 |  |
"In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in His sight."
There we have, as the outcome of the Father's grace (Col. 1: 12, 13) and the Son's
redemption, our inalienable position. We have been "made meet", just as we have been
highly favoured in the Beloved, and nothing we can do or fail to do can alter this standing
in Christ. Nevertheless, Col. 1: 23 immediately proceeds with an if. It is not the
ordinary "if", it is modified a little, and may be rendered, "if at least", or "if indeed".
It will not be true, however, to take away the meaning "if" altogether. Verse 23 leads on
to verse 28, where we reach its true import. The work of Christ, without any conditional
stedfastness on our part, assures the presentation of verse 22. Verse 28 has something
more in view, "that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus". How can Paul
hope to present any one perfect in Christ Jesus? Can he hope to improve upon the
holiness and unblameableness of verse 22? Verse 23 onward steps into the sphere of the
believer's responsibility.
As in Philippians 2:, here we see the outworking of salvation. It has reference to
continuing in the faith, not simply by believing, of not being moved away from the
hope, not simply hoping; it has relation to the sufferings of Paul, sufferings that could
never take away one sin, or render even the sufferer himself acceptable before God. Yet
Paul speaks of these afflictions as being "that which is behind of the afflictions of
Christ", which he, Paul, suffered in his flesh "for the church". To the same effect is
II Tim. 2: 10-12:--
"Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the
salvation which is in Christ Jesus WITH EONIAN GLORY. . . . if we endure we shall
also reign with Him."
The apostle emphasizes the hope, the hope of the glory (Col. 1. 23, 27), in connection
with this phase of truth. The presentation of every man perfect that was in the Apostle's
heart, has reference to the walk here, the endurance, the fellowship with His sufferings,
the learning obedience by the things suffered, the attaining unto the "reigning with Him",
the "prize of the high calling", the "crown of righteousness". This subject in relation to
the word "perfect" finds further exposition in the series, The Hope and the Prize, now
running, but so much has been necessary to enable us to appreciate in some measure the
teaching of Eph. 1: 12-14.
The Spirit seals, and gives the earnest. He bridges the interval up to the day of
redemption.
The following arrangement may help us in studying this passage.