Colossians 1:19-22
~18 min read
💭 Consider this: What does living under the Lordship of Christ look like in your walk with God?
TRANSCRIPT
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Today, our text for the message is taken from Colossians 1:19-22. Allow me to read for you: "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight". May God bless the reading of His holy and sacred word.
Today, we want to consider the word “reconcile”, which means restoration—to bring two opposing parties together. In life, we have seen and experienced many separations and divisions.
In ancient times,
- there was the great division between the masters and the slaves. Those who were masters looked down upon the slaves. Slaves were considered only slightly above the animals.
- There was also the great division between the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews would look down upon the Gentiles as being inferior, impure, unclean, and they were rejected.
- There was the great division between husbands and wives. Women were considered as inferior beings.
It has been said that some Jews would wake up each morning and pray, saying, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not born as a slave, a Gentile, or a woman.’
In our modern times, there is the division between the different races, especially between the whites and the blacks, or the Caucasians and the Asians. That is the reason why people are constantly protesting against racial discrimination in the true sense of the word. People are separated and divided.
But the greatest separation is not one human being from another human being, but between man and God. The Bible tells us that "…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". (Romans 3:23). No one is exempted. All men have come short of God’s glory. And because of sin, man is separated from God. This separation prevents every sinner from fellowshipping with God, who is perfectly holy and righteous. Habakkuk the prophet said, "[God is] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity". (Habakkuk 1:13).
And the ‘wages of sin is death’. (Romans 6:23) Not just physical death, but that includes spiritual and eternal death. Reconciliation can only take place when sin is removed from the picture. And the only way sin can be removed from the picture is that the wages or the price of sin must be paid to provide the forgiveness of sin. This is made possible through the salvific work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
Today, the world is getting from bad to worse. Many politicians, governments, and other non-governmental agencies all around the world have invested all their time and resources in many of their campaigns to fight against the evil of this world: the social problems, whether it be child abuse, domestic violence, alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, violence, etc.
People are going into the streets to protest and try to moralise the world, to make the world into a better place. Oftentimes, Christians have been accused of being not concerned, or we do not care about such problems. ‘You Christians only preach on the pulpit. You only share the gospel and evangelise, but you do not seem to care about these social evils because you do not participate in all these campaigns.’
It does not mean that we do not care or we are not concerned. We are. But our primary Christian duty is not to try to moralise the world or try to make the world into a better place. We can never achieve that. To us Christians, whether the person is a law-abiding policeman or the drug addict living off the street—both of them, if they are without the Lord Jesus Christ, they are lost forever and ever. Eternally lost!
This is the mission of the church. This is the mission of every Christian: to bring across to the world this message that souls can be reconciled to God through the salvific work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Essentially, this is the Great Commission. You and I are called to preach the gospel: the gospel of reconciliation. And we are to preach unto the uttermost parts of the world. The Title of Our Message: ‘What Does It Mean to Be Reconciled to God?’
I. The Source Of Reconciliation
Firstly, we see in this passage the source of reconciliation. Let us begin with verse 19: "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" The phrase "for it pleased the Father" speaks of the good pleasure for His creation to be reconciled to Himself. And the word “fulness” speaks of His divine power, attributes, and abilities. In other words, Paul was saying to the Colossians, ‘You do not need to go to any angel or any other persons to be saved. Salvation is only through God and Him alone.’
And this means of salvation—or reconciliation—was through His only begotten Son. Verse 20: "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." Remember, after God had finished His work of creation in the beginning, He said, “Behold, [everything] was very good." (Genesis 1:31). At that point in time, God’s creation was in perfect harmony with Him.
But when Adam ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man fell into sin. That fall not only affected the entire human race but including the entire creation of God. (Genesis 3) That is the reason why Romans 8:22 says, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." All the troubles, wickedness, sins—trace its roots to the Garden of Eden: when Adam fell.
Before the fall of man, there was no death: not Adam, not the animals. But after the fall, every creature is not only separated from God, but they will also experience death. (Genesis 3:21, Hebrews 9:22) This devastating effect of sin will reach a terrifying climax in the Tribulation, when God would pour out His wrath on this sin-cursed world. (Matthew 24:21, Revelation 14:19, Revelation 16:1)
At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will return and set up His Millennial Kingdom. (Revelation 11:15), And by Him, He will reconcile all things unto Himself, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20)
“Of things in earth”: Isaiah the prophet gave us a vivid picture of what it would mean for all the creation in the Millennial Kingdom. In Isaiah 11:6–9, he said: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp,”—or the cobra—”and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den"—or viper’s hole.
“Of things in heaven” (or in the universe): Isaiah said in Isaiah 60:19–20: "The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended."
