All right, here's what Paul has
written about the great reconciler, verse 20 through 22. 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 unprovable in His sight." Now, as I said, in
due time we will bring in that passage from Ephesians chapter
1 to bolster up our text that we are using here. But first
again, very quickly, let's trace out some of the great and the
high honors which Paul has bestowed or has heaped upon Christ in
this Colossian epistle until it leads us today to him as the
great reconciler. Another honor with which Christ
is worthy of the glory again, even in reconciling goes to none
other than Christ. Even the reconciliation of all
things that are reconciled is by none other than by Christ. Now Paul begins his exaltation
of Christ in Colossians as being the very image of God. We have
covered that in a study. As the creator and the preserver
as well of all things, Colossians 1, 16 and 17, then he's the head
of the church in verse 18, and the fullness of God, chapter
1, verse 9, chapter 2 and verse 9. Now Paul comes to speak of
Christ as to his work of reconciliation. Now I think it behooves us to
notice that Paul speaks of reconciliation here and that from two aspects,
if we call it that. Chapter 1, verse 20. The reconciliation of all things,
and notice for emphasis, whether things in earth or things in
heaven. The reconciler of all things. And then, in verse 21, such as
were formerly alien sinners away from God, and strangers and alien,
having been alienated, but now reconcile, brought back together
with God by the death of Christ. Now, in reading that, it seems
that immediately we recognize the implication of the doctrine
of reconciliation. And that implication, in turn,
leads us to consider the need for reconciliation. Why do sinners
need reconciling unto God? Well, reconciliation implies,
does it not, alienation or estrangement from the God of heaven. means
two that are at odds, or that are separated over some cause
or some issue. The word reconcile, reconciled,
and reconciling are all used in the New Testament, and that
a total of about ten times. And by the way, I think I'm right
in saying that all of them are from the pen of the Apostle Paul. And in Romans, in 2 Corinthians,
in Colossians, and in Ephesians, we find Paul talking about reconciliation. Now, the need for reconciliation
is because in Colossians 1 and verse 21, when unregenerate men
When they're unregenerate, they are enemies in their mind by
wicked works. Enemies in their mind, and then
outwardly it is manifested by wicked works. In Romans chapter
5 and verse 10, we were enemies. In Romans 8 and verse 7, the
carnal mind is enmity against God. In Ephesians 4 and verse
18, being alienated from the life of God were the Gentiles
by the ignorance that dwelled in them. And Paul strongly emphasizes
the aspect of Christ's saving work called reconciliation. where by the death of Christ,
the shedding of His blood, His making satisfaction, His being
a mediator between God and men, therefore by that death sinners
are brought again by the death of Christ into fellowship with
God. They therefore have friendship
with God and fellowship with God because the enmity is slain,
the enmity that dwelt formerly in our heart. Alienation, therefore,
are ended, the estrangement and the separation are ended, and
former enemies are brought into a friendly union with the God
of heaven. And former animosity that were
in our heart and in our mind are put away by the satisfaction
made by the death of Christ. Before we consider the reconciliation
of elect sinners to God by and through the death of Christ on
the cross, let's acknowledge something that Paul, in both
Colossians and in Ephesians, speaks of a larger and a much
more extensive reconciliation than simply individuals to God. It reaches beyond sinners being
reconciled to God, and it reaches beyond Jew and Gentile being
reconciled unto God again. First we have that text in Ephesians,
rather in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 20, by him to reconcile
all things unto himself, whether things in earth or things in
heaven. And in Colossians 1, excuse me,
Ephesians 1 and verse 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of time, he might gather together in one all things, both which
are in heaven, or the margin has it, in the heaven, and which
are on earth, and that in him. that in the fullness of the dispensation
of time He might gather together in Him all things." Now again,
in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 22, Paul said that God has put
all things under His feet. That is, he has made all things
subject unto Christ. And he has made Christ to be
the judge of all things. So let us be sure to note that
in both of the texts, from Ephesians and from Colossians, Paul speaks
of the death of Jesus from the two aspects as having an effect
upon a large portion of the human family, but also upon heaven
and earth, that is, upon creation. One expositor called it this,
the primary and the ultimate result of Christ's reconciliation. For what Paul is saying, and
saying in both places, is this. Number one, by the death of Christ
we have received reconciliation. We are redeemed. We have the
forgiveness of sin. We have remission of sin. And
He, by and through His satisfaction and His death, has brought us
unto God in reconciliation. In other words, we have been
