Part 1 -
"For everything worthwhile, there is a counterfeit."
Several hundred years before Paul’s day, Colosse had been a leading city in Asia Minor. It was located on the Lycus River and on the great east-west trade route leading from Ephesus on the Aegean Sea to the Euphrates River (in present-day Turkey). Although diminished to a second-rate market town in the first century, Colosse was still located on a major trade route from the east, entertaining a steady stream of traders from the Orient with mysterious religious ideas. Even some Jews in that area worshiped angels and river spirits.
Many cults, both then and now, don’t reject Jesus Christ outright; they merely work Him into a more elaborate religious plan. Rather than tackle each individual falsehood, Paul counters with positive statements of truth and declares that Christ is enough. He is God.
The year is AD60 and Paul is in a Roman prison. The place where Paul was imprisoned was actually a house where he was kept under close guard at all times, possibly chained to a soldier, but given certain freedoms and priviledges not offered to most prisoners. He was allowed to write letters and see any visitors he wished.
Paul had probably never visited Colosse. The church there may have been founded by Epaphras.
Some within the church were attempting to combine elements of paganism and secular philosophy with Christian doctrine. This is still being done in so many of the churches today, so Paul’s letter could apply to Christians today as well as those in the first century.
Epaphras came to Rome with word about the heresy infiltrating the church. Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians in answer to Epaphras’s plea and sent it by Tychicus and Onesimus.
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
As was the custom, Paul identifies himself as the writer of the letter. He also mentions Timothy, so Timothy must have been still been with him in Rome.
Paul was an apostle “by the will of God”. The word apostle means chosen and sent by God as a missionary or ambassador. Paul often establishes his credentials because he had not been one of the original 12 disciples, yet he was appointed as an apostle, giving his message authority from God.
2To the holy and faithful (or believing) brothers in Christ at Colosse:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father (and the Lord Jesus Christ).
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Paul then identifies his intended readers, and gives thanks. All of Paul’s letters, except Galatians, begin with thanks or praise.
I often have a hard time finding words to pray that are meaningful, big enough, or fitting. It's not that we need to come up with original, eloquent prayers in order for God to honor them; part of prayer is communicating in simple honesty with God about what is going on in our lives, sharing our hurts, our wants, our needs and our love in whatever words most sincerely convey them. But there are times when my mind simply seems blank. For those times, it's good to remember that the Bible itself contains many prayers we can use. The prayers of the Bible, offered in thoughtful sincerity, even though not your own words, are the very words of God Himself and can help us organize our thoughts and bring us to our knees.
Of course, prayers found in Scripture should be "personalized" as we pray them. This helps us to be careful we aren't engaging in vain repetition. You can make them your own by praying them in the first person. You can modify them to fit your specific circumstances or needs. You can pray each phrase and then talk with God about that particular thought. Whenever you find it hard to pray, for whatever reason, turn to God's Word and find prayers inspired by the Lord Himself.
The Apostle Paul tells the Colossian church that because of their faith and love, he did not cease to pray (meaning regularly and faithfully) for them.
4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—
Has your faith or love ever been so strong, so evident and so effective that other people have heard about it? More to the point, is your faith and love something people would WANT to hear about?
In the opening verses of the book of Colossians, Paul says that he gave thanks for the "faithful brethren" in Colosse whose faith and love he had heard of. Their faith and love was so amazing that someone was telling somebody about it!
It's not that we should be seeking recognition or attention, that's not the point. My point is whether our faith or love is of such a quality and depth that lives around us are being changed to the glory of God. If anyone were to ask about your faith, what kind of answers would be given? If someone "heard" about you, would they hear about your faith and love?
The Bible is amazing. The opening verses of Colossians are more or less a simple greeting, an introduction to the letter Paul was writing; and yet there is a wealth of thought and insight to be considered, which is true for every Scripture!
In verses 3-4 Paul gives thanks and continually prays for the Colossians because he had "heard of" their faith and love. What produces that kind of faith and love? Paul reveals the answer in the next verse.
5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.
Real faith, and real love, has to have a motivation that transcends the secular world. Faith and love that are dependent on how people respond, or on what earthly reward is received, doesn't stand a chance. Faith and love are all about a life of sacrificial service; of giving yourself to others; of submitting your personal desires to the leadership and control of Jesus Christ.
