ASSURED CONVICTION OF UNDERSTANDING ROSS SMITH
ALL REFERENCES FROM AMPLIFIED VERSION UNLESS NOTED
Colossians 2:2 [FOR MY CONCERN IS] that their hearts (Or their “motives” .. comments mine) 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).
This one verse is so crammed full of vital instruction and encouragement that we need to break it apart a little so that the various components can be appreciated.
- [FOR MY CONCERN IS] ) (OR “IF,” the first component of the apodosis) (PAUL’S CONCERN MUST BECOME OUR CONCERN) that their hearts (Or their “motives” .. comments mine) may be
- braced (comforted, cheered, and encouraged) (A WIDE SPECTRUM OF NEED AND ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR MINISTRY) as they are
- KNIT together IN LOVE, (NOT WITH STICK TAPE BUT “KNIT” LIKE A MENDED BONE… STRUCTURAL STRENGTH)
- “THAT” (THIS IS THE “THEN” OF THE APODOSIS) they may come to have
- all the abounding wealth and blessings (THIS IS “CONTENTMENT, AND IT COMES WITH GODLINESS, “WITH GREAT GAIN 1 TIMOTHY 6;6, “A SOURCE OF IMMENSE PROFIT) of ASSURED CONVICTION of UNDERSTANDING,
- AND (THIS IS THE SECOND PART OF THE BONUS OF UNDERSTANDING) 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). (UNLOCKING “INSPIRATION)
OBEDIENCE IS THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING. APPLICATION LEADS TO EXPERIENCE.
Preaching the Word is intended to stimulate motivation and cultivate “ASSURED CONVICTION OF UNDERSTANDING”, not a mere notional knowledge of spiritual things. PREACHING IS TO STIMULATE PROGRESSION AND MATURITY. It is one thing to read the Word, and it is another thing to “UNDERSTAND” the Word. That is why we are instructed to study with the aim of “correctly analysing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) This has the effect of “bracing, comforting, cheering, encouraging”. This doesn’t come naturally; it requires inspiration or insight.
This is reinforced in Ephesians 1:17 – 20, a passage worth reading several times, and with verse 19 saying, “KNOW and UNDERSTAND”.
Proverbs 1:23 IF you will turn (repent) and GIVE HEED (OBEY) to my reproof, behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words KNOWN to you. (“Known is the same as “UNDERSTAND”)
Should we need an example of this in practice, we need to go no further than that of Abraham as recorded in Romans 4:20.
Romans 4:20 No unbelief or distrust (Or lack of Conviction .. comments mine) made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God,
The concern of the Apostle Paul was that people should have an unclouded perception and guaranteed assurance in their relationship to the Lord, and anything less was an aberration of their spiritual maturity and a threat to their eternal destiny.
The wording of this verse leaves no doubt as to the depths of Paul’s concern, not just in the form of knowledge about, but the “abounding wealth and blessings of ASSURED CONVICTION of UNDERSTANDING”.
IT IS HARDLY POSSIBLE TO SEPARATE THE “ASSURED CONVICTION” FROM THE PROCESS BY WHICH IT IS REACHED.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our [preaching of the] glad tidings (the Gospel) came to you not only in word, but also in [its own inherent] power and in the Holy Spirit and with GREAT CONVICTION AND ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY [ON OUR PART]. You know what kind of men we proved [ourselves] to be among you for your good.
Much has to do with “CONVICTION”, and Paul says it precedes “CERTAINTY”, his preaching was “not just words but with GREAT CONVICTION and ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY.” There are three words in there that clarify this; “ON OUR PART”.
IT IS HARDLY POSSIBLE TO SEPARATE THE “ASSURED CONVICTION” FROM THE PROCESS BY WHICH IT IS REACHED.
Romans 14:23 says, “For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a CONVICTION of its approval by God is sinful].” Also, see Hebrews 11:1, which in art says “the CONVICTION of their reality,” referring to the attributes of Faith/Obedience.
IT HAS TO BE CONVICTION, NOT CONCOCTION!
For too long, conviction in this instance has been understood to be the conviction of sin; this is not what Paul is talking about here; he talks about being thoroughly convinced – confirmed when Paul says “on our part”. He is speaking about his ministry – it comes with absolute certainty and great conviction. The Greek word for “conviction” is “bringing to full measure.”
Conviction and certainty go together; they form understanding, not wishful thinking. Too often, we hear of men in the pulpit and what they share is wishful thinking; it’s not that understanding or conviction born of the Spirit.
