Sisters, Do You Pursue Christ?

I have spoken with many brothers in the faith who outline their daily routine with the Lord. They get up early, they read Scripture for a time, they pray in the quiet and enjoy perhaps an hour or two of uninterrupted communion with Christ.

Sisters, how about you?

Undoubtedly we women are busy, perhaps caring for young children or getting ready for our shift at work. Maybe we're chronically ill and just getting out of bed is a chore. But I ask you sisters anyway, do you pursue Christ? On your own? Apart from your husband?

Allow me to be blunt for a moment. No one can know Christ by being Christ-adjacent. We cannot ride to Heaven on the coat-tails of our husbands. Perhaps they might lead us spiritually, but that does not mean we have no responsibility to pursue Christ for ourselves.

Daily devotions don't count, in my opinion. It's too easy for a woman to get wrapped up in her favorite author's 365 daily devotionals that talk about being "Christ's princess" or that "we matter" rather than getting our noses deep in real, actual, meaty Bible study. Why do we do this, sisters?

Why is Christ's banquet table for the men, while the women are content at the kiddie table? No, not me. Christ has spread His table for one and all. Pardon me, ladies; I am going to His feast.

If there's one thing Christ Himself proved during His ministry, it's that women have been given a profound privilege in His church. We are allowed to come directly to Him, to sit at His feet, and to learn of Him. Do not see your husband as your go-between, nor allow yourself to treat him as such. There is no mediator between Jesus and women. Christ has always been close with His daughters; He has given us dignity, and He is specifically tender toward us. Why would we deny ourselves from chasing after this glorious God-man who beckons us to come to Him freely and boldly?

I have often wondered why our Lord Jesus has seen fit to mold me into a woman who pursues Him. But the more I ponder it, the more I believe He wants all of us to come. This isn't some privilege given to a few, but to all! I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that experiencing the presence of Christ through diligent prayer and study is the closest we can get to Heaven in this flesh. We are starving ourselves, sisters, if we reach for the crumbs of devotions rather than the True Bread of Heaven. We are wasting away reading devotions written in "Christ's voice" rather than what He has proclaimed Himself in His True and Living Word!

It would seem publishers and Christian authors have tapped into a deep-seated need within women to know they are loved and valuable. These particular books (written by other women, mind) have tender words, encouraging stories, and make us feel good about ourselves. I'll tell you straight up, if all you eat is sweets, you will not be nourished beyond the sugar rush. Ladies, put down the milk. Chew on the meat of the Word! All you need can be found in Christ. What you are so longing for is HIM, His tenderness, His worth, His strength, His beauty, His mercy, His grace.

As a woman myself, who is also a former author of romance novels before I was saved, I honestly believe women are "wired", for lack of a better word, to search for the romance in relationships. But often what daily devotions and books for women do is romance the woman about HERSELF. How great you are, how much you matter, how you're Christ's princess, the value you have in God's eyes.

True pursuit of Christ is simply this:

More of Him; less of me.

Get yourself out of the way and fix your eyes upon Christ! See how Great He is. Understand how much He matters. Behold the glory of His worth. This is the ONLY food that will nourish us, sisters, no matter if we are married or single, in a godly marriage or unequally yoked, widowed or abandoned.

My precious sisters in Christ, look unto Him and be ye saved, for He is God, and there is no other.

In the magnificent name of my lovely Lord Christ,
Amen.

Sisters, Do You Know Your Bible?

If there's one thing for which our Lord Jesus Christ has given me a great passion, I would say it's getting to know Him, by any means, at any cost. If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you'll know I have had a long history with Christ, but I believe I didn't become a Christian in truth until 2011. Looking back over the course of my life, I can see a certain "structure", as if Christ Himself had been building me up until the very moment He swooped down and claimed me for Himself as I sat crying and lost on some crag of despair.

During my lonely childhood, I learned how to pray to Him. I journaled to Him all the time, jotting down my pathetic teenage dramas. During my high school years, I learned the keyboard so I could type and realize my dream of becoming a published author. As an adult, I accomplished my dream, and spent many hours reading, and many hours researching facts and history for book plots. What kind of books did I write? Romance.

When Christ called me to Himself, He had me lay down my career as a romance author and turned my heart to chase after another Love - Himself. But here's the thing. Can you see what He was building up in me? I loved to read. My heart adored research. I enjoyed digging in and getting to know things I didn't know before. I had experience with writing and editing my work to make it a more cohesive story. I had been swept away by true love and all that it entails, not knowing that one day, I'd be swept away by the Greatest Love Story of All.

Now that I am a Christian, Jesus has sanctified all these things for Himself. He has trained me for prayer, for journaling, for reading, for writing, for research, and for being starry-eyed about the power of True Love. This is not the same trajectory for every Christian's life. We each have our own place in His Body, and I believe He equips each of His children in various ways for His glory. I firmly believe He has a plan for all of us, and that plan includes building us up to showcase Himself in our lives.

The great glory of a Christian's life is letting our light so shine before men that they will see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. Since my conversion, I have worked toward that goal in my own life. I have a drive in me, given by Christ, to share what I learn of Him with the world. I do believe there are varying degrees to which a Christian can share Christ with others, in their homes, their churches, or their communities. However ultimately, I do believe every Christian should be teaching and discipling other Christians in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That brings me to the point of this post. I am not an anomaly. My Christian walk is not odd or other. Different Christians are at different points in their sanctification; one might be mature, while the other is still a babe in Christ. But this is no excuse to neglect our Bibles.

