For he has delivered us from the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his loved Son, (Colossians 1:13)
The word transferred means to cause a change of position; to remove, transport; to transfer; met. to cause to change sides. The word delivered puts emphasis on what kind of transfer occurred; meaning to drag out of danger, to rescue, save; to be rescued, delivered. We were delivered, rescued, saved, in this way God manifests his love toward us that we are called children, exist His own, transferred into the kingdom of God.
The word transferred means to cause a change of position; to remove, transport; to transfer; met. to cause to change sides. The word delivered puts emphasis on what kind of transfer occurred; meaning to drag out of danger, to rescue, save; to be rescued, delivered. We were delivered, rescued, saved, in this way God manifests his love toward us that we are called children, exist His own, transferred into the kingdom of God.
it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 9:24)
I've heard there is a gate called the eye of the needle, and it was hard for a camel to enter there. In this verse I believe Jesus is speaking literally. The reason is the disciples were astounded by what he said, asking "who then can be saved?" and because of Jesus' reply "with man this is powerless, but with God, there is power" (Matthew 19:24-30). For a camel to go through the eye of a needle is impossible for man, and salvation is also impossible for man, but not for God.
Once we were darkness, under the authority of darkness, which implies we were children of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). God is light, there is no darkness in him (1 John 1:5). This implies the kingdom of God is a kingdom of Light and we enter into it or are transferred into it through becoming a new creation, and such we exist, sons of God, of Light! (1 Thessalonians 5:5; Ephesians 5:8; John 12:36). That there is a kingdom of Light implies there is a kingdom of darkness and authority of darkness even though it is a limited "realm of the air" authority. So we were transferred from darkness into the kingdom of light! Also, the children of darkness, Paul writes, were sons of disobedience, children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-2). This implies we were transferred into the kingdom of God, existing now sons of obedience, children of mercy not of wrath, but chosen and saved by grace, blessed in all spiritual blessings in Christ, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, favored, and loved (Ephesians 1:14-8; Ephesians 2:4-5). We were transferred into the kingdom of God, now existing children of light, sons of obedience, now let us walk worthy of our calling.
I've heard there is a gate called the eye of the needle, and it was hard for a camel to enter there. In this verse I believe Jesus is speaking literally. The reason is the disciples were astounded by what he said, asking "who then can be saved?" and because of Jesus' reply "with man this is powerless, but with God, there is power" (Matthew 19:24-30). For a camel to go through the eye of a needle is impossible for man, and salvation is also impossible for man, but not for God.
unless someone is born anew he will not see the kingdom of God... unless one is born of water and Spirit he can not enter the kingdom of God, the one born of the flesh is flesh and the one born from the Spirit is spirit" John 3:3-8)
Jesus said this, one must be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus gave authority to the ones believing in his name to become children of God, not born from blood or natural descent nor from fleshly will nor from a man's will but from God (John 1:10-13). Jesus gave men the power to become born of God and enter the kingdom of God.
you also in him hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation in him also believing, you were sealed of the promised Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee of your inheritance unto God's redemption of his possession, to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:13-14)
These two verses say so much. How were we transferred into the kingdom of God? We were born of the Spirit, which is the same as Jesus saying you must be born of the Spirit to enter and the same as being sealed by the Holy Spirit. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable" (1 Corinthians 15:50). John writes there are three that testify and a child knows the Father and that his sins are forgiven. A child has the testimony of spirit and blood, as the Spirit is one of adoption testifying we are children of God, it is experiential. But still, we live in this body in which no good thing dwells and in a world in which evil is near. Was I transferred when I believed or will I be transferred one day?
You existed dead of your trespasses and sins" and God "made us alive with Christ, grace existing saved, and raised us and seated us in him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:1-6).
When we believed we were made alive and seated in the heavenlies, it is an amazing statement. We were walking dead "according to the age of this world, according to the prince of the leader of the authority of the air, the spirit now energizing the sons of disobedience, existing physically children of wrath" but God rich in mercy through his great love rescued and transferred us into the kingdom of heaven. We walked in sinful nature, according to its desires then Christ made us alive and raised us and seated us in the heavens with him. There was a prophecy of this (Isaiah 9:2; Isaiah 2:5). Now this implies I was alive physically but dead spiritually and I am born of the Spirit and my spirit sits with Christ right now. It is not in some future event will my spirit be raised, though my body will be. Redemption of my body is the salvation that awaits us, the consummation or completeness of it, the glorious freedom of the children of God.
"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children then heirs..." (Romans 8:17-18).
Now, it is difficult, the narrow way of the kingdom of God. The early church understood the importance of exhortation and encouragement, "strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Jesus said this to the disciples, “children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:24). He called them children, which I take to mean you are children of God, thus entering to imply both entering as children and becoming sons which is difficult. It is like working out our salvation, we are not working for our salvation.
That we were transferred and raised with Christ in spirit is more proof that our salvation is eternal. God would have to transfer us out. But some will say you have free will so you can jump out... but Christ has laid hold of the elect, according to His power and even for his name's sake, if he has counted us worthy he will bring it to completion. Oh, we can not imagine the glory to be revealed to us, such salvation, but we have a living hope in Jesus, existing children of God, and know one day we will be like him! "How can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it?" (Mark 4:30).
for once existing darkness, but at the present light in the Lord, walk like as children of light (Ephesians 5:8)
Once we were darkness, under the authority of darkness, which implies we were children of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). God is light, there is no darkness in him (1 John 1:5). This implies the kingdom of God is a kingdom of Light and we enter into it or are transferred into it through becoming a new creation, and such we exist, sons of God, of Light! (1 Thessalonians 5:5; Ephesians 5:8; John 12:36). That there is a kingdom of Light implies there is a kingdom of darkness and authority of darkness even though it is a limited "realm of the air" authority. So we were transferred from darkness into the kingdom of light! Also, the children of darkness, Paul writes, were sons of disobedience, children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-2). This implies we were transferred into the kingdom of God, existing now sons of obedience, children of mercy not of wrath, but chosen and saved by grace, blessed in all spiritual blessings in Christ, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, favored, and loved (Ephesians 1:14-8; Ephesians 2:4-5). We were transferred into the kingdom of God, now existing children of light, sons of obedience, now let us walk worthy of our calling.
what manner of love the Father has given us, that calling us children of God and existing! (1 John 3:1)