A Manner Worthy of the Lord
- Rick Terletzky
- Oct 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 8
Colossians 1:9-14
[9] And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, [10] so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
What does it look like to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord? The answer can be best summed up here in Paul’s prayer for the believer. Some traits are things we can strive towards, being diligent to uphold. However, as Paul highlights, we can’t do it all by ourselves. We are not the ones who bring worthiness.
In order to live in a way that is pleasing to God, we first, as Paul is praying profusely, need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, who gives us the wisdom and understanding to desire the will of God.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
If we submit ourselves to walking in step with the Spirit, we will find ourselves living in God’s will. Right off the bat, we will then know that our worthiness is not because of anything we do but because
the Son of God qualifies us. [clarification]
the Father has qualified us worthy through the sent Son. It is by Christ and for Christ that the Father delievers us from darkness into the knowledge of God’s will and redeemed into the fullness of the Kingdom of God. Jesus affirms this when He said that not one will be cast out that His Father gives Him (John 6:37)
It is Christ who has delivered us from darkness into the knowledge of God’s will and redeemed into the fullness of the Kingdom of God.
Being fruitful, maturing in our understanding of God’s Word, or even having the endurance to have patience, are merely responses that are preceded by the understanding and wisdom we are given. It is because we are first loved by Christ that we love like Christ.
The manner in which we walk is not just fueled by the wisdom that comes before, but strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit throughout. It is how we are able to give thanks to God the Father. Because of the freedom we have in Christ to give thanks… we do.
A manner in which is worthy of the Lord is not a life that results in the boasting of ourselves, but a testimony of the Father’s beloved Son.
Questions
Q: How do we balance our efforts to live worthy lives while knowing our worthiness comes from Christ?
Q: In your personal life, how have you forgotton that you have been transfered to the Kingdom of God?
(1 Corinthians 2:10-16) The carnal man is a stranger to the principles, and pleasures, and actings of the Divine life. The spiritual man only, is the person to whom God gives the knowledge of his will.
- Matthew Henry
After reflection, I would like to make a correction -
While the Son of God does qualify us by his blood shed on the cross, qualifying us in justification, faith, and union with Him, the verse is not covering this point but a higher qualification.
The Father qualifies us of worthiness by the sending of his Son. The Father also gifts us to the Son by the transferring of dominions.