The Epistle to the Colossians
Introduction:
Colossians is Paul’s letter to the people of Colossae. The people of
Colossae weren’t saved from hearing the gospel from Paul – they heard
the message from Epaphras, a member of Paul’s team that was from the
area. The church in Colossae shows us how faithful ministers – men and
women who are dedicated to building up God’s people and have a heart for
souls – can be prospersous even when the world continues to attack the
church with its vain philosophies.
Chapter 1:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ
Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and
faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Paul always ministered as part of a team. In the start of almost
every letter Paul wrote you will find that Paul didn’t just identify
himself as the author – he highlighted the contributions of his
teammates. They stood together even when Paul had to say something
controversial or when Paul had to get aggressive – they were partners to
the end.
In the same way our ministry must be a team game. There are star
players on every team, but for the team to be the best it can be
everyone must participate and give their all to prepare and do the work
of the ministry.
3 We always thank God, the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard
of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the
saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you
have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come
to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and
increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and
understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from
Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ
on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Love verifies faith. Paul knew that the people of Colossae were
saved because he could see their love for the saints. He was able to
thank God and pray for them because what he saw was the genuine saving
faith that changes hearts and leads to changed lives. We shouldn’t take
people at their word – every claim of faith must be tested and verified
by both a heart change and a change in actions.
Faith is gained by hearing or the Word. The bible taught salvation by faith from the very beginning. Moses said this:
11 “For this commandment that I
command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12
It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for
us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it
beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us
and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is
very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do
it. [Deuteronomy 30:11-14]
In other words we aren’t saved by difficult actions, or by some epic
trek or pilgrimage to some distant land or to the heavens. We don’t
have to ascend to heaven to find the path to salvation. The path to
salvation is simple: it is in the words that are preached to us;
everyone who hears the words of God and believes in them will be saved.
And salvation is verified by actions. The word isn’t just given so
that we can understand it; it is near to us “so that you can do it”.
And Moses goes on:
15 “See, I have set before you
today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of
the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God,
by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his
statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord
your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take
possession of it. [Deuteronomy 30:15-16]
Notice he doesn’t tell them to sacrifice a bull. He doesn’t tell
them about the intricacies of the law – he commands them to love the
Lord and walk in his ways. If you have faith enough to love God and
walk in his ways you will be blessed. And we can look at that word
“blessed” as synonymous with the greatest blessing: salvation.
Paul builds on Moses’ theme and goes on:
5 For Moses writes about the
righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the
commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith
says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that
is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’”
(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say?
“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the
word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and
is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the
Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to
shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the
same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” [Romans 10:5-12]
This passage is not teaching the Lord’s Prayer or that words lead to
salvation (as some teach); Paul is saying that if you truly believe in
Christ – which we can test by a heart change and a confession – you will
be saved. Everyone who believes is saved. And if you are saved you
will be justified, or made righteous.
This is why Paul says this: “everyone who believes in him will not be
put to shame”. Paul means this two ways: first, that when we stand
before God we will be honored and praised for believing in Jesus Christ,
but second that the righteousness God creates in the believer will
enable that believer to live a triumphant life, one that will not lead
us to be put to shame.
And this salvation does not discriminate. It is not based on sex or race; it is based on calling on the name of the Lord.
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not
believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never
heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how
are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How
beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah
says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith
comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. [Romans 10:13-17]
How can people call on the name of the Lord if they don’t believe in
who he is? We are like artists, depicting the image of God in words and
actions. Demonstrating his power by the Spirit – if we should depict
something other than Christ we are telling people to call on a power
that is not Jesus Christ. But when we demonstrate who Jesus is they can
call on him.
When we depict who Jesus is we might meet with rejection. Isaiah
laments the fact that he preached for a long time and not many believed
his word – even though everything he prophesied happened people treated
him like a kook, a lair and one who spread hate. But we cannot be
deterred by a little unbelief. Because faith comes from hearing and
hearing is enabled by the word, the choosing, of Christ.
The people of Colossae believed because they heard the “word of
truth” – the gospel of Christ. Their ears were opened by God. They
listened to Epaphras and believed.
But belief isn’t the end of our faith. It is the beginning:
9 And so, from the day we
heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled
with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the
knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according
to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the
inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the
domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
A lot of people try to drift along in their faith merely believing in
Jesus Christ. Some want to generically “believe in God” and think that
this belief is good enough. Those people should question whether they
really have a saving faith.
For the truly saved believing is just the beginning – Paul was
thankful that they were saved but now he was praying that they gained
knowledge, wisdom and understanding. We should not be at the same level
we were last year; God demands relentless growth, because whatever does
not grow he prunes:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every
branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in
him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a
branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire,
and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is
glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. [John 15:1-7]
Jesus makes it clear: he demands growth and whatever doesn’t grow
gets cut. Verse 8 if taught correctly would be very controversial,
because Jesus doesn’t just accept people by their words – he wants them
to prove they are disciples by growing.
In the same way Paul encourages these believers to grow. He wanted
them to grow in knowledge, wisdom and understanding because all of those
things lead us” to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord”.
Paul also calls on the believers to be strengthened with God’s power
so that we can endure. Endurance is the best test of real belief,
because if a life doesn’t change completely and for the long term it is
not a life that has been changed by God at all. Strength is more than
just walking around in confidence – it leads us to actually enjoy this
Christian life and live with an attitude of thankfulness.
And if we really want to learn about strength we need to focus on Christ.
15 He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things
were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created
through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all
things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he
might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased
to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether
on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Jesus Christ is the picture of God; he is the physical realization of
God on earth. He created the worlds, he existed before time began and
holds all things together. He is the head of the Church, he is the
leader of those who were resurrected. He will bring everything together
and he makes peace through his blood.
When we think of Jesus we cannot help but to burst into praise. We
worship him because he is God and we cannot help but be thankful when we
consider what he has done for us:
21 And you, who once were
alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now
reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you
holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you
continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope
of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation
under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
We weren’t neutral to God; we hated God and the things of God. We
didn’t just do some grey things; we were doing evil. We were summoned
to righteousness; we were changed. And we will continue to be changed…
if we pass the test of endurance.
Paul continually preaches the test of endurance and the gospel of the truth.
24 Now I rejoice in my
sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is
lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the
church, 25 of which I became a minister
according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to
make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and
generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to
make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of
this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we
proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that
we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling
with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Paul was a faithful minister of the gospel and he was called to
continue the work of suffering that Christ left to his apostles. It can
be said that leadership in the church is a calling of speaking and
suffering – we must speak the words of God as Oracles of God but we must
be willing to suffer for the sake of the Gospel like faithful imitators
of Jesus Christ.
Paul suffered because that is part of the ministry of leadership. He
was a minister or a servant of the gospel because God called him to be a
ministry. Paul considered his mission this: to make the word of God
fully known and to teach everyone and warn everyone so that he could
present the believers as mature warriors, willing to fight and able to
win.
Written By: Brian C. Kenner