reconciled unto God. But secondly, and that ultimate,
that by the same death, by the same Christ, upon the same cross,
there is a far-reaching impact even upon creation. And if we
look again at Colossians 1 and verse 20 and the last part again,
"...by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, whether
things in earth or things in heaven." that the primary purpose
of the Lord's death is the reconciling of the alien elect sinners unto
God. But according to Paul, the Lord's
death also had an effect and had a consequent that reached
beyond human salvation and the reconciliation of the elect. And he describes that, heaven
and earth, all things, to reconcile all things unto himself. So let's
note a difference in the way that Paul expresses this between
the Ephesian and the Colossian epistle. Though they agree in
the main, or agree in the general thought, concerning the far-reaching
effect of the death of Christ. I get those two mixed up. In
Ephesians 1 and verse 10, that he might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both in heaven and in earth. Now, I notice that some render
the expression gather together as meaning to head up. or to
sum up the gathering or the summing up of all things in and through
the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. While Paul in Colossians
1 and verse 20 uses the word reconcile, but he also links
it directly with the death of Christ that he died upon the
cross. Lightfoot suggested that Paul
does so, that is, he uses the word reconcile and ties it directly
to the death of Christ and the blood of his cross against the
teaching of the Gnostics that were in Colossae, of some mediator,
so they thought for God, secured by the intervention of some spirit
or angels, which Paul refuses to grant and says that it is
only by the death of Christ. And as Lightfoot wrote, the apostle
speaks of an absolute and complete reconciliation through the mediation
of the Incarnate Word." That would be our Lord. A reconciliation
which is not restricted to the sons and daughters of Adam, but
is expanded to the things even in heaven and in earth. Now, to speak of the nature and
the extent of Christ's reconciliation gives us an occasion or gives
us a reason to consider the breach that was caused by sin or that
was brought in. And also to consider the extent
of that breach that sin made when it entered into the world. That rift, if you will, that
sin caused, which consequences, according to the Apostle Paul,
was not confined only to the human family, only to the Jew
or the Gentile. Now, we can count three aspects
of the whole of Christ's reconciliation in the Scripture. By these three
aspects of the divine disturbance caused by sin. For Paul names
them. Number one, the human family. For by sin entered into the world
by one man, Adam. and death passed upon all men
because all have sinned, Romans chapter 5 and verse 12. Secondly, the apostle mentions
the earth or the world, the terrestrial earth upon which we live and
upon which sin was first and has been committed among men. and that this earth was visited
with a curse from God, which we'll consider when we go to
Genesis 3, verses 17-19, and again in Romans 8, verses 19-21. that the creation was subjected
to vanity, not on its own will, but by Him that subjected it.
Thirdly, things in heaven. What this might entail is the
most difficult since we have no means of personal observation. But we do have the Word of God
that speaks on the matter in Ephesians 1.10 and Colossians
1.20. Now, of course, we're not surprised
that in the Scripture, the most frequently one that is mentioned,
the one that is given, of course, the heavier emphasis, is the
reconciliation of sinners unto God, of the elect unto God. For this aspect, we'll start
with Colossians 1.20-22, where Paul names the thing, reconciled
as well as the means, verse 20, through the blood of His cross. And verse 20, in the body of
His flesh, through death. Now, let us put this to our witness,
if we might, that the things that have gone for us and the
things that God has done for us and the things that God has
done in us ought to be considered and sometime can be considered
separately. Declare what we were before them
and without them. Before God did that work and
before He gave His grace. Let's look at it from this light. A. That He quickened us as we
were formerly dead in trespasses and in sin. We were dead, He
quickened us. And then B. That He redeemed
us reflects on the fact that we were once the indentured servants
of sin, that we were in bondage, and that He bought us out. C,
that He found us means that once we were lost, we were wandering
astray from God. D, that He converted us means
that we were once living and going in our own way. E. That He justified us means
that we were once liable to condemnation. Even so, that we have a need
of reconciliation implies that at a time we were estranged from
God. We were not on friendly terms
or fellowship with God. You hear Paul say that in Colossians
1 and verse 21. when Paul writes, and you that
were sometimes alienated. He's not making a distinction
as if to imply that some were and some were not alienated from
God. But he said, alienated and enemies
in your mind by evil or wicked work. For all that are reconciled
were alienated in time past. or else they could not be reconciled.
