Well-grounded and settled

22 …to present you holy and flawless and unimpeachable in His sight, 23 since surely you are persisting in the faith, grounded and settled and are not being removed from the expectation of the evangel which you hear which is being heralded in the entire creation which is under heaven of which I, Paul, became the dispenser. Colossians 1 (Concordant Version)

Paul notes that the Colossians are well-grounded and were settled in the faith and the expectation of the Evangel. Concerning this expectation of the Evangel he had, a couple of verses earlier, written:

and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens. Colossians 1:20 (Concordant Version)

“The expectation of the Evangel” is that God will change all enmity and estrangement into peace, whether it be on earth or in the heavens. What an expectation! All on earth, but also all alienated and hostile creatures in the heavenly realms will have peace with God. The blood of the cross will convince every creature of God’s love! That is universal RECONCILIATION! Paul assumes there to be a direct relationship between “holy and blameless and beyond reproach” before God and continuing “well-grounded and steadfast”. It’s about what God is doing here on earth with the believer. HE makes holy, HE makes unblemished and HE makes unimpeachable. With whom does God do that? Answer: with whoever is “well-grounded and settled” in the faith. Note: “in the faith” – not in works! GOD does the work, and that is what we are to believe! Only where we trust in that and do not allow ourselves to be deflected from “the expectation of the Evangel” will God richly do His work in and through us. How fundamental it is to be and to remain “well-grounded and settled”. Not to depart an inch from the words of faith and expectation that Paul, under the whole heaven, has heralded! ——————————— translation: Peter Feddema

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