Peace With God

SCRIPTURE: For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20 NIV

THOUGHT: Why was it so important for God to reconcile everything on earth and everything in heaven to himself? I mean, reconcile is a word with implications. The decision could have been to judge, destroy, terminate – even re-create. But reconcile was God’s longing. To settle, reunite, resolve to a relationship free of conflicts, inconsistencies, or differences. How could God, being holy, ever hope for that with us? It is truly like trying to mix oil and water. And why would he desire it? Only a miracle could make it so, and Jesus was that miracle. Forgive the crazy metaphor, but sometimes I see Jesus as a funnel – narrowing down all the fullness of God into a human body, then turning the funnel upside down and by reverse gravity, somehow absorbing up all the sin of all time into that body, then pouring out his own life to cover it all – a sacrifice God could accept.

But why was it so important to God to reconcile with us?

I think the short answer is that our Triune God loves us. And he loves peace (see 9 verses about the God of peace). God loves peace enough that being constantly at war over the sin problem needed a solution. The sacrificial system of taking care of sin became a stench in his nostrils (Amos 5:21-22 NIV). But the night Jesus was born, the angels announced a profound message, “peace on earth.” God was making everlasting peace with those who could not and would not make peace with him. It was a one-sided agreement – he took the blame and shame and brokenness, we got the justification, and life, and peace treaty.

Jesus, called the “Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6),” also blessed the peacemakers, saying “they will be called children of God (Matt. 5:9).” God wants us to love him, and love peace as much as he does.

Paul wrapped it up like this: Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1 AMP).

That’s something to celebrate.

PRAYER: Thank you God for a peace treaty and all its implications. If only we accept the sacrifice of Jesus, we have the kind of reconciliation people in this world only dream about: a war, miraculously resolved to a relationship free of conflicts, inconsistencies, and differences.