Complete in Christ: Colossians 1.19-29 (1)
Pray Psalm 145.1-3
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bl.ess Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
Sing Psalm 145.1-3
Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want
I will extol You, God, my King, and ever praise Your Name!
I bless You, LORD, for everything each day, and e’er the same!
Great are You, LORD, my praise I bring; unsearchable Your fame!
Read Colossians 1.19, 20.
What does “fullness” mean here? What does it look like?
Preparation
1. What did Christ accomplish by His death on the cross?
2. What is the condition that has resulted from that work?
Meditation
Paul has extolled the greatness of Jesus (vv. 15-18); here he explains in what that greatness consists: Jesus is the fullness—all fullness, the fullness of God, the fullness of humankind, the fullness of all being. Because He is fully God and fully Man, Jesus could perfectly accomplish all the righteousness of God, and He could perfectly endure all the wrath of God against us. This He did during His earthly ministry and in His death on the cross (v. 20). Theologians refer to Jesus’ earthly ministry as His active obedience to the Father. His death on the cross they refer to as His passive obedience. In His fullness, Jesus accomplished full and complete obedience and reconciled all things, “whether things on earth or things in heaven”, to the Father of glory.
The effect of this great work is that Jesus has opened the way for all of God’s creation to reconnect with Him. The creation, ravaged by sin (Rom. 8.20-22) and populated with sinful people (Rom. 3.23), must be restored to the Father, Who ordained it, to Jesus, Who created it, and to the Spirit, Who dwells in it in the people of God. Jesus has accomplished this reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor. 5.19-21). Now, through His Church, and by the power of His Word and Spirit, Jesus is restoring the reconciled world to the Father through the good works He does in and through His Body, the Church.
The result of this is peace—in the Hebrew, shalom: salvation, health, prosperity, wellbeing, peace, and joy. Anyone seeking any of these things—and all people are, in one way or another—will find them only in Jesus, perfect God and perfect Man. Only in Him, but fully in Him as well. Thanks be to God!
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
This perfect God and perfect Man gave His blood for our life. He is the supreme blood donor. Without His blood, we have no life. Blood is a constantly circulating fluid providing the body with nutrition, oxygen, and waste removal. Without it we cannot live. God said, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood…to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Lev. 17.11).
Through His blood Jesus reconciled all things to Himself, things on earth and things in heaven (v. 20). We, who esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted; we, who caused His wounding because like sheep, we had gone astray; and turned, every one, to his own way; we, who caused the LORD to lay upon Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53.4,6).
And yet, hallelujah! God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Because He shed His blood, we are now saved from God’s wrath through Him (Rom. 5.8-10). “…Christ’s righteousness makes men right with God, so that they can live” (Rom.5.18 TLB).
There is power in this blood!
Reflection
1. Why was it necessary for Jesus to bleed and die to reconcile all things to God?
2. How much is included in that “all things”? What does that mean for us, to whom portions of that “all things” have been entrusted?
3. How would you explain to an unbelieving friend the nature of the peace you have because of Jesus?
This is the true peace towards God, which Christ accomplishes in earth. It is clearly eternal life itself, and a supreme and ineffable solace in every distress. It is such a peace, that it also brings about peace towards others. For, after they have received the Holy Spirit, there springs up in them all the fruits of the Holy Spirit—love, patience, and so on. Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560), Notes on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians 1.20
Pray Psalm 145.4-15.
Praise the Lord for all His mighty works, for His compassion and mercy, and for His Kingdom. Whom will you tell about our mighty and gracious Lord today?
Psalm 145.4-15
Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want
To ev’ry generation we Your wondrous works shall tell.
The splendor of Your majesty we contemplate full well.
We speak of all Your mighty deeds and all Your greatness tell!
Then shall we all the glorious fame of Your great goodness sing—
Your righteousness, Your gracious Name, Your mercy: praise we bring!
Your steadfast love remains the same, your grace our covering.
Your works shall thank You; all Your saints shall bless and praise You, LORD.
Your reign we bless without restraint; Your power fills our words.
Our children we shall educate in all Your splendor, LORD.
Your Kingdom evermore shall be; You reign forever, LORD!
Your works You do so faithfully, according to Your Word.
The falling You uphold and the oppressed You rescue, LORD!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Men, check out the fall schedule of online reading and study groups. Lots of opportunities here to grow and make some new friends. And look over the free books in our clearance sale at The Ailbe Bookstore. Order several copies and share them around.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
