Some Special Words - Pt 6

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:15-23 ESV).

Of all the words used to describe the process of our new standing in Christ our word today may be one of the most complex. It is “reconciliation.” The Greek word is ἀποκατήλλαξεν, pronounced “apokatēllaxen.” Strong’s uses the word in the context of “I reconcile, change from one state of feeling to another.” Let me see if I can illustrate with a common story about two fictional characters named John and Mary. They were both exhausted. They had been yelling at each other for an hour, but no true communication had taken place. Both were angry; neither of them at this point wanted to be near the other. And it had happened so often lately they simply didn’t know if they could go any further with one another. Divorce seemed imminent. They were hopeless. What this young married couple needed was to have someone to sit down with them, encourage them to truly listen to each other, figure out how to forgive each other, learn to give and take, and be reconciled to each other. It wouldn’t be easy; reconciliation requires hard work. That often is the task I take up in my marriage counseling. By the time most people get to a counselor, the situation is dire and seemingly impossible to “reconcile.” Our spiritual condition is like this without Christ. We have all sinned against God, and he has every reason to be angry with us. We feel uncomfortable to be in his presence. Yet we do want things to be better. We want reconciliation. Well, God has taken the necessary steps, difficult though they were, for us to be reconciled to him; he has done so through Jesus’ death on the cross. What incredible love God has shown in doing that. What seemed impossible is now finished in the cross. Hallelujah! What a Savior!