Colossians 1:22 Commentary and Bible Study

While he was here in the flesh, he reconciled us to God through death, and so we move to the heights of our elevation. He did it ‘in the body of his flesh through death.’ Have you ever had a hospital procedure, an operation? The anaesthetic is administered and out you go. You do not remember the moment; you just were rendered completely unaware, unconscious. But Christ had to experience our death, separation from the Father. Now we know it is impossible for God the Son to be separated from God the Father; the concert of the Trinity cannot be interrupted. But in his experience, in what he felt, mysteriously, the Son had to suffer real separation from the Father. He had to suffer all the separation that we were one day due to experience. If we die without Christ, we will stand before God in judgement in the last moment of life, and our soul will then be torn away from the presence of God, and we will feel ourselves being torn away and separated far from him. It is rather like being separated from the one you love most on earth. If in some terrible persecution occurred, and you were dragged away, you would feel yourself being taken and the distance growing greater, until finally you are cut off from that loved one forever. That is how it is with the final separation from the High and Holy One in judgement. The soul is torn away, kicking and screaming if you like, and we must suffer separation from God which will last forever. Christ had to suffer that multiplied by all the millions of saved people for whom he died. He suffered our separation. Do not think he suffered my death like the light being turned out. It was infinitely more than that. He suffered all the horror and alarm of our spiritual death and being separated from the source of all good.‘To present you’ – this is a ceremonial presentation in the Greek, not a mere introduction. You are an honoured one who will be presented in the presence of the Father, as in olden times, a privileged person would be presented at court. ‘This is our distinguished visitor, an emperor from some distant country’, and you would be brought in and accorded every special honour. It is a triumph of Christ, saved by him.