by Rev. Neil MacIntyre
(Preached at Portree Communion on Monday 9th August 1937)
“And you, that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.” (Colossians 1: 21)
This is one of the Epistles which Paul wrote when he was a prisoner in Rome — that was his first imprisonment, and he was there for two years. We find that the Word of God was not bound although Paul was a bound prisoner. He wrote no less than four epistles from Rome in these two years, so that it might be said that these two years of his life were more profitable to the Church of God to the end of time than any other two years in his life. Now, evidently, the Apostle Paul was not the means nor the instrument in the hand of God to bring the Gospel to Colosse. It was apparently through this other man Epaphras that the gospel was brought to Colosse. Paul was concerned about their welfare and prosperity and he writes them warning them against evil notwithstanding all that the gospel had done. Now he reminds them of all God did for them, and he says that He delivered them from the power of darkness, and translated them into the kingdom of His dear Son. What an unspeakable blessing that was to them, and to every sinner on whom God will bestow that blessing. He also made them partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. He was preparing them for what was waiting them in eternity.
In coming to the text, we notice that there are at least four things that we might just refer to briefly:—
- He reminds them of what they were, their past state and condition — that they were alienated and enemies in their minds by wicked works.
- He reminds them of their present condition — “Yet now hath he reconciled”, and he points out the meritorious cause of their reconciliation — “In the body of his flesh through death”.
- Their future state, and that is that they are to be presented holy and unblameable and unreproueable in His sight, and it is difficult for them to understand what it is to be in that wonderful state — holy and unblameable and unreproueable in His sight.
- In the last place, we have what we might call the conditions on which they may expect that these blessings will be bestowed on them. He lays down this condition—“If ye continue in the faith”. There is not a bigger or more important word than the word “if” in the English language. “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 which is under heaven.”
Their Former Condition
First, a word or two on their former condition. He mentions two things concerning their former state and condition, which is the condition of every Christless sinner here today — alienated and enemies in their mind by wicked works. Now, let us point out in a word or two what we are to understand by being alienated. We have many aliens in this country. An alien is one who does not belong to the country in which he is, and who is not entitled to the privileges and blessings of the country in which he is. We have a great many in Edinburgh, but they are not entitled to the privileges of Edinburgh. Man is an alien and does not belong to the Kingdom of God. He belongs to the kingdom of darkness. If we are in the kingdom of darkness we are not entitled to the privileges and blessings of the kingdom of God. You see, my friends, we lost all claim to the mercies of God, both temporal and spiritual. The late Mr McColl of Lochalsh used to say that God was giving the mercies of this life to the wicked as you would throw a bone to a dog. We lost our claim to temporal mercies. We cannot claim even a drop of cold water because we are aliens to God. God would have been just had He left us in this miserable condition in which we were. That is your own condition by nature also. An alien means to be estranged in his mind to a fellow-creature. If you had a quarrel with another there would be two things true of you — you would not wish to meet that person, and not only that you would not wish to meet him, but you would not wish to speak to him. These two things are true of being alienated, and that is especially true concerning man who is an alien to God, and he does not wish to meet Him. When God came down in the cool of the day to Adam and Eve they fled to hide themselves among the bushes in the garden — they did not wish to meet Him because they were now aliens. I often think this — with the hubbub and rush that is in the world today we have no time to think of anything that is profitable for our eternal salvation. We must go by cars to cinemas and other entertainments. I have no doubt that the devil is using cars to keep people in a hubbub so that they will have not time to think about serious matters at all. We find also this, that at the Great Day, men will prefer that the mountains and the hills will fall on them and hide them from the face of Him that is sitting on the Great White Throne. They would rather that the Coolins would fall on them and hide them from the face of God. There is nothing more terrifying to the wicked than to think that they have to meet God. Not only that you would not like to meet the person with whom you had a quarrel, but you would not wish to speak to him. The sinner does not wish to speak to God — see you how men will shun spending five minutes on their knees. Very likely you are here today, and I put it to your conscience, did you spend five minutes on your knees to see if God would bless His means of grace to you? You may do that, and whenever the duty is over you are thankful that it is over. We have no desire to converse with God, nor to speak to Him, or to search His word because we are aliens. Now, let us notice the second step in their condition, and that is worse than the first. I
think that it is even worse to think that we were enemies in our minds by wicked works. You will notice where the fountain of this wickedness was — it was in their minds, and it is what was in their minds that came out and revealed itself in wicked works. The nature that was within showed itself outwardly. We can only judge men and women by their outward conduct. You see, God does not judge us by our outward conduct — He searches the heart and tries the reins of the children of men. It is to the thoughts and intents of the heart that He looks. Now, it is inwardly that the fountain of corruption and enmity is. That is what David found out — his prayer was — “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Now I would mention this — where does this enmity show itself, or to whom does it show itself? The Apostle means that it shows itself against God. How was this enmity in their minds, and how did it show itself in wicked works now? In the first place it showed itself in their enmity to God’s being. Sin aims at the very being of God, and the aim of man is to put God off His throne and out of existence so far as he can. Not only that they show their enmity