That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2-3
In children’s stories, the location of a pirate’s hidden treasure is marked on a map with an “X”. Real treasure can be found today, but it must be sought, and a map is still a great help. Paul’s prayer for the church at Colossae was for them to find the riches of the full assurance of understanding. So, what is the “full assurance of understanding” and how do we find it?
I will start the hunt by pointing out that understanding is not the same thing as knowledge. It is not only possible, but common practice, for us to understand something without knowing all the details of how it works. Such is the case with scripture. I’m getting some skeptical looks about now.
I point you to John 21:25. The Apostle tells us there that there are many more things Jesus did than those recorded in the Gospels. In fact, he says that if they were all written down, the world could not contain books required to tell them. The things that are written down were written for one purpose—that we might believe Jesus is God Incarnate and be saved.
In verse 3 of our text Paul says, the treasure of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in God. In this earthly life we will never comprehend all the wisdom and knowledge of God. We can be fully assured that we understand God even though His ways are past finding out.
The book of Hebrews tells us that “through faith we understand…” Faith is more than untested belief. It is action based on belief. It is true that faith comes by hearing. And when Jesus spoke he often concluded a point by saying, “he that hath an ear, let him hear.” Now most everyone in the crowds He addressed had two ears. So, when he said, “let him hear” you can be sure that He meant something more than sound waves hitting the tympanic membrane.
He was talking about understanding. That is, taking what you’ve heard applying it to your life, testing to see if what was said was indeed true, and thereby understanding God’s will for our life.
Having God manifest Himself to us is an undeniable experience. The more we allow ourselves to experience God, the more assurance and understanding of our faith we gain. This is a source of riches beyond compare. So we sing:
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long.”
Maranatha
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