THE PLEASURE OF THE FATHER
VERSE 19:
“For it pleased {the Father} that in Him should all fullness dwell.”
“For it pleased the Father”
Literally: “Because it was the good pleasure of the {Father}”–In the original Greek text dthe word, “Father” is not seen; in fact, no grammatical subject is expressed.
As the words, ”the Father” are not in the original Greek text, some have translated the verse as: “For in Him it seemed right that all fullness should dwell; that is, that the majesty, power, and goodness of God should be manifested in and by Christ Jesus, and thus by Him the Father reconciles all things to Himself.”
Three possible subjects have been put forth:
1. Christ, all the fullness and the Father
2. To make the fullness the subject, the concept has to be personified.
3. That the Father pleased that these things happen.
FOR: (Grk.-–hoti)–This connective preposition shows that the basis for the preeminence of the Son was the pleasure of the Father.
IT PLEASED: (Grk.-–eudokêsen)–This verb eudokeô is common in the N.T. for the will and pleasure of God (Matt. 3:17; 1Cor. 10:5).
“that in Him should all fullness dwell.”—-That in Him there should be such dignity, authority, power, and moral excellence as to be fitted to the work of creating the world, redeeming His people, and supplying everything needful for their salvation.
FULLNESS: (Grk.-–plēroma)–All the fullness of the Godhead. As a Savior, therefore, Christ has all that is needed to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him (Heb. 7:25).
The plerōma must refer here to the Divine nature dwelling in the God-Man Christ Jesus. The Gnostics distributed the divine powers among various aeons. Here we see that Paul gathers them all up in Christ, a full and flat out statement of the deity of Christ.
SHOULD DWELL: (Grk.–katoikêsai)–From the Greek verb katoikeô which means, “to make abode or home.” All the divine attributes are at home in Christ.
The Gnostics used the term “fullness,” for the assemblage of emanations, or angelic powers, coming from God. The Holy Spirit, through the inspired pen of Paul, warns the Church, that the true “fullness” dwells in Christ alone. This shows the reason why Christ takes precedence of every creature (v. 15). For two reasons Christ is Lord of the Church:
1. Because the fullness of the divine attributes dwells in Him, and so He has the power to govern the universe.
2. Because what He has done for the Church gives Him the right to preside over it (v. 20).
VERSE 20:
“And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself: by Him, {I say}, whether {they be} things in earth, or things in heaven.”
“And having made peace through the blood of His cross,”
Literally: “And through Him making peace by the blood of His cross”—Opened the way for peace between God and man; for man being in a sinful state, and there being no peace to the wicked, it required a reconciliation to be made to restore peace between heaven and earth; but peace could not be made without an atonement for sin, and the consequence shows that the blood of Christ shed on the cross was necessary to make this atonement.
This for the benefit of the Docetic Gnostics who denied the real humanity of Jesus and as clearly stating the causa medians (Ellicott) of the work of reconciliation to be the Cross (literally: upright pole or execution stake—see Vines’s Complete expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.) of Christ, a doctrine needed today.
“having made peace”–
Literally: “having concluded peace”–Only here in the N.T. This goes parallel with “to reconcile” shows peace making and reconcilaition as being connected.
This was what mere man could not do, what Christ was appointed and sent to do, and what He was every way qualified for as God and man; as man He had blood to shed, and could make reconciliation for sin in the nature which had sinned, and, as God, could draw nigh to His Father, and deal with Him about terms of peace, and perform them; and so a fit daysman (Job 9:33) and Mediator between, God and man: this peace He has made by His “blood” that is, by the shedding of it, by His death as a sacrifice, which He underwent on the cross; partly to denote the shame, and chiefly to signify the curse He endured in the room of His people: all which shows the malignant nature of sin, the strictness of justice, and that peace is made in a way of full satisfaction, is upon honorable terms, will be lasting, as it is joyful, being attended with a train of blessings:
“by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself:”
Literally: “to reconcile all things to Himself, through Him”–The enmity was on the part of the creature; though God is angry with the wicked every day, yet He is never unwilling to be reconciled. But man, whose carnal mind is enmity to God, is naturally averse from this reconciliation; it requires, therefore, the blood of the cross to atone for the sin, and the influence of the Spirit to reconcile the transgressor to Him against whom he has offended!
When it is said that “it pleased the Father by Christ to reconcile all things to Himself,” the declaration must be understood with some limitation.