Paul made the same observation in Romans 8v38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) (that is assured conviction!) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
And so that great conviction and absolute certainty that Paul speaks about is that confidence we have in God and in His Word. This same conviction is found in Romans 14:23; (B) “For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful].”
IT HAS TO BE CONVICTION, NOT CONCOCTION! IT HAS TO BE UNDERSTANDING, NOT WISHFUL THINKING.
That great conviction of 1 Thessalonians 1:5 is the same assured conviction that we started in Colossians 2:2. It is the understanding which is the per they are of the abounding wealth and blessings. I would like to change those words “abounding wealth and blessings” to just one word; “CONTENTMENT“.
Paul has called contentment when it is associated with godliness to be a source of “immense profit”.
1 Timothy 6:6 [And it is, INDEED, A SOURCE OF IMMENSE PROFIT, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.
Why do we need “ASSURED CONVICTION OF UNDERSTANDING”? Because our calling is to expend our gifting. We can’t do that unless we understand our subject. That is not from an academic perspective as explained in Deuteronomy 4:2, ”You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish it”.
Intellectual agility pales into insignificance as Job identifies the source. (Job 32:8) But there is [a vital force] a spirit [of intelligence] in man, and the breath of the Almighty (Or His “God-breathed Word” .. comments mine) gives men understanding.
In Psalm 32:8, the Lord says, “He will teach us”, but goes on in verse 9 to say that if we are without the “UNDERSTANDING”, we are like “a horse and a mule”, an analogy or resemblance surely to be shunned.
It remains a fortunate fact that “abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding” is something that happens spontaneously and should be found to be the general practice in the church at large, But the “ABOUNDING WEALTH AND BLESSINGS” issues out of and by the intensity of our relationship with the Lord, by the integrity of our behaviour, cultivated by regular and serious study of the Word of God which leads to the “ASSURED CONVICTION”. It is the “UNDERSTANDING” that attracts the abounding wealth and blessings; they are inextricably linked as an essence of “UNDERSTANDING”.
God’s “CREDIBILITY” is not under question, for the book of Acts clarifies several points.
Acts 17:31 Because He has fixed a day when He will judge the world righteously (justly) by a Man Whom He has destined and appointed for that task, and HE HAS MADE THIS CREDIBLE AND GIVEN CONVICTION AND ASSURANCE AND EVIDENCE TO EVERYONE BY RAISING HIM FROM THE DEAD.
The words “EVIDENCE TO EVERYONE” means that they have an inherent understanding, planted by God, just like Romans 1:20 prescribes. I have an uneasy feeling that the apostle Paul had the same concern when speaking to the church at Corinth, for it seems they may have been relying on their superficial perceptions of the things the Lord rather than an “ASSURED CONVICTION”. (See also Ecclesiastes 3:11 part B “He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts”)
1 Corinthians 8:1-2 NOW ABOUT food offered to idols: of course we know that all of us possess knowledge concerning these matters. YET MERE KNOWLEDGE CAUSES PEOPLE TO BE PUFFED UP (to bear themselves loftily and be proud), BUT LOVE (affection and goodwill and benevolence) edifies and builds up and encourages one to grow [to his full stature] IF ANYONE IMAGINES that he has come to know and understand much [of divine things, without love], he does not yet perceive and recognise and UNDERSTAND as strongly and clearly, nor has he become as intimately acquainted with anything as he ought OR AS IS NECESSARY.
PRIDE PRECLUDES US FROM NECESSARY UNDERSTANDING
“KNOWLEDGE” is a very useful commodity, but without the vaccine of “LOVE,” it leads to inflation. LOVE kills the yeast of “PRIDE”, that frothy fermentation Jesus warned about, “the leaven (ferment) of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Mat 16:6) This is a trademark of the religious behaviour and emerging in today’s church as secularism, often devoid of substance or sustenance, just kept afloat by the gaseous nature of PRIDE.
Pride has a consequence; MERE KNOWLEDGE CAUSES PEOPLE TO BE PUFFED UP or inflated with egotism. The apostle identifies a great contrast; “knowledge PUFFS UP, but love BUILDS UP”. Knowledge must be converted to UNDERSTANDING; what we “know about” must become what we do, or “EXPERIENCE”, which underpins the “ASSURED CONVICTION OF UNDERSTANDING” which has no part or truck with “IMAGINATIONS” or concoctions.
