And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.1
“Alienated and hostile” is pretty stern language. Knowing how seriously Paul approached his ministry, we should not be surprised if he foregoes subtlety. The Gospel brings radical transformation to the human heart. The degree of its effect should not be tempered.
If you remember the word “soteriology” from the previous post, you may have associated that with Paul’s statement of being “reconciled in his body of flesh by his death.” This is a statement about the work of Christ, the work accomplished by the death Jesus died on the cross. Though Paul puts his finger on the subject here, he doesn’t expound more until the text of chapter two. For that reason, we will reserve further comment until then. It is enough for now to recognize the language for what it is.
What we do have here is an opportunity to remember what we were (and are) without Jesus. Humanism essentially teaches the goodness of the human being. There may be times, places and reasons to teach from this point of view. However, it does not align with scriptural teaching regarding the human condition. Without Christ we are honestly not in good shape.
“Alienated and hostile.” The first means that our relationship with God is hindered. In human relationships, people who are alienated from each other have barriers between them, emotional and physical. Our sin is the barrier keeping us from fellowship with God, and therefore we cannot know the intimate communion that God desires we have. Corresponding with the alienation is the hostility we have toward God. We may not see it as hostility from the human point of view. It is nevertheless. From God’s perspective it means we live under the guidance of our own desires rather than in submission to God’s Spirit. In Romans 8:7 Paul says that “the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” In scriptural terms, this is a binary issue. One is either led by the Spirit of God, or one is not. The one who is not is hostile toward God because he or she is living under an opposing influence.
Yes, the language is stern. Fortunately for us the Bible doesn’t sugarcoat things. Instead it tells us exactly what we need to hear, even if it makes us uncomfortable or offends us. The consequences are too high to do otherwise. For those who hold to a faith in Jesus Christ, alienation and hostility are past tense. Paul has given his life to proclaim this good news, the message that is still proclaimed in all creation under heaven to the glory of God the Father and of Jesus Christ His Son.
- Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ↩︎
The Winding Path 