The Scriptures are tricky. I wonder sometimes if God deliberately guided the writers so that whoever wishes to distort them may do so and have "solid" scriptural support.

There is a great Divine truth in Colossians 2:10 (above). It is that God sees us perfect and complete in Christ. What a blessing to the conscientious soul who thinks God never is pleased no matter how hard he tries!

This great Divine truth is being perverted today. It is coming out as, "No matter what you do God sees only the righteousness and holiness of Christ."

People, please! This teaching runs counter to the bulk of passages of the New Testament.

If God does not see our behavior, how are we to judge ourselves? Why did Paul deliver the incestuous believer in Corinth to Satan for the destruction of his flesh? This makes sense?

Ah, the modern commentators write (concerning the Corinthian), "This unbelievably rotten creature never was a true Christian!"

Never was a true Christian? According to the Scripture the brother began as a Christian and ended up as a Christian. Did he slip out at some point and then slip back in again?

You don't handle sin by becoming a non- Christian and then a Christian again. You handle sin by confessing it and turning away from it. And there is no point in doing this if God doesn't see it in the first place. (The sorrowful believer of Corinth repented.)

What, then, does God mean when He says He sees us perfect in Christ? He means that if we do what He says in the New Testament our ultimate glorification is assured. God has the authority and power to forgive and transform those who continue to abide in Christ.

(In drawing the following analogy I understand that God has more power than your mother.)

Every mother used to see her son as being perfect and the president of the United States. (This is not true anymore because the presidency has fallen on hard times.) Did this mean the mother did not know he was in the second grade? Not at all. It meant that this was the mother's hope for her son.

The fact that the little devil was viewed in an exalted state (by his mother) did not prevent occasional trips to the woodshed. Without these he no doubt would find his destiny in the state prison.

God sees us as perfect and lord of the nations (under Christ). Does this mean He will not judge our behavior and chasten us severely? The Bible says He will! Does this mean we cannot possibly end up in outer darkness or have our name blotted from the Book of Life? Not according to the Scriptures it doesn't!

Everybody knows that in order to cut a straight course in the Word you have to read the whole book. You can't pick out your favorite ideas and throw out the rest.

According to the Bible, if a Christian sins and does not repent he or she is flirting with spiritual death. This is true from Matthew to Revelation. The fact that God sees us as complete in Christ and envisions our glorification does not mean when we sin it goes unnoticed.

Colossians 2:10 is found in the Book of Colossians. Also found in the Book of Colossians is the next verse:

In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: (Colossians 2:11)

How many see we are supposed to put off the body of the sins of our flesh? Raise your hand!

And then we have these good ol' verses:

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (Colossians 3:8,9)

If God doesn't see our anger, malice, filthy talk, why is it so important we put off the old man with his deeds?

This world would be a better place if everyone would read the whole Book of Colossians.