For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. – Colossians 2:1-5 (ESV)
Dick Lucas writes:
By way of summarizing this gracious paragraph, it is worth underscoring the secret of unity that is revealed here. It is in the preaching of Christ that the churches find it possible to stand shoulder to shoulder, as modern campaigns of evangelistic enterprise have so often shown.
Obviously, if less than the Christ of 1:15-20 is believed among the churches, there will be no gospel to preach, not good news to offer. What is not quite so obvious, but is equally important, is that the united front so essential for convincing evangelism will be threatened when there are those in the church teaching more than Christ. We need to take very seriously Paul’s claim that all our spiritual treasures are found in Christ alone if the powerful witness of a united band of Christian churches is to be exercised in the world.
MEMORY WORK – Shorter Catechism Q/A 75
Q. 75. What is forbidden in the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth or may unjustly hinder our own or our neighbor’s wealth or outward estate.