The apostle accepts none from his chart, you having been alienated,
saying to those now reconciled, you were once alienated. Your hearts and your mind were
hostile to Him, and you lived in sin, and you practiced evil
works, and it was the habit of your life. I love Ephesians 2
and verse 2. In time past, ye walked according
to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. And Paul continues in Ephesians
2 and verse 3, among whom we also had our manner of life and
conduct in the lusts of the flesh. But then ye were quickened. I lay emphasis upon this because
many would claim they never hated the things of God. There are
a lot of people today who claim to be Christian who will say
they never ever hated the things of God or that they were ever
hostile to God. Especially would this be true
of those who consider themselves moral. But when the things of
God are pressed upon them, their animosity then bubbles onto the
surface. To reconcile is to bring together,
therefore, two. as friends who formerly were
estranged or separated from one another by some breach that existed
between them. And it requires the settling
of that thing that caused the breach, putting it away, that
they might be reconciled again. In the case of the elect, the
cause of estrangement was sin, and the holy enmity on the part
of God Almighty, who is too pure to look upon sin with approval,
than the sinful and unholy enmity on the part of the sinner. Now
how are such thus to be reconciled when one is holy and hates sin? and the other is sinful and hates
righteousness or holiness. How shall these two be ever reconciled
again and the enmity be settled? Well, the enmity has to be removed
as well as the cause of the enmity. And Paul is very, very clear. This reconciliation is affected
by the blood of Christ. In verse 20, again, making peace
through the blood of His cross to reconcile all things unto
Himself. Then in the 22nd verse, "...in
the body of his flesh through death." Now, while God has not
in any way wronged man, I do hold, however, that the enmity
is twofold, including God's enmity against man for his sin. Therefore, if this be true, there
must be the removal of the enmity on both parties in order to effect
that reconciliation. And I like the way that Gil lines
up the work of Christ's leading to reconciliation. He speaks
of propitiation. Some call it satisfaction. Christ is set forth a propitiation
for the remission of sin. Romans 3.25, 1 John 2.2, 1 John
4 and verse 10. The propitiation for our sin. God sent Him the propitiation
for our sin. That word, propitiation, is the
same word translated in Hebrews 9 and 5 by the mercy seat. He makes or has made an expiatory
sacrifice that covers and removes the sin that alienates us from
God. This Christ did by atonement
upon the merit of which God completely pardons our sin. They are put
away. They are remembered against us
no more. Whereby, upon having received
full satisfaction for our sin from His own Son, He is reconciled
to the elect and they unto him whom the Spirit quickens and
applies the blood of the atonement of our Lord. Paul said in Romans
5.11, by whom we have received the atonement. And you'll find
it in some places, the alternate word, reconciliation. By whom
we have received the reconciliation. There's that glorious passage
from Paul in 2 Corinthians 5, 18 through verse 21, where upon
the ground that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself,
be ye therefore reconciled unto God. For God, says Paul, has
given us the ministry of reconciliation. For Christ, as a merciful and
faithful high priest, has made reconciliation for the sins of
the people. Hebrews 2 and verse 17, that
is, He appeased God. He made an atonement that was
pleasing and acceptable unto God. He did that as our great
High Priest. We do read of lesser reconciliation
in the Scripture, as for example, in Matthew 5 and 24, brother
with brother being reconciled, some difference forgiven and
settled. 1 Corinthians 7 and 11, a husband
and a wife. might be estranged and be reconciled
together again. Some quarrel came between them,
though no death or bloodshedding was required in order to resolve
it. While in divine reconciliation,
Christ died to affect that reconciliation, and on our part, it is affected
by the aftermath of regeneration. Our enmity is swept away. We love God. We are willing and
joyfully reconciled unto God when our hearts are made right. Now coming to another aspect
of this great reconciliation and the great reconciler, set
forth by Paul here in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 11 through 22,
of the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile, second chapter of
Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 11 through 22, of the great reconciliation
of the Jew and the Gentile in one body. and the making of one
new man. Never were two sorts of people
more diverse, and the animosity ran high between the Jew and
the Gentile, and the estrangement was deep and it was bitter, so
that they had no dealings. one with the other. John 4 and
verse 9. They could not even so much as
eat together. So different were their cultures
and their view. Much less worship together like
