A Study of Colossians

The Relationship of Christ to His Saints

Colossians 1:19-23

Sometimes when we see someone who is having a tough time of it, we want to help out and offer a lending hand. But there are times that after observation we may gossip and say to someone close by, that person is not playing with a full deck!

Also we have those adolescents or young adults who on certain days are children and on other days very mature in the way things are playing out. We can even say that about some seasoned people, you know I think so and so is in their second childhood.

In our evaluation of the people of the world, including ourselves we always seem to think or feel that we are lacking in some way. I've said many times that I am like a motor on in the car in need of oil, I seem always to be a quart low.

As we begin our lesson today we need to look somewhat beyond our sinful finite person and look to the sinless infinite Person of Jesus Christ our LORD.

Colossians 1:19 In this verse we begin to see the supremacy of God in Christ in that it pleased the Father that in Him (Jesus) all of the fulness should dwell. The word fulness in the Greek is poma and it literally means to drink in. So in the humanity of Jesus, God the Father was pleased to have His Son drink in the fulness of God and the fulness of the Holy Spirit, making the Living Word of God the Son of God in human flesh. Colossians 2:9.

Now lets take this step further, when Jesus died on the cross He was thirsty (dehydrated) but He was not thirsty for God, since all of the fulness of the Godhead was very much Him on the cross. Yet, in this moment of time God allowed Himself to taste death for everyone of us... for you, for me and for everyone you may have opportunity to love or hate in your lifetime. John 19:28-30 Death experienced by the Living God was sour wine on a sponge. Life was being pour out of Him and He said, “I thirst” and if you have Jesus Christ as your LORD and SAVIOR, your taste of death has already been consumed by God for you. He is Risen and He is alive. Colossians 2:10.

This is God's Plan that the fulness of the Godhead in the Person of Jesus Christ demonstrates to the world, (for God so loved the world – John 3:16) That God was in Christ reconciling the world of lost people back to Him (God the Father). Reconciliation can mean a lot of things to you and me, but it is what it means to God that counts. So, what does reconciliation mean to God?

The word atonement in the Old Testament is the same word reconciliation in the New Testament. This word gives the work of God through Jesus Christ, His Son One purpose of meaning only, it means “Sin offering” Leviticus 6:30

Colossians 1:20 This also means that God was in the world reconciling or atoning for the sins of mankind from the very beginning of the fall. Genesis 3:20-24 is the first atonement for mankind to live reconciled in an unreconciled world. This atonement is an ongoing work of God to reconcile all things in heaven and earth to peace with God. This is a work of God that when He sees the blood of the Old Testament and the New Testament as an expression of faith in Him by the people who look to the work of God for salvation, their sins are atoned for. Numbers 21:8-9 and now we shall see the fulness of the LORD Jesus in this atonement. John 3:14-16. Oh how we need to be children of God with context, don't just pull a verse of scripture out of thin air, know the context and it will mean so much more.

Colossians 1:21 Our world is full of reconciliations, it is common place for us to do things over and over again just to keep a good balance. We even do this with our sinful nature. When ever we sin we need to make an adjustment to bring things back into balance with God, but this is not the same as our initial moment with God when we were first reconciled. Notice this verse within the context. It pleased the Father to taste death for each of us sinners, God does not have to do this again and again. Also, everything whether in heaven or on earth has been reconciled, all God wants us to do is believe this by faith in His Work. In other words because we believe He has replaced our wicked works with His Holy Work. The Work of the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ His only begotten Son. So when we fail to observe this holy position that God has provided for in in His Son, we sin. This is not the initial sin of having to be reborn in the family of God, but a sin that has already been atoned for by God. We need only to acknowledge this by agreeing with God and repent (change our mind). 1 John 1:9.

Colossians 1:22 so we belong to Christ, we are in the body of His death by faith. In this position we will be presented to God the Father as Holy; as blameless and as irreproachable (blameless and irreproachable) in the English dictionary mean the same thing. But in the KJV the word is unreproveable which is not in the English dictionary, but if you look at the word in the Greek, you get the message, it means (no longer accused). I don't know how that affects you but for me this is awesome.

Colossians 1:23 So this is the ongoing message of the Living Word of God, it has been preached, taught and brought to the world. Not by man, but by God Himself. If you hear the message an appropriate the truth of the message by faith, you will be grounded and steadfast and you will not be easily moved away by the doctrines of Satan and the men who follow him.