Continuing our look at Colossians chapter 1, we see in verses 21 and 22 that even though we were alienated, and hostile in mind, and engaging in evil deeds - even when we were all that and worse - Jesus Christ has reconciled us through His substitutionary death on the cross. Reconciled!
When I hear the term 'reconciled', I think of two married people who were estranged from each other - alienated from each other, hostile toward one another, possibly engaging in dispicable deeds toward one another - and now they have reconciled. They have thoroughly, completely, entirely, totally changed from being at enmity with each other and now they are at peace with each other. That is what the term reconciled means in this passage - we are not estranged from God anymore, we are not at enmity with him - we are thoroughly, completely, entirely, totally changed. And this is not through any effort on our own part, because the change is solely based on the finished work of Christ on the cross. See verse 22: HE has now reconciled us. How dare we would be so arrogant as to think that we could ever approach God in any other way except by the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Why would Christ spill His blood to reconcile us vile, wretched, sin-stained, bankrupt people? To present us to God as holy and blameless and beyond reproach. Does this passage not flood your soul with joy?
But go on to verse 23. We are not left without responsibility. Someone once said that 'responsibility is our response to God's ability'. God does the work and we respond accordingly.
How? By continuing in the faith, staying steadfast, and unmoveable.
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