Day 296: Before and after – Colossians 1 vs 19 – 23

19-20 For in Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him, to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.  22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. Colossians 1:21-23 New Living Translation paraphrase (English Standard Version link)

Whether it's a weight loss program for ladies or a body building plan for men, or even oven cleaners and car polishes, companies often show pictures of the 'before' and 'after' conditions of people or things to demonstrate how good their product is. But in vs 21—22 of our reading we see the most wonderful 'before and after' picture ever. What was the condition of those people before they heard the gospel message and placed their faith and hope in Jesus Christ? (vs 21)

Not only were they far away from God – they were actually His enemies! What does the verse say was the cause of the gulf between them and God?

Paul says it was their evil thoughts and actions. They loved and did things that God hated. Their sins separated them from a relationship with God. That's what self gratifying wrong living does. But what was their amazing condition after hearing and believing the good news that was spreading in the world. (vs 22) It's worth thinking for a moment over each phrase of that verse.

They were now reconciled to God! Peace had been established with God and He no longer saw them as enemies. They had also been brought into God's presence. They could come to God knowing they were welcome and that He would hear their prayers. The reason for this was that God now saw them as pure and faultless because their sins had been washed away by the sacrifice Christ had made. The shedding of His blood had taken away their defilement. What an amazing picture that is. Sinners that were on the road to hell were now saints on their way to heaven. Even Satan could no longer accuse them because their debt was paid in full by Jesus.

But having said all that, did it mean there was no responsibility on their side to do anything further? Could they now live as they pleased because they were reconciled to God? (vs 23)

Believing on Jesus for the forgiveness of sin and becoming a Christian is not a passing fad or emotion. And it's certainly not a 'get out of jail free' card to pick up the old life we were living before we received the good news. Paul says they needed to carry on clinging to the wonderful message they had received, and to take a firm stand on it as they faced challenges in the world. He warns that there is a danger of 'drifting away'. We often don't notice if something is gently drifting or slipping away until it’s suddenly out of sight.

That's true of the weight loss programs and body building courses I mentioned at the start. If one starts neglecting the program we can end up looking like the before part of the ad! But it can also be true of our relationship with God. As we go through life we'll encounter many temptations that can weaken our commitment to Christ, or we may face fierce opposition that frightens us. At such times we must remind ourselves of what we were like before we were saved – and the wonderful things God has brought about since we came to Christ. Remember too what it cost the Saviour to reconcile us to God. Once far from God and enemies – now brought near to Him and reconciled because of the peace Jesus made by the blood of His cross. Stand firm in your faith in Christ and don’t drift from the hope He brought to your heart.