Free from Accusation

“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.”

~ Colossians 1:22

Paul of Tarsus spent much of his life trying to extinguish the specific falsehoods that eroded the notion that God’s demeanor toward us is grace-full. His letters throb with countless “blame-extinguishing” declarations.

These explosive statements are designed to inoculate the church from any accusation that can be laid at her feet. God accepts only one person, His beloved Son.

And we are in Him. So He accepts us on exactly the same basis as He accepts Christ. Therefore, we need not struggle to earn God’s favor. We only need to come to Christ and rest in Him.

On balance, understanding that we are a new species in Christ is not a license to practice sin. A proper apprehension of God’s irrevocable love and acceptance of His children actually does the opposite.

It wins our hearts over to Him. Granted, because we are His children, the Lord will chastise us if necessary (Heb. 12:5–11; Rev. 3:19).

But such chastisement is an evidence of His burning love for us. It in no way affects His unconditional acceptance.

I address the two common enemies of the gospel, libertinism and legalism, here.