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Colossians 1:1-5 Commentary |
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Colossians 1:1 Paul,
an
apostle
of
Jesus
Christ
by the
will
of
God
and
Timothy
our
brother,
(NASB:
Lockman) |
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Greek:
Paulos
apostolos
Christou
Iesou
dia
thelematos
Theou
kai
Timotheos
o
adelphos
Barclay This is a letter from Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
will of God, and from Timothy, the brother (Westminster
Press)
KJV: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and
Timotheus our brother,
Lightfoot: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by no personal merit but by God’s
gracious will alone, and Timothy, our brother in the faith,
Wuest: Paul, an ambassador of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and
Timothy our brother (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the
will of God, and Timotheus the brother |
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PAUL, AN APOSTLE OF JESUS
CHRIST: Paulos apostolos Christou Iesou:
Apostle
- (Click
here or
here for Verse by Verse note on apostle)
(See
Torrey's Topic
Apostle,
Multiple
Dictionary Descriptions)
Paul...apostle
(click
here for all uses of this phrase and note what key phrase
is repeated 5x - why was Paul an apostle? Was it because he chose to
be? Look at the link for the answer and then apply this truth to
your life) is a favorite self designation. Paul
was a man with a mission having
been commissioned by Christ Himself, Whose will was made known in (Acts
9:15 22:14, 15, 21 26:16, 17,18).
Paul further
explained that he was
an
apostle not sent from
men
nor
through
the
agency
of
man,
but
through
Jesus
Christ
and
God
the
Father, Who
raised
Him from the
dead
(Gal
1:1)
Paul was
commissioned as Christ's "chosen
instrument"
(Acts 9:15)
and ambassador to the Gentiles with a message of reconciliation (Ro
5:11-note,
2Co 5:18,19), a message that he
neither
received...from
man,
nor
was...
taught,
but ...
through
a
revelation
of
Jesus
Christ.
(Gal
1:12).
In (Ro1:5) Paul added that
through
(Jesus
Christ
our
Lord)
we have
received
grace and
apostleship to
bring
about
the
obedience
of
faith
among
all
the
Gentiles
for His
name's
sake
Apostle
(652)
(apostolos
[word study]
from apostello
= send in turn from apo = off from + stello
= send) (Click
for another discussion) which
literally means "sent one".
Apostolos was a
technical word designating an individual sent from someone else with
the sender's commission, the necessary credentials, the sender's
authority and the implicit responsibility to accomplish a mission or
assignment.
Secular Greek writer Demosthenes gives a word
picture of "apostolos" noting that it was used to
describe a cargo ship sent out with a load. Demosthenes also
described a naval fleet as "apostles" sent out to
accomplish a mission.
Apostolos
- 80x in 79v - Matt 10:2; Mark 3:14; 6:30; Luke 6:13; 9:10; 11:49;
17:5; 22:14; 24:10; John 13:16; Acts 1:2, 26; 2:37, 42f; 4:33, 35ff;
5:2, 12, 18, 29, 40; 6:6; 8:1, 14, 18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4, 14; 15:2,
4, 6, 22f; 16:4; Rom 1:1; 11:13; 16:7; 1 Cor 1:1; 4:9; 9:1f, 5;
12:28f; 15:7, 9; 2 Cor 1:1; 8:23; 11:5, 13; 12:11f; Gal 1:1, 17, 19;
Eph 1:1; 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; Phil 2:25; Col 1:1; 1 Thess 2:7; 1 Tim
1:1; 2:7; 2 Tim 1:1, 11; Titus 1:1; Heb 3:1; 1 Pet 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1;
3:2; Jude 1:17; Rev 2:2; 18:20; 21:14. NAS = apostle(19),
apostles(52), apostles'(5), messenger(1), messengers(1), is sent(1).
The English word "ambassador" is
a good translation of apostolos because an
ambassador is
an official envoy of high rank appointed by one of higher rank and
authority in the government to represent and transact its business
at the seat of government of some other power.
Paul thought of himself as an ambassador of the King of
kings, sent by Him to the Gentiles with credentials (miracles he
performed) and the commission,
to open their eyes so that they
may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to
God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an
inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me
(Acts 26:17, 18)
To reemphasize the word apostle
as Paul uses it here does not merely refer to one who has a message
to announce, but to an appointed representative with an official
status who is provided with the credentials of his office.
Apostle
is also used once to describe Jesus Christ the Sent from the Father
(Heb 3:1-note;
John 20:21).
Paul apparently
wrote while he was in prison at Rome (Col 4:18-note) and sent the letter
to them by Tychicus (Col 4:7-note), by whom he also sent the Ephesian
letter, presumably at the same time (Ep 6:21, 22-note), as well as the
letter to Philemon.
BY THE WILL OF GOD: dia
thelematos theou:
(Ro 1:1-note:1;
1Co 1:1 2Co 1:1, Ep 1:1-note,
2Ti 1:1-note)
Will
(2307)
(thelema used of God's will in 49 of 64 NT uses, 3
uses relating to Jesus' humanity, 3 to the Father in the parables
and only 9 uses referring to man's will) refers to a desire
which comes from one’s heart or emotions and is what one
wishes or has determined shall be done.
Thelema refers
not to will
which is conceived as a demand but an inclination of pleasure
towards that which is liked, which pleases and creates joy. Thus
God’s will
signifies His gracious disposition toward something, what God
Himself does of His own good pleasure.
Here thelema
refers to God’s gracious disposition. The point is that Paul was not
a self made minister but one
called by God because that is what God determined should come to
pass. How easy it is to miss His
will
in this life and instead to "kick against the goads" building "mud
pie ministries" when we could be bearing much fruit, proving that we
are His disciples (Jn 15:8)
and letting our
"light shine before men in such a way that they
may see (our) good works, and glorify (our) Father Who
is in heaven". (Mt 5:16-note)
If you are in ministry the question should resound in your ears "Are
you where you are by His
will
or yours? It's a question pondering.
AND TIMOTHY OUR BROTHER:
kai Timotheos o adelphos:
(Acts 16:1, 17:14,15, 18:5, 19:22, 20:4, 1Cor 4:17, 2Ti
1:5, 3:14, 3:15, 1Ti 5:23, Php 2:19, 20, 21, 22)
Our
brother (adelphos
from the prefix a = denoting unity + delphús
= womb) is literally one born from same womb, but used figuratively
to describe close association of a group of persons having
well-defined membership and in the context of the New Testament
clearly refers to fellow believers in Christ and so in the family of
God and thus united by the bond of affection.
Elsewhere Paul refers
to "Timothy, my son" (1Ti 1:18)
and "Timothy, my beloved son" (2Ti 1:2-note)
suggesting a father son relationship in the spiritual realm. Do you
have a brother in Christ who you would call your spiritual father
and mentor?
When we study Paul’s epistles we see that each has a dominant theme.
In Romans, it is justification by faith. In Ephesians, it is the
mystery of Christ and his Church. In Philippians, it is the joy
which Christ brings. In Colossians, it is the absolute supremacy and
sufficiency of Jesus Christ as the Head of all creation and of the
Church. There is no book in the New Testament, including John’s
Gospel, which presents such a comprehensive picture of the fullness
of Christ. Accordingly, there is no writing better-equipped to
draw us upward than the book of Colossians.
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BACKGROUND ON
COLOSSAE and GNOSTICISM |
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Colossae was located about 80 miles inland
from the city of Ephesus, in the Lycus River Valley, in
what is today the western part of Turkey
(click
on map below to enlarge or more photos of Colossae click
HolyLandPhotos.org).
Click
this map
for the geographic relationships of Laodicea
("justice of the people" -
description),
Hierapolis ("holy city" - see
description)
and Colossae ("punishment" - see
description).
The tributaries of the Lycus River brought a calcareous
deposit of a peculiar kind that choked up the streams
and made arches and fantastic grottoes. In spite of this
there was much fertility in the valley.