It doesn't matter whether you're rich or poor, real faith and real love are manifested in dedicating all you have and all you are to the one who saved you. Why? Because Jesus is HOPE. Hope, found in the truth of the Gospel, is the foundation for faith and love that makes a difference.
Everyone has faith in something... faith in themselves; faith in the world; faith in money…but only faith built around the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is faith that produces Godly results; results worthy of being talked about; results worthy of being famous in the Kingdom.
Likewise, everyone has love. It is centered around one of two things: Self or God. Love that is centered around the hope of the Gospel is a love that makes a difference. It is a love that is worth talking about.
Paul commends the Colossians for their faith, love, and hope—the 3 main emphases of Christianity. When you find yourself doubting or wavering in your faith or love, remember your destination – heaven.
Paul insists that the Christian faith is not merely local or regional, but worldwide. The gospel had, by this time (32 years after the death of Jesus), been preached to the entire known world. Within the first generation the Church had become an established world-wide fact!
Wherever Paul went, he preached the gospel, and whenever people believed in the message, they were changed. God’s Word is not only for our information, but for our transformation! Becoming a Christian means beginning a whole new relationship with God. New believers have a changed purpose, direction, attitude, and behavior. They no longer seek to serve themselves, but are bearing fruit for God.
It is not what we know that brings salvation, but whom we know. Knowing Christ is knowing God.
7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our (or your) behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Epaphras had founded the church at Colosse while Paul was living in Ephesus. Because of their love for one another, Christians can have an impact that reaches beyond their communities. Paul had witnessed to Epaphras, and Epaphras had gone on to found a new church.
- Christian love comes from the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)
- Love is a by-product of our new life in Christ. (Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 13)
- Christian love is a decision to act in the best interest of others.
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you (or us) to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption (through His blood), the forgiveness of sins.
Verses 9-14 describes Paul’s prayer for the Colossians and is a good example of how we should pray for one another. He prayed for them to have spiritual wisdom which means knowing how to live a Christ-like life.
Those who were attempting to teach false doctrine in Colosse valued the accumulation of knowledge. Paul points out that knowledge in itself is empty. To be worth anything, knowledge must lead to a changed life and righteous living.
His prayer for the Colossians is that they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through spiritual wisdom and understanding and that they would bear fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.
The "knowledge of His will" is not just a typical awareness or basic knowledge, but an intense, thorough and deep knowledge that is completely revealed in God's Word (2Tim 3.16-17; 2Pet 1.3). Paul prays that Christians should be filled with thorough knowledge in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. In other words, to have a complete knowledge of God (accomplished through Bible study and prayer); compiling and remembering what we have learned; and finally, putting that organized Godly knowledge to use every day as we live out our Christian life.
Knowledge of God is not secretive, but is open to everyone.
Paul prayed that his fellow Christians be “strengthened with all power” as to be joyfully patient under all circumstances.
We should pray for others and request that they understand God’s will, gain spiritual wisdom, please and honor God, bear good fruit, grow in the knowledge of God, be filled with God’s strength, have great endurance and patience, stay full of Christ’s joy, and give thanks always. All believers have these same basic needs.
The “kingdom of light” is the opposite of the “dominion of darkness”. Kingdom is not referring to a territory, but to the sovereign power of a king. Here it means the Christian is no longer under the dominion of evil, but under the benevolent rule of God’s Son.
The Colossians feared the unseen forces of darkness, but Paul explains that true believers have been transferred from darkness to light, from slavery to freedom, from guilt to forgiveness, and from the power of Satan to the power of God. Because we have been rescued from a rebel kingdom to serve the rightful King, our conduct should reflect our new allegiance.
Paul lists five benefits God gives all believers through Christ:
1. He made us qualified to share His inheritance;
2. He rescued us from Satan’s dominion of darkness and made us His children;
3. He brought us into His eternal kingdom;
4. He redeemed us – bought our freedom from sin and judgment;
5. He forgave all our sins.
Thank God for what you have received in Christ.
