The letter to the Colossians was written by Paul during his first Roman imprisonment. While he had probably traveled through the city of Colosse during his 3rd missionary journey, he was not the founder of the church, and, in fact, only knew perhaps 5 or 6 of the members of the church. Epaphras, who was probably converted under Paul's ministry in Ephesus during the second missionary journey, was the pastor of the Colossian church.
Situated about 100 miles east of Ephesus on either side of the Lycus River in Asia-Minor (modern day Turkey), Colosse was an important city on the main route between Ephesus and the East, and was known for its black wool and garment trade. During the lives of such Biblical figures as Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah, Colosse was already a large and prosperous city. In Paul's day, it was the largest of three cities in the Lycus valley, but by the time the Apostle John wrote his Revelation, Laodicea, about 10 miles to the west, was gaining prominence as a trade center, and Hierapolis, about 8 miles north of Laodicea, was gaining recognition as a pleasure center.
In addition to the indigenous population, this valley region had long been the home of several thousands of Jews. Two thousand Jewish families had been transported here from Mesopotamia and Babylon by Antiochus the Great in about 200 BC, and others had followed, attracted by the commerce and the supposed healing powers of the hot springs in and around Hierapolis. This mixture of heathen and Jewish population gave rise to unique dangers confronting the believers of the church of Colosse.
Epaphras, the church's founding pastor, had accurately proclaimed the Gospel, as he himself had learned it from Paul. As men and women responded to the message, the church had grown. But with the growth had come subtle influences, and some of the believers were being hampered in their spiritual lives by some errors being taught. So Epaphras had left the church in the care of Archippus (Col 4:17), and had gone to Rome to seek the counsel and insight of the Apostle Paul.
As a result of the visit of Epaphras, Paul wrote this Colossian epistle, and sent it by Tychicus and Onesimus (who, after his conversion, was returning to his owner, Philemon, in whose house the Colossian church met (Philemon 2), and who was probably the father of the church's assistant pastor, Archippus (also Philemon 2). Also on their journey, they delivered the letter we have as Ephesians, the personal letter we know as Philemon (written to explain Onesimus' return), and a letter we do not have today, addressed to the Laodecean church (Col 4:16).
That Paul's burden is similar in the letters to the Ephesians and to the Colossians is evident; 78 of Colossians' 95 verses have a close counterpart in the book of Ephesians. But Paul's purpose in writing each of the epistles is very different. Ephesians was not written to address error, and is a clear doctrinal treatise. Colossians, while addressing many of the same doctrinal areas, is written to correct particular errors, and so presents the doctrine as an antidote to the heresy; it is doctrine not in lofty ideals but in scuffed shoes, sublime truth in work clothes.
The errors confronting the Colossian church were extreme opposites that married to produce an unlikely, yet natural, synthesis; on the one hand there was an extreme spirituality involving angel worship and special revelations, stating and implying that Christ is not all there is—He may be fine for the crude and ignorant beginners in the Christian faith, but there are other treasures awaiting the mature. On the other hand, there was a legalistic emphasis; "don't do this," "don't touch that!" In bringing these diverse ideas together, the Colossians were in danger of rejecting the fullness of Christ as the complete revelation of God, and in danger of rejecting the sufficiency of Christ as the complete satisfaction for sin. In order to address these errors, Paul presents his loftiest description of Christ as the "fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col 2:9), and argues that, just as He is complete, so we "are complete in Him" (Col 2:10).
With this brief introduction, we want to now examine the beginning of Paul's epistle to the Colossians, and begin to assimilate into our lives this "doctrine in shoe leather," The danger is always to go in such detail as to make Scripture boring, or in such haste as to overlook much that is valuable. Today, we will attempt to strike a balance between these extremes as we examine Paul's introductory remarks and the beginning of his prayer that extends from verse 3 through verse 20.
1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:
Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world; and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.
9. For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Colossians 1:1-10 (NKJV)
The first truth we must grasp, even if only in passing, is that Paul knew God's purpose for his life, and he lived consistent with that purpose. He did not succumb to the false humility of pretending not to know what God had called him to be, and he did not think it inappropriate to assert this calling when ministering to others. Conversely, he did not expect others to simply take him "on faith," but he consistently demonstrated this call of God in his life.
The implications for us are important. First, we should each know what God has called us to be; we must approach our lives with a sense of what it is that we are to accomplish. Many times we simply seek God's blessing on whatever we happen to be doing, and try to be "spiritual" in our daily lives, without ever understanding the larger purpose God has for us. Having settled the question of what God desires us to accomplish, we can then do everything necessary with a view of accomplishing that central purpose. This certainly does not mean that we never do anything else; but it means that whatever else we happen to do, we do in order to accomplish His purpose.
Paul was an apostle. Yet there were times when he worked at his profession of tent-making. I'm sure his tent making was done with great skill and care, and that his goods were among the best. But this work was secondary. Important? Yes. Necessary? Yes. Requiring time, energy, skill, and business expertise? Certainly. But what was his motive, his purpose, his goal? To better fulfill God's call in his life—to be an apostle.