to His being, but they show their enmity to His justice. How? It is done in this way — how men find fault with God for sending men to hell. They say God is a cruel God. One of the most blasphemous statements that we ever read was made by a Principal in the Established Church — he said that he would never submit to a God that would send people to hell. He has gone to eternity since then. They are enemies to the decrees of God — they find fault with God for choosing some and passing over others. “What right has God to elect?” they say, and “If you preach the doctrine of election you will empty your church.” They are enemies to His law — “the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”. They are enemies to God as God, and they are enemies to Christ who came to seek and to save that which was lost, and if you take His whole history in the world since He came down from the bosom of the Father, what reception did He get? He went about doing good, healing all manner of diseases, raising the dead and awakening sinners and inviting them to come to Himself that they might have life, but they received Him not, and hated Him without a cause. They spat on His face and nailed His holy body to the tree, crucifying Him between two thieves on Calvary. That was the reception that the Saviour got from sinners. They were enemies in their minds by wicked works. You are the same and so am I by nature. Do not think that those who actually put Christ to death on Calvary were worse than you are or than I am. He formed the hearts of men alike, and there is no difference between one sinner and another as he is by nature, and if you are being kept from gross and immoral sins, you ought to thank God that He has given you a measure of restraining grace, as it is nothing else. Now my friends, we are enemies to Christ as we trample upon the Son of God, and count as an unclean thing the blood of the everlasting covenant. We are crucifying the Son of God afresh in the gospel, and that
is the sin we are guilty of. But you say — “We cannot believe of ourselves.” Do not put the fault of your inability under your head — that you have not got the will. It will be a great matter for you when you realise that you have not got the will nor the power. None can teach you these two lessons but the Holy Spirit. We are enemies, not only to God the Father and God the Son, but also to God the Holy Spirit. How? When we trample upon His strivings. You must admit, every one of you here today, that there was a day in your life, when the Holy Spirit was striving with you, whether you realised it or not. He was bringing home to your conscience the needs of your immortal soul, and the awfulness of being lost. You trampled upon these strivings and you had better take care. There was a man on his deathbed, and a godly man went to see him. The godly man said he would pray for him, but he replied — “No, if I had the power of my legs I would take you to the very spot where the Spirit gave the last knock at my door.” We ought to take care that we will not trample upon the strivings of His Holy Spirit. We also show our enmity to His Word — we take up any other book instead of the Word of God. That is the condition of every sinner here today by nature.
Their Present Condition and the Meritorious Cause of Reconciliation
Secondly, let us notice their present condition — “yet now hath He reconciled”, and he gives the meritorious cause of this reconciliation. It took place in the body of His flesh, through death. That is the meritorious cause of this reconciliation. We have two things there — He had a true body and a reasonable soul. It shows this clearly. Before this reconciliation could take place perfect and holy obedience would have to be given to the law. The law would never allow a sinner to be reconciled to God until perfect obedience would be given. The law would not accept obedience but in the very nature in which it was transgressed. Supposing that Christ came as God absolute, that is without having a human nature, I believe this, that the law would not accept the obedience of Christ as God absolute. The law would say to Christ, it is not God that transgressed the law, but it is in the very nature in which it was dishonoured and transgressed that I must be honoured and fulfilled — “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.” He took our nature in order that He might fulfil the law in our place. Let us not think that we can ever be reconciled to God but where the law is honoured. The Second Person assumed our nature, was born of a woman, and now made under the law, and because He was a divine person, it was not the obedience of a nature that was given. He exalted the law in that He fulfilled it. He exalted it and made it honourable, and therefore Christ’s obedience was greater than that of Adam should he have remained in his original state. There is both here. We have these two things in the body of His flesh. What was the meaning of Christ’s death? It was an atoning sacrifice. I think we might say that His death was more to satisfy justice — His obedience was to satisfy the law. There is a difference between law and justice. His death was an atoning
sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and to reconcile us to God. His death was not only temporal death. Some divines put it this way — “If we are to be lost, we will pass through spiritual death, temporal death and eternal death. Christ reversed the order. He passed through eternal death first, for the cup of trembling that the Father gave Him to drink was nothing less than their hell.” He cried, “It is finished” and bowed His head and gave up the ghost. Justice is satisfied in this reconciliation. That was the meritorious cause of their salvation — Christ’s humiliation, obedience and sufferings — we were hearing about that today already. Now, we come to their reconciliation, and you will see that he says here — “yet now”. Well, I do not think that means their election. They were certainly set apart from all eternity in their election, and they were accepted in the Beloved, and accepted in His death as their surety. That is what the Apostle is referring to here. What are we to understand by it? We are to understand by it — their effectual calling — in the day that He called them effectually, when their sins were forgiven them. That is the chief point in effectual calling — the forgiveness of sins. They were convinced of their sin and misery, but it is not that. You may be a convinced sinner and yet be lost. That is the first step in effectual calling — when they are convinced of their sin and misery. Now, we ought to be careful on this point. We are not to think for one moment that it is in the same measure and same manner and degree that all are convinced of sin. Some go through terrible things, and others know very little about