Although ”ASSURED CONVICTION OF UNDERSTANDING” has been made freely available in the form of “abounding wealth and blessings” according to Colossians 2:2, It also demands “they may become progressively more intimately acquainted with and may know more DEFINITELY AND ACCURATELY AND THOROUGHLY (That is, we are enlightened to the finer details .. comments mine) that mystic secret of God, [which is] Christ (the Anointed One.
ERV says, “the full confidence that comes from UNDERSTANDING”. A lack of confidence is the fear of inadequacy and is analogous to the “IRON CHARIOTS” of Judges 1:19. The idol of fear is a thing that is interposed between us and God’s love, and without that love, we can’t have that bracing and cheering and comforting that comes from Colossians 2:2. So this lack of confidence is nothing less than, or more than, a sense of inadequacy, which manifests itself in a myriad of ways. Most significantly is the absence of “assured conviction of understanding and confidence”.
That is why Ephesians 5:10 states ;
Ephesians 5:10 And TRY TO LEARN [IN YOUR EXPERIENCE] what is pleasing to the Lord [let your lives be constant proofs of what is most acceptable to Him]. (Experience is, in fact, “UNDERSTANDING”)
EXPERIENCE LEADS TO ASSURANCE, and it is the proving of the matter beyond dispute. It builds on but surpasses the fundamentals, those aspects of the Word of God that are described as “MILK”. (Hebrews 5:12)
The riches of the Word are hidden precisely because they have such infinite value; they are worth the search. These deep secrets will not be discovered by the casual dabbler. Like the man who found the pearl of great price, “Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:46)
The “selling all he had” refers to the discipline, sacrifice and renunciations required in the pursuit of spiritual excellence. HE WHO WOULD FIND TREASURE MUST DIG. He who would have “ASSURED CONVICTION OF UNDERSTANDING” must study. (See Luke 8:17-18)
Hebrews 6:1 THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the (elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), ADVANCING steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God,
A large proportion of the church today has stalled, content to languish in the elementary stage of their relationship with the Lord and employing little effort to attain “the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity”, or in Colossian terms “, ASSURED CONVICTION OF UNDERSTANDING.”
The “ELEMENTARY STAGE” comprises those principles and fundamentals of our redemption, a majestic and glorious event to be celebrated, but just as in the natural, if we continue to act childishly, we will never attain maturity.
The “ADVANCING” requires the energies specified throughout scripture, such as (Matthew 7:14) But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure), and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it. Peter put it this way “employ every effort” (2 Peter 1:5)
HOW “PUSHY” ARE WE WHEN IT COMES TO OUR DEVELOPING MATURITY?
However, Colossians 2:2 has already incorporated the elements required to “PROGRESS”, when recommending “ASSURED CONVICTION OF UNDERSTANDING”, pointing out that this God-given treasure chest, the “abounding wealth and blessings” incorporated and integrated through “LOVE”, results in “PROGRESS”, expressively articulated like this in the latter part of the verse.
“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.” The “acquaint” and the “know” here are synonyms for “UNDERSTAND”.
The idea of “ADVANCING” involves disruption; our innermost being must continually burst through the confining husk of the “ELEMENTARIES”. Such a disruption will also involve pain, that denial of self that occupies so much of our time and mind, the homicide of our “UNHALLOWED PLEASURES”, meaning our preferences are put to death.
PRACTICE PRODUCES ABILITY
CULTIVATION PRODUCES FRUIT
MEDITATION PRODUCES MINISTRY (1 Timothy 4:15)
MEDIOCRITY PRODUCES MISERY
The apostle Paul, again writing to the Ephesians, continues a similar theme as Hebrews 6 subtly suggesting that to continue to exist in “juvenile” behaviour will expose us to men of charismatic appeal who will manipulate the word of God to excuse us from the spiritual route march which requires hind’s feet to traverse or “to stand firmly or MAKE PROGRESS on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places. (Psalm 18:33)
Ephesians 4:14 SO THEN, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.
“CHANCE GUST OF TEACHING” are like those preachers who use enough of the Word to provide some legitimacy but fail to tell “THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.”
When writing to the church at Ephesus, the apostle has in different terms expressed the same sentiment as in the introductory verse in Colossians 2:2 when he prayed for “spirit of wisdom and Revelation” and not just a “head full” but a “heart and life full.”
Ephesians 1:17 (19) [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you A SPIRIT of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,
Jeremiah concludes that we can “GLORY” or have that exultant satisfaction when we “UNDERSTAND and know Him, personally, practically, discerningly, recognising God’s character.
(williamrosssmith.wordpress.com)
Ross Smith 