I'm afraid that many of us get this all backwards. God has called all us to be "ministers of reconciliation," to be "fishers of men," to be witnesses of Him, and to seek first His kingdom. But we become skillful at our trade or profession, and then make that the most important thing in our lives. We serve God in our "spare" time. We temper our testimony and service so as not to injure our business reputation. We give God whatever money is left after we take care of our important business. Then we pray for God's blessing on our business, and wonder why he doesn't prosper our business! Perhaps if we demonstrated that our business was only secondary to our fulfillment to the purpose of God for our lives, he could trust us with a prosperous business.
A second implication, and of utmost importance in our spiritual life, is that we know the calling of those who attempt to lead us. It is very important that we not follow impostors—even this epistle is written to warn of the dangers inherent in listening to the wrong voices. But it is imperative that we do hear and follow those who are called of God to lead. We must examine the evidence of God's call, carefully compare the message with that of Scripture, and then acknowledge and follow those whom God has called.
It should not escape our attention that Paul the leader, was also Paul the trainer. We never read of Paul doing his ministry alone; he was always preparing someone else for ministry, always sharing what he had received with those who would in turn share it with others. This, too, should be practiced in our lives.
Paul addresses his letter to "the saints and faithful brethren in Christ." It is important to understand that this is not two groups of people, but one; not two kinds of Christians, but only one. As we will see as we progress through this letter, all those who are in Christ are both deemed holy (i.e. saints) and are practically righteous (i.e. faithful. Those whom God has declared holy also demonstrate faith in their lives. And so Paul addresses the congregation as those who have been set apart by and for God and who live their lives in a manner consistent with that setting apart.
The application to us is clear—if we profess to be God's people, our lives should reflect that heritage. If we claim to have been born again, our habits and life-style should increasingly take on the character of our Heavenly Father. If we are saints, it follows that we are faithful. If we are not faithful, it follows that we are not saints.
Notice that Paul does not address these believers as perfect or sinless. Much of this epistle is given to encouraging their spiritual growth, to instructing them to change their behavior, and challenging them to become more and more like the Lord who bought them. So faithfulness does not imply perfection. But it demands a consistent (faithful) and genuine desire to please our Lord—to be faithfully His with our heart, soul, mind, and body. But, and this is vitally important, our faithfulness must flow from the assurance that we are His; not merely in an effort to become His. The Scripture everywhere assures us that we are saved by grace and not by works. But God's grace changes our very nature and places within us the desire to please Him who redeemed us with His very life.
Paul's salutation continues, "Grace to you, and peace." It is God's grace that saves us and that enables us to be pleasing in His sight. And it is His peace that assures us that we are His and that we are pleasing in His sight. Our efforts give place to God's grace; our fear and conviction give place to His peace. This first occurs when we recognize our lost condition and acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ. But it continues to occur in our lives as we continue the process of surrendering ourselves more and more completely to Him. His grace is our ability; His peace our reward.
We come now to Paul's prayer for the Colossians. Beginning in verse 3, it continues through verse 20; in fact, verses 9 through 20 are actually one long sentence consisting of 218 words in the original language (Paul's longest recorded sentence). The entire first chapter consists of only 5 sentences. But rather than examine the structure and style of Paul's grammar, we want to learn something of his method in prayer and proclamation.
The first thing evident in Paul's prayer is that his prayer is not only directed to God, but is instructional for his hearers and readers as well. In fact, there is no clear distinction between what Paul is praying and what he is stating more directly to the Colossians. We have no record of how Paul prayed privately, but we have many examples of his public and written prayers. And we see in those that his prayers were not light and shallow, were not devoid of doctrinal content; but were, in fact, a recitation to God and to whomever else was near at hand of Paul's understanding of Biblical truth and its application to life's situations. Paul does not simply pray that he would "live right and do God's will." But Paul states in his prayer what his understanding of God's will is, how he has been enabled to do that will, and the precise steps necessary to accomplish that will. Paul never concludes a prayer with the formula, "If it be thy will." Rather, he prays that he and others might clearly know God's will and that he and his hearers would lay hold of God's promises and ability to effect that will.
Next, Paul's prayer shows us a sequence of effective prayer. He begins his prayer (vs 3) with thanks and praise to God for His truth and His effectual work among the Colossians. In effect, Paul was praising the Colossians for their faithfulness to God while teaching them that their ability was due to the grace of God, even as he directed this thanks to God. Even in his prayer, Paul is laying the foundation for the instruction necessary to correct the errors of this church body. For example, he commends them for their faith in the truth of the Gospel they had previously heard (vs 5)—in preparation for telling them that their recent departure from this truth was, in fact, error. He again emphasizes this point by reminding them of the immediate benefit they had received when they first responded to the Gospel as it was first presented to them (vs 6), and assures them that this same Gospel had similar effect when heard by others throughout the world (vs 6)—a subtle way of telling the church that the new "gospel" they were now hearing was not necessary or beneficial. He gives testimony to the faithfulness of Epaphras in his ministry among them and in the message he delivered (vs 7); both the message and messenger were surely being slandered by the new "ministers" of the new "gospel." And he affirms that, just as the new "teachers" wanted the Colossians to have the "full" message of the Gospel, both he and Epaphras also desired that these believers have complete "knowledge of His will" (vs 9).
