The Work of Reconciliation

​Jesus Christ.  The image of God, the firstborn over all creation, the preeminent One, the Creator, Sustainer, and Continuer of all things.  He was with God in eternity past and will remain throughout eternity future.  He was before all things and in Him all things hold together.  He is the driving force and power behind all the mysteries of creation, from the structure of the atom to the water cycle and existence of gravity.

​This is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God-revealed, God-incarnate.  And though He was above all things and the Master of creation and Lord of everything, He became nothing and exchanged all of it to become like His creation.  The One who ruled the universe humbled Himself so that He could become our Savior and Redeemer.  Oh how great is His love for us!
 
Last time, we looked at who Jesus was and what it meant for Him to be the image of God.  Today, we’re going to build on that truth and go on to explore what Jesus then did for us.  Let’s read our focus passage for today:

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”
~Colossians 1:21-22

​Jesus—the preeminent One, the firstborn over all creation, the Son of God, second person of the Trinity, Creator and Sustainer of all things—chose to reconcile us, lowly, sinful individuals worthy of death and eternal judgment!  Ponder that for a moment…
                                                                                                
Paul accurately writes that we were alienated or separated from God because of our sin, hostility in mind and attitude towards Him, and joyously practicing evil.  Yet in the midst of all that, Jesus Christ, the Master of the universe, chose to step down from glory, become like one of us, and then die for us. 
 
But why?  Why would the Son of God willingly choose to exchange the glories of heaven for the wretched human race?  What did He have to gain? 
 
He did it out of obedience to the Father and love for us.  He did it to reconcile a wayward, rebellious, and alienated people with God.  He did it in order to present us—you and me—holy, blameless, and above reproach before Him. 
 
What a gift!  We are so undeserving, yet Jesus thought us so worthy of His ultimate sacrifice.  So, how are we going to live our lives in light of this truth?  Will we choose to continue living in sin and walking in hostility towards God?  Or are we going to be humbled and amazed at Christ’s reconciliation, and live our lives in a manner worthy of His sacrifice?
 
Remember, Jesus wasn’t just some historic figure who did a lot of good deeds.  He was and is the image of God, the firstborn of all creation, the Creator and Sustainer of creation.  He is high above all things and preeminent in all ways.  Yet He willingly chose to become like His creation and be killed by them.  The One who created us chose to wear our sin and stand in our place before God’s judgment seat.
 
That’s powerful!  That’s life changing!  That’s worship inducing!  So if you have yet to be floored by the power of the cross, go back and prayerfully read Colossians 1:13-22 and ask God to open your eyes to the truth and evidence of His great love for you.  May we never grow callous to the message of the gospel, may we never forget all that Christ did and exchanged for us, and may we live our lives forever changed and transformed by His great love.  

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
~Colossians 1:19-20