Knit Together in Love

​Christians all have knowledge of the same mystery, are saved by the same Savior, promote the same gospel, read the same Bible.  Yet despite our many similarities we, believers in Jesus Christ, tend to struggle with unity.  We often become embroiled by our own opinions and pursuits that forget our common ground.  We no longer walk in the unity that God ordained and therefore, lose sight of all the riches of His grace.  But what was Paul’s exhortation and prayer for the Colossians?  At the beginning of Colossians 2 he talks about how great a struggle he has for all the Gentile believers whom he has not met face to face, but why was Paul struggling and in constant prayer for these young Christians?

“…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
~Colossians 2:2-3 

​Not Alone
Paul wanted the Colossians to know that they were not alone in this struggle.  Both he and those with him were fervently praying for them from afar.  The Colossians also needed to know that they were not the only church that had not met Paul personally.  There were other young fellowships that had not met or been planted by the great Apostle and missionary, and Paul wanted these young churches to learn how to lean on each other for support, spiritual leadership, and strength instead of relying fully on him.  But in order to do this they needed unity amongst each other and closer fellowship one with another.
 
But how does all this apply to us?  What can we learn and apply from Paul’s exhortation to the Colossians?
 
Knit Together in Love
Love is what binds us.  The love of God for us, and in response, our love for others.   As Paul exhorted the Colossians and now us, we are and should be knit together in love.  Though we come from different backgrounds, cultures, eras, generations, and personal convictions, we must walk in unity of purpose, mind, and heart.
 
Why Unity?
There are many reasons, but using our text from Colossians 2, we need unity within the body in order to be able to reach all the riches found in Christ.  Though we have difference in opinion, conviction, standards, and cultures, we are all part of God’s family, partakers of the same gospel, and redeemed by the same blood.  We are united by Christ and the same glory and hope.  Though we may not all agree on some of the finer points of the Christian walk, we still need each other and we need the fellowship of one another to keep us going in the right path.  We are finite creatures and are not able to understand the full measure of God’s plan in Christ on our own.  So we need each other to grow one another and spur one another on, for the Christian walk was not meant to be a solitary one.
 
So let us take Paul’s admonition to heart and make sure that our hearts are knit together in love, so that together we may reach all the riches of full assurance and understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery.  And if Paul was still alive today, may he say of us as he told the Colossians:

“For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit,
​rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.”
~Colossians 2:5