Heartwood is the central supporting pillar of certain trees. Although dead, it won’t decay or lose strength while the outer, living layers are intact. Composed of fibers bound together by a chemical glue called lignin, heartwood can be as strong as steel. This element of a tree’s structure enables it to survive nature’s travails.
When Paul encouraged the Colossians to live a resurrected life, he could have used the metaphor of heartwood to express how those who have been saved, are transformed. “For you died, and your life is now hidden with
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