The True Christ, II

Introduction

Tonight, we will be kicking things off in , so turn there with me if you will. This rich passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus instructs us on the source of salvation and the plan of salvation. Read verses 8-10 with me.

Ephesians 2:8–10 NASB95

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

“For by grace you have been saved...” Remember what grace is? Grace is the irreversible action of God in transforming the heart, soul, and mind of a human from sinner to saint. The strength required to change our lives comes from God and God alone. By what means does this grace work?

“through faith...” We are saved by God’s transforming power by putting our complete confidence in His Son, Jesus Christ. But how do we believe?

“not of yourselves, the gift of God...” Here’s the kicker: we all need to believe in Him but we don’t have the ability to. He has to give that ability to us according to His goodwill. But, really, how do we believe?

“not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Again: we all need to believe in Him but we don’t have the ability to. Truly He has to give that ability to us according to His goodwill and for His glory.

So again: why do we believe because of God and not ourselves? Verse 10.

Ephesians 2:10 NASB95

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

That’s the sum of it! Truly, truly, He has to give that ability to us according to His goodwill, for His glory, and to enable our restoration.

Ultimately we can’t deny that God is the Creator of the universe, and this fact has a serious, moral, and eternal impact on our lives. This fact means that the Son of God is our King, and because of sin, we have all committed cosmic treason against Him and His law. But we can’t forget another fact as well: Christ, the Son of God, is also Christ, the Son of Man. There is a way to be pardoned of our cosmic treason, and that is through faith in the King of Creation Himself.

We know this truth in theory, but how well are we applying it? If we’ve been pardoned, why do we still tend to live like we’re still guilty? Fighting our sin is a hard work, and that struggle can make us jaded towards the Christian life. A lot of the time, it’s because it’s hard for us to see the light at the end of the gospel tunnel.

The apostle Paul addressed this exact problem when writing to the ancient church in Colossae. Here in , Paul teaches us two titles that only Christ can claim: King of Creation & Lord of Salvation.

Last time, in verses 15-20, we looked at the first title that belongs to Christ alone: King of Creation. We saw that there were two proofs for why He deserves that name: He is firstborn of all creation, and firstborn from the dead. Now, in verses 21-23, we’re going to dive into the second title that belongs to Christ alone: Lord of Salvation… Lord of Salvation.

WHO / WHEN / WHERE

Let’s recap where we’ve studied already.

Let’s recap where we’ve studied already.

We know that Paul, assisted by Timothy, his right hand guy, sent this letter from Rome while on house arrest to the city of Colossae, by way of Tychicus and Onesimus, sometime between 60-62 AD.

We know that Paul sent this letter from house arrest in Rome to the city of Colossae, by way of Tychicus and Onesimus, sometime between 60-62 AD. We also know that Paul’s heir apparent, Timothy, is in Rome with him as well.

WHAT / WHY

After getting a report in person from Epaphras, the founder of the churches in Colossae, Hieropolis, & Laodicea, Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians, whom he had never met before, in order to encourage their faith and protect them against the growing threat of false teaching.

Back in verses 1-2, we saw how Paul introduced himself and how he connected with the Colossians on the basis of Christian fellowship. Then, in verses 3-14, we looked at Paul’s extraordinary prayer life as he encouraged the church by letting them know that he’s been praying for them and giving thanks for them continually. Now that the greeting is over, Paul dives right in and begins to drill down on the true character of Christ in verses 15-23.

, Paul teaches us two titles that only Christ can claim: King of Creation & Lord of Salvation.

Paul’s main point in this passage was to establish the supremacy of Christ in the divine reconciliation of all things to Himself, and to instruct on what that divine reconciliation means for the lives of the Colossians.

Paul’s main point in this passage was to establish in the minds of the Colossians that Christ is supreme, that God has reconciled all things to Himself through Him, and what that reconciliation means for the Colossians.

, Paul teaches us two titles that only Christ can claim: King of Creation & Lord of Salvation.

HOW

We looked at the first aspect of his goal last time. Now, we will look at how he accomplished the second goal he was aiming for.

In verses 15-20, we saw how Christ is the King of Creation. Here in verses 21-23, we see how Christ is the Lord of Salvation… the Lord of Salvation.

Christ, Lord of Salvation ()

INTERPRETATION

INTERPRETATION

Read in with me.

Colossians 1:21–23 NASB95

21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Why the title “Lord of Salvation”? Because of what God the Son has accomplished, is accomplishing, and will accomplish in the reconciliation of all things to Himself. It’s wise of us to pay attention to the cosmic journey through time going on throughout this passage!

