Lecture 5 — Reconciliation through Christ

^1:18^ And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may hold the primacy: [n. 45]

^1:19^ Because in him, it has well pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell: [n. 50]

^1:20^ And through him to reconcile all things unto himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, both as to the things that are on earth and the things that are in heaven. [n. 51]

^1:21^ And you, whereas you were some time alienated and enemies in mind in evil works: [n. 54]

^1:22^ Yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unspotted and blameless before him: [n. 56]

^1:23^ If you so continue in the faith, grounded and stable, and immoveable from the hope of the Gospel which you have heard, which is preached in all the creation that is under heaven, [n. 57] whereof I Paul am made a minister. [n. 58]

45. After the Apostle commended Christ in his relationship to God and to all creatures, he here commends him in his relationship to the Church:

first, in a general way;

second, in particular, in reference to the Colossians, at and you, whereas you were some time alienated;

and third, in reference to himself, at whereof I Paul am made a minister.

In regard to the first he does two things:

first, he mentions Christ’s relationship to the entire Church;

and second, he explains this relationship, at who is the beginning.

46. He says, therefore, that Christ, the first-born among creatures, is the one in whom we have our redemption. But because he has been made the head of the Church, two things have to be explained: first, in what way the Church is a body; and second, how Christ is its head.

The Church is called a body because of its likeness to a single human being. This likeness is twofold: first, in that it has distinct members: and his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11); second, because the members of the Church serve each other in ways that are different: the members may have the same care for one another (1 Cor 12:25); bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2). Again, just as a body is one because its soul is one, so the Church is one because the Spirit is one: there is one body and one Spirit (Eph 4:4); because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Cor 10:17). Next we have to consider the relationship of the members to the head of the Church, i.e., to Christ. For Christ is the head of the Church. But you, O Lord, are the lifter of my head (Ps 3:3).

47. He explains what it means to be a head, saying,** who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead**. The head has three privileges over the other members of the body. First, it is superior in dignity, because it is a source and a ruler. Second, it has the fullness of the senses, which are all in the head. Third, it is the source of an inflow of sense and movement to the members of the body. So

first, Paul shows how Christ is head because of his dignity;

second, because of the fullness of his grace, at because in him, it has well pleased;

and third, because of an inflow from him, at and through him to reconcile.

48. The Church exists in two states: the state of grace in the present time, and the state of glory in the future. But it is the same Church, and Christ is its head in both states, because he is the first in grace and the first in glory.

With respect to the first he says, who is the beginning, because he is not only first in grace insofar as he is a man, but all men are justified by faith in Christ: by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous (Rom 5:19). So he says,** who is the beginning**, that is, the beginning or source of justification and grace in the entire Church; because even in the Old Testament some were justified by faith in Christ: I am the beginning who am speaking to you (John 8:25); with you is the beginning (Ps 110:3).

Christ is also the beginning of the state of glory; and so he says, the firstborn from the dead. The reason for this is that the resurrection from the dead is a kind of second birth, because it restores us to eternal life: in the rebirth, when the Son of man sits on his glorious throne (Matt 19:28); but Christ is the first of all; and thus he is** the firstborn from the dead**, that is, the first-born of those who are born by the resurrection.

49. But what about Lazarus (John 11)? I answer that he and some others did not rise to the above mentioned immortal life, but to a mortal life; but Christ, having risen from the dead, will never die again (Rom 6:9); Jesus Christ, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth (Rev 1:5); Christ has risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20). And this is so that in all things he might hold the primacy: pre-eminent in the gifts of grace, because he is the beginning; and pre-eminent in the gifts of glory, because he is the first-born: in every nation I have had first place (Sir 24:10).

50. Then, he shows the dignity of the head with respect to the fullness of all graces. For some saints had particular graces, but Christ had all graces; and so he says, because in him, it has well pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell.

Each word has its own force. Pleased indicates that the gifts Christ had as man were not the result of fate or merits, as Photinus says, but were due to the good pleasure of the divine will taking this man into a unity of person: this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt 3:17).

He says,** all**, because some have one gift and others different ones; the Father had given all things into his hands (John 13:3).