At one time Colossae
was one of the prominent towns of the valley. Herodotus
describes Xerxes’ march westward in 480 B.C. writing
that "He came to Colossae, a great city of Phrygia
situated at a spot where the river Lycus plunges into a
chasm and disappears. Antiochus III (223-187 B.C.)
transported about two thousand Jews from Mesopotamia to
Phrygia and Lydia (Jos., Ant., 12:147-53). By the
NT era Colossae was a small town in the shadow
of its nearby neighbors, Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Apparently the Colossian church
came into being during Paul’s ministry in
Ephesus, because
Acts 19:10 says that
Paul remained in Ephesus "for two years, so that
all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord,
both Jews and Greeks.” Thus a new, thriving church
sprouted in Colossae though
Paul had never been there himself. Although the specific
word is not mentioned by Paul, most scholars agree that
Paul wrote Colossae to counter the growing influence of
Gnostics (Gnosticism) who considered themselves of superior knowledge who could help “lesser”
ones attain deeper spirituality. Gnosticism is
from gnosis,
“to know” and thus Gnostics were the “people in the know”
who considered themselves the
spiritual elite. According to them, it was by knowledge
as opposed to faith, that humanity was to be
regenerated. Faith was suited only to the rude masses,
the animal-men. Gnostics held the
basic doctrine that matter (physical or
created) was evil and that only the spirit was good.
They reasoned that God could not be involved
in creation, because being perfect he could not touch
matter which was intrinsically evil. Therefore, the
world came into being through a complicated process as God put forth thousands of emanations (or
lesser gods), each of which was a little more distant
from him, so that finally there was an emanation (a
little god) so distant from God that it could touch
matter and create the world. Of course, this lesser
god of creation was so far removed from the ultimate God
that it was evil. This reasoning led to the belief that
Jesus Christ, if he really was the Son of God, could not
have taken on a human body because matter is evil. This
delusion spawned the Gnostic lie that Jesus was
only a ghost-like phantom. To the Gnostics, Christ was
not Creator, the Incarnation was not real, and Christ
was not enough! So the Gnostics built a system by which
one could begin with Christ and work one’s way up the
series of emanations to God. In Colosse, this system
(gnosis) appears to have consisted of ascetic disciplines (see
notes
Colossians 2:20-23), mysticism,
and legalism, all complex and proudly intellectual.
Kenneth Wuest adds that
"From these philosophical speculations, two opposing
codes of ethics emerged, a rigid asceticism and
an unrestrained license. The problem confronting
the Gnostic was as follows: Since matter is evil, how
can one avoid its baneful influence and thus keep his
higher nature unsullied? The answer, according to one
group, was a rigid asceticism. All contact with matter
should be reduced to a minimum. Thus, the material part
of man would be subdued and mortified. One should live
on a spare diet and abstain from marriage. The edible
flesh of animals was forbidden. The anointing of the
body with olive oil, so necessary in hot climates, was
prohibited. But with others, such a negative course of
procedure produced but slight and inadequate results.
These argued that matter is everywhere. One cannot
escape contact with it. Therefore, one should cultivate
an entire indifference to the world of sense. One should
not give matter any thought one way or the other, but
just follow one’s own impulses. (this sounds all too
modern doesn't it?)...This group argued that the ascetic
principle gives a certain importance to matter, and thus
he fails to assert his own independence to it. The true
rule of life is to treat matter as foreign or alien to
one, and as something towards which one has no duties or
obligations, and which one can use or leave unused as
one likes. This philosophy led to unbridled license...Paul
warns every man and teaches every man in every wisdom,
that he may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
The word “perfect” was the term applied by the Gnostics
to members of the exclusive group which possessed the
superior wisdom. The Gnostics made much of wisdom
(sophia), intelligence (sunesis), and
knowledge (epignosis). Paul takes up the language of
the Gnostics and translates it to the higher spheres of
Christian thought. Against the false wisdom of the
Gnostics, the apostle sets the true wisdom of the
gospel. The initiatory rites of these Gnostics in which
certain were inducted into their order, were secret
mysteries. Paul sets over against these the fact
that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are
hidden in that comprehensive mystery, the knowledge of
God in Christ. Paul had also to combat the Gnostic
teaching of successive emanations from deity, the
angelic mediators who were responsible for
the act of creation, and for the headship of the
spiritual creation, which took the place of the Lord
Jesus as Creator of the universe and Head of the Church.
The apostle meets these false doctrines by showing that
“all things were created by Him,” and “He is Head of the
body, the Church.” As to the teaching of the Gnostic to
the effect that the divine essence is distributed among
the angelic emanations from deity, Paul declares that
the pleroma, or plenitude of the divine essence is
permanently at home in the Lord Jesus. For the totality
of the divine essence, the Gnostics had this word
pleroma, “fulness” or “plenitude.” Paul says that Jesus
Christ is not only the chief manifestation of the divine
nature. He exhausts the God-head. In Him resides the
totality of the divine powers and attributes. From the
necessities imposed upon Paul by the character of the
Gnostic heresy, it is easy to see that as Bishop
Lightfoot says: “The doctrine of the Person of Christ is
here stated with greater precision and fulness than in
any other of St. Paul’s epistles.”
(Click for a more on
Gnosticism in the International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia) |
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Colossians
1:2 To the
saints
and
faithful
brethren
in
Christ
who are at
Colossae:
Grace
to you and
peace
from
God
our
Father
(NASB:
Lockman)
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Greek:
tois
en
Kolossais
hagiois
kai
pistois
adelphois
en
Christo;
charis
humin
kai
eirene
apo
Theou
patros
hemon.
Barclay to the dedicated people of God and faithful brothers in Christ
who are in Colosse. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father. (Westminster
Press)
KJV: To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are
at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Lightfoot: to the consecrated people
of God in Colosse, the brethren who are steadfast in their allegiance
and faithful in Christ. May grace—the well-spring of all mercies—and
peace—the crown of all blessings—be bestowed upon you from God our
Father.
Young's Literal: to the saints in Colossae, and to the faithful
brethren in Christ: Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and
the Lord Jesus Christ! |
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TO THE SAINTS AND FAITHFUL
BRETHREN: tois en Kolossais hagiois kai pistois adelphois:
Saints
(40)
(hagios
[word study])
are literally holy ones, those set apart (sanctified).
Saints
are those set apart from the world
"delivered
(rescued)...from
the
domain of
darkness" (Col 1:13-note)
This deliverance is effected
"by the sanctifying work
of the Spirit" (1Pe 1:2-note)
This deliverance is unto God...
"transferred
us to the
kingdom of His
beloved
Son" (Col 1:13-note)
The upshot of this divine transaction is that believers should now
live holy lives (for example Col 3:5-note). A
saint
is to be "in the world" but not "of the world" like a
boat in the water. In the water the boat fulfills its function but
it's usefulness deteriorates when water gets in the boat! And the same
is true for saints. Do you need to "bail" some of the water out of
your "boat"?
Wuest
adds that...
"The word "saint"
is the translation of a Greek word meaning "to set apart," in its
verb, and "set apart ones," in its noun form. The pagan Greeks set
apart buildings as temples, consecrating them for non-secular, and
therefore,
religious
purposes. These became the objects of veneration
and reverence. Thus, saints
are believing sinners set apart from sin to holiness, set apart from
Satan to God, thus being consecrated for Gods’ sacred fellowship and
service. The word "saint" as a designation of a Christian, brings at
once to our attention the duty of every believer, that of living a
separated life. The words, saint, sanctify, holy,
are all translations of this same Greek root. They all speak of the
absolute separation from evil and dedication to God, that must always
be true of the Christian believer."
Vine adds that
The
holy person is not holy because some change has been wrought in him or
her, but because such a one has been set apart for God. The
designation is common to all
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:1- note,
etc.), and not merely to persons of exceptional godliness, whether
living or dead. Sainthood, or sanctification, is not an attainment,
but a state into which God calls those who believe on Christ, and in
which they begin their course as believers. Sanctification is
firstly a relationship with God; it is used also of the separation of
a believer from evil things and ways, and must be pursued earnestly
and undeviatingly (Heb 12:14-note)."
Guy King notes that the word saint...
The word in itself has no moral or ethical connotation, but simply
means, set apart.
- We speak of a church as a holy place - not that there is anything
special about its brick and stone and wood, except that it is set
apart for the worship of GOD.
- We speak of the Bible as a holy book - not that there is anything
particular about its pages or binding, except that it is set apart for
the conveyance to man of the inspired message of GOD.
- We speak of the sacramental element as holy bread - not that it is
in any sense different from ordinary bread, except that it is set
apart in the service to be a reminder to us of the broken body of the
crucified Son of GOD.
In just that sense the Christian becomes, as it were automatically, a
saint, a holy person - he is set apart from the company of ordinary
people, set apart for GOD. Only, unlike our illustrative objects
mentioned above, he is a sentient being, a personality. They can only
be holy in use, and can never be changed in themselves, but he can
proceed from being merely holy in position to being holy in condition.
