Colossians 1:6 Commentary and Bible Study

The gospel is come to you; it has been brought to you. Were you saved because somebody witnessed to you in the office or in college? It was Christ who brought the gospel to you; he sent that messenger; he supervised and superintended that whole interaction. Were you brought to church so that the gospel could be brought to your hearing? It is a beautiful expression. We thank God for your faith because the gospel was came to you, ‘as it is in all the world.’ Don’t listen to what is just a regional cult – these gnostic ideas. Listen instead to the gospel which goes throughout the world and brings forth fruit in many parts of the world ‘as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.’The believer is also brought into a new life of assurance. The great word in the second half of that sixth verse is ‘knew’ – the day that you knew the grace of God in truth. Cast your mind back to your conversion, if you can remember it. There are some people who cannot remember the day of their conversion. For them it was all so gentle, so gradual, over a period of time. They sought the Lord, they worshipped. They wanted him, they repented, they prayed for him. But in their case, it happened not in a day or in a week or in a month but over a year. So they look back and they say, I do not know precisely when, and sometimes it is a matter of concern for them. They say, ‘Was I converted? Because unlike so many of my friends I cannot put my finger on the time and the date.’ Yes, but they can see the results, they can see the evidence, the consequences. And that should be more than enough. So maybe, you are among the minority who cannot recall the time, but nevertheless this has happened. You knew it was true. All your doubts went. You said to yourself, ‘I know the gospel is true.’ ‘What is the evidence?’ ‘It is just true. I was never quite sure; I had many doubts, but now every time I open the Scripture I read about the fall, I read all the trials of human nature and about sin, and about redemption. These things are true, these things are certain, I am convinced; it somehow just happened to me.’ You may be fortunate enough to remember the day, or even the hour when it dawned upon you. It was the illumination of the Spirit. The realisation dawned that this is absolute truth.Subsequently you can think of a hundred ways which by which to give a reason for it. You can point to so many evidences, but for a time you were not interested in the evidences, there was just this powerful inner conviction. We often call it assurance, and it buoys you up, an inner certainty of the truth of the gospel, the illumination of the Holy Spirit.