Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
The Christian has been made alive by God. This is the unapologetic message of the apostle Paul in Colossians 2:6-19. If you are a Christian, it was none of your doing. Those who would give the glory to a human decision or an act of obedience are, as noted in verse 8, captives of human tradition. All the honor goes to God.
Notice the passive nature of the verbs. In verse 10, you “have been filled.” In verse 11, you “were circumcised” without hands. In verse 12 that circumcision takes place by baptism, which again is patently not something you do, but that you receive. God made you alive, in verse 13. He is the one who cancelled your debt, in verse 14, and who overcame rulers in verse 15. The Christian has been made alive by God.
Theologicans use the term “monergism” to describe this action. In monergism, only one person is working, and the Christian believes in divine monergism. All the work of salvation is done by God in Christ. In baptism, God drowns sin and raises the believer in faith. In the work of the cross, God kills sin. In our daily life, our paths are directed by God’s mercy. We trust that the Lord is able to do all things for the good of His kingdom. The Christian has been made alive only by God. No apologies. Just truth.
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