What a wonderful picture of the Millennial Kingdom! In the Millennial Kingdom, God and His creation will be reconciled like it was in the Garden of Eden. And after the Millennial Kingdom, God will create the new heavens and the new earth, where the believers will dwell with Him forever and ever.
II. The Means of Reconciliation
Some people would use the phrase "all things" (in Colossians 1:20) to refer to all people, including fallen angels, and they would teach this erroneous doctrine known as ‘universal salvation’ that whether people believe or not, they would ultimately be saved. Nothing is further than the truth! You and I must use Scripture to interpret Scripture. By "all things", Paul meant all things for whom reconciliation is possible.
And this reconciliation is only possible through one means—and that is through the peace that our Lord Jesus has wrought on the cross through His precious blood. When Jesus died on the cross, shedding His precious blood to pay the penalty of sins, His work of salvation is sufficient to potentially save the whole world. In other words, even if every human being in this world believed in Him, they would be saved.
But obviously, not everyone believes in Him. And so, it was only efficient—or effective—for those who believe. That is where we get the wonderful verse: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Only those who believe would be saved.
That was the reason why Paul went on to say in Colossians 1:21, "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled." To be “alienated” means to be separated. Remember, Paul was speaking to the Colossians, who were not from the nation of Israel. They were strangers to God’s covenant of promise. They were without hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12) They were walking according to the prince of the power of the air—that is, Satan. They were walking according to the course of the world. (Ephesians 2:2) They were, by nature, the children of God’s wrath.(Ephesians 2:3)
And because they were separated from God—alienated from Him, born with a sinful nature—they were “enemies in their minds”, which means they were haters of God. They might not have said that with their mouths, but they had rejected God’s Word and His commandments. And this was demonstrated through their lives. They were engaging in wicked works—sinful works.
Dear friend, this is the picture of you and me. We were once alienated from God, enemies in our minds. We had rejected God and His Word, and we were walking in our own sinful ways. Our problem is not because we cannot make meaningful relationships with other human beings, but because we have no right relationship with God, from whom we are separated. To put it simply, we were once spiritually dead, although we might be physically alive.
Once, I was encouraging a young man to evangelise to his colleagues in his workplace, and he said to me, ‘I don’t discuss spiritual things with my colleagues.’ I asked, ‘Why not?’ The young man replied, ‘Because it is strange to talk about such things.’ ‘Why is it strange?’ I asked. ‘Because it is just not acceptable’, the young man replied.
How true! Because man is dead in sin—spiritually blind, spiritually dead. He is dead to God’s truth, righteousness, holiness, and all the other spiritual things. To him, they are absurd—foolishness. What is good is considered strange.
As 1 Corinthians 2:14 says: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." When a person is physically dead, the first indication is the body’s inability to respond. The dead person is no longer able to respond to light, sound, taste, and emotions.
A young boy attended the funeral service of his close aunty. Her body was laid in the casket—just big enough to fit her body, with a glass panel for the family members, relatives, and friends to have a last look at her body. The little boy asked his mom, ‘Mom, isn’t it uncomfortable for aunty to be put in such a little box? And isn’t aunty always uncomfortable for people to gaze at her?’ The mother replied, ‘It doesn’t matter, my son. It doesn’t matter.’
Indeed, it doesn’t matter even if the light is shining directly at her. It doesn’t matter even if nobody asks for permission to look at her body. It doesn’t matter even if they put too much makeup or too little makeup on her. And it doesn’t matter even if she is being put into a little box. A dead body is totally insensitive to those things. It cannot even respond to the desperate and emotional cries of its loved ones.
Dear friend, that is the way with spiritual death as well. Man is dead not because he has committed sin, but he is in sin. In the eyes of God, a man does not become a liar because he tells a lie, he is already a liar. A man does not become a thief because he has stolen something—he is already a thief. The same goes with all the other sins—whether it be murder, adultery, covetousness, jealousy, envy, and so forth.
Committing sinful acts does not make us sinners. We commit sinful acts because we are sinners. (Matthew 12:33-34) We are born in sin and slaves to sin. If you are a slave to sin, you will be led to sin along those horrendous steps—engaging in wicked ways—and it will eventually lead to death. (John 8:34, Romans 6:16)
However, Paul said to the Colossians: "yet now hath he reconciled [you]" (Colossians 1:21b) What was the thing that so dramatically changed their lives? It was by grace they were saved, through faith—and that not of themselves. It is the gift of God, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8–9). It was He—Jesus—who brought them to the point that they realised the seriousness of sin and the effect of sin. And they were convicted in their hearts that only Jesus alone had made peace through His precious blood on the cross of Calvary.
