Jesus Christ is God, and He did what no mere man could ever do: reconcile lost sinners to a holy God. When the first man and woman sinned, they declared war on God, but God did not declare war on them. Instead, God provided a covering for their sins. The natural mind of the unsaved sinner is at war with God (Romans 8:7). The sinner may be sincere, religious, and even moral–but he is still at war with God.
How can a holy God ever be reconciled with sinful man? Can God lower His standards, close His eyes to sin, and compromise with man? If He did, the universe would fall to pieces! God must be consistent with Himself and maintain His own holy Law. By nature, man is separated from God, and by his deeds he is alienated from God (Colossians 1:21). The sinner is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1ff), and therefore is unable to do anything to save himself or to please God (Romans 8:8).
If there is to be reconciliation between God and man, the initiative and action must come from God. It is in Christ that God was reconciled to man (2 Corinthians 5:19). But it was not the incarnation of Christ that accomplished this reconciliation, nor was it His example as He lived among men. Christ “made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). It was through His death and resurrection that peace was made between God and man.
The purpose of this reconciliation is personal holiness. God does not make peace (Colossians 1:20) so that we can continue to be rebels! He has reconciled us to Himself so that we may share His life and His holiness. We are presented to God “holy and unblameable and unreproveable” (Colossians 1:22).
The word holy is closely related to the word saint. Both words express the idea of “being set apart, being devoted to God.” In the New Testament, saints are not dead people who during their lives performed miracles and never sinned. New Testament saints were living people who had trusted Jesus Christ. Paul wrote this letter to living saints (Col. 1:2).
Upon reflection, please answer these questions.
- What areas of personal holiness do you struggle with?
- How can you use the Scripture to help broaden your personal holiness?
- What does it mean to be set apart for God?
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