2018-10-26
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit commands me to begin this segment dealing with the relationship between mankind and God, discussing reconciliation. In this way we will see more of how other Scripture supports the book of Colossians. COL 1: 20, “Through the Son, then, Go decided to bring the whole universe back to Himself. God made peace though His Son’s blood on the cross and so brought back to Himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.” Before this was accomplished, we were all God’s enemies, because of the sinful things we did and thought. The word reconcile means to restore to right relationship, to make peace, replacing enmity. A carnal mind is enmity toward God. Sin puts distance between God and His creation, not just human creation. This explains OT verses which use language like “healing the land.” What happened with the land began at the time of the original sin [GN 3: 1-6, 17]. It was the reason that God commanded Joshua and all the Israelites to destroy everyone in the Canaanites towns, including their animals, and take no loot, in DT 7: 2; DT 15: 13,15; JS 6: 17-18. It is also the reason God commanded the Jews not to leave dead corpses unburied for long [DT 21:22-23]. The Jewish practice of burying their dead within three days of death is still done today. Jude, another half-brother of Jesus, reminds us, in JUDE 5-6, that God, after rescuing the Jews from Egypt, destroyed those who did not believe. These were disobedient people like those involved in Korah’s rebellion [NU 16: 1-35] and the evil angels thrown down to earth with Satan [JUDE 6]. RO 5: 9-11 is directed at the Son’s power to make us God’s friends. All things, except God, (people, land, even animals) are defiled by the presence of Satan [HE 9: 23]. Job’s friend, Bildad, says in JOB 25: 5, that even stars aren’t pure in God’s sight. The extent of God’s power and that of His Son is shown when Satan, who accused the believers, is cast out of heaven [REV 12: 10].
The entirety of COL 1 shows the scope of the reconciliation that Christ brings to mankind. He did this by His Atonement and our faithfulness in Him. Our Deity has the willingness and power to reconcile all things, both animate and inanimate, except Satan, his evil angel followers, and those people who serially refuse to believe in Christ. Those not reconciled suffer eternal doom (spiritual death). When believing mankind has faith, it is permanent [COL1: 21]. PR 24: 16 and RO 2: 38-39 tell us straight out that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We should not be fooled by false teaching (like Gnosticism) because what appears wise will not control physical passions [COL 1: 22-23]. God’s teaching and our obedience to it are to bring us holy and pure into His presence. Sinners needed to be reconciled to God by Christ’s Atonement, because of life directed by physical passions has nothing to do with the life that is God’s will for us [EPH 4: 17-19]. Presenting us as pure and holy before Him is a result of God’s grace delivered [HE 2: 14-16]. Gnostics denied that Christ’s earthly incarnation was necessary for redemption. Because of this example of God’s grace, we should acknowledge Christ’s worthiness. We are encouraged by Paul, in COL 1: 23, not be shaken from the hope and faith that God gave us but continue in our belief as a sure foundation for having this hope that the Gospel gives us. Due to their limited perspective, the people didn’t recognize Who Jesus was, when they encountered Him on Solomon’s porch (a part of the temple in Jerusalem). They asked Him, “are You the Messiah?” [JN 10: 22-25]. He answered, in JN 10: 27-28, 30, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from Me…The Father and I are One.” Paul’s position as “a servant to Jesus Christ and an apostle set apart to preach the Gospel” [RO 1: 1] and his subsequent work are presented in COL 1: 24-29, as an example for us to follow as far as transmitting the Gospel is concerned. We are not only to obey God, but He has given us the opportunities to witness to our faith in Christ and the truth of the Gospel. We are to witness to all who will listen.
PRAYER: O Lord, we are indeed Your friends, thanks to Your Son’s Atonement and our faith in Him. This one great act of sacrifice has blessed us beyond what words will describe. This blessing impacts every phase of our lives. You have told us, in RO 12: 1, that we should make our lives a “living sacrifice of service dedicated and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship we should offer.” This service, no matter how and where it should happen, should be as Christlike as possible. It might be in a calling in church or in a secular workplace. It can happen anywhere and involve anyone we encounter. It might even be in our very homes by the example we set for others. You present us with opportunities to witness to the truth of Your Gospel, and we are to look for these. The Covenant of Grace is most definitely a cooperation between You and us. We live and act righteously, according to God’s sight, and You provide the grace. The latter might be strengthened faith or discovery of capabilities we didn’t know we have. This grace can take many forms; it’s our responsibility to recognize it and from Whom it comes. We thank and praise You for reconciling us to You when we had been Your enemies. From the Ten Commandments, we know what pleases You and what doesn’t. From Christ’s Atonement, we are saved by our faith in Christ, justified, and eternally forgiven for our past sins. By it, You opened the way for us to be forgiven when we take the time to discover our sins, confess them honestly to You, and stop the thoughts or behavior. You are a gracious and generous God, One Who loves us unconditionally and is always present in our lives. We express our love for You, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led to continue writing on some of God’s expectations and hope for His people next week. More supporting Scriptures for Colossians will be presented. There isn’t a portion of my life that isn’t impacted by the faith the Lord has given me in His word. The mystery is Christ in us and His willingness to make God’s wisdom available to us [COL 1: 26-27; COL 2: 2-3]. Recently, a relative of mine complained about the color his neighbor had painted his own house. My relative reported the neighbor to the Homeowner’s Assoc. for not complying to rules set up by that group. My solution to the problem was a demonstration of how the Lord “transforms us by the complete renewal of our mind” [RO 12: 2]; it was a completely different approach to such a situation. I would be reminded that we must live in peace with our neighbors and thus, would say nothing, showing the love Christ modeled for us. No one in my family ever had the idea that I should be a minister (a word which means servant) to God; it was their idea that I should be a physician, who would one-day take over my father’s practice. And yet, there is IS 46: 9b-10, “…I alone am God, and there is no one else like Me. From the beginning I predicted the outcome; long ago I foretold what would happen. I said that My plans would never fail, that I would do everything I intended to do.” He called me to minister to others and to have very strong faith in Christ. That is not what girls brought up in a Conservatively Jewish home are taught to do. Let me end with JER 29: 11-13, “I alone have plans for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to bring the future for which you hope. Then you will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me, because you will seek Me with all your heart.”
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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