Verse 15 sets us before the beginning of all things in eternity past. Then, the setting moves to the creation of all things by God in Christ, verse 16. After that, the setting shifts to the reconciliation of all things to God through Christ, verse 20. Next, the setting moves to the reconciliation of the Colossians to God through Christ when they believed the gospel, verse 22. Finally, the setting results in the present day life of the Colossians, with an aim towards the future hope of glory in Christ, in verse 23.

takes place before the beginning of all things in eternity past. Then, the setting moves to the creation of all things by God in Christ. After that, the setting shifts to the reconciliation of all things to God through Christ. Next, the setting moves to the reconciliation of the Colossians to God through Christ when they believed the gospel. Finally, the setting results in the present day life of the Colossians, with an aim towards the future hope of glory in Christ.

These 3 verses are the culmination of a cosmic journey through time that started back in verse 15.

From beginning to end, all things begin, and all things end, in Christ. Although all of God’s creation was alienated from Him because of sin, all of God’s creation has been reconciled because of Him. The first five verses served as instruction on this concept, and the final three verses serve as a display of where the Colossians, and us by extension, fit into the equation.

EXPLANATION

This Christ-centered instruction was more than necessary because of the looming threat on the horizon. Certain folks in the church at Colossae were raising more and more questions about God and His Word. These questions were particularly in regards to Christ, the Son of God.

Why was this dangerous? Because Christ is the foundation of the Christian life! Without Christ you have no Christianity. This “gospel” that Paul mentions in verse 23 is the gospel of Christ. There is no other gospel because there’s no such thing as multiple truth. There’s only one right answer to things, and there’s only one right answer to sin: faith in Christ. This is why He alone is the “Lord of Salvation”. confirms this, saying that Jesus is “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” The way to heaven is simply through Christ.

And for us, we have to constantly remind ourselves of this. There are a lot of different people out there that are saying, “This is how to follow Christ”, or “This is the way to eternal life”, etc. Wanna find out how to follow Jesus? Read His Word!

He ordained every single letter, from to . In fact, He is the Word incarnate, says. What is the Word of God? The Bible, . How do we pray to the God of the Bible? In the Spirit, . How does the Spirit work? In truth, . Where can find we truth? You guessed it, in the Word of God, .

As you can see, not only do all things in creation begin and end in Christ, but all things in the Christian life begin and end in Christ. We risk leaving the foundation of our faith when we step outside of Him. He truly is the Author and Lord of our Salvation.

And here in , Paul provides two additional proofs to back up why Christ alone is Lord of Salvation: He is the Agent of Divine Reconciliation and the Agent of Divine Restoration.

Agent of Divine Reconciliation ()

The first proof is that He is the Agent of Divine Reconciliation… the Agent of Divine Reconciliation.

INTERPRETATION

Reconciliation happens in a lot of different dynamics. We reconcile with our friends, our family, and with one another all the time. Here’s the thing though: conflict is the reason we have to reconcile in the first place!

If we’re honest, relational conflict is never any fun to deal with. Conflict with those that we love is miserable for us to go through. Even more so is conflict with God.

With that in mind, look at verse 21 with me.

Colossians 1:21 NASB95

21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

Conflict with God isn’t ideal, but we’re born into it. Because Adam sinned, we’ve all sinned, and are born sinners by nature. The sad reality is that God and sin simply aren’t compatible.

This word “alienated” here can be understood as to be or be considered foreign… separated from another country or citizenry. Here, Paul is reminding the Colossians that their sinfulness, and our sinfulness by extension, has separated them and us completely from the holiness of God.

Ephesians 2:12 NASB95

12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But, our conflict with God isn’t only because we inherited it. We actively contribute to it as well. Look at the second idea in verse 21: “hostile in mind...”

This phrase here can be better understood as “enemies of the mind”, or “enemies in disposition”. Understand this word “mind” here as an attitude of mind that favors one option over others. If you remember when we studied what “will” means, the meanings are very similar!

Essentially, Paul is reminding the Colossians that in addition to being completely separated from God, their attitude in mind towards God was full of hatred.

Luke 1:51 NASB95

51 “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

1 John 5:20 NASB95

20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Ephesians 4:18 NASB95

18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

But what was the cause of this hatred towards God? What caused the separation of our relationship with God? Look at the rest of the verse: “because of evil deeds…”

With this, the reality is clear: Our evil deeds made us enemies of God in our attitude in mind and separated us fully from God. And all of us are guilty. All of us are to blame. We’re naturally separated from God forever, and it’s completely and utterly our fault.

Now, it would be a shame if the story ended here. But it doesn’t. Look at verse 22 with me.

Colossians 1:22 NASB95

22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

“Our sin is great, but greater still, the boundless grace His heart reveals.” This is it. The gospel in its entirety is here in these first two verses. Don’t you see? There was a cosmic rift between us and God because of our sin, but God, in His mercy and grace, sent His only Son, to repair the rift through His death. That’s what love truly is.

