Reconciled Through Jesus Christ

Colossians1v21-23

6^rd November 2026

In verses 15-20 of Colossians, Chapter 1, Paul has taught us who Jesus is. He is the image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of all creation. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things. In him all things hold together. He is the beginning of the church and the leader of the church. He is the firstborn from the dead. In everything He is pre-eminent. In Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. God was pleased through him to reconcile to himself all things, making peace by the blood of his cross. One day all creation will submit to His rule.

Now Paul turns from the truth about Christ and about the future to talk about what all this means for you and me, right now. He says:

Colossians 1v21-22
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him

You may have forgotten this, you may have never realized it, but it's true. Once you were alienated from God. You were hostile to Him and doing evil things. You wanted to live a life according to your own ethical standards, to please yourself. You failed to meet your own ethical standards, and you're weren't happy, but you wanted to be the boss in your own life. You weren't a slave to God but you were a slave to sin. You ignored God, insulted Him and broke His laws. You never deserved to be a Christian. There was nothing in you or that commended you to God. You were lost. You were doomed to destruction in hell. So was I.

We couldn't help ourselves, we couldn't save ourselves, but God is full of grace. Jesus came to earth in a human body, so that He could sacrifice Himself on the cross, and die in your place. Through that sacrifice, Jesus has paid for your sin, and brought about reconciliation between you and God. The penalty for your sins has been paid. God accepts you on the basis of Jesus's righteousness, and now treats you as if you were righteous. God's Holy Spirit has broken into your heart so you now love the God you once ignored, disobeyed and reviled. This was all God's work, not yours. Hallelujah!

Jesus died to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before God. You are legally righteous now, and the Holy Spirit is carrying out the wonderful work we call sanctification in you day by day, making you Christlike. He's helping you to put your sins of thought, word and deed, to death. God is making you holy. He offers to present you blameless before God on the Day of Judgement, above reproach. However, this comes with a warning. God will do this:

Colossians 1v23a
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard

Once saved, always saved. Yes. But I don't want to stand before Jesus on the Day of Judgement and have to apologise to Him for spending much of my life ignoring Him. I don't want to have to admit before Jesus that there were sins I never dealt with, or even sins I began after I was born again.

I don't want to have to apologise to Jesus for deviating from the true Gospel, for looking for a way of salvation other than justification by faith alone, in Christ alone, through grace alone. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. It's a free gift from God to all who repent and believe. We're not saved because we're nice, or because we help the poor, or because we turn up at church every Sunday. We're saved by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, and by nothing else. We can't be saved by anybody else, only by Jesus. As Peter told the Jewish leaders:

In Acts 4v12
"… there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Jesus is the only Saviour. His death is the only effective penalty for sins. He receives all who repent and trust in Him. I implore every one of you, never look for any way of salvation other than faith in the cross of Jesus. Don't try to save yourself, and don't imagine anybody else can save you. Only Jesus Christ can save you.

Colossians 1v23b
[this gospel]… has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

It may surprise you to read, in a letter written around 63 AD, that the Gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven but the Gospel spread much faster than many people realize. Justine Martyr, around 155 AD, wrote, "There is no people, Greek or barbarian, or of any other race, by whatever appellation or manners they may be distinguished, however ignorant of arts or agriculture, whether they dwell in tents or wander about in covered wagons, among whom prayers and thanksgivings are not offered in the name of the crucified Jesus to the Father and Creator of all things". The Gospel changed society much faster than most people realize. Around 197 AD, Tertullian wrote, "We already fill your cities, islands, camps, your palace, senate, and forum. We have left you only your temples." The message taught by the Apostles and recorded in the New Testament is extremely powerful, if the church will receive it, live it, and proclaim it. The God who turned the world upside down then, can do it again if we will take the Gospel seriously.

Paul says he was a minister. That word has taken on rather a technical meaning these days, but then it just meant "servant". There is no better way to spend your life, no better way to help your family and your neighbours, no better investment of your time and resources, than to be a servant of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

What a Saviour He is! What a redeemer! What a God! What a Lord!

Jesus, almighty God in human form, Jesus the manifestation of the invisible God, Jesus the firstborn of all creation, Jesus through whom all things were created, Jesus who has always existed and always will, Jesus who holds the universe together, Jesus the beginning of the church and the leader of the church, Jesus in whom all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, Jesus who is pre-eminent in all things, Jesus who reconciled you to God through His own death on the cross, Jesus who has enabled you to be presented before Him holy, blameless and above reproach, Jesus who will come back to earth to judge the living and the dead, Jesus who makes all things new, is worthy to be worshipped, obeyed, served and proclaimed with everything we are and everything we have. Isn't He?

The Good News of Jesus should be preached all over the world, and in our own families, and in our workplaces, shouldn't it? The God who loved us enough to suffer and die for us deserves an obedient worshipping and holy people, doesn't He? Will we be that people?