Rescued from the domain of darkness

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. — Col 1:9-14

This morning when I read this passage, I couldn’t help notice Paul’s God-ward prayer and its effects. Paul’s prayer is for the filling up with the knowledge of His will producing several effects:

• To walk in the manner worthy of the Lord
• To bear fruit in order that we would increase in the knowledge of God
• To find strength in Him
• To be steadfast
• To be joyously thankful to the Father

This passage is so God-ward because it describes how God the Father qualifies us to share in this inheritance, through Christ’s redemption. The rescuing work of God was fulfilled in the saving work of Jesus Christ. We ourselves do not qualify for this inheritance, but the Father’ qualifies us to have it. How does the Father qualify us? Through Jesus Christ! By ourselves we stand unqualified, but through the redemption of Christ, the Father finds us qualified!

Secondly, it is also Godward in that it describes God as Father. Before our rescue, God was Judge — after our redemption God becomes our Father!

Lastly, this drives us to God because the effect of redemption was a TOTAL rescue. He rescued us from darkness which we did not know we were in. He then delivered us into the Kingdom of Christ in which we could not qualify for.