“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:”

Colossians 1:28

Have you ever wondered why certain stories or parables are in the Bible? Are they to inform, warn, or even entertain us? Purpose aside, every word on the pages of Scripture was perfectly chosen by God, and each detail is accurately described. Jesus’ life events are NOT a fairytale story—they are life-giving words that are timeless and as applicable to us now as they were when they were written.

Verse 28 shares about preaching Christ so that every man would become perfect in Him. Learning from the life of Jesus is what makes us perfect (or complete).

Every page of Scripture, every lesson we learn from Jesus, has the capability of conforming us to His very image if we receive it and carry it out by God’s grace. To regard Bible stories as archaic fables that don’t relate to our 21st century lives, we are forfeiting a goldmine of life-altering truths and promises! Jesus didn’t live a perfect life because it was fun or easy—far from it! Every aspect of His life—the miracles and the hardships alike—was to be an example for us to follow in His steps. His mercy, truth, zeal, foot washing, baptism, and so much more were all displayed so that we (thousands of years later) might learn from Him and exhibit His character to the world today. Things haven’t gotten any better since Jesus’ day—in fact I’d say the state of our world has declined greatly. If God’s people were to be the light of the world back then, how much more now!

God called us to live a perfect life (knowing we couldn’t) so that we would be dependent on Him. However, we can’t just sit back and enjoy life because we can’t do what He called us to do (that would be lazy and foolish). Along with the command, God always gives us the grace and strength to carry it out. He desires that we be presented holy, blameless, and spotless before Him—not by cleaning up ourselves, but by being washed and renewed through Christ’s sacrifice.

When God chose stories and examples to place in the Bible, He did it with us in mind. It was meant to be more than just words on a page or a book on a shelf. Because God is pure, holy, and perfect, He desires that we, His beloved children, would be too. This type of sanctification can only come as we abide in the words of Scripture and learn from the life of Christ.

Katey N