Friday
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, not moved 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.
(Colossians 1:21-23, NIV)
The Epistle to the Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul to refute a heresy in the church. In response to the heretical teaching, Paul’s line-of-argument was simple: exalt Jesus Christ as the fullness of God and the one in whom all things hold together and have their meaning. The verses in chapter 1, immediately preceding today’s devotional, were highlighted during the eleventh week of this study. They contain the words which were probably a hymn in the early church praising the supremacy of Jesus Christ over all creation.
With Christ’s Lordship firmly established, the Apostle then explains how Jesus reconciles individual Christians by his grace. Today’s verses describe how unregenerate people are alienated from God and even “enemies” of God because of their evil behavior. But through the death of Christ, the sins of God’s people have been washed away and they now can stand before the Lord “without blemish and free from accusation” (v. 22). Before our reconciliation by Jesus Christ, we were enemies of the “Prince of Peace”; but now, we have been “adopted” as his children (Ephesians 1:4-5).
Peace with God is the result of God’s initiative toward us, as we learned in yesterday’s devotional. It also involves a change in status from “enemies of Christ” to his “children.” As adopted heirs of the King, we can now cast our cares on the Lord, our Father, as David did. Following the example of Noah, we can learn to trust God completely. If our security and hope is grounded in the Lord alone, then our peace is secure.
Prayer
Creator God, we praise you for your sovereign control of history. We praise you for your Son, in whom your fullness can be seen and known. Thank you for reconciling us so that we are no longer your enemies, but, by your grace, are now “without blemish” in your sight. Because of what you have done for us, we can now experience true peace with God. Equip us to share that good news of personal reconciliation and restoration with others. Amen.