There are two ways in which we may approach the Gospel of the grace of God; first, the conscience convicted, and seeing how God has met the condition of man, as in Romans and secondly, the counsels of God from which it all flows. We may trace Him up from the poor sinner in his need, or we may see the grace from Him flowing down.
In this chapter we have much of God's thoughts about Christ Himself, as in Heb. 1, where He is presented to us as “Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds,” &c., “upholding all things by the word of His power,” “when He had by Himself purged our sins.” It begins with this wonderful counsel of God in grace coming to meet the need, notwithstanding all He was in Himself. In the chapter before us in Colossians, we have the glory of this work in Christ, and its extent is shown; and what is so precious, is that when we begin at the other end (conscience and the sense of need) we reach the same point; but there is a fullness and a strength gathered in looking at the place and purpose of God from all eternity, beyond what we get from the need of the sinner being met. It is quite needful, in whatever way it is brought to us, that the conscience should be reached, because God cannot reveal His glory to unawakened man. Understanding must come through the conscience, as in the case of the woman of Samaria. Her spiritual knowledge was gained through the exercise of her soul with Jesus. Where there is not a living work in the conscience, there never can be a link between the soul and the living person of the Son of God. This always is the beginning. The word of God reaches the conscience, and sets it in the presence of the living God. He has made that one step essential to the sinner. This woman heard the Lord speaking to herself. That is the all-important thing, and there can be no truth in the soul till then. What is all the Bible worth to me if my soul is a stranger to God? If we bring in all the purposes of God, then, they must bear upon the conscience this way. A sense of God's love to the soul, &c., will never be truly realized till it is apprehended as flowing downwards from His glory.
We will look into these verses which succeed the prayer relating to the saints' growth in grace, &c., (ver. 12,) (for it is well for sinners to see the state of the saints, if only to know that they are not saints,) “Giving thanks unto the Father,” &c. Here is the certain, settled knowledge of being fit for the inheritance of the saints in light. Then we are fit for heavenly glory! This made us fit for that.
I. The extent and nature of this fitness—made light in Christ. “Ye were darkness, but now are ye light;” and there is the full consciousness of it, for there is thanksgiving. The saints themselves have that knowledge and apprehension of being fit. See the condition of the saints— “Delivered from the power of Satan, and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son.” The Christian can say, I was darkness but am now in the place of Christ as to my standing before God.
II. The means by which we have been brought into this condition: “Through His blood;” and not only redemption, but the sins forgiven. I was a slave, but am now a redeemed soul in the kingdom of the Son. It is accomplished between Him and the Father; a settled thing in bringing a poor lost sinner and setting him in the presence of God. Had I any part in it? No. He did it through His blood. When we simply believe, we always know it is by Christ's blood we are saved. You may not be sure you are a believer; I do not ask you if you know this, but do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? If the soul rests on Jesus, there is not a cloud; but if on yourself, you may well be uncertain, because you have got into the mind of your own hearts. But in Jesus there is nothing but blessedness: light, nothing but light; every step of His path perfect light. Faith is believing what Christ Himself is; therefore, it immediately breaks out in this passage about this glorious object, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.” There are distinct parts of Christ's glory here brought out. The Lord Jesus created all, and therefore He is the Head of it all; not only as Adam having dominion, and everything brought to him to name, but “by Him were all things created;” and He must be above everything and everybody: “dominions, principalities, powers,” &c. Then there is another character of Headship in verse 18: “Firstborn from the dead.” None could go lower than death, but we see Him going down into it, and rising up from it, and He fills all things. Everything is created by Him and for Him; and mark, He takes them as man. “What is man?” &c. (Psa. 8) Mark another thing also in this verse 18. He is Head of His Body, the Church; she is His helpmate, His Bride.
