THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S
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“ The hope of the Gospel” is the hope presented in the Gospel, viz., the hope' of Christ’s coming again and of our resurrection and glorification connec ted therewith (cf. Tit. 2:13; Col. 3:4, R. Y .; Phil. 3:20, 21). Those that continue by that hope and are not moved away from it by the allurements of the world or the weakening of faith and thus continue by the faith grounded and steadfast, them and them alone shall God present “ holy and without blemish and unreprovable before Him.” The one who is truly born again and truly has faith will thus continue (1 John 3:9; 5:4; Heb. 10:39, R. V .), but that is not brought forward here. The whole emphasis is upon the / need of continuance on our part. There is a tendency in a certain school of thought to so emphasize the security of the believer as to lose sight entirely of the truth so often emphasized in the Bible, e. g., here, that if one does not con tinue in the faith, if he lies down in sin, he will fail in the end, the Lord Jesus will not present him “ holy and without blemish and unreprovable before Him.” The Colossians had heard the Gospel (from Epaphras, vs. 5, 6). This Gospel was also “ preached in all creation under heaven,” the proclama tion was for the whole world (cf. Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15). Paul does not say it had been preached in every place “ in all creation under heaven,” but fche proclamation of it was in the earth as a whole, “ in all creation under heaven,” a world wide Gospel, and it is our part now to take it to every part and corner of that creation. Joyously does Paul lay emphasis upon the fact that he himself was made a -minister of it, “ whereof I, Paul, was made a minis ter.” MONDAY, Nov. 18th. Col. 1:24. Paul turns liere from the preeminent and unapproachable glory of Christ and His work for- God’s purpose concerning the church, to his own sufferings for that church. He says, “ Now (i. e., at this present moment, in view of the glory of Christ and His purpose con cerning the church), I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” (cf. Eph. 3: 1-13; Phil. 2:17, 18). Paul’s suffer ings were very great and at the time of writing he was in the deepest of them, but he rejoiced in them because they were for the sake of the church which
God. This hostility is not merely in outward acts but in the attitude of the “ mind” that lies back of specific acts. The sphere of this enmity was “ in your evil works.” But while m this state of enmity God had reconciled them to Himself (cf. Eph. 2:1, 4, 5; Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:19). God had effected this reconciliation “ in the body of His (i. e. Christ’s) flesh through death (literally, through the death)” (cf. Rom. 5:10). Christ’s atoning death upon the cross' reconciled all those who were sinners but who accepted the atonement, to God. The cross put away the enmity between God and the sinner (2 Cor. 5:18-21). Not the example of Christ but His propitiatory death effected this reconciliation (cf. Rom. 3:25, 26; 1 John 2 :2 ). The expression which the Holy Spirit here leads Paul to use emphasizes the reality of Christ’s body and the reality of His death, “ the body of His flesh through death.” The Holy Spirit has anticipated the vagaries and gross errors of “ Christian Science” with its denial of the reality of Christ’s body and the reality of flis atoning death (cf. also 1 John 4 :2). The purpose of this reconciliation of sinners to God in the body of Christ’s flesh through death was to “ present” them “ holy, and with out blemish and unreprovable before Him" (cf. Eph. 5:25-27). The purpose and final outcome of atonement and reconciliation is perfect sanctification. On the other hand, sanctification is only possible on the basis of atonement and reconciliation. To preach experimental sanctification to men and women before they are clear upon atonement a,nd reconciliation through the atoning blood of Christ is futjle. The presenta tion of the reconciled sinner “ holy and without blemish and unreprovable before Him” will be at the coming of Christ (cf. 1 Thess. 5:23, R. V.; 3:13; Jude 24). While this atoning and reconciling work has already been accomplished by Jesus Christ in His death' on the cross and while we can add nothing to it, there is a condition for us to fulfill if we are to be thus presented “ holy and without blemish and unreprovable in His sight.” That condition is that we on our part “ con tinue in the faith (or abide by the faith) grounded (i. e., literally built upon a foundation, viz., the foundation of faith, cf. Eph. 3:17, where the foun dation is “ love” ), and steadfast (i. e., settled in purpose), and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel.”
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