JESUS, THE GREAT ACCOMPLISHER -- Tomorrow:
"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. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled, in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight." (Colossians 1:20-22)
Devotion 3 of 32
"And, having made peace . . . "
Other versions read, "by making peace" (NIV), and "through peace made by" (GENEVA).
Having declared who the Lord Jesus Christ is, the Spirit now unfolds what God the Father has accomplished through Him – for Jesus came exclusively to do God's will (Heb 10:9). The Father is the One who sent the Son into the world (1 John 4:14), and it is His will that the Son accomplished. It was, after all, "the pleasure of THE LORD" that would prosper "in His hand" (Isa 53:10).
We should not expect the One who is "the Image of the invisible God," to accomplish small and eternally inconsequential things. You may rest assured that the one who created all things, and who is the One for whom they were all created (Col 1:16), will not engage in menial tasks, or devote Himself to works that have nothing to do with God's eternal purpose. The One who is "before all things" (Col 1:17), and by whom all things are sustained (Col 1:17; Heb 1:3), will not be devoted to mere temporal matters. We should not look for small and unimpressive things from the One who is the "Head of the body, the Beginning," and "the Firstborn from the dead." He will not given Himself to give trivia. The One who has preeminence in all things will not be associated with passing fads. The One in whom the Father is pleased to have "all fulness dwell," will surely devote Himself to some grand enterprise that will bring great glory to God, and be impressive to the vast array of heavenly hosts that surround the throne.
Some versions place this clause concerning the making of peace (v 20) after the statement concerning reconciliation: i.e., "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" (NKJV/NASB/NIV). These versions state the effect first (reconciliation), and the cause second (having made peace through the blood of His cross). The KJV merely states it chronologically, confirming that the reconciliation resulted from the peace that was made through the blood of Christ's cross.
AND
"And . . . " This word connects with the previous declaration of the Person and position of the Son of God. That is, the works that follow are the result of who He is. To put it another way, God sent Jesus into the world in the capacity of a Man in order to achieve the matters that follow. These are part of the purpose He was to achieve. They are matters that are essential to salvation. If men are to be rescued from the dilemma of sin, these are the things that had to be done. They are not optional. They are not matters that can be ignored, despised, neglected, or treated with disinterest. We could not be saved without the accomplishment of these realities. They had to be done, and done effectively, timely, and to the thorough satisfaction of God.
Two prevailing reasons can be sited for the Word becoming flesh, and all of the attending circumstances that resulted from it.
1. In order to qualify Him to be the Savior of men.
2. In order to accomplish what was required for men to be saved.
The things addressed in this text deal with the latter – what was required for men to be saved. Without these accomplishments recovery from the fall – salvation – could never be realized.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You that peace was made by Him, for it was beyond all human capability, yet was absolutely essential.