ALL the Fullness was pleased to dwell in Christy the Word became flesh. He had emptied Himself of the glory due to Him. He received a bondman's form. He took His place in man's likeness. Thus He was truly man among men, yet infinitely more than man. Grace and truth came through Him. God was in Him, reconciling the world to Himself, not reckoning to them their offenses. Yet men, as ever, would not have Him, at any price; but rejected Him even up to the death of the cross; whereon God made sin for us Him Who knew no sin, that we might become God's righteousness in Him.
Incarnation was not bringing any man to God; it brought God in compassionate love down to man. But alas! the more Christ declared God, and manifested Him as light and love, the less tolerable was He in men's eyes; and the upshot was the cross. "If I had not come and spoken to them, they had not had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no other did, they had not had sin; but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father." Nothing but His most cruel and ignominious suffering satisfied their enmity. They were thereby proved God's foes, and lost; for they were the people who boasted that they were His peculiarly, and alone had a long history of His dealings on their behalf, with every divine institution, moral and religious, to instruct, warn, and guide aright; as He sent prophets when they went astray, and at length His Son the Messiah, blessing them in turning such from their wickedness. But the presence of the Son only gave the husbandmen in His vineyard the occasion to say to one another, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours. Jews and Gentiles, high and low, the scribes and the priests, all conspired, and crucified the Lord of glory.
Such was the world's history; such the most favored of men's doings, when tested as Christ put them fully to the proof. Man is demonstrated ungodly and lost. But God is a Savior, and by their worst work of crucifying Christ He wrought His best work in saving His enemies, and making them His sons by faith.
“For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him; and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross—through him, whether things on the earth or things in the heavens. And you being in time past alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death.”
Even the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Christ bodily did not in fact reconcile man to God. There was all readiness of love in God and in Christ. But man was evil and hostile and implacable. They hated both Son and Father. In vain came grace and truth through Jesus Christ: they slew Him on a tree. If any had apprehended such awful wickedness, they might well have dreaded the sternest judgment of God; and this He will inflict righteously another day. But now, wondrous yet most true, He answers man's unspeakable malice and blasphemy by richer grace still. Through the blood of Christ's cross He made peace for men, albeit His worst enemies.
It is not yet the clay to reconcile all things to Himself, all things earthly and heavenly (not all men); that awaits the Lord's coming again. But now He reconciled such sinners as the Colossians then addressed. They were no better than others. They had been alienated in the past, and enemies in mind by wicked works; yet now He reconciled them, not even by Christ's birth, nor by His unequaled ministry, but "in the body of his flesh through death." Nothing short of Christ's death could make peace; but that did perfectly. Only in His death was sin judged to God's glory. Only that He His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree furnished an adequate sacrifice to God for us. Only His blood cleansed our sins; but it cleanses us from every sin: if it did not, it were in vain for us.
But the same Christ on the cross avails for any sinner on the earth that believes on Him. Therefore does God send forth everywhere the word of the truth of the gospel. So it was in all the world then known in apostolic days; so it is still. O my fellow-sinner, believe God's good news. Hear and know the grace of God in truth. Slur not over your sins; own them in all their deadly evil against God, Who is full of compassion and ready to reconcile you through the death of His Son. He calls you to believe Himself about His Son Jesus Christ the Lord. Beware of neglecting so great salvation: now is its day. Be decided by-His word; cast yourself on Jesus and His precious blood., Nothing else can meet your case; that can perfectly and forever, securing you the peace which Christ Himself made. This is the peace you need; neither you can make it, nor saints nor angels; nothing but the blood of Christ's cross.
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THERE is a natural joy over spiritual things, and I pray you not to deceive your souls with it