That is, of course, the Justification of the translators of the
Authorized Version when, In Romans 1:7, and in 1Corinthians 1:2, they
add two little words that are not in the Greek. but which they infer
to be the intention of the apostle. They render the phrase, not
"called saints" - which, as we have seen, is an accurate statement of
the fact - but, "called to be saints."
In other words we are called to be what we are.
- A soldier must by his bearing and behaviour, live up to his
possession.
- A rich man should not belie his resources by living the life of a
pauper.
- Christians, too, must live up to their name and resources.
Some "blaspheme that worthy Name by the which ye are called", James
2:7, but we must not blaspheme it by any vestige of unworthy character
or conduct. By the grace of GOD, are we "called saints"? Then, by that
same grace, we are "called to be saints". (Colossians
1:1-2 His Tactful Approach - Pdf)
Faithful (4103)(pistos
from peítho = to
persuade - induce one by words to believe, have confidence) is
something or someone who is worthy of faith or keeps promises and is
applied to God, humans, His Word, etc. In this verse these believers
are worthy of trust - they are faithful, reliable, dependable.
Would Paul describe you or me as a
faithful
brother or sister?
Vincent
gives a nice summary of the meaning of pistos, faithful,
writing that it is used
(1), of one who shows Himself
faithful in the discharge of a duty or the administration of a trust (Mt
24:45). Hence, trustworthy (2Ti 2:2- note). Of things that can be relied upon (2Ti
2:11-note).
(2), Confiding; trusting; a
believer (Gal
3:9;
Acts16:1; 2Cor 6:15; 1Ti 5:16) (Word
Studies in the New Testament)
Webster says
that Faithful
means firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance and implies
unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by
which a tie was contracted.
Brethren (80)
(adelphos from collative a = denoting unity + delphús
= womb) is literally one born from same womb and so a male having the
same father and mother as reference person. Figuratively, adelphos
as in this verse refers to a close associate of a group of persons
having well-defined membership, specifically here referring to fellow
believers (including sisters!) in Christ who are united by the bond of
affection.
Guy King explains faithful brethren writing that...
These Christians are brothers and sisters because they "are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus", Galatians 3:26. That basic
fact, whatever be our country, clime, or colour, whatever be our
denomination, constitutes all Christians as "brethren" - whatever our
outward differences we are all alike bound together by the tie of our
individual family relationship to our Heavenly Father.
But that raises an enquiry in our minds. Are we faithful brethren?
In some human families there is little evidence of a spirit of
fidelity - rancor in the home, selfish purpose of individual
interests, no love, no loyalty. Can it be so among the members of the
Family of GOD? Well, what about ourselves? How delightful is that
opposite picture of the harmony that should prevail, wherein "whether
one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be
honoured, all the members rejoice with it", 1 Corinthians 12:26. As
the late beloved, epigrammatic Bishop Taylor Smith used to say, "Each
for all, and all for each."
While we Christians are to be helpful, so far as we may, to those
outside the family, we are to be particularly mindful of the welfare
of each other, "as we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto
all men, and especially unto them who are of the household of faith",
Galatians 6:10. "Learn first to shew piety at home", says 1Timothy
5:4. Our apostle was glad to have evidence among the Colossian
believers of family fidelity: loyalty to one another, and loyalty to
the one Father. Timothy, whose name he joins with his own in
addressing this letter, was just a "brother", who in spite of his
delicate health, 1Ti 5:23, remained, through thick and thin, so
loyal to his big brother, Paul. (Colossians
1:1-2 His Tactful Approach - Pdf)
IN CHRIST: en Christo:
What are the 2 "locations" of the saints in Colossians 1:2?
Click
the 87 passages with the phrase in Christ. If you need to be
encouraged and renewed in your mind about who you now are "in Christ",
consider making a list of the truth you glean from theses NT
passages.
In Christ - see additional
discussions of this profound phrase -
in Christ
and also
in Christ Jesus.
William
MacDonald
makes an
interesting observation that
In
Christ speaks of their spiritual position.
When they were saved, God placed them in Christ,
“accepted in the beloved.”
(Eph 1:6-note) Henceforth, they had His life and nature
(2Pe 1:4-note).
Henceforth, they would no longer be seen God as children of Adam
(1Cor 15:22) or as unregenerate men, but He would now see them in all the
acceptability of His own Son. The expression in Christ conveys more of intimacy,
acceptance, and security than any human mind can understand. The geographical location
of these believers is
indicated by the expression who are in Colossae. (MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or
Logos)
In
Christ
expresses intimacy of a believers union with Christ. The preposition "in"
is locative of sphere meaning
that their sainthood was in the sphere of Christ, not because someone
named them "saints"
and not in the sphere of some worshipper of a pagan deity as the term
was commonly used in the so-called "mystery" religions of Paul's day.
Christ is the sphere in which the believer has his new life or as Paul
phrases it in chapter 3, "Christ -- our life" (see
note
Colossians 3:4).
Wuest
commenting on the phrase in
Christ observes that
Here again we
have separation, for that
which surrounds the believer, namely, Christ in whom he is ensphered,
separates him from all else."
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)
William Barclay adds
that
when Paul spoke of the Christian being in Christ,
he meant that the Christian lives in
Christ as a bird in the air, a
fish in the water, the roots of a tree in the soil. What makes the
Christian different is that he is always and everywhere conscious of
the encircling presence of Jesus Christ. (Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The
Westminster Press)
Barclay
goes on to explain that
A Christian always moves in two spheres.
He is in a certain place in this world; but he is also
in Christ.
He lives in two dimensions. He lives in this world whose duties he
does not treat lightly; but above and beyond that he lives in Christ.
In this world he may move from place to place; but wherever he is, he
is in Christ.
That is why outward circumstances make little difference to the
Christian; his peace and his joy are not dependent on them. That is
why he will do any job with all his heart. It may be menial,
unpleasant, painful, it may be far less distinguished than he might
expect to have; its rewards may be small and its praise non-existent;
nevertheless the Christian will do it diligently, uncomplainingly and
cheerfully, for he is in Christ and does all things as to the Lord. We
are all in our own Colossae, but we are all in Christ,
and it is Christ who sets the tone of our living." Barclay
describes an ideal state writing that "There is the life that is
dominated by the Spirit of God. As a man lives in the air, he lives in
Christ, never separated from him. As he breathes in the air and the
air fills him, so Christ fills him. He has no mind of his own; Christ
is his mind. He has no desires of his own; the will of Christ is his
only law. He is Spirit-controlled, Christ-controlled, God-focused."
(Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The
Westminster Press)
Paul's whole emphasis is the point to people back to the
sufficiency of Christ. The church at Colossae's problem was that they might get
their focus off the Lord Jesus. Jesus is enough. We are complete in Him! So
many do not find that Jesus is enough and seek some
experience, some method, some program. Rather than submitting and
bowing to Jesus as a bondslave to his Master, they refuse to surrender their rights. Paul
counteracts this "empty deception" by telling them that Jesus
is enough and that they need to keep focused on Him.
Guy King in
his exposition of Philippians (Joy
Way,1952 - online version) comments on the phrase in Christ
writing that...
Herein lay
(a) Their (referring to the saints at Philippi but applicable to
saints of all places and ages!) protection from evil life. The
moral condition of a heathen city would be a constant peril to any new
converts, especially as they themselves had but just recently come out
of that very heathenism. Philippi may not have been so utterly debased
as Corinth, or Rome, but its atmosphere must have been a subversive
influence threatening any who would live pure and true. Yet, they could
be kept safe. Christians must, of course, remain in such hostile
surroundings, for CHRIST must have there, as
Matthew 5:13 (note),
5:14 (note)
teaches, the salt, the light, and the testimony.
So He Himself prays "not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world,
but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil", John 17:15.
That keeping, that protection, is ministered to us in the fact of our
being, not only "in the world", but more closely, "in Christ."
A shipwrecked man writes a message, and throws it into the sea, in the
hope that it may reach some shore. But will not the water damage and
destroy it? No; for, while it is cast into the sea, it is first sealed
in a bottle - and so it arrives. Yes; in Philippi, with all its
destructive influences, but "in Christ" - so they are secure, and so, in
spite of all antagonistic forces, they arrive at "the haven where they
would be." Herein lay also
(b) Their possibility of holy
life. We are called not only to a negative but to a positive life -
"eschew (abstain from) evil, and do good", as 1Pe 3:11(note)
says. But how can a holy life be lived in such unholy surroundings?
