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COLOSSIANS - Christ in you, the hope of glory!
Studies in the Letter of Paul to the Colossians

Part 1 - The Foundations of Christian Faith (Colossians 1:1-29)

6. Christ the Head and Reconciler of the Church with God (Colossians 1:18-23)


Colossians 1:19-20
19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him; 1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.

The Fullness of Christ and our Reconciliation with God through the Crucifixion of Jesus

Paul, in the years of his imprisonment pending trial under the Roman occupying force, found time for intercession, for the offering of thanks, and for reflection upon the word of God. He recognized that in Christ lay the entire benevolent wisdom of all creative omnipotence, and that an incomparable fullness was hidden in Him. This fullness, however, was not just His in the realm of creation, but in the entire area of worship and veneration. He possessed the entirety of divine grace and life power. The imprisoned apostle to the nations could only speak of the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph. 3:8). Paul recognized that in the crucified and risen One dwelled the entire fullness of deity, along with all of its attributes, titles and forces. This fullness always remains fullness, even when fullness is drawn from it. The missionary to the nations did not hesitate, however, to ask the Father of the Messiah that the love of Christ might, in all of its divine fullness, dwell in the followers of His Son (Eph. 3:19). The aged Apostle John later recognized, with original simplicity, the answering of this apostolic prayer, when he testified: “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace!” (Matt. 11:25-28; John 1:16; 3:34-35; 16:15; 17:2, 10 etc.).

The pleasure of God has always had as its goal the reconciliation of fallen humanity with Himself. Therefore, the angels sang at the birth of Christ in Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14) Paul wrote the Colossians that God had reconciled the entire cosmos to Himself through the Christ He had sent (Eph. 1:9-10; Col.1:20). By so saying, he was speaking of the realm of heaven and earth, not, however, of the realm of hell and demons. For a long time Satan was given the right to enter heaven, in order to accuse men and prophets before God (Job 1:6 -2:10). Yet following the ascension of Jesus to heaven and His enthronement, he was cast out of the realm of heaven, taking a third of the stars of heaven (the angels) with him, because they had become infected by his lies (Rev. 12:3-4a). Therefore, heaven, too, is included in the cleansing and reconciliation with God.

The conclusion of peace with God occurred solely through the blood of Christ on the cross at Golgotha. The last prophet of the Old Covenant, John the Baptist, recognized with unique clarity the mystery of Christ. Following His baptism in the Jordan he called to his disciples: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). In that regard, Paul wrote the church in Corinth: “That God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ´s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:19-21). From prison Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7-8). The Apostle John testified: “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2). He had previously written: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-9).

We need to understand and confess that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the central and turning point of God´s plan of salvation. The New Testament often testifies of the mysteries of His sacrifice of atonement. Since the Son of Mary was born without sin and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, never sinned, He became the only man authorized to be our representative at the judgment of God and to suffer our punishment. He became the sacrificial lamb for all sinners. Paul testified to the Romans: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-24). Peter testified: “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). We read in the letter to the Hebrews: “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). Happy the person who confesses his sins to His Saviour and who receives from Him the full forgiveness for all of his sins. He is able to say with Paul: “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

Those who maintain that, in the end, all people everywhere will be saved, suffer an unfortunate misunderstanding. They confess that the entire world has been reconciled to God, and, as far as this passage goes, they are right! Yet when a sinner does not believe in the atoning death of Jesus, and does not become bound to the body of Christ through the unity of the Holy Spirit, the completed reconciliation with God avails him nothing! There is only one objective and firmly rooted fact of salvation; this, however, is only brought about by a subjective appropriation of salvation! It is true that Jesus died for all mankind and that He realistically reconciled Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Communists to God. He need not once again die on the cross for a special group of unbelievers. Yet whoever does not thankfully receive this completed salvation and who does not offer up worship to the Lamb of God, hardens his own self and distances himself further and further from his Lord and Saviour. This person, with his final and ultimate rejection, confirms Scripture: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Jesus had previously revealed in some of His parting words: “…For if I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, because they do not believe in Me” (John 16:7-9). Jesus, in His great love, paid for all the sin of the world. Judicially speaking, there remains no more sin of sinners! We are free. The one who does not believe on Christ as His one and only Saviour and Redeemer, however, will have his atoned for sin fall back upon him. That is the decisive sin in the world – the fact that they do not believe on the name of Jesus Christ or on the redemption He completed for them with God.

Happy the person who recognizes that the Lord Jesus truly redeemed him and reconciled him with the Holy Spirit! Blessed is the one who thanks the Saviour for what He has done, and who makes his life available to Him as a praise-offering. To that belongs the readiness of the pardoned sinner to forgive his own enemies and adversaries for their crimes and evil intentions, lest his own sin fall back upon him (Matt. 6:12, 14, 15). Faith in Jesus the Saviour does not merely mean intellectual assent and acceptance of His salvation; much more, it demands integration into the loving unity of the church with her spiritual Head. To believe in Jesus also means: “Forgive – just as He forgives!”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we worship You and the Father through the Holy Spirit, for in You dwells the fullness of the Godhead. You laid aside Your glory in order to become a fragile human, such as us, and to die in our place on the cross. Your blood cleanses us from all sin, for which we thank You eternally. Amen.

Question 25: What does it mean that in Christ dwells all fullness, and that His blood has cleansed us from all sin?

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