Overview of Earlier Colossian Bible Studies
Up to this point, we have studied all of Colossians 1 and the
background of this letter through eight Bible studies. The first study taught
us the background of the Colossians. In that study, we learned the Colossae
Christians lived in a multi-cultural and multi-religion geographical region
called Asia Minor. Different intellectual teachings abounded there. The one
that affected the Colossians believers most was an early form of Gnosticism.
This Gnosticism proclaimed advanced thought brought salvation. They considered
Jesus Christ’s salvation as insufficient. (see Background of Paul's Letter to the
Church at Colossae)
The second Bible study came from Colossians 1:1-2. In this
study, Paul wrote who he and Timothy were and helped the Colossian Christians
identify with them since these men had never personally met the Colossians. He stated
his Jewish and Christian background and explained they both came from the same
geographical region as the Colossians. By doing this, Paul would have more
credibility, and the believers in Colossae would trust what he told them in his
letter. (see Identification)
In Colossians 1:3-8, Paul began his prayer to God by thanking
Him for the Colossian Christians’ growth in their faith and in their love for
God and the saints. He thanked God that they bore fruit and matured, which showed
their faith. Paul spoke of Epaphras, too, the founder of the churches in
Colossae and Laodicea. He said Epaphras was a man they could trust because he
discipled him. Paul said, Epaphras is like himself, a “beloved fellow
bond-servant” of Christ. (see Thanksgiving in Colossians)
In his prayer, after he gave thanks for the Colossian
church, Paul interceded for them. In Colossians 1:9-12, he asked God to grow
them in Christ so they would be well-pleasing to Him. Paul asked they have the
knowledge of God and that He would give them His strength, power,
steadfastness, and patience. At the end of this prayer, he asked God to give
the Colossian Christians a sense of thankfulness to Him, the One who qualified
them to inherit eternal life with the saints and His Son. (see Glorious Might)
Colossians 1:13-14 is Paul’s explanation of who the Father
is, the One to whom he alluded in verse twelve. This Father is the One who
would give them the gifts for which Paul asked for the believers in Colossae.
He rescued them from their sins and eternal death and transferred them into His
Son’s kingdom. Verse fourteen is the segue to Paul’s Christology he would write
in verses fifteen through twenty. (see Snatched and Delivered)
Colossians 1:15-20 records what Paul taught about Jesus, the
Son of God. He said Jesus is the exact embodiment of God. The Son of God and God
have the same mind. Paul wrote Jesus is preeminent over all creation and
existed and created all things with the Father and Spirit out of nothing, ex
nihilo. This meant angels, as created beings, are lower than the Son of God.
His teaching went against the teaching of the Gnostics and others who
proclaimed angels were greater than Jesus, whom they considered was just a man.
The Gnostics did not consider Jesus equal to God because Jesus had a mortal
body. Material things, to them, were worth nothing. Paul taught Jesus holds all
things together and is the Head of the body, the Church. He taught the Father
shared His “fullness,” His superabundance, with the Son. Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, enabled reconciliation of people to the Father through His sinless life,
death, and resurrection. By these, He redeems each person who trusts in Him
from the power of sin and death. Jesus paid the sin penalty for each person
with His death on a sinner’s cross. (see Superabundant Peace)
Paul wrote in Colossians 1:21-23 using a teaching and
writing technique called conditional clauses. These “if-then” statements, protasis-apodosis
statements, teach if something happens, then another thing will occur. Paul
used this technique to teach if the Colossian Christians would believe in
Jesus, He would save them from their sins and their just death penalty. Before
this conditional clause, he reminded them of what they were before God rescued
and transferred them to His Son’s kingdom. Paul told the Colossian church the
Son redeems and reconciles them to God. Nothing else need happen for people to
receive salvation from their sins and gain eternal life with God. The Gnostics
taught otherwise. (see Attaining Hope)
With the conclusion of Colossians 1, Paul told, in verses
twenty-four through twenty-nine, of his calling by Jesus and his stewardship of
God upon which he felt compelled to proclaim. His calling was to serve Christ
and His church by proclaiming clearly the Gospel. Within the act of clearly proclaiming,
Paul said God told him to teach and admonish. He was to preach the “word of
God, the mystery which has been hidden from past ages and generations.” The
mystery that God hid until then is that Jesus made salvation available for each
person, Jew and Greek, slave and free, men and woman. Paul explained the blessing
of this mystery is salvation and the indwelling of each believer by Jesus’
Spirit, the hope of glory. Jesus Christ made all things, redeems those who trust
in Him, and indwells each believer. Finally, Paul said in verses twenty-eight
and twenty-nine, Jesus called him to admonish with God’s gentle persuasion.