The next thing is, we find His inheritance defiled—God dishonored—the world ruined—and man guilty! The angels have not kept their first estate above, and man has not kept his state below—none have kept it. But He must be glorified in bringing it all back again, and the first thing was for God to be honored, for He has been dishonored; therefore, He must make peace through the blood of His cross. In making atonement, there were in the type two goats to be taken, one lot for the Lord, and one for the people. The goat on which the Lord's lot fell, was to be offered for a sin—offering; but the goat on which the lot fell on behalf of the people, shall be presented alive before the Lord, so as to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness; and that goat was to bear upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited; and he shall let go the goat into the wilderness. Has God been glorified then? Yes, fully glorified; God's requirements more than met. And who do I find has come in to repair the breach? It is the Son of His love. I find it all done. And where could God ever have been glorified as in the work of His Son? He glorified God. “I have glorified thee on the earth.” Could Adam have so glorified Him in Paradise? Such love for a sinner could only have been shown in the redemption of man. The mercy-seat is sprinkled with blood. God's lot, not the people's lot, is a token of perfect peace being made with God through the blood of the cross; yes, everything reconciled in heaven and in earth: it does not say under the earth, that is not mentioned here. Thus, we have the basis of everything ransomed to be with God, and for God, forever and ever. It can never stand on creation title; though heaven and earth will stand in the presence of God, but it will be in redemption title alone. “We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth.” (Ver. 21.) “You hath He reconciled,” &c. This is a thing to give thanks for now. If I am to return in heart and mind to God, I must be reconciled. God saw the need, and from the fullness and perfectness of His own love, He did it all. “We have known and believed,” &c. This is the condition of the Christian; and if you ask a proof of it, this is the answer—He laid down His life. “You that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled.” Not only have we a wicked nature in us, ("children of wrath,") but more than this, we have done wrong, thought wrong, spoken wrong; and then, besides that, our hearts are alienated, the sure consequence of sin. Did you ever see a servant or a child do wrong, and glad to meet his master or parent afterward? Does not the sense of having done wrong keep them away from those against whom they have sinned? Yes. Alienation of heart there is, because we do not want God to come and say to us, as to Adam, “Where art thou?” There is first, lust, then the commission of sin, then the mind turned away and at enmity. Then, in this condition, God comes to bring it back. How can He do it? Ruined, unhappy, wretched as I am, if God is for me, I can come to Him. Grace can come and make me happy. God comes in grace to win me back when thus alienated, and tells me He has dealt about my sine. That will bring me back. Law convicts, but never wins back—never. It is as though we said to God—My conscience makes me dislike you, makes me unhappy with you: take away my sins and I will come back. This, certainly, is in substance what the gospel of God says to us both about our sin and about His grace.
And will He half reconcile? No, He has completely done it: “In the body of his flesh through death.” There were you under your sins. Christ came as a real, true man, about these sins that are distressing you and keeping you away from Him. I see Him made sin, bearing to take this dreadful cup of God's wrath: all the sins laid upon Him like the scapegoat: Jesus Christ coming in a body, not with a message that it shall be done. No, the thing is done. God has visited sinners in love. I meet God by faith there where He had met me, and I see in the body of Christ's flesh through death, He has put sin entirely away. I have nothing to do with it. Who could do anything to add to such a work? Men may wag their heads at it in derision, but the work is done fully and completely. Christ is gone up! and He is gone to present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight. Was there any mistake, any uncertainty? No, the soul knows and feels that God has done it. If He has me in His eight, He must have me holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable, and He has made me so; and when He finished the work, He sat down. “After he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.” Well then may it be said, “Giving thanks unto the Father who hath made us meet,” &c. The work is done; and now God sends “to declare,” as the apostle says, “His righteousness.” Did you accomplish it? Did you do anything towards it? Nothing, but by your sins. He has made peace. Our souls then can rest in this blessed peace. And it is not only that I have this peace: no, God has peace for me; and the nearer I get to God, the more I see the fullness and perfectness of this peace. It is God's peace, and I have peace in it. All there is according to His own perfectness. He rests in Christ's work for my sin. If He had nothing more to require, what can I require? All the ground of my connection with God is that His love has been manifested in putting away my sins; and I have peace in that. If you think you must satisfy God as a creditor, you do not know God. God is love, and He is known through the cross. If I own God as my Savior and Lord, it marks all my character. I have new objects and new motives. I may do the same things, harmless in themselves perhaps, but I have a different motive in doing them when I know God. It is not what a man does that marks his character, but why he does it. When I know God in Christ, I go and do right things because I love God. I may be outwardly correct and moral, but the spring and motive may be all known at once. A child may see if you say He has translated me from the power of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son. If I have peace with God, there is nothing between Him and me. The peace is made. It is a thing accomplished.
Now, are you reconciled to God? Grace, and glory, and love then are brought before your soul by the Holy Ghost; and you will be changed into the same image from glory to glory, &c. If I know I am to be like Him at the day of His appearing, I shall be purifying myself, “even as He is pure now.” May the Lord work in our hearts by His own Spirit, conforming us who believe into the image of Jesus, soon to be conformed to the Firstborn in glory.