How well do you know the Scriptures? No matter how Christ has structured your life, no matter what your talent or skill in His Body, He still commands for His Word to abide in your heart. In fact, this command is directly linked to answered prayer (John 15:7). Those Christians who have answered prayer are those who abide in Christ, and who also have His Word abiding in them.

Let's get something clear, however. I'm not asking if you read your Bible. Many sisters in Christ read the Bible as a duty or something they must do on a reading schedule. What I am asking is how has what you've read influenced your life? How deeply has it seeped into your heart? How often does it direct your thoughts? How much has it influenced your devotion to Christ? Can you see an upward arch in yourself over the course of the years you've been reading Scripture to become more and more like Jesus?

All too often, we as women leave the deeper study to the men. That's for pastors, or for my husband. I'm fine with daily devotions. Any woman who strives to go deeper with God is seen as a "teacher" or "called" to ministry. Perhaps that is true, but that's not always the case. Some of us just really love Jesus!

The problem I see with letting our Bibles collect dust, sisters, is that we become easy pickins for the enemy. We must know Christ if we are to fight the enemy away from our hearts, and from the hearts of our children. We cannot rely on what we "feel" about Jesus. We must know Him! Even our Lord said that knowing Him, the true Christ of Scripture, is eternal life:

"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." ~~John 17:3

Daily devotions are not enough. Washing our hands every day in a bunch of Bible chapters isn't enough either. It is not quantity of Bible reading that is beneficial, it is the quality of it. Spiritual maturity and knowledge of Christ comes through two avenues. First, we pray and ask God to open His Word to us, and second, we slow down and meditate on His Word rather than worrying about reading it through in a year. Grab a pen and start jotting down some notes or thoughts as you read. Start in a book, any book, and read it through while taking notes and making note of things you see and read.

I began doing this in 2012, the year after I had become a Christian. I had many Bibles, so I picked a nondescript one to write in, while keeping the others pristine. I did a few of the smaller books in the New Testament, but then decided to keep going and eventually annotate the whole thing. I'm still not done even though I began years ago, however, I am almost finished. But I'm not sure I will ever be "finished". As I grow and mature in my faith, I see more in the pages, and the pen comes out to write new notes in older books I've already studied. This nondescript Bible I decided to mark up has now become one of my most treasured possessions. I want to hand it down to my son one day. What a remarkable heirloom it will become!

But creating an heirloom is not why I have written study notes in the margins of this Bible. I did it so I could know the Lord Jesus. Over the course of these years, He has given me many things I have asked of Him. I asked for His Word to open to me. I believe He has allowed it to do so. I asked to recall things I might have read in passing. He has allowed this as well. I might not remember chapter and verse, but a quick search in a Bible app finds the passage quickly. I have asked for Him to grow me in wisdom and to lead me to sound doctrine. I believe He has done this as well.

Again, this is the fruit of a child of God that asks, seeks, and knocks. If we don't have a heart such as this, we must pray and ask for it! We know we have what we've asked for if we ask according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). And what is His will? For us to become solid, mature Christians. Whatever we ask of Him in that regard He will answer in all the fullness of God!

I do not believe a life of daily devotions would have been enough for Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, or even Mary of Nazareth! No, these women followed our Lord Jesus wherever He went. They learned of Him, at His feet, from His own mouth. They poured out their devotion to Him in front of everyone, and they weren't ashamed to do so. These are the women I wish to emulate in my life. I want to know Christ for myself, not because I want to become some "teacher called to the ministry." If that is Christ's will for me, then amen; let's go! But I study because I love Him, and because I want to know Him. I want to count it all as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord!

Sisters, let me say that studying my Bible has been the most eye-opening and thrilling endeavor I have ever undertaken. Christ has taken a common housewife and made her shine with His glory! The knowledge of Heaven is in her heart, and His doctrine has dug deep roots within her soul. I am not an anomaly. My Christian walk is not odd or other. This is true, devoted, Biblical Christianity.

And this is my prayer for all my sisters in Christ. If you have no role-models in your life, determine yourself to be that role-model for others. If you know of no strong Christians, ask God to fashion you into one. If you don't know anyone to teach you these things, ask God to teach you. Do not deny yourself a rich, fulfilling, abundant life with Christ! He promises these things to every believer who worships Him in Spirit and in truth. Come to Him, ye women of God; drink from His fountain, eat from His table. Look unto our Lord Jesus Christ, sisters, for those who do are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Amen.

The Preeminence of Christ is Now a Downloadable PDF!

Okay folks, here we go - my Preeminence of Christ study is now a downloadable PDF! Feel free to share it, download it, print it, read it, quote it, whatever. This is a free eBook you can use to study with your children, your spouse, your friends, your small group, or your church. It remains in the format of a six week study, with the discussion questions, the personal questions, and Scripture references intact.

I pray this PDF can "go into all the world" and bring glory to Christ as He wills. Praise the Lord!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14jxNlffTNwt_7CNACNSeKw6nVKnMvpqn/view

The Serious Christian

Ever notice that some Christians are more serious than others? Not that their countenance is stony and their heart is hard, rather, their pursuit of Christ is something that catches your eye. You want to be like them. They inspire you. Their easy, yet steadfast faith almost takes your breath away when compared to your own. What is it about these people that seems almost as if they’re clothed even now with the glory of Heaven?