Joseph's brethren. They could not speak peaceably
one to another. And as each worshiped different
gods, which made the matter even harder. Plus, this enmity between
the Jew and the Gentile, the two peoples, was ancient. It was of long standing as well
as deep and abiding. And yet, did the Lord Jesus Christ
reconcile the two together, Jew and Gentile? And let us know. It was by the same blood of the
same death that effected the reconciliation between God and
alien sinners that reconciled the Jew and the Gentile. So notice
some key phrases in Ephesians 2. In verse 12, aliens. Verse 14, peace. Verse 15, enmity. Verse 16, enmity. Then some longer
phrases in that passage. Verse 14, broken down the middle
wall of partition. Verse 15, having abolished in
His flesh the enmity." Verse 16, "...having
slain the enmity thereby." But we notice this distinction and
difference in the two reconciliations, in that the cause of the estrangement
between Jew and Gentile was not simply sin per se. But verse
15, it consisted in the law of commandments in ordinances or
decrees. That is, the ceremonial law that
was imposed upon the Jew. It is said by Paul to be the
source of the enmity and became, as it were, a dividing wall between
the two people which the Lord then abolished in His death or
tore down making peace between the Jew and the Gentile, so that
the Jew and the Gentile can walk together in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as an aside to this, how
many are the divisions today among men? among men, among countries,
among races, among religions, that are reconciled by the blood
of Christ, and former enmities are slain by the death of Christ,
and the Jew and the Gentile are reconciled when Christ abolished
the cause of the enmity, the decrees that stood like a wall
between them. Now, let's spend the remainder
of our study on what is stated in such places as Colossians
1 and verse 20 and Ephesians 1 and verse 10. And let's see
how Paul brings in the subject. In Colossians 1.20, having made
peace through the blood of his cross to reconcile all things
to himself, whether in earth or heaven. and in Ephesians chapter
1 verse 9 and verse 10. Verse 9, that he purposed in
himself. Verse 10, that in the dispensation
of time he might gather or sum up all things in Christ. This is because of the breach
caused by sin's entrance and the disturbance of the order
both of earth and of heaven and divisions of several sorts. which will be summed up in Christ
in the fullness of time, that God has sovereignly purposed
to send His Son in the end of the ages to sum up, or to gather
all things in Him, making Him head over all things unto the
church, and that all things head up in Christ, which shall never
be so disturbed again when brought to that settled peace. Paul speaks
of a reconciliation, a summing up, a gathering that John Eady
wrote, quote, above and beyond human salvation, unquote. But by the same event, the death
of Christ, all things in creation that were disordered by sin are
gathered together again in Christ, so that that which ensures salvation
for the elect will also reconcile all things together again. For example, in Romans 8, 19-21, Three things are said of the
material earth. In verse 20. A. It is subject
to vanity, slavery, and corruption. Verse 21. B. It did not subject
itself, not willingly. It did not go into bondage, but
verse 20, by reason of him by whom it was subjected. And then
C. It was subjected, and notice
this, in hope, called in verse 19, the earnest expectation of
the creation. Thus, its expectation of deliverance
from bondage is tied and contingent upon the full manifestation of
the adoption, or the sonship, or the sons of God, which is
through Jesus Christ in that passage in Romans 8. Again, consider
the words of the Apostle Peter to the Jew in Acts 3, 19-22,
where he speaks of a time of restitution, restoration of all
things which were foretold by the prophet. Yea, the great reconciler
will from his death gather all things up. Sum them up in all
things that have been shattered and disordered by the entrance
of sin. His death will be the occasion. We do not claim to find with
Origen the doctrine of absolute and universal restoration. We're
not saying that all sinners And every sinner, as some do, and
every angel that fell, will ultimately be reconciled to God and brought
into God's presence again without exception. No, that's not what
we're saying. The elect will be reconciled
unto Him. Only that by means of Christ's
death, the whole disarray caused by the entrance of sin will be
repaired only by his dying. And as one put it, and I'm quoting,
he restored to harmony with God, unquote. No wonder we call him
the great reconciler in Colossians 1, 20-22. The end result for
the elect being to present you holy, unblameable, unreprovable
in the sight of God. To reconcile you and to present
you without a flaw to God. And this he has done. We will
be presented without a flaw to God by and through Christ who
died to reconcile us unto the Father. Thank God for that reconciliation. It could be effected in no other
way. No other way could be invented
or set forth for the reconciliation of sinners except that one in
Christ and by His death upon the tree.