Colossians 1:21-23 says...
Today's verses are Colossians 1:21-23, which read,
v.21, 22 - And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 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...
Paul is praying for the new Christians in the new church in the city of Colossae. In his prayer are some very important doctrinal statements about Jesus that we need to be reminded of to shape our actions to be fruit of such a salvation. Yesterday's study showed the Jesus of the cross as so much more. He is Creator of all and over all and head of the Church with being the first in resurrection. Jesus is deity that is eternal.
Now Paul goes the other direction to say that Jesus was not just fully God but also fully man. "His fleshly body" hung on the cross physically to be able to present Christians before God as "holy and blameless and beyond reproach."
Paul also brings up the condition of the Christians of Colossae before salvation and ours too of being alienated from God, hostile to God and performing evil deeds. This is our sinful nature at work that will continue in this vein unless something or rather Someone intervenes. They were "formerly" alienated but no longer; they were "formerly" hostile but no longer; and they were "formerly" engaged in evil deeds but no longer.
In the midst of the activities of our sinful nature, Jesus steps in to reconcile us to the Father with His very fleshly body so that the result would be something totally different. We go from being alienated from God to be presented before Him; we go from being hostile in mind to being holy and blameless; and we go from being engaged in evil deeds to having a state that is beyond reproach. This is all from Jesus stepping into our ungodly lives and transforming us through His sacrifice to lives able to stand before God Himself someday.
v.23 ...if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
True believers will "continue in the faith." They will know of the fruit that comes from a transformed life in Christ and even though they may stumble at times, they get up reaching for Jesus' hand. They reach up seeking to rectify even the wrong in a godly way. The gospel is the answer to the sinful nature of our lives and it is the answer that we live out everyday. For the true believer, the answer is not just a one time prayer of salvation but a life "firmly established and steadfast" on the hope of Christ.
Jesus is proclaimed in all creation and by the Great Commission to all creation and Paul is just a part of that proclamation as a minister of Jesus Christ. What is great here is that they received the message of the Gospel through a man named Epaphras who had received the message of the Gospel through a man named Paul who had received the message of the Gospel from the Lord Himself. The Gospel has a trail for everyone back to the Lord Himself. This would be a great genealogy to study someday. What is your faith genealogy for you to hear the message of Jesus Christ in which you now live? Let's pray.
"Lord, You are fully God and You are fully man. You put Your fleshly body on the cross so that I might be a transformed soul to stand before God changed. Thank You for those who were faithful in word and deed with the Gospel to share it with me. Help me to be established and steadfast and not moving away but rather have a life firmly holding unto Your hand. Lastly, may I see the opportunities You give me to pass along what I have received from others about who You are. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.21, 22 - And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 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...
Paul is praying for the new Christians in the new church in the city of Colossae. In his prayer are some very important doctrinal statements about Jesus that we need to be reminded of to shape our actions to be fruit of such a salvation. Yesterday's study showed the Jesus of the cross as so much more. He is Creator of all and over all and head of the Church with being the first in resurrection. Jesus is deity that is eternal.
Now Paul goes the other direction to say that Jesus was not just fully God but also fully man. "His fleshly body" hung on the cross physically to be able to present Christians before God as "holy and blameless and beyond reproach."
Paul also brings up the condition of the Christians of Colossae before salvation and ours too of being alienated from God, hostile to God and performing evil deeds. This is our sinful nature at work that will continue in this vein unless something or rather Someone intervenes. They were "formerly" alienated but no longer; they were "formerly" hostile but no longer; and they were "formerly" engaged in evil deeds but no longer.
In the midst of the activities of our sinful nature, Jesus steps in to reconcile us to the Father with His very fleshly body so that the result would be something totally different. We go from being alienated from God to be presented before Him; we go from being hostile in mind to being holy and blameless; and we go from being engaged in evil deeds to having a state that is beyond reproach. This is all from Jesus stepping into our ungodly lives and transforming us through His sacrifice to lives able to stand before God Himself someday.
v.23 ...if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
True believers will "continue in the faith." They will know of the fruit that comes from a transformed life in Christ and even though they may stumble at times, they get up reaching for Jesus' hand. They reach up seeking to rectify even the wrong in a godly way. The gospel is the answer to the sinful nature of our lives and it is the answer that we live out everyday. For the true believer, the answer is not just a one time prayer of salvation but a life "firmly established and steadfast" on the hope of Christ.
Jesus is proclaimed in all creation and by the Great Commission to all creation and Paul is just a part of that proclamation as a minister of Jesus Christ. What is great here is that they received the message of the Gospel through a man named Epaphras who had received the message of the Gospel through a man named Paul who had received the message of the Gospel from the Lord Himself. The Gospel has a trail for everyone back to the Lord Himself. This would be a great genealogy to study someday. What is your faith genealogy for you to hear the message of Jesus Christ in which you now live? Let's pray.
"Lord, You are fully God and You are fully man. You put Your fleshly body on the cross so that I might be a transformed soul to stand before God changed. Thank You for those who were faithful in word and deed with the Gospel to share it with me. Help me to be established and steadfast and not moving away but rather have a life firmly holding unto Your hand. Lastly, may I see the opportunities You give me to pass along what I have received from others about who You are. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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