Mark that little water-spider going down to the bottom of that pond. It
doesn't really belong there, even as we believers are: "in the world"
...but not of it, John 17:11, 16. The little creature has the queer, and
amazing, ability of weaving a bubble of air around itself, and hidden in
that it is able to pursue its way even amid such inimical conditions -
in the water, but in the bubble!
So we come back to our glorious truth - in Philippi, but "in Christ";
then even in the midst of the most uncongenial surroundings, the
Christ-life can be lived. (King, Guy: Joy Way: An Exposition of
the Epistle of Paul to the Philippians, 1952, Christian Literature
Crusade) (Bolding added)
Boice (in his commentary
on Ephesians) also comments on in Christ noting that...
The phrases in Christ, in Him, or the equivalent occur nine times just in Ephesians
1:3-23. They occur 164 times in all Paul’s writings. The phrases mean
more than just believing on Christ or being saved
by His atonement. They mean being joined to Christ in one spiritual body
so that what is true of Him is also true for us...This is a difficult
concept, and the Bible uses numerous images to teach it to us: the union
of a man and woman in marriage (Eph 5:22-33;
notes),
the union of the vine and the branches (John 15:1-17), the wholeness of
a spiritual temple in which Christ is the foundation and we the
individual stones (Eph 2:20, 21, 22 - notes
Ep 2:20;
21;
22),
the union of the head and other members of the body in one organism
(1Cor 12:12-27). But whether we understand it or not, union with Christ
is in one sense the very essence of salvation. John Murray, an able
expositor of this theme, wrote,
Union with Christ has its source
in the election of God the Father before the foundation of the world and
it has its fruition in the glorification of the sons of God. The
perspective of God’s people is not narrow; it has the expanse of
eternity. Its orbit has two foci, one the electing love of God the
Father in the counsels of eternity, the other glorification with Christ
in the manifestation of His glory. The former has no beginning, the
latter has no end. (John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955)
Apart from Christ our condition
is absolutely hopeless. In Him our condition is glorious to the extreme.
(Boice,
J. M.: Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary) (Bolding added)
Guy King
in his commentary on Colossians adds...
Oh yes, I know they were at
Colossae - breathing the fetid atmosphere of this typically pagan
city. How could the fair
flowers of fidelity and holiness flourish in such a place? Only
because they enjoyed the nearer, purer air of being in Christ.
The clever little water beetle
is able to live in the muddy bed of the pond because it has the gift
of weaving around itself a bubble of air. Thus it takes its own
atmosphere down with it. I often invert a "let's pretend" story of a
man shipwrecked on a desert island, who, happening to have his
fountain pen still in his pocket, decides to write a message on a
large island leaf to send to his people. Having thrown it into the
sea, he could then only wait, and hope for the best. But, silly man,
the leaf will soon be pulped and the message obliterated by the ocean.
Oh, I forgot to mention that on his island he happened to find a
bottle with a sealing top. So his SOS reached home, and led to his
rescue, because though it was in the sea, it was in the bottle. Yes,
although these Christians were in that Colossian sea of iniquity, they
were kept safe and saintly because they were "in Christ".
It is one of Paul's chief
inspired conceptions, so often reiterated through all his
correspondence, that we are "in Him", "in the Lord", "in Christ". What
amazing privilege and prediction is here! "Christ in you, the hope of
glory", he says in Colossians 1:27; and now it is the other
side of the blessed truth: you in CHRIST, the hope of safety. (Colossians
1:1-2 His Tactful Approach - Pdf)
WHO ARE AT COLOSSAE: ...tois
en Kolossais:
The
only sign of Christianity was a little plaque buried under a Muslim
mosque, which has a statement to the appreciation of Epaphras,
the man who may have led the Colossians to the Lord. The tragedy is
that there is no longer a church at Honaz (see
links), the modern site of
Colossae! Apparently very little had been
entrusted to faithful men (or there were few faithful men who could be
entrusted) (2Ti 2:2-note) by the Colossians who themselves seemed to
have been very committed Christians (cf. "we heard of your faith in
Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints").
It is probable also that what was entrusted over the generations
became so watered down that it
became more and more difficult to discern truth from error. Ultimately
the succeeding generations of Colossians were taken "captive through
philosophy...rather that according to Christ." The very thing that
Paul feared the most apparently happened to them!
GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE FROM
GOD OUR FATHER: charis humin kai eirene apo theou patros hemon:
C H Spurgeon well says
that...
Blessed men scatter blessings. When
the benediction of God rests upon us, we pour out benedictions upon
others. (The Second Coming)
Grace
(charis
[word study]) is God’s favor toward man,
free and unmerited, while peace
is the harmony that exists between God and those who receive that
favor in Christ. They are two key aspects of the gospel (see
MacDonald's comment below) and represent in a sense cause and effect
(compare Ro 3:24-note
with Ro 5:1-note). This greeting is used by
Paul in all his epistles with the exception of that to Timothy in
which he adds mercy.
This greeting is generally viewed as a blending of both Greek and
Hebrew greetings. The normal Greek greeting was chairein
(present infinitive of chairo ) and conveyed the ideas
of “welcome, good day, greetings”. The parallel Hebrew greeting was
shalom, conveying the idea “peace, good health”
Grace
pictures God stooping down to sinful, lost humanity in loving and
tender compassion.
Peace
summarizes all that results in the life of a person when he accepts
God’s grace as a free gift. Note the word order first grace, then
peace.
C H Spurgeon well says
that...
Blessed men scatter blessings. When
the benediction of God rests upon us, we pour out benedictions upon
others. (The Second Coming)
Guy King
(in his expositional commentary on Philippians,
Joy Way,1952 - online version)
writes that...
Grace and peace - just the
customary greeting:
"grace", the Western (or Greek)
"peace", the Eastern (or Hebrew)
but when the HOLY SPIRIT led Paul
to combine them here, we may be sure that He intended their use to be
something so much more than formal and usual; both writer and readers
would be led to see in them very deep and rich meaning.
Wilson Cash makes the interesting suggestion that
Paul combines both Jewish 'peace'
and Gentile 'grace' in one salutation as a pledge of unity between
East and West, between Jew and Gentile, in the one Saviour, who unites
all in the one fellowship of His Body.
Dr. Hugh Michael, in the Moffatt
Commentary, speaks of
the enrichment of the commonplace
by the new faith of CHRIST, which elevates a salutation into a
benediction.
How arrestingly that is seen in the
transmutation of everything, however lowly, that He touched - a common
Name, a despised City, a humble workshop, even a felon's Cross.
Dr. Johnson said of Oliver Goldsmith,
He touched nothing that he did not
adorn: how infinitely truer of the Master. So here the common greeting
is invested with uncommon beauty.
What are these things that the
apostle desires for his friends, and which are no less desirable for
ourselves?
(a) Grace - a quality which is, at once
(i) an Attitude, which He adopts towards us, as in
Eph
(note);
(ii) an Activity, which He
exerts for our help, as in 1Corinthians 15:10; and
(iii) an Accomplishment,
which He works in, and out from, us, as in Acts 4:33.
Paul ardently, and prayerfully, desires for his converts everywhere -
for he uses the words in all his church letters - that they may
experience to the full this "grace", which the late Bishop Handley
Moule describes as "love in action".
Then comes:
(b) Peace - the "God of all grace" is the "God of peace",
1Pe 5:10
(note); Ro 15:3-(note);
and it is only by, and after, His grace that we can enjoy His peace.
- Peace of heart - no condemnation
before GOD
- Peace of conscience - no
controversy with GOD
- Peace of mind - no anxiety about
life
- Peace of action - no grit in the
machinery
This gift is an immensely precious
boon; and it may be the possession, should be the possession, of every
believer. Paul will have some deep things to say about this later.
These two joys come, says Php 1:1-note,
"from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ" - the Father is
the Source, from whom they come; the Saviour is the Medium, through
whom they come. Not from the world arise such blessings, nor from our
circumstances, however affluent and pleasant, nor from our own inner
being, however much we strive, but only from Him, through Him, and
"all the fulness of the Godhead . . . and ye are complete in Him" (Col
2:9, 10-note)
(King,
Guy, Joy Way,1952 - online version)
Peace
(eirene
[word study]) (or
here)
is derived from the verb "eiro" which means to "join
together". Thus the picture inherent in the Paul's greeting is
that of binding or joining together what is broken or divided setting
the divided parts at one again. Webster defines
peace as a state of
tranquility or quiet, freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts
or emotions, harmony in personal relations, a pact or agreement to end
hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of
enmity, state of repose in contrast with or following strife or
turmoil.
