Col. 1:19-23; Acts 9:10-16, Colossians Bible Study (6)

12.    1:19: What two things pleased the Father?

That in the Christ, in Jesus of Nazareth, the fullness of deity would dwell.

That through the work (death) of Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, their would be fullness of reconciliation.

·       What is reconciled?  “All things” on earth and in heaven.  The fall of Man in Genesis 3 did not just bring sin and death on the Man.  It created issues in the entirety of creation, in all the universe(s).

·       How is it reconciled?  “By Him/the blood of the cross.” 

·       1:21-23: Even sinners?  Yes!  All have been reconciled so that the preaching of the gospel is a declaration of this reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-21).  The reconciliation has been secured, but it is only realized by faith.  The good news is that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” The implication of this good news is, “we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”  The sinner must receive the reconciliation by faith!

·       1:22: “In His sight.”  All that matters is how God sees a person.  It is not your own self-assessment but His!

Summary to this point:

The heresy Paul is dealing with says that having Christ is good but not sufficient; you need more!  To this point Paul has made it clear: Jesus the Christ is the fullness of God (He is complete) and His work is complete.  But perhaps the heretic would try to tell them that they had not received the full message, and that Paul’s ministry was “inadequate.”  Further, they might say that the faith of the Colossians was not “true faith,” that their faith was in some way inadequate.  The full and complete gospel must be delivered fully and it must be received fully.  What does that mean?  That is where Paul takes us now, first to explain the fullness of his ministry (1:24-29), and then to confirm the fullness of their faith (2:1-5).

Here is one additional thought on the “fullness” and “preeminence” of Christ.  There were two heresies in NT times.  Judaism sought to deny Jesus’ deity.  To them it was blasphemy that a Man could be God, that the Word became flesh!  The Greeks, and particularly Gnosticism, sought to deny Jesus’ humanity.  To them it was blasphemy to think that God would have such contact with this world.  The “gods” were above us, different than us, and would cease to be “god” if they came into contact with the physical and temporal world.  Paul’s letter to the Colossians enables us to contradict both of these heresies.  Both His true Deity and true Humanity are true and essential for us to have a Reconciler who can reconcile all things!