Part 2 --
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
This is among the strongest statements made in the Bible about the divine nature of Christ. Jesus is not only equal to God—He IS God. He not only reflects God, He reveals God to us. In Hebrews 1:3, He is described as the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being”.
This suggests two truths:
- God is invisible—no one has ever seen God (John 1:18), and
- Christ reflects and reveals Him (John 14:9).
Seven times in 6 verses, Paul mentions “all creation”, “all things”, and “everything”, thus stressing that Christ is supreme over all. When God uses the word "all" this many times in the same thought, we ought to pay attention. One instance of an all-inclusive term is just that, all-inclusive. But to have one used several times in row, it would seem that God is trying to get something through our thick heads.
When the Bible says "all" it means only one thing: ALL. Unlike us, God does not exaggerate to make a point. He says exactly what He means. He's not just trying to emphasize or bolster an idea by applying a grandiose term. In the Bible, ALL MEANS ALL.
Jesus is the firstborn over all creation. Jesus has preeminence in ALL things. He is the highest ranking, most important, first and foremost. This is the correct understanding because Jesus was not physically born before all other people; nor was He ever firstborn in the sense that His birth marked the beginning of His existence. He is eternal and has always existed.
Why is He firstborn over all creation? Because all things that were created, were created by Him, through Him and for Him. So much for any argument that Jesus has not always existed as God. Paul says Jesus created:
- All things in heaven or on earth
- All things visible or invisible
- All thrones (all governments), dominions (all possessions), principalities (all authorities) and powers (all influence)
The Apostle Paul leaves no possible exception or doubt unanswered: Jesus is preeminent over all creation which was by Him (He did the creating), through Him (He was the authority and reason for creation) and for Him (creation would exist to fulfill His purposes).
If Jesus has preeminence over all creation, do you think that includes our life? Sometimes when we think on such grand scales we lose sight of the personal aspects. "All creation" is not just every thing out there, it is all things that have to do with our life. Which parts of our life? ALL parts.
Jesus should have preeminence (first importance) in all areas of our life:
- Preeminence in our thoughts
- Preeminence in our time
- Preeminence in our schedule
- Preeminence in our finances
- Preeminence in our relationships
- Preeminence in our work
- Preeminence in our words
- Preeminence in our emotions
Think about this for a moment. In every area of our life that Jesus is not preeminent, who is? We are!
The truth is that every time and in every way that Jesus is not preeminent in our lives, we are proclaiming that WE are more important than He is.
“Thrones or powers or rulers or authorities” may refer to an angelic hierarchy. This verse, along with Ephesians 6:12 may indicate that there are (in the unseen world) numerous varieties of persons and governments, and that Christ’s death not only made possible man’s redemption, but restored the broken harmony of the universe because He is the Lord over all, both in the physical and spiritual worlds.
These verses are in direct response to the false doctrines that were filtering into the church in Colosse. There were several misconceptions about Christ that Paul directly refuted:
- False teachers argued that God would not have come to earth as a true human being in bodily form. Paul stated that Christ is the exact likeness of God, and is Himself God, yet He died on the cross as a human being.
- They said that God did not create the world because He would not have created evil. Paul proclaimed that Jesus Christ, who was also God in the flesh, is the Creator of both heaven and earth.
- They said that Christ was not the Son of God, but rather one of many intermediaries between God and people. Paul explained that Christ existed before anything else and is the first of those resurrected.
- They refused to see Christ as the source of salvation, insisting that people could find God only through special secret knowledge. Paul openly proclaimed the way of salvation to be through Christ alone.
Paul continued to bring the argument back to Christ. Whenever we share the gospel, we too must keep the focus on Christ.
17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
“In Him all things hold together” – God is not only the Creator of the world, but is also its Sustainer. He holds everything together, protecting and preventing it from disintegrating into chaos. Because Christ is the Sustainer of life, we are all His servants who must daily trust Him for protecting us, caring for us, and sustaining us.
18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Jesus is the Head of the Church and the first to conquer death.
19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
It pleases God that "all the fullness" should dwell in Jesus. What is "all the fullness"?
“Fullness” – The totality of God with all His powers and attributes.
