Colossians 1:21-29: a reflection

21You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds, 22yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him, 23if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a servant. 24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly, 25of which I was made a servant according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you to fulfill the word of God, 26the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, 27to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; 29for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.

Paul describes the great change Christ has worked: those who were once alienated enemies of God, hostile in mind and evil in deeds, he has reconciled through his death, to present them holy and blameless before God. You were once alienated and enemies in your mind by your evil deeds, Paul says; yet now he has reconciled you in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him. The change is immense: from alienated enemies to reconciled and blameless. We were not merely distant from God, but alienated, hostile, enemies; and yet Christ, through his death, has reconciled us, and will present us holy and blameless before God. This shows the great change Christ works, from alienated enemies to reconciled and blameless. Christ reconciles alienated enemies and presents them blameless. From hostility to reconciliation, through Christ's death. Christ makes the alienated holy and blameless before God. The great change: from enemies of God to reconciled and blameless.

Notice the two ends of the great change Paul describes. At one end is what we were: alienated, enemies in our minds, hostile to God, and evil in our deeds. This is a stark picture of our condition apart from Christ, not merely distant or neutral, but alienated and hostile, enemies of God by our sin. At the other end is what Christ has made us: reconciled to God through his death, and to be presented holy, without defect, and blameless before him. The change is immense: from hostile enemies to reconciled friends, from evil deeds to being presented blameless. And it is Christ's doing, accomplished through his death, not our own achievement. This is the wonder of the gospel. We were God's enemies, alienated by our sin; and yet Christ, by his death, has reconciled us, making peace, and will present us at the last holy and blameless before God, not on the basis of our own righteousness, which we lacked, but on the basis of what he has done. From alienation to reconciliation, from enmity to being presented blameless, this is the change Christ has worked. We can rest in this: that whatever we were, Christ has reconciled us, and will present us blameless before God. Christ has worked an immense change: from enemies to reconciled and blameless. We are reconciled through Christ's death, not our own achievement. Christ will present us holy and blameless before God. Rest in the great change Christ has worked in you.

That is worth resting in, for Christ has worked an immense change, reconciling those who were alienated enemies and presenting them holy and blameless before God, through his death. We can feel the weight of what we were, alienated from God, hostile, evil in our deeds; but Christ has reconciled us through his death, and will present us holy and blameless before God. The change is Christ's doing. When you feel the weight of your sin and alienation, remember that Christ has reconciled you and will present you blameless, through his death. Rest in the truth that Christ has worked an immense change, reconciling those who were alienated enemies of God, hostile in mind and evil in deeds, through his death, to present them holy, without defect, and blameless before God, as Paul described that you were once alienated and enemies in your mind by your evil deeds, yet now Christ has reconciled you in the body of his flesh through death to present you blameless before him; for the change is immense, from alienated enemies to reconciled and blameless, since we were not merely distant from God but alienated, hostile, enemies by our sin, and yet Christ, through his death, has reconciled us and will present us holy and blameless before God, and this is his doing accomplished through his death, not our own achievement, which is the wonder of the gospel, that we who were God's enemies alienated by our sin have been reconciled by Christ's death, making peace, to be presented at the last holy and blameless before God not on the basis of our own righteousness, which we lacked, but on the basis of what he has done, so that when we feel the weight of what we were we can rest in knowing that Christ has reconciled us and will present us blameless before God through his death.

Lord, Paul describes the great change Christ has worked: those who were once alienated enemies of you, hostile in mind and evil in deeds, he has reconciled through his death, to present them holy and blameless before you. You were once alienated and enemies in your mind by your evil deeds, Paul says; yet now he has reconciled you in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him. The change is immense: from alienated enemies to reconciled and blameless. I was not merely distant from you, but alienated, hostile, an enemy; and yet Christ, through his death, has reconciled me, and will present me holy and blameless before you. Show me the two ends of the great change Paul describes. At one end is what I was: alienated, an enemy in my mind, hostile to you, and evil in my deeds. This is a stark picture of my condition apart from Christ, not merely distant, but alienated and hostile. At the other end is what Christ has made me: reconciled to you through his death, and to be presented holy, without defect, and blameless before you. The change is immense: from hostile enemy to reconciled friend. And it is Christ's doing, accomplished through his death, not my own achievement. This is the wonder of the gospel. I was your enemy, alienated by my sin; and yet Christ, by his death, has reconciled me, and will present me at the last holy and blameless before you, not on the basis of my own righteousness, which I lacked, but on the basis of what he has done. Take that to my heart, for Christ has worked an immense change, reconciling me who was an alienated enemy and presenting me blameless before you, through his death. When I feel the weight of my sin and alienation, help me remember that Christ has reconciled me and will present me blameless, Lord, through his death, and rest in the great change he has worked in me.