Jesus
Christ the Creator God
Colossians:19
"For
it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell;"
How
can anyone argue with that. How can someone say, "Well, I can go
another way. I do not need this Gospel of Jesus Christ."
Because, as I've pointed out, there isn’t another religion on
the face of the earth that can claim the Creator as the core of it’s
belief system, but we do and we do that by faith. Faith
is not of our own design but rather it is His Faith in His Father's
Faithfulness, as the Son of man, to the revealed Word. This is how Jesus as the Son of
man operated as a Prophet like onto Moses.
Remember
that Colossians was written to a congregation of which Paul did not
have a part in founding himself. No doubt it was some of his converts
from Ephesus who had gone over to the city of Colossi, which is not
to far south and a little east of Ephesus, and the same way with the
city of Laodicea. So Colossians is a letter written by Paul to people
whom he had never met personally, but the admonitions in these
chapters are just as real as in any of his other letters. We also
want to be aware that a good share of Paul’s writings were not only
to teach us the plan of redemption but also salvation as they should
go hand in hand, and how to live as Christ-like-ones, a Christian,
but to also warn us of the dangers that are constantly besetting
Christianity and those who make light of this Gospel and the LORD in
ignorance of His Truth. Many of these persons profess and even
confess to be of faith....but like the woman at the well do not even
know what god that they believe.
In
fact when we look back at history and the paganism of the Roman
empire, and indeed all the world and all the religious differences
that have permeated the human race, we have to come away with the
thought that, except for the Grace of God, Christianity would have
never survived. It’s absolutely amazing that it has survived, but
it has, and so now we read these Epistles with all that in mind. Yes,
it’s bringing forth the plan of Redemption which is but the
beginning requirement to bring us through to our Salvation, it’s teaching
us how to live, but it’s warning us what we are to be aware of all
around us. In verse 20, and we are still speaking of God the Son,
Christ as we did earlier.
Colossians
1:20a
"And,
having made peace (with sinful mankind and the world) through
the blood of his cross,…"
We're
going to have to stop here for a moment for the word “peace.”
When the world thinks of peace what do they think of? Absence of war.
Absolutely they do. The world is always talking about peace. Peace in
the Middle East, peace in Africa, or wherever there’s turmoil, that
is where you find the worlds politicians and the religious talking
about peace. They’re not talking about a relationship between God
and men, they’re talking about the absence of warfare between human
beings. But the word ‘peace’ here is talking about God’s
relationship with sinful men. Therefore
its spiritual not literal, not external or worldly nor of the flesh, the peace of
which there will be none, until the day of Christ. The day that this
revelation is revealed or released within us and then them (Ezekiel
46:16, Romans 8:15-17 and 29-32, Galatians 4:7, as a day star 2Peter
1:19-21).
Colossians
1:20a
"And,
having made peace through the blood of his cross,…"
Several
chapters or sections back we made mention of Hebrews chapter 9 verse
22. That verse gives us the requirement of blood in the Scriptures. I said that this is an absolute, that it is unchangeable, the bedrock upon which this Gospel is cemented.
Hebrews
9:22b
"…and
without shedding of blood is no remission."
At
that time we called that verse an absolute. There is absolutely no
way of being restored into fellowship with the Creator God short of
death, (this is His Will) the shed blood. It’s an absolute. But
getting back to the peace with God let me bring you back to
Romans chapter 5 we’ll follow up on this “peace” with God that
Paul uses quite freely in his writing. Now the secular world out
there is not at peace with God. They’re His enmity or
enemies and we’ll show that in just a moment. But for us who
believe, we are at peace with God. We’re not in a spiritual warfare
against Him, but rather we have peace and rest within God, and this verse shows
this so clearly.
Romans
5:1a
"Therefore
being justified by faith, (which is a Pauline term) we
have peace (it’s already done) with God…"
That
is quite a statement isn’t it? God no longer has a controversy with
the true believers. God is absolutely content that the moment we
believed, and He finished the work of Justification there is no
longer any reason for Him to have enmity between us and Him because
He has now given us that “peace” that only He can
give, it’s a relationship of divine Love which flows both ways. And because of this we no longer strive for an unknown, we have instead come to rest on Him and in Him.
Romans
5:1-2a
"Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ: (now since we’re justified and
have peace and rest with God through or in) By whom also we have access
by faith into this grace wherein we stand,…"
See
you can’t separate Salvation from Grace, because it is in Grace
that we are justified by His faith. The "w" of the word "whom" should be a capital because it relates to both God and Christ Jesus, "through Whom we have access." None of us deserved redemption,
none deserved what Christ did for us, but it’s all of Grace!
It’s amazing how few believers understand that. Another place where
Paul uses this "peace with God" is in the book of
Philippians, and we looked at that not too long ago. In this portion
of Scripture it is in relationship to our prayer life as we make
request. I’ll begin with verse 6. These are our two favorite verses
when it comes to prayer.
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