Not Moved from Hope

Paul reminds us of our sad state before salvation and the good news that followed:

“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.” (Col 1:21)

Think on that – before coming to Christ we were alienated and enemies of God because of our wicked works. But God reconciled (reunited) us to Himself through the death of Jesus and presented us as holy (set apart), blameless and above being accused by the devil. How awesome is that? Think on those truths for a minute.

Now comes the “if.” There are many if’s in the Bible. For example Jesus said “If anyone hears my voice…” (Rev 3) Don’t think of if as a good works thing but more as an open invitation. Say I sent out wedding invitations to many of my friends and family. On the invitation I placed a box named “yes” for coming to the wedding. That invitation could be responded to or ignored. Either way, the only ones that will be allowed into the wedding hall will be those who checked yes.

Now to the “if” part, which is our part.

“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.” (Col 1:22)

We know it is impossible to please God apart from faith (Heb 11:6). So, in faith, we are to be grounded and steadfast. Then it says we are to be “not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” The Greek word for “moved” is metakineō and means “to move from a place, to move away.” It is found in the passive tense, meaning it is something happening to us. We are not to be passive in the kingdom but rather ever pressing forward and sinking our roots deeper. The enemy is and will be increasing his attacks in order to move us from the hope of the gospel. But no, oh no, we will remain in faith, rooted and steadfast.