1. A Prayer for the Colossian Believers (Colossians 1:1-14)
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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Rembrandt, "St Paul at his Writing-Desk" (1629), oil on
wood, 47.2 x 38 cm., Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg. |
As Paul begins this letter, in the first few verses
he introduces himself, explains the world-wide scope of the Christian
movement, and then tells the Colossians how he is praying for them.
These prayers, especially, give us a window into the Apostle's heart,
and help us understand what Christian discipleship is really all about.
Though Paul had never seen the Colossian church in
person, you can sense his love for them in the first few verses of this
letter.
It's likely that Paul had passed by Colossae on his
way to the "big city" of Ephesus, but he had never been to the church in
Colossae. In fact, it hadn't existed when he had gone past it on the
great Royal Highway from the East that ended in Sardis and Ephesus, 100
miles west.
Paul spent nearly three years in Ephesus, preaching
first in the synagogue, then later, when he had been kicked out, he
rented the lecture hall of Tyrannus, where he taught the new disciples.
Epaphras was one of these new disciples. No doubt,
while in Ephesus, he heard of Paul, sat under his teaching, and became a
Christian. Then he went back to Colossae and started a church (1:7-8).
Now Epaphras has come to Rome, sought Paul out, and has asked him to
write a letter to encourage and help stabilize the Colossian believers
in the face of false teaching.
And so Paul begins the letter.
"1 Paul, an apostle of Christ
Jesus by the will1 of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the holy and faithful
brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our
Father." (1:1-2)
Greek letters in Paul's time began with a kind of
formula: first the name of the sender, then the name of the recipient,
and finally a greeting.
Paul introduces himself in a kind of formal manner:
"Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the
will of God." (1:1a)
This is for two reasons. First, the Colossians have
never met Paul. Second, he needs to establish his authority so that he
can teach them and warn them of the heresy that threatens the church.
Apostle, means, "one sent on a commission." He is not self-appointed. He
is an apostle "by the will of God." He is commissioned by God himself
and speaks with God's authority.
Notice the inverse word order of "Christ Jesus," different than what we're used to. Paul's reason is to emphasize
Jesus' messiahship. Christ, of course, means,
"messiah," so this reads: Messiah
Jesus. As we'll see as the letter unfolds, one of the threats is from a
Jewish group that may be questioning Jesus' messiahship and prominence.
So Paul begins with Christ's awesome title from the very first sentence.
"To the holy and faithful brothers in
Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father." (1:2)
He addresses the Colossian believers as "holy and
faithful." "Holy," in that they are set apart to God, they are not their
own.
2 And "faithful," in that they are both full of faith and are acting in a
faithful and trustworthy manner (the word can have both connotations).3
Now Paul offers them a greeting:
"Grace and peace to you from God our
Father." (1:2)
"Grace" was the characteristic Greek greeting, which extended a word
of favor (or grace) to the person greeted. "Peace" (shalom
in Hebrew) was the characteristic Jewish greeting. Paul combines these
greetings and then identifies the source of the blessings: "God our
Father."
Now Paul lets his readers know of his personal
concern for them and his joy in their faith:
"We always thank God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you." (1:3)
Though Paul has not seen their face, he prays for
this new Colossian church. "Pray" is in the present tense, suggesting
continuing, ongoing action. Paul was in the habit of praying for the
Colossians. And whenever he prays, he gives thanks. Why? Because he has
heard good things about this church -- both by reputation and from the
reports brought by Epaphras.
"We thank God ... 4 because we
have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for
all the saints -- 5 the 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 6 that has come to
you." (1:4-6a)
It's a complicated sentence -- but get used to it.
Sometimes in Greek, Paul can go on for a whole paragraph or two without
a period. Mercifully, our English translations smooth out these run-on
sentences a bit.
Here are three causes for Paul's thanksgiving:
- Faith in Christ Jesus. They believe in Messiah Jesus.
- Love for the all the saints. This church has an especially
open and far-reaching love. Instead of only loving people who are "just
like them," they have demonstrated a love for "saints" (people set apart
to God) from a variety of places, who have probably stopped in Colossae
to rest. And when they arrived they were shown generous hospitality and
showered with love.
