The Doctrine of Salvation in Colossians -- By: H. Wayne House
Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 151:603 (Jul 1994)
Article: The Doctrine of Salvation in Colossians
Author: H. Wayne House
BSac 151:603 (Jul 94) p. 325
The Doctrine of Salvation in Colossians*
[H. Wayne House is Professor-at-large, Simon Greenleaf University, School of Law, Anaheim, California.]
[This is article three in a four-part series “Doctrinal Issues in Colossians.” Parts one and two were published in the January 1992 and April 1992 issues of Bibliotheca Sacra.]
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, painted an exquisite portrait of Jesus Christ. The apostle, however, did not complete his painting without also depicting the importance of Christ’s Person and work in relation to eternal salvation. The basis of that salvation is the death of Christ on the cross, by which He has given an eternal inheritance to believers. As heirs, saints possess abundant salvific treasures, including redemption, reconciliation, sanctification, and ultimate glorification. Salvation flows from the headwaters of the eternal plan of God the Father and its actualization through the work of the Son in time and space. By the Son, believers have been transferred from the tyranny and destruction of the kingdom of darkness to the blessing of the kingdom of light. Moreover, they are presently being transformed by the work of God. In Colossians, salvation is a multifaceted doctrine, made up of many threads woven together in relation to Christ and His work.
The Believer’s Inheritance
Qualified by God the Father
In Paul’s opening prayer he praised God the Father as the One who initiates the salvation of Christians (1:12), a salvation given to them in the form of an inheritance. Paul clearly established the fact that salvation is wrought in a family context. Salvation comes through God “the Father, who has qualified us” for an
BSac 151:603 (Jul 94) p. 326
inheritance. Inheritances, and specifically in this case salvation, are awarded on the basis of family qualification. Salvation, then, is not something that believers have obtained by merit; inheritances are given to heirs and sons, not to workers. God the Father qualified believers for a “portion of the lot” (τὴν μερίδα τοῦ κλήρου) by virtue of His predestined plan to adopt them (cf. Eph 1:5). The verb ἱκανόω means “to make sufficient or to qualify,”1 and ἱκανώσαντι is a consummative aorist emphasizing a past completed action. Thus, according to Paul, God caused believers to be qualified for inheritance. Again an inheritance is only for those who are duly authorized heirs.
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