Series in Colossians - Mystery of Christ’s Deity, Reconciliation, and the Gospel

 

Mystery of Christ’s Deity, Reconciliation, and the Gospel

Colossians 1:19-23

Paul begins this portion of the text with the pleasure of God the Father to reveal His Son. Through Jesus’ ministry time on earth, the Father spoke about His Son, and at its beginning, at the river Jordan, He said. “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)  And it was throughout Jesus’ ministry that the Father approved the Son through the provision of His words, His wisdom, His authority, His knowledge, and all to the glorifying of the Father to the Son.

Paul now speaks to the Colossians about the fullness of Deity in Christ, in all things whether in heaven or all creation. So let’s look at the first portion of the text, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Now Paul addresses the fullness of God in the Son, for it was full residency of God (dwelling) in Christ Jesus, this was the subject of the letter. For God’s purposes and will are wrapped up in the affirmative action of fullness in the Father (oneness). Jesus’ every measured acts and words were unscored with the will of the Father. “Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”  “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.” (John 5:19, 12:49 NIV)

Thus Paul could say without hesitancy Jesus was fully God and fully man. “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” “But emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Col. 2:9; Phil.2:7 NIV)

It was God’s will and purpose in fullness of righteousness, wisdom, power and God’s blessings that Christ did the work of God amongst mankind. “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Cor. 1:30 NIV)

Application - Jesus spoke to the disciples before he went to the cross that he was before all time. “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:5), about being as One with the Father and with each other as He was One with the Father. “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” “I have given them your word …” “...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” (John 17:4-5, 14, 21-23) 

It was in this oneness and unity in the Son that pleased the Father, and that He would glorify the Son through the church, by reconciling them through His blood, shed on the cross for the remission of mankind’s sins (“without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Heb. 9:22b) And it was through believing in the redemptive and reconciliatory work of Christ that mankind could be presented to the Father in righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. “through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Next, Paul continues to entreat the Colossians to understand that reconciliation with God the Father is only through the Son. Let’s read the next portion of the text, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” 

Paul faced many heretical teachings that tried to reconcile mankind to God by other means, but they all remained in estrangement with God. Many included acts of works to entice reconciliation, others adhered to racial inheritance, spiritual deities and mediums, and appeasements to insure reconciliation. The Colossians had the gospel presented to them by Epaphras, who proclaimed the gospel of Christ as the only means of reconciliation to God the Father because of the atonement and substitutionary work of Christ’ life, death, and resurrection as the only means of entering into reconciliation with God. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be a sin offering for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:17-21 NIV)

Paul confronted the Colossians to shun any other physical or spiritual attempts of reconciliation to God, for this was at the core of Colossian heresy, so Paul addresses their former lives in the sinful nature, They had been alienated from God because of their innate sinful nature thus being enemies with God and their evil behavior controlled their bodies and minds, thus being depraved of mind as the other gentiles. “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,  slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Rom. 1:28-32 NIV) All of this depravity was evidenced in their outward expression of their inward sinful behavior.

Paul tries to persuade them back to the truth, the only reconciliation was through Jesus Christ to the Father. It was by faith in Jesus Christ that they were reconciled to God. For it was Christ atonement (His sacrificial work of shed body and blood as the sin offering for mankind on the cross, the substitutionary work of atonement on the cross by grace through faith). It was only through Christ’s physical offering of himself as holy and without blemish (a requirement of the sacrificial law spoke of the love of God for the world (John 3:16) and the Father’s will that God doesn’t delight in the death of mankind, but to see them repent, turn from their evil ways and live. “‘Do you think that I like to see wicked people die?’ says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.” (Ezk/ 18:23 NLT) 

Paul understood that God’s will was to see mankind repent (change, be reconciled, to dwell in harmony and submission to Him). “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Rom. 5:10-11 NIV)

Paul states God “has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” 

Last, Paul addresses consecration, the dedication of life to holiness. Without blemish ( a spotless dedication to God alone) and free from accusation. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1 NIV) Paul knew that it is impossible to live a life in this world without sin in their conduct, and it is only through Christ, and their identification with Him as the only way they can stand before God the Father that they are considered righteous. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21 NIV) 

Application - Everyone of us falls short of God’s righteousness and standard, for we are innately sinful because of mankind's inherent sin nature because of the fall in the garden of Eden. (Gen. 3; Rom. 3:23) and we are alienated, estranged to God and at enmity to God and all that He is. Our evil behavior is the evidence of our depravity, and like all men we are given over to whatever our deceitful hearts desire and crave. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jer. 17:9)

But God in His love, compassion and mercy desires that all men be reconciled to Him. This was His plan and purpose from the beginning to have fellowship with His creation and why Paul could say  “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” and  “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.” (1 Tim. 2:3-4, Titus 2:11)

Last, Paul deals with the context of faith, hope and the gospel. So let’s read the last portion of the text, “if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”

Here Paul knows that salvation is by grace through faith that everyone can only be justified before God the Father through Jesus the Son. (Eph. 2:8-9) Paul is now warning the Colossians to stand firm in their faith, establish in the truth of the gospel. They were to not be complacent, lazy, rebellious, or discontent, but to persevere in Christ in the trials and overcome the world through Christ. “We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.” (Heb. 3:14 NIV)

Paul finished this portion with the hope held out to them in the gospel. The established gospel that Paul preached was taught to the Colossians, but imposters, misconstrued evil men, who were not spiritual sound, had spread disbelief in Christ’s deity, salvation wasn’t only through faith in Christ, and there were other means of reconciliation with God. “But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.” (2 Tim. 3:13 NIV) 

Paul stood firm and unashamed in the gospel and he wanted the Colossians to do the same. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Rom. 1:16) For there is no other hope than in Christ Jesus for salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is His Story of hope.

Application - As I close this lesson, it is this hope in my Savior, God, and Lord Jesus that keeps me firmly standing in my faith. He did what I couldn’t do, and He did it in love for His creation and in obedience to His Father’s will. This is the supremacy of Christ, He and He alone could atone for the sins of mankind. And He alone is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. 

And it is His Gospel that we must share with all that they too may know the salvation and reconciliation we have through Christ Jesus to the Father in Heaven. 

It is said that Truth is sometimes very hard to accept, there is only one way to the Father and that is through the substitutionary atonement given us in Jesus Christ.  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.[c] From now on, you do know him and have seen him! Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. ” (John 14:6-7,11)

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ for salvation. For Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I have revised my webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. Thank you. http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com