Study Through Colossians: Chapter 1

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