Colossians 1:19-20

Colossians 1:19-20

Because in Him it seemed good for all of the full measure of God to dwell and through Him to reconcile all things into Himself – while making peace through the blood of His cross – whether the things upon the earth or the things in the heavens.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As Paul writes this passage, we hear a great foundation of theology.  We are told that Crist came to the cross in order to reconcile creation to Himself.  You will notice that God is not reconciling Himself to creation.  We are the ones who are at fault.  We are the ones who sin.  We are the ones who break the relationship with God.  We are the ones in need of reconciliation.  Yet we cannot reconcile ourselves.  God sacrifices Himself in order to reconcile us to Him.

Why is it important to the foundation of our faith to know that we are in need of reconciliation?  Why is it important to understand that God provided the means of reconciliation for us?

Second Thought:

Paul then adds that the medium of reconciliation is the blood of the cross.  We are not saved because of Christ’s miracles – as cool as they were.  We are not saved by the faithful response of Jesus’ disciples – although certainly we hear about salvation because of the faithfulness of Jesus’ disciples.  We are reconciled because of Christ’s blood.

Are you ever tempted to think that salvation comes through any means other than the cross?  Why do we sometimes forget that the blood of Christ is the only foundation of salvation?

Third Thought:

The last phrase of this passage is a phrase that has caused much debate.  Truthfully, we don’t know about that which Paul is referring.  There are many that will argue the point that even the heavens need to be reconciled because of their impurity.  Proponents of this thought use passages such as Job 4:18 and Job 15:15 to make their case.  Other people use this verse to assert that Paul is talking about even the reconciliation of Satan and his demons.  Personally, I believe that Paul is simply using hyperbole here to make a grand point.  God’s reconciliation through Jesus is such an incredibly powerful act that there is nothing that cannot be included in reconciliation.  I believe that through this phrase Paul is making a point about the immense scope of God’s redeeming power.

How great is our God?  Is there anything that is not redeemable?  What does God ask of us when we receive His reconciliation?

Passage for Tomorrow: Colossians 1:21-23