21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 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— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Once you were…but now. This is one of the wonderful things about being a believer. There is no place for pride. As a believer we recognize that we once were enemies of God, but now we part of the family. If it weren’t for God’s work in our lives, we would still be separated from God. It was nothing we did that made the change and therefore nothing for us to boast about. If someone is boastful as a believer I have to question their walk. It was Christ’s physical body that died. He was the One who lived the perfect life in contrast to our life that was filled with evil behavior. He was obedient and we were disobedient. He deserves Heaven and we deserve Hell. Once you were…but now. Notice that we must continue in the faith in order to keep the hope we have in the gospel. Our lives must match our confession. We must allow the Spirit to work on our will so that we are willing to do what God calls us to do. It is always about God’s work in us. It is always His strength enabling us to be obedient. Remember, once you were…but now He has reconciled you. It is all about Him.
The Arnold Journey 