RECONCILE: (Grk.–apokatallaxai)– Five aspects of reconciliation are presented here in this verse.
ASPECT #1–THE MEANING OF RECONCILIATION
1. Reconciliation literally means “to change completely.”
2. Reconciliation is manward (II Cor. 5:18-20).
a. It is never said that God is reconciled, or both God and man are reconciled.
b. It is simply man who is reconciled to God.
In reconciliation the barriers between God and man are removed so man can again turn to God.
ASPECT #2–THE MEANS OF RECONCILIATION
Christ is the means of reconciliation. The prepositional phrase, “by Him,” (Grk.–di’ autou) is used two times in this verse to emphasize that one point. Whenever the Holy Spirit repeats a point or subject it is for emphasis.
ASPECT #3–THE GOAL OF RECONCILIATION
The goal of reconciliation is seen in the phrase, “unto Himself” (Grk.–eis autou). God chose to bring men back to Himself for His glory. He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Pet. 3:9).
ASPECT #4–THE BASIS OF RECONCILIATION
The basis of reconciliation is the cross–“having made peace (reconciled) through the blood of His cross.” Christ had to die; He had to die as a sacrifice; and He had to die on a cross. Blood had to be shed (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22) in a prescribed way at a definite place (Ge. 3:13). It was the blood of the Creator-Redeemer in whom dwelt the fullness of God.
ASPECT #5–THE OBJECT OF RECONCILIATION
The universe “all things” was the object of reconciliation. This includes the entire scope of the created world–“whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (v. 16). “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in sin together until now” (Rom. 8:22). The object was to produce harmony between the things in heaven and in earth; so that all things shall be reconciled to Him, or so that there shall be harmony between heaven and earth.
VERSE 21:
“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled.
“And you, that were sometime alienated”
Literally: “And you then being alienated”—All are alienated from God, and all are enemies in their minds to Him, and show it by their wicked works; but this is spoken particularly of the Gentiles.
SOMETIME: (Grk.–pote)–This is an allusion to the Colossian believers pagan past. In this verse we see four aspects of the unregenerated (unsaved) sinner. The word “sometime,” here (pote) means formerly. In common with all other men, they were, by nature, in a state of enmity against God.
Five concepts describe the condition of the unregenerated (unsaved) sinner.
CONCEPT #1–THEY ARE ALIENATED FROM GOD
ALIENATED: (Grk.–apallotrioō)–Literally: “to alienate, to give to another, to estrange.” This manifested their position of spiritual estrangement in Adam (Rom. 5:12-21). This Greek word appears only 3 times in the N.T.
The verb (apallotrioo), “to alienate,” being compounded here with the preposition (apo), “from,” signifies “to alienate, to estrange utterly, to be wholly the property of another.” Thus the Gentiles had alienated themselves from God, and were alienated or rejected by Him, because of their wickedness and idolatry.
CONCEPT #2–THEY ARE ENEMIES OF GOD
“and enemies in your mind by wicked works”
ENEMIES: (Grk.–echthrous)–It is one thing to be simply estranged (alienated) from someone; but it is another thing to act in a hostile manner to that one.
Paul is telling these Colossian believer that in this work of reconciling heaven and earth, you at Colosse, who were once enemies of God, have been reached. The benefit of that great plan has been extended to you, and it has accomplished in you what it is designed to effect everywhere–to reconcile enemies to God.
CONCEPT #3–THEY HAVE MENTAL APATHY AGAINST GOD
Literally: “and hostile in {your} mind by evil works”— (Grk.–dianoiai)–-Literally: “in your understanding” or “thought” (Eph 2:3; 4:18). They had the carnal mind, which is enmity against God; and this was expressed in their outward conduct by wicked works.
1. It was not merely by wicked works, or by an evil life;
2. It was alienation seated in the mind, and leading to wicked works.
3. It was deliberate and purposed enmity.
4. It was not the result of passion and excitement;
5. It had a deeper seat, and took hold of the intellectual. powers.
The understanding was perverse and alienated from God, and all the powers of the soul were enlisted against Him.
6. It is this fact which renders reconciliation with God so difficult.
Sin has corrupted and perverted alike the moral and the intellectual powers, and thus the whole man is arrayed against his Creator.
CONCEPT #4–THEY PERFORM EVIL ACTS AGAINST GOD
BY WICKED WORKS: (Grk.–en ergois tois ponērois)–Better rendered as “in your evil works.” The sphere in which, outwardly, their alienation exhibits itself.
