Read: Colossians 1:21–22; Romans 5:6–11; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21

Summary

• Paul reminds believers that they were once alienated from God.
  
  
• Alienation means separation in relationship and hostility in mind.
  
  
• Sin made humanity enemies of God in attitude and action.
  
  
• Wicked works revealed a heart out of harmony with God’s character.
  
  
• God took the initiative to reconcile us despite our condition.
  
  
• From Eden onward, God sought fallen humanity with a plan of redemption.
  
  
• The promise of victory over sin began with the first gospel in Genesis.
  
  
• Reconciliation was made possible only through Christ’s death on the cross.
  
  
• The goal of Christ’s sacrifice is to present believers holy and blameless before God.
  
  
• The gospel is simple though often made complicated.
  
  
• First, we cannot save ourselves, so Christ died for us while we were helpless.
  
  
• Second, through faith, repentance, and baptism, we accept His death as our own.
  
  
• Justification removes condemnation and restores peace with God.
  
  
• Third, union with Christ produces a new life shaped by His power within us.
  
  
• The Christian life flows from Christ living in and through the believer.
  
  
• These saving realities may occur together and are renewed daily through surrender.
  
  
• The cross remains the foundation of salvation and the source of reconciliation.

Question

• What is the result of Christ’s death for us?

Answer

• Christ’s death reconciles us to God and prepares us to stand before Him holy and restored.

Reflection

• When you examine your heart honestly, how clearly do you see your need for the cross?

Takeaway

• Return daily to the cross, for there you find reconciliation, renewal, and hope.