Reconciled to God for paper

As we look at a few verses from Colossians 1 this column contains many familiar themes for those who regularly follow my columns. We were enemies of God before we were saved, we have been reconciled to God through baptism, we go to heaven perfected, we can lose our perfection,

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” Colossians 1: 21  We became alienated enemies of God in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. As a result of their disobedience we are born spiritually dead and naturally inclined to sin. This alienation is not something that happens after we first sin; we are conceived in iniquity and born in sin. As alienated enemies of God we are destined for eternal condemnation in the Lake of Fire, unless this condition is reversed. Romans 5 also describes us as enemies of God and further expands on our condition as such.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly……. For if, when we were God’s enemies,…..”  Romans 5: 6 & 10a   So we are also described as powerless, ungodly sinners, enemies of God, who must be saved from God’s wrath. We are unable to save ourselves and must rely totally on God’s grace. And God’s grace is evident in the next verse.

“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death”  Colossians 1: 22a. So we who were God’s enemies have been reconciled. Let’s look at the definition of reconciliation.

Reconciliation – a change from enmity to friendship. It is mutual, i.e., it is a change wrought in both parties who have been at enmity.

So reconciliation is mutual. We are no longer alienated enemies of God who are objects of his wrath and God is no longer our natural enemy. Our relationship is now a relationship of friendship. It is like the natural relationship between a Robertson’s Gazelle and a Jaguar. They are natural enemies. Reconciliation would destroy that natural relationship of enemies to one of friendship. Something very fundamental in their relationship would have to happen in order for reconciliation to occur between a gazelle and a jaguar. As verse 22a said, in our case with God, that fundamental change was brought about by the death of Christ. The death of his physical body brought about a change as difficult to comprehend as the reconciliation of a gazelle and a jaguar. You may not have felt this fundamental change when you were baptized, but it occurred. Christians are no longer alienated enemies of God. Even more than that all our sin has been washed away and we are now made holy in God’s sight, without blemish and free from accusation. That is the next concept.

“to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” Colossians 1: 22b  This is confirmed in – “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”  Ephesians 1: 4  and “and to present her (the church) to himself (Jesus Christ) as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5: 27

This is quite a reconciliation. We go from alienated enemies to holy, blameless, free from accusation, radiant, and without stain or wrinkle. This is the free gift of God to all Christians. Our sin is all washed away in baptism and we continually have access to forgiveness to maintain our holy, radiant state through confession and absolution and Holy communion. But we have to continually avail ourselves to these means of grace. “if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” Colossians 1: 23

“If you continue in your faith”. Baptism is not a dunk and done process. The expectation of God is that as Christians we produce fruit. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit  —fruit that will last.” John 15: 16  That fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. We produce that fruit in a lifelong process called sanctification. Sanctification means to make holy, it is how we continue in our faith.  Sanctification is the battle against our sinful self, the old enemy of God that continues battling our new holy radiant self – the Holy Spirit in us –  until the death of our physical bodies. We participate with God in our sanctification by reading and studying our bibles, being aabsolved of our sin through confession and partaking in the sacrament of Holy Communion. This admonition to continue in our faith or to bear fruit is not to be taken lightly. So it is very important that we continue in our faith , established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel”, taking advantage of the means of grace and entering the life long journey of sanctification purposefully. When we do we will bear fruit! Verse 23 said “If you remain in the faith” and that is not to be taken lightly.

Blessings