CONCEPT #5–THEY HAVE MENTAL APATHY AGAINST GOD
Thoughts and actions go together. With a reprobate mind (Rom. 1:28) people “do those things which are not convenient.”
“yet now hath He reconciled.”
Literally: “but now He reconciled”—Harmony has been secured between you and God, and you are brought to friendship and love. Such a change has been produced in you as to bring your minds into friendship with that of God. All the change in producing this is on the part of man, for God cannot change, and there is no reason why He should, if He could. In the work of reconciliation man lays aside his hostility to his Maker, and thus becomes His friend.
VERSE 22:
“In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight.”
“In the body of His flesh through death,”
Literally: “In the body of His flesh through {His} death”—by Christ’s death on the cross in human nature. The death of His body, or His death in making an atonement, has been the means of producing this reconciliation.
The death of Christ…
1. Removed the obstacles to reconciliation on the part of God
a. Vindicating His truth and justice, and ,
b. Maintaining the principles of His government as much as if the sinner had Himself suffered the penalty of the law–and thus:
c. Rendering it consistent for God to indulge the benevolence of His nature in pardoning sinners; and
2. It was the means of bringing the sinner himself to a willingness to be reconciled:furnishing the strongest possible appeal to him;
leading him to reflect on the love
No means ever used to produce reconciliation between two alienated parties has had so much tenderness and power as those which God has adopted in the plan of salvation; and of the dying love of the Son of God fails to lead the sinner back to God, everything else will fail. The phrase “the body of His flesh” means, the body of flesh which He assumed in order to suffer in making for His Divine nature could not so suffer as to make atonement for sins.
“in the body of His flesh”—The element in which His reconciling sufferings had place. Compare v. 24, “afflictions of Christ in my flesh” (I Pet. 2:24).
Angels who have not a “body of flesh” are not in any way our reconciling mediators, as your false teachers assert, but He, the Lord of angels, who has taken our flesh, that in it He might atone for our fallen manhood. See the same combination in Col. 2:11 though in Eph. 2:14 only “flesh” (sarx). Paul combines both “body” (soma) and ”flesh” (sarx) to make plain the actual humanity of Jesus against incipient Docetic Gnostics who denied it.
THROUGH DEATH: (Grk.–dia tou thanatou)–(which could only take place in a body like ours, of flesh, Heb. 2:14). This implies He took on Him our true and entire manhood. Flesh is the sphere in which His human sufferings could have place (compare v. 24; Eph. 2:15). The reconciliation was accomplished by means of Christ's death on the cross (verse 20) and not just by the Incarnation (the body of his flesh) in which the death took place.
“to present you”–The manner of presentation involves thee aspects:
ASPECT #1–A HOLY PRESENTATION
Literally: “to present you holy”—That is, before God having saved you from your sins. The purpose of the reconciliation. This will be the climax of Christ’s work of sanctification. The object of the atonement was to enable Him to present the redeemed to God freed from sin, and made holy in His sight.
HOLY: (Grk.–hagious)–This word stresses the possession imputed righteousness. All redeemed are positionally set apart (sanctified) in Christ; thus, they are saints, or “holy.”
ASPECT #2–An UNBLAMEABLE PRESENTATION
“unblameable…in His sight”–Through His blood their sins are cleansed, so that they are holy in the sight of God.
“and unreproveable in His sight.”
Literally: “and without blemish and irreproachable before Him
UNBLAMEABLE (Grk.–anōmous)–:Literally: “without blemish.” Not that in themselves they will not be deserving of blame, or will not be unworthy, but that they will be purified. When the redeemed enter heaven, all their sins will have been taken away; not a spot of the deep dye of inquity will remain on their souls.
ASPECT #3–An UNREPROVABLE PRESENTATION
“and unreprovable in His sight”
UNREPROVEABLE: (Grk.-–anegkletous)—Not just free from a blemish, but also free from the charge of it. There will be none to accuse them before God; or they will be free from all accusation.
1. The Law will not accuse them; for the death of their Redeemer has done as much to honor it as their own punishment would have done;
2. God will not accuse them; for He has freely forgiven them;
3. Their consciences will not accuse them;
For their sins will all have been taken away, and they will enjoy the favor of God as if they had not sinned;
4. The holy angels will not accuse them
They will welcome them to their society; and…
5. Satan will not accuse them, for He will have seen that their piety is sincere, and that they are truly what they profess to be.