This persuasion would tell of His love for each person and the salvation Jesus
offers. It would convince and convict each person to turn away from their sins
and accept the salvation Jesus provides. By doing this, God rescues and
transfers people who act upon the faith He gives. He transfers them to the
kingdom of His Son by their trust in Jesus as their Savior for salvation. The
Gnostics taught against this point. They strove to prove it to anyone who would
listen to them about their philosophical thought on advanced religion. The
Gnostics said Jesus was just a man and His death did not give salvation. Paul
taught otherwise. (see God's
Power and Gentle Persuasion)
Paul’s Pastoral Care of the Colossian Church
Paul had a pastoral care for the Christians in Colossae, though
he had never met them. His concern came from the love which Jesus instilled in
him. This love is for each person to become a Christian and grow in the full
knowledge of God with His power, steadfastness, strength, and patience. Paul
wanted these Christians to have the full knowledge of God so they could stand
against heresies, thoughts, and beliefs that tried to convince them to abandon
God. He struggled for them. This care of the Colossian Christians by Paul
included rejoicing at the growth and stability in their faith in Christ. His own
struggles and resultant rejoicing during and after the difficulties showed
Paul’s pastoral care of the Colossian and Laodicean churches.
Struggling for the Church
“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.” (Colossians 2:1-4 [NASB])
Paul said he struggled on behalf of the churches at Colossae
and Laodicea. He wanted them to be aware and understand well what he endured
for them. This struggle is like his striving wrote about in Colossians 1:29. In
Colossians 1:29, the striving connoted a striving or struggling like in an
athletic contest or in warfare, battling difficulties and dangers. In
Colossians 2:1, Paul’s struggle is his internal battle of wanting to be in
Colossae to confront the heresy with them while he was in prison. It concerned Paul
that the Colossian Christians could not fight the fallacies of the false
teachers. As a teacher of the Gospel, Paul struggled and fought with them by
writing the truths the Christians needed to know and remember to counter the
heresies taught in these cities.
Paul’s concern for the Colossians is four-fold. His first
concern was that, while they struggled and lived with these false teachers,
their hearts would receive encouragement. Paul wanted these believers to
experience comfort and strength because Jesus is their Savior. He wanted them
to know and remember they have the hope of an eternal reward with Jesus in
heaven. Paul wanted these Christians to remember to hold fast to the fact they
do not combat life alone but are with other believers and God is with them.
Later, in verse two, Paul said he wanted them to remember Christ
united them in love with other Christians. They did not live through hardships
alone. The Christians had the love of Christ in them, knitting them into a oneness
to help, encourage, and stand with each other. This love was not the phileo
love of the Greeks. It was not love for mankind. This love Paul wrote about is God’s
agape love. God’s character defines it. He is the fount of agape
love.