He says, fullness, because one can have a gift without having the fullness of it or of its power, because perhaps one lacks something unwillingly. But John says that Christ was full of grace and truth (John 1:14); my abode is in the fullness of the saints (Sir 24:16).

He says,** to dwell**, because some received the use of a grace for only a time; thus the spirit of prophecy was not always possessed by the prophets, but it is continuously present in Christ, because he always has control over this fullness to use it as he wishes: he on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33).

51. Then when he says,** and through him**, he shows that Christ is the head of the Church because of an inflow from him. And this is the third characteristic of a head.

First, he shows the inflow of grace;

and second, he explains it, at making peace.

52. He says, therefore: I say that it pleased God not only that this fullness exist in Christ, but that it also flow from Christ to us; and so he says, and through him to reconcile all things unto himself: God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor 5:19).

53. He mentions the nature of this reconciliation and how all things are reconciled.

Now there are two things to be considered in a reconciliation. First, the matters in which the reconciled persons agree. For people at odds have conflicting wills, but when they have been reconciled they agree in some things; and so wills that were before in conflict are made to harmonize in Christ. For example, the wills of men, of God, and of the angels. The will of men, because Christ is a man; and the will of God, because Christ is God. There was also conflict between the Jews, who wanted the law, and the gentiles, who did not want the law. But Christ created harmony between the two, because he was from the Jews, and he freed us from the legal observances.

This harmony was accomplished** through the blood of his cross**. The cause of discord between God and men was sin; the discord between the Jews and the gentiles was caused by the law. Now Christ destroyed sin by his cross and fulfilled the law; and thus he took away the causes of discord: you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22). Thus we are reconciled and all things are set at peace, both as to the things that are on earth, that is, Jews and gentiles, and the things that are in heaven, that is, the angels and God. And so when Christ was born the angels sang: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men (Luke 2:14). Again, Christ said at his resurrection: peace be with you (John 20:19); for he is our peace, who has made us both one (Eph 2:14).

54. Then when he says, and you, whereas you were some time alienated, Christ is commended because of the gifts he gave them.

First, Paul recalls their past condition;

second, Christ’s gift, at yet now;

and third, what they have to do now, at if you so continue.

55. Their past condition had three evils: in their intellect, they were ignorant; in their affections, they were enemies of justice; and in their actions, they committed many sins.

In regard to the first he says, alienated.

In regard to the second, and enemies in mind, according to the reading of one version. This shows that there was a defect in that wisdom that the Jews proclaimed about the one God: men loved darkness rather than light (John 3:19). But were the Jewish people bound to the law of Moses? Yes they were, so far as it concerned the worship of the one God. Or, we could say the Jews were alienated in mind, i.e., by choice, maliciously contradicting God: they turned aside from following him (Job 34:27).

As to the third evil of their past condition he says, in evil works: their works were evil (John 3:19).

56. Then when he says, yet now, he mentions the benefits coming from Christ.

The first of these is reconciliation in his body. He says, in the body of his flesh, not because his body and his flesh are not the same, but to show that Christ took a real body: and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). A body of flesh, that is, a mortal body: God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and of sin, has condemned sin in the flesh (Rom 8:3). The second benefit coming from Christ is holiness; thus he says, to present you holy: so Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood (Heb 13:12). The third benefit is their cleansing from sin; and as to this he says, and unspotted: the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purifies your conscience from dead works (Heb 9:14).

Looking to the future he says, and blameless: be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace (2 Pet 3:14). And he adds, before him: man sees things that appear, but the Lord beholds the heart (1 Sam 16:7).

57. What God requires of us is that we be firm in faith and hope. And so Paul continues, if you so continue in the faith, grounded. For faith is a foundation; if it is firm the entire structure of the Church is firm. And stable* in hope, not weakening themselves from within; and immoveable, by not allowing others to shake that hope. From the hope, I say, that is of the Gospel, namely, the hope that the Gospel gives for the good things of the kingdom of heaven: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt 4:17). And there is no excuse, because the Gospel has been *preached; and he uses the past tense here instead of the future tense because this future event is so certain. The Gospel has been preached, by the apostles that is, in all the creation that is under heaven, that is, to every new creature, that is, to the faithful, for whom it had been prepared.