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He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:13–14).
He has delivered us.
As believers in Christ, we can take comfort and have confidence that our deliverance from the power of darkness and entrance into the kingdom of the Son of God has already been accomplished. This was achieved through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, which secured our redemption and the forgiveness of our sins. Therefore, we do not have to strive to earn or work to maintain our salvation. Instead, we can rest in the finished work of Christ.
The concept of being delivered from the power of darkness can be understood by drawing an analogy to the story of the Israelites in Egypt. The Egyptians held the Israelites in bondage.
The Israelites could not free themselves from their bondage in Egypt. Likewise, we cannot free ourselves from the bondage of sin. It is only through the redemptive work of Christ on the cross that we can be set free and delivered from the power of darkness (Romans 6:18). Moses negotiated the terms of the Israelites' freedom with Pharaoh in the same manner; Christ negotiated the terms of our freedom with the powers of darkness (Colossians 2:15). He paid the price for our sins. Jesus reconciled us to God, making way for us to be delivered from the power of darkness and brought into the kingdom of light (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
This passage indicates that Christ has delivered us from the power of darkness. This statement is made in the past tense because our liberation from the influence of darkness and evil spirits was secured through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
What does it mean to be delivered from the power of darkness?
The "power of darkness" refers to the spiritual forces of evil that oppose God and seek to enslave humanity in sin and darkness. This idea is echoed in other New Testament passages, such as Ephesians 6:12, which speaks of "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." By delivering us from the power of darkness, God has freed us from the dominion of sin and Satan and brought us into a new realm of spiritual life and light.
Christ delivered us from the darkness within
For those old enough to remember Flip Wilson and his famous tagline, "The devil made me do it," it is essential to recognize that the devil does not always have to force us into sin. Often, he presents us with opportunities, and our sinful human nature takes over from there.
Deliverance from darkness includes being freed from our own human nature. Each person born under Adam carries personal darkness and opposes God. Romans 8:7-8 shows the opposition between our sinful human nature and God.
Romans 8:7-8 says, "For the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
Here, the Apostle Paul highlights the inherent opposition between our sinful human nature (or the flesh) and God. He goes on to say in verse 9,
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him."
Verse 9 shows that our deliverance includes being brought into the realm of the Spirit through the Holy Spirit. Colossians 3:9-10 emphasizes that our old self has been replaced with a new self-being renewed in the image of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 emphasizes the transformation that occurs when we are delivered from darkness and made new in Christ.
Paul in Colossians 3:9-10 says, "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." Here, Paul emphasizes that our old self (or our sinful human nature) has been put off and replaced with a new self that is being renewed in the image of God.
Again Paul writes 2 Corinthians 5:17 and says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." This verse again emphasizes the transformation that occurs when we are delivered from the power of darkness and brought into the kingdom of God through Christ. Our old self and its sinful nature have passed away, and we are made new in Christ.
Wrapping it up
As believers, we must continually strive to put off our old selves and walk in the newness of life that we have been given through Christ. This involves surrendering our human nature to the power of the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to transform us from the inside out. We must resist the temptation to follow our own sinful desires and instead seek to align our lives with God's will. By doing so, we can experience the fullness of our deliverance from the power of darkness and walk in the freedom Christ has secured for us.
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