COLOSSIANS 1:21-23: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” NKJV

OBSERVATION: When I read the book of Colossians, I am drawn to the old hymn, “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand.”

This hymn was written in 1834 by a Baptist minister, Edward Mote, who was also a cabinetmaker. One day, on his way to work, he began to ponder the parable of the wise and foolish builder in Matthew 7:24-27. He thought of the chorus on his way to work, and by the end of the day, he had completed the full hymn. The version that we are familiar with, with musical score, was completed in 1863 by William Bradbury.

Edward Mote was struck with the thought that there is no other foundation that we can build our lives upon than Jesus Christ and His completed sacrifice on the cross. Everything and anything else is but sinking sand. There is only one name, given among men, whereby we can be saved!

It is Christ and Christ alone!

This is the overriding theme of the book of Colossians. Paul reminds us of this in the opening verses in chapter one. The Colossian believers were being troubled by teachers who were trying. to pull them away from a simple and sincere trust in Christ alone. Some were offering gnostic views of higher knowledge. Others were calling them back to following the legalistic observances of the Law.

To these errant teachers, Paul responds,

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight…”

Their salvation, their growth in the faith, anything and everything good and acceptable before God in their lives, was built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. It was not their knowledge, effort, or adherence to a code of conduct that reconciled them to God.

It was Christ alone!

“…If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Paul reminds us that we have been reconciled to God through Christ alone. We have been called to live a holy and blameless life by Christ alone. We can only continue in the faith if we cling to Christ alone. Our trust must not be in what we do but in the wonderful sacrifice of Christ alone. As Edward Mote began to sing on his way to work on that morning in 1834,

As I grow older, I find that I am drawn to the simplicity of the faith. There was a time when I trusted in my knowledge of the Scriptures. When someone shared something, I did not know I would feel insecure and try to study more so I could take confidence in my knowledge of the Scriptures. Now, I feel like I am beginning to understand the words of the Apostle Paul and the musings of Edward Mote. As Paul wrote in the book of Philippians,

Philippians 3:7-8: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” NKJV

So, with Edward Mote, I sing…

Father, thank You for reconciling me to Yourself through the blood of Jesus Christ. Grant me the grace to be found in Him, dressed in His righteousness alone. Let me live my life of faith…in Christ alone!

In Jesus’ Name!