Sam Storms - The Hope of Glory: 100 Daily Meditations on Colossians

The existence of this book of meditations on Paul's letter to the Colossians can be explained by something Jonathan Edwards said in a sermon he preached in November 1739. The message was titled, "The Importance and Advantage of a Thorough Knowledge of Divine Truth." As is the case with much of what Edwards wrote, the prose is not what we in the twenty-first century are accustomed to reading, but don't let that deter you from the truth of what he said:

Be assiduous in reading the holy Scriptures. This is the fountain whence all knowledge in divinity must be derived. Therefore let not this treasure lie by you neglected. Every man of common understanding who can read, may, if he please, become well acquainted with the Scriptures. And what an excellent attainment would this be!

"Be assiduous." I trust that Edwards had in mind the definition we commonly employ today: "assiduous: marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application."

Most Christians would give assent to the title of Edwards's message: "Yes, of course it's important that we read and understand God's Word. There is great advantage in the pursuit of a thorough knowledge of divine truth. We must be careful and unremitting in the attention we give to it." But the fervency of that assertion, I regret to say, is rarely met with a proportionate devotion to actually doing it.

Why? Could it be that we simply don't believe that Scripture, to use Edwards's words, is a fountain, a treasure, the knowledge of which is an excellent attainment? The energy behind his exhortation is the unshakable conviction that Scripture truly is a fountain , a free-flowing, never-ending flood of truth, wisdom, and encouragement. It is a treasure , "more to be desired... than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb" (Ps. 19:10). It is an excellent attainment, for in keeping the Scriptures there is great reward (Ps. 19:11).

The truth that we gain from the Scriptures is wide-ranging, the treasure is multifaceted, and the reward is incalculable. But in the book of Colossians it can be reduced to one glorious reality: Jesus Christ. This is the apostle's point in Colossians 1:27, from which I've derived the title to this book. There he mentions the greatness of the riches of the glory of the mystery that God has made known to us: "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

We love the Scriptures because they lead us to Christ. We are assiduous in our reading of God's Word because therein we see the beauty of God revealed in his Son; therein we taste the soul-satisfying sweetness of his redemptive blessings, therein we experience the sin-slaying power of his indwelling presence. In him, says Paul, "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). He is our exceeding great reward. Oh, what an excellent attainment there is in a thorough knowledge of divine truth!

This book is not a technical commentary on Colossians. Such volumes are in abundant supply, a few of which I've noted in the notes to the text. Still, one can certainly gain a fairly thorough grasp of the argument and ideas of Paul by reading through all one hundred meditations. But my target audience isn't the scholarly community.

I've written for the average, educated Christian believer. Well, that's not entirely accurate. I'm assuming that, although "average," you are passionate to know Christ better, hungry to be filled with the knowledge of the truth, and desperate to see him lifted high and holy in your life and in the experience of the church as a whole. If that describes you, or what you wish were true of you, then this book was designed specifically with you in mind.

Each meditation is intentionally short, and most can be read in five to ten minutes. To help you keep the larger context in mind, you might want to try the following approach: each day, read the chapter from which the day's reading comes, and each week (perhaps on Sunday), read the entire book of Colossians once. At that rate, you will read Colossians 1 forty times, Colossians 2 eighteen times, Colossians 3 twenty-nine times, Colossians 4 thirteen times; and you will read the entire book (in one sitting) fifteen times! You may wish to study and meditate upon them as part of your daily devotional life. Or you may find them helpful in your more in-depth analysis of God's Word. Perhaps they can be used as a guide in your small group or Sunday school class.

In any case, I've labored to maintain a delicate, and often difficult, balance between stylistic simplicity on the one hand and theological substance on the other. I've not avoided the hard texts in Colossians, but in addressing them I've worked at making Paul's meaning accessible to any Christian with an inquiring mind and a hungry heart. Notes are kept to a minimum. Only rarely do I appeal to something in the Greek text, and even then I strive to make it intelligible to those who read only the English Bible.

As for the English Bible, I've chosen to use the English Standard Version (ESV). One of my goals is to persuade you to embrace the ESV as your primary translation for study and memorization. Although I occasionally appeal to other translations, such as the New American Standard Version (NASB) and the New International Version (NIV), I've grown to love and appreciate the ESV for its combination of literal translation and readable style. I can only hope that you come to share my convictions.

To assist you in your study, I've placed the relevant passage for each meditation at the top of the page. In many instances, the Scripture verses accompanying the meditation are set within the context of the broader Scripture passage, and where this occurs the particular verse(s) in focus appear(s) in bold type. However, I encourage you to read them with your own Bible open and your finger on the text.

Finally, there is good reason for my use of the word meditation in describing these one hundred studies. In Psalm 145:5, David declared: "On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate." This is what Scripture ultimately was designed to do: point us to the glorious splendor of God's majesty and deepen our satisfaction in the wondrous work he has achieved in Christ. So, don't merely read these studies on Colossians: ruminate! Don't simply study: saturate! I believe that in this way, through concentrated meditation on the Christ-exalting Word of Paul's epistle to the Colossians, the Holy Spirit will awaken in your heart that joy in Jesus that Peter can only describe as "inexpressible and filled with glory" (1 Pet. 1:8).

Sam Storms September 2006