January 5, 2023

Colossians 1:9-23 (HCSB)
19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross — whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. 22 But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him — 23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.

Kim Ivey
Romans 3:23 tells us that we’re all sinners and none of us are worthy of God. Many of us memorized that verse as children and can quote it without really thinking. Colossians 1:21 feels like it goes further than calling us sinners, though. Was I really “alienated and hostile” towards Christ before I accepted Him? I accepted Jesus when I was 8 years old. What of my actions could have been evil? We’ve grown so immune to sin, so good at justifying our actions, that we forget how good and big our God is. The Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:4).*And “filthy rags” does not refer to dust cloths or even those rags that get covered in oil and grime in the garage. No. It’s worse. Just ask your pastor.* Even in our childlike innocence, we are sinners deserving of hell.  BUT GOD. He sent Jesus to physically die, as a man who endured humiliation and excruciating pain on a cross, so that we could be faultless. This is a shouting passage, y’all!! Jesus died for you! You didn’t deserve it, could never ever deserve it, but He did it anyway! So don’t forget it.