Paul concerned himself with reminding the believers in
Colossae and Laodicea that they “attain to all the wealth” that comes from being
a believer in Jesus Christ. This wealth is like the “riches of God’s glory” in
Colossians 1:27. Just as those riches, the wealth is the mystery of God, Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. Paul worked to make sure these believers remembered
what they gained within themselves when they trusted in Jesus. This wealth of
their faith, the saving knowledge of Jesus, comes from the full assurance of
understanding. The full assurance is complete confidence and conviction of
insight in the knowledge God gives about His mystery. Remember, God gives faith
to people. People must act upon that faith, seek Him, and trust in Jesus for
salvation to “attain all the wealth” that comes from God. Acting upon this
faith results in a “true knowledge of God’s mystery,” in knowing Jesus Christ
Himself (vs 2).
Paul, in his pastoral concern for the believers in Colossae
and Laodicea, made sure they knew the mystery is true knowledge and wisdom found
only in Christ. In Colossians 1:27, the mystery was Christ living in the
Gentiles. In Colossians 2:3, Christ holds within Himself all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge. Again, Paul used the terms riches and wealth. The wisdom
and knowledge of God are treasures and are in Christ. This countered what the
Gnostics taught that the way to God and salvation is through philosophical
thoughts. The only way to have the highest wisdom and knowledge, God’s wisdom
and knowledge, is through Jesus Christ. The path is first to receive Jesus Christ
as your Savior, then get the knowledge hidden in Him. A person’s trying to get
absolute knowledge first as the way to get salvation, as the Gnostics taught, is
impossible. Included in the salvation Jesus Christ gives are all wisdom and
knowledge, not just what a mortal being can conceive. It includes all the
riches in God’s storehouses. Why content yourself with Gnostic teaching when
you can go above and beyond that. God has superabundant knowledge and wisdom
hidden in Jesus Christ, and when you accept Him as the Son of God and trust in
Him for salvation, you have this wisdom and knowledge available to you.
The last struggle Paul mentions he has for the Christians in
these two cities is to ensure the false teachers do not delude them by
persuasive arguments but, instead stand firm in their conviction of salvation
through Christ. He wrote to these people to make sure false teachers did not beguile
them into trusting in a false teaching. The words “persuasive argument” come
from the Greek word pithanologia, a speech made intending to persuade
someone to one’s way of thinking. This way of speaking strives to gain an
acolyte to one’s beliefs. Contrary to that is God’s gentle persuasion to lead
people to truth and salvation. God’s gentle persuasion comes from the two Greek
words pistis/pistos and prosecheuchomai. These words in English
are faith and prayer. Remember, God gives each person faith for them to act
upon and trust in Jesus for their salvation. Added to this, as we pray and
commune with God, His indwelling Spirit puts into our heart, soul, and mind
those things for which He cares about so we can pray in agreement with Him. God’s
persuasion benefits the listener, not the speaker. The Gnostics spoke for their
own benefit to get people on their side.
Paul struggled like an athlete or soldier to keep the
Christians in the churches in Colossae and Laodicea strong in their faith as
they stood against the false teachings in their cities. He reminded them Christ
united them in faith with each other and with Himself. They were knitted together
in love for God and each other with God’s unifying love for each of them. The Christians
already had all the wealth of the true knowledge of God’s mystery, Jesus
Christ. Hidden within Him are God’s treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Why put trust
in the partial knowledge the Gnostics proclaim when they have Jesus, who is all
the wisdom and knowledge of God. Finally, Paul reminded these believers not to
fall for the persuasion of the Gnostics who seek only to get more acolytes.
Instead, stay steadfast in the faith, knowledge, and wisdom you received from
God through Jesus. The first type of persuasion is egocentric, while God’s
persuasion is other-centered.
Rejoicing Because of the Church
“For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.” (Colossians 2:5 [NASB])
Paul’s pastoral concern went beyond struggling within
himself for the Christians because he could not be with them to fight the false
teachers. As a man with a pastor’s heart, he rejoiced for and because of them,
too. To grow a church and be part of a church requires growing in easy and hard
times and the resultant rejoicing at where God has taken grown it.
