Life is full
of changes for most people – some pleasant, while others are not. For those who
believe in Jesus Christ, it’s important to reflect on our lives before and
after we received Him.
In Colossians
chapter 1, the Apostle Paul provides an impressive summary of who
Jesus Christ is in verses 15-20. Following that, in verses 21-23,
Paul highlights the greatest change in our lives:
our reconciliation with God through Jesus. Paul writes, 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 — if you continue in your faith, established and firm,
and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel… (Colossians 1:21-23a).
Paul states
the greatest change brought about through the gospel of Jesus, and he explains it
from God’s perspective. God understood that we were not simply separated from Him,
we were alienated from God, thinking of ourselves as autonomous from
Him. For the most part, this played out in our minds through self-centered
thinking that we thought entitled us to behave in ways that God says is evil. The
chasm between us and God was enormous, even unbreachable, and we were happy
with that, not caring that we were powerless to change it.
However, the God we were comfortable ignoring and denying,
was not satisfied with the status quo. So, He acted, sending His Son Jesus to
create a way for us to become united with Him. It was not Jesus’ good living,
nor was it His miracles and charitable acts that achieved this. No, it was Jesus’
death on the cross. Paul helps us understand God’s perspective and purpose in
sending His only Son to be crucified. He explains that it was to present YOU holy in His (God’s) sight, without
blemish and free from accusation before God.
Jesus’ physical crucifixion was the necessary coming
together of mankind’s ultimate rejection of God, and God’s ultimate judgement
of mankind’s sin against Him. As Peter states, Jesus personally carried our sins in his body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24a) as our substitute. In fact,
God unleased the entirety of His wrath for all of our sins upon Jesus,
concluding with Jesus’ death. But then Jesus was resurrected on the third day. He’s
alive, He’s conquered death, and He’s victorious over the death penalty against
our sin.
Now, you and I are called to trustingly believe that God
and Jesus did all that for us! If we believe that we
have been united with Jesus in a death like his, we shall certainly be united
with Jesus in a resurrection like his (Romans 6:5). In response to our belief in Jesus’ taking
God’s wrath for our sin, and Jesus resurrection, we are gifted by God with
forgiveness, cleansing, and new spiritual life. Plus, we receive God’s promise of
a new resurrected body when Jesus returns for His church, should our bodies die
before that great event (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).
This is Paul’s point in Colossians, God has reconciled you. Jesus has already done everything to make it possible for us to be reconciled, joined
with God, both now and forever. Through trusting belief in Jesus as our
substitute on the cross, we enter fulfilment of God’s purpose which is to present YOU holy in His sight, without blemish and free from
accusation. God transfers us
from being alienated to being an adopted child, a true friend, gifted with His acceptance
of us. This is the ultimate gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ!
