Introduction: One of the less pleasant features of my legal career has been that both sides have a dislike for the other. The labor union did not like my client because my client wanted nothing to do with the union and had asked me to help. My client did not like the union because it was trying to get him fired. Why? Because my client was either standing up for his religious beliefs or standing up for his free speech rights. Sometimes the union resorted to violence. Did you know that God “hates all evildoers?” Psalm 5:5. John 15:18 tells us that the world “hates” Jesus. And we should expect the world to hate us too. That sounds like a lot of unpleasantness! Our study this week is about how Jesus got this hate turned around. Let’s dive into our study and see what Jesus has done for us to bring reconciliation and hope into our lives!

I. Reconciled

A. Read Colossians 1:20. Jesus reconciled “to Himself” all things in heaven and earth. Do you think that heaven was in conflict with Jesus?

1. Were humans in conflict with heaven?

B. Read Galatians 3:10 and Galatians 3:13. What has Jesus done for us? (When Jesus took on our sins at the cross, He carried the curse of our disobedience. At that point Jesus was in conflict with heaven. We sinners, before Jesus died for our sins, were in conflict with heaven.)

C. Read Colossians 1:21-22. These verses tell us that our evil deeds caused alienation and hostility. Is that now over? (Yes. By Jesus’ death, He is able to present us as holy, blameless, and above reproach.)

1. Wait a minute. Is Jesus like a dishonest used car salesman who presents a car as perfect when in fact it is not?
2. Or have we stopped doing evil deeds?
3. Or, has something else happened? (I vote that something else has happened, and it is very remarkable. Christians still do evil deeds. Those who have accepted Jesus are still saved despite those evil deeds. This is possible because Jesus’ death on our behalf covered all our sins.)

II. The Exception

A. Read Colossians 1:23. Is there an exception to this rule? Is there a “catch?” (Yes. To be covered by the blood of Jesus, to be saved by His sacrifice, we must “continue in the faith.”)

1. What does it mean to “continue in the faith?” (Paul says that we must continue to “hope” in the gospel. We must continue to believe that Jesus has saved us.)
2. This seems so easy. Why would anyone ever turn away from the hope they have in Jesus? (I believe, because I have experienced this temptation, that sometimes the allure of sin is very strong. Someone who knows and loves Jesus realizes that turning to make that sin a regular part of your life is not a temporary deviation in the relationship. Rather it is a “shifting,” a course change that turns away from the hope in Jesus. You are no longer “stable and steadfast.”)

B. Look again at Colossians 1:23. Paul states that this gospel has been “proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” I have two questions:

1. What does heaven think of it? Should those who caused Jesus so much suffering have to pay a penalty? Do the haters get away without punishment?
2. It appears that Satan and his fallen angels are not offered this opportunity to be saved. Why not? (I think they were given the opportunity to turn back. The problem is that they have “shifted” so that they not only reject the hope but are in active warfare against it.)

III. Suffering Paul

A. Read Colossians 1:24. How do you understand Paul’s “filling up what is lacking” in Jesus’ afflictions? Is he saying that he is suffering more than Jesus?

1. Who or what decides “what is lacking” in the suffering of Jesus? (This is the key to understanding. The enemies of God are the ones who decide what is lacking in the sense that they would have liked to punish Jesus more. Since Jesus has returned to heaven, Paul says that he is now a target of those who hate Jesus.)

B. Read Colossians 1:25 but keep verse 24 still in mind. Is there a purpose in Paul’s sufferings? (This is not a situation in which the haters are looking for targets and they just picked Paul. Instead, Paul is targeted because of his work for fellow Christians.)

IV. The Hidden Mystery

A. Read Colossians 1:26-27. I’m having you read shorter passages, but I don’t want you to miss the line of Paul’s statement found in verses 24-27. What is the mystery that Paul is making known to the saints?

1. Is it that the gospel should now go to the Gentiles? Are they now included in God’s people?
2. Is it that Jesus lives in His followers?
3. Is it that because of Jesus we all have the hope of heaven? (The mystery is all these three things.)
4. Do you see one part of the mystery as more important than the others? (Read Romans 8:11. The idea that God would now live in His followers, including the Gentiles, is a revolution in the human understanding of God.)

B. Read Colossians 1:28. Paul says, “we proclaim,” who is the “we?” (Paul and his fellow Christians.)

1. Paul’s message is both a warning and a proclamation. What is it a warning against? (The underlying Greek word does not mean “warning against danger.” Rather, the most common word I see is “admonish.” Meaning to correct confusion.)

C. The last part of Colossians 1:28 is important. Our study last week and this week hammers the concept of righteousness by faith alone. Only switching away from our hope in Jesus can cause us to lose our salvation. In that context, Paul tells us that part of his goal in teaching is to “present everyone mature in Christ.” What does it mean to be “mature in Christ?”

1. And how would you teach that maturity?

D. Read Deuteronomy 4:2 and Deuteronomy 12:32. Also read Proverbs 30:6 and Revelation 22:18-19. What have these warnings to do with Christian maturity? (Immature people, people who believe that their ideas can correct the Bible, are those who add or subtract from God’s word.)

1. How does this help us to understand righteousness by faith alone? (If you trust Jesus for your salvation, then you will trust His word. If you trust His word, then you realize that it presents the perfect way for a sinner to live. Mature Christians are obedient Christians. By “obedient,” I mean they obey the teachings of the Bible.)

E. Read Colossians 1:29. Do you sometimes feel that you have “low energy?”

1. If you answered, “yes,” what does Paul teach is the solution for that? (Jesus not only supplies our salvation, but He will supply our energy.)

F. Friend, your salvation is free. You cannot earn it. What God requires of you is to continue in your faith in what Jesus has done for you. This attitude of dependence, of trust and faith, means that you don’t add or subtract from what God has given us. Instead, a mature, steady belief causes Jesus’ followers to live a life in accordance with His will. Will you decide, right now, to place your faith in what Jesus has done for you?

V. Next week: Complete in Christ.

Copr. 2026, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

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