It is a reference to Christ's complete humanity coexisting with His complete Godhood. He was 100% man and 100% God at the same time.
Some Greeks believed that Jesus could not be human and divine at the same time, but Paul refutes that by saying Christ is fully human and fully divine. Christ has always been God and always will be God.
Jesus was raised from death, and His resurrection proves His lordship over the material world. All who trust in Him will also defeat death and rise again to live eternally with Him. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, He has been exalted and elevated to the status which was rightfully His. He is spiritually supreme in the universe.
20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Verse 20 is a big bite of theology. It's important to understand what "reconcile" means... it is the Greek word katallagē, which speaks of a new relationship between two parties who were formerly at odds, or enemies. Who or what needs to be reconciled? Everything that is against God whether "things on earth or things in heaven".
The verse says "all things" will be reconciled which has been used by some to defend universalism, the idea that all people will ultimately be saved and spend eternity with God. But that can only be believed if we take this scripture out of context. When we continue our study in the entire Word of God, we learn that “reconcile to Himself all things” does not mean that by His death all are saved, but that the way has been cleared for anyone who will trust Christ to be saved.
There are two ideas to consider:
1) that all creation will, eventually, submit and admit who Jesus Christ really is, thus elevating Jesus to His rightful place as Lord and Master (Phil 2.10); and
2) that when all is said and done, there will be nothing at odds with Jesus ever again in the new creation or heaven.
So what does reconciliation mean to us as we live our life day to day?
Apart from Christ, there is no way for our sin to be forgiven and removed.
Jesus’ physical body actually died. He suffered death fully as a human so we could be assured that He died in our place. He faced death as God so we can be assured that His sacrifice was complete and He had truly removed our sin. To accept His gift of sacrifice, we must trust Jesus Christ to take our sin away. And we must REMAIN ESTABLISHED AND FIRM in the truth of the gospel, putting our confidence in Jesus alone to forgive our sins and to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way He desires.
When a judge in a court of law declares a defendant ‘not guilty’, the person has been acquitted of all the charges. Legally, it is as if he or she had never been accused. When God forgives us, our record is wiped clean. From His perspective, it is as though we had never sinned. Sometimes it is much more difficult for us to let go of our past, but we must not continue to look back. Look forward to God’s promises and what we can do for Him.
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of (or as shown by) your evil behavior. 22But 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—
We no longer have to be God's enemy, trapped in our wickedness and sin. Our relationship has been changed through Christ (reconciliation), and by having the righteousness of Christ credited to us, God now sees each Believer holy, blameless, and beyond reproach (justification).
Or more simply put, God no longer sees you as the wicked sinner you are, but because of the blood of Christ, God sees you as perfect... like Jesus.
23if 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.
24Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
Paul speaks of his suffering while trying to spread the gospel. Although he has suffered greatly, his suffering is nothing in comparison with that which Christ suffered on the cross. Suffering is unavoidable in bringing the Good News of Christ to the world. When we suffer, Christ feels it with us. But Paul says he is anxious to bear his share of the suffering.
Whenever we tell someone about Christ and the wonderful things He can do for them if they accept Him, we must also not minimize the cost and sacrifice a Christian might face. If we leave out the fact that we will face ridicule from the world and may suffer because of our belief in Jesus, they might be in for a rude awakening when that "cost" part of the Christian life comes to fruition.
- Matthew 10:22 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (NKJV)
- Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. (NKJV)
- John 15:18-19 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (NKJV)
- 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. (NKJV)
- Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (NKJV)
25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.
27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The “mystery” of God’s purpose was revealed by Christ through the gospel. There is no secret code for us to find in order to learn God’s truths. Paul says it has been revealed through Christ and was made open to all, including the Gentiles.
28We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Paul wished for all believers to mature spiritually. Part of an effective presentation of the gospel is to admonish and teach. Admonish means to warn. The warning is that without Christ, people are doomed to eternal separation from God. The teaching is that salvation is available through faith in Christ.
The essence of Paul’s message in this part of his epistle is this: Christ is the Head of the Universe. We approach Him directly, not through intermediary angels. Christ is our wisdom, our life, our hope of glory.
Thank you again for joining in this study. The second chapter will be posted on, or soon after, December 1.
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