In the previous verse (Col. 1:20), Paul told us that God was reconciling all things in creation to himself through Christ’s blood, shed on the cross. In this passage, he narrows the focus from all creation to the church at Colossae. But what he says is not limited to just this first-century church. It is the experience of all believers throughout time and in every place. It is the heart of the Gospel, the good news that God was reconciling us to himself.
Alienated from God
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Colossians 1:21 NIV
Alienated from God. This is the same language that might be used for family members or close friends who have fallen out and no longer speak to each other. There are a variety of reasons why this condition may have developed. But, regardless of the cause, it leaves the two parties at odds with each other. And that is the condition we were in, separated from the life of God, lost and without hope in this world.
Building on the idea of being alienated from God, Paul goes on to say that we were enemies of God in our minds. Being an enemy is an active state of being. We have an internal disposition opposed to God’s will for our lives. We are like toddlers who insist on doing things their way instead of following the directions of their parents.
The NIV says that we were God’s enemies because of our evil behavior. But it includes a footnote with an alternate reading–“we were enemies in our minds as shown by our evil behavior.” Our evil behavior is evidence that we are God’s enemies, opposed to his will, and alienated from him.
Separated from God like we were, we were in a helpless condition, facing his wrath, and unable or unwilling to do anything about it.
Reconciled to God
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—
Colossians 1:22 NIV
We were alienated from God. But now God has reconciled us to himself. It is important to recognize that it is God who initiated our reconciliation. We do not initiate the process. And God is the one who provided the means of reconciliation. We have nothing to offer God that would bring about our reconciliation.
The means of this reconciliation was Christ’s death on the cross. Paul is clear that Jesus physically died on the cross. He went to the cross as a human and died there. His physical death on the cross is the means by which we can experience reconciliation with God. There are several ways that people have understood how Christ’s death on the cross provided for our reconciliation. But what is most important is that it did.
While reconciliation with God does not produce perfection in our lives, it does impact how God views us. He sees us now as holy, without blemish, and free from accusation. One consequence of reconciliation is that we are included in Christ. And, being in Christ, God sees Christ when he looks at me.
God is not somehow fooled into believing that I am without blemish. He knows my failures and shortcomings. But because I am in Christ, he considers me to be holy, set apart for his purposes.
Continuing in Your Faith
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.
Colossians 1:23a NIV
Paul adds a condition here to the preceding verse. God has reconciled us to himself, so long as we continue in our faith, established and firm. There are several ways that people have understood this conditional. Can a believer lose their salvation? This is a divisive question.
Some understand the Scripture to teach that a true believer can never lose their salvation. They understand that passages referring to apostasy do not apply to saved people. A true believer will continue in their faith. That one who does not continue in their faith was never saved in the first place.
On the other side are those who believe the Bible teaches that a loss of salvation is possible. True believers can turn their back on Christ, walk away from their faith, and fall from grace. I have known believers who considered that any unforgiven sin would cost them their salvation. But more commonly, the loss of salvation comes from a conscious choice to abandon their faith. Those holding to the first view would disagree that those who turn away were ever saved in the first place.
A third perspective, and one that I find to be more in line with the teaching of Scripture, is that salvation comes to those who persist until the end. This is similar to the first perspective. The difference is that they place salvation at the beginning of the walk with Christ rather than at the end of the walk.
Not Moved from the Gospel’s Hope
But whichever perspective you hold concerning the persistence of believers, Paul encourages us not to move away from the hope held out for us in the gospel. Hold on to that hope that awaits us at the end of this life’s journey—eternal life in the presence of our Lord and God. Never let go of that. If you hold firmly to your hope, the question of persistence is irrelevant.
The Heart of 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 1:23b NIV
What is the Gospel? We were enemies of God, lost and alienated from him. But God reconciled us to himself through the death of Jesus on the cross. It is a simple yet powerful message.
Paul said the gospel proclamation had gone out to every creature (or person) under heaven. Paul is not saying that everyone has had the gospel preached to them. Instead, this is the only true gospel, the real McCoy. And it is going out to all the world.
And Paul considered himself a servant of the gospel. He took it throughout the northeast corner of the Roman empire–proclaiming and defending the gospel. It was his life’s work.
