Colossians 2:2: There Are Blessings In Understanding The Word!

[For my concern is] that their hearts may be braced (comforted, cheered, and encouraged) as they are knit together in love, that they may come to have all the abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding, and that they may become progressively more intimately acquainted with and may know more definitely and accurately and thoroughly that mystic secret of God, [which is] Christ (the Anointed One).

     I can tell you that it sometimes gets lonely when it seems as if you are separate from the Body of Christ in your understanding of God's Word.  Both my husband and I, in our "deep dive" studies, are mindful that we not change one jot or tittle in Scripture, or to change the meaning, or mislead others by our own interpretation.  That is my prayer each time I approach another with the message of the Bible!
     But, oh, how Satan loves to take advantage of my esteem for the Word!  What better way to discourage me from seeking, as Paul says, to "become more intimately acquainted with" Christ, or to "know [Him] more definitely and accurately and thoroughly" through His Word, than to whisper in my ear ... "Look, your other Christian friends think you're crazy!  They don't get it!  Are you perhaps on the wrong track, and you're mistaken in your understanding?"  That is a charge that the Enemy continues to bring against many of us who are devoting our time to a greater comprehension through diligent study.
     That is why today's chosen Scripture has meant so much to me.  Paul wrote the Epistle to the Colossians because there were reports that the home-Church in Colossae was falling prey to many of the same deceptions that our modern Churches are embracing.  The relevance of Christ as Creator and the fullness of the knowledge of God was being supplanted by false doctrine and theology that undermined the person and work of Christ.  The Colossian Church was in danger of losing their faith in the sufficiency of Salvation through Christ, and the knowledge of Him as Lord of Creation and the Universe.
     Today, the Church is in equal danger of losing His Majestic identity, and espousing the deceptive idea that we no longer need to follow the absolutes of God's Holy Word; that it's OK to compromise with the moral values of the world.  Christ becomes "just a part" of our religious experience, instead of our All.  Indeed, I question if Christ is still the Head of the Church in many of today's "religious buildings".  Does He have Preeminence, or are His followers being taught ways to achieve a "fuller" life that bypasses faith in Him as the One under Whom all power and authority is subjected?  I sometimes wonder how He would judge the teachings in His House.
     But when He is the object of your Faith; when you see Him as the One who contains all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge through His Word, there arises a hunger in your soul to devour every word of Scripture; to, as Paul says "have all the abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding."  And that takes great courage ... because today, too many of God's people don't want to take that journey with us.  They are satisfied to view Christ from a comfortable distance in order to harmonize their faith with their daily lives.  Knowing more of Him, and seeing Him on every page of the Bible -- let alone seeking out that knowledge -- can threaten their "safe" image of Christ as the One who forgives all their sins.
     Yes, He's our Savior, and He's so much more!  How can it be wrong to learn the meaning of every word or Psalm or Parable, if it reveals all that Jesus is?  Yet, a young friend of ours was told by a Pastor that she would "go to hell" for seeking deeper understanding; that she was in danger of "being led astray" by trying to understand Scripture beyond what a surface, or casual, approach could teach.  Take Note:  Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, says we can obtain "a wealth of understanding by becoming progressively more intimate" with Christ.  That word means "proceed step by step; engaging in forward motion".  Meeting Him in the Bible is a way to do that.  But how many Christians are willing to put in the time to even read the Holy Book?
     The Holy Spirit has done a great work in my life and that of my husband.  He has led us to many hours of reverent study of God's Word and new revelation of just how Big our God is.  New understanding is being revealed to us, and we see the supremacy and primacy of Christ in every passage throughout the Bible.  And what's more, I sense that God is working through the Holy Spirit in the lives of others who are willing to receive His blessing of greater understanding.
     He is calling His people out of the false, weak, and deceptive teachings of the apostate Church and encouraging us through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  You know who you are!  He is "knitting us together in love" as we are finding our paths crossing in seemingly unpredictable ways.  Just yesterday, my husband was referred to a new client, who was interested in buying a piece of his art.  But the conversation quickly changed when this stranger said, "I have a feeling our encounter is not supposed to be about art."  She boldly approached the subject of her faith, and how she was at odds with most of her Christian brethren because she felt called to study her Bible in depth; to see Jesus on every page and to see a "bigger picture" of God's Sovereignty.
     My husband and this new friend in Christ spent the next hour discovering that they had received many of the same revelations, and how difficult it was to share this "good news" with family, friends, and fellow Christians.  But we can take comfort, cheer and encouragement (as our Scripture notes) when we realize that we are not alone and God is being exalted by the Holy Spirit's calling on our lives.  To know Christ more fully, and intimately, and accurately is a blessing beyond measure!