It might sound kind of redundant for Paul to say “in His fleshly body through death”, but this was very strategic. Why? Because the false teachers were casting doubt on whether or not Christ actually lived as a man. But only a man could reconcile our relationship with God. Only a perfect man could reconcile our relationship with God. And Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the perfect man, did indeed reconcile our relationship with God.

EXPLANATION

In response to these words, the Colossians would’ve been immediately reminded of the wickedness in their past life, and as a result, overflowing with thankfulness for the mercy of Christ in saving their souls.

With this, the Colossians would’ve had no logical reason to doubt that Christ alone is the means by which we are reconciled to God. There’s a key phrase here we can’t miss from verse 22: “in His body of flesh through death...” That right there means that we are only reconciled to God in the realm of Christ’s human body through His death. True reconciliation, the reconciliation that our souls need, is only found in Christ, the Lord of Salvation.

Our God is an amazing God, isn’t He? What kind of God would move towards His creation after they have despised Him and defied Him to His face? Our God. What kind of God would allow His creation to enjoy the common graces of life while living in complete rebellion against Him? Our God. And what kind of God would sacrifice His only Son to reconcile the relationship with His creation while they still hated Him? Our God.

With this, the Colossians would’ve had no logical reason to doubt that Christ alone is the means by which we are reconciled to God. There’s a key phrase here we can’t miss from verse 22: “in His body of flesh through death...” That right there means that we are only reconciled to God in the realm of Christ’s human body through His death. True reconciliation, the reconciliation that our souls need, is only found in Christ, the Lord of Salvation.

How often do we take that for granted though? Why is it so easy for us to think we’ve somehow “spiritually arrived”? Why is it so easy for us to look down on struggling brethren in the ministry? The reality is that far too often, we don’t see ourselves rightly. Believers need to look at the sinfulness of your sin and the holiness of God in contrast and you can’t help but be thankful that Christ is not only the King of Creation, but the Lord of Salvation, and that He has restored the relationship between you and Him by His grace, a gift that is completely undeserved.

Agent of Divine Restoration ()

The first proof of why Christ has the title “Lord of Salvation” was that He is the agent of divine reconciliation. The second proof is that He is the agent of divine restoration… Divine restoration.

INTERPRETATION

Look at the next section of verse 22: “To present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him...”

Understand “to present” here as to formally bring or introduce into the presence of someone. Essentially, Christ has reconciled us to God through His death so that He may formally bring us into the presence of God.

2 Corinthians 11:2 NASB95

2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.

2 Timothy 2:15 NASB95

15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

This right here tells us the ultimate goal of our reconciliation. To be presented before God, perfect in purity. What a stark contrast to where we started off, isn’t it? Truly, “sin had left a crimson stain, but He washed it white as snow.”

What a stark contrast to where we started off, isn’t it? Truly, “sin had left a crimson stain, but He washed it white as snow.”

Every believer can put their full confidence and faith in this truth. He didn’t reconcile us for our sake, but He reconciled us for His glory. By making dead souls come alive, the power of His grace is on full display before all creation in heaven and on earth, like we looked at last week.

Paul also gives three descriptions for what perfect purity before God is: “holy and blameless and above reproach...”

These aren’t three separate thoughts, but rather three components that, when put together, tell us what the ultimate outcome of reconciliation to God will be.

The first component is holiness. Does this word “holy” look familiar? It should, because you should recognize it from way back in verse 1. The word used here is the same as the word for “saints” back in the beginning of the letter. Basically, Christ, has reconciled us to God through death so that He may formally bring us into the the presence of God as holy.

1 Peter 1:15–16 NASB95

15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:15 NASB95

15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;

The second component is blamelessness. The sense of the word “blameless” here means free from guilt; spotless and without defect. So, Christ, has reconciled us to God through death so that He may formally bring us into the the presence of God as holy and without defect.

1 Peter 1:17–19 NASB95

17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

The third component is being beyond reproach. The sense of the term “above reproach” means not being subject to, deserving of, or worthy of a charge of wrongdoing. Ultimately, Christ has reconciled us to God through His death so that He may formally bring us into God’s presence holy, without defect, and unaccusable.

1 Corinthians 1:4–8 NASB95

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is absolutely mind-boggling. Christ, the King of the Universe, has crossed a cosmic chasm to chase us down and reconcile our relationship with Him, changing our status from condemned to friend. And not only that, He has done it completely and utterly on His own accord, without any contribution on our parts. But does this transformation from wicked sinner to worthy saint take place immediately or progressively over time? The answer is yes. Look at verse 23.

Colossians 1:23 NASB95

23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Notice the beginning: “if indeed...” This isn’t your typical conditional statement here. Paul is basically saying, “if indeed you continue in the faith, which I fully expect you to do, you will be presented before God in perfect purity.”

See, Paul had full confidence in the Colossians. There was no doubt in his mind that they were going to reach that ultimate goal of divine reconciliation. His confidence in them was not only because Christ Himself guarantees to complete what He starts in salvation, but because they had a proven track record of working out their salvation in sanctification.

