Table of Contents
“En”
Colossians 2:10 “…in Him”. That little word in is ‘en’ in the Greek. Here is this little word’s definition, which brings so much meaning:
1722 en (a preposition) – properly, in (inside, within); (figuratively) “in the realm (sphere) of,” as in the condition (state) in which something operates from the inside (within).
In Christ, in his essence. This you can meditate every day on and never reach the end of it. It amazes me that all of God lives in me and I in him. One of my favorite statements comes right below the title of chapter 4 in The Door Is Open:
Proceeding out from oneself but not by oneself.
Why Colossians 2
The second chapter of Colossians is beautifully written reminding the people, the believers, to not fall into religiosity. So many of us sadly have today. Not because we wanted to but because it has been passed down from one generation to another. We don’t have to jump through hoops to have God love us, be with us, live inside us. We just believe-which he provides for too.
So let go of the rules, rituals, all the extra fluff and hold onto the fact you are in him, ‘en’ Cristos and he is ‘en’ you! All of God through his purposed Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit isn’t the third part in a hierarchy (ah how man loves hierarchy). It is God in Spirit form. Jesus was God in human form. But there is no hierarchy to it. They are one and the same. Don’t forget. 😉
Chapter 2 of Colossians
Here is Colossians chapter 2:6-23 in the Message version for your reading pleasure:
“My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything. Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets. So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ. Don’t tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They’re a lot of hot air, that’s all they are. They’re completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us. So, then, if with Christ you’ve put all that puffed-up and childish religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? “Don’t touch this! Don’t taste that! Don’t go near this!” Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and austere. But they’re just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.”
May God fill you with understanding as he unwinds old belief systems and you see the way he sees. Much Grace, Darlene
