September 20, 2025 - Colossians 2:1-3 - "Hearts Knit Together"

Colossians 2:1-3

 "For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 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."

Paul speaks of a “great conflict” he had for the believers at Colossae and Laodicea—believers he had never even seen face to face. This conflict was not against them, but for them. He wrestled in prayer for them, bearing the burden of their spiritual well-being. He desired that they would be strengthened and comforted, that they would be knit together in Love, and that they would come to the full assurance of understanding in Christ. His labor was for their steadfastness in the Truth, for their stability in the Gospel, and for their confidence in the sovereignty of Christ.

This kind of Gospel conflict is no small thing. The Gospel is never easy on the flesh. It does not flatter us or make much of us. Instead, it humbles us. It strips us of every false refuge and lays us bare before Holy God. The Gospel brings down human pride and leaves us with Christ alone as our Hope. That is why Paul’s prayers were so earnest. He knew that only Christ could comfort their hearts, only Christ could unite them in true Love, and only Christ could establish them in saving Truth.

When Paul speaks of hearts being “knit together in love,” he is not describing a shallow unity built on human sentiment. This is not about holding hands and agreeing to overlook the Truth as it is in Christ, in the name of harmony. No! Hearts knit together mean hearts bound in Christ, joined together by the Spirit, resting upon the finished work of the Savior. It is a unity anchored in the Gospel. Love divorced from truth is merely temporal. True Love is born out of the Truth of Who Christ is and what He has done to save His own.

The danger in Colossae—and in every generation—was the pull of enticing words, the lure of philosophy and human tradition. False teachers have always known how to cloak their message in spiritual language. They talk of God, of wisdom, even of love. They may appear sincere, even compassionate. But Paul warns: "Beware". For their message, no matter how it sounds, shifts the glory away from Christ. Instead of Christ being ALL, they make man something. They give the sinner something to cling to in himself—some work, some ritual, some feeling, some philosophy. And in doing so, they rob the gospel of its glory and power. They pervert the Gospel!

That is why Paul directs the church back to Christ. The comfort of the Gospel is not in our works, not in our emotions, not in our supposed faithfulness, but in Christ crucified and risen. Paul reminds us that Peace with God comes only “through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). Reconciliation is not a cooperative effort between man and God. It is the sovereign work of Christ alone. By His obedience, by His death, He reconciled His people unto God. That is why Paul speaks of the “riches of the full assurance of understanding.” Assurance comes not by looking within, but by the Spirit of God giving spiritual eyes to look to Christ and His finished work alone.

Christ Himself is the Treasure. In Him are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge (Colossians 2:3). All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily (Colossians 2:9). And in Him, Paul says, we are complete. What more could we seek? Why turn to philosophy, to ritual, to man-made religion, when in Christ all is finished, and redemption, justification, and sanctification already obtained for God's elect? To look elsewhere is to declare Him insufficient. To rest in Him is to find Him as our ALL.

And so Paul’s conflict is the preacher’s conflict, and it is the believer’s conflict as well. It is the struggle to remain settled and established in Christ in a world that offers countless substitutes. It is the labor of love to point one another back to the Savior, to remind each other where comfort truly lies. Comfort lies in the Christ of the cross. Assurance lies in His finished work. Unity lies in the truth of His Gospel.

Hearts knit together in Love are hearts knit together in Christ. That Love is not a sentimental feeling—it is the bond of the Spirit, binding redeemed sinners to one another because they are bound first to Christ. Truth and Love meet at Calvary. The Love of God is revealed in the death of His Son. The Truth of God is revealed in the Righteousness of His Son. And together they bring sinners into the comfort of full assurance.

So let us take Paul’s prayer to heart. May we, too, be knit together in Love, steadfast in the Truth, comforted by the Gospel, and filled with assurance in Christ. For He is sovereign. He has reconciled His people to God. He alone is worthy of all glory. Christ is ALL and in Him, we are complete (Colossians 2:10).