What is sanctification? Think of it simply as the ongoing process of becoming more holy. More like Christ. This verse here unpacks the concept completely. Look at the next phrase: “if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast...”

“Established” & “steadfast” are two out of three components of the idea Paul uses to describe the manner of what it looks like to continue in the faith.

Think of “established” here as to be or become strengthened, like a foundation that is laid. So literally, Paul is saying that if you are to be brought into God’s presence by Christ in all purity, then the Colossians must continue in the Christian faith firmly “foundationed.”

Ephesians 3:14–17 NASB95

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Remember this word “steadfast” from a few weeks ago? Paul’s essentially saying that if you are to be brought into God’s presence by Christ in all purity, then you must be firmly foundationed and enduring trials with patience.

But look now at verse 23 again. There’s a third component of continuing in the faith that Paul includes, and that is “not shifting away from the hope, the gospel that you have heard...”

This is the only time that the verb for “not shifting away” is used in the entire New Testament. Basically, it means to move from one setting or context to another. Paul is saying that if you are to be brought into God’s presence by Christ in all purity, then you must be firmly foundationed, enduring trials with patience, and not shifting away from the hope of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:58 NASB95

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Paul also reminds the Colossians that they already have the way to eternal life: this is all a part of the same gospel that’s been preached to them! And they can have full confidence in it because it is the gospel of Christ, the King of Creation, and He is powerful. Therefore, His gospel is powerful as well. Look at the rest of the verse: “which was preached in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, have become a minister.”

Paul’s using figurative language here, but he’s not exaggerating by much. All of the known world at this time was hearing the good news of Jesus Christ! It started in Jerusalem with Jesus’ personal ministry. Then it spread to Samaria in . Then it spread to the Gentiles in . Then to all of Asia Minor in . Do you see? The church of God cannot be contained, and Christ Himself says that “the gates of Hades will not prevail” against it, . And this same gospel, full of divine power, is the gospel of which the very own apostle Paul had become a minister, one who offers full and perfect sacrifice, as the offering of life which is the very essence of service, of being for others, whether in life or in death.

EXPLANATION

It’s almost as if Scripture speaks for itself, isn’t it? We do good to remember that God is love. The result of His love is reconciliation and redemption, and the terms of His love are that we build on our foundation of faith in Him with patient endurance and full focus.

These words from Paul would’ve fully equipped the Colossians with a proper perspective on the Christian life. There’s no need to believe any other gospel because no other gospel has power. The gospel of Christ promises our divine reconciliation and restoration, and you can never separate the two. Restoration always follows reconciliation, and that’s true in any scenario. Isn’t it sweet that we can be secure for eternity with God if we continue in the faith that is fully supplied by God? That sounds like the sweetest deal of all time.

Restoration always follows reconciliation,

Exhortation

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Our time is pretty much gone. The first title we saw that belongs to Christ alone is King of Creation. We also saw Paul provide two proofs for why Christ is the King of Creation: He is firstborn of all creation and firstborn from the dead. The second title we saw that belongs to Christ alone is Lord of Salvation. We studied the two proofs Paul used to confirm why Christ has that title: He is the Agent of Divine Reconciliation, and the Agent of Divine Restoration.

There are a few lessons we can learn from this passage that stood out to me, and I’ll share them with you before we close.

OUR KING IS MERCIFUL.

The King of Creation is the most benevolent king that ever has been and ever will be. What kind of King goes and dies for His subjects in barbaric fashion in order to reconcile His relationship with them?

We have to wonder why we’re so prone to getting casual about God’s grace. Do you understand that your sin gets you the death sentence before God? But God, rich in mercy, has brought a way to be exonerated before Him: Through the blood of Jesus Christ, our King. If we have such a merciful King before us, then why don’t we honor Him with obedience and give thanks for His grace daily?

OUR KING IS HOLY.

The King of Creation is the most perfect king that ever has been and ever will be. What kind of King is full of Light and has no darkness within Him?

We all need to take an inventory on why we’re so prone to muting the holiness of God. He requires us to be just like Him! It’s about direction, not perfection. The proofs of the young person growing in holiness are:

A growing love for the Word of God ()

A growing love for the church of God ()

A growing love for souls ()

A growing love for discipleship ()

OUR KING IS MIGHTY.

The King of Creation is the mightiest king that ever has been and ever will be. What kind of King is powerful enough to bring dead souls back to life?

We have to ask ourselves why we’re so prone to doubting His ability to preserve us. Part of the reason that we, like the Colossians, are susceptible to false teaching is because false gospels don’t require faith! But the true gospel requires faith, and the God of the true gospel has already proved Himself to be faithful throughout all of Scripture. So why in the world would we not believe in Him? Pray with me.