Faith, that is, belief in Jesus, can be faked. Love
can be put on -- at least for a while. But faith and love together are
quintessential earmarks of solid Christians. Notice the third cause,
from which the first two spring:
4
- Hope "that is stored up for you in heaven" (1:5). Their
focus is not this-worldly, but other-worldly, set upon an inheritance
"stored up" for them in heaven. This word "stored up" (NIV), "laid up" (NRSV, KJV) is apokeimai, originally,
"to put away for
safekeeping," here, "to reserve as award or recompense, reserve," a
common term in honorary documents expressing appreciation for sense of
civic or other communal responsibility.5
Here we have the three virtues that Paul
talked about at the end of the "Love Chapter," 1 Corinthians 13.
"And now these three remain: faith, hope
and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)
You've already heard about this hope, Paul
says, "... in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you" (1:5b).
The Colossians have been enticed by the false
teachers to turn from Christ to a faith where he wasn't at the center.
So Paul explains that they are not just an isolated few, but part of a
world-wide movement.
"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." (1:6)
The word "gospel" means "good news." Here it refers
to the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. The gospel is active
("bearing fruit and growing"). It recalls the description of the word of
God which is "living and active," which penetrates and judges (Hebrews
4:12).
Notice how Paul characterizes the gospel, with
almost human characteristics:
- Gospel -- "good news"
- The word of truth, that is a message that can be
trusted. Dear friend, the gospel of Jesus' salvation is true. You can
rely upon it.
- Bearing fruit.6 What kind of fruit tree is the gospel? One that produces holy,
transformed, born-anew Christians, believers in Jesus, who model their
lives after Jesus' life.
- Growing (NIV, NRSV) is auxanō, "to become
greater, grow, increase." 7 The early church had not stagnated or plateaued after a few years. The
Christian movement was growing rapidly all over the known world. In the
lifetime of the apostles the gospel reached Iraq and India under the
Apostle Thomas, and perhaps Spain through the Apostle Paul. Their
disciples then carried the good news to Europe and the British Isles,
that were then Roman colonies and outposts. "Bearing fruit and growing" echo
Jesus' Parable of the Sower where the seed ("the Word of God") in
the good soil "produced a crop -- a hundred, sixty or thirty times what
was sown" (Matthew 13:8).
Where you live, it may not seem like the Christian
movement is growing. In fact, in Western Europe and America, it seems to
be contracting at present. But world-wide, the Christian movement is
growing rapidly. Sub-Saharan Africa became predominately Christian by
the end of the twentieth century, as did Korea. The Christian church is
growing rapidly in China and South America, in parts of India, and
elsewhere.
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Q1. (Colossians 1:5-6) Paul glorifies
the gospel, the good news. What words does he use to describe
the action of the gospel in verses 5 and 6? Given the temptation
the recipients have to adopt another religious philosophy, why
do you think he reminds them of the world scope of the gospel's
influence? What happens in our day when a church becomes
embarrassed or unimpressed with the gospel message? How does
this affect the church?
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"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 understood8 God's grace in all its truth." (1:6)
Notice the key role of both hearing the gospel and
understanding it. It is possible, of course, to hear the story of Jesus
without understanding its implications. But when a person grasps "God's
grace in all its truth," they turn to Jesus.
How many of your friends have heard the gospel, but not grasped the
glorious truths of God's grace. "Grace" (charis)
describes the nature of our salvation. Most people believe that they
must work for their salvation. The wonderful truth of God's grace is
that salvation is a free gift, granted by God, through Jesus Christ. All
we do is to believe it -- that is, embrace the truth for ourselves. The
classic scripture on grace in the New Testament is:
"For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast."
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
Now Paul mentions Epaphras, whom we assume is the
founder of the church in Colossae:
"7 You learned it from
Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ
on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the
Spirit." (1:7-8)
See what it says about him:
- "Dear" (NIV, KJV), "beloved" (NRSV).
Epaphras is dear not only to the Colossians, but also to Paul himself.
