I’m sure at some point in our lives we’ve heard the phrase declared, “No IFS, ANDS or BUTS. If truth be told, we’ve probably said it a time or two. A few years ago I remember sternly asking my daughter to clean her room. Before she could even utter an excuse to put it off any longer, I declared that very phrase. A few minutes later she met me at the top of the stairs, in tears, telling me that I had hurt her feelings by calling her a “butt.” Trying to hold in my laughter, I told her we were talking about different “buts,” and that I would never call her a crude name. However, trying to explain that to a then five-year-old was a bit impossible. Today I want to draw you to a particular “if” in Colossians.

“Now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.” Colossians 1:22-23 (NIV)

Throughout scripture we read of many great promises made by our God to us. In verse 22, Paul speaks of a beautiful promise of how one day we will be presented before God as holy and without blemish. I can only imagine and dream of what that will look like.

Followed by this particular promise is some great instruction that I think we should pay close attention to. This “if” does not lead into a statement about works, or how we earn this blemish-free soul. No, I see it as instruction for how to live until that day that we are presented before God.

God wants us to live a life that is established and grounded in our faith in Him. A life that is free from excuses and what ifs. A life that always looks heaven-ward. If we truly live for the hope of heaven that is told to us throughout the gospel, then I’m wondering if we can enjoy the freedom that comes from reconciliation right now on earth?

Cleaning up messes is never fun. My daughters will attest to that every time the request to clean their rooms is given. But I guarantee the freedom that comes from living in a clean room and in a reconciled relationship with their mom is priceless. Imagine how much more we will enjoy this earthly life by being established in our faith and holding to the hope of heaven.

My husband tried reconciling the checkbook yesterday.  He added the amounts of the checks that haven’t cleared and subtracted that from the total, but even still the amount he showed in our ledger didn’t match the bank’s balance.  He spent a good portion of the morning trying to get the two numbers to line up to no avail. 

The same is true in our relationship with God.  If attempt to reconcile ourselves to the perfect master of the universe, we will fall short.  We can try and try, but our efforts will be fruitless.  The gap is just too great.  But don’t despair.  Colossians 1:21, 22 says,

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”

Did you catch that?  God reconciles us.  That’s like my spouse going to the bank and telling the clerk that there is a $18,583 difference between the amount they show and our sum.  “Well, sir,” the teller says, “we can see where you erred, but we’ll go ahead and credit the difference to you anyways.”  I’d love for that to be the case, but of course it never will.  But with God it is entirely different.

God’s own son, Jesus Christ, came to Earth and remained sinless.  Jesus willingly went to the cross to take on our sin so we might be presented as holy, clean and free from accusation. 

My husband broke out into a happy dance when our checkbook finally matched the bank statement.  How much more should we celebrate that our very lives are  reconciled.