having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; Colossians 1:20-23
The Gospel–the good news is this; Jesus Christ took upon Himself the full wrath and punishment for our sin. He made an unbreakable Peace Accord with God for all who accept His Sacrifice as atonement for their sin. Through His death and resurrection; He has cloaked us with His righteousness, giving us eternal life in His presence as Beloved Children of God. He presents us to the Father as holy, blameless, and above reproach.
I want to pause here for one moment to consider what it is to be above reproach. The definition is: such that no criticism can be made; perfect, faultless, flawless, immaculate, unblemished, unsullied, and untarnished. Stop and think about how remarkable that is. We who were alienated from God because of our wicked works of our mind are counted now as perfect, faultless, flawless without even a blemish! We whose minds still wander and stray from the truth are presented to God as though already perfect. What an amazing gift that is!
Then we see in verse 23 a “if” clause. “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” Does this mean that I can lose my position in Christ? When we look at this clause in light of the teachings throughout the letters of Paul to the churches, we know that not to be the case. Our salvation is secure in Christ from the moment we accept Him as our Savior and throughout eternity. Instead, remember that Paul is sending this letter to a church that was being bombarded by many false teachers. Some of the false teachers were saying Christ was merely a prophet and that it wasn’t important to recognize Him as God’s Son. Others were saying that they should worship the angels. While there were some who said that salvation must also include rituals and works. The Living Bible translation explains this verse as:
the only condition is that you fully believe the Truth, standing in it steadfast and firm, strong in the Lord, convinced of the Good News that Jesus died for you, and never shifting from trusting him to save you.
So, Paul is placing this condition to remind the Church of Colossae and us; that all the truth of the Gospel is ours if we believe the truth that Jesus Christ is our Savior and place our trust in Him. We cannot add to that truth nor take away from it. Salvation is dependent on our believing that Jesus is the Virgin Born Son of God. Jesus Christ, being fully God and fully man was the only one who could pay the price for our sins. There is no other way of Salvation but through Him.
Which takes us back to the truth. In Christ I am made flawless, blameless and perfect before God. Then, comes the question: “How come I so often don’t feel that way; nor do I act righteously?” Our justification before God is immediate upon accepting Christ as our Savior. Our transformation (sanctification) comes over time.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. I John 3:1-3
So, am I just to wait or is there something I need to do while waiting? Because of all that Jesus does for me, my gratitude and love for Him should cause me to seek Him more. As I focus on Him, I am transformed.
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
So, I am to through reading the scripture and prayer seek to know Him more. The more I see His face, the more I desire Him and through my focusing on Him, the Holy Spirit transforms my heart and mind into His image one tiny glory at a time. Beyond that I, because I tend to forget; must remind myself continually who I am in Christ. That is called the renewing of my mind.
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2
In Summary, to be presented blameless before God; we must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior by believing that He is the only way of Salvation and asking Him to cleanse us of our sin. Then, standing justified before God as His redeemed, beloved Child our hearts are transformed. As we focus on Him who loved us so, our love for Him grows. We desire to know Him more and we are reminded who we are in Him. He renews our mind, transforming our heart and our thoughts day by day
[tweetthis]The Good News is: In Christ I am declared perfectly faultless before God[/tweetthis]
[bctt tweet=”As I focus on Jesus, seeking and savoring Him who died in my place, my heart is transformed.” username=”effiedarlene”]
[bctt tweet=”As I pray and study scripture, my mind is renewed to realize who I really am in Christ” username=”effiedarlene”]
[tweetthis]In Christ I am God’s Beloved, Redeemed, Chosen Child-heir of His Kingdom[/tweetthis]
photo used by permission https://unsplash.com/@tosbuk
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2017
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.