Usually, when we think of a “serious” Christian, we might think of one who is legalistic or stern, someone who is more disciplinarian than disciple. Surely that seems to be the caricature of evangelicals by unbelievers. But I’m not talking about legalists or those who think having a tattoo sends you to Hell. I’m talking about those Christians who are so in love with Christ that their walk with Him is almost like a love affair. They seem to have an understanding of Jesus that the average pew-sitter does not have.

I am of the opinion these Christians are forged by Christ Himself to stir up His church to look unto Him. For reasons only Jesus knows, He gives some Christians a fuller measure of grace to chase after Him as He skips across the mountains like a young stag. The Spirit does a work in their hearts so that they adore studying Scripture and never forsake their prayer closets. They have no distractions in their lives, or if they do, they don’t let these distractions distract them from their pursuit of Christ.

Part of how Christ shapes these Christians is through their own prayers. I believe He inspires these to pray for Him to make them into serious Christians. “Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief!” This is the prayer of those who chase after Jesus. They seem to instinctively know the will of God is for them to be a strong and faithful believer. The Spirit inspires them to pray in that direction. They ask God for more faith, more drive, more desire for Him. They know they cannot love Him in the way He commands in Scripture, with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, without His help. So they ask for Him to help them love Him.

Serious Christians have a deeper communion with the Spirit of God because of this. They know the fruit of their lives is the result of their pleading prayers, and therefore they take no credit for their demeanor, and know the work in their hearts is God’s alone. It is this mark of the Spirit upon them that others recognize. Old theologians call this mark “unction”, and it’s what allows the serious Christian to also be a fruitful Christian.

When a believer seeks after God with all their heart, they begin to see and understand the depths of God’s truth in Scripture. When they explain these things to others, they are seen as having gifts of wisdom, discernment, and often teaching. Scripture recall is easy for these, as they have meditated on God’s Word, and His Spirit brings the Word into their remembrance. Often, God gifts them with various ways to communicate these truths in deep, yet simple ways, sometimes via sermons, writing, speeches, art, or song.

God uses these serious children of His to raise the spiritual temperature of the believers around them. He gifts them to various churches, and often, the congregations they fellowship with transition from superficial teaching to deep, meaty doctrine over the course of a few years. It’s also possible God cleans house within these congregations and removes sinning or unbelieving leadership. This happens not necessarily due to direct involvement by the serious Christian, rather, it is due to their prayers for their church and for their pastors, and God hears them.

Very often what is done in secret is rewarded openly. Church leadership might not know why God is moving so mightily in their congregations, but the serious Christian knows. The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

However, these serious Christians are the ones you wouldn’t expect. They have no pomp or circumstance. They are often the widows, the orphans, or the ones bent over in pain. They are the ones God has mightily humbled, the soft-spoken ones, with easy smiles and warm hearts. Their faith shines from them like the sun, and you cannot help but want to stand in these rays, hoping for some of their warmth to warm your own heart.

Like a lit match, these Christians are the ones who ignite others and inspire them to likewise be serious about their faith. This is how God incites revival. Rarely does revival come to the big tent meeting; revival comes to the heart of the serious Christian, and that passion for Christ spreads to the hearts and minds of those around them. Due to this, God makes sure the vessels He uses are the weak, the broken, the downtrodden, the overlooked, in order to show the world the glory of His great power to move among the hearts of men.

You do not need to be around a serious Christian for long to know they are being used mightily of God. They have an air about them, a fragrance of Christ, and often you find yourself glancing over at them in curiosity. It is even possible to recognize these Christians with “unction” of the Holy Spirit in history. Their lives shined so brightly in their day and age, the unction is obvious. Men like Jonathan Edwards or Charles Spurgeon. Women like Amy Carmichael or Corrie Ten Boom.

How can one become one of these serious Christians? How can one come to pursue the Living God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength? Do you recognize superficiality in yourself? Do you notice a certain boredom when reading Scripture? Does your mind wander in prayer? Are you always tired in church? Do you feel cold and at times shut off from God? The good news is there is a cure for these maladies. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

God forges serious Christians on the anvil of humility. He will not reveal Himself to anyone who wishes these gifts for their own gain, to be seen as “mighty” in their church. He only moves in the heart of the believer who wants to adore Christ for Christ’s own sake, not their own. Cater your prayers to ask God for what you do not have. Drive. Passion. A heart on fire. Ask God for a strong desire to study, to pray, to know Him above all things lest you die!

These are the prayers of those who shine forth like the sun at full strength. Ask God for the unction of His Holy Spirit, not for your glory, but for His. But be advised, these are dangerous prayers. The serious Christian does not have dry eyes. They often have broken hearts. They weep and cry like Jeremiah, wondering why no one listens to the things they have to say. The sad truth of the serious Christian is they are sometimes overlooked by other Christians. They’re not understood, they can be seen as morose, or perhaps the more superficial believers feel threatened in their presence. Conviction of their thin faith isn’t welcome, and this pains those who are lovers of God.