- Fellow servant. Paul acknowledges him as a
colleague. And, as a mark of humility, refers to both Epaphras and
himself as a "servant." The word is probably better translated,
"fellow-slave," from the root doulos, "slave." This isn't about
Paul and Epaphras, but about their Master, their Owner -- Jesus! One of
the first steps of Christian maturity is to realize that the Christian
faith isn't about us -- about our salvation and relief from some of our
problems. It is about God and his Son Jesus. We are not the center, we
are servants of the Central One.
- Faithful. "Faithful," of course, refers to
Epaphras's reliability. He doesn't run hot and cold. He has proved
himself trustworthy to carry out his responsibilities.
- Minister of Christ. This word is diakonia,
"servant," especially as an "agent, intermediary, courier." 9
In America our high officials are called Secretary of State or
President. But in Europe and much of the rest of the world, they are
titled as Foreign Minister or Prime Minister. We represent Jesus in our
little corner of the world. We are his personal emissaries to those we
meet and live around.
Incidentally, the phrase "on our behalf" (NIV), "on
your behalf" (NRSV), "for you" (KJV) is one of those instances where the
Greek text isn't exactly clear, whether it should be "our" or "your." In
this context "on your behalf" seems to make more sense to me. Epaphras
has "told us of your love in the Spirit" (1:8).
While we're talking about Epaphras, let's look at
the two other passages in the Bible where he is mentioned:
"Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant
of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for
you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully
assured." (4:12)
"Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ
Jesus, sends you greetings." (Philemon 23)
Epaphras was also a prisoner, who was either in
jail with Paul or living with him under house arrest. We don't know the
circumstances of Epaphras's imprisonment.
The other thing we learn about him is that he is a
"prayer warrior." He wrestles in prayer for the Colossian believers -- even from the distance of hundreds of miles that separate Rome (where we
assume Paul was imprisoned) and Colossae.
"8b Epaphras ... who also told
us of your love in the Spirit." (1:8b)
Epaphras has reported the love the Colossian
believers have, prompted by the Holy Spirit within them. This expression
of love -- probably a profound love for God, but also an affection for
Paul himself -- prompts Paul to pray for them. And when he started
praying for them, he never stopped.
"9 For 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. 10 And 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,
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious
might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
12 giving thanks to the Father." (1:9-12a)
We're going to examine this prayer in some detail,
since it instructs us both how to pray for other believers and what are
the important pieces of the profile of a growing believer.
- To know God's will (1:9b).
- To have spiritual wisdom and understanding (1:9).
- To live a life worthy of Jesus, one that is pleasing to
him (1:10a).
- To bear fruit by doing good works (1:10b).
- To grow in your knowledge of, or relationship to, God
(1:10c).
- To be strengthened by God's power (1:11a) so that you have
the qualities of endurance, patience, thankfulness, and joy (1:11b-12a).
So often we "dumb down" Christian discipleship to
going to church, praying, and reading the Bible. But Paul describes
discipleship in terms of qualities of life and ways of living. We have
much to learn.
The first element in the profile of a disciple is
knowledge.
"... 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" (1:9)
"... Growing in the knowledge of God" (1:10c)
When we approach the idea of "knowledge," we
naturally think about absorbing facts and concepts. But in Scripture,
knowledge often goes beyond this to knowing, being intimately acquainted
with a person. As you recall, in Genesis, "Adam knew his wife" (Genesis
4:1) is a euphemism for "have sex with"– intimate relationship. God
wants the disciples of Jesus to know him deeply -- depth of relationship,
not just theological reflection about God's nature.
In verse 9, Paul asks for "God to fill you with the
knowledge of his will"– that is, an understanding of his purposes and
way of doing things. In verse 10 he prays that they might be "...
Growing in the knowledge of God"– that is, growing in relationship with
him, getting better acquainted with the person of God.
Paul modifies the knowledge of God in verse 9 by saying, "through all
spiritual wisdom and understanding." 10 Non-Christian
philosophers (who Paul mentions in 2:8) may have wisdom and insight, but
is speaking "spiritual" (pneumatikos) wisdom and
knowledge, that is, given by the Spirit of God. Has the Holy Spirit made
you wise and given you spiritual insight? That is Paul's prayer.
