both in one body to God'.  The setting aside of the unbelieving majority of

Israel (blindness in part) had been overruled to the blessing of the

Gentiles, `the reconciling of a world'; the argument of the context of that

passage would lead us to expect that, possibly, the complete setting aside of

Israel would be overruled to produce a greater blessing.  This is what

actually took place.  The world, though reconciled to God by the death of His

Son, as a whole did not receive the reconciliation.  The distance which had

been maintained ever since the threefold `giving up' and the threefold

`change' of Romans 1:18-32 (`change' being cognate with `reconcile') was no

longer perpetuated.  God had `opened the door of faith to the Gentiles' (Acts

14:27) by the reconciliation (katallasso), but comparatively few `received'

Ephesians 2 presents a deeper and fuller truth.  Full and complete

reconciliation has been effected with regard to the internal composition of

the church of the One Body.  The two opposing elements, the Circumcision and

the Uncircumcision, the Jew and the Gentile, aggravated by the distinctions

in the flesh and the ordinances of revealed religion, have been completely

obliterated by a new creation.  The two are made one, one new man, One Body,

and as such are fully reconciled to God.

Colossians 1 takes us a step further, and gives the final word.  Not

only is it essential to the purpose of God that the unity of the One Body

should be for ever secured; not only is it necessary to that end that its

component parts should be fully reconciled, it became also a necessity that

the place and sphere of its ultimate glory should contain no possibility of

enmity or disunity.  The sphere of the One Body is `in the heavenlies'.  Its

association with principalities shows that it will be administrative.  Now

just as the One Body was fully reconciled as to its component parts (Eph. 2),

so must it be with regard to its environment (Col. 1).

Before dealing with the verses in Colossians 1 which treat of the

reconciliation, it will be necessary to see what the epistle is about, or at

least the opening section of it.  In 1:4 we read, `Since we heard of your

faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints', and

we find that the words are an introduction to a prayer, which has among its

prominent petitions many things which are parallel to a similarly introduced

prayer in Ephesians.

The many points in common between these two epistles are sufficiently

numerous and specific to provide a safeguard to interpretation, and to

prevent us from interpreting Colossians in such a way as to run counter to

the teaching of Ephesians.  As we are writing for those who love the Word, we

are sure the following list of parallels will be acceptable.

We shall find that some of the passages which form the context of the

reconciliation in Colossians 1 are to a large extent repetitions and

expansions of the truth already given in Ephesians.  This being the case, it

will be exceedingly unwise to attempt an exposition of Colossians 1 without

allowing this inspired commentary a prominent place.  We have not given every

parallel (they are too numerous), but we have given those which appear to be

most relevant, quoting some (author's translations), and giving references

only to others, according as they are nearer or more remote from the subject

in hand.