Do Not Shift

Contemplating Colossians Chapter One

And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.—Colossians 1:21-23, RSV

All of that praise in the previous few verses, a hymn about Christ, is leading to Paul’s urgent warning. It is easy to go back when you encounter some resistance, and that would be deadly for the Colossian Christians. Like them, we are also in danger of being sidetracked into shifting to old ways to cope with new troubles.

There can be an unhealthy focus on the past, I’m sure of that. But there is some value in remembering where we came from. The Apostle reminds his readers often about their past. He reflects on his conversion and past as well. Why? Because it is easy to be tempted to go back to our old ways.

At one time you were strangers to God and your minds were at war with Him. Your thoughts and actions were wrong.—Colossians 1:21, NLT

There is no padding the truth here. Because of Christ, we have been shifted from estrangement to reconciliation. Now words are used like “holy” and “blameless”—designations we do not deserve but we have because of Jesus. But there is a provision. Do not shift back into those old ways! Two words should characterize your Christian journey: stable and steadfast.

Most of us can look back on our Christian experience and note that there were times whenwe were not that stable, not very steadfast. Those were times of pain, uncertainty, and spiritual neglect. All the things from which we were rescued came to settle in our lives once again. This is what Paul is warning against.

Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.—Colossians 1:23, NLT

There is good news, the Gospel, that Paul has been preaching throughout the known world. So, he is not picking on the Colossians, and not on you. He is a living testimony to the truth that the battle can get rough. Stay on course. Do not shift back into old ways.

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