QUALIFIED?
In this world there are many things for which the “operator” must be qualified. Your surgeon should be (I require it of mine). Your dentist should be (I carefully inspect the wall certificates). The crane operator should be. The airline pilot should be (I wouldn’t have it any other way). Your cruise ship captain, and even both the chef and the mechanic on the ship should be. Usually the qualification includes both study (book learning) and practical application (working under someone else who is qualified in the field). It often takes YEARS, MONEY, and EFFORT. Some may even have incurred student loans as a result!
The qualification is based upon learning the right things, doing the right things, and supervision while doing so. Licensure demands continuing education and, perhaps, re-testing from time to time. My wife is a licensed counselor (I get free advice) and she must do certain things every year to maintain her license, like paying the state money, filling out state forms, submitting to continuing education events, reading books, etc. She also is required to NOT do certain things, like she can’t tell you about any of her clients, or, if she tells she has to kill you. (Not really, but its fun to say). She has certain obligations to her clients, such as diagnosing their mental issues, developing a treatment plan, and writing session notes. She may work an hour outside of sessions for every hour of counseling.
I’ve held TWO positions in my life for which I had to be qualified. For one I had a license to kill (insects and rodents). Actually, I had TWO licenses for that qualification. One in Michigan and one in Kentucky. Strangely, the qualifications were different in Kentucky. (I won’t go into that here.)
I was reading Colossians 1:12 last week. “…giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (ESV)
DEAD STOP. What? Wait! What? Qualified?
“Qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints…”
The Father (God) qualified you on WHAT BASIS?
I. ON THE BASIS of INHERITANCE…
1 John 3:1-3 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”
Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
II. NOT ON THE BASIS OF WHAT WE DO…
Psalm 14:2-3 “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.“
1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”
III. BUT ON THE BASIS OF WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE…
Ephesians 1:7-10 “In him [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.”
Titus 3:4-7 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
WHAT SHOULD BE OUR REACTION?
Ephesians 5:15-21 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
The word in Colossians 1:12 is “qualified (past tense).” As I look back on those times when I was licensed I realized that I had completed the qualifications BEFORE being licensed. I was never allowed to perform without FINISHING all needed qualifications. So it is with being in Christ. Either you are qualified or you aren’t a Christian. Fact is you can do nothing to qualify yourself except the following: TRUST CHRIST. Once you trust him you maintain trust by living right (see Ephesians 5:15-21 above), but living right isn’t your qualification, but rather a response. So, are you qualified? Then walk!
Copyright 2026 Donald Whelpley
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
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