Col 1:23-25 | KingComments | STEP | In the previous verses the glory of the Son as Head is presented in two ways: 1. He is Head over the creation. 2. He is Head in the resurrection. You will see more glories which stand on the one side in connection with the old creation and on the other side with the new creation or resurrection. Similarly there are also two reconciliations: 1. One of the creation. 2. One of the believers (saints) who form the church ( ). Also there are two ministries which come from Him: 1. The ministry of the gospel that is preached to all creation. 2. The ministry to the church ( ). . First we read about the reconciliation of all things, namely the creation. Reconciliation is the bringing about of a relationship of peace where first there was enmity ( ). Enmity arose between man and God through sin. Man drew creation with him in his sin. Creation is still under the dominion of satan ( ). The Lord Jesus broke the power of satan through His work on the cross. The sin of the world will be taken away because of His once and for all accomplished work ( ; ). The results of His work will be seen when the Lord Jesus will publicly exercise His authority. Authority has already been given to Him in heaven and on earth ( ; ). Peace can come because all that caused disturbance is taken away. This peace was made on the cross and will be enjoyed in the kingdom of peace and for all eternity. That will mean a great relief for all that is now groaning in pain under the evil and corrupting power of sin under satan ( ). This peace is based on the “blood of His cross” which is the cross of Christ. The Lord Jesus shed His blood on the cross. Peter calls it ‘the precious blood’ because it is the blood of a Lamb without blemish and without spot ( ). This basis is unassailable and holds its values for eternity. You can say this as follows: The basis of reconciliation is defined by the blood of the Lord Jesus, but the reconciliation of the things on earth and in heaven with God, still lies in the future. The reconciliation of all things of course does not mean the reconciliation of all unconverted people and of satan and his demons. They will not be reconciled but subjected to Christ ( ). It is all about the things on the earth and in the heavens, i.e. the material world. The doctrine of universal salvation is a gross heresy, a lie from satan. . The reconciliation of all things lies in the future. Nevertheless there are people who are already reconciled, including you. Praise the Lord for that. You have faith in the shed blood of Christ for your sins. Once you stood outside of reconciliation, you were alienated from it, and you were even hostile to it. This was expressed in the wicked works you did. . The Lord Jesus became Man in order that you could be reconciled. He bore your sins in “His own body on the cross” ( ). His death is the sure proof that He bore God’s judgment for your sins. Death, namely, is the wages of sin ( ). At the same time, however, reconciliation took place through Christ’s death. His death is the sure foundation on which rests the reconciliation. As a result you stand in the favor of God. He sees you as holy and perfect. Sin will no longer be counted against you. Nobody can bring a single accusation which can succeed against you. God, men and satan can find nothing on which they could lay their fingers. The death of Christ provided for everything. Christ stands before you as the perfect result of His perfect work in the perfect light of God, and indeed no flaw can any longer be found against this. The just claims of God have been fully complied with by the atoning work of Christ so that no question can be raised against its legality. . After the assurances faith offers, there comes an “if”. That seems to make the foregoing uncertain as though it depends on our commitment to have a part in it and to keep it. The power of this ‘if indeed’ however is that the chaff is separated from the wheat. The aim is to encourage faith and to condemn the self-confident nominal Christians. A nominal Christian professes with the mouth that he is a Christian. But he has never gone to God with a remorse for his sins. He had never accepted in faith the power of the blood of Christ for the remission of sins. You have part in the foregoing blessings only if your faith is true, and you truly belong to the Lord. You should say ‘Yes’ whole heartedly to this. You will provide evidence that you remain in the faith that came to you through the gospel which you accepted. What Paul says here is not to bring you eventually to doubt, but on the contrary to encourage you. You would certainly completely agree with Paul that faith is demonstrated by the fact that you are holding it, especially when resistance arises. With your faith you must deal with resistance, both by hostility from people and by the flattery of false teachers. If your faith is true you are “firmly established and steadfast” and you are “not moved away from the hope of the gospel”. If your faith is not true, that will show up. The hope of the gospel is not to be saved by the gospel but is Christ. The gospel is not a summary of a number of rules that you must keep; the content of the gospel is a Person. If you are connected to Him by faith you will not want to allow anything that obscures or hides your view of Him. This desire for Him is present in everyone who loves Him in truth. I do not doubt that it is so with you also. You have heard this gospel exactly as the Colossians heard it ( ). Paul became the minister of this gospel. The range of his ministry was the whole creation. The gospel is valid throughout the world and universally applicable ( ; ; ). His ministry was directed in a special way to all the nations that are under the heaven ( ), though he certainly did not exclude the Jews. In his love for them wherever he went he first preached to them from the Word of God ( ; ). But the gospel was not limited to the borders of Israel. It extended to the ends of the earth ( ). All creation under heaven was the range of Paul’s service. Here you notice the fact that Christ is the Head over creation. As you have read, it embraces all things in heaven and on earth. This, at the same time, is the distinguishing feature of the gospel. The words “under heaven” show that the gospel is not preached in heaven but on earth. The gospel is addressed to the people on earth and not to the angels in heaven. You saw the same distinguishing features by the two sides of reconciliation. The reconciliation of all things does not mean that all people will be reconciled. Only people who believe in the Lord Jesus will be reconciled. This happens at the very moment they confess their sins and believe that His blood covered their sins before God. Paul became a minister of this gospel. The Lord Jesus appointed him to this ministry ( ). Formerly he was a blasphemer, a persecutor of the church ( ). Now he is both a preacher and a teacher ( ). He preached the gospel to all people and instructed those who became members of the church by believing the gospel. His ministry to the church is mentioned in the verses following. Now read Colossians 1:20-23 again. Reflection: What do you learn about reconciliation in these verses?

‏ Colossians 1:23-25

Reconciliation and Ministry

In the previous verses the glory of the Son as Head is presented in two ways:

1. He is Head over the creation.

2. He is Head in the resurrection.

You will see more glories which stand on the one side in connection with the old creation and on the other side with the new creation or resurrection.

Similarly there are also two reconciliations:

1. One of the creation.

2. One of the believers (saints) who form the church (Col 1:20-22).

Also there are two ministries which come from Him:

1. The ministry of the gospel that is preached to all creation.

2. The ministry to the church (Col 1:23-25).

Col 1:20. First we read about the reconciliation of all things, namely the creation. Reconciliation is the bringing about of a relationship of peace where first there was enmity (Rom 5:10). Enmity arose between man and God through sin. Man drew creation with him in his sin. Creation is still under the dominion of satan (Jn 12:31).

The Lord Jesus broke the power of satan through His work on the cross. The sin of the world will be taken away because of His once and for all accomplished work (Jn 1:29; Heb 9:26). The results of His work will be seen when the Lord Jesus will publicly exercise His authority. Authority has already been given to Him in heaven and on earth (Mt 28:18; Heb 1:8-9).

Peace can come because all that caused disturbance is taken away. This peace was made on the cross and will be enjoyed in the kingdom of peace and for all eternity. That will mean a great relief for all that is now groaning in pain under the evil and corrupting power of sin under satan (Rom 8:22).

This peace is based on the “blood of His cross” which is the cross of Christ. The Lord Jesus shed His blood on the cross. Peter calls it ‘the precious blood’ because it is the blood of a Lamb without blemish and without spot (1Pet 1:19). This basis is unassailable and holds its values for eternity. You can say this as follows: The basis of reconciliation is defined by the blood of the Lord Jesus, but the reconciliation of the things on earth and in heaven with God, still lies in the future.

The reconciliation of all things of course does not mean the reconciliation of all unconverted people and of satan and his demons. They will not be reconciled but subjected to Christ (Phil 2:10). It is all about the things on the earth and in the heavens, i.e. the material world. The doctrine of universal salvation is a gross heresy, a lie from satan.

Col 1:21. The reconciliation of all things lies in the future. Nevertheless there are people who are already reconciled, including you. Praise the Lord for that. You have faith in the shed blood of Christ for your sins. Once you stood outside of reconciliation, you were alienated from it, and you were even hostile to it. This was expressed in the wicked works you did.

Col 1:22. The Lord Jesus became Man in order that you could be reconciled. He bore your sins in “His own body on the cross” (1Pet 2:24). His death is the sure proof that He bore God’s judgment for your sins. Death, namely, is the wages of sin (Rom 6:23). At the same time, however, reconciliation took place through Christ’s death. His death is the sure foundation on which rests the reconciliation.

As a result you stand in the favor of God. He sees you as holy and perfect. Sin will no longer be counted against you. Nobody can bring a single accusation which can succeed against you. God, men and satan can find nothing on which they could lay their fingers. The death of Christ provided for everything.

Christ stands before you as the perfect result of His perfect work in the perfect light of God, and indeed no flaw can any longer be found against this. The just claims of God have been fully complied with by the atoning work of Christ so that no question can be raised against its legality.