Just as in Scripture, God conforms these children in the wilderness - on their own. It matters not if they have fellow believers in their family. The serious Christian is often required to walk this road alone, without family, friends, or even their own spouse. In this way, God tests their resolve. Do they love their spouse, their family, or their friends more than they love Christ? Or are they willing to lay them all aside to chase after the all-consuming fire of the King of Glory?

Ultimately, the greatest test to give yourself to know whether or not you are a serious Christian, or that God is about to mold you into one, is this: How much do you love and adore the Lord Jesus Christ? Who is He to you? Does your heart take flight at His name alone? Do you fall at His feet as though dead when you meditate on all that He has given to you through His crucifixion, death, and resurrection? Does this literally take your breath away? Is your mind drawn to Him again and again throughout the day, no matter what you’re doing? Does Christ seem to be the great obsession of your heart? Do you have a secret inner life of prayer that no one knows a thing about? Do you often find yourself weeping to Jesus that no one else around you is as serious about their faith as you are about yours?

These are the marks of a serious Christian. While it can be terrifying to know you’ll be required to walk this road alone, I daresay there is no more fulfilling road to walk this side of Glory. You will have a communion with Christ other Christians don’t share. You will have wisdom rooted in His Word that He only reveals to those who humbly seek Him. You’ll have a greater sense of His presence and love upon you. He will become your all, your everything, the One for whom your heart beats. If this is God’s calling upon your life, you cannot run from it. He will chase you down until you submit to Him lavishing this grace upon you.

But do not fear this, beloved. Our Lord Jesus Christ has chosen you out of His other disciples to be one of His closest friends. This is a magnificent honor. Be a light unto your church and your brethren, and go forth clothed in the fragrance of Christ. Never, never be ashamed to wear His name, and know that His banner over you is love. The serious Christian is Christ’s own gift to His church. If you recognize these marks within yourself, then Jesus will guide you, lead you, and make you fruitful for His Kingdom.

Through your one passionate heart, O serious Christian, God is on the move. Praise the Lord.

Christ's Closest Friend

How many sermons have you heard that allegorize the story of David and Goliath, where David is you, and Goliath is some problem you must overcome? Despite the fact that this story isn't about you (it foreshadows Christ defeating sin, you're actually the trembling Israelites), one thing I haven't heard much from the pulpit is taking the lives of the disciples of Christ as our examples in our own walk with the Lord.

We know Christ was followed by many people. Some followed Him to get a handout, others were genuinely curious (John 6:24). More than just His disciples followed Him wherever He went. We know blind Bartimaeus from Jericho followed Him after his healing (Mark 10:52), and so too did Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna (Luke 8:1-3). Along with these, Christ had twelve specific disciples He hand-picked Himself. These were the men He revealed deeper secrets to, who were the recipients of His greater teachings. But even within the twelve, there were three who were His closest friends, Peter, James, and John. These three men were privileged to know and witness things the others did not.

Peter walked on water. John was allowed to rest his head on Christ's chest, and he called himself the disciple Jesus loved. Peter, James, and John all witnessed Jesus transfigured in glory upon the mountain, and not only that, they saw Moses and Elijah as well! These are incredible events these specific men were allowed to do and witness. The others were truly Christ's disciples as well, however, these three were favored by our Lord.

James was martyred early, the first of Christ's true original disciples to die for his faith. But Peter and John went on to become the leaders of the Apostles, and John was given the Revelation late in his life, the only Apostle to die of old age.

What made these men stand out in Christ's eye? And how can we be like them in our own walk with the Lord? First, I want to make it very clear that I'm not suggesting we try to emulate the gifts they had been given by the Lord as His Apostles. They built the foundation of the church, and as such, their gifts gave witness to their message. We are no longer laying the foundation of the church, therefore the apostolic gifts have ceased.

What I am suggesting is that we can decide for ourselves if we're going to get out of the boat, if we're going to lean upon Christ, if we want to see His glory.

Are we going to be periphery disciples following Christ for what He can give us? Adjacent disciples who hear His sermons and parables? Or Christ's closest friends who seek Him and pant after Him like a deer pants for the waterbrooks?

Even among the three men closest to Christ, there is one Apostle who stands out in Scripture, and I daresay he was Jesus's closest friend. You might think I'm referring to Peter. And Peter was indeed given many weighty responsibilities from the Lord. He was seen as a leader. Perhaps he was the most outspoken, or perhaps the most brave. Considering Peter is the one who stepped out of the boat in the midst of a storm and considering Peter is the one who first claimed Christ as the Son of God, I don't doubt these things to be true.

But no, I'm talking about the Apostle John.

All my life, I've heard men preach and assume that Peter was Christ's closest friend. But in thinking on this more and more, I don't believe he was. I believe Christ's best friend was John. John described himself as the "disciple Jesus loved". He is the one who laid his head on Christ's chest, and Peter asked John to ask the Lord who was the traitor at the Last Supper, Peter didn't ask Jesus outright. Perhaps he knew Christ would have a softer response to John than He would have to Peter. That idea seems to hold some weight, as Christ did seem to be more harsh with Peter than He was with John.

