Colossians 1:19–23 Rest in His peace!!

Peace, God’s peace, given to us in Christ Jesus, is love beyond our understanding. 

Ephesians 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

The Comforter who seemed "far" from human suffering in Lamentations 1:16 has now drawn near ... so near that He actually became a human Himself: Jesus. He is "God with us" (Matthew 1:23), even in our grief. 

"Jesus wept" (John 11:35). These two words form the shortest verse in the Bible yet communicate the immense compassion Jesus has for His people.

Jesus wept when His friend Lazarus died (John 11:33-35).

Jesus wept for the suffering and sins of Jerusalem before it would be destroyed again (Luke 19:41-44).

Jesus wept in His own suffering (Hebrews 5:7).

Jesus was acquainted with sorrow and the deepest grief (Isaiah 53:3). 

God is with us in all our suffering. First5

We are, every one of us, on a journey (process) that can be beautiful and messy, exhilarating and confusing. And we are derailed when we are unable to trust or embrace this journey from a place of not knowing.  A place of uncertainty. A place without closure. A place of risk and discomfort.

And yet, here’s the good news: a place of exquisite grace-filled beauty.

At home, in the embrace of grace. Sabbath Moments 

Dear God, Grant us the strength to embrace solitude and feel worthy of our own company. Help us also be instruments of healing and hope for others as well. Amen. (Maria Shriver)

Colossians 1:19–23

19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. The New King James Version

Paul used the term fullness to refer to the complete embodiment of God. Christ is the only Intercessor for human beings and fully embodies all of God’s nature. No other intermediary, whether person or group, is able to stand in our place before the Father. Only Jesus can do this. 

He has reconciled shows the significance of Christ’s work on the Cross. It does not mean that all people will be saved, since many passages clearly say that unbelievers will suffer eternal separation from God. The work of Christ will overthrow the damage effected by the Fall and change all of creation from a position of enmity to a relationship of peace and friendship. 

The false teachers at Colosse were telling the believers that redemption could only be accomplished through a spiritual being. They rejected Christ’s incarnation. According to them, Jesus could not have had a physical body. Thus Paul uses two terms, body and flesh, to clearly state that Christ became man and experienced a physical death.

We who were once enemies of God and alienated by our own wicked works will one day be presented as above reproach on account of Christ’s death for us. 

The perseverance of the Colossians was proof of the reconciling work of Christ on their behalf. The NKJV Study Bible

All the fullness dwells in Him refers to God being fully present in Christ. Consequently, Christ is sufficient for the Colossians’ salvation. 

The Gospel of John describes Christ as the tabernacle or the dwelling of God (John 1:14)—an allusion that demonstrates the continuity between God’s presence among the Israelites and His presence in the person of Christ.

The Greek word used here, apokatallassō, for reconcile refers to the act of restoring a relationship to harmony. The purpose of Christ’s death on the cross was to bring all things created by Christ and for Christ into harmonious relationship.

The Colossians cannot claim responsibility for their status before God; no human tradition or rule made them holy. Rather, Christ’s work of reconciliation brought them into relationship with God, making them holy. 

Paul seems to be acknowledging that the Colossians are at a crossroads. He charges them to continue trusting in Christ and living out the gospel message. However, they must refuse to observe the rules and traditions of false teachings, which threaten to lead them in a different direction. They must remember that faith in Christ is not simply a way of entering God’s kingdom—it is the way of life within the kingdom. Faithlife Study Bible

Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.