If you missed Charity’s previous post on identity from Colossians, you can read it here.
He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. 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. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled to His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you HOLY and BLAMELESS and ABOVE REPROACH before Him, if indeed you continue in faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Colossians 1:15-23 ESV, emphasis added.
If you are anything like me one of two things just happened.
1) You completely skipped that long and intimidating paragraph before this.
Or…
2) You hurriedly skimmed through it because it was familiar.
I only point this out because I am so guilty of having these outlooks on Scripture. I too often “run” through Scripture because I am familiar with it. However, please do not follow me in that thinking. Take time and read this passage…
Soak in its truth…
Sit in its truth…
Surrender to its truth…
There is nothing I could possibly add to this passage. God has said it all. He clearly tells us who Jesus is. Can we just be still and reflect on what this passage means for us?
Jesus, God Himself, in whom the world was created and holds together, who is above all powers both physical and spiritual, humbled Himself and came to the earth.
Not only that, He so badly desired for us to be with Him that He was willing to pay the price required to reconcile us back into a peace-filled relationship with our Creator. This price was death. The Eternal Lamb was sacrificed for us. Jesus who has all the fullness of God in Him (this will come up again in chapter 2!) submitted willingly to the Father’s will and endured the price of sin for us because He knew we never could.
Thankfully, He knew who He was. He knew that He had the power to lay down His life only to take it up again. He knew that He had the power to defeat death. That is something that apart from God we can never ever do! Jesus was and IS the only one who could do that.
There is more though…
Because Jesus has defeated death we now share IN His victory!! The moment we believe in Jesus is the moment death is defeated in us all by the power of His blood.
Jesus has paid the highest price for our holiness.
And that is what we are, what you are in the eyes of God as you daily strive to remain steadfast in your pursuit of Him.
Reconciled.
Holy.
Blameless.
Above reproach.
Feelings are fickle. His Word, Jesus, is final. Trust in who Jesus says you are, not what others or the voice in your head is telling you.
Please, take just a few more minutes and read this Scripture again. Ask the Spirit to deepen your understanding of it.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. 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. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled to His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Colossians 1:15-23 ESV
Do you see the beauty of Christ and His work?
Maybe it’s hard to see right now. I know it gets exhausting when the thoughts overtaking your mind and feelings pulsing through your heart are contrary to what God is speaking. This past week has been a lot of battling for me too. Life is hard. I am telling myself this as much as each of you when I write it.
Hold on to truth with all the strength God gives you. One day, whether it be on this earth or the new one, your feelings will catch up. Jesus will come and align what we know in our heads with what we feel in our souls.
Some days, they align and we must cherish them. We must not be afraid of feeling deeply but we must do so with the truth that the Spirit reveals. Truth without love can be just as damaging as feeling without truth.
So, I implore you brothers and sisters, meditate on the beauty and truth of this chapter. Ask the Spirit to take the truth of this chapter from your minds to your hearts so that God can use that powerful duo to enhance His kingdom on this earth. He has redeemed you, made you holy and blameless and has lifted you above reproach. Stand in the identity Christ has given you—it’s what He longs for you to do.
Author Spotlight:
Hello! I’m the C to KC & Co! My name is Charity, and I am so excited you are checking out our site and blog. My deepest desire is that God will use the words on this blog to encourage, strengthen and deepen your love for Jesus. Read more of my writing here.
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