John would likely have been the youngest disciple. Perhaps he was young and impressionable. Maybe he was weaker than the others. Maybe he had a great faith. Perhaps he asked the Lord many searching questions. Maybe he was the first to recognize who the Lord was before the others. Maybe Christ took him aside and spoke with him often in a gentle and tender way. Considering he had felt at home lying on Jesus in the upper room, he was likely a tender man himself with a tender heart. I can only assume that John's heart was very much like Christ's, love for the Father, love for the lost, and a zealous devotion to Yeshua.

John's Gospel is the only one of the four to emphasize Christ's deity. John is the one who did not flee at Christ's crucifixion. Into John's hands Christ gave custody of Mary, His mother. John, along with Peter, ran to Christ's empty tomb. Perhaps here we can see the difference between these two men.

John did not enter the tomb, believing by sight alone. Peter, however, ran inside and had to handle the grave clothes. It's possible John's easy faith was well-beloved by Jesus. He did not need "evidence" to believe. It was John who was given the Revelation on the Isle of Patmos in his old age, and John alone who was allowed to die a natural death out of Christ's twelve original disciples.

Indeed, Peter was more bombastic, standing before the Pharisees and the High Priest Caiaphas in the book of Acts, accusing them to their face of crucifying their Messiah. That took great faith and great courage. But John was always with him, and I think Peter likewise had a soft spot for John the Apostle.

There is great evidence from Scripture that Christ favored the Apostle John over and above any of His other friends, including Peter. Yes, brethren, I believe John was our Lord's closest friend. Let us pray to love Jesus as John loved Him, whole-heartedly, not ashamed to lean upon Him, not afraid to learn of Him, to ask Him questions, to follow Him, to be seen with Him, not afraid to stand in boldness before the cross, not ashamed to claim Christ as his Lord and Messiah, faithful to the very end of his life.

The Apostle John was given the greatest privilege any Apostle had ever been given - the Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. What glorious friendship did they share for Christ to bestow this magnificent honor? How great was their love for one another that our Lord allowed John a long life? How unshakable was John's faith in his God? How devoted was John's love for Christ? All-consuming, that's what I believe.

That is what we should strive to obtain, Church.

O, Lord Jesus, help us to love You as John loved You. Give us tender hearts, ignite our love for You to blaze forth, help us to be bold, allow us a great and mighty faith, and grant us the glory of being one of Your closest friends, seeking You in faithfulness for the rest of our days.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Six

Welcome to the sixth and final week of my six-week series on the Preeminence of Christ! For those who have been following along, thank you for reading, and I hope these studies have touched your life and your relationship with Christ for the better. Eternal life is knowing the truth of our great and glorious God, and the Lord Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:3). 

Lord Jesus, it is my prayer that You have moved mightily through this study to reach those who otherwise would not be reached, all over the world. And may they know it was by Your power and Holy Spirit that they have come to sit at Your feet and learn of You. Thank You for everything You give us, and for every opportunity to praise Your great name!

To You be the glory forever! AMEN!

The Preeminence of Christ - Week One

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Two

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Three

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Four

The Preeminence of Christ - Week Five

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST – Week Six – Colossians 1:20 

By: Becka Goings

Colossians 1:15-20:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

~*~*~ 

“and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
~~Colossians 1:20

I want to start this final study by looking back at last week’s verse, because it’s tied to this one. These two verses together tell us of God’s plan to redeem not only humanity, but the whole of creation. We’ll go into more depth regarding verse 20 in a bit, but I think it’s important to read them both together to get a fuller picture of what God has accomplished through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here are the two verses together:

“For in him 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.” ~~Colossians 1:19-20

Notice the underlined words, ‘in him’, ‘through him’, and ‘to himself’. We know from last week’s study that Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit with all the fullness of God. The Spirit was not upon Him as He was with people in the Old Testament, rather, the Holy Spirit was in Him. This is not an indwelling of the Holy Spirit as we have received, no, this is Christ, the Son of God, united with the Holy Spirit in His deity. Because all the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell in Him, God was able, through Him, to reconcile to Himself all things.

It sounds confusing, but notice how the entire Trinity is present here. The fullness of God in the Holy Spirit is in Christ, so that through the Son, God the Father is able to reconcile all things to Himself. This is a beautiful display of the union of the Godhead. The Father wills and decrees redemption, the Son does the work of redemption, and the Spirit applies redemption to His children. There isn’t a member of the Trinity who isn’t present and active in our redemption unto God.

Notice also the mystery of this phrase, “and though him to reconcile to himself all things”. Christ wasn’t merely a man that God indwelt as we are indwelt; the Apostle Paul pens this phrase as reflexive upon itself, as if one were to say, “I did the dishes myself.” We’d get the idea if they merely said, “I did the dishes” But the fact that “myself” is added means it’s a reflexive pronoun that I alone did the dishes. Another example would be, “She made herself dinner.” Reflexive pronouns causes the verb to reflect back on the subject. In other words, “to himself” at the end of our phrase reflects back upon the “through him” previously in the same phrase. This connects both “him” and “himself” as being the same Person. Therefore, the subject of the phrase is the same as the object of the verb ‘reconcile’. This reflexive pronoun refers both to Christ and to God in the same breath: “and through him to reconcile to himself all things”. Here is a nerdy linguistic way of proving our Lord Jesus Christ as God!

Colossians 1:20 also hearkens back to Colossians 1:16, where Paul writes, “all things were created through him and for him.” God created all things through Him, and also, through Him, reconciled all things to Himself. Christ has redeemed the very creation He created. Only the One who created it could be the One who would know how to redeem it. This is, in essence, a re-creation, whereby God, through Christ, is making all things new.

