JESUS, THE RECONCILER
Col 1:20-22
Morning Meditations 2/7/16
Paul says: “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:”
The words “having made peace” (eirenopoieo) are the combinations of two words “poieo” which means to do or to make and “eirene” which means peace or harmony. It is an aorist active participle. The active voice means He did it. The aorist tense means that He did it at a point of time and once for all. That point of time was the cross. It took His death to make peace for the enemies of God.
Man does not think he needs peace. Verse 21 says, "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled” The Colossians were enemies before their salvation. Thank the Lord, that was in their past. But Paul is reminding them that what he is saying about sinners who are unreconciled applied to them at one time. They had experienced being enemies of God. They had recognized it through divine revelation (the Word and conviction of the Holy Spirit) and had repented and accepted the offer of reconciliation. Man is blind to his need of peace with God.
Man is an enemy in his mind. Mankind does not believe in the Genesis account of creation. Why does he reject Genesis in favor of evolution? Because he is an enemy of God in his mind. He does not want to deal with his Creator. If he credits God with creation then he must deal with his accountability. Man by nature is an enemy of God. Isaiah 57:21 says “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”
Man is an enemy by his works. Verse 21 tells us that man is not only an enemy in his mind but is also an enemy “by wicked works.” Man’s works defy God. God says man is his enemy by his works. What man does, and seems naturally right to him, is an act of an enemy God says.
God loves his enemies. Paul says this and connects it to reconciliation in Romans 5:8-10: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
God has made the move to bring His enemies in harmony with Himself. This is what salvation is all about. It is giving man an opportunity to return to the Lord. Salvation is a return. God has not gone anywhere. We have.
The word “reconciled” (apokatallasso) means “to reconcile completely; to reconcile back again, bring back a former state of harmony.” It is an aorist tense which speaks of the point of time in which He did it. The active voice means He did it. He is the Actor in this verse.. So Paul is saying to the Colossians, the reconciliation which you now enjoy was initiated and carried out by the Father through the word of Christ on the cross. He is the Reconciler.
What is the effect of reconciliation? What good thing results from it? First, we who were sometimes enemies are no longer enemies. Paul puts that in the past in this verse. A.T. Robertson puts it: “being in time past enemies.” According to Robertson this is a periphrastic perfect passive participle (continuing state of alienation). This speaks of a past condition or state. Isn’t it wonderful that what Paul is describing is in the past for believers?
Second, this was done for us by His work on the cross. Note the words beginning in the last part of verse 21: “...yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death...” It took the death of our sinless Substitute to correct the damage done to man’s relationship with God. It can be corrected no other way. Jesus died for us. This is the message of the gospel. “Christ crucified” is the victory banner of the believer. It is not a denominational banner.
Third, Paul adds those glorious words: Verse 22 “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” The words “to present” is an aorist tense which is referring to a point of time. The active voice mean He does it as our Mediator. When does this take place? Is it at a future date? Or, is it at the point of salvation. This is an opinion, ok? I believe it is at the point of salvation. This means that we have already been presented by the Son to the Father, because of the cross, without the possibility of a charge being leveled against us. This is the work of the Son on the cross as He mediates for us. It is His substitutionary death that satisfies God’s judgment against sin, it is His holy life that satisfies God’s holiness required, and it is His continual intercession for us (Heb 7:25) that keeps us in the state of perfect righteousness. Hallelujah!
What is the condition on our part? “If ye continue in the faith....” is a first class condition which expresses a fulfilled condition. It is assumed that genuine faith continues. Why then express such an idea? Because we need to be continually reminded that we have not gotten better since our salvation. Jesus does not save us and then say, “I saved you now you keep it.” It is all the cross. Gal. 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
He is the Reconciler. Jesus is the sum and substance of Salvation. He has reconciled those of us who were once enemies of God. Now we are God’s friends, God’s children in complete harmony with Him. Our personal sins committed as Christains have to do with our fellowship with Him in the family. It is important that we deal with sins that arise daily. But these sins do not make us enemies. We have permanent peace through the blood of His cross. Hallelujah!
May God bless these words to our hearts.