And so, Colossians 1:22 says: "In the body of his flesh through death,…" But not just any death. If Jesus were to die by strangulation, or drowning, or starvation, He would not be able to save you and me. Because reconciliation and peace with God is only made possible through the forgiveness of sin. And the forgiveness of sin is only possible through the shedding of blood. "Without shedding of blood [there] is no remission [of sins]" (Hebrews 9:22).
This is how much our Lord Jesus loves us. He loves us so much that He suffered the way of the cross. He endured the nails being driven into His hands and His feet. He shed His blood because of His love for us. He died. He was buried. But death could not keep Him in the grave, for on the third day, He rose again from the dead.
Sometimes, we do hear amazing stories of people who were willing to die for another person—and under certain circumstances, they were brave enough to do that. Donald Grey Barnhouse, the American theologian, gave two examples of exceptionally great human love to illustrate his point. Allow me to quote him.
In one story, two men were trapped in a mine which caved in, and poisonous gas was escaping through the pipes. One man had a wife and three children. He had a gas mask, but that mask was torn because of the explosion, and he knew that he would soon perish. All of a sudden, the second man took off his mask and placed it on him, and he said, ‘You have Mary and the three children. I’m alone, and I can go.’ When we hear of such stories, our hearts are moved with emotions.
The other story was about a little girl who had been crippled and needed an operation. The operation was provided for her. But after the operation, the girl needed a blood transfusion, and her little brother was asked to volunteer. He was taken to her bedside, and he fearfully watched a needle being inserted into his veins, and blood was fed into his sister’s body. When the transfusion was done, the doctor put his arm on the boy’s shoulder and said, ‘You are a brave boy.’
The young boy knew nothing about the nature of a blood transfusion. And the doctor knew nothing about the actual bravery of the boy—until the boy looked up at him and said, ‘Doctor, how long would it take before I would breathe my last breath?’ He had gotten the idea that he would have to die to save his sister, and he thought that he was going to die as his blood was slowly flowing into her veins. But he did it anyway. This kind of story would sober us, because we recognise that this was love on another whole new level.
But consider this: When Jesus Christ died for us, it was not because we were good, or we were loving, or we were nice people. He died for us while we were yet sinners—unworthy, undeserving, unloving, alienated from God, enemies in our minds, engaging in wicked ways. This is the agape love of God—the highest form of love. Jesus died while we were yet sinners to reconcile us to Himself. (Romans 5:8)
Sometimes, when we sin against our loved ones and friends, it is so difficult to find reconciliation, right? Husbands who sinned against their wives. Someone who sinned against his friend. Sometimes, they are so angry—they will reject any effort to be reconciled. No matter how hard we try, they will reject all forms of reconciliation. No reconciliation, no forgiveness. Period.
But God is different. We have all sinned against Him—again and again and again. And yet, He wants us to be reconciled to Him. He is not indifferent to reconciliation. He is not hostile towards reconciliation. In fact, He wants us to be reconciled to Him. He comes to seek for reconciliation.
In Luke chapter 19, we have the classic example of Zacchaeus. Jesus was passing through Jericho, and He found a man named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector. Zacchaeus was rich, but in the eyes of the Jews, he was a criminal because he extorted money from the people. He was trying desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was huge, and he was very small. So, he got up onto a tree. And Jesus came to him and said, "Zacchaeus"—being the omniscient God, He knew him by name—"make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house." (Luke 19:5)
Some people think that it was Zacchaeus who was seeking after Jesus. But the best Zacchaeus could do—the closest he could get to Jesus—was to climb up the tree to catch a glimpse of Him. And all of a sudden, Jesus turned and said to him, ‘Come down, I will abide in your house.’ The people started to grumble because Jesus was going into the house of a man who was known to be a great sinner.
Zacchaeus said, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." (Luke 19:8) That was a clear sign of repentance. And Jesus said unto him, "This day is salvation come to this house." (Luke 19:9)
We all know this story, and we all love this story. But I want to draw your attention to the statement that Jesus concluded. Jesus said, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). That is the character of God. That is the nature of God. He is not just a saving God—He is a seeking God.
Throughout the Bible, we can see that our God is a reconciling God. In the Gospel of Luke chapter 15, we find a similar illustration of God coming to seek and to save the lost—in three parables: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the prodigal son.