MacDonald
has said that the combination of "grace
and
peace"
is in one sense
"in miniature, the gospel for the whole world."
The essence of the gospel is "grace, therefore peace". Through the
gospel we are all brought under His grace and therefore have peace
with Him and peace within. The gospel is not so much about “not
fighting” but about wholeness of life (shalom) as God intended it. The
peace
flows out of the
grace,
and both together flow from God our Father and were made effective in
human history through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Illustration
of the meaning of "PEACE" -
Jim Walton was translating
the NT for the Muinane people of La Sabana in the jungles of
Colombia. But he was having trouble with the word peace. During
this time, Fernando, the village chief, was promised a 20-minute
plane ride to a location that would have taken him 3 days to
travel by walking. The plane was delayed in arriving at La
Sabana, so Fernando departed on foot. When the plane finally
came, a runner took off to bring Fernando back. But by the time
he had returned, the plane had left. Fernando was livid because
of the mix-up. He went to Jim and launched into an angry tirade.
Fortunately, Walton had taped the chief's diatribe. When he
later translated it, he discovered that the chief kept repeating
the phrase, "I don't have one heart." Jim asked other villagers
what having "one heart" meant, and he found that it was like
saying, "There is nothing between you and the other person."
That, Walton realized, was just what he needed to translate the
word peace. To have peace with God means that there is
nothing--no sin, no guilt, no condemnation--that separates us.
And that peace with God is possible only through Christ (Ro 5:1-note).
Do you have "one heart" with God? |
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Colossians
1:3 We
give thanks
(1PPAI)
to
God,
the
Father
of our
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
praying
(PMPMPN)
always
for
you,
(NASB:
Lockman)
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Greek:
Eucharistoumen
(1PPAI)
to
Theo
patri
tou
kuriou
hemon
Iesou
Christou
pantote
peri
humon
proseuchomenoi,
(PMPMPN)
Barclay We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for you
in our prayers (Westminster
Press)
KJV: We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, praying always for you,
Lightfoot: We never cease to pour forth our thanksgiving to God, the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, on your account whenever we pray to him.
Phillips:
I want you to know by this letter that we here are constantly praying
for you, and whenever we do we thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest:
I am giving thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
concerning you, constantly offering petitions (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal:
We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always
praying for you, |
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WE GIVE THANKS TO GOD
THE FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: Eucharistoumen (1PPAI) to theopatri tou kuriou hemon Iesou
Christou:
Give thanks (2168)
(eucharisteo
[word study]
from eú = well, good +
charizomai [word study]
= to grant, give) means to show oneself
grateful, to be thankful, to give thanks.
Note
present tense
(continuous action) for thanksgiving and for praying. Paul "sets the
bar high"!
This whole section is one
sentence in Greek, with a minor break at the end of verse 6
MacArthur adds that
Paul was not always praying
for the Colossians. Rather, whenever he was praying for them, he
always expressed his thanks to God. (Vincent, Barclay, Lightfoot, et
al agree)
It seems that the
apostle always began his prayer with praise to the Lord, and this is a
good example for us to follow. Prayer is the unspeakable privilege of
having audience with the Sovereign of the universe.
Have you availed yourself of this privilege yet today?
Spurgeon observed that...
For the church that was at
Colosse Paul gave hearty thanks to God for many most important
blessings, especially for their faith, their love, and their hope.
It would he a very useful exercise to our hearts if we would often
give thanks to God for the gifts and graces, which we discover in
our Christian brethren. I am afraid we are more inclined to spy out
their faults, and to suppose that we deplore them, than we are to
discern the work of the Holy Spirit in them, and from the bottom of
our hearts to give thanks to God for them. (ED: "Amen!" or
"Oh my!") (From
Spiritual Knowledge: It's Practical
Results)
PRAYING ALWAYS FOR YOU: pantote peri humon proseuchomenoi (PMPMPN):
(Col 1:9, Eph 1:16, 17, 18, 19, 3:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
Php 1:9, 10, 11 1Th 3:10, 11, 12, 13 2Th 2:16,17 2Ti 1:3)
(Click
note
on prayer)
Praying
always - More literally "always for you continually (present tense)
praying". He could have just said praying and his use of the
present tense
would have quite clearly conveyed to his readers that it was his
habitual practice to pray for them. Paul goes a step further, adding
the Greek adverb always which is also placed first in the
(original Greek) clause to "doubly" emphasize that his prayers were
at all times (without exception, on every occasion, every time,
without end, repeatedly, unceasingly). The antonym (opposite) would
have been hardly or hardly ever or once in a while or on rare
occasions or "once in a blue moon."
How would
you characterize your prayers
for other saints - at all times or scarcely ever?
Praying (4336)
(proseuchomai
[word study]
from pros = toward, facing,
before [emphasizing the direct approach of the one who prays in
seeking God’s face] + euchomai = originally to speak out, utter
aloud, express a wish, then to pray or to vow. Greek technical term
for invoking a deity) in the NT is always used of prayer addressed to
God (to Him as the object of faith and the One who will answer one’s
prayer) and means to speak consciously (with or without vocalization)
to Him, with a definite aim (See study of noun
proseuche [word study]).
Notice that the prefix preposition pros adds the idea of a conscious direction of one’s
prayer toward God and a consciousness on the part of the one praying
that he is seeking God's face, is speaking face to face
with God and has His listening ear (cf Ps 66:18).
Proseuchomai encompasses all
the aspects of prayer -- submission, confession, petition,
supplication (may concern one's own need), intercession (concerned
with the needs of others), praise, and thanksgiving.
Vine says that proseuchomai
carries with it a notion of worship (but see the Greek word for
worship =
proskuneo [word study]) which is not
present in the other words for prayer (eg, aiteo, deomai, both of
which involve spoken supplication)
Wuest
adds that the prefixed preposition pros...
gives it the idea of definiteness
and directness in prayer, with the consciousness on the part of the
one praying that he is talking face to face with God...(thus
proseuchomai)
speaks also of the consciousness on the part of the one who prays, of
the fact of God’s presence and His listening ear. (Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans
or
Logos)
Detzler
writes that...
The basic idea of
proseuchomai
is to bring something, and in prayer this pertains to bringing up
prayer requests. In early Greek culture an offering was brought with a
prayer that it be accepted. Later the idea was changed slightly, so
that the thing brought to God was a prayer. In later Greek, prayers
appealed to God for His presence. (Detzler,
Wayne E: New Testament Words in Today's Language. Victor. 1986)
Richards
notes that
In classical Greek
proseuchomai
was the technical term for calling on a deity. The NT transforms the
classical stiffness into the warmth of genuine conversation. Such
entreaty in the NT is addressed to God or Jesus and typically is both
personal and specific. (Richards,
L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency)
Always (3842)
(pantote from pás = all + tóte
= then) means at all times. Paul used this word to encourage the
Thessalonians that he, Silvanus and Timothy
give thanks to God
always (pantote) for all of you, making mention of you in our
prayers. (see
note
1Thess 1:2)
Writing to the saints at Philippi
Paul says he is
always (pantote)
offering prayer with joy in my every
prayer for you all.
(Php 1:4-note)
In the closing of this letter Paul reminds the saints at Colossae that
Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ,
sends you his greetings, always (pantote) laboring
earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully
assured in all the will of God. (Col 4:12-note)
Paul writes to Philemon that
I thank my God
always, making mention
of you in my prayers (Philemon 1:4)
Alexander Whyte writes...
I am as certain as I am standing
here, that the secret of much mischief to our own souls, and to the
souls of others, lies in the way that we stint, and starve, and scamp
our prayers, by hurrying over them. (Col 4:12-note)
Prayer worth calling prayer: prayer that God will call true prayer and
will treat as true prayer, takes far more time, by the clock, than one
man in a thousand thinks. After all that the Holy Ghost has done to
make true prayer independent of times, and of places, and of all kinds
of instruments and assistances,--as long as we remain in this
unspiritual and undevotional world, we shall not succeed, to be called
success, in prayer, without time, and times, and places, and other
assistances in prayer. Take good care that you are not spiritual
overmuch in the matter of prayer. Take good care lest you take your
salvation far too softly, and far too cheaply. If you find your life
of prayer to be always so short, and so easy, and so spiritual, as to
be without cost and strain and sweat to you, you may depend upon it,
you are not yet begun to pray. As sure as you sit there, and I stand
here, it is just in this matter of time in prayer that so many of us
are making shipwreck of our own souls, and of the souls of others. (Starving
Prayer - Alexander Whyte) |
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SINCE WE HEARD OF YOUR FAITH
IN CHRIST JESUS: akousantes (AAPMPN) ten pistin humon en Christo Iesou:
How did he hear? Where was Paul?