it. The sinner who accepts of Christ, in whatever degree he is convinced, is convinced that he is a sinner. The Word of God says that He came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. There is a conviction of sin in this reconciliation, and we ought to be very careful about that also. Many may be thinking, because they have some qualms of conscience, — “I know that myself”. Well, you may have these things, but that is not conversion. It is “enlightening their minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing their wills” — in closing in with Christ in the gospel as your only Saviour, that is being reconciled, and not until that moment. There is no reconciliation except through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what is in this reconciliation? This little word ‘now’ is a most important word for yourself and myself in Portree today. Can you honestly say, in the presence of God, that you had a ‘now’? Can you go back to a time in your life in which you can say, whatever your fears and doubts may be, — “If I am not terribly deceived, there is a spot where I thought I closed in with Christ in the gospel.” Is there such a time in your experience in which you can say — “If I am not mistaken, I thought there was a moment when I closed in with Christ as my only Saviour.” I believe you will go back there in your doubts and fears. The truth that delivered you first will stick to your mind when all other promises will leave you. Now, I was going to come to this — what was implied in this reconciliation. It is a double reconciliation — it is double in this way, first, God is reconciled to the sinner in the moment the Spirit takes of the things of Christ and applies it to the soul. At that moment
God is reconciled to the sinner, and He has sworn that He will never repent nor be angry with him again—“For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” He is a reconciled God. The difference in the relationship that exists between the sinner under conviction and after he has been reconciled, is, (it struck me in this way) that before he is reconciled God deals with him as a judge. When the sinner is regenerated or born again, He does not, as it were, deal with him as a judge to condemn him, but He deals with him as a father, and he has received the spirit of adoption. We do not use the term — “Our Heavenly Father” as we do not like it, but you will find men using it whom God will never acknowledge as His children. Rory Mhor used to say that there was an illegitimate child near their house and one day when he was going home he came to the top of the brae, and she along with his own children came running along shouting ‘father, father,’ and so the hypocrite may call God his father but it is to be feared that there are multitudes that God will never accept as His children. At the same time it is not wrong to hear the child of God saying it. He is reconciled to them and deals with them as a Father. He will chastise them for their sins, — “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” God will chastise them if they walk not in his ways. He also says that He will not take His love from Him. From Him? What does that mean? Because they are reconciled to God in Christ they are in Him, and it is through Him they are accepted in the Beloved. While He does not take His love from Him, He will not take His love from them. On the other hand there is a reconciliation on the side of the sinner in this respect. Before, they were enemies to God — they would not submit to the righteousness of God, but went about to establish their own righteousness. Now, they are reconciled to God, and to all that He is, and all that He does. Reconciled to the way of salvation, to His Word and to His providence. They are reconciled to Him, and fully acquiesce in God’s way of salvation — “This is all my salvation and all my desire”.
Their Future State
In the third place, let us notice a word or two about their future state, which is, that they are to be presented holy, and unblameable and unreproueable in His sight. It is difficult to enter into this, but he says three things about this — that they are to be presented holy, and unblameable and unreproueable in His sight. Now it is one of the most difficult things for the child of God to understand how he can be holy, when he finds such corruption within himself. Justification is an act, and there is no progression in justification. Supposing one of the saints in heaven would come to this house today, those who are sitting here justified would be as justified as they, but not as sanctified. They have to be made holy. I remember that wonderful man, Mr Popham, saying to me — “How I wish I would get to that state when I would not sin against my God.” I said, “You are not very far from that state”, and neither he was. The
sincerity of that man was evident when he longed for that state in which he would not sin against his God. Christ is to present them holy, and you would never know that they sinned at all. How are you to be holy, unblameable and unreproveable? God has to reprove them and chastise them in this world, but He will not see anything blameworthy or any cause of reproof in them throughout eternity. They are holy then. The devil will tempt them in many ways here, but they are to be presented before Him beyond the power of devils and men. No one can enter into the place that He has prepared for them. God will not reprove them then, and as Luther said to Satan, — “Yes, these are my sins, but the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.”
Conditions for Receiving Blessings
Now, in the last place, there is what we might call the conditions on which they may expect that these blessings will be bestowed on them. Paul says, — “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled”. What are we to understand by this little word, “if”? Does he mean that although they were reconciled to God, redeemed to Christ and united to him, that after all if they do not continue in the faith that they may be cast away? It cannot mean that, because all for whom Christ died, and all who are called effectually by His Spirit, cannot possibly fall away. They are redeemed by His blood, elected by God the Father, redeemed by the Son and sanctified by the Spirit, and so it is an absolute impossibility that it can mean that. What now are we to understand by this? This is the way it appealed to me — whatever profession we may make in the world, unless we walk and conduct ourselves according to God’s Word, faith without works is dead, and it does not matter what profession or name we may have in the world, unless we walk circumspectly God will not accept us. It is by their fruit they are known, and we have no reason to think that we have been reconciled to God if we do not walk according to God’s law. There must be fruit.