30 Jun July 30 – Daily Devotional

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON PAUL’S LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS 

IN CHRIST

Colossians 1:2 “To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.”

It would be so easy to overlook the two most important words of verse 2.  You might think these two words are “God’s people,” or “faithful brothers (sisters).”  They are actually the last two words, “in Christ.”

St. Paul is the author of the letter to the Colossians.  His letter is addressed to those in the city of Colossae who are “holy people” and “brothers and sisters,” but the reason they are holy and have such a close relationship is they are “in Christ.”

In Paul’s holy writings in thirteen books of the New Testament, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he used the phrase “in Christ” up to 170 times.  The phrase is rarely found in the rest of the Bible.  Why did St. Paul put such emphasis upon the fact that Christians are “in Christ?”

The phrase “in Christ,” Dr. Paul Deterding in his commentary on Colossians writes, “describes a harmonious relationship with Jesus Christ and baptismal incorporation into the body of Christ.”  As a baptized believer in Jesus Christ, you have the closest possible personal relationship with Him that is possible.  It has been created by God the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:30) through your baptism (Romans 6:3ff) and the power of the Gospel(1 Corinthians 4:15,17.)

Through your baptism and the power of the Gospel the Holy Spirit has washed you clean of your sins and worked faith in your heart to accept the saving work of Jesus.  Jesus did this for you by keeping God’s law perfectly, suffering and dying on the cross in payment for your sins, and overcoming death on Easter morning through His resurrection from the grave.  All of this Jesus did for you because you could not do it for yourself.  He did it as your substitute.  His Father accepted what He did as your substitute and now credits all He did to your spiritual account declaring you a saint (holy, without sin.)  This is what it means to be “in Christ.”

Prayer: Holy Spirit, keep me in Christ now and to the day I depart this world to join Him, the Holy Angels and all the saints for eternity.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Thy works, not mine, O Christ, speak gladness to this heart;

Thy tell me all is done, They bid my fear depart.  Refrain:

To whom save Thee, who canst alone For sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?

Thy wounds, not mine, O Christ, Can heal my bruised soul;

Thy stripes, not mine, contain The balm that makes me whole.  Refrain:

Thy cross, not mine, O Christ, Has borne the crushing load

Of sins that none could bear But the incarnate God. Refrain:

Thy death, not mine, O Christ, Has paid the ransom due;

Ten thousand deaths like mine Would have been all too few.  Refrain:

Thy righteousness, O Christ, Alone can cover me;

No righteousness avails Save that which is of Thee.  Refrain:

(LSB 565)