- In the parable of the lost sheep, the man left his ninety-nine sheep and went after that one lost sheep. And until he found it, he was so happy that he called for a celebration. (Luke 15:3-7)
- In the parable of the lost coin, the woman had ten pieces of silver and lost one. She lit a candle, swept the whole house until she found it. And then she called out to her neighbour, ‘Come, rejoice with me, for I have found the lost coin.’ (Luke 15:8-10)
- In the parable of the prodigal son, he had spent everything. He repented and came back to the father and said, ‘Forgive me.’ The father said to the servant, ‘Bring the best robe, put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and be merry: because my son has come back’. (Luke 15:22-24)
In all these three parables, you will find one common theme—and that is, they all seek to find that which is lost. The man finds the lost sheep. The woman finds the lost coin. And the father rejoices to be reconciled with his prodigal son. This is the heart of God. When a sinner returns to God, the Bible says there is great rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repenteth (Luke 15:7).
Have you ever looked at yourself and considered yourself as that lost sheep, as that lost coin, and as that prodigal son? It was not you who was seeking after God, but He came to seek you who was lost. If that be the case, how then should we respond after being reconciled to God?
III. The Result Of Reconciliation
This brings us to our final point: the result of the reconciliation. Look at the second part of verse 22: "To present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight." God saves us for a sovereign purpose—that He might present us to be holy (which is the same word for saint). The believer is a saint. Contrary to what the Roman Catholics would teach about sainthood, every believer is a saint. A saint is someone who is set apart unto God.
Sin has separated us from God. And when God reconciles us to Him, we ought to be separated from sin. We cannot be dwelling on both boats—living in sin and at the same time saying we are reconciled to God. We ought to be separated from sin.
“Unblameable” does not mean perfect or sinless. No man is. As long as we are alive—still breathing, living in this mortal body—we are still being molested by sin. From time to time, we may still yield to sin. But here, what it means is that your life should not be in question. There should be nothing people can accuse you of. If you sin, you repent, and you turn to God. There should be nothing that would disqualify you from being a Christian. And you must never give the enemies of the gospel the opportunities to attack your faith and Christianity. Be unblameable. “Unreproveable” goes beyond being unblameable. It means no one can charge you of any misdeeds.
Dear friend, this is the way you and I should live our lives. And the only way we can live such a life is to be in Christ. If we are truly reconciled to God, and the Spirit of Christ lives in our hearts, then He must be the president of our lives. He must be the Lord of our lives. He must be the Lord of our decisions, our responses to the challenges and issues of life. He must be the Lord who controls our thoughts, our tongues, and our actions.
In everything we do, say, or think, we consider the One who has made reconciliation possible for us. Jesus Christ lives in our hearts, and He must be the president of our lives. So, we must be holy, unblameable, and unreproveable. This is what it means to be reconciled to God. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we give Thee thanks for this opportunity to consider this passage of Scriptures. Thou hast led us to consider what it means to be reconciled to Thee. As believers, we are reconciled to Thee. Thou art the source of reconciliation. And it is by Thine own good pleasure that Thou desirest for Thy creation—Thy creatures—to be reconciled to Thee.
And the means of the reconciliation is through the salvific work of our Lord Jesus Christ. He came. He lived a perfect life on the face of this earth. He kept all the laws of God—of which we cannot keep. He suffered. He was crucified. He shed His precious blood—for without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. He died. He was buried. But on the third day, He rose again from the dead—for He alone is the resurrection and the life.
And through Him, we are reconciled to Thee by faith and through grace. And we must respond by living a holy life. We must be unblameable and unreproveable—not because we are perfect (we are not), but in Christ, we seek to live such a life. And the Holy Spirit who indwells in us will empower us to live a life that will manifest Thy glory—the purpose of Thou reconciling us to Thyself. May each and every one of us, as true believers reconciled to Thee, seek to live such a life: to the glory of Thy precious name. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANSA Faith And Love That ShinesA Faith And Love That ShinesColossians 1:1-4
The Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeThe Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeColossians 1:5-6a
The Transforming Power Of The GospelThe Transforming Power Of The GospelColossians 1:6b-8
The Need For PrayersThe Need For PrayersColossians 1:9
Prayer for Spiritual ExcellencePrayer for Spiritual ExcellenceColossians 1:9-12
Walk Worthy Of The LordWalk Worthy Of The LordColossians 1:10-11
What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?Colossians 1:12a
What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?Colossians 1:12b-13
I Am Redeemed And ForgivenI Am Redeemed And ForgivenColossians 1:14
Christ, The Invisible GodChrist, The Invisible GodColossians 1:15
Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowJesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowColossians 1:16-17; Romans 8:37-39
What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?Colossians 1:18
What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?Colossians 1:19-22
The Evidence Of Our SalvationThe Evidence Of Our SalvationColossians 1:23a
Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Colossians 1:23b-24
How Faithful Are We?How Faithful Are We?Colossians 1:25-27
What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?Colossians 1:28-29
The Indispensable Component In Serving GodThe Indispensable Component In Serving GodColossians 2:1-2a
Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Colossians 2:4-9, 19
Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Colossians 2:7
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