What did he hear? Who brought Paul the news? How did Paul respond?
Faith, love and hope are also mentioned in
the following verses (1Co 13:13; 1Th 1:3; 5:8; Ro 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Gal
5:5, 6; Eph 4:2, 3, 4, 5; Heb 6:10, 11, 12; 10:22, 23, 24; 1Pe 1:3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8,21, 22).
Faith
comes from
hearing and
hearing by the
word of
Christ
(Ro 10:17-note).
Our
Christian lives begin with saving
faith;
but then in the process of sanctification we must learn to "walk
by
faith,
not by
sight"
(2Cor 5:7) and work by faith (1Th
1:3-note)
It is faith
that gives power to prayer (Lk 17:5,6).
Faith is
a shield each believer needs to take up
for with it alone we are made
able to
extinguish
all the
flaming
arrows of the
evil one (Ephesians 6:16-note;
see sermon
Eph 6:16).
APPLICATION:
Do the
Scriptures above describe the quality of your faith? Have others heard about
your faith
in Christ Jesus that leads to an unconditional, sacrificial love even
for the saints that aren't particularly easy to be around?
Vine says that faith
(pistis)
"primarily denotes firm persuasion, and so signifies trust. It is
always used in the New Testament of faith in God or in Christ, or in
things spiritual. There are
three main elements in faith: (1) a firm conviction producing full acknowledgment of
God’s revelation or truth (e.g., 2Th 1:10, 2:13); (2) a personal
surrender to Him (Jn 1:12); (3) conduct inspired by such surrender
(2Co 5:7). Prominence is given to one or other of these
three according to the context."
Spurgeon
writes (The
Hope Laid Up in Heaven)
Three Divine Graces should be always conspicuous in Christians
- faith, love,
and hope.
They are each mentioned by Paul in the opening verses of the epistle
from which our text is taken. These lovely graces should be so
conspicuous in every believer as to be spoken of and consequently
heard of even by those who have never seen us. These flowers should
yield so sweet a perfume that their fragrance may be perceived by
those who have never gazed upon them. So was it with the saints at
Colossae...May
our characters be such as can be reported of without causing us to
blush, but that can never be the case if these essential virtues are
absent. If these things are in us and abound, we shall not be barren
or unfruitful, but if they are lacking, we are as withered branches.
We should therefore be rich in faith
which is the root of every grace; to this end we should daily pray,
"Lord, increase our faith." We should strive to be full even to
overflowing with love
which is of God and makes us like to God; we should also abound in hope,
even that heavenly hope
which causes a man to purify himself in readiness for the inheritance
above. See to it that neither of these three divine sisters are
strangers to your souls, but let faith, hope,
and love
take up their abode in your hearts. Note, however, the special
character of each of these graces as it exists in the Christian. It is
not every faith
and love
and hope
that will serve our turn, for of all precious things there are
counterfeits. There is a kind of faith
in all men, but ours is faith
in Christ Jesus, faith
in Him whom the world rejects, whose cross is a stumbling block and
whose doctrine is an offense. We have
faith in the man of Nazareth who is
also the Son of God, faith
in Him who having made atonement by His own blood once for all is now
exalted to His Father's right hand. Our
confidence is not placed in
ourselves nor in any human priest nor in the traditions of our fathers
nor in the teachings of human wisdom but alone in Christ Jesus.
This is the faith of God's elect. (Read the full sermon
The Hope Laid Up in Heaven)
When
missionary John G. Paton was translating the Bible in the Outer
Hebrides, he searched for the exact word to translate believe.
Finally, he discovered it: the word meant “lean your whole
weight upon.” That is what
saving faith
is—leaning your whole weight upon Jesus Christ. (Lessons
from the Life of John G. Paton)
Faith
must never be severed from good works. Martin Luther summed up the
biblical view of the link between saving faith and good works in these
words:
“Good works do not make a man good, but a good man does
good works”
W. H. G. Thomas gives us an
excellent description of the interrelation of faith, hope and
love...
Faith
rests on the past, love
works in the present, and hope
presses toward the future; or, faith
looks backward and upward, love
looks outward, and hope
looks forward. These three constitute the true, complete Christian
life and not one of them should be omitted or slighted. We are only
too apt to emphasize faith and love
and forget hope
but, inasmuch as hope
is invariably connected with the coming of the Lord, "that blessed
hope"
(Titus 2:13), it is a vital part of our Christian life.
Faith
accepts, hope
expects; faith
appropriates, hope
anticipates; faith
receives, hope
realizes; faith
is always and only concerned with the past and present,
hope is
always and only concerned with the future. We know that
faith comes
by hearing; we shall find that hope
comes by experience. Faith
is concerned with a person who promises,
hope with the thing promised; and
faith
is the root of which hope
is a fruit. (Hope
Laid Up for You in Heaven - W. H. G. Thomas) Faith
rests on the past work of Christ;
love
works in the present; and hope
anticipates the future.
In
Christ Jesus
describes genuine faith's object, Christ Jesus.
John MacArthur
adds
that
The relationship of faith to Jesus Christ is expressed in the
New Testament by various Greek prepositions. Acts 16:31 uses the preposition
epi, which suggests resting on a foundation. In Acts
20:21, eis is used, with the meaning of “to
find a dwelling place in,” “to go into,” “to abide in,” or “to
find a home.” Here in translates en and has the
connotation of coming to a place of security and anchor. With Christ
as its object, our faith is as secure as a house on a solid
foundation, or a boat safely at anchor. Charles Spurgeon illustrated
the importance of faith’s object by telling of two men in a boat.
Caught in severe rapids, they were being swept toward a waterfall.
Some men on shore tried to save them by throwing them a rope. One man
caught hold of it and was pulled to safety on the shore. The other, in
the panic of the moment, grabbed hold of a seemingly more substantial
log that was floating by. That man was carried downstream, over the
rapids, and was never seen again. Faith, represented by the rope
linked to the shore, connects us to Jesus Christ and safety. Good
works apart from true faith, represented in the story by the log,
leads only to ruin.
In his devotional entitle
What Do You Believe In?
Theodore Epp writes...
Almost everyone talks about faith
because almost everyone has faith in something.
But faith is only as good as its object. It is important to recognize
that we are not saved from condemnation by having faith in faith. Paul
commended the Colossians for their "faith in Christ Jesus" (Col 1:4).
So it is not sufficient to tell a person, "Just believe." The question
is, Believe what? The message of the Gospel is not to believe in
yourself, in church or in doctrine but in the Lord Jesus Christ.
This implies believing in all that Christ did for us when He died on
the cross in our place. It recognizes that we are sinful human beings
who deserve condemnation, or else it would never have been necessary
for Christ to die.
It means we recognize that Christ is our only hope because if we could
have been saved by some other means, Christ would not have had to die
(see Gal. 2:21).
Having faith in Jesus Christ implies we have placed our confidence
entirely in His finished work on the cross, recognizing that He
forgives our sins and gives us eternal life.
One can summarize saving faith as a commitment to Jesus Christ, who is
our life and Lord. Faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord is also necessary
for growth in our Christian walk.
"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). (What
Do You Believe In?)
AND THE LOVE WHICH YOU HAVE
FOR ALL THE SAINTS: kai ten agapen en echete (2PPAI) eis pantas tous
hagious:
(Jn
13:34, 35 1Jn 2:9, 10, 11, 3:10, 3:14,15, 4:20, Gal 5:13)
The
love (26)
(agape
[word study]) of one for another is evidence of a person’s genuine faith in Christ
Jesus. Genuine vertical relationship will be manifest in our loving
horizontal relationships of saints, some of whom are not very lovable!