Paul looks for results in one's life:
"... Bearing fruit in every good work...." (1:10b)
The fruit of this Spirit-given insight and wisdom
is a life that pleases God. Paul describes this pleasing life as "worthy11 of the Lord." This means both a life of worth and a life that brings
credit to the Lord. When Christians live sloppy, hypocritical, and
unrighteous lives, we bring reproach on our Lord.
Are lives that are "unfruitful" really Christian?
Two teachings come to mind -- one from Paul, the other from James:
"For we are God's workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to
do." (Ephesians 2:10)
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man
claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ...
Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James
2:14, 17)
We are not saved by good works; we are saved for
good works. If the fruit of good works is not in our lives -- the fruit
of the Spirit working in and through our lives -- then how do we know we
are true Christians?
Paul prays that the Colossians may be strengthened
so they might have "great endurance and patience" (1:11) These are
related words.
- "Endure/endurance" (NRSV, NIV), "patience" (KJV) is
hypomonē, "the capacity to hold out or bear up in the face
of difficulty, patience, endurance, fortitude, steadfastness,
perseverance." 12
- "Patience" (NIV, NRSV), "longsuffering" (KJV) is
makrothymia, the "state of remaining tranquil while awaiting an
outcome, patience, steadfastness, endurance." 13
The words are similar. According to Trench, "Hupomonē
is remaining under difficulties without succumbing, while makrothumia
is the long endurance that does not retaliate." 14
Two other qualities are joyfulness and giving
thanks. All these qualities are marks of a disciple. All these qualities
are the subject of Paul's prayer for the Colossian church. How do you
measure up? Are you growing in these qualities?
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Q2. (Colossians 1:9-12a) What are the
elements of Paul's prayer for the Colossian believers? What are
the seven or eight specific results that he prays will be
produced in their lives? Which of these are most important in a
Christian disciple? Which, you think, are least important? What
happens when some are missing?
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Now Paul moves from prayer to praise. He has
recounted how he has prayed for the Colossian believers. Now he praises
God for the dramatic nature of their salvation.
"12 ... Joyfully giving thanks
to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the
saints in [the kingdom of15 ]
light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of
darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves." (1:12-13)
Paul describes their salvation in almost
cosmic terms -- dominion and kingdom. Let's define the words and then
look at the implications of this characterization.
"Dominion" (NIV), "power" (NRSV, KJV)
is exousia. The word originally referred to "freedom of
choice," that is,
"the ‘right'to act, decide, or dispose of one's property as
one wishes," then "potential or resource to command, control, or
govern." Here it refers to "the sphere in which power is
exercised, domain." 16 The word is sometimes used in lists of spiritual powers in both
Colossians (1:16; 2:10; 2:15) and Ephesians (1:21; 3:10), usually used
alongside "principalities" (KJV) or "rulers" and translated "power" or
"authority." It's most famous occurrence is in Paul's classic passage on
spiritual warfare and putting on the full armor of God:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)
We'll consider these evil spiritual forces
further as we study Colossians.
"Kingdom" is the contrasting authority
structure, the word always used to refer to the "kingdom of God" or
"kingdom of heaven" in the New Testament. The word is basileia,
which can refer to "the act of ruling"– "kingship, royal power, royal
rule," usually "the kingdom of God" or "royal reign of God," or,
sometimes, "territory ruled by a king, kingdom." 17
Look at the contrasts between these two domains:
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Satan's realm |
God's realm |
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We tend to take these concepts figuratively rather
than acknowledging the existence of these contrasting spiritual realms,
but they are real. One is dark, malignant, and controlling. The other is
filled with light, hope, love, redemption, and forgiveness. Dear
friends, this is the spiritual issue of our world. In Christ, we offer
light, life, and hope to people who are in spiritual bondage. Will we
love them enough to care and lead them to the light?
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Q3. (Colossians 1:12-13) Why does Paul
use the terms darkness and light to portray his readers past and
future? Why does he remind them where they came from? What is
"the inheritance of the saints in light" that he mentions? In
verse 13 we find two terms used of governing bodies? How are
they contrasted in verse 13? In what sense are subjects
"governed" in each?