Col 1:23. After the assurances faith offers, there comes an “if”. That seems to make the foregoing uncertain as though it depends on our commitment to have a part in it and to keep it. The power of this ‘if indeed’ however is that the chaff is separated from the wheat. The aim is to encourage faith and to condemn the self-confident nominal Christians.

A nominal Christian professes with the mouth that he is a Christian. But he has never gone to God with a remorse for his sins. He had never accepted in faith the power of the blood of Christ for the remission of sins. You have part in the foregoing blessings only if your faith is true, and you truly belong to the Lord. You should say ‘Yes’ whole heartedly to this. You will provide evidence that you remain in the faith that came to you through the gospel which you accepted.

What Paul says here is not to bring you eventually to doubt, but on the contrary to encourage you. You would certainly completely agree with Paul that faith is demonstrated by the fact that you are holding it, especially when resistance arises. With your faith you must deal with resistance, both by hostility from people and by the flattery of false teachers.

If your faith is true you are “firmly established and steadfast” and you are “not moved away from the hope of the gospel”. If your faith is not true, that will show up. The hope of the gospel is not to be saved by the gospel but is Christ. The gospel is not a summary of a number of rules that you must keep; the content of the gospel is a Person. If you are connected to Him by faith you will not want to allow anything that obscures or hides your view of Him. This desire for Him is present in everyone who loves Him in truth. I do not doubt that it is so with you also. You have heard this gospel exactly as the Colossians heard it (Col 1:6).

Paul became the minister of this gospel. The range of his ministry was the whole creation. The gospel is valid throughout the world and universally applicable (Mt 28:19; Mk 16:15; Acts 1:8). His ministry was directed in a special way to all the nations that are under the heaven (Gal 2:7), though he certainly did not exclude the Jews. In his love for them wherever he went he first preached to them from the Word of God (Acts 13:46; Rom 1:16). But the gospel was not limited to the borders of Israel. It extended to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

All creation under heaven was the range of Paul’s service. Here you notice the fact that Christ is the Head over creation. As you have read, it embraces all things in heaven and on earth. This, at the same time, is the distinguishing feature of the gospel. The words “under heaven” show that the gospel is not preached in heaven but on earth. The gospel is addressed to the people on earth and not to the angels in heaven.

You saw the same distinguishing features by the two sides of reconciliation. The reconciliation of all things does not mean that all people will be reconciled. Only people who believe in the Lord Jesus will be reconciled. This happens at the very moment they confess their sins and believe that His blood covered their sins before God.

Paul became a minister of this gospel. The Lord Jesus appointed him to this ministry (1Tim 1:12). Formerly he was a blasphemer, a persecutor of the church (1Tim 1:13). Now he is both a preacher and a teacher (1Tim 2:7). He preached the gospel to all people and instructed those who became members of the church by believing the gospel. His ministry to the church is mentioned in the verses following.

Now read Colossians 1:20-23 again.

Reflection: What do you learn about reconciliation in these verses?

Christ in You – Perfect in Christ

In Col 1:23 Paul started to say something about his ministry. He talked about his ministry of the gospel that he preached in all creation under heaven. Now he talks about his other ministry, his ministry to the church. This ministry has the same two sides as the headship of Christ and the reconciliation through Christ. And this ministry is also connected on the one hand with the creation and on the other with the resurrection. So there is

a double headship of Christ:

1. Head over the creation and

2. Head of the body,

and a double reconciliation through Christ:

1. of all things, later, and

2. of people, now.

In addition there is a double ministry of Paul:

1. of the gospel and

2. of the church.

Col 1:24. For Paul, the service to the body – the church – is associated with sufferings. He suffered to make known the truth of the church. He was imprisoned because of that. He says to the Colossians that these sufferings are for them, “for your sake”. His sufferings for the global church meant the sufferings for the local church. What applies to the local church applies to the global church.

This form of suffering, Paul says, is in addition to the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His body, which is the church. Here he does not speak about the afflictions for Christ, but of Christ. His sufferings had the same character as the sufferings of Christ. This does not mean that he suffered to the same extent, and certainly not because of reconciliation. Reconciliation lacks nothing; it is complete in itself. God purchased the church through the blood of His own Son through His sufferings on the cross (Acts 20:28).

No, it is all about the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Witness on earth. In His being a Witness the Lord Jesus revealed God. This brought enormous afflictions on Him because men did not like to break with their sinful ways and deeds. The Lord Jesus Christ in His life on earth revealed God but not all the eternal purposes of God (Jn 16:12). Only when the Holy Spirit came on earth, the believers were given insight into the purposes of God through the apostle Paul (Acts 20:27). Witnessing to this truth brought abundant sufferings to Paul. These were not vicarious sufferings but additional sufferings. On the earth the Lord Jesus could not suffer for this truth because He did not reveal it then.

