March through Colossians - 1:21-23

So what's the biggest word in this passage? What's the one word that jumps off the page at you? I'm guessing that for some of you it's the "if" of verse 23 ("in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith"). Paul was really on a roll there and then he had to throw in the if.

The short answer about what's happening here is that Paul is encouraging the Colossians about the reconciliation they have in Christ, and then challenging them to continue in the faith. Continuing in the faith (stable and steadfast...) would be evidence that they indeed are genuine believers. Not continuing in the faith would only prove that they were never really reconciled to God. Paul is not doubting that they will continue; he is confident that they will (we know this because of something having to do with the specific form or kind of conditional sentence used [think "if" statement] which my brain is not remembering right now). But his words certainly should challenge us to continue in the faith.

So the "if" seems big. But let's not miss a few other big ones. How about the "once" and the "now"? "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him." If we could start our days with this "once...but now" perspective on our life, that sure would go a long way to clearing the morning fog about who we are and what we should be about.