A note from our Pastor:

“And, 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.”

Colossians 1:20

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

The structure of this verse adds unfortunate complexity. The theological concepts expressed in this verse are significant. There is much to be studied and understood, but the concepts themselves are not overly complicated. In this study, we desire to get past the complicated structure and focus purely on the theological concepts themselves.

Concept One: Salvation was accomplished by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Concept Two: It was necessary for mankind to be reconciled to God and Jesus accomplished that reconciliation.

Concept Three: The salvation accomplished by Christ applied to the children of God who lived before the incarnation of Christ, it applied to those living during his incarnation and will apply to all those who lived until he returns.

The meaning of this verse starts before the foundation of the world. In love, God chose a people who we refer to as the elect children of God. It was necessary for him to choose a people. In perfect foreknowledge, God knew that mankind would engage in sin and that sin would create enmity between mankind and God. Thus, also before the foundation of the world Jesus Christ took on the role of completing the legal work of salvation by bearing the sins of the elect in an incarnate death.

During his incarnation, Jesus Christ taught the message of God. He instructed the people in the gospel and the way to live as disciples. All the while, he was on a straight line to the cross to accomplish the eternal purpose of salvation. On the cross, his blood was shed, his perfect life was laid down, and he bore the necessary and rightful punishment for all of the elect children of God for their sins. In doing so, the sins were forgiven and mankind was reconciled back to God.

Finally, this reconciliation did not have a time barrier in the past or the future. Those elect children of God who had lived and died before the death of Jesus Christ had gone to heaven based on the assurance of the covenant made before the foundation of the world. At his death, the reconciliation applied to them. The reconciliation also applied to all who would live and die after his death. All of the elect children of God after his death live, from an eternal standpoint, having their sins forgiven and being reconciled to God.

What a beautiful truth is expressed in this singular verse.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah