But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Colossians 1:22
Yesterday, we sat the reality of the human condition before Christ. In Colossians 1:21, Paul began by writing, “Once you were…” Today, we come to the very next verse and we see hope come rushing in like the morning sunrise as our stories pivot on the work of Jesus. Verse 22 begins with the incredible words, “But now…” While verse 21 describes life before Christ, verse 22 proclaims the reconciliation available because of Christ. Every Christ follower’s story has one major pivot point where death is put to death through the work of Christ on the cross and true life begins.
Two simple words have the power to radically change our lives. “But now…” changes everything. When the enemy points to the mistakes and baggage of your past he makes a subtle change in the tenses when he whispers, “you are” instead of “once you were.” The enemy’s goal is to convince us that we are defined by our sin, but Jesus invites us to be defined by the reality of what he made possible. “But now” makes the following statements true. Check it out.
But now…
- “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” — Romans 8:1
- “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” — Romans 8:37
- “He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 15:57
- “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” — 1 Peter 2:9
- “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17
The beauty of these statements is not that they erase our past, but the fact that they demonstrate the incredible work of Jesus that redeems our past for his glory so that we can proclaim the truth of “But now…”!
Reflection:
1. Which statement has more power in your life today? “Once you were…” of Colossians 1:21 or the “But now…” of Colossians 1:22?
2. Which of the Scriptures above encourages you the most today?
3. How can you remind yourself to live anchored in the truth of “But now…” today?
Pray through the truth of Colossians 2:13-15
13 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, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
