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Title: A Verse by
Verse Study of Colossians. Text: Col. 1:21 – 22
A. Paul continues his reminding to these Gentile believers and church of the preeminence of Jesus Christ and the Grace and Mercy of The Father. 1. V. 21a “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works…” a. First it is very important that we define the word “sometimes”. This word is a adverb and means aforetime or in time past, meaning Paul is still reminding them of what they were before salvation. b. The gods they worshiped were false gods. The religious rituals they took part in were useless. c. They were alienated from God and enemies of God. The word “alienated” means to be a non participant in godly things. Nothing they did or said was pleasing to God, in fact they were dead to Him and He noticed nothing they did. d. The word “enemies” is a noun and means hateful or actively hostile. That is toward God, even if they thought they were pleasing God everything they did was for self glory and man-based, they hated truth even Jesus Christ. Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” e. There is really no difference between these folks before grace and salvation than those of today. The lost is lost and haters of God. f. Paul reminded them of what they were in an attempt to pull them back into truth, it is apparent these Gnostic teachers had really done some great damage. 2. Paul goes even deeper, “…in your mind by wicked works…” a. The word “wicked” means hateful. b. They were haters of God, His word, His Truth, His Churches, and ETC. Although they truly thought that they pleased God, just as Paul did before he was saved. This is just the way we were before we were saved. c. This is the perfect passage for counseling someone who has fallen from truth, remind them what they were before God saved them and then remind them of God’s saving grace. 3. Paul finalizes this thought “yet now hath he reconciled” a. Who reconciled? “hath he reconciled” So much for man-based salvation! b. Gnosticism taught you work out your own salvation, Arminianism teaches you work out your own salvation, but the truth is God saved sinners or God works out your salvation for you. c. Romans 5:6 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” In other words salvation was and is today too much for man to accomplish on his own. Romans 5:8-10 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (9.) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (10.) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” 4. The purpose of this reconciliation. a. Reconciliation means God has renewed holiness in man that was lost in Adam. God’s reconciliation brings peace between us and God and therefore we are not rebels. V. 22b “…to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” b. Notice in V. 2a “To the saints…” The words holy v. 22 and saints v. 2 are the same Greek word and they mean to be set apart, being devoted to God. Folks this all goes back to our study on sanctification, to be set aside to be holy. c. Paul explains how this was accomplished, V. 22a “In the body of his flesh through death…” This is the only possible way to accomplish this, and this was Paul’s explanation to this church that all other ways (including Gnosticism and even today Arminianism) are false. 5. “unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” a. The word “unblameable” means unblemished or without blame This is only accomplished in Christ man even after salvation cannot accomplish this on his own. b. The word “unreproveable” means unaccused also man cannot accomplish this on his own. c. These two attributes are not something we will ever accomplish in the flesh however in Christ this is what we are to God. Ephesians 1:4 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” Romans 8:31-34 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (32.) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (33.) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. (34.) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” d. Charges made by others matters lest to God because He has forgiven our sins and therefore we cannot and will not ever be charged with them, if we could then Christ His beloved Son died in vain. |