However, the work of redemption was much more costly and painful for God than creation itself. At the moment of creation, God spoke, and all things came to be. Yet at the moment of redemption, the wages of sin had to be paid. God Himself had to step into our flesh, live our life, sweat, bleed, and die on our behalf. As the Puritan Thomas Watson said in his famous book, Body of Divinity:

“It cost more to redeem us than to create us. In the creation there was but ‘speaking a word,’ (Ps. 148:5). In the redeeming us, there was shedding of blood (1 Pet.1:19). The creation was the work of God’s fingers (Ps. 8:3); redemption was the work of His arm (Isaiah 53:1, John 12:38).” 

Let’s take a look at why we needed no less than God Himself to redeem us. In Genesis 3, we read of Adam and Eve and the Fall of humanity. God had given Adam one law: “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” ~~Genesis 3:3. But along came the serpent and deceived Eve, telling her she would not surely die (Genesis 3:4). The serpent convinced her that God was holding back wisdom, the knowledge of good and evil, and that she wouldn’t surely die. Sure enough, she did not die in the moment when she touched and ate it. She even offered some to Adam (Genesis 3:8), who did nothing, by the way. He allowed the serpent to deceive his wife and decided to disobey God on his own. 

What neither of them understood was that they had died upon touching and eating the fruit. They died spiritually. They could no longer walk with God in the Garden – they hid from His presence. When God found them, He knew what had happened, and cursed all three of them, Adam, Eve, and the serpent. Interestingly enough, God curses the serpent first, and in Genesis 3:15, before He curses the man and woman, He gives the first prophecy of Messiah, the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head. In essence, God told Satan immediately that even though God’s holy justice against sin demanded a curse upon His creation, Satan’s mischief would not prevail, and he would be crushed. This is also a bastion of hope for Adam and Eve, to hear from God’s own mouth that one of their children would crush that lying, evil serpent once and for all.

God then curses the woman, increasing her pain in childbirth, and making her desire contrary to her husband, with his rule being over her. Many women still rail against this curse, but submission to our husbands is God’s created order. However there is grace even in this, sisters, for in Christ, we are able to submit with a grateful and thankful heart, as Christ submitted Himself to His Father. 

Then, God turns to Adam. God had given Adam and Eve dominion over the whole of His creation in Genesis 1:28. Because Adam had listened to Eve, fallen into sin, and essentially had cursed himself, God curses creation as the consequence. A corrupted king cannot rule a perfect creation, thus creation itself became corrupted. Adam and Eve would still have dominion, but they would have to work by the sweat of their brow to have any food or shelter for themselves. Now, not only would Adam and Eve eventually die, so, too would everything else. Before this moment, death did not exist. Because all of us are offspring of Adam and Eve, we have all inherited this nature of sin. None of us are exempt; we are all conceived and born in sin (Psalm 51:5).

Scripture calls us dead in our trespasses and sins in Ephesians 2:1 & 5. Not only could we no longer come into the presence of God, our bodies would now truly die, as the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Since everyone sins, everyone dies. And because everyone sins, no one can come into God’s presence. Therefore, everyone who dies would die apart from God.

But God did not leave humanity without hope, and all throughout the Old Testament, He prophesied the coming of Messiah, who would bear our sins upon His own shoulders (Isaiah 53:5). The Apostle Paul calls Christ the “last Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:45, meaning, what Adam had failed to do – live righteously unto God – Christ triumphed over mightily. He writes this in Romans 5:15-17:

“But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” 

I want you to notice what I’ve underlined in this passage. Humanity, billions and billions of us from the dawn of time, have been cursed by Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Many died through one man’s trespass. One single sin. Just one. One sin doomed the entire human race. Wrap your head around this for a moment. One sin is enough to damn us to Hell for all eternity. Think of your own life. How many sins have you committed in all your years? How many Hells do you deserve?

Now notice what Paul goes on to say. The grace of the one man Jesus Christ has abounded for many. The free gift is NOT like the trespass. It is much, much greater. If one single sin brought damnation, the free gift of grace covers a multitude of sins and has brought justification. Can you grasp how mind-blowing this is? We are lost upon the judgment of one sin. But we are found upon the abounding grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has covered our entire lifetime of sins!

Our text in Colossians 1:20 says that Christ reconciles all things to Himself, and that ‘all things’ refers to things both on earth and in Heaven, and this peace is made by the blood of His cross. Being without sin, He was the perfect sacrifice for sin, and the only way for which sin could be atoned. The book of Leviticus lays out very specific laws and ceremonies concerning the sacrificing of animals to pay for sin. These priests would have to time and again sacrifice rams, bulls, lambs, goats, pigeons, and doves, and their work was never done. As one continues in life, one continues in sin, therefore every day offerings were made unto God, shedding the blood of animals without blemish as substitutes for sinners. Even in this gruesome depiction of the cost of our sin, there is grace from our Lord. Those who had sinned and offered an animal in their place were forgiven their sin and restored. But these sacrifices were only temporary, and the people kept the priests quite busy.

