Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023

Scripture: Col. 1:20 and through Him to reconcile all thing to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Col 1:21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

Col 1:22 yet He has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.

Teaching: Paul, having established Christ’s identity, now turns to Christ’s work. Paul cuts to the chase, not mentioning here the teaching and leading that Jesus did in his life, but instead focusing on the true work of Christ. Jesus Christ, who is preeminent (thus before Creation) and the agent of Creation (John 1:1-4), is also the savior of all Creation (verse 20), hence the reference to things both on earth and in heaven (a reference to Genesis 1:1). Jesus’ work was accomplished by his own obedience to the Father, despite being in a fleshly body, as Paul notes, susceptible to sin just like us. But we know Jesus did not sin and was obedient unto death, and in that death, has atoned for the sin of the world even while we were continuing to sin. His death is sufficient to reconcile all things to Himself. Now, this does not mean that all are saved by default, whether in faith or not, which are the false claims of universalism. The word “reconciled” here means that all things – all people and all Creation -- will be brought into right relationship with Christ in the end because of the sufficiency of his atoning death. But we are called to faith in Christ now, in this life, and by faith, have assurance of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). But because Christ’s death was sufficient to reconcile all Creation, when Christ returns, as Paul notes in Philippians 2:9-11, every knee will bow and tongue confess Him as Lord. In that moment that the both Paul and John describe, Christ’s Lordship is self-evident and plainly seen, and thus, confessing Jesus as Lord then is not faith, it is simply submitting to what is plainly seen. Thus, we have the choice to believe now or submit later.

What verses 21-22 show is that not only are we in need of a reconciliation to God, but we are utterly incapable of securing it by our own works. Jesus Christ, who is preeminent, entered His own Creation, lived the sinless life none of us could, and the died in order to present us before Himself holy and blameless, beyond reproach.

Takeaway: Paul illustrates what the cross means in Colossians 1:20-22. The cross is the place that perfect justice and perfect love, God’s own attributes, met, or crossed. For no man can pay for any but his own sin, but God Himself cannot sin, yet also, cannot abide sin. The cross shows us what God’s perfect justice requires; but the fact that God submitted Himself to that cross shows us His perfect love. When we grasp the enormity of the cross, our role becomes clear. We have no hand in our own salvation; no work we can ever do can compare to what Christ has done for us. Thus, we do what we are called to: believe.