Paul did not view his suffering for the church as a necessary evil. He rejoiced in it. He saw the church as the body of Christ, as a community of people who had a special bond with Christ. He saw what the church meant for the heart of Christ. Therefore he did not shrink from suffering, he is committed to it.

Col 1:25. He desired that all those who belonged to the church both then and in the future, would know how unique the church is in her relationship to Christ. That was his ministry.

As he made this fact known he completed the Word of God. Completing or making the Word of God fully known does not mean that Paul wrote the last words of the Scriptures. John did that. It is not about the Bible books, but it is about the themes, about the things God wanted to make known to men.

The communication of the mystery, which was not known earlier, means that he communicated the last thing which God wanted to reveal. All other themes that God wanted to communicate were already known. Think of such things as the law, the kingdom, the redemption, the Person of Christ, and the ways of God. After he revealed this mystery about Christ and the church, no truth was left to be added to all God had revealed.

Col 1:26. This mystery was unknown in previous ages and in previous generations. Now it is revealed, certainly not to all people, but only to the church, His saints. It relates to Christ and the church, and especially the fact that believers from the nations and the believers from the Jews together form one body (Eph 3:4-6). The church does not exist from Adam; for it was hidden in all previous ages and it has only now been revealed.

Col 1:27. The special characteristic of the church is that it is connected to a Head in heaven; that was unimaginable in the times of the Old Testament. The coming of Christ to the earth, His suffering, His death, His resurrection, His ascension and His return to the earth to establish His kingdom in glory, power and majesty were not mysteries; they were already revealed. But a Christ Who is glorified as Man in heaven, as the Head of His body formed by the saved Jews and Gentiles, is found only in the New Testament.

The mystery here, exactly as in the letter to the Ephesians, is the union of Christ with His church. Paul’s emphasis here however is different from that in the letter to the Ephesians. To the Ephesians He presents the church of Christ in heaven; to the Colossians He speaks about ‘Christ in you’. This means that Christ is seen here in His church on earth. This means that the glory of this mystery is only visible in faith.

Another special feature is Christ ‘in you’. In exactly the same way as Paul uses the phrase “for your sake” in Col 1:24, he says that this is not about the global church but about the believers in Colossae. What is true of the global church is seen in miniature in the local church. And another thing: the ‘you’ denotes those who were originally Gentiles. To find Christ with the Gentiles is completely new. God used to dwell with His people. When the Lord Jesus came He stayed with His people. But now to find Christ with the pagans sets aside the privileged position of the Jews.

Col 1:28. It is all about Christ. Paul and other preachers proclaimed Him, a Person, and not a doctrine or a philosophy. The essence of Christendom is a Person and not a better doctrine. Christ was the substance of his proclaiming, admonishing and teaching. In doing so, he has “every man” in mind. This is strongly emphasized by using the word “every” three times. Every difference had disappeared. It is about every man personally and not in mass.

Paul not only saw the church as a whole but everyone individually. It was a ministry of one to one. The unconverted man he warns of the wrath to come. The converted man he teaches the great truths of the Christian faith. His ambition was that every person should reflect the power of the Word and the Spirit of Christ and grow toward perfection. This is real follow-up and after-care.

Paul is not satisfied that someone only accepts the Lord Jesus as Savior. He is concerned that every person, including you, is presented complete in Christ. He desires that you reach the stage of spiritual adulthood and that is the meaning of the word “complete” (Phil 3:15; Heb 5:14). It is that you grow up to the point where nothing else is important in your life but Christ alone. Then you know not only your standing before God in Christ and that God sees you in Him, but living in God’s presence means everything to you.

That is the meaning of life; a life that has no room for anything from men. Christ is all. It is all about a father in Christ (1Jn 2:13). For this it is necessary that you understand Who Christ is, and that your character is formed by this knowledge.

Col 1:29. This lofty goal – God’s goal for every man – which the apostle had before his eyes, demanded the use of all his vigor and energy. This also entailed much struggle and resistance, but Christ worked in him and gave him the strength. The servant who has the passion to reach the goal as mentioned in Col 1:28 – that Christ is everything for the soul – will find all the power for this ministry in Christ.

Now read Colossians 1:24-29 again.

Reflection: See if Christ is everything in all the spheres of your life.