“And by Him to reconcile  all  things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

“having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

“Made peace” means to establish harmony. Jesus put an end to the broken relationship between God and man. He restored proper fellowship between man and God. Before we came to trust Christ, we were God’s enemies because of sin. Jesus destroyed the enmity between God and man by his work on the cross. It is the work of Christ on the cross that “pleases God” (Col 1:19). At the payment for sin, resurrection, and ascension, “all the fullness” (v.19) dwelt in him.

The precious blood of Christ was of sufficient magnitude and such eternal value to God that he could forgive sin for all eternity. He forgave in a manner consistent with his holiness.

“He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world, but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26).

God’s enemies become God’s friends by faith in Christ. Jesus is the mediator of reconciliation. He brings the believer into the peace of God and his favor. He brings them under one head. When we place our faith in Christ, we enter into his “fullness.” His life becomes our life. We enter into union with him. He is the heir of God; we become joint-heirs with him. We enter into his priesthood, destiny, and kingdom. We share with him all these things.

God does not hurl us into a Christless eternity because we sin, but because we reject the one who paid for sin,

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” (John 3:18).

The “blood” refers to the work of Christ on the cross. The cross means the death of Christ. He did not make peace through the Golden Rule or the greatest truths concocted by man. The blood-death of Christ is the only sufficient payment for our sins (Eph. 2:13; Heb. 10:19; 1 Pet. 1:2; Rev. 7:14).

Principle:

The person and work of Jesus Christ as the God-man reconciling the world to God flies in the face of pluralism.

Application:

The Lord Jesus Christ differs from all other members of the human race. He is both true man and undiminished deity. He is the Creator of the universe, and he, in his humanity, gave his life for the sins of the world. His primary work is to reconcile man to God. Jesus made it possible for people to fellowship with God.

The cross eliminates human merit, personal worth, morality, character, and even religion as the hope of salvation. If we depend on our merit, works, or religion, we will be bitterly disappointed when we face God one day. Christ made peace with God through his shed blood on the cross. Man’s relative righteousness cannot break down the state of hostility between man and God; we can do nothing to please God. Human beings are naturally estranged from God, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies” (Ps. 58:3). Man does not have the inclination or bent to find God.

God is very narrow-minded about the way to himself. It is only through salvation in Christ (Acts 4:12). He will not accept us if we try another way. The armistice was signed in blood by the cross. No longer is there a barrier between a person who wants a relationship with God. All that is necessary is to trust Christ’s death on the cross as sufficient payment for our sin. No matter the color of skin, anyone can come to God through the death of Christ.