Not only was this bloody, this was costly, as it’s no little thing to bring a spotless animal from your herd to the priest. There’s a breeding time, a gestation period, a time when the animal has to grow from a baby, and an inspection that must happen to make sure it is without blemish before it is offered up to God. These animals were essential to life, as beasts of burden, suppliers of milk, and meat for their tables. Therefore to offer one of these beasts for sin would have been a great expense for many. And in this, again, there is grace from our God, as He provided a way for the poor to atone. The poor did not have bulls, but they could bring a goat or a lamb. If they did not have those animals, they could offer pigeons or turtle doves. If they could not bring any birds, they could bring an offering of fine flour. Every one of these sacrifices the Lord accepted, depending on their status in life (Leviticus 5).

I believe the Lord wanted atonement to be costly, considering the cost He was to pay in His Son. He wanted the people to feel the sting of it, to be repulsed by it, to realize how grievous it is to sin against so holy a God. Killing these animals was ghastly. Their blood needed to pour out around the altar. Their fat and organs were also burned on the altar while the rest of the animal was cut up and burned outside the camp. But again, God is gracious in this, for it is by the sacrifices of the people that the priests had food.

This never-ending work of atonement was finally and forever finished in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our High Priest (Hebrews 2:17), and Hebrews 1:3 and Hebrews 10:12 both say that after making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. He is seated in the heavenly places according to Ephesians 1:20. There is no more work to do, Christ has done it all. Through Him, God has reconciled all things to Himself.

Now, the cross of Christ is where we are redeemed and made righteous in Him. We are told in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that He was made sin who knew no sin. This is the Great Exchange, that Christ would take our sin so that we would possess His righteousness. He is the only sinless man to ever live, and because of that, death has no hold on Him. Remember, death is the wage of sin. If He had no sin, it would not be just for Him to die. But in becoming our substitute and having our sins laid upon Him, He willingly became the perfect, unblemished sacrifice and humbled Himself to death (Philippians 2:8). Because our sins were in Him when He died, our sins are now dead forever. Because He rose again, He proved death could not keep Him in the tomb, and those of us who are in Him shall be raised one day as well. If our sins died with Christ, then likewise death has no hold on us either. Upon Christ’s return, His entire church shall be resurrected and glorified in the blink of an eye, to ever be with the Lord.

Where Christ is seated, we are seated also, as Ephesians 2:6 says He has raised us up with Him and are seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. There is no more work for Christ to accomplish, and in Christ, there is no work for us to do for righteousness. Christ has not only restored humanity and crushed the serpent’s head, He has given humanity an amazing, magnificent glory. He has elevated us high above Adam and Eve’s estate by uniting our lives with His Life, therefore ensuring that those who are His children will one day be like Him and see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). Did you know there are angels in Heaven who cannot even look upon the Lord of Glory? In Isaiah’s famous vision of Isaiah 6, verse 2 tells us the seraphim surrounding God’s Throne each had six wings, two covered their faces, two covered their feet, and two they used to fly. Yet we, who are made of lowly dust, will be glorified in such a way that we will be able to see Him as He is. These angels must marvel at this – that Christ On High has united Himself with us forever! We will be able to see the very One they magnify by crying out day and night, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!”

Not only that, hear what Christ Himself says to us in Revelation 3:21:

“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” 

Let’s take a moment and soak that in. We who are in Christ will not only see Him as He is, we will be seated with Him upon His Throne. The words in Ephesians 2:6 are not figurative, they are not some mystical imaginings of the Apostle Paul simply because we are “in Christ” and HE sits there. Our Lord says quite specifically and deliberately that He will grant us to sit with Him on His Throne.

This does not mean we become as God or even little gods, rather, we are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), and what He inherits, we inherit. Remember, we are united with Him by the power of His Holy Spirit through His death and resurrection. He is the Head of the Body, which is the church, and where the Head goes, the Body follows. He has already shown us in Genesis that by giving Adam dominion over His earth, He is willing to share His reign with humanity. And this, I believe, is the fullness of our inheritance in Christ. We will be elevated high above the angels to know God in a way no other being before us ever could. We shall never come close to the glory that belongs solely to God, but we will be the closest we can ever come to deity by our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. He will forever remain the Mediator between God and man, and because He Himself was made a man, He has therefore made a way for His children to rule and reign with Him forever.

The cross has also accomplished the redemption of all creation. Now that those in Christ shall one day stand before Him in perfection upon their glorification, no longer can we have dominion over a fallen creation. In the book of Revelation, Christ shall make a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1), thus lifting forever the curse He placed upon creation when Adam fell. Death is the final enemy defeated (1 Corinthians 15:26, 54-55) and, praise the Lord, it shall be no more (Revelation 21:4).

Therefore we come to see how the cross of Christ was the most pivotal event to ever happen in all of human history. Through His cross, He has redeemed for Himself a people who shall one day be glorified to rule and reign with Him. Through His cross, He has also purchased redemption for creation, which is why the Apostle Paul says creation groans in Romans 8:20-23:

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” 

In order to lift the curse on humanity, Christ had to became a curse for us. In Galatians 3:13-14, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 21:23:

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” 

Christ became the curse, and then killed the curse in His body. The Apostle Paul says it this way in Colossians 2:13-15:

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” 

The mention of the “uncircumcision” in this text refers to the Gentile believers. That’s how Paul usually differentiated between Jews and Gentiles – circumcision or uncircumcision. But notice what this passage is saying. We who were dead in our trespasses and sins were made alive together with Christ. How was this done? By canceling the curse, nailing the record of all our sins to the cross. When Romans crucified criminals, they wrote their crimes above their heads so that all who walked by could see and know what they were dying for. Our Lord famously had “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” written on the board above His head in Aramaic, Greek, and Latin (John 19:19-20).

