Colossians 1:21, 22
And you, being in time past, enemies and alienated in your mind, in your evil works, yet now has He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreprovable before Him.
Here he goes to show that He reconciled those even who were unworthy of reconciliation. For by the saying that they were under the power of darkness, he shows the calamity in which they were. But lest, on hearing of the power of darkness, you should consider it Necessity, he adds, And you that were alienated, so that though it appear to be the same thing that he says, yet it is not so; for it is not the same thing to deliver out of the evils him that through necessity came to suffer, and him that of his own will endures. For the former indeed is worthy to be pitied, but the latter hated. But nevertheless, he says, you that are not against your wills, nor from compulsion, but with your wills, and wishes, sprang away from Him, and are unworthy of it, He has reconciled. And seeing he had made mention of the things in the heavens, he shows, that all the enmity had its origin from hence, not thence. For they indeed were long ago desirous, and God also, but you were not willing.
And throughout he is showing that the Angels had no power in the successive times, forasmuch as men continued enemies; they could neither persuade them, nor, if persuaded, could they deliver them from the devil. For neither would persuading them be any gain, except he that held them were bound; nor would binding him have been of any service, except they whom he detained were willing to return. But both of these were needed, and they could do neither of them, but Christ did both. So that even more marvelous than loosing death, is the persuading them. For the former was wholly of Himself, and the power lay wholly in Himself, but of the latter, not in Himself alone, but in us also; but we accomplish those things more easily of which the power lies in ourselves. Therefore, as being the greater, he puts it last. And he said not simply were at enmity, but were alienated, which denotes great enmity, nor yet alienated [only], but without any expectation even of returning. And enemies in your mind, he says; then the alienation had not proceeded so far as purpose only — but what? in your wicked works also. You were both enemies, he says, and you did the works of enemies.
Yet now has He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to present you holy and without blemish and unreprovable before Him. Again he lays down also the manner of the reconciliation, that it was in the Body, not by being merely beaten, nor scourged, nor sold, but even by dying a death the most shameful. Again he makes mention of the Cross, and again lays down another benefit. For He did not only deliver, but, as he says above, Who made us meet, to the same he alludes here also. Through His death, he says, to present you holy and without blemish and unreprovable before Him. For truly, He has not only delivered from sins, but has also placed among the approved. For, not that He might deliver us from evils only, did He suffer so great things, but that also we might obtain the first rewards; as if one should not only free a condemned criminal from his punishment, but also advance him to honor. And he has ranked you with those who have not sinned, yea rather not with those who have done no sin only, but even with those who have wrought the greatest righteousness; and, what is truly a great thing, has given the holiness which is before Him, and the being unreprovable. Now an advance upon unblamable is unreprovable, when we have done nothing either to be condemned for, or charged with. But, since he ascribed the whole to Him, because through His death He achieved these things; what then, says one, is it to us? We need nothing. Therefore he added,
Ver. 23. If so be that you continue in the faith grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel.
Here he strikes a blow at their listlessness. And he said not simply continue, for it is possible to continue wavering, and vacillating; it is possible to stand, and continue, though turned this way and that. If so be that you continue, he says, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away. Wonderful! What a forcible metaphor he uses; he says not only not tossed to and fro, but not even moved. And observe, he lays down so far nothing burdensome, nor toilsome, but faith and hope; that is, if you continue believing, that the hope of the things to come is true. For this indeed is possible; but, as regards virtuous living, it is not possible to avoid being shaken about, though it be but a little; so (what he enjoins) is not grievous.
From the hope, he says, of the Gospel, which you heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven. But what is the hope of the Gospel, except Christ? For He Himself is our peace, that has wrought all these things: so that he who ascribes them to others is moved away: for he has lost all, unless he believe in Christ. Which ye heard, he says. And again he brings themselves as witnesses, then the whole world. He says not, which is being preached, but has already been believed and preached. As he did also at the outset, being desirous by the witness of the many to establish these also. Whereof I Paul was made a minister. This also contributes to make it credible; I, says he, Paul a minister. For great was his authority, as being now everywhere celebrated, and the teacher of the world.