COLOSSIANS: STABILITY BY CHRIST'S ALL-SUFFICIENCY AND SUPREMACY

Part VII: The Believer's Relationship Stability With God In Christ's Reconciliation

(Colossians 1:21-23)

I. Introduction

A. Today's unsettling, insecure world has led many believers to become unsettled and insecure, so in contrast to today's world, we believers need to focus on the stability and security we have in our Lord.

B. Colossians presents Christ's all-sufficiency and supremacy in ways that settle and provide security, and one way it does is by teaching us of the believer's relationship stability with God in Christ's work of reconciliation.

C. Colossians 1:21-23 teaches this provision, and we view it for our insight and stability in living (as follows):

II. The Believer's Relationship Stability With God In Christ's Reconciliation, Colossians 1:21-23.

A. Paul noted that unsaved people are in a state of grave enmity against God, Colossians 1:21:

1. Before being justified by God, people are "cut off, estranged" from God, v. 21a; B. K. C., N. T., p. 674.

2. Before salvation, people are "hostile" to God, v. 21b; J. B. Lightfoot, Colossians and Phm., 1974, p. 161.

3. This pre-salvation hostility in the "mind" (dianoia, Ibid.) "(i)n the sphere of" their "evil deeds" as states the New International Version at v. 21c; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T. Thus, before salvation, lost man commits evil works of sin because he is inwardly hostile toward God, Ibid.

B. However, by God's work through Christ's salvation, the lost are marvelously reconciled to God, Col. 1:22:

1. God reconciles sinners to Himself by means of the death of Christ's physical body on the cross, Colossians 1:22a. [This claim was very important to Paul's readers at Colossae, for the Gnostic error they faced "denied both Christ's true humanity and His true deity," but "(i)n order to redeem humans, Christ Himself must be truly human (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:17). Thus Christ's real physical body and death were necessary for man's salvation (cf. Rom. 7:4; Heb. 10:10)," Ibid.]

2. The "result of Christ's death is redemptive," to present believers in Christ one day as "holy" (hagious), "blameless" (amomous) and "free from accusation" (anegkletous) "in His [heavenly] presence" (katenopion), Colossians 1:22b; Ibid., Lightfoot, p. 162. Paul had in mind the final product when not only the soul that is saved in this life but also the body this is saved at the rapture was redeemed (cf. Romans 8:23), and following the judgment seat of Christ where all that was left after that event would be a perfect, unblameable record of the believer, his carnal works having been burned up, 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Cor. 3:10-15.

C. In Colossians 1:23, Paul asserted that this great reconciliation comes only if the believer continues in the faith, stable and steadfast and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that he has heard and that was being proclaimed universally under heaven by men like Paul, Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T. "Paul did not doubt" that his readers would continue in the faith, for "he spoke of the hope (confident expectation) which this gospel of reconciliation provides not only to" his believing readers at Colossae, "but also to the whole world," a reference to "a wide range of people from various countries," not a claim to universalism where every human being will be saved, Ibid., p. 674-675. Paul here focused on considering the great grace of God that would take people from every part of the world and bring them into complete reconciliation with a holy God so that they would each one day stand before God in heaven separate from sin, blameless and free from accusation!

D. In reality, even in this current earthly life, if the believer "walks in the light" as God "is in the light," as God is revealed in Scripture, he enjoys fellowship with the Lord so that the blood of Christ continually cleanses him from all sin, 1 John 1:7. In other words, though we believers in this life before the rapture and before the Judgment Seat of Christ do not yet enjoy all the holiness, blamelessness and freedom from accusation we will enjoy in heaven's glory as noted in Colossians 1:22, by relying on the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16) to live in obedience to God's Word, "walking in the light," we enjoy fellowship with God! Amid hardships faced in this life due to sin and human weakness, the believer can STILL enjoy full fellowship with the Lord with Whom he has been positionally reconciled to COMPENSATE for the trials he now faces!

Lesson: (1) Though the lost are estranged from God, being hostile in mind toward Him as evidenced by in their evil works, through the death of Christ's body on the cross, God reconciles those who trust in Christ to where they will one day stand before Him fully separate from sin, blameless and free from accusation of sin. (2) Even in this life, the believer can "walk in the light" by God's power and enjoy blessed fellowship with God amid life's trials!

Application: (1) May we rejoice in the great FUTURE complete reconciliation we will enjoy with the Lord. (2) Yet, may we "walk in the light" of Scripture by the Holy Spirit's power for trial-numbing fellowship with God NOW.