This love
is not a mere impulse from the feelings, does not always run with
one's natural inclinations, does not manifest itself only to those in
whom a certain affinity is realized, is the considered denial of self
in the interests of others and seeks opportunity to do good to
all
men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith
(Gal 6:10). There
are two sides to the Christian life, both of which are crucial: faith
and love. Genuine belief in the truth and experiential love for other
believers characterizes every true believer. We are saved by faith; we
are saved to love. True saving faith is more than a conviction of the
mind. It transforms the heart to love.
You have - Notice this
possession of love for all saints is their lifestyle (have =
present tense).
How this convicts so many of us (myself included) whose love is more
like a stoplight, sometimes on green (like the Colossians), sometimes
on "yellow" (a bit cautiously given or given "with strings" attached)
or other times "red" (completely brought to a standstill so to
speak!).
For (eis) - This preposition describes motion toward. It
pictures their love as an active, in motion toward others, dynamic
process.
All the saints - Christianity is not exclusive but inclusive
because we are all now made one in Christ. The foot of the Cross is
the great "leveler" in time and eternity.
Spurgeon describes this love for all the saints
The true believer loves the persecuted, the misrepresented, and
despised people of God for Christ's sake. He loves them all even
though he may think some of them to be mistaken in minor matters. He
has love to the babes in grace as well as to the grown saints and love
even to those saints whose infirmities are more manifest than their
virtues. He loves them not for their station or for their natural
amiability but because Jesus loves them and because they love Jesus. |
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BECAUSE OF THE HOPE LAID UP FOR YOU IN HEAVEN:
dia ten elpida ten apokeimenen (PMPFSA) humin en tois ouranois: (1Pet
1:3,4 Ro 8:18 Ps 31:19 Mt 6:19,20 Col 1:23,27; Acts 23:6; 24:15;
26:6,7; 1Cor 13:13; 15:19; Gal 5:5; Eph 1:18; 2Thes 2:16; Heb 7:19;
1Pet 3:15; 1Jn 3:3)
See related
study on the
Blessed
Hope
Because
of the hope - This states the cause or
reason of their love. NIV adds "the faith and love that spring from
the hope…" What does this imply? HOPE is the root of FAITH (the plant)
and of LOVE (the fruit). In other words a believer's hope or
confidence in what God will do in the future leads to a greater faith
or trust in God and a deepening of love for others.
Moule says that hope
is the certainty that, in spite of the world’s ways, God’s way of love
has the last word.
The hope that
is laid up - Paul uses the
present tense
to emphasize that our hope is continually laid up, which signifies
that our hope is being kept safe, secure, sure (He 6:18, 19, 20-see notes on
hope as an anchor -
He 6:18;
19;
20).
Hope
is a saint’s anchor which is the end of a long chain of God's words of
truth coupling us steadfastly and securely to
God’s throne and our eternal home.
No man need ever fear about his future when his hope is laid up in
heaven.
Laid up
(606)
(apokeimai from apó = from, away + keímai = to
lie, to be laid up, to set away) means to put something away for
safekeeping, to store away in a place for preservation (secular usage
referred to money laid up or hidden). In the present verse laid up
speaks of the the totality of glorious, eternal, blessing that
awaits each believer in the life to come.
There are only 4
uses of apokeimai in the NT...
Luke 19:20
And another came, saying, 'Master, behold your mina, which I kept
put away in a handkerchief
2 Timothy 4:8 (note)
in the future there
is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me,
but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Comment: Here
apokeimai means to reserve as award or recompense and in
secular Greek apokeimai was in fact a common term in honorary
documents expressing appreciation for a sense of civic or other
communal responsibility.
Hebrews 9:27 (note)
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after
this comes judgment.
Comment: Here apokeimai is
used figuratively to express the certainty of the Divinely ordained
future of every living being. It is "securely laid up"! And the lie of
reincarnation cannot change this certain outcome.
Apokeimai
is used twice in the
Septuagint (LXX)
(Genesis 49:10) and
in
Job 38:23 Which I have
reserved (Hebrew = chasak = keep back, deep fro oneself; Lxx =
apokeimai) for the time of distress, for the day of war and battle?
In the Sermon on
the Mount,
where Jesus commands his listeners...
Lay
up
(present
imperative
= command to do this
throughout your entire life! What a "treasure chest" awaits the person
who obeys Jesus' command) (thesaurizo
- our English Thesaurus =
a collection of words) for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal for where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Mt 6:20, 21-note)
Peter reminds his readers going through various trials that they have
an
inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade
away, reserved (tereo) in heaven for you (1Pe
1:4-note).
Heaven is where Christ is, thus heaven is where our hope
is and ultimately our HOPE
is not a PLACE but a PERSON, "Christ Jesus our hope", "the hope of
glory" (1Ti 1:1; Col 1:27-note).
C H Spurgeon
in a sermon on
hope says that
"Our hope
... is special, because it is a hope
which is laid up for us in heaven, a hope
therefore which the worldlings cares not one whit about. He hopes that
tomorrow may be as this day and yet more abundant, but he cares
nothing for the land where time has ceased to flow. He hopes for
riches or he hopes for fame; he hopes for long life and prosperity; he
hopes for pleasure and domestic peace; the whole range of his hope is
within the compass of his eye. But our hope
has passed beyond the sphere of sight, according to the word of the
apostle, "What a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope
for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." Ours is a hope
which demands nothing of time or earth but seeks its all in the world
to come...Cultivate, then, your hope,
dearly beloved. Make it to shine so plainly in you that your minister
may hear of your hopefulness and joy; cause observers to take note of
it because you speak of heaven and act as though you really expected
to go there. Make the world know that you have a hope
of heaven. Make worldlings feel that you are a believer in eternal
glory and that you hope
to be where Jesus is. Often surprise them as they see what they call
your simplicity, but what is in truth only your sincerity, while you
treat as matter of fact the
hope laid up for you
in heaven. The Lord grant it for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen."
MacArthur says that
One result of our hope is a willingness to sacrifice the present on
the altar of the future. That runs contrary to human nature....The
Christian has a different perspective. He is willing to forsake the
present glory, comfort, and satisfaction of this present world for the
future glory that is his in Christ.
(MacArthur,
J. Colossians. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)
The Colossian
Christians were a heavenly minded people and this future focus gave
them a sense of security because anything or anyone deposited in
heaven is safe.
Jim Elliot,
martyred missionary to the Auca Indians of South America said before
his death that
“he is no fool who gives what
he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”.
That is 20-20
"eternal vision".
The
Christian hope
reaches into the future, for it is tied up with Christ’s second
advent. This is why Christians are to love Christ’s appearing. Every
Christian who lives daily in the anticipation and expectancy of
Christ’s return becomes a steady, firmly anchored, unwavering soul.
Hope
that is anchored in the glories of heaven and in the heavenly One,
inspires faith and love for meantime living. In context the basis of
future, heavenly hope is the good news of the Word of truth
(Ro 15:4-note)
In Morning and
Evening Spurgeon comments that...
Our hope in Christ for the future
is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy here. It will animate
our hearts to think often of heaven, for all that we can desire is
promised there. Here we are weary and toilworn, but yonder is the land
of rest where the sweat of labour shall no more bedew the worker's
brow, and fatigue shall be for ever banished. To those who are weary
and spent, the word "rest" is full of heaven. We are always in the
field of battle; we are so tempted within, and so molested by foes
without, that we have little or no peace; but in heaven we shall enjoy
the victory, when the banner shall be waved aloft in triumph, and the
sword shall be sheathed, and we shall hear our Captain say, "Well
done, good and faithful servant." We have suffered bereavement after
bereavement, but we are going to the land of the immortal where graves
are unknown things. Here sin is a constant grief to us, but there we
shall be perfectly holy, for there shall by no means enter into that
kingdom anything which defileth. Hemlock springs not up in the furrows
of celestial fields. Oh! is it not joy, that you are not to be in
banishment for ever, that you are not to dwell eternally in this
wilderness, but shall soon inherit Canaan? Nevertheless let it never
be said of us, that we are dreaming about the future and forgetting
the present, let the future sanctify the present to highest uses.
Through the Spirit of God the hope of heaven is the most potent force
for the product of virtue; it is a fountain of joyous effort, it is
the corner stone of cheerful holiness. The man who has this hope in
him goes about his work with vigour, for the joy of the Lord is his
strength. He fights against temptation with ardour, for the hope of
the next world repels the fiery darts of the adversary. He can labour
without present reward, for he looks for a reward in the world to
come.