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We've looked at the two spiritual realms. Now read
the passage again, with an eye to the action verbs and ideas that
characterize God's salvation in Christ:
"12 ... The Father who has
qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom
of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of
darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (1:12-14)
- Qualified
- Rescued
- Brought us into the Kingdom
- Redeemed
- Forgiven
Let's take time to examine these concepts one at a
time -- even if you already think you know what they mean.
- "Qualified" (NIV),
"enabled"
(NRSV), "made meet" (KJV) is
hikanoō, "to cause to be adequate, make sufficient, qualify,"
perhaps shading into the sense "empower, authorize." 18 The word is used only here and in 2 Corinthians 3:6 ("made us competent
as ministers"). We don't "accept Christ" of our own volition. We aren't
masters of our fate. We can only come to God because of his own favor
and mercy -- God's grace. He -- and he alone -- has allowed us to approach
him. We have no standing on our own to appear before God. Our
qualification is our union with Christ, God's beloved Son.
- "Rescued" (NIV, NRSV),
"delivered"
(KJV) is rhyomai, "to rescue from danger, save, rescue, deliver,
preserve someone." 19
Rescue involves giving aid to someone who is so endangered that
they are unable to save themselves from death. A hand reaches out and
grasps the drowning woman and pulls her to safety. A shepherd's crook
helps extract a panicked sheep from a thicket in which it has become
entangled -- and is helpless prey to predators. Salvation is not a
"helping hand" to assist a person over the bumps of life. It is a
"saving hand" to pull a helpless person to safety.
- "Brought" (NIV),
"transferred" (NRSV), "translated"
(KJV) is methistēmi, "transfer from one place to another,
remove." 20 This talks about a transfer of citizenship from the dominion of darkness
to the kingdom of God's dear son. This is not a gradual evolution, but
an abrupt event, using the Aorist tense. Jesus taught a similar concept:
"I tell you the
truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal
life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over21 from death to life."
(John 5:24)
"We know that we
have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers." (1 John
3:14a)
- "Redemption" is apolytrōsis.
Originally the word meant, "buying back" a slave or captive, that is,
"making free" by payment of a ransom. Here is means, "release from a
captive condition, release, redemption, deliverance." 22 The implication is that we were in slavery, in bondage, unable to help
ourselves. But Jesus' death on the cross paid the price for our
manumission, our purchase.23 Paul says,
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit.... You are not your own; you were bought at a price." (1
Corinthians 6:19-20)
- "Forgiveness" is áphesis.
Originally the word meant, "the act of freeing and liberating from
something that confines, release" from captivity. By extension it means
here, "the act of freeing from an obligation, guilt, or punishment,
pardon, cancellation." 24 Think about it for a moment: You have been forgiven of all your sins! It
is a free and complete pardon! Praise God!
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Q4. (Colossians 1:12-13) What are the
three or four action verbs in verses 12 and 13 that paint a
picture of salvation? Who performs the action? Who is it
performed on? In what way were we "qualified/enabled/made meet"?
In what way were we "rescued" or "delivered"?
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Q5. (Colossians 1:13-14) What are the
two qualities mentioned in verse 14 that characterize the
"kingdom of his beloved Son"? What did the idea of redemption
mean in the Greek? In what way did Christ "redeem" us? What is
the significance of the fact that our sins are forgiven in this
kingdom?
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A book of the compiled lessons is available in both
e-book and
paperback formats. |
This has been a wonderful start to a power-packed
epistle:
A thumbnail of Epaphras, an ideal Christian worker
An apostle's prayer for spiritual growth
The profile of Christian character that is forming in us
A 5-fold description of the amazing salvation we have been
given.
In it all we have cause for rejoicing and
hope for the future.
Prayer
Father, thank you for your rich love for us. Thank
you for your hope that can see beyond our faults to your plan for us and
your character that is growing within us. Thank you for not giving up on
us. Thank you for Jesus' mighty act of salvation on the cross. In his
name, we pray. Amen.
Key Verses
"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." (Colossians 1:6,
NIV)
"For he has rescued us from the dominion
of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom
we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14, NIV)
References
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