William Burkitt Notes and Observations - Colossians 1:13 - 1:13

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William Burkitt Notes and Observations - Colossians 1:13 - 1:13


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In these words our apostle declares how God makes his children and people meet for the inheritance of heaven and eternal glory, namely, by bringing them out of that dark state of heathenism, sin and misery, in which they lay, and translating them into a state of grace, called here the kingdom of God's dear Son.

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness: Here we have the deliverer, God the Father,

Col_1:12 he delivered us; all that are made meet for the inheritance in light, were once under the power of spiritual darkness:

The deliverance itself, and the manner of the deliverance; he hath rescued us by a strong hand, as the word imports, as Lot was delivered out of Sodom.

Note, 1. That the state which every soul is in by nature, is a state of darkness: sin originally springs from darkness, it naturally delights in darkness, it ultimately leads to eternal darkness.

Note, 2. That it is God, and God alone, that can deliver a soul from the power of spiritual darkness.

3. That no power, short of Almighty power in God, is able to deliver a sinner from the dominion of sin, and the power of spiritual darkness; such is the ignorance and blindness of the understanding, such is the rebellion that is found in the sinner's will, so great the irregularity and disorder of the affections, and indeed of the whole soul, that the sinner is not only unable to deliver himself, but stands in a direct opposition to the grace of God, which offers to work deliverance for him, till, of unwilling, he is made willing, in the day of Christ's power, And translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son Psa_110:3; that is, brought us into a gospel state, made us members and subjects of his kingdom of grace and heirs of his kingdom of glory.

Learn, 1. That Christ was God's Son, his dear and only Son, the Son of himself, and the Son of his bosom-love: He is called his Son, being so by an eternal and ineffable generation; not upon the account of his miraculous conception only, nor in regard of his sanctification and mission only, nor in regard of his resurrection chiefly, nor in regard of the dignity of his person, nor in regard of the dearness of his person; but he is very God of very God, begotten of his Father, by whom all things were made; and accordingly he is, for nature, co-essential, for dignity, co-equal, and for duration, co-eternal with the Father, and consequently truly and really God; and he that denieth the divinity of the Son, in God's account, denieth the Father also.

Learn, 2. That Christ, as God's dear Son, is a Spiritual King, and exercises a kingly power in and over the souls of those whom he hath delivered from the power of darkness.

Learn, 3. That such as are subjects of his kingdom of grace, shall certainly be translated into his kingdom of glory.