Lehman Strauss
has the following article entitled "Our Only Hope"
"Now
if I sound a bit dogmatic it is because the foundation of my
hope is the greatest event in world history, namely, the
historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “Which hope
we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast,
and which entereth into that within the veil” (Heb. 6:19-note).
The Apostle Peter wrote:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1Pe
1:3-note).
The “us” in this verse
refers to believers only. They are possessed of a hope that is
stedfast and sure. But the man who has not been born again dare
not look far into the future, because he is “without Christ” and
is therefore as one “having no hope”
(Ep 2:12-note). The new man in Christ is assured of a
bright future because of the abundant mercy which God has
bestowed upon him, and which is guaranteed to him by Christ’s
resurrection from the dead. The hope is described by Peter as a
“lively” (or living) hope. It is actively alive and is therefore
that energizing principle in the Christian that produces
hopefulness and optimism. All of the past hopes of man for a
better world have been dashed to pieces, simply because Jesus
Christ and His Word have not been taken into account. But the
Christian hope is operative and vital.
The Apostle Paul based the
authority and dignity of his apostleship on the past and future
offices of Christ. He wrote: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ,
which is our hope” (1Ti 1:1).
Here our Lord is presented
as our Savior and our Hope. The Apostle shares with Timothy, and
us, this common possession of hope, a blessing no other religion
than Christianity can claim. Christ is the very embodiment of
our hope, thus He is the secret of the Christian’s strength and
victory.
When Paul commended the
saints in Colosse, he said: “We give thanks to God and the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you…for the
hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before
in the word of the truth of the gospel”
(Col 1:3-note,
Col 1:5-note).
One wonderful thing
about our hope is that it is associated with heaven.
Possibly this is one reason why the worldling is without hope.
Living for the world he cares nothing about heaven. He lives for
that which he can see and taste in this world. He hopes for
prosperity, pleasure and prominence in this life, thus heaven to
him is not real because Christ is not real to him.
Now heaven is not the
Christian’s hope. The hope is not a place, but a person “Christ
in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27-note). This is “the hope of the gospel”
(Col 1:23-note). To the saints Paul says, it is “laid
up for you.” Heaven is where Christ is, thus heaven is where our
hope is. The fact that it is “laid up” means that it is safe,
secure, sure. No man need ever fear about his future when his
hope is laid up in heaven. Our Lord had this in mind when He
said: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where
moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not
break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also” (Mt 6:18, 19, 20, 21-see notes
Mt 6:18;
19;
20;
21).
Tell me where your
heart is and you have told me where your treasure is. Does
Christ have your heart? If so, then your hope is not misplaced.
The Colossian Christians were a heavenly minded people and this
gave to them a sense of security. And why not? Anything, or
anyone, deposited in heaven is safe. The Christian hope reaches
into the future, for it is tied up with Christ’s second advent.
This is why many Christians love Christ’s appearing, for when He
comes again He will bring with Him a reward for those who have
maintained hope in Him. That reward is also “laid up” for us in
heaven. Paul testifies to it in the following words: “I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give
me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that
love his appearing” (2Ti 4:7, 8-notes).
Notice the use again of
the words “laid up.” These words mean the same as “safely
deposited.” They are used here by Paul autobiographically. This
is his final and farewell message. One day back yonder he gave
to Christ his heart, he deposited all his treasure in heaven.
From that moment on, Paul was a specialist. He said: “This one
thing I do…I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:13,
14-see notes
Php 3:13;
14). Until the end, Paul the aged ran the race
well. The Lord had had all of him. He kept his eye on the goal.
And what was that goal? It was “His appearing.” He longed for
and loved Christ’s return. You see, his hope was “laid up” where
his heart was. To him, Christ was everything. His was a sure
hope. How sure is yours? (Bolding
Added) (Excerpted
from "Our Only Hope" in Bibliotheca Sacra, volume 120,
#478, page 135, 1963) (Bolding added)
W. H. Griffith Thomas writes that...
This hope is said by St. Paul to be
laid up for believers "in the
heavens," and the verb is particularly worthy of notice because of its
use elsewhere. Thus, a crown of righteousness is said to be "laid up"
for those who love Christ's appearing (2Ti 4:8-note, ASV), while it is
also recorded that it was "laid up" for men once to die (He
9:27-note).
Another solemn contrast is drawn in our Lord's parable of the pounds,
where the unfaithful servant "laid up" his master's gift instead of
using it (Luke 19:20). In two Old Testament passages, moreover, it is
declared that the Lord has "laid up" His goodness for those who fear
Him (Ps 31:19-note) and "sound wisdom for the righteous" (Pr 2:7).No Christian life, then, is complete which does not include in it
this forward look of joyous certitude toward a bright future, for
hope
as a grace is not a mere spirit of what we call hopefulness, or a
natural buoyancy of temperament. It is a distinctly Christian virtue,
the result of union with God in Christ; and it has for its immediate
object the Lord Jesus at His glorious appearing, and for its ultimate,
eternal and exhaustless substance the glories of heaven and God as our
all in all."
OF WHICH YOU PREVIOUSLY
HEARD IN THE WORD OF TRUTH THE GOSPEL:
en
proekousate (2PAAI) en to logo tes aletheias tou euaggeliou:
(Colossians
3:16; Acts 10:36; 13:26; Ro 10:8; 2Cor 5:19; 6:7; Eph 1:13; 1Thes
2:13; 1Ti 1:15; 1Pet 2:2)
The Word of truth -
The word
(logos)
of
(the =
definite article = specific body of) Truth.
Click for all uses of this
phrase. In this context it is a great definition for the gospel. The
full phrase the
truth of the gospel is used instead of simply the word of the gospel, as
a hint against the false teachings being promulgated in their midst.
Gospel (2098)(euaggelion
[word study]
from eú = good + aggéllo = proclaim, tell) is
literally good news or glad tidings.
Euaggelion - 76x in 73v -
Mt 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; 26:13; Mark 1:1, 14f; 8:35; 10:29; 13:10;
14:9; 16:15; Acts 15:7; 20:24; Ro 1:1, 9, 16; 2:16; 10:16; 11:28;
15:16, 19; 16:25; 1 Cor 4:15; 9:12, 14, 18, 23; 15:1; 2 Cor 2:12;
4:3f; 8:18; 9:13; 10:14; 11:4, 7; Gal 1:6f, 11; 2:2, 5, 7, 14; Eph
1:13; 3:6; 6:15, 19; Phil 1:5, 7, 12, 16, 27; 2:22; 4:3, 15; Col
1:5, 23; 1 Thess 1:5; 2:2, 4, 8f; 3:2; 2 Thess 1:8; 2:14; 1Ti 1:11;
2Ti 1:8, 10; 2:8; Philemon 1:13; 1Pe 4:17; Rev 14:6. NAS =
good news(1), gospel(73), gospel's(2).
Barclay adds that
All previous religions could be entitled “guesses about God.” The
Christian gospel gives a man not guesses but certainties about God.
These first few verses provide an
excellent source of "truths" about the gospel. Take some time and
make a list of what you learn.
The writers of
the New Testament adapted the term as God's message of salvation for
lost sinners. Euaggelion is found in several combination
phrases, each describing the gospel like a multifaceted jewel in
various terms from a different viewpoint (from the NASB, 1977):
the gospel of the kingdom (Mt 4:23)
the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son
of God (Mk 1:1) because it centers in Christ
the gospel of God (Mk 1:14) because it originates with God and was not invented
by man
the gospel of the kingdom of God (Lk
16:16)
the gospel of the grace of God (Acts
20:24),
the gospel of His Son (Ro 1:9-note)
the gospel of Christ (Ro 15:19-note)
the gospel of the glory of Christ (2Co
4:4)
the gospel of your salvation (Ep
1:13-note)
the gospel of peace (Ep 6:15-note)
the gospel of our Lord Jesus (2Th
1:8)
the glorious gospel of the blessed
God (1Ti 1:11)
In Ro 16:25, 26 (see
note) Paul called
it “my Gospel” indicating that the special emphasis he
gave the gospel in his ministry.
For a rewarding
study, study the preceding references in context making notation of
the truth you observe about the gospel (Download
InstaVerse.
to enable you to read the verse in your favorite version and in
context... anywhere on the Web!) If you would like a special
blessing, take an afternoon to go through all 76 uses of euaggelion
in context making a list of what you learn about the gospel. The
Spirit of God will enlighten your heart and encourage your spirit in a
very special way...and you'll want to share the "good news" with
someone because of your "discoveries"! |
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