The reception of faith is inseparably connected to hearing the gospel. Paul asks, “How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?” (Rm. 10:14). Common sense tells us that we have to hear about Jesus before we can express faith in Him. The Scripture goes on to say, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (vs. 17). The bottom line is that we must hear about Jesus before we can place our faith in Him. Therefore, we agree with Paul when he says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” (vs. 15).
Paul wrote the brethren at Colossae because he had “heard of [their] faith in Christ Jesus and… love…for all the saints…” (Col. 1:4). The apostle goes on to explain that their “hope laid up…in heaven” was something about which they had “previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel…” (vs. 5). Because it is a seed (Lk. 8:11 cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-2), the gospel had been “constantly bearing fruit” in the lives of the Colossians “since the day [they] heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth” (Col. 1:6). They had learned about the hope of the gospel through Epaphras, a “beloved fellow bond-servant” and “faithful servant of Christ” (vs. 7). But, the messenger is not so important as the message (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10-17). The messenger is but an instrument through whom the seed is planted and watered. But, it is “God who causes the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7).
Sometimes, we stop short in our understanding of God’s work in producing faith. The “word of life” is the seed which begets spiritual life within us (Ph. 2:16; Jas. 1:18). God’s work does not cease with the production of life. Once life has been produced, continued exposure to the message of Christ results in ever-increasing faith, resulting in a life that honors and pleases God—one that is “bearing fruit in every good work” (Col. 1:10). In fact, life can never be the same once faith has come into our hearts through the word of Christ.
–Glen Elliott–