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The purpose of Paul’s struggle for the Colossians church. He wanted to encourage their hearts as they are knit together in love, in close fellowship. The value of this exhorting is in direct proportion to the knitting together in love. Being “knit together” is to be welded together in genuine unity.
He also wanted them to experience the full assurance of spiritual understanding. Our goal is to help people gain assurance that their understanding of the gospel is correct, and that they are in it, that they can live assurance. People do need help to recognize that they are sinning if indeed we are. They don’t need to be shamed, but they need help to gain assurance of God’s will and that they are in it.
Paul also wants them to become intimately acquainted with the mystery of Christ, the treasure of wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge gained through reasoning is less completing than knowledge that is gained through relationships and conversation.
Wisdom and knowledge are a bit different. Knowledge has to do with understanding how something works, wisdom is more along the lines of applied knowledge.
So, what are the benefits of knowing Christ deeply? To begin with, we are less likely to be enticed, or give into falls reasoning and persuasive arguments. This type of reasoning tends to simplify what is obscure and bring to the level of human reason that which is above and beyond human reason.
Another benefit is a deeper and fuller and overflowing gratitude for Christ, and what He has done for us and in us. It also helps protect us against reasonings of men, oral tradition of the Jews, and rudiments/elements of the world.
The alternative to deception is to walk according to the tradition of Christ. The fullness of Christ dwells in Christ. He is the head of all principalities and He circumcises our hearts. Our whole work, our “who we were and how we lived” all of that is stripped off at conversion. It is a process that continues to happen in our lives. Christ’s death and resurrection frees us from whatever judges and condemns us.
Scriptures used – Colossians 2:1-15