Verse 9 marks the transition from Paul's thanksgiving to his petitions, as he prays and asks the Father that these believers have a complete understanding of God's will for them. But his petition does not end with a desire that they simply know the truth. Paul's desire is that they "be filled with the knowledge of His will ..." in order that they "might walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him." Then, in verse 12, Paul returns to thanksgiving, and worships the Lord for His wisdom and greatness and praises Him for His benefits toward us.
Taking Paul's prayer as our guide (and this prayer is certainly not our only example), we see that our prayer should consist of much thanksgiving, praise, and worship, and should focus our attention on the greatness of God and His work in our behalf. Our petitions are not to be directed at satisfying our selfish desires nor even focused primarily on our own needs (remember that Paul was in prison as he wrote this prayer). But rather, our requests have to do with the Kingdom and purpose of God, with bringing others to maturity in Christ, and leading others to an understanding of His wonderful works on our behalf.
Let's quickly notice just a few other practical lessons in these verses. Note Paul's wise use of praise. His letter is corrective in nature, but he begins by telling his readers of the good report given him by Epaphras and commending them for their praiseworthy faith, love, and desire to know the truth.
Next, notice the presence of love as the natural result of genuine faith (vs. 4). And this love is not an ethereal feeling toward the world in general and no one in particular; it is a love for the saints—a love directed specifically toward others who also have faith in our Lord. John tells us in his first epistle, that so important is this response of love to our faith, that we can be sure that there is no faith if there is no love for our Christian brothers.
Notice also the relation of the three great graces of the Christian life: faith, hope, and love (vs 4, 5). These three appear often in the teaching of Jesus (e.g. John 13:1 - 14:6), in the writings of other New Testament authors (e.g. 1 Peter 1:3-8; Hebrews 6:10-12; implied in Jude 20,21), and in Paul's other letters (e.g. Romans 5:1-5; 1Cor. 13:13; Eph. 4:2-5; 1Thes. 1:3, 5:8). They are not always in the same order. Here, Paul seems to say that both our faith and our love are due to our hope. In Corinthians, he clearly states that the greatest is love. But the relation is such that each grace encourages the others; as we have hope, our faith and love grow, as we have faith, our hope and love are enhanced, and as we love, we grow in faith and hope. Wherever there is one grace, the others are bound to grow.
Paul reminds the Colossians that God's Word always bears fruit (vs 6). Sometimes, particularly in a small church like the Colossian church, the believers can lose sight of the greater work that God is doing. But the same truth that had been effective in their lives was also effective in the lives of others; God's work is not limited to one particular place, one small group. And, as we bear this in mind, we are encouraged at the work God is doing among others and in other places, and we are reminded that His work is much larger than our local body. We are but part of the Kingdom of God. His Kingdom is growing and advancing. His work will not be stopped. We are on the winning side. And one day "[t]he kingdoms of this world [shall] become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15).
We see here (vs 9) that Paul's prayer for these believers, and by extension, the apostle's desire even for us today, is that they might be "filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." This is certainly not an instantaneous act, but it is a viable goal. This knowledge is not the immediate result of some experience, but is a studied and consistent application of God's wisdom and His truth—which is given us for our perusal and assimilation in His Word, the Bible.
Finally, and it bears our emphasis, the knowledge of God's will is never given for our intellectual contemplation or spiritual satisfaction alone; it is always and only given in order that we might "walk worthy of the Lord" (vs 10). Those who desire to please God can be assured that He will make His will known (john 17:17). But those who merely want to know His will, those who retain the right of choice as to whether they will actually do it after they know it; they risk the double judgment of refusing to do His will and of failing to delight to do His will. God's truth is not to be taken lightly; it is not our option.
In this introduction to our studies in Colossians, we have seen these truths that should be evident in our daily lives:
- Our highest calling is to be what God desires that we be.
- We must be careful who we follow, and careful to follow those whom God has called to lead us.
- Those who are saved are faithful. No fruit, no life. It's that simple.
- God's grace is our ability; His peace our reward.
- Prayer should focus on worship and adoration of our great God.
- Be quick to praise others, even when correction is necessary, and even when our expectations have not been realized.
- Genuine faith always produces love for the brethren.
- Thank God for the 3 Christian graces. If your faith is weak, focus on hope and love. If love is failing, focus on hope and faith. If hope fades, focus on faith and love.
- Realize that God's truth is always effective. His work is far greater than what we see in our own church body. We are but one outpost in the greatest of all kingdoms. Our God reigns.
- God desires that we know His will, and has given us the means to ascertain it.
- Every benefit and blessing is ours in order that we might live our lives in a manner pleasing to Him.
May we each focus our energies this week in applying these truths in our lives.
Michael G. Parham
September 5, 1993
Revised: 981112