Colossians 1:21-22 NKJV
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.
In our faith walk, we strive to achieve perfection by following legalism and traditions. Though we desire to be holy, blameless, and above reproach, all our human efforts are futile. “We’re all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags.” – Isaiah 64:6 (MESSAGE).
How then can we be reconciled to God?
We need a Savior, someone who is perfect and can take our place. This is exactly what Christ, our Redeemer, accomplished for us on the cross. Through our faith in Him, we can stand holy and blameless before God’s presence. Hence, the only thing that matters is the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Without Christ’s death, we could never be reconciled to God.
We cannot enter God’s kingdom with our abilities; our good works will never qualify us for it. Like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), we deserve worse than a servant, but God, like the father, regards us as His children. No matter how many steps we take away from Him, our Father is ready to take all the steps to restore our fellowship if only we take the first step back toward Him.
Only Jesus can erase our alien status and make us citizens of God’s glorious kingdom. So, instead of striving with all our might and limited capabilities, we need to reach out to God. Let us place our confidence in the finished work of our Savior and live a triumphant life, anticipating eternity with God!