But Paul says our record of debt was nailed to the cross. In essence, as Christ hung there, God placed the record of all our lifetime of sins on Him as if He had committed them. When Jesus died, so too did this debt and we were made free. Christ brought open shame upon Satan and his demons, by uniting Himself together with His Bride, and thus giving her life in His name.

This is how peace can be had between Heaven and earth. Ephesians 2:14 says He Himself is our peace and He has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility. Those who believe on Christ will never face the wrath of God. Jesus has already borne it for them and has given them freedom to enter into His Kingdom with thanksgiving and praise.

What a magnificent God we serve! How can we come to understand all that God has accomplished in Christ and not fall at His feet as though dead? How can we live our lives without giving praise to the One who has defeated sin, death, and creation’s curse? How can we not desperately yearn for His coming and the redemption of our bodies, the completion of our salvation? This glorious Christ has made a way to Heaven more wonderful than the way of Adam. We do not get to Heaven on a righteousness of our own, but on the righteousness of Christ. This is the only way. Why? Because eternal life cannot be had apart from Christ. Eternal life is not something God bestows from On High as if tossing candies into a crowd, eternal life is union with Christ which allows us to partake in His eternal life. Therefore, eternal life is quite intimate and personal with our Lord Jesus. Our fates shall forever be tied with His, and, beloved, we have a marvelous future!

It is only the sons and daughters of Christ who shall have this peace with God. Those who no longer have the record of debt standing against them shall be the only ones left standing at Judgment. Peace with God can only be had through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

With these wondrous truths in mind, it is with one voice we can lift our eyes to Heaven and say with bold and Spirit-filled confidence, “Amen! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

Yes, Lord. Come quickly and whisk us off to Glory. Amen and Amen.

STUDY QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 

1. True or False? All three members of the Trinity are present and active in our redemption unto God.



2. God created all things _________ _______, and also, _________ _______, reconciled all things to Himself.



3. Who did God curse first in the Garden of Eden?




4. True or False? It takes many sins to be condemned by God.




5. Eternal life is _______ with Christ which allows us to partake in His eternal life.

Questions for Personal Reflection 

Have you ever thought about the fact the entire Trinity is involved in salvation - The Father wills and decrees redemption, the Son does the work of redemption, and the Spirit applies redemption to His children?




God On High spoke a word and the vast expanse of this universe was spun into being. Yet in order to make a sinner a saint, the Lord of Life had to shed His blood and die. Have you ever thought long on the glorious love of God to go through such suffering, pain, and death on behalf of His children?




Did you ever think that our being “seated with Christ in heavenly places” was merely mystical or figurative language rather than a reality?




How will the knowledge that He shall truly allow us to sit with Him on His throne shape your view of your future in Glory with Christ?




Looking back throughout the course of these studies on the Preeminence of Christ, how has beholding God’s glory in our Lord Jesus Christ grown your relationship with Him?

Colossians 1:20 – Session Six – Song Playlist: 

• Victor’s Crown (Live Radio Version) – Darlene Zschech – Worship Anthems Inspired by A.D. The Bible Continues Album 

• Until My Voice is Gone (Live) – Travis Ryan – You Hold It All (Live) Album 

• He is Exalted – Twila Paris – The Millennium Collection The Best of Twila Paris Album 

• Mighty and Glorious – Paul Wilbur – Your Great Name Album 

• O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus – The Enfield Hymn Sessions – Resolved Music, Vol. 1 Album 

• In Christ Alone – Keith & Kristyn Getty – Live at the Gospel Coalition Album 

• All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name Live – Keith & Kristyn Getty – Live at the Gospel Coalition Album 

Scripture References for Further Study: 

1.) Colossians 1:19-20
2.) Colossians 1:16
3.) Psalm 148:5
4.) 1 Peter 1:19
5.) Psalm 8:3
6.) Isaiah 53:1
7.) John 12:38
8.) Genesis 3:3-4
9.) Genesis 3:8
10.) Genesis 3:15
11.) Genesis 1:28
12.) Psalm 51:5
13.) Ephesians 2:1, 5
14.) Romans 6:23
15.) Hebrews 9:22
16.) Isaiah 53:5
17.) 1 Corinthians 15:45
18.) Romans 5:15-17
19.) Leviticus 5
20.) Hebrews 2:17
21.) Hebrews 1:3
22.) Hebrews 10:12
23.) Ephesians 1:20
24.) 2 Corinthians 5:21
25.) Philippians 2:8
26.) Ephesians 2:6
27.) 1 John 3:2
28.) Isaiah 6:2
29.) Revelation 3:21
30.) Romans 8:17
31.) Revelation 21:1
32.) 1 Corinthians 15:26, 54-55
33.) Revelation 21:4
34.) Romans 8:20-23
35.) Galatians 3:13-14
36.) Deuteronomy 21:23
37.) Colossians 2:13-15
38.) John 19:19-20
39.) Ephesians 2:14
40.) John 14:6