Read Colossians 1:9-18

“giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” (Colossians 1:12)

When we think of the word qualified, perhaps what comes to mind is the overuse of the term pre-qualified. We receive that kind of junk mail all the time: “You have been prequalified for this much credit on such and such a loan or credit card.” Or maybe you think of sports, like the Olympics, where athletes must go through pre-qualifications to compete in the main event. Generally speaking, we understand qualify to mean an approval — an approval to obtain something that those who are not qualified cannot access.

Unsurprisingly, this aligns perfectly with the original Greek word Paul uses here, hikanŏs, which means to make something sufficient; to make it adequate; or to make it fit. Here, Paul proclaims, that God the Father has done just that for us! God has qualified us; He has made us fit; He has made us sufficient!

But what has He qualified us for? The answer is profound. We are qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Wow! What a statement. There’s a lot to unpack here. Let’s take a moment to reflect on this. The purpose for which God the Father has qualified us is threefold: 1) to be someone, 2) with exclusive rights to something, and 3) in an exclusive place.

First, to be someone. We are called to be partakers. This means we have the rights to share in something exclusive. God has made us fit to be partakers, but partakers of what, exactly?

Second, to be partakers of something exclusive. Paul refers to this as the exclusive inheritance of the saints. If only there were room to describe it all, for this inheritance is precisely what Paul sets out to explore throughout the Book of Colossians. Here is just a sample. We are:‍

Presented holy and blameless before God (1:22)  

Knowing the riches of His glory, which is Christ in us (1:27)

Having access to all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ (2:3)

Found complete in Christ (2:10)

Raised to new life and forgiven of all our sins (2:13)

Set free from the philosophy of the world (2:20)

Saved for eternity with Christ, where all things are made right (3:3)

Beloved, we are partakers of an inheritance that we don’t yet fully comprehend — an inheritance we may spend eternity trying to fully realize! But one thing is certain: we have been qualified for it!

Third, we are qualified to enjoy it somewhere — and that somewhere is in the light. This is crucial. It is in the realm of light, where God Himself dwells, that we can access and become inheritors of God’s promises as saints in the light.

Yes, indeed! The very reason we can partake of the inheritance of the saints in the light is that God has, in fact, also delivered us from the power of darkness. We are no longer under the dominion of darkness, where sin, selfishness, and Satan reside. We are free from the bondage of sin’s works. We are completely and entirely delivered because we have been completely and entirely qualified, by the blood of Jesus, to be in the light! Amen!

“[You are] children of God... in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” — Philippians 2:14–15

‍