Saved and Secured

You were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds.

–Colossians 1:21

On February 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn climbed into the Friendship 7 spacecraft. It was designed to take him away from the earth and into orbit, but the new Atlas rocket had a history of blowing up. In fact, the mission had already been delayed because of a technical problem. Decades later, Glenn was asked how it felt to ride in that spacecraft. He quipped, “I felt exactly how you would feel if you were getting ready to launch and knew you were sitting on top of 2 million parts—all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract.”

As Christians, we never have to fear that the work of salvation was performed by the lowest bidder on a government contract. No, the salvation that will take us away from this earth to our eternal home was performed by the infinite God, whose work is sufficient to accomplish the purpose of salvation. That’s what we’re going to discover this week in our study of Colossians.

Remember, the theme of Colossians is the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. You don’t need another religion, philosophy, or ritual—Jesus is sufficient. And you’ll realize Jesus is sufficient for your needs when you understand that He is central in this universe. As Paul explained in Colossians 1:

• Jesus is central in creation: “By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth. . . . He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (vv. 16–17).
• Jesus is central in the church: “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead” (v. 18).
• Jesus is central in the work of salvation: “It was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (vv. 19–20).

Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. Through Him, we have been saved, and our eternal future has been secured.

Beginning in verse 21, Paul further explained Christ’s sufficient work of salvation. He began by describing humanity’s problem, because there is no good news unless you understand the bad news. What you believe about sin determines what you believe about salvation. And Paul didn’t mince words. He wrote, “You were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds” (v. 21). You cannot fully appreciate what Jesus has done for you until you understand the desperate condition we are all in apart from Christ.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “Saved and Secured” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

John Glenn, as quoted in Michael Cabbage, “What Keeps John Glenn Reaching for Stars?” Orlando Sentinel, October 25, 1998, newspapers.com.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.