Colossians 1:19-22
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 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.
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
We often think about what pleases God and makes him happy. People think obedience, prayer, and doing good deeds pleases God. It makes sense however God recorded these verses to clarify what truly makes him happy.
Jesus Christ alone pleases the Father. It is not our works, our righteousness, or our efforts that bring pleasure to God, but the perfection that is found only in His Son. The "fulness" that dwells in Christ refers to the complete and perfect nature of Jesus—He is the fullness of God in human form, lacking nothing, embodying all that is good, holy, and true. Only Jesus, in His perfection, could fulfill the Father's will and provide the means for our reconciliation.
This fullness or perfection is something we could never achieve on our own.
While we may strive to live righteous lives, we constantly fall short due to our sinful nature. But Jesus, who was without sin, fulfilled the law perfectly on our behalf. He is the only one who could satisfy the righteous requirements of God’s law, and it is through Him alone that we can stand blameless before God.
Verse 20 declares that peace was made "through the blood of his cross." This peace is not something we can attain by keeping the commandments or by our own efforts. It is a gift, purchased by the blood of Jesus on our behalf. The peace we have with God is not the result of our works, but the outcome of Jesus’ works. He has reconciled us to God, not because we have earned it, but because He has paid the price in full with His blood.
Often, we fall into the trap of trying to earn our peace with God by doing good works.
We think following the commandments, praying, tithing, or living a morally upright life will earn us peace. While these practices are important, they are not the means by which we are justified before God.
Peace is obtained when we believe that Jesus washed away all past, present, and future sins. It is not about us trying to fill Jesus' shoes, but trusting that he has already done everything necessary for our salvation. Colossians 1:21-22 reminds us that we were once alienated and enemies in our minds because of our wicked works in our mind. Notice how he doesn't say wicked works through action but in the mind?
It is because all sin comes from the mind which is the connection between our brain and heart.
Wickedness, hatred, and all evil starts at the mind. That is why it's so crucial to distrust yourself. If you distrust your thoughts, you naturally go against sin.
Although we were that way, verse 21 tells us that we have been reconciled. This reconciliation was accomplished "in the body of his flesh through death," and it results in us being presented "holy and unblameable and unreproveable" in God’s sight.This is the power of the gospel: though we continue to "sin", in God’s eyes, we are no longer seen as sinners but as saints. This transformation is not because of anything we have done, but solely because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
As believers, our identity is no longer defined by our sins but by the righteousness of Christ. We are called saints, not because we live perfect lives, but because Jesus' perfection has been credited to us.
We are holy and blameless in God's sight, not because we always do what is right, but because Jesus has done what is right on our behalf.
Our role is not to strive to be what Jesus was, but to believe in what Jesus does.
Jesus does the finished work on the cross. Jesus prays for us. Jesus lives for us and Jesus died for us. Amen!