In verse five, Paul reminded the Colossian and Laodicean
churches he stood with them. Though they may have felt they stood alone in
their contest with the Gnostics, Paul struggled with them. He was with them in
spirit and proved it with his letter to the Colossians. Paul stood with them in
the same Spirit and in the joining of their heart and purpose. He identified
with these churches and with Christ. Paul rejoiced over them. He rejoiced over
their “good discipline.” This phrase has a military connotation. It means to be
in an orderly array, like in military ranks, so they are ready for whatever may
come. These Christians had grown and were ready to battle the false teachings
like an army ready to fight its enemy.
Along with that, Paul rejoiced to see the “stability of
their faith in Christ.” This stability means being immoveable or having a solid
front like a military battalion standing ready for battle. The Colossian and
Laodicean believers were immoveable in their faith, in their persuasion, of who
Jesus is. They understood Jesus Christ is the mystery. He holds all knowledge
and wisdom and gives salvation to all who trust in Him. These Christians were
steadfast because of their discipling by Epaphras and their spiritual growth as
they met obstacles and relied on God to lead them. The Gnostics had moveable
benchmarks for what they considered advanced thought. Each person based his or
her idea of advanced thought on his or her own thinking. Whatever a person
determined was never the ultimate. Only God’s superabundant knowledge, wisdom,
and understanding can be the standard. Christ gives from this fount to each
person who believes in Him as the Son of God. Paul rejoiced that the Christians
of Colossae and Laodicea stood their ground in their faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul had a pastoral concern for the Christians in Colossae
and Laodicea. They faced the Gnostic idea that advanced thought raises a person
to the spiritual realm and saves him or her from evil. The Gnostics considered
all things material as evil and all things spiritual as good. Colossian
Christians battled this heresy. Paul wrote to encourage them and to rejoice at
the way they steadfastly stood while battling this false teaching. He encouraged
them and reminded them of their unity in God’s agape love. Paul wrote to
remind them of their attaining all the wealth that comes from the full
assurance of understanding, which results in a true knowledge of God’s mystery,
Christ Himself. He taught them the mystery is Christ in them from chapter one.
He then stated the mystery is that Christ is the wisdom of God. Because of
this, they had access to God’s full wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Paul wrote
to encourage the churches so no false teachers could delude (persuade) them to
follow a manmade belief. Besides writing to encourage the Christians, Paul
rejoiced over their growth so they could be ready for whatever false teaching
tried to trick them into considering something Epaphras did not teach them. He rejoiced
that the Colossian and Laodicean churches were steadfast and immoveable in
their faith in Christ, even though the Gnostics had persuasive arguments.
Paul’s letter was the letter of a pastor who cared for his flock, his church
given to him by God to lead and protect.
Thoughts to Consider
Have you heard that doing enough good deeds during your life
will earn your entrance to heaven? Have you heard that this life now is all you
get, so do what you want no matter the consequences? These and other thoughts
are manmade ideas to appease them of their sinfulness. Possibly, these thoughts
came from Satan to assuage guilt and keep people tricked and not knowing the
absolute truth. Satan’s thoughts and, often, humankind’s thoughts are untrue. They
do not originate with God. The truth is agape love originates with God.
Created things originated with God. Salvation originates from God with Jesus’ gift
of His life as the sin sacrifice. The resultant knowledge of God’s mystery,
Jesus Christ, and His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, comes to the people
who believe in Him with the faith He gives to trust in Jesus as the Son of God
and receive salvation from sins.
Questions:
- What have you heard about life after death?
- What do you feel when you do wrong things?
- Do you proclaim your insights about heaven?
- Are your proclamations the same as Paul’s?
- Do you proclaim these insights to get people to assume
you have more profound thoughts than they have heard?
- Whose teaching do you trust is being the right
way to heaven?
- What keeps you from believing in Jesus as the
Son of God and your Savior?
For next week’s Bible study, read
Colossians 2, especially concentrate on Colossians 2:6-7.
“Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” (Colossians 2:6-7 [NASB])
