Delivered from Darkness
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Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Colossians 1:12-13)
The Apostle Paul prayed for the Christians in the ancient city of Colosse, and in his prayer he thanked God the Father for working in the lives of these believers.
Paul wrote to believers: those who trust in, rely on, and cling to the person and work of Jesus Christ. He thanked God the Father because He has qualified us (those who trust in Jesus) to share in inheritance of the saints. It’s God who qualifies His people through His own mercy and grace. We don’t qualify ourselves by our good works or spiritual accomplishments.
When God calls His people into the light, He delivers them from the power of darkness. In other words, Christians have been delivered from Satan’s domain. Another place where this same phrase for power of darkness is used is in Luke 22:53, where Jesus spoke of the darkness that surrounding His arrest and passion. God and His people have spiritual enemies, and those enemies have power. Therefore, we need rescue from the power of darkness.
The power of darkness can be seen in its effects. For those who have been delivered…from the power of darkness the effect of darkness and its power should be less and less evident in the life. Think about how darkness is a good illustration of the evil one and his work.
– The power of darkness lulls us to sleep – as believers, we should be awake.
– The power of darkness is skilled at concealment – we should life open lives.
– The power of darkness afflicts and depresses man – we should have God’s joy.
– The power of darkness is often a cover for evil – as believers, we should live in the light.
When God took us out from the power of darkness, He put us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Paul used the word conveyed to describe this work. According to William Barclay, the word we translate conveyed had a special significance in the ancient world. When one empire conquered another, the custom was to take the population of the defeated empire and transfer it completely to the conqueror’s land. It is in this sense that Paul says we have been conveyed into God’s kingdom. Everything we have and everything we are – it now all belongs to Him.
Remember, in Jesus Christ you are delivered…from the power of darkness. Satan may tempt you, but you are not under his power. He may attack and we must resist the devil, but we are not his slaves. The enemy of our soul is not our ruler and he has no rights over the believer. We are not obligated to obey Satan – we have been delivered from his power!
Click here for David’s commentary on Colossians 1