Responding to the Greatness of Jesus (Colossians 1:21-23)

In the previous verses in this letter Paul has extolled the greatness of Jesus as Creator and Saviour. His description is of a majestic Person who engages in incredible activities. It is not surprising that Paul expects a response of dedication by the Colossians to Jesus, and he therefore challenges them now in a very personal way. At the same time, since his words are part of the divinely-inspired Bible, they challenge us with regard to our relationship with Jesus.

Reminder of who we were

In verse 21, Paul provides a brief, yet comprehensive, description of an unconverted person from God’s perspective. After all, God is the only one who can see what a person is like on the inside as well as on the outside. Here Paul points out what our mind is like before we come to trust in Jesus and also he points out what our activities are.

Inwardly, we are separate from God and opposed to God. This should not be a surprise for us. We know that is the case if we are not followers of Jesus and we know that was the case if we are the followers of Jesus. The basic question to ask is, ‘Do we want to obey God’s commandments?’ What do we want to do each day? Do we say to ourselves, ‘It would be wonderful to obey God today!’ No, we don’t if we are not believers in Jesus. As far as we are concerned, all we need to do is ask ourselves if we love the gospel.

Paul describes their outward behaviour before conversion as ‘evil deeds’. We may think that Paul is referring to outlandish behaviour, to acts of cruelty or immorality. He does include such actions, but in fact he is referring to everything an unconverted person does. We know that most people engage in kind activities, so how can Paul say such people engage in evil deeds. He means that even when we do good things we don’t do them for God’s glory as an expression of delight in God. So the primary reason for doing anything is not the right one, and that means our actions are sinful. Everyone, therefore, has numerous sins attached to his or her name.

Reconciled to God

There came a day when the people in Colosse heard the gospel, probably from the man called Epaphrus whom Paul mentions in this letter. It is assumed that Epaphrus was converted through Paul’s message and then was sent back or went back to his home community with the good news of the gospel. We can imagine what it was like there when he declared the message of peace with God – not only what he said, but how he said it.

The gospel reveals how it is possible for sinners to be reconciled to God. It can happen because Jesus died on the cross of Calvary. There Jesus took the place of sinners and suffered the penalty for sin that they should have paid. He offered himself to God as a spotless sacrifice. In doing so, he paid the penalty required by divine justice. When he did so, he revealed his love for God and his love for sinners because he brought them together by his death. We can see an example of this reconciliation in what happened to the criminal who died beside Jesus. Although he was marked by a life of evil deeds, Jesus made it possible for him to be forgiven and brought into God’s family.

Reconciliation occurs when two opposing parties cease to be against one another. Before conversion, God is against the sinner and the sinner is opposed to God. It is dangerous for us to have God against us. We can imagine what it would be like to have war in which a strong country is against a weak country. It is obvious who will win. No one can fight successfully against God. Therefore, we should make peace with him and join all those who have already done so.

Remember your future

Paul then leads his readers to focus on the amazing future day when all the sinners who believed in Jesus will be presented by him to the Father. On that day, each of them will be perfect in holiness, as our catechism puts it. How will Jesus do this? What will it be like for him when this great event takes place? He will see the outcome of the travail of his soul and, as Isaiah predicted in his great prophecy in Isaiah 53, he will be satisfied. He will see the answer to his great request in the prayer recorded in John 17 when he asked that all his people would yet be with him in order to behold his glory. He will see the event that he anticipated when he said that many would come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom. 

And what will we think on that day? Surely there will be gratitude in our hearts that glorification has occurred. We can say that there will be amazement in our hearts because we knew better than most what our hearts were really like. And there will be worship in our hearts to the God of salvation who through his grace has brought about this extraordinary completion of the work of grace in the lives of sinners.

Thinking about this future day has practical benefits in the present. Perhaps we were going to give someone here a piece of your mind. Would you want to do it on this future day? If not, why do you want to do so now? Of course, there are situations in which rebuke is called for, but most of the arguments that Christians have with one another are connected to trivialities. In all likelihood, we will be ashamed of them on that coming day.

And if you are not a Christian, think of what you will not be like when Jesus returns. Do you not want to be sinless? You are aware of your faults, your wrong thoughts. Do you not want to be rid of them? You have had them all your life and they remain despite your good intentions. The Bible says that you will also be resurrected, but try and imagine a resurrection to sinfulness, with no prospect of change and no prevention of your wrong intentions.

Resolve to be faithful

We know that the problem in Colosse was that some of the believers there were waffling in their commitment to Jesus. In reality, every believer has his weak moments when they live below where they should be. Ideally, they should be marked by the three words beginning with the letter s that our translators have used in verse 23 – stable, steadfast and not shifting.

We should note that Paul does not say shifting from the gospel. Instead he says not shifting from the hope of the gospel. As we know, the word ‘hope’ is always connected to what is going to occur in the future. Hope is more than being forgiven, is more than being adopted into God’s family. It includes thinking about the blessings we will receive when Jesus returns. We have already thought about personal perfection, and there are many others. Believers will live in Paradise, in a new heavens and new earth. If you want power over sin in your heart, start thinking about the glory to come. Once you do that, how can the best of earth, or the worst, be an attraction?

After all, perseverance is the evidence that we are converted. Another evidence is repentance when we fall. Without them, there is no evidence. It is true that a Christian can backslide, but while he is backsliding there is no evidence of his conversion. If any of us are backsliding, and only each of us knows our hearts, our response should be to repent and not continue a life of disobedience.

Rejoice in the progress of the gospel

Paul informs his readers of a detail they may not have realised, given the difficulty of news being spread at that time. He tells them that the gospel has been proclaimed throughout the known world. We should not be surprised at that because we know that the apostles and others took the gospel to many different countries. In contrast to the spread of the gospel, the alternative messages were fading away even if the Colossians were attracted to them.

The same can be said about us. It is the case, is it not, that what encourages Christians the most is the spread of the gospel, of hearing about sinners coming into the kingdom. There is a lot more of them today than there was in Paul’s time. Probably there are more Christians today than there were people alive in the first century. What time do we live in? We could give different answers to that and our society likes to do so. Some call it postmodern, others post-Christian. In contrast, we call it the time when the gospel is having great success throughout the world.

Of course, we are not seeing that here at the moment. Yet there is something wrong with our grasp of reality if all we do is focus on what we are losing and not rejoicing in what others are gaining through the gospel. Our day is not here yet, but it is coming. And when it comes, it will be wonderful.