Together in Christ: 'Believe Who Jesus Says You Are!' — Colossians 1:21-23

God's grace for us in Jesus' sacrifice means peace and complete reconciliation with God even though we have been rebellious and sinful. Christ now presents us to the Father as "holy and blameless as [we] stand before him without a single fault." While we know we are not that in our reality, we trust that when we confess our sins, they are forgiven and their sinful residue is removed by Jesus' sacrifice once again so that, in God's reality, we have been purified of any sinful filth. ^[1]

However, because we cannot see God, ^[2] we can easily forget who we are and Whose we are. We also forget that the Father views every brother and sister in Christ as purified, too. Because of the high cost that Jesus paid, like us, they are "holy and blameless as [they] stand before him without a single fault." When we think less of ourselves than God does or are insecure in our relationship with God as our Father, we tend to act in petty, mean, uncaring, unforgiving, ungracious, and ungodly ways toward each other! We forget how much we are loved, and then we don't love each other as we have been loved! ^[3] When we forget the great love with which God has loved us, we also forget how desperately the lost world around us needs our love extended toward them so they can see Christ in us and ask us about our hope in Jesus. ^[4]

So, dear friend in Christ, "continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News." Your trust in God's love for you, Jesus' declaration of your holiness, and the Spirit's work in transforming you is essential. Your loving actions toward your brothers and sisters in Christ and your willingness to reach out to those needing salvation are rooted in these understandings. Please, believe you are who Jesus says you are: "[Y]ou are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault."