I n every letter he wrote and in every sermon he preached, except the one on Mars’ Hill in Athens, the Apostle Paul dwelt on Christ’s death in our stead, and on the wonderful benefits that are ours in conse quence of the Saviour’s substitutionary sacrifice on the cross. Some modem preachers and theological writers avoid the subject of Christ’s vicarious death, but Paul evidently rejoiced to speak of the Lord’s finished work upon the cross, and seized every opportunity to do so. In the First Chapter of Colossians, for example, the Apostle says, after describing who the Lord Jesus really is: “ And you, that were sometime [formerly] alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled, in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.” (Col. 1:21-23). Every word of these beauti ful verses is important, and merits our closest atten tion. We must remember as we study what the Apostle has written, that we have here no mere flight of human eloquence, but rather God’s own description of the work of His dear Son, and that He caused these words to be written down by Paul. 1. First of all, Paul describes what we who believe on Christ were before we were reconciled to God by the f inished work of His dear Son: He describes us as being in time past “ alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works.” To be “ alienated,” is to be shut out from all fellowship and intimacy with God. Before we who now believe on Christ had received Him as our Saviour, we were ex cluded from all intimacy with God because of our sins and the guilt that rested upon us. “Alienated,” describes the condition that then existed, from God’s standpoint. He was compelled to shut us out from all fellowship and intimacy with Himself, because of our sinfulness and guilt. If God were to have fellowship with guilty sinners, He would not be a holy God! Those who associate with and harbor and aid guilty criminals instead of turning them over for punishment, are guilty of being what the lawyers call “ accessories after the fact.” If the President were to entertain guilty- thieves and gangsters in the White House, he would be doing wrong and would not deserve the respect of good men. Therefore, God cannot admit into His intimacy guilty sinners, nor bestow His favors upon them, nor accord them the privilege of son- ship. Until we who now believe, received Christ as our Saviour, we were guilty, and hence “ alienated” from God. The fence of fine linen around the Tabernacle in Old Testament times symbolized the alienation of guilty sinners from God. The only way through that fence was by a gate of blue, purple, scarlet and white, typifying Christ. Before we who believe on Christ were reconciled to God, we were also “ enemies,” in our mind by reason of “ wicked works.” The word “ enemies,” describes the situation from our point of view. W e were hostile to God because we had failed to measure up to His requirements, and stood condemned by His laws. We viewed Him, whether we admitted the fact to ourselves or not, as those who owe what they cannot pay. The popular idea that the unsaved are earnestly seeking after God is not true. The unsaved sinner is an enemy of God, the God of the Bible, by reason of wicked works and wants to have as little to do with Him as possible! He may tolerate a god, but it is not the God of the Bible. 2. Secondly, Paul declares that all of us who believe
TheTorch o f Truth by Dr. John H . M cCom b Pastor, Northwest Presbyterian Church, Dallas. Texas
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