"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 in earth, or things in heaven."
Colossians 1:20
Part 2
Yesterday:
Adam is responsible for making mankind God’s enemies.
“And, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
But, Jesus Christ, the second Adam, is responsible for making peace with God for believers.
Today:
“By him to reconcile all things unto himself.”
Jesus has reconciled us to God by His work on the cross. He “killed the hostility [enmity]” between God and man. He brought the two enemies together.
“But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility [enmity], by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility [enmity] (Ephesians 2:13-16, ESV).
After salvation, a man or woman is no longer the enemy of God! “Praise Him from whom all blessings flow!”
“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” (Colossians 1:21-22).
Believers are now seen by God as “holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight.”
“By him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.”
Our verse is not preaching a “universal salvation.” No, every man, woman, and child must come to Christ on his/her own. This “so great salvation” that is offered to all must be accepted and believed, one soul at a time.
Since man’s fall in the garden, the natural world has suffered much because of his sin.
“Sin somehow has put the universe out of joint. Christ will set it right”[1] (Robertson).
One day, when the Messiah comes to rule on David’s throne, He will see that nature is made right again.
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den” (Isaiah 11:6-8).
In the meantime, our God has given to His children the “word of reconciliation.” We preach Christ’s “good news” to this lost world.
“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
Amen! And have you moved from “enemy” to God’s “family?”
Quote: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen” (Romans 16:20).
[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.