces by faith” (1 Thess. 1:3) and others (Phil. 2:12; 2 Thess. 1:3-4).
Our human experience shows us that the sinful nature doesn’t strive to do good works. Our Old Adam pulls us in the opposite direction. By nature we neglect good works, like the sinner in the proverb: “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a bandit” (Prov. 6:10; 24:33). No wonder the Bible urges us not just toward the quality of good works, but also toward a great quantity of good works. “(Be) eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:4), “Let us not become weary in doing good” (Gal. 6:9), “Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight” (Deut. 6:18).
The Lutheran pastor and professor Johann W. Baier (1647-1695) defined the Christian’s works this way: “The forma (form, shape) of good works, considered in themselves, is their conformity with the Law of God; but when we consider why they please God, though they do not comply perfectly with the Law, their forma is faith in Christ.”
In the next verse, we will see that faith, love, and hope are connected, and we will note the many times that they are expressed together, especially in the Epistles of Paul. Here, Paul connects faith in Christ with love for the saints. Our faith and our Christian love (and the good works that follow) are connected by necessity. However, we must remember that good works (including love) do not produce faith; they follow faith. And yet, our good works (including love) may bolster the faith of others when they accompany the gospel. How? Our good works can demonstrate the form of Christian love to others, even when those others are “reputed to be pillars” in the Church (Gal. 2:9). If even Peter and Barnabas could fall into guilt, anyone can, and a demonstration of faith in action can be a sermon in itself to someone already familiar with the law and the gospel.
Our love for Jesus will make us yearn to do something out of love for the people around us—our brothers (1 Tim 6:2), our sisters (Song 8:8), and even for strangers (3 John 5). Show your love, whether with a thoughtful gesture, a kind word, or even by withholding some spark of anger. Be patient, and build up the companionship we have in Christ.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota