Commentary on The Epistle to the Colossians Outline of Colossians Theme: Christ, the Pre-eminent One, the Only and All-Sufficient Savior I. This Only and All-Sufficient Savior Is the Object of the Believers Faith, chapters 1 and 2 A. This Truth Expounded Positively, chapter 1 1. Opening Salutation 2. Fervent Thanksgiving and Prayer 3. The Son's Pre-eminence a. In Creation b. In Redemption 4. His Reconciling Love toward the Colossians, and Their Resulting Duty to Continue in the Faith 5. The Apostle's Share in Proclaiming the Mystery, namely, Christ in you the hope of glory B. This Truth Expounded Not only Positively but Now Both Positively and Negatively, chapter 2, the Latter over against the Colossian Heresy with Its: 1. Delusive Philosophy 2. Judaistic Ceremonialism 3. Angel-worship 4. Asceticism II. This Only and All-Sufficient Savior Is the Source of the Believers Life, and Thus the Real Answer to the Perils by Which They Are Confronted, chapters 3 and 4 A. This Truth Applied to All Believers, 3:1–17 1. Believers should be consistent. They should live in conformity with the fact that they were raised with Christ, who is their life 2. Therefore, they should put to death and lay aside the old vices; and 3. They should put on the new virtues B. This Truth Applied to Special Groups, 3:18 4:1 1. Wives and their husbands 2. Children and their fathers 3. Servants and their masters C. Closing Admonitions, Greetings, etc., 4:2–18 1. Prayer urged 2. Wise conduct and gracious speech stressed 3. A good word for Tychicus and Onesimus, who have been sent with tidings and encouragement 4. Greetings 5. Exchange of letters requested 6. Crisp directive for Archippus 7. Closing salutation CHAPTER I Outline of Chapter 1 Theme: Christ, the Pre-eminent One, the Only and All-Sufficient Savior I. This Only and All-Sufficient Savior Is the Object of the Believers Faith, Chapters 1 and 2 A. This Truth Expounded Positively, chapter 1 1:1, 2 1. Opening Salutation 1:3–14 2. Fervent Thanksgiving and Prayer 1:15–20 3. The Son's Pre-eminence a. In Creation (verses 15 17) b. In Redemption (verses 18 20) 1:21–23 4. His Reconciling Love toward the Colossians, and Their Resulting Duty to Continue in the Faith 1:24–29 5. The Apostle's Share in Proclaiming the Mystery, namely, Christ in you the hope of glory 1:1, 2 I. Opening Salutation 1 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the saints and believing brothers in Christ at Colosse; grace to you and peace from God our Father. 1. Though Paul is in the world and uses the world, he is not of the world. As a letter-writer he makes use of the literary devices of the world but in the process of adopting them he transforms them, raising them to a higher level. In Paul's day a man of the world would often begin a letter by jotting down: a. the name of the writer, b. the name of the person (or persons) addressed, c. the words of greeting. The apostle follows the same method, but he beautifies and sanctifies everything by immediately relating both sender and persons addressed to Christ, and by speaking about the work of Christ in the very opening salutation. The apostle writes, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. He presents himself as being, in the fullest sense of the term, an official representative of the Anointed Savior, the latter's spokesman. To Christ Jesus he owes his appointment and his authority. Through Paul no one less than Christ Jesus himself is addressing the church. It was from the risen and exalted Lord that Paul had received his difficult but glorious assignment to be an apostle, yes, the apostle to the Gentiles, not exclusively but especially to them (Acts 9:5, 6, 15, 16; 22:10–21; 26:15–18; Rom. 1:1, 5; Gal. 1:1; 2:9). Paul continues, through the will of God. He had attained his high office neither through aspiration (Acts 9:11), nor through usurpation that was not like Paul!, nor yet through nomination by other men (Gal. 1:1, 16, 17), but by divine preparation (Gal. 1:15, 16), having been set apart and qualified by the activity of God's sovereign will (I Cor. 1:1; II Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; II Tim. 1:1; cf. Rom. 15:32; II Cor. 8:5). Paul adds, and Timothy our brother (II Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; I Thess. 1:1; II Thess. 1:1; Philem. 1:1). This is not surprising, since right now Timothy was evidently in Paul's vicinity and wished to extend greetings. Moreover Timothy had spent some time with Paul in Ephesus during the third missionary journey (Acts 19:1, 22), and may thus have become acquainted with some of the people of Colosse who at that time presumably came to hear Paul (Acts 19:10). By calling Timothy our brother, Paul, though implying that his younger associate was not in the full sense of the term an apostle, was rather emphasizing the closeness of the relationship between himself and his associate. The apostle loved Timothy deeply and tenderly (Phil. 2:19–23). Paul, Timothy, and the members of the Colossian church all belonged to the same spiritual family. It is, however, Paul, Paul alone, who is to be considered the real author of the letter (Col. 1:23; cf. 1:24 2:5; 4:3, 7 18), not Paul and Timothy. Paul continues, to the saints and believing brothers in Christ at Colosse. Saints are those who by the Lord have been set apart to glorify him. They are the consecrated ones, and here the Israel of the new dispensation, whose task it is to proclaim God's excellencies (I Peter 2:9). Saints, then, are persons upon whom the Lord has bestowed a great favor and who have been entrusted with a weighty responsibility. Ideally, saints are believers. So also here: the phrase to the saints and believing brothers (note the fact that the definite article the is not repeated before the second noun) expresses one thought, for saints who are true to their calling are, of course, believing brothers, and that in Christ, by virtue of union with him. The addition of the words at Colosse shows that this letter was meant primarily for that congregation, though in a secondary sense it was intended also for the church at nearby Laodicea (4:16), and in fact, for every church throughout the entire dispensation. The salutation proper is as follows, grace to you and peace from God our Father. Thus, there is pronounced upon all the saints and believing brothers in Christ at Colosse grace, that is, God's spontaneous, unmerited favor in action, his sovereign, freely bestowed lovingkindness in operation, and its result, peace, that is, the assurance of reconciliation through the blood of the cross, true spiritual wholeness and prosperity, these two blessings (grace and peace) flowing down from God our Father. Thus the Greek salutation, greeting (Acts 15:23) and the Hebrew, peace (Judg. 19:20) are here combined, deepened and enriched. The grace (ch�ris) is that referred to in (Eph. 2:8. For by grace have you been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. The peace (eir�n) is that great blessing which Christ as a result of his atoning death has bequeathed to usJohn 14:27). It surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7). Note the brevity of this opening salutation. It is next to the shortest in all of Paul's epistlesI Thess. 1:1contains the fewest words; Rom. 1:1 7has the most . Here in Colossians the usual additional reference to the second Person of the Trinity: and the Lord Jesus Christ (as in Rom., I and II Cor., Gal., Eph., Phil., II Thess., and Philem.), and Christ Jesus our Lord (as in I and II Tim.), and Christ Jesus our Savior (as in Titus), is lacking in the best manuscripts. The reason for this is not known. One thing is certain: the apostle is not in any way detracting from the glory and majesty of Christ. He is not trying to exalt the Father at the expense of the Son, for this is the very epistle in which the deity of the second Person of the Trinity, his pre-eminence above all creatures including all the hosts of angels, and his all-sufficiency for salvation, are set forth in the clearest manner and emphasized most strongly. Is it possible that any mention of the Lord Jesus Christ is here purposely omitted in order by way of contrasting effect to single him out for special discussion in the immediately following verses? Note the specific mention of our Lord Jesus Christ in verse 3, and further references to him in verses 4, 7, and especially in the paragraph about the Son of God's love in verses 15 20. For further details about certain aspects of Paul's opening salutations see N.T.C. on I and II Thessalonians, pp. 37–45; on Philippians. pp. 43–49; and on I and II Timothy and Titus, pp. 49–56; 339 344. 1:3–14 II. Fervent Thanksgiving and Prayer 3 While praying for you we are always thanking God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you cherish for all the saints, 5 by reason of the hope laid up for you in the heavens, of which you have previously heard in the message of the truth, namely, the gospel, 6 which made its entrance felt among you, as indeed in the entire world it is bearing fruit and growing so also among yourselves from the day you heard and came to acknowledge the grace of God in its genuine character, 7 as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 And for this reason, from the day we heard it we never stopped praying for you, asking that you may be filled with clear knowledge of his will (such clear knowledge consisting) in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to live lives worthy of the Lord, to (his) complete delight, in every good work bearing fruit, and growing in the clear knowledge of God; 11 being invigorated with all vigor, in accordance with his glorious might, so as to exercise every kind of endurance and longsuffering; 12 with joy giving thanks to the Father who qualified you for a share in the inheritance of the saints in the light 13 and who rescued us out of the domain of darkness and transplanted us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, 14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. 1:3–8 A. Thanksgiving 3. While praying for you we are always thanking God. In letters of that day the opening greeting was frequently followed by thanksgiving. Thus an ancient letter reads, I thank the Lord Serapis that when I was in peril on the sea he saved me immediately. ^[22] This sequence salutation followed by thanksgiving is also Pauline.^[23] However, Paul does not thank any pagan deity but the only true God. Paul's spontaneous thanksgiving, in which Timothy joins,^[24] and which according to the apostle's explicit testimony, is always^[25] an element in prayer for the Colossians, is offered to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 15:6; II Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; 3:14). Our Lord, who has a right to that name because he purchased his people with his blood and is their Sovereign Master, and to whom, as the Anointed Savior, Paul gladly ascribes this honor, is in his very essence God's only Son. He is Son by nature. We are children by adoption. He has the right to call God my Father (Matt. 26:39, 42) and to make the majestic claim, I and the Father, we are one (John 10:30; cf. 14:9). Calling God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has a very practical purpose, as the apostle shows plainly in (II Cor. 1:3. In his capacity as Father of our Lord Jesus Christ he is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. Via Christ every spiritual blessing flows down to us from the Father. And if Christ is the Son of God's love, as Paul says in this very chapterCol. 1:13), then God must be the Father of love, the loving Father. Note also that beautiful word of appropriating faith, namely, our: the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, in the sublimest and most comforting sense, he is our Father. What a reason for thanksgiving! 4, 5a. Paul says, While praying for you we are always thanking God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you cherish for all the saints. The simplest construction of verses 4 8 is surely that which regards this section in its entirety as setting forth reasons for thanksgiving. The actual petition starts in verse 9. Both thanksgiving and petition belong to the essence of prayer (Phil. 4:6). Now the early mention of reasons for thanksgiving to God with respect to certain basic conditions in Colosse is also excellent Christian psychology. There were dangers threatening the church. Certain weaknesses, moreover, are clearly implied (3:5–11; cf. 2:4, 8, etc.). But before Paul even begins to refer to these things he first of all assures those to whom this letter is sent that he is convinced that the work of God's grace is evident in their lives. What a lesson for every parent, counselor, teacher, and pastor, especially in cases where warning or even rebuke would appear to be in order! There is such a thing as Christian tact (see appendix). And this tact is in complete harmony with honesty. Paul mentions the fact that he and Timothy have heard (see on verse 8) of the faith of the Colossians in Christ Jesus, that is, of their abiding trust in and personal surrender to the Anointed Savior.^[26] With faith in Christ Jesus he associates love for all the saints. These two always go together, for faith is ever operating through love (Gal. 5:6). The same Magnet, Christ Jesus,^[27] who attracts sinners to himself and changes them into saints simultaneously draws them into closer fellowship with each other. Thus, ideally speaking, every believer enshrines his fellow-believers wherever they may dwell and of whatever race they may be in his heart (John 13:34; Phil. 1:7, 8; I John 4:7 11). Paul continues, by reason of the hope laid up for you in the heavens. Thus, to faith and love he now adds hope, completing the familiar triad.^[28] In the New Testament this triad is not confined to Paul's writings. It also occurs frequently in the sub-apostolic literature. It is entirely possible that Paul did not invent it. It may have belonged to the common stock of earliest Christianity. In fact, these very graces stand out in the teaching and ministry of Jesus. Again and again the Lord while on earth stressed the importance of faithMatt. 6:30; 8:10, 26; 9:2, 22, 29; 14:31; 15:28; 16:8; 17:20; 21:21; 23:23, etc. . His very presence, words of cheer, bright and beautiful promises, and deeds of redemption inspired hope, even when he did not use the very wordMatt. 9:2; 14:27; Mark 5:36; 6:50; 9:23; John 11:11, 23, 40; I Peter 1:3, etc. . He placed great emphasis on love and certainly regarded it as the very essence of both law and gospel, the greatest of the triadMatt. 5:43–46; 19:19; John 13:34, 35; 14:15, 23; 15:12, 13, 17; 17:26; 21:15, 16, 17, etc. . Often, in a most natural manner, he combined these three. A striking instance of this is found in John 11: 1. Love Now Jesus loved [or: was holding in loving esteem] Martha and her sister, and Lazarus (verse 5). So the Jews were saying, See how he (constantly) loved him (verse 36). 2. Hope This illness is not unto death &(verse 4). Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go in order to wake him up (verse 11). I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never, never die (verses 25, 26a). Though none of these sayings contain the word hope, they are all hope-inspiring. 3. Faith Do you believe this? (verse 26b). (Note how closely hope and faith are related.) Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God? (verse 40). Another striking instance of the combination love, faith, and hope is found in Christ's Upper Room Discourse during the night in which he washed the feet of his disciples, instituted the Lord's Supper and was betrayed. Having loved his own in the world, he loved them to the uttermost (John 13:1). By washing the feet of his disciples and issuing the new commandment he underscored the importance of love (13:34). Immediately afterward he exhorted his disciples to have abiding faith in God and in himself: Let not your hearts any longer be troubled. Continue to trust in God, also in me continue to trust (14:1). And hard upon this he inspired them with hope by assuring them, In my Father's house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And when I go and prepare a place for you, I come again and will take you to be face to face with me, in order that where I am you may be also (14:2, 3). Hence, it is not surprising to find this triad in the inspired writings of those who had caught the spirit of Christ's example and teachings. It is found in several variations of sequence, though the three members of the triad do not always occur in immediate succession: a. faith, hope, and love (Rom. 5:1–5; I Cor. 13:13[the best-known of all the passages in which the triad occurs]; Heb. 10:22–24; I Peter 1:21, 22). b. faith, love, and hope (Col. 1:4, 5; I Thess. 1:3; 5:8). c. hope, faith, and love (I Peter 1:3–8). d. love, hope, and faith (Eph. 4:2–5; Heb. 6:10–12). Some have experienced difficulty, however, with the fact that Paul here in Col. 1:4, 5, in which he follows sequence b., seems to be saying that the faith of the Colossians and their love are based on hope. Note the words, by reason of the hope. How can hope ever be the reason for faith and love? Many interpreters, apparently despairing of finding any other way out of this difficulty, resort to the device of reconstructing the sentence or at least the ideas expressed in it, so as to get rid of the idea that faith and love could be based on hope.^[29] However, such a virtual re-wording of the sentence is not at all necessary. Christian mental and moral attitudes and activities such as believing, hoping, and loving, always react upon each other. In general, the more there is of the one the more there will be of the other. This holds too with respect to hope. It reacts mightily and beneficially on faith and love.^[30] Christian hope is not mere wishing. It is a fervent yearning, confident expectation, and patient waiting for the fulfilment of God's promises, a full Christ-centered (Col. 1:27) assurance that these promises will indeed be realized. It is a living and sanctifying force (I Peter 1:3; I John 3:3). How then should not the hope of glory, a glory of which we have already received the first instalment (II Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14), strengthen our faith in the One who merited all these blessings for us, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ? And how should it not enhance our love for those with whom we are going to share this bliss everlastingly? How should it not intensify our sense of oneness with the saints of all the ages? And if this be true even with respect to hope as an attitude and activity of heart and mind, it is surely not less true with respect to hope as an objective reality, namely, the thing hoped for, which is the sense in which the word is used here in (Col. 1:5a, as also in Gal. 5:5and Titus 2:13Heb. 6:18). As the very context indicates, this hope is the inheritance of the saints in the light (Col. 1:12). Therefore we read here that it is laid up for you in the heavens, an expression which immediately reminds one of the heavenly treasure of which Jesus speaks in (Matt. 5:20, and of the inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading reserved in heaven for you of which Peter speaksI Peter 1:4). It is the glory which shall be revealed to us (Rom. 8:18), the peace and joy that pertains to our homeland in heaven (Phil. 3:20; cf. John 14:1 4). This realization of our hope, this glory, is so entrancing that as we see it from afar we greet it (Heb. 11:13), with our faith in the Giver strengthened, and our love for all his children with whom we shall share it enlarged and intensified. 5b 8. Now with respect to this hope Paul continues, of which you have previously heard in the message of the truth, namely, the gospel. Since the apostle himself explains this statement in verse 7, little comment is needed here. The main idea is still thanksgiving for the blessings bestowed upon the Colossians. Note, however, that though this is Paul's chief thought, there is here a certain implication. A warning can easily be read between the lines, to this effect, O Colossians, I gratefully testify that with respect to this glorious hope you have heard a message that was true, uplifting, and fruitbearing (5b, 6). Hence, do not allow yourselves to be led astray by teachers of false doctrine. Cling to the truth that was proclaimed to you in the gospel. On the meaning of gospel see N.T.C. on Philippians, pp. 81–85. This is the gospel which made its entrance felt among you,^[31] as indeed in the entire world it is bearing fruit and growing. The Colossians are being reminded of the power (Rom. 1:16) and successful course of the gospel, as a reason for gratitude. Here, too, there is the implication, Don t you remember the mighty change that occurred when the message of God's redemptive truth made its first appearance among you? That gospel needs no addition or supplement. Its influence is being felt in ever-increasing measure, both extensively, invading region after region, and intensively, producing fruit upon fruit in hearts won for Christ. Do not attempt to exchange God's powerful work for man's beggarly elements (cf. 2:8). The rapid progress of the gospel in the early days has ever been the amazement of the historian. Justin Martyr, about the middle of the second century, wrote, There is no people, Greek or barbarian, or of any other race, by whatever appellation or manners they may be distinguished, however ignorant of arts or agriculture, whether they dwell in tents or wander about in covered wagons, among whom prayers and thanksgivings are not offered in the name of the crucified Jesus to the Father and Creator of all things. Half a century later Tertullian adds, We are but of yesterday, and yet we already fill your cities, islands, camps, your palace, senate, and forum. We have left you only your temples. R. H. Glover (The Progress of World-Wide Missions, p. 39) states, On the basis of all the data available it has been estimated that by the close of the Apostolic Period the total number of Christian disciples had reached half a million. Now, under God, no human individual was a more effective agent in proclaiming the glorious tidings of salvation than was Paul himself. Rescued by Christ, the very One whom he had formerly bitterly opposed, his heart was filled with love and holy zeal for the truth. He gave his very life for it. He reasoned with Jew and Gentile, pleaded with them (II Cor. 5:20, 21), performed miracles among them, visited them in their homes, wept over them. In short, he loved them. When present among them, his example working with his hands to earn a living, admonishing and encouraging them, dealing with them like a father with his children made a deep impression. He was always pointing away from self to Christ. When absent from them, they were on his mind and he would send them messages, vibrant and throbbing, from the heart to the heart. Circumstances permitting, he would revisit them or would send a delegate to help them solve their problems. In his prayers he carried their burdens to the throne of grace. It causes no surprise that from far and near people came to see and hear him. And those who heard told others, and these still others, etc. The following passages serve to explain how, through the ministry of Paul and of those who gave heed to his preaching, the gospel was bearing fruit and growing: All those of (the Roman province of) Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:10). The word of the Lord grew and increased mightily (Acts 19:20). From you (Thessalonians) the word of the Lord has echoed forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that it is not necessary for us to say anything, for they themselves are reporting about us what kind of entering in we had among you, and how you turned to God from those idols of yours, to serve God, the living and real One (I Thess. 1:8, 9). Now I want you to know, brothers, that the things that have happened to me have in reality turned out to the advantage of the gospel; so that it has become clear throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my bonds are for Christ (Phil. 1:12, 13).^[32] But though Paul took this leading part in the spread of the gospel, he himself, here in (Col. 1:6, is placing all the emphasis upon the fact that by God's power and grace it is the gospel itself that is thus bearing fruit and growing. He is saying, as it were, Do not underestimate the vitality of the seed that is scattered upon the groundMark 4:26 29; cf. Isa. 55:11). That seed is germinating, growing, and bearing fruit. The gospel never depends on man, not even on Paul. It is God's work in which he is pleased to use man. What has been said implies also intensive or inner growth and fruitbearing, gospel-influence on the lives of the people who heard it and gave heed to it. Think of such fruits as faith, love, and hope (verses 4 and 5), with re-emphasis on love (verse 8). And add to this the several fruits mentioned with such striking beauty in verses Gal. 5:22 (, 23). Fruits for eternity were in evidence everywhere. And this everywhere most definitely also included the Lycus Valley, with re-emphasis now on the church at Colosse. That the gospel was not fruitless there had already been stated in verses 4 and 5 and by implication reaffirmed at the very beginning of verse 6. To this specific instance of fruitbearing the apostle now returns by continuing, so also among yourselves from the day you heard and came to acknowledge the grace of God in its genuine character. The main note is still thanksgiving. The inference is, So, Colossians, do not destroy this fruit-bearing tree. Do not listen to those who are trying to deprive you of the great blessing that has come to you. Not only had they come to know the truth, they had come to acknowledge it, and this from the very day they had first heard it. Such acknowledgment is more than abstract, intellectual knowledge. It is a joyful acceptance and appropriation of the truth centered in Christ. This truth concerns nothing less than the grace of God, his sovereign love in action, his favor toward the undeserving. They had come to acknowledge this grace of God in its genuine character, unattenuated by philosophical vagaries or Judaistic admixtures.^[33] With reference to this true gospel of grace which as everywhere so also among the Colossians had been bearing fruit increasingly since the day they had heard and accepted it Paul continues, as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our^[34] behalf. On Epaphras, the minister of the church at Colosse, etc., who had come to see Paul in Rome, among other things in order to report to the apostle about conditions in that church and to secure his help in the battle against worldliness and heresy, see Introduction III A and IV A. By calling him our beloved fellow-servant and faithful minister of Christ on our behalf Paul is doing three things: a. he is placing the stamp of his approval on Epaphras and the gospel the latter had taught the Colossians; b. he is by implication condemning any system of thought that is in conflict with this one and only true gospel; and c. he is saying, Those who reject the gospel according to the teaching of our beloved Epaphras are also rejecting us (Paul and Timothy) and our teaching &and remember, we, in turn, represent Christ (see on verse 1) just as also Epaphras is Christ's faithful minister. Of course, the main idea is gratitude to God for the fact that from the mouth of this faithful servant Epaphras the Colossians have heard and have accepted that glorious gospel which is bearing fruit among them. The words of verse 3, While praying for you, we are always thanking God, control everything that follows in verses 4 8. With reference to Epaphras the apostle continues, and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. This statement takes up the thought expressed earlier (see verse 4b). That Paul and the other apostles regarded love as the most precious fruit of God's grace is evident not only from I Cor. 13:13 but also from such passages as: Col. 3:14I John 4:8 I John 3:14I Peter 4:8 And was not this the very emphasis of Christ himself? See (John 13:1, 34, 35; 15:12; cf. Mark 12:28 31. Probably in order to prevent the impression from taking root that Epaphras had painted too somber a picture of conditions among the Colossian believers the apostle stresses the fact that his worthy fellow-worker had given him an enthusiastic account of their love. This is the love for all the saints, of which Paul had just spoken. It can never be divorced from the love of which God himself is the object. It indicates that intelligent and purposeful delight in the triune God, that spontaneous and grateful outgoing of the entire personality to him who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, which issues in deep and steadfast yearning for the true prosperity of all his children. With respect to the latter aspect of this love on which according to the present context the emphasis falls it makes itself manifest in the three graces of oneness, lowliness, and helpfulnessPhil. 2:2–4); hence, in kindness, true sympathy, and the forgiving spirit (Col. 3:12–14). Note the modifier, your love in the Spirit. Although there are those who maintain that this simply means spiritual love without any reference to the Holy Spirit, this opinion runs counter to the fact that in such passages as Rom. 15:30; Gal. 5:22; and Eph. 3:16, 17Christian love is decidedly regarded as the fruit of the indwelling Spirit. It is implanted and fostered by him. Also, it is rather characteristic of Paul that, having made mention of God the Father (verses 2 and 3) and of Christ Jesus the Son (verses 3, 4, 7), he should now refer to the third person of the Trinity, namely, the Spirit. Cf. Rom. 8:15–17; II Cor. 13:14; Eph. 1:3–14; 2:18; 3:14–17; 4:4–6; 5:18–21.^[35] 1:9–14 B. Prayer 9. Paul's 218-word sentence starts here at verse 9 and reaches through verse 20. Beginning at verse 15, however, and continuing through verse 20, Christ's Pre-eminence is set forth. Hence, 1:9–14 can be considered a unit of thought all by itself, a touching description of the prayer of Paul and his associates for the Colossians. In the original this part of the sentence six verses in all has 106 words.^[36] It begins as follows: And for this reason, that is, not only because of the love mentioned in the immediately preceding verse but on the basis of all the evidences of God's grace in the lives of the Colossians as described in verses 3 8, from the day we heard it we never stopped praying for you. Paul means that he and those associated with him (Timothy, see verse 1; Epaphras and others mentioned in 4:10–14) started to pray now as they had never prayed before; that is, granted that there had been prayer for this church before, the news which had reached the apostle upon the recent arrival of Epaphras had brought about a remarkable upsurge in prayer, in fervent intercession, and this with great regularity. It reminds us of the upsurge in Paul's preaching at Corinth after the arrival of Silas and Timothy (Acts 18:5).^[37] The apostle was a firm believer in the fellowship of prayer: a. he (and those associated with him) praying for those addressed, and b. the latter in turn being requested to pray for him. For a. see Column 1; for b. Column 2. Note that in each of the following instances the assurance that Paul prays for those addressed and the request (expressed or implied) that they pray for him occurs in the same letter. 1. 2. Rom. 1:915:30 Eph. 1:166:18, 19 Phil. 1:43:17a; 4:9(implied) Col. 1:94:3 I Thess. 1:25:25 II Thess. 1:113:1 Philem. 422 On the basis of blessings already received the apostle asks for additional favors. Encouraged by evidences of God's grace already present he requests increasing proofs. That is the meaning of And for this reason, etc. The Lord does not want his people to ask for too little. In the spiritual sphere he does not want them to live frugally, parsimoniously. Let them live richly and royally, in harmony with Psalms 81:1! Now the prayer which is reported here in verses 9b 14 should be compared with Paul's prayers found in the other epistles of his first Roman imprisonment (Eph. 1:17–23; 3:14–21; Phil. 1:9–11). Combining them we notice that the apostle prays that those addressed may abound in such matters as wisdom, knowledge, power, endurance, long-suffering, joy, gratitude, and love. Also, that Jesus Christ is regarded as the One through whom these graces are bestowed upon the believer, and that the glory of God is recognized as the ultimate purpose. Truly, one cannot afford to ignore Paul's lessons in prayer-life. Paul had just used the word praying. He now adds asking. Praying is the more general and comprehensive term. It indicates any form of reverent address directed to the Deity, whether we take hold of God by means of intercession, supplication, adoration, or thanksgiving. Asking is more specific. It refers to making definite, humble requests. See also (Phil. 4:6; I Tim. 2:1on various synonyms for prayer. The sentence continues, that you may be filled with^[38] clear knowledge of his will (such clear knowledge consisting) in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. It is vain to try to serve God without knowing what he desires of usActs 22:10, 14; Rom. 12:2). Now the knowledge here referred to is no abstract, theoretical learning. Such merely theoretical knowledge might be possessed by any nominal Christian, and in fact to a certain extent by a professed unbeliever and even by Satan himself. Neither does Paul have in mind a store of occult information, such as acquaintance with passwords. It is not the kind of mysterious gnosis which teachers of the gnostic type claimed for their initiates. On the contrary, it is penetrating insight into God's wonderful, redemptive revelation in Jesus Christ, a discernment with fruits for practical life, as the immediately following context (verse 10) also indicates. It results from fellowship with God and leads to deeper fellowship. Hence, this clear knowledge ([Greek]) is heart-transforming and life-renewing. All the instances of the use of this word in the New Testament point in this definite direction: (Rom. 1:28; 10:2; Eph. 1:17; 4:13; Phil. 1:9, 10; Col. 1:9, 10; 2:3; 3:10; I Tim. 2:4; II Tim. 2:25; 3:7; Titus 1:1; Philem. 6; Heb. 10:26; II Peter 1:2, 3, 8; II Peter 2:20; and cf. the cognate verb in I Cor. 13:12. Compare also the Old Testament background: The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledgeProv. 1:7; cf. 9:10; also Ps. 25:12, 14; 111:10). Paul prays that those addressed may be filled with such rich, deep experiential knowledge of Gods will. No doubt we have here an intentional allusion to the gnostic error with which false teachers were striving to lead the Colossians astray. It is as if Paul were saying: The clear knowledge of God's will which is our basic petition for you is incomparably richer and more satisfying than the knowledge or gnosis that is held out to you by the advocates of heresy. The penetrating knowledge which is part of the Christian's spiritual equipment consists in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Such wisdom is the ability to use the best means in order to reach the highest goal, a life to God's glory. It amounts to understanding that is at once spiritual and practical. It is not deceived by the wiles of Satan, the lure of the flesh, or the pretentious claims of false teachers. Such wisdom and understanding for the combination of these two words see Ex. 31:3; 35:31, 35; Isa. 10:13; 11:2; etc. is the work of the holy Spirit in human hearts. On the characteristics of true wisdom see also the beautiful passage, James 3:17. 10 12. The practical purpose or contemplated result of this clear knowledge which is the starting-point in Paul's prayer for the Colossians is now stated: so as to live lives worthy of the Lord (Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; I Thess. 2:12; III John 6). The apostle and those who are with him pray that the Colossians may walkGen. 5:22, 24; 6:9, etc. or conduct themselves in harmony with the responsibilities which their new relationship to God imposes and with the blessings which this new relationship brings. There must be nothing half-hearted about this manner of life. On the contrary, it must be to (his) complete delight (see further on 3:22), a conscious striving to please God in everything (I Cor. 10:31; I Thess. 4:1). That this God-glorifying conduct will actually be the result of being filled with clear knowledge of his will is easy to see, for the more God's children know him, the more they will also love him; and the more they love him, the more they will also wish to obey him in thought, word, and deed. By means of four participles the apostle now describes this life of sanctification: (1) in every good work bearing fruit. Paul attaches high value to good works viewed as the fruit not the root of grace. Eph. 2:8 10is his own commentary. (2) and growing in the clear knowledge of God.^[39] Note that the apostle makes the clear knowledge of God both the starting-point (verse 9) and the resulting characteristic (verse 10) of the God-pleasing life. This is not strange: true, experiential knowledge of God brings about an ever-increasing measure of this very commodity. Thus, though at the very beginning of the story Job already knew God, at a much later time he was able to testify: I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees thee; Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:5, 6). Of similar import are such passages as, They go from strength to strength (Ps. 84:7). The path of the righteous is as the dawning light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day (Prov. 4:18). The very apostle Paul, even when he already knew Christ, is still praying for increased knowledge: that I may know him (Phil. 3:10). (3) being invigorated with all vigor. The maxim, Knowledge is power is true in spiritual life more than anywhere else. When a person grows in the clear knowledge of God, his strength and courage increase. The divine indwelling presence enables him to say, I can do all things in him who infuses strength into me (Phil. 4:13). Paul adds, in accordance with his glorious might. In accordance with is stronger than of or by. When the multimillionaire gives of his wealth to some good cause he may be giving very little; but when he donates in accordance with his riches, the amount will be substantial. The Holy Spirit gives not only of but in accordance with. (Eph. 1:19 23shows why God's might is indeed glorious. What this strength in action ([Greek]) enables believers to do is stated in the words so as to exercise every kind of endurance and longsuffering. Endurance is the grace to bear up under, the bravery of perseverance in the performance of one's God-given task in spite of every hardship and trial, the refusal to succumb to despair or cowardice. It is a human attribute and is shown in connection with things, that is, circumstances in which a person is involved: affliction, suffering, persecution, etc. Longsuffering characterizes the person who, in relation to those who oppose or molest him, exercises patience, refusing to yield to passion or to outbursts of anger. In the writings of Paul it is associated with such virtues as kindness, mercy, love, goodness, compassion, meekness, lowliness, forbearance, and the forgiving spiritRom. 2:4; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12, 13). In distinction from endurance this longsuffering is not only a human but also a divine attribute. It is ascribed to God (Rom. 2:4; 9:22), to Christ (I Tim. 1:16), as well as to man (II Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12, 13; II Tim. 4:2). Another distinction is that longsuffering is shown in one's attitude not to things but to persons. Considered as human virtues both endurance and longsuffering are divine gifts (Rom. 15:5; Gal. 5:22), and both are inspired by hope, by trust in the fulfilment of God's promises (Rom. 8:25; I Thess. 1:3; II Tim. 4:2, 8; Heb. 6:12). (4) with joy^[40] giving thanks to the Father. Due to strength imparted by God, believers are able, even in the midst of tribulation, to give thanks with joy and to rejoice with thanksgiving (Matt. 5:10–12; Luke 6:22, 23; Acts 5:41; II Cor. 4:7–17; Phil. 1:12–21). It is to the Father that this thanks is given, for it is he who through the Son of his love (verse 13) freely gives us all things (Rom. 8:32). Paul stresses the necessity of thanksgiving again and again (II Cor. 1:11; Eph. 5:20; Phil. 4:6; Col. 3:17; I Thess. 5:18). In the present connection the reasons why the Colossians should thank the Father are given in verses 12b, 13. Here it is pointed out that the Father is the One who qualified you^[41] for a share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. Just as in the old dispensation the Lord provided for Israel an earthly inheritance, which was distributed to the various tribes and smaller units of national life by lotGen. 31:14; Num. 18:20; Josh. 13:16; 14:2; 16:1, etc. , so he had provided for the Colossians an allotment or share in the better inheritance. These people, drawn mainly from the Gentile world (see Introduction III B), had been at one time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus those who were once far off had been brought near in the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:12, 13). The fact that this share in the inheritance is a matter of sovereign grace and has nothing to do with human merit is clear first of all from the very word used, namely, inheritance: one receives an inheritance as a gift; one does not earn it. It is emphasized by the words, who qualified you. The best comment on this verse is Paul's statement in II Cor. 3:5: our sufficiency is from God. It is God who makes worthy^[42] those who in themselves are not worthy, and who thus enables them to have a share in the inheritance. The inheritance of the saints means the inheritance of redeemed believers, that is, of those human individuals who, having been drawn out of darkness and having been brought into the light, are consecrated to God. Though some commentators are of the opinion that here in Col. 1:12saints refers to angels, there is no basis for this view. Paul loves the word saints, using it again and again in his epistles. Not once does he employ it to indicate the angels, always the redeemedRom. 1:7; 8:27; 12:13; 15:25, 26, 31; 16:2, 15; I Cor. 1:2; 6:1, 2; 14:33; etc. . Even I Thess. 3:13is no exception; see N.T.C. on that passage. This inheritance of the saints is at the same time the inheritance in the light. This is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (II Cor. 4:16). It is the love of God poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5); the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7); the joy inexpressible and full of glory (I Peter 1:8). The fact that in Scripture the word light is actually used metaphorically to symbolize all of these ideas and more besides is clear from the following passages, in every one of which the word light is used in an interpretive context: The word light used in close connection with: (1). holiness, being sanctified (Acts 20:32; 26:18, 23). These passages are especially important since they occur in Paul's own speeches. (2). the divine revelation: truth, and insight into that revelation: knowledge (Ps. 36:9; II Cor. 4:4, 6) (3). love (I John 2:9, 10) (4). glory (Isa. 60:1–3) (5). peace, prosperity, liberty, joy (Ps. 97:11; Isa. 9:1–7) Since God himself is in his very being holiness, omniscience, love, glory, etc., and since to his people he is the Source of all the graces and blessings mentioned above under (1) (5), he is himself light. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (I John 1:5). Jesus said, I am the light of the world (John 8:12). As such God is in Christ his people's salvation. Light and salvation are therefore synonyms (Ps. 27:1; Isa. 49:6). So is light and the divine grace or favor (Ps. 44:3). The opposite of light is darkness, which, accordingly, is symbolical of Satan and his angels; hence, also of sin, disobedience, rebellion, ignorance, blindness, falsehood, hatred, wrath, shame, strife, lack, bondage, and gloom, as is shown by several of the very passages referred to above, under (1) (5), and by many others. What the apostle is saying, therefore, here in (Col. 1:12, is that the Father of his beloved Son Jesus Christ hence, also our Father has in his sovereign grace made the Colossians worthy of, and competent to receive, a share of the inheritance of the saints in the realm of salvation full and free. The further question, Is this realm present or future? is not difficult to answer. In principle the Colossians have already entered it. They have already been transferred into the kingdom of the Son of his loveCol. 1:13; cf. Eph. 2:13). The full possession, however, pertains to the future. It is the hope that is laid up for them in the heavens (Col. 1:15). From the Lord they will receive the reward, namely, the inheritance (Col. 3:24). See also Eph. 1:18; Phil. 3:20, 21; and cf. Heb. 3:7 4:11.^[43] Paul prays for it must be borne in mind that this is still part of the prayer that for all this the Colossians may be constantly and joyfully thanking God. 13, 14. Verses 13 and 14 summarize the divine work of redemption. The details follow in verses 15 23. This reminds us of Romans, where 1:16, 17 summarizes what is described in greater detail in Rom. 1:18 8:39. Paul's heart was in his writing. He never wrote in the abstract when he discussed the great blessings which believers have in Christ. He was ever deeply conscious of the fact that upon him, too, though completely unworthy, the Father had bestowed these favors. Hence, it is not surprising that, deeply moved by what he is writing, he changes the wording, from you to us: verse 13, who qualified you &; verse 14, and who rescued us.& Besides, note how all the main ideas of verses 12 14 darkness, light, inheritance, remission of sins^[44] occur also in Acts 26:18, 23, passages that record Paul's own experience and predict the experience of the Gentiles to whom he was now sent. The apostle, accordingly, in describing the kindnesses which had been conferred upon the Colossians and upon himself and his associates, yes, even upon all rescued sinners, echoes the very words which the Savior had used in addressing him, even Saul, the great and dreadful persecutor: I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet since for this purpose I have appeared to you &delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power [or: jurisdiction] of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in meActs 26:15b 18, quoted in part . So Paul writes: and who rescued^[45] us. He drew us to himself, delivering us from our condition of wretchedness. The verb rescued in the present context implies both the utterly hopeless darkness and misery in which, apart from God's mercy, we (the Colossians, Paul, etc.) had been groping about, and the glorious but arduous redemptive work that was necessary to emancipate us from our wretched state. The Father rescued us by sending his Son into the flesh (Col. 1:22; 2:9; cf. Gal. 1:15, 16; 4:4, 5) in order: a. to die for our sins on the cross (Col. 1:22; 2:14; cf. Gal. 2:20; 6:14), and b. to rise and ascend to heaven, whence he poured the Spirit into our hearts (Col. 3:1; cf. II Thess. 2:13; John 16:7), so that we, having been called (Col. 1:6, 7; cf. Gal. 1:15, 16; Phil. 3:14), were made alive (Col. 2:13; cf. Eph. 2:1–5; John 3:3; Acts 16:14), and by an act of genuine conversion accepted Christ Jesus as Lord and were baptized (Col. 2:6, 12; cf. Acts 9:1 19). This entire process is covered by the words, He rescued us, ^[46] and this, out of the domain of darkness, the sphere in which Satan exercises his usurped jurisdiction (Matt. 4:8–11; Luke 22:52, 53; cf. Acts 26:18) over human hearts, lives, activities, and over all the powers of the air, the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:2; 6:12). (For the meaning of light and darkness see above on verse 12.) Helpless, hopeless slaves were we, chained by our sins in Satan's prison &until the Conqueror came to our rescue (II Cor. 2:14). It was God in Christ who rescued us and transplanted us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. He brought us out of the dark and dismal realm of false ideas and chimerical ideals into the sun-bathed land of clear knowledge and realistic expectation; out of the bewildering sphere of perverted cravings and selfish hankerings into the blissful realm of holy yearnings and glorious self-denials; out of the miserable dungeon of intolerable bonds and heart-rending cries into the magnificent palace of glorious liberty and joyful songs. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come; Into Thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus, I come to Thee; Out of my sickness into Thy health, Out of my want and into Thy wealth, Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come; Into the joy and light of Thy home, Jesus, I come to Thee; Out of the depths of ruin untold, Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold, Ever Thy glorious face to behold, Jesus, I come to Thee. (W. T. Sleeper) It is probable that the underlying figure is one which those addressed both Gentile and Jew readily understood. These people knew that earthly rulers would at times transplant a conquered people from one country to anotherII Kings 15:29; 17:3–6; 18:13; 24:14–16; 25:11; II Chron. 36:20; Jer. 52:30; Dan. 1:1–4; Ezek. 1:1; see also above: Introduction, II. The City of Colosse, C . So also we have been transplanted, and this not from liberty into slavery but from slavery into liberty. Let us then stand in that liberty. Let us not think that our deliverance is only of a partial character, or that by means of mystic rites, painful ceremonies, worship of angels, or any other means (then or now) we must slowly work our way up from sin to holiness. Once for all we have been delivered. We have been transplanted not out of darkness into semi-darkness, but out of dismal darkness into marvelous light (I Peter 2:9). We have even now arrived in the kingdom of the Son of his (the Father's) love. ^[47] Here is what may truly be called realized eschatology. In principle we already in this present life partake of the promised glory. God has already begun a good work in us, and as to the future each one of us is able to testify: The work thou hast in me begun Shall by thy grace be fully done (Ps. 138:8; Phil. 1:6). We have received the Holy Spirit. And his indwelling presence is the earnest (first instalment and pledge) of our inheritance (Eph. 1:4; cf. II Cor. 1:22; 5:5). It is the guarantee of still greater glory to come. This follows also from the fact that the Christ who merited this glory for us is the Son of the Father's love. He is both the Object of this love (Isa. 42:1; Ps. 2:7; Prov. 8:30; Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Luke 3:22) and its personal manifestation (John 1:18; 14:9; 17:26). How then shall not the Father together with him freely give us all things? (Rom. 8:32). We have been transplanted into the Kingdom of the Son of God's love, in whom we have our redemption, that is, our deliverance as the result of the payment of a ransom. Just as according to Israel's ancient law the forfeited life could be ransomed (Ex. 21:30), so our life, forfeited through sin, was ransomed by the shedding of Christ's blood (Eph. 1:7).^[48] Besides, as A. Deissmann remarks, When anybody heard the Greek word [Greek], ransom [on which the word [Greek], redemption is based] &it was natural for him to think of the purchase-money for manumitting slaves. Hence, in him, that is, through spiritual union with him (Col. 3:1–3), redemption full and free is ours. This redemption is, accordingly, emancipation from the curse (Gal. 3:13), particularly from enslavement to sin (John 8:34; Rom. 7:14; I Cor. 7:23), and release to true liberty (John 8:36; Gal. 5:1). Through Christ's payment of a ransom and our faith in him we have obtained from the Father the forgiveness or remission (Ps. 103:12) of our sins. The chain that held us fast has been broken. Though the apostle uses this expression forgiveness of sins (which is of such frequent occurrence elsewhere in the New Testament),^[49] only here and in Eph. 1:7(forgiveness of &trespasses), and though he generally conveys a similar idea by words and phrases that belong to the justification by faith family, he was, nevertheless, well acquainted with the idea of forgiveness of sins, as is shown by Rom. 4:7; II Cor. 5:19; and in Colossians by 2:13 and 3:13. In fact, in Colossians the idea of forgiveness is even emphasized. See footnote 131. Justification and remission are inseparable. So are also redemption and remission, though this was at times denied. Thus Irenaeus in his work Against Heresies I.xxi.2, written about a.d. 182 188, tells us about certain heretics in his day who taught that here in this life salvation occurs in the following two stages: a. Remission of sins at baptism, instituted by the visible, human Jesus; b. Redemption at a later stage, through the divine Christ who descended on Jesus. In this second stage the person whose sins have already been forgiven attains to perfection or fulness. It is possible, in view of such passages as Col. 2:9, 10; 4:12, that the errorists at Colosse were already spreading this or a similar notion. In any event, it was through the Holy Spirit, who knows all things even before they happen and is therefore able to issue warnings that apply to the future as well as to the present, that the apostle wrote these words. They clearly indicate that when a sinner is transplanted out of the power of darkness into the kingdom of light, he is to be regarded as having been redeemed, and that this redemption implies the remission of sins. 1:15–20 III. The Son's Pre-eminence Verses 15 20 form a unit. If it was not a literary gem composed by the apostle himself, it was probably a hymn or other fixed testimony of the early church adopted by Paul and reproduced here by him either without change or with alterations suitable to the needs of the Colossian church. It is, in any case, a unit and for that reason is here printed in its entirety. And since it clearly consists of two parts these have been reproduced here in parallel columns.^[50] The relation of the theme to its two divisions is as follows. The Son's Pre-eminence is shown: A. In Creation (verses 15 17) B. In Redemption (verses 18 20) 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, The firstborn of every creature, 16 For in him were created all things In the heavens and on the earth, The visible and the invisible, Whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities, All things through him and with a view to him have been created; 17 And he is before all things, And all things hold together in him. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, That in all things he might have the pre-eminence, 19 For in him he [God] was pleased to have all the fulness dwell, 20 And through him to reconcile all things to himself, Having made peace through the blood of his cross, Through him, whether the things on the earth Or the things in the heavens. Very striking and solemn are these lines. Note the following points of correspondence between A. and B.: A. B. (1) Who is in verse 15 18 (2) The firstborn in verse 15 18 (3) For in him in verse 16 19 (4) In the heavens and on the earth in verse 16 cf. 20 Not only do the same expressions occur in both columns but they occur in the same sequence! There is a definite idea-and-form parallelism. The glory of Christ in Creation is balanced by his majesty in Redemption. There are also other items of resemblance; for example, the expression all things, occurring four times in verses 15 17 and twice in verses 18 20. And the words through him of verse 16 are repeated twice in verse 20. As to the origin and nature of these impressive, solemn, and carefully balanced lines, there are two main views. See, however, footnote.^[51] The first of these two acceptable theories is this: Paul himself composed and dictated the lines. Those who favor this view generally add that Col. 1:15 20is not a hymn. The second is this: the passage is a pre-Pauline hymn or well-known and oft-repeated early saying or testimony. Paul, having learned this hymn or saying which had endeared itself to his heart, made it a part of his letter, either with no addition or alteration or else with slight changes to suit his own purpose. The following arguments have been advanced in favor of the first alternative: (1) Recognizable quantitative meter such as one might expect in a hymn is found here only after considerable conjectural reconstruction. (2) It was natural for Paul, a highly emotional person who was writing on a lofty theme (Christ's Pre-eminence) to express himself in such a solemn way. And since many Old Testament passages, very familiar to Paul, praised Jehovah's majesty in parallelistic phraseologyPs. 93; 96; 103; 121; 136; 145 150; etc. , the apostle, under the guidance of the Spirit, would almost naturally express himself in similar language in setting forth the majesty of Christ. (3) There is nothing in this passage that can be considered foreign to Paul's main theme in Colossians. (4) The Paul of I Corinthians and Galatians writes in similar style. See footnote 51, A.5 above. Those who disagree might answer as follows: With respect to (1). Does every hymn have recognizable quantitative meter? With respect to (2). Would anyone, writing spontaneously in the freely flowing style of a letter, compose a passage consisting of two parts which contain not only the same phrases, but even these same phrases arranged in the same sequence? With respect to (3). True, but this is not in conflict with either theory. With respect to (4). At best the passages to which Percy refers furnish only partial proof. They do not contain a true and full stylistic parallel to what is found in Col. 1:15–20. Now though the first theory may, after all, be correct, there would seem to be a stronger argument in support of the second. Note the following: (1) The primitive Church had not only its Old Testament Psalms but also other hymns. Cf. I Cor. 14:26. Paul loved psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Is not this clearly stated in Col. 3:16? Very vividly illustrated in I Tim. 3:16? And also clearly motivated by John 3:16? The early church also had its famous reliable sayings (I Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:8, 9; II Tim. 2:11–13; Titus 3:4 8). All such sayings, testimonies, confessions, and songs were passed from mouth to mouth and from heart to heart, until they had embedded themselves in the very soul of the community, where all the fears, hopes, struggles, and joys of believers played around them. It would not be strange, therefore, if Paul here in Col. 1:15 20were actually quoting, either exactly or with some additional word of application, a saying or hymn which had already secured for itself a place of prominence in the life of the Church. Note, moreover, that Col. 1:15 20bears testimony to the greatness of Christ, which is the very theme of I Tim. 3:16. That passage, as already indicated, in all probability was another hymn. In this connection it may be of some significance that a generation after Paul's death Pliny the Younger, describing the Christians of his day to the emperor Trajan, states, They affirmed, moreover, that the sum-total of their guilt or error was this, that they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as to a God &(Letters X.xcvi). (2) The relative pronoun who in who is (verses 15, 18, especially the latter) is not obviously natural (C. F. D. Moule, op. cit., p. 62). It has all the appearance of having been borrowed from a hymn in which it may have been preceded by such words as, We thank our glorious Lord Jesus. This is comparable to the antecedant presupposed by the hymn quoted in I Tim. 3:16. See N.T.C. on I and II Timothy and Titus, pp. 137, 138. (3) The carefully constructed nature of the passage, Col. 1:15–20, the parallelistic correspondences pertaining to its two parts, the recurrence of words and phrases in the same sequence in these two sections, is more natural in a hymn than in the free-flowing style of a letter. Before attempting a study of the separate parts, the passage should be seen in its entirety. The following points should be noted: (1) The passage indicates at least the following, namely, that only about thirty years after Jesus had suffered a shameful death on the cross divine honor was ascribed to him. His pre-eminence both in Creation and Redemption, his exaltation above every creature, was being clearly proclaimed by the apostle Paul. However, if the passage is a quotation from an earlier source, as is distinctly possible, it would mean that the recognition of Jesus as God even antedated Paul! See John 20:28; cf. 1:1–18. This entry is longer than a Bible module can hold. The rest is at https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/hendriksen/ CHAPTER II Outline of Chapter 2 Theme: Christ, the Pre-eminent One, the Only and All-Sufficient Savior I. This Only and All-Sufficient Savior is the Object of the Believers Faith, chapters 1 and 2 B. This Truth Expounded not only Positively but now both Positively and Negatively, chapter 2, the latter over against the Colossian Heresy with its: 2:1–10 1. Delusive Philosophy 2:11–17 2. Judaistic Ceremonialism 2:18–19 3. Angel-worship 2:20–23 4. Asceticism 2:1–10 I. Warning against Delusive Philosophy 2 1 For I want you to know how greatly I strive for you, and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 in order that their hearts may be strengthened, they themselves being welded together in love, and this with a view to all the riches of assured understanding, with a view to the clear knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ; 3 in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. 4 I say this in order that no one may mislead you by persuasive argument. 5 For, although in the flesh I am absent, yet in the spirit I am with you, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 6 As therefore you accepted Christ Jesus the Lord, (so) in him continue to live, 7 rooted and being built up in him and being established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with thanksgiving. 8 Be on your guard lest there be any one who carries you off as spoil by means of his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not according to Christ; 9 for in him all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily, 10 and in him you have attained to fulness, namely, in him who is the head of every principality and authority. 1. It is immediately evident that (Col. 2:1is a clear continuation of the thought expressed in 1:29. Paul was writing one letter, not four chapters. The continuation is: For I want you to know, the for constituting proof for the statement made in the preceding verse. The opening formula, I want you to know, here and in I Cor. 11:3, is substantially the same in meaning as the somewhat differently worded one in Phil. 1:12. Similar is also the expression, I (or we) do not wish you to be in ignoranceRom. 1:13; 11:25; I Cor. 10:1; 12:1; II Cor. 1:8; I Thess. 4:13). By the use of this formula the apostle stresses the importance of the matter under discussion. He regards the Colossian Heresy, which he is about to refute, as being a very serious danger, and therefore continues: how greatly I strive for you^[71] and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh. The nature of this striving need not be repeatedCol. 1:29above . What Paul means is, For, in substantiation of what I have just said, I want you to know how greatly I strive for you, Colossians, and for those at Laodicea, and for all who, like yourselves, have never seen me. It is well-nigh certain that the phrase and for all who also includes the membership of the church at Hierapolis (Col. 4:13). As has been shown (see Introduction II A), so close to each other were the three cities that a spiritual danger that affected one of them was almost bound to affect the other two also, though not necessarily in the same degree.^[72] Two misconceptions must be avoided at this point: (1) The view of many that the apostle here implies that he had never been in Colosse. Answer: Church and town must not be confused. It should be borne in mind that when Paul on his third missionary journey was headed for Ephesus there was as yet no church at Colosse for him to visit. On the question, Was Paul ever in Colosse? see Introduction II A; III A. The situation, as I see it, may well have been as follows: On his way to Ephesus, Paul followed the natural route which via Colosse led to Ephesus. He passed through Colosse, and may even have spent a night there. Whether or not he did we simply do not know. His aim, however, was to confirm the churches already established and to reach Ephesus, not to establish new churches on the way to his destination. During his lengthy stay at Ephesus, enquirers from the surrounding region came to hear him (Acts 19:10). Among those who came were also some people from the three cities, one of those individuals being Epaphras from Colosse (Col. 4:12). Upon their conversion these men including Epaphras carried the great news of salvation back to their respective towns. Thus churches were established. Speaking in general terms, Paul could truly say that these congregations had never seen him. (2) The idea that the apostle was a total stranger to every member of the three churches. Answer: Nearly all commentators even those that cling to No. 1, just refuted are careful to point out that Paul was, indeed, personally acquainted with some of the members of the Colossian church, and perhaps also with some of those that belonged to the other churches in the Lycus Valley. As to the apostle's personal acquaintances and friends in or from Colosse see on Col. 4:12, 17; Philem. 1, 2. The main idea of Col. 2:1is, accordingly, that Paul, having received ample information from Epaphras (and perhaps also from others) regarding prevailing conditions in the churches of the Lycus Valley, wants the entire membership also that large majority that has never seen him to know how much he loves them and how thoroughly he is concerned about them when spiritual danger threatens. Now both in chapter 1 and in chapter 2 the apostle proclaims Christ as the only and all-sufficient Savior, the Object of the believers faith. In both chapters, moreover, the predominant tone is positive: Christ is set forth in all his majesty and riches as the source of whatever believers may need and especially as the object of their trust and adoration. There is, however, a marked difference between the two chapters. While in chapter 1 the negative element refutation of error is merely implied, in chapter 2 it is definitely expressed (see verses 4, 8, 16, 18, 20 23), and forceful warnings are issued. Even here, however, as stated, it is Christ who is proclaimed (see verses 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 15). Now though the heresy is one, the apostle views it here from a fourfold aspect (cf. Introduction III B). These four divisions, however, are not water-tight compartments. There is overlapping, as will be shown as the individual passages are discussed. 2, 3. The purpose of Paul's striving is: in order that their hearts may be strengthened. The heart of all true pastoral activity is to be an instrument in God's hand to bring the hearts of those entrusted to one's care to the heart of Christ. The reason is this: once a man's heart has been thoroughly won over and established in grace, the entire person has become the object of God's marvelous transforming power, for the heart is the fulcrum of feeling and faith as well as the mainspring of words and actions (Rom. 10:10; cf. Matt. 12:34; 15:19; 22:37; John 14:1). It is the core and center of man's being, man's inmost self. Out of it are the issues of life (Prov. 4:23). Man looks on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looks on the heart (I Sam. 16:7). Over against the attack of false teachers these hearts must be strengthened.^[73] In unity there is strength; hence the continuation is: they themselves being welded together^[74] in love. Not knowledge, certainly not conceit (Col. 2:18), but mutual love is the bond of perfection (Col. 3:14). Such love springs directly from the heart of God in Christ and leads back to him, for God is love (I John 4:8). Now when believers, welded together in love, are confronted with the danger of errors and lies, let them unitedly pray about this and discuss it among each other on the basis of God's special Revelation (Eph. 3:17–19), and this with a view to all the riches of assured understanding.^[75] Thorough, rich, gratifying insight (Col. 1:9; cf. I Cor. 1:19; Eph. 3:4; II Tim. 2:7) into spiritual matters, which implies the ability to distinguish the true from the false, must ever be the goal. Even more definitely this goal is expressed in the words: with a view to the clear knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ. The sense in which Christ is, indeed, the mystery of God has been explained in connection with (Col. 1:27. See also N.T.C. on I and II Timothy and Titus, pp. 137–141, explanation of I Tim. 3:16. This mystery, progressively revealed to believers who love one another, transcends all human comprehensionRom. 11:33–36; I Cor. 2:6–16), and is, therefore, also in that sense a divine and very glorious mystery: the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. The Colossians need not, must not, look for any source of happiness or of holiness outside of Christ. Do false teachers boast about their wisdom and their knowledge? Or about that of the angels? Neither man nor angel nor any other creature has anything at all to offer which cannot be found in incomparably superior essence and an infinite degree in Christ. In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden, like the hidden treasure of which Jesus spoke in the parable (Matt. 13:44; cf. Prov. 2:4); hidden, indeed, but in order to be unearthed, not in order to remain concealed.^[76] That this practical purpose is also in the apostle's mind here in Colossians is clear from verses 9 and 10. What the apostle means, therefore, is this, In Christ all these treasures are stored away. Hence, come and discover them and enrich yourselves by means of them. Treasures of wisdom and knowledge, says Paul, which is even better than treasures of wisdom of which we read elsewhere (Ecclus. 1:25). Jesus, according to his divine nature, knows all things. This knowledge, being divine, is all-comprehensive, direct, simple, unchangeable, and eternal. Peter paid tribute to it when he declared, Lord, all things thou knowest; thou dost realize that I have affection for thee (John 21:17). Christ's omniscience is therefore a great comfort for the believer and, via Christ's revelation in Scripture, a bank from which he draws. But in Christ knowledge is never separated from wisdom, as it often is among men. Now wisdom is the ability, in concrete situations, to apply knowledge to the best advantage. It uses the most effective means to achieve the highest goal. In the Old Testament the work of creation is ascribed to God's wisdom (Ps. 104:24; Jer. 10:12). (Job 28:23ff. and Prov. 8:22ff. personify the wisdom by means of which God created all things. The New Testament magnifies the wisdom of God revealed in the foolishness of the crossI Cor. 1:18–25), in the church (Eph. 3:10), and in the work of God's providence in behalf of Israel and of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:33). At this point it is necessary to guard against error. The word wisdom is used in a threefold sense in Colossians: (a) the wisdom given to Paul and his fellow-workers and to believers in general (Col. 1:9, 28; 3:16; 4:5); (b) the pretended wisdom of the false teachers (Col. 2:23); and (c) the divine wisdom that dwells eternally in Christ (Col. 2:3). These three must not be confused. Sometimes divine wisdom, such as is certainly spoken of here in (Col. 2:3, is equated, as to its essence, with human wisdom, as if the former were but an enlarged edition of the latter. So, for example, in connection with the present passage, we are told that while knowledge applies to apprehension of truths, wisdom superadds the power of reasoning about them and tracing their relation (Lightfoot, op. cit., p. 174). But although this may be a perfectly valid and useful distinction when we are speaking about human wisdom, the wisdom that is ascribed to Christ is more than the ability to reason and to trace. Archetypal wisdom differs from ectypal: the divine pattern and the human copy can never be identical, the reason being that God is God, and we are dealing here with Christ as GodCol. 2:9). Divine wisdom, in a sense far more exalted than human wisdom, devises, plans, guides, directs. It is original, creative. It does what no other wisdom in the entire universe can ever accomplish. It reconciles seeming irreconcilables. A few examples will make this clear: (1) In his wisdom God reconciles the Jew with the Gentile, and both together with himself, performing this great miracle by means of that altogether unlikely object, namely, the cross, which to the Jew was a stumbling-block and to the Gentile foolishness! (I Cor. 1:22–25; Eph. 2:13, 14). (2) In his wisdom he satisfies the demands both of his justice which asked for the death of the sinner and of his love which required the sinner's salvation. The law and the gospel embrace each other on the cross (Rom. 3:19–24; 5:8, 12, 13; 16:27; cf. Ps. 85:10). (3) In his wisdom, which Paul extols, the very rejection of carnal Israel results, by various links, in the salvation of all Israel: By their fall salvation is come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy &that by the mercy shown to you [Gentiles] they [Israel] may now obtain mercy. Paul concludes, O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, etc.^[77] In Christ, then, for the benefit of believers, all the treasures of this all-comprehensive knowledge and of this sublime, creative wisdom are hidden. 4, 5. With reference at least to what he has just said in verses 1 3 but more probably to all of 1:3 2:3, Paul continues: I say this in order that no one may mislead you by persuasive argument. Do not exchange demonstrated facts, regarding the fulness that is in Christ, for specious reasoning. Cf. I Cor. 2:4. The original does not bear out the view of those who think that Paul had one particular person in mind when he issued this warning. There were doubtless many false teachers. Hence, says Paul, as it were, When someone or other comes with attractive arguments, do not be turned aside by that person and his finespun phrases. He continues, For, although in the flesh I am absent, yet in the spirit I am with you. Note in connection with this statement: (1) the fellowship of all believers in Christ. This closeness of loving communion was felt very keenly in the early church (see N.T.C. on Philippians, pp. 51–54; 93 95). (2) the vividness of Paul's sense of fellowship with those who for the most part had not seen him and with whom, therefore, he was not personally acquainted. It is reasonable to assume that Epaphras had given the apostle a very graphic account of conditions in the Colossian church (see also 1:7, 8; 4:12, 13). (3) the plus-factor in this fellowship. What Paul meant amounted to far more than saying, In my imagination I can see you now, my friends. It just seems as if I am there with you. It was that, to be sure, but also more than that, namely, In heart and spirit I am with you, with you to help you and to rejoice with you, as even this letter indicates and as Tychicus and Onesimus will be telling you (Col. 4:7–9). Proof: note how the apostle, using somewhat similar language asserts himself in the congregation at Corinth, actually taking part in a matter of discipline, even though he was not bodily present with them (I Cor. 5:3–5); and also how warmly he makes his spiritual presence felt in the church at ThessalonicaI Thess. 2:17: out of sight but not out of heart . The report which Epaphras had presented to Paul was, on the whole, favorable. Though he had not in any way minimized the dangers that were threatening the church, yet he had been careful to point out that on the whole the Colossians had not been moved from their foundation. Genuine love was present among them (1:8), and, as we now learn, also good order there had been no schism and no lack of orderly discipline and behavior and sterling, steadfast faith, for the apostle continues: rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.^[78] 6, 7. In close connection with the preceding sentence Paul continues: As therefore you accepted Christ Jesus the Lord, (so) in him continue to live. The chiastic or criss-cross structure of this sentence with the verbs accepted and continue to live respectively at beginning and end; and the references to Christ, namely, Christ Jesus the Lord and in him, in the center shows that all the emphasis falls on the necessity of clinging to Christ Jesus the Lord (Eph. 3:11; Phil. 2:11), as the all-sufficient One, as the Lord whose commandments should be obeyed and whose word should be trusted. The meaning is, Colossians, do not be misled. Let your life (your walk or conduct) continue to be in harmony with the fact that you have accepted Christ Jesus the Lord as your tradition. You embraced him with a living faith, just as you were taught to do (Eph. 4:20). The word accepted is here used in its technical sense: received as transmitted (I Cor. 11:23; 15:1, 3; Gal. 1:9, 12; Phil. 4:9; I Thess. 2:13; 4:1; II Thess. 3:6), the line of transmission having been from God to Paul (both directly and indirectly), to Epaphras, to the Colossians.^[79] By a series of four participles, the first a perfect passive and the other three present, Paul now shows what this living in Christ (that is, in vital union with him) means: rooted and being built up in him and being established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with thanksgiving. Meaning: Having then been firmly implanted in Christ (Eph. 3:17), as the infinite and all-sufficient Source of salvation full and free, and so continuing, constantly avail yourselves of every opportunity of being brought to higher and still higher ground, as a building rises tier by tier,^[80] of being established ever more firmly in the activity of faith,^[81] as you were taught by Epaphras (Col. 1:7; 4:12, 13), and of overflowing with gratitude (Col. 4:2). Gratitude is that which completes the circle whereby blessings that drop down into our hearts and lives return to the Giver in the form of unending, loving, and spontaneous adoration. Moreover, such giving of thanks increases the sense of obligation (Ps. 116:12–14), so that those who overflow with this grace feel all the less ready to turn away from the abundance which they have in Christ Jesus the Lord, and to follow the advice of false teachers. Notice that Paul does not pray that the Colossians may begin to be thankful, but rather that the ocean of their gratitude may constantly overflow its perimeter. Paul is never satisfied with anything short of perfection. Hence he loves to use this word overflow or abound (Rom. 3:7; 5:15; 15:13; I Cor. 8:8; 14:12; 15:58; ten times in II Cor.; Phil. 1:9, 26; 4:12, 18; I Thess. 3:12; 4:1, 10). See also N.T.C. on I and II Timothy and Titus, p. 75. 8 10. There is a very close connection between verses 6, 7, on the one hand, and verses 8 10, on the other. What has been stated positively in verses 6, 7, namely, Continue to live in Christ Jesus the Lord, is stated negatively in verses 8 10, the sense of these three verses being, Do not allow yourselves to be carried away by any teaching that is not according to Christ, for he will supply all your needs, since in him all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily and since he is the supreme Ruler of all. We have a restatement, therefore, in somewhat different form, of what the apostle had said in verse 4, I say this in order that no one may mislead you by persuasive argument. It becomes clear, therefore, that in this entire section (verses 1 10) Paul indicates that he was deeply concerned about the false teaching of those whose speculative theories, cleverly presented, might tend to undermine the confidence of the Colossians in Christ as their complete Savior. He calls this subversive system of thought and morals, of rules and regulations philosophy and empty deceit. He uses words like man-made tradition and worldly rudiments to describe it. There is, however, another interpretation of these verses, differing rather sharply from the one set forth in the aforegoing summarizing paragraph. It is to the effect that the apostle here sets Christ over against the elemental spirits of the universe, the words between quotation marks being the R.S.V. rendering of the Greek phrase which in both A.V. and A.R.V. is translated the rudiments of the world (verse 8). For comments about this interpretation which, with due respect for the erudition of those who advocate it, I cannot adopt, see footnote 83 at the close of my treatment of the entire passage (verses 8 10). The apostle, accordingly, continues as follows: Be on your guard lest there be any one who carries you off as spoil by means of his philosophy and empty deceit. Let not those who were rescued out of the domain of darkness and transplanted into the kingdom of the Son of God's love (Col. 1:13) be carried off as so much booty and become enslaved once more (Gal. 5:1). Brought under bondage by someone's philosophy! As Josephus has shown, any elaborate system of thought and/or moral discipline was in those days called a philosophy (cf. our term moral philosophy, when the scientific aspect is not stressed). Thus he states, For there are three forms of philosophy among the Jews. The followers of the first school are called Pharisees, of the second Sadducees, and of the third Essenes (Jewish War II.viii.2). When it is borne in mind that in several of its traits the body of error which Paul here opposes resembles Essenism, the relevancy of this quotation from Josephus becomes all the more clear. Philo also, when speaking about Hebrew religion, uses such terms as philosophy according to Moses and Jewish philosophy. Paul is warning against the kind of philosophy that amounts to nothing more than empty deceit. It is empty, futile. It is deceptive, for, while it promises big things to those who obey its ordinances, it cannot redeem its promises (see on verse 23). Paul continues: according to the tradition of men (see footnote 79 above). This was not apostolic tradition, nor was it tradition that belonged to the main stream of Judaism, though it did have something in common with Judaism and embraced some of the latter's tenets. It was rather a mixture of Christianity, Judaistic Ceremonialism, Angelolatry, and Asceticism, as verses 11 23 indicate. It was a philosophy according to the rudiments of the world. Rudiments are elements, either in the physical or in the non-physical realm. The original uses the term stoicheia, indicating elements or units in a row or series, like the figures (1, 2, 3, etc.) in a column, or the letters (A, B, C, etc.) in the alphabet; then also the basic elements of which the physical world is held to consist (II Peter 3:10, 12). The ancients sometimes spoke of earth, air, fire, and water as elements. By an easy transition the meaning advances to rudiments or elements of learning; hence, elementary teaching (Heb. 5:12). We speak of Rudiments of Grammar, Elements of Arithmetic, etc. The expression rudiments of the world also occurs in (Gal. 4:3Gal. 4:9). This is admittedly a very difficult passage, proving the correctness of II Peter 3:15, 16. It is true, indeed, that our beloved brother Paul sometimes wrote things hard to understand. One thing should be borne in mind, however, namely, that in Galatians and in Colossians we are dealing with rudiments of the world, a modifier that does not occur in Hebrews and in II Peter. Now in Col. 2:8, in harmony with the immediate context which speaks about the tradition of men, the term world (kosmos) must probably be taken in its ethical sense (as often in Paul's epistles), as indicating mankind alienated from the life of God. These are rudiments of worldly men. They are worldly rudiments. In all likelihood that interpretation of the modifier of the world also holds for GalatiansGal. 4:9, weak and beggarly rudiments . Worthy of serious consideration, in the light of the contextsGal. 4:3and 4:9 , is therefore the view according to which in Galatians the expression rudiments of the world indicates rudimentary teaching regarding rules, regulations, ordinances, by means of which, before Christ's coming into the flesh, people (Jews and Gentiles, each in their own way) tried by their own efforts to achieve salvation. With the coming of Christ and the work of his apostles this sinful, autosoteric tendency and teaching continued, sponsored now by enthusiastic Judaists. In their teaching the latter tried to combine faith in Christ with trust in Mosaic-Pharisaic ordinances. And this same danger of trusting in ordinances to supplement faith in Christ asserted itself also at Colosse (Col. 2:11–23), though in a somewhat different, more complicated, form. That some of these regulations dealt with angel-worship need not and should not be denied (see verses 15 and 18), just so it be borne in mind that the term rudiments itself does not therefore necessarily mean angels. It is the erroneous teaching that is here condemned. It thus becomes evident that when the meaning rudimentary instruction is ascribed to the word rudiments, as used in Col. 2:8and 2:20, this sense cannot be quickly discarded as if it were definitely out of line with the use of this same word elsewhere in the New Testament. Now if people will but see the implications of faith in Christ in all his glorious fulness and adequacy, they will die to these rudiments, as verse 20 makes very clear. Cast aside then will be these crude notions regarding regulations and ordinances with respect to such things as circumcision, feasts, food and drink, angel-worship, etc., as means toward the achievement of salvation in all its fulness. It is evident that at least in one respect the rudiments mentioned in Galatians and those against which the apostle warns in Colossians are alike, namely, in being weak and beggarly (Gal. 3:9). This philosophy is definitely of the world, as any system must be that does not give Christ all the honor. It is empty, deceitful, and not according to Christ. It has a tendency to take men away from Christ, to weaken their trust in him as all-sufficient sufficient Savior. It is not in harmony with the fulness which believers have in him. Hence, Paul continues: for in him all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily. For the interpretation of all but the adverb see also above on Col. 1:19. When the apostle thus describes Christ he has in mind the latter's deity, not just his divinity. He is referring to the Son's complete equality of essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit, his consubstantiality, not his similarity.^[82] He is saying that this plenitude of deity has its abiding residence in Christ, and this bodily. Many different interpretations have been given of this adverb; such as, personally, essentially, universally (in a manner that embraces or affects the entire universe), ecclesiastically (in a manner that affects the entire church), antitypically, genuinely, etc. Now all of these can be rejected without much argumentation since they are out of harmony with the immediate context, attach a connotation to the adverb that is out of harmony with the main clause, invest that adverb with too much meaning, and miss the main purpose which the apostle had in mind in writing as he does. There are, however, two theories that deserve more than passing notice: A. The view of Lightfoot (op. cit., pp. 182, 183), etc. According to him bodily means with a bodily manifestation, that is, as crowned by the incarnation. Expositors of repute have endorsed this attractive view. They appeal to such arguments as the importance which Paul attaches to Christ's incarnation (Gal. 4:4), the possible parallel in John 1:1, 14, the reference in Heb. 10:5to Christ's body, etc. Objections: (1) Paul uses the present tense. He does not say that the Word became flesh but that the fulness of the godhead dwells or is dwelling in Christ. And surely that indwelling did not just begin with the incarnation. It is an eternal indwelling. Moule, who is inclined to favor Lightfoot's view, nevertheless correctly observes: The chief objection to taking [Greek] [the adverb] thus, as representing a stress on the fact that the godhead became really embodied, is the present tense [Greek] [ is dwelling ], which is not easy to treat as a reference to a past event in historyJohn 1:14, [Greek] [became flesh] (op. cit., p. 93). That is exactly the point! (2) Lightfoot's argument to the effect that the main clause refers to the pre-incarnate Christ, but that the adverb which modifies this clause refers to the incarnation, would seem to involve contradiction. (3) If the adverb bodily is interpreted literally, and we should allow this adverb really to modify, in a natural way, the main clause with its verb dwells or is dwelling, would not the objection arise that the Son of God is surely not so dependent upon a physical body (or even upon the human nature) that apart from it the godhead cannot dwell in him? It is, therefore, not surprising that among the earliest writers few adopted this interpretation, and that even today, with some prominent exceptions, it is widely rejected by scholars. B. The view of Percy (op. cit., p.77), and, in the main, also of Ridderbos (op. cit., pp. 176–178). They interpret the adverb to mean in a concentrated, as it were visible and tangible, form. Faith clearly sees that the fulness of the godhead dwells from everlasting to everlasting in Christ, this fact having been thus visibly and tangibly demonstrated by Christ's works both in creation and redemption. It sees that the entire essence and glory of God is concentrated in Christ as in a body. It is in that sense that it can be said that this fulness of the god-head is embodied, given concrete expression, fully realized, in him. This is but another way of saying that from everlasting to everlasting he is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). I believe that this gives the proper sense, a meaning which is also in harmony with the context, both preceding and following. Since, therefore, all the fulness of the indwelling essence of God is thus completely concentrated in Christ, there is no need of or justification for looking elsewhere for help, salvation, or spiritual perfection. Hence, the apostle immediately adds: and in him you have attained to fulness; that is, in Christ you have reached the Source whence flows the stream of blessings that supplies whatever you need for this life and for the next. Abide, therefore, in him (John 15:4, 7, 9), and you will continue to experience that out of his fulness we all receive grace upon grace (John 1:16; cf. Eph. 4:13). To the very utmost limits of human capacity the church that remains in vital union with Christ receives love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5:22), yes, every Christian grace. Christ is the Fountain that never fails. Why, then, O Colossians, commit the folly of hewing out cisterns for yourselves, broken cisterns, that can hold no water (Jer. 2:13)? Why trust in circumcision when you have been buried with Christ in baptism (verses 11 14)? How foolish to resort to principalities and authorities when in him you have attained to fulness, namely, in him who is the head of every principality and authority (cf. verse 15). For the meaning of principality and authority see on (Col. 1:16. He is their head, not in fully the same sense in which he is the head of the churchCol. 1:18), which is his body, but in the sense that he is supreme Ruler of all (Eph. 1:22), so that apart from him the good angels cannot help, and because of him the evil cannot harm believers. It seems that it was especially this last thought which the apostle wished to emphasize (see below on verse 15).^[83] In order to show the connection of verses 11 17 with the verses that immediately precede, verses 9 and 10 which have already been explained will be reprinted here: 2:11–17 II. Warning against Judaistic Ceremonialism 9 for in him all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily, 10 and in him you have attained to fulness, namely, in him who is the head of every principality and authority, 11 in whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by the putting off of the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in your baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith in the operative power of God who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you he made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 having blotted out the handwritten document that was against us, which by means of its requirements testified against us, and he took it out of the way by nailing it to the cross, 15 and having stripped the principalities and the authorities of their power, he publicly exposed them to disgrace by triumphing over them in him. 16 Therefore allow no one to pass judgment on you in questions of food or drink or with respect to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath: 17 things that were only a shadow of those that were coming, but the object casting the shadow is to be found with Christ. In verses 1 10 the warning against the Colossian Heresy was couched in general terms. With verse 11, however, right in the middle of the sentence, it begins to assume specific form. We now learn that the error that was being propagated at Colosse was basically of a Judaistic character. For a reason not definitely stated but which we can probably infer from the context and from similar warnings in other epistles the teachers of false doctrine were advertising such things as circumcision, rigid adherance to dietary restrictions, and strict observance of festivals and sabbaths. That brief summary makes verses 11 17 a thought-unit. The style, however, changes from the rather easy-flowing didactic evident through verse 15 to the far more crisp, direct, and hortatory that begins at verse 16 and continues with few exceptions (the longest exception being 4:7–14) to the end of the letter. It is subject-matter, namely, warning against Judaism, that unites 2:11–17. But even this subject-matter is not altogether homogeneous. The heresy which the apostle was combating was a somewhat baffling mixture of Judaistic and Pagan beliefs propagated by men who probably posed as Christians, yes better Christians than the common lot. As has been pointed out earlier (see Introduction II C), it was exactly the type of syncretism that one could expect to find in Jewish-Pagan Colosse. It is not surprising that Paul, who had the entire picture before him all the time, in his discussions and warnings should move with ease from one element of the Colossian Heresy to another and then back again. So also here in verses 11 17 we notice that in the midst of his warnings against Judaism he briefly touches upon two subjects about which he will say more subsequently, namely, Relation to angels (verse 15) and Asceticism (verse 16). Yet, he does this not in a disconnected or rambling manner, but in such a way that verses 11 17 form a unit in which every clause leads to the next one in a very natural and organic manner, as will be indicated. 11, 12. Speaking then about Christ, the head of every principality and authority, Paul continues: in whom you were circumcized. Paul's thought at this point can perhaps be paraphrased somewhat as follows: Colossians, do not allow these teachers of error to deceive you as if, in order to triumph over the indulgence of the flesh (2:23) and to attain to the full measure of salvation (2:9, 10), you need to be literally circumcized (Acts 15:1; Gal. 5:2, 3). You were already circumcized! Yes, you were circumcized with a circumcision that excels by far the rite that is being recommended so strongly by the teachers of error. You were circumcized with a circumcision made without hands, by the putting off of the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ. Note points of difference proving the great superiority of the circumcision which the Colossians had already received: Your circumcision was: The other was: (1) the work of the Holy Spirit (1) a manual operation (minor surgery!) (2) inward, of the heart (Rom. 2:28, 29; also N.T.C. on Phil. 3:2, 3) (2) outward (3) the putting off and casting away (note double prefix in [Greek]) of your entire evil nature, in its sanctifying aspect to be progressively realized (3) removal of excess foreskin (4) Christian ( the circumcision of Christ, that is, the circumcision which is yours because of your vital union with Christ) (4) Abrahamic and Mosaic As a further description of the circumcision which the Colossians had already received the apostle continues: having been buried with him in your baptism in which you were also raised with him. Meaning: (1) Christ suffered, died, was buried in your stead and for your benefit. He bore the guilt and punishment of the law for you. He took upon himself the curse that rested upon you (Gal. 3:13). When by sovereign grace you embraced Christ as your Savior and Lord, you received the assurance that your former guilt-laden, damnable selves had been buried with him, and that your state with reference to God's holy law had changed from that of objects of condemnation to that of recipients of justification (Rom. 8:1–4; 5:1). Accordingly, not only were you buried with him but you were also raised with him. (2) By means of his entire work of humiliation, including burial, Christ procured for you the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). Hence, yours is not only justification but also sanctification, gradual spiritual renewal. The Spirit has implanted in your hearts the seed of the new life (John 3:3, 5). You died, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). Hence, also in this sense, you were buried with him and you were raised with him. But why does Paul connect in your baptism with this having been buried with Christ and having been raised with him? He does not do this because he attaches any magical efficacy to the rite of baptism. See (I Cor. 1:14–17; cf. I Peter 3:21. In the passage now under discussion the apostle definitely excludes the idea that the act of baptizing, in virtue of the action itself, and independent of the condition of the heart of them who here and now professed to believe the gospel, has spiritual value. He carefully adds: through faith in the operative power^[84] of God who raised him from the dead. The man who hears the gospel as it is proclaimed must give his heart to the almighty God whose energizing power raised Christ from the dead. He must also believe that the spiritual power that proceeds from the risen SaviorPhil. 3:10) will bestow upon him all he needs for body and soul, for time and eternity. What then is the meaning of the phrase in your baptism? Evidently Paul in this entire paragraph magnifies Christian baptism as much as he, by clear implication, disapproves of the continuation of the rite of circumcision if viewed as having anything to do with salvation.^[85] The definite implication, therefore, is that baptism has taken the place of circumcision.^[86] Hence, what is said with reference to circumcision in (Rom. 4:11, as being a sign and a seal, holds also for baptism. In the Colossian context baptism is specifically a sign and seal of having been buried with Christ and of having been raised with him. It is, accordingly, a sign and seal of union with Christ, of entrance into his covenant, of incorporation into Christ's body, the churchI Cor. 12:13). The sign of baptism pictures the cleansing power of Christ's blood and Spirit. That vivid portrayal is very valuable (Job 42:5, 6). The seal certifies and guarantees the operation of this activity of love and grace in the lives of all those who embrace Christ by faith. Baptism, therefore, shows us a God who tenderly condescends to the weaknesses of his people: their doubts and their fears. (Heb. 6:17; also for the sacrament of communion Luke 22:19.) Surely, Noah did not despise the rainbow (Gen. 9:12–17). Happily married couples do not think lowly of their wedding rings. The meaning, then, of Col. 2:11, 12would seem to be as follows (in summary): You, believers, have no need of external circumcision. You have received a far better circumcision, that of heart and life. That circumcision is yours by virtue of your union with Christ. When he was buried you that is, your former, wicked selves were buried with him. When he was raised you as new creatures were raised with him. In the experience of baptism you received the sign and seal of this marvelous Spirit-wrought transformation. ^[87] 13. In the spirit of jubilation and solid Christian optimism Paul continues, And you, who were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you he made alive together with him. In his great mercy God had taken pity on Gentiles as well as on the ancient covenant people. And you means, And you who were formerly Gentiles, and as such morally and spiritually dead, and this not only because of your individual trespasses against God's holy law but also and basically because of your state before God. That state is here described as the uncircumcision of your flesh, that is, your state of guilt; hence, your condition of sinfulness, impotence, and therefore hopelessness. Being children of wrath, their physical or literal uncircumcision symbolized their moral and spiritual uncircumcision. The word you is repeated for the sake of emphasis, as if Paul were saying, Ponder this! Continue to reflect on it that on you, yes even on you, so deeply fallen, so hopelessly lost, so utterly corrupt in state and condition, such grace was bestowed. Cf. Eph. 2:1, 5. The predominantly Gentile origin of this church is clear also from such passages as Col. 1:21, 22, 27; 3:5 7Eph. 1:13; 2:1–3, 11, 13, 17, 22; 3:1, 2; 4:17, etc. . But the same God, who raised Christ from the dead, also and in that very act made the Colossians alive. In verses 13, 14, and 15 the apostle in orderly arranged participial modifiers shows us what was implied in this making alive. It implied: (1). granting forgiveness to us: having forgiven us all our trespasses (verse 13). (2). blotting out a writing: having blotted out the handwritten document that was against us (verse 14). (3). disarming spirits: and having stripped the principalities and the authorities of their power (verse 15). In the work of salvation the guilt of our sins must be removed first of all. Hence, when Paul describes how we were made alive together with Christ he begins by saying: having forgiven us all our trespasses. Note the striking transition from you to us. If it be true that all (both Jew and Gentile) have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), then all alike need forgiveness. And Paul, who regards himself as chief of sinners (I Tim. 1:15) was unable to write about a subject like this without being deeply moved in his own soul, having experienced what God did for him in rescuing him from inevitable damnation. Forgiveness 1. Why is it emphasized? It is worthy of special attention that the apostle speaks about forgiveness in each of the first thee chapters of Colossians. May there not have been a special reason for this? Remember that this letter was going to be read aloud to the assembled congregation of Colosse, yes, to the very church gathered in Philemon's house. And Philemon was the master of Onesimus, the returned runaway whom Philemon must forgive! It is as if I am present when this letter is being read, and as if I hear the lector reading the precious words: The Father rescued us out of the domain of darkness, and transplanted us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.& And you who were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you he made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.& Put on, therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, enduring one another, and if anyone has a complaint against anyone else forgiving each other. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so do you also (forgiveCol. 1:13, 14; 2:13; 3:12, 13). And it is as if I can hear the Holy Spirit whisper in the heart of the host of this house-church, Philemon, if the Lord did all this for you, should you not, with gladness of heart, forgive Onesimus, and fully accept him as a beloved brother? But surely not only for Philemon were these words intended but for the entire Colossian congregation, and in fact as Paul reminds us so beautifully by saying having forgiven us all our trespasses for each and every believer both then and now. 2. What are its characteristics? The evidence shows that this forgiveness is: (a) gracious The word used here in the original stresses this fact (see on 3:13, footnote 131). It is completely unmerited by man (Rom. 3:24; Titus 3:4 7). It is God's precious gift in Christ. May not this be the very reason why the sinner must become as a little child to receive it? Cf. Matt. 18:1–3. The story is told of a man who at a Fair offered $10 gold pieces. Accompanying a pile of these valuable coins there was a sign: Free, Take one. All day long people passed by. Their smile said, You can t fool me. The pile remained untouched. Just before closing time a child saw the sign, reached out his hand and took a coin! (b) bountiful When God gives or forgives he does not do so merely of, his riches but according to his riches (Eph. 1:7). His pardoning love super-abounds (Rom. 5:20). Cf. Isa. 1:18; Ps. 103:12. (c) eager God entreats men to be reconciled to him, not counting their trespasses against them (II Cor. 5:19, 20). Cf. Ps. 86:5. (d) certain When Paul received his commission he was sent to the Gentiles to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins.& When Festus expressed his doubt about this heavenly vision and the commission given to Paul, the apostle answered, I am not mad, excellent Festus, but I am telling the sober truth (Acts 26:16 18, 25). Cf. Ps. 89:30–35. (e) basic When a sinner is rescued out of the domain of darkness and transplanted into the kingdom of the Son of God's love, he receives forgiveness first of all. Moral and spiritual cleansing follows (Col. 1:13, 14, 22). Thus also here in Col. 2:13the very first blessing that is mentioned in connection with making the dead sinner alive is forgiveness. Cf. Rom. 3:24. Note emphasis on justification in Rom. 5, followed by emphasis on sanctification, Rom. 6. How can a sinner become righteous in the sight of God? is still basic. 3. How do we receive it? What is the way along which God leads his children toward the full possession and enjoyment of this basic blessing? a. There must be genuine sorrow for sin (II Cor. 7:10). Cf. Mark 1:4. b. There must be a yearning desire to forsake sin. Those who are eager by the grace of God to put to death their evil nature (Col. 3:5–11) are pronounced forgiven (Col. 3:13). Cf. Prov. 28:13. When the Sunday School teacher asked the class, What does it mean to repent? a little boy answered, To repent means to be sorry enough to quit doing what is wrong. c. There must be the disposition of the heart to forgive others (Col. 3:13; Eph. 4:32). Cf. Matt. 6:14, 15. 14. But, in making us alive (see on verse 13), not only has God in mercy pardoned our transgressions against his holy law, he has even blotted out the law itself viewed in its demanding and curse-pronouncing character, that law which, because of its many rigid requirements and regulations, condemned us all. As a way of salvation and as a curse suspended above our heads God by means of his Son's substitutionary sacrifice abolished it. Says Paul: having blotted out the handwritten document that was against us, which by means of its requirements^[88] testified against^[89] us. This hand-writing or handwritten document is clearly the law (Eph. 2:15).^[90] In a sense that law was an adversary, an accuser of transgressors. It confronted men with the stern dictum, Cursed is every one who does not abide by all things that are written in the book of the law to do them (Gal. 3:10; cf. Deut. 27:26). Moreover, it contained ever so many rules and regulations of a ceremonial nature, with reference to fasts, feasts, foods, offerings, etc. Since no one was ever able to keep the law either in its moral or ceremonial aspect, it continued for a long time its mission as accuser. With the coming of Christ, born to die, a great change took place. Paul tells the Colossians, harrassed as they were by false teachers who were trying to enforce their Judaistic ceremonies upon them and were even adding rules of their own, God has completely obliterated^[91] the document with its legal demands. How had this been accomplished? Paul answers, and he took it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. God annulled the law when his Son satisfied its demand of perfect obedience, bore its curse, and fulfilled its shadows, its types and ceremonies. It was nailed to the cross with Jesus. It died when he died. And because of the substitutionary nature of Christ's sacrifice believers are no longer under the law but under grace (Rom. 7:4, 6; 6:14; Gal. 2:19). This does not mean that the moral law has lost significance for the believer. It cannot imply that he should now forget about loving God above all and the neighbor as himself. On the contrary, the law of love has eternal validity (Rom. 13:8, 9; Gal. 5:14). It is the believer's supreme delight. He obeys it our of gratitude for the salvation that he has already received as a gift of God's sovereign grace. But he has been discharged from the law viewed as a code of rules and regulations, a means of obtaining eternal life, a curse threatening to destroy him. 15. Here follows the last of three important acts whereby God grants to his children the joy of salvation (see on verse 13), the three being: (1) forgiveness of sins, (2) the setting aside of the law (in the sense explained), and now (3) the disarming of the principalities and authorities. Says Paul: and having stripped the principalities and the authorities of their power, he publicly exposed them to disgrace by triumphing over them in him.^[92] These principalities and authorities are angelic beings (Col. 1:16), who are here (2:15) pictured as resisting God. It is not exactly clear just why Paul makes mention of them in the present connection. It is possible, nevertheless, that the immediately preceding statement of the abrogation of the law as our impersonal accuser may have led to this reference to personal accusers, namely, the evil angels.^[93] That would certainly be a very natural transition. It also reminds us of the apostle's argumentation in (Rom. 8. There, too, having pointed out how the demand of the law was satisfiedRom. 8:1–4), the apostle asks in verse 33, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? and in verse 34, Who is he that condemns? Would anyone say that Paul, well-versed in the Old Testament as he was, did not include Satan among those personal accusers? The idea that Satan is the arch-accuser is, indeed, decidedly biblical (Job 1:9 11; Zech. 3:1–5; Rev. 12:10). Of course, the work of Satan and his hosts in their attempt to destroy believers is not confined to that of accusation. The baseness of these hordes of evil appears especially in this that first they tempt men to sin, and then, having succeeded in their sinister endeavor, they immediately accuse these same people before God, charging them with those very sins which they, these sinister spirits, devised. Now in the midst of this terrific struggle (Eph. 6:12) the Colossians receive a word of comfort. Says Paul, as it were, You need not be afraid of these hosts of evil, for in principle the battle has already been won. It has been won for you. God himself has disarmed^[94] these principalities and powers. Did he not rescue us out of the domain of darkness? (Col. 1:13). Is not his Son the head of every principality and authority? (Col. 2:10). And is it not true that principalities and authorities (as well as thrones and dominions) are but creatures, having been created in him, through him, and with a view to him? (Col. 1:16). Remember, therefore, that, by means of that same Son, God stripped these principalities and authorities of their power. He utterly disarmed them. Did not Christ triumph over them in the desert of temptation? (Matt. 4:1–11). Did he not bind the strong man? (Matt. 12:29), casting out demons again and again to prove it? Did he not see Satan fallen as lightning from heaven? (Luke 10:18). When the devil and his hosts asserted themselves from Gethsemane to Golgotha (Luke 22:3, 53; cf. Ps. 22:12, 16), did not Christ by his vicarious death deprive Satan of even a semblance of legal ground on which to base his accusations? Was not the accuser of the brothers cast down, and this not only by means of Christ's vicarious death but also by his triumphant resurrection, ascension, and coronation? (Rev. 12:10; Eph. 1:20–23). Is it not true, then, that by these great redemptive acts God publicly exposed these evil powers to disgrace, leading them captive in triumph, chained, as it were, to his triumphal chariot?^[95] Yes, in and through this Son of his love, this triumphant Christ, God has achieved the victory over Satan and all his hosts. And that victory is your life and your joy. Whatever you need is in Christ. 16, 17. In line with what he had been saying with respect to the persuasive argumentation (2:3), philosophy, empty deceit, man-made tradition, and worldly rudiments (2:8) that characterized the thinking and propaganda of the false teachers, and the requirements of the law (2:14) upon which they superimposed their own regulations, Paul now continues, Therefore allow no one to pass judgment on you in questions of eating or of drinking or with respect to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath & The Jewish aspect of the Colossian Heresy stands out clearly here. Nevertheless, it is also evident that the error went beyond that mixture of Jewish religion and Christianity which is called Judaism, for the Colossian errorists passed judgment not only with respect to eating but also with respect to drinking, though with respect to the latter subject the Old Testament contains rather few prohibitions (Lev. 10:9; Num. 6:3; Judg. 13:4, 7, 14), though lack of moderation is strongly condemned (Isa. 5:11, 12; Amos 6:6; Prov. 20:1). As to eating, the false teachers seem to have superimposed their own regulations upon the Old Testament laws regarding clean and unclean animals (Lev. 11). They also tried to impose restrictions in connection with festivals think of Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Tabernacles, and perhaps others (Lev. 23), new moon (Num. 10:10; 28:11), and sabbath (Ex. 20:8–11; 31:14–16). There was evidence, therefore, of a distinctly ascetic tendency. The main purpose of placing such stress on all such regulations was to convince the Colossians that strict observance was absolutely indispensable to salvation, or if not to salvation as such, at least to fulness, perfection in salvation (see on verses 9, 10). Paul issues a strong warning against this implied denial of the all-sufficiency of Christ, by continuing, which things even in their legitimate Old Testament context are a shadow of those that were coming, but the object casting the shadow is to be found with Christ.^[96] Why regard as indispensable ordinances as to eating, when the One fore-shadowed by Israel's manna is offering himself as the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48)? How can the observance of the Passover (Ex. 12) be considered a means unto spiritual perfection when our Passover has been sacrificed, even Christ (I Cor. 5:7)? What justification could there be for imposing upon converts from the Gentile world the observance of the Jewish sabbath, when the Bringer of eternal rest is urging every one to come unto him (Matt. 11:28, 29; cf. Heb. 4:8, 14)? To be sure, for the time being a shadow that is cast by an approaching person may prove to be of some real value. For example, it is possible that one is eagerly expecting this person but happens to be so situated that, at his approach, for a moment his shadow alone is seen. However, that shadow not only guarantees the imminent arrival of the visitor but even provides a dim outline, describing him. Thus, too, the Old Testament regulations had served a real purpose. But now that Christ and salvation in him had arrived, what further use could such shadows serve? Though it was not wrong for the Jew, trained from his infancy in the law, for a period of transition to observe some of these customs as mere customs, having nothing whatever to do with salvation, it was certainly wrong to ascribe to them a value which they did not have, and to try to impose them upon the Gentiles. And if this was true with respect to Old Testament regulations, it was certainly even far more true with respect to man-made regulations of an ascetic character that were being superimposed upon, added to, and in some cases perhaps even substituted for the law of God. Thus the all-sufficiency and pre-eminence of Christ was being denied. And that, after all, was the basic error. 2:18, 19 III. Warning against Angel-Worship 18 Let no one disqualify you by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on the things he has seen, without cause puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not keeping firm hold on the Head, from whom the entire body, supported and held together by joints and ligaments, grows with a growth (that is) from God. 18. Turning now to the subject of angel-worship, which was one of the characteristics of the Colossian Heresy, Paul writes, Let no one disqualify you.^[97] Let no ritualist tell you, Since you, Colossians, are not following my rules and regulations, you are not in the race or contest at all. You are unfit, unworthy. Particularly, do not begin to feel inferior when such a person, in addition to stressing the importance of all those restrictions as to eating, drinking, etc., tries to put you to shame by his attempt to draw a sharp contrast between yourself and himself. Let him not disqualify you by his delighting^[98] in humility &Now sincere humility, is, indeed, a precious virtue (Col. 3:12, and see N.T.C. on Phil. 2:3), but the humility of which this false teacher boasted was nothing but a thin disguise for insufferable pride, as is clear also from verse 23. This person was as umble as Uriah Heep in David Copperfield. Paul continues, and (also delighting in) the worship of the angels. The question arises, Just what is the relation between humility and the worship of angels? The answer is not given. Perhaps the suggestion that has been offered by more than one commentator is correct, namely, that the teacher of error was trying to create the impression that he considered himself too insignificant to approach God directly, hence sought to contact Deity through the mediation of angels, and since the angels were willing to perform this service for him or, in order that they might oblige worshiped them. With respect to the words here translated the worship of the angels there is much difference of opinion among commentators. Some prefer the rendering, angelic piety or worship as practised by angels. But the fact that Paul in this epistle constantly emphasizes Christ's pre-eminence above all creatures, including the angels (Col. 1:16, 17, 20; 2:9, 15) and that he says of the angels, seems to indicate that he was combating angel-worship. Not only this, but there is evidence tending to support the theory that angel-worship was practised in the general region in which Colosse was located. Did not the Holy Spirit through John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, strongly condemn angel-worship? See (Rev. 19:10; 22:8, 9. And did not John, during a considerable portion of his ministry, have Ephesus, only a little over one hundred miles to the west of Colosse, as his headquarters? Moreover, as has been pointed out in footnote 76, the Essenes, whose doctrine in certain respects resembled the one here attacked (though the Colossian errorists may not have been Essenes!), required of those who were about to be admitted to full membership an oath carefully to guard &the names of the angels. The Synod of Laodicea one of the three cities of the Lycus Valley; see Introduction II A in the year a.d. 363 declared, It is not right for Christians to abandon the church of God and go away to invoke angels (Canon XXV). A century afterward Theodoret, commenting on this very Scripture-passageCol. 2:18), states, The disease which St. Paul denounces, continued for a long time in Phrygia and Pisidia. Irenaeus, himself from Asia Minor but widely traveled, in his work Against Heresies (a.d. 182 188), implies both the widespread presence of angel-worship in the camp of the emissaries of error and the firm stand of the primitive church against this evil practice when he states, Nor does she [i.e. the church] perform anything by means of angelic invocations, or by incarnations, or by any other wicked curious art; but directing her prayers to the Lord who made all things &and calling on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, she has been accustomed to work miracles for the advantage of mankind, and not to lead men into error (II.xxxii.5). It is known that Michael, a leader of the host of angels, was worshiped widely in Asia Minor, and this worship, too, continued for centuries. So, for example, as late as a.d. 739 the scene of a great victory over the Saracens was dedicated to him. His worship is also implied in inscriptions found in Galatia. And he was given credit for miraculous cures.^[99] From all this it would seem that the rendering the worship of the angels is correct. For the theory according to which these angels were astral spirits, rulers of the planetary spheres, see footnote 83 above. And for Paul's own teaching respecting angels see not only above, on Col. 1:16, 17; 2:15, but also N.T.C. on I and II Timothy, and Titus, pp. 183–185. Paul continues, taking his stand^[100] on the things he has seen.^[101] This entry is longer than a Bible module can hold. The rest is at https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/hendriksen/ CHAPTER III Outline of Chapter 3:1–17 Theme: Christ, the Pre-eminent One, the Only and All-Sufficient Savior II. This Only and All-Sufficient Savior is the Source of the Believers Life, and Thus the Real Answer to the Perils by Which They Are Confronted, chapters 3 and 4 A. This Truth Applied to All Believers, 3:1–17 3:1–4 1. Believers should be consistent. They should live in conformity with the fact that they were raised with Christ, who is their life 3:5–11 2. Therefore, they should put to death and lay aside the old vices; and 3:12–17 3. They should put on the new virtues 3:1–4 I. Believers Should Be Consistent 3 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 On the things that are above set your minds, not on the things that are upon the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ (who is) our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with him in glory. 1. Consistency requires that believers live in conformity with the fact that they were raised with Christ, who is not only the Object of their faith (chapters 1 and 2) but also the Source of their life (chapters 3 and 4). Of course, the line between these two divisions is not sharp. There is considerable overlapping. There is, however, a difference in emphasis. Between Colossians 3and that which precedes there is a close connection. The opening words of Col. 3, If then you were raised with Christ, resume the thought already expressed in 2:12, 13, raised with him &made alive with him, and are the counterpart of 2:20, If with Christ you died to the rudiments of the world.& The Colossians, it will be recalled, were beset by the danger of relapsing into paganism with its gross sensuality, etc., as is clear from 2:23 and 3:5 ff. The wrong solution of their problem was refuted in chapters 1 and 2, especially the latter. It was indicated that there is no material cure for a spiritual ill, that neglect of the body will never heal the soul's sickness but will aggravate it, that heaven-born individuals cannot gain satisfaction from earth-born remedies. Christ, he alone, is the answer, Christ in all the fulness of his love and power, as already implied in both chapters 1 and 2, and set forth with even greater clarity and directness now (chapter 3), in a series of pastoral exhortations. If, then, the Colossians were corporately raised when Christ was raised and with him, as previously explained (see on 2:12, 13, 20), why should they seek salvation or fulness anywhere apart from him? Why should they resort to broken cisterns when the Fountain is at hand? Christ's resurrection, followed by his ascension and coronation, guarantees their pardon and provides for their purity. To this Savior they had surrendered themselves when they had embraced him by faith. The cleansing power of Christ's blood and Spirit had been signified and sealed to them in baptism. The supply of grace remains plentiful. Right now they need not wait until the day of the Parousia! they are raised with Christ. They possess within themselves the life of the resurrection. Let the power of Christ's resurrection, therefore, be experienced by them in an ever increasing degree. Let their union with the exalted Christ transform their entire life: mind, heart, and will (Phil. 3:10). Let them seek the things that are above, where Christ is. The verb seek implies persevering effort; hence, the rendering, Be constantly seeking, is not incorrect. This seeking, moreover, is more than a seeking to discover. It is a seeking to obtain (Matt. 6:33; 13:45). The emphasis, though, is not on the seeking but on the object sought. A precise rendering would be, the things that are above [placed forward for emphasis] be constantly seeking. Seeking to obtain is a common activity, but seeking to obtain the right treasures is not nearly so common, and therefore requires emphasis. These things that are above are the spiritual values embedded in the heart of the exalted Mediator in glory, whence, without loss to himself, they are bestowed upon those who humbly ask for them and diligently seek them (Matt. 7:7; I Cor. 12:11; Eph. 1:3; 4:7, 8). As the context indicates, the apostle has reference to such realities as tenderheartedness, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, patience, the forgiving spirit, and above all love (3:12 ff.). Surely, if the hearts of believers are filled with such bounties there will be no room for fleshly indulgence. Here, then, is the true solution. The Colossians can be assured of the fact that their exalted Christ has both the right and the power to bestow whatever gifts are needed, for he is seated at the right hand of God (Ps. 110:1, a phrase applied by Christ to himself in Matt. 22:41–46; 26:64; Mark 12:35 37; 14:61, 62; Luke 20:41 44; 22:66–70), clothed with majesty and honor. This comforting truth of the ascension of the Lord and his coronation at the Father's right hand, as a Fountain of blessing for his people, was foreshadowed in the Old Testament (Ps. 8, as interpreted in Heb. 2:1–8; Ps. 68:18, as explained in Eph. 4:7, 8; Ps. 110:1, as has been shown; Isa. 53:12). It was frequently referred to by the Lord himself (John 14:1 4; 14:13–18; 16:7; 17:5; 20:17). It was from the very beginning one of the basic themes in the preaching of the church (Luke 24:50 53; Acts 1:6 11; 2:33–36; 3:21; 5:30, 31; 7:56; Rom. 8:32–34; Eph. 1:20–23; 4:7, 8; Phil. 2:9–11; 3:20, 21; I Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:1–3, 13; 2:1–8; 4:14–16; 8:1, 2; 9:11, 12, 24; 10:12; I Peter 3:21, 22; Rev. 1:12–18; 12:5–12). Those that seek to obtain these things that are above are not chasing phantoms but are gathering priceless treasures. They are not the kind of people who forget about their duty in the here and now. On the contrary, they are very practical, for the graces that have been enumerated enable them not only to gain victory upon victory in their struggle against fleshly indulgence but also to be truthfully the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt. 5:13, 14). 2. In similar vein Paul continues, On the things that are above set your minds, not on the things that are upon the earth.^[112] This admonition is very practical. It means that the Colossians are urged to ponder and yearn for^[113] the things that are above, as previously defined. Now a minister who seeks to help his people in their struggle against immorality should not preach a series of sermons on the theme Immorality, going into all its sordid details. If he does, his sermons might do more harm than good. Instead of banishing the evil he may be creating a taste for it. Let him, instead, preach one sermon on Immorality but an entire series on The Glory of Service Rendered to Christ and His People. This positive method of overcoming sin is characteristic of Paul's teaching. Note the following: Overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21); Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh (Rom. 13:14); Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16); and For the rest, brothers, whatsoever things are true &honorable &just &pure &lovely &of good report &be thinking about these things &and the God of peace will be with you (Phil. 4:8, 9). The same truth is illustrated in Col. 3:12–17. This is the only effective way to put to death the members that are upon the earth (3:5 9a), as is also clear from 3:9a, 10. 3. Accordingly, the apostle continues, For you died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. In the sense already explained (see on 2:11, 12) the Colossians are dead and buried. It is no longer they that live but Christ that lives in them. They are dead to their old selves and to the world governed by sin. Their life is bound up in the bundle of the living with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (I Sam. 25:29). From eternity they were comprehended in him (Col. 3:12; cf. Eph. 1:4). In time they were from God's side ingrafted in Christ by the Spirit (John 3:5; Rom. 6:5; II Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:22), and as a result were from their side united to Christ by a living faith (Gal. 2:20). Their new life is hid with Christ. It is concealed to the world (I Cor. 2:14; I John 3:2), and is indestructible, everlasting (John 3:16; 10:28; Rom. 8:31–39). And since, as to essence, Christ is in the Father, and the Father is in Christ (John 1:18; 10:30; 17:21; I Cor. 3:23; Col. 1:15), it is evident that Paul is fully justified in saying Your life is hid with Christ in God. 4. Though the world will never be able to see the closeness of the inner relationship between believers and their Lord, the outward expression of this inner relationship, the glory, will one day become clear to all: When Christ (who is) our^[114] life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with him in glory. Christ (who is) our life. This cannot mean identity. To say that our life is the extension of Christ's life is ambiguous. Christ and we are not the same in essence, as are the Father and the Son. The life of Christ hence, Christ himself is, however, the Source and Pattern of our life. Moreover, through the Holy Spirit and Spirit-given faith, Christ is most closely united with us, and we with him. The expression Christ, our life must, therefore, be explained in the light of similar ones such as the following: Because I live you too will live (John 14:19); (We are) always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body (II Cor. 4:10); It was the good pleasure of God &to reveal his Son in me (Gal. 1:15, 16); Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20); My little children, with whom I am again in labor, until Christ be formed in you (Gal. 4:19); But we all &are transformed into the same image from glory to glory as from the Lord the Spirit (II Cor. 3:18); and For to me to live (is) Christ, and to die (is) gain (Phil. 1:21). When, on the day of his second coming, a day known only to God (Matt. 24:36; I Thess. 5:1, 2), Christ, our life, is manifested,^[115] his attributes of majesty and power being publicly displayed, then the Colossians too will be manifested with him (Rom. 8:32). Their public vindication and glory until coincide with his. Among the many New Testament passages (Col. 1:27) which shed further light on the meaning of this glory which God's children will share with their Lord in the day when they will be like him and will bear the image of the heavenly are especially the following: Matt. 25:31–40; Rom. 8:17, 18; I Cor. 1:7, 8; Phil. 3:20, 21; I Thess. 2:19, 20; 3:13; 4:13–18; II Thess. 1:10; II Tim. 4:7, 8; I Peter 1:13; I John 2:28; 3:2; and Rev. 17:14. 3:5–11 II. Therefore, They Should Put to death and Lay Aside the Old Vices 5 Put to death therefore your members that (are) upon the earth: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry; 6 on account of which things the wrath of God is coming; 7 in which things you also walked at one time, when you were living in them. 8 But now you, too, lay them all aside: wrath, anger, malice, slander, shameful language from your mouth. 9 No longer lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his practices, 10 and have put on the new man, who is being renewed for full knowledge according to the image of him who created him, 11 where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ (is) all and in all. 5. In close connection with the immediately preceding paragraph Paul continues, Put to death therefore your^[116] members that (are) upon the earth. Note the paradox, You died (verse 3) &Put to death therefore your members &(verse 5). A superficial judgment would be that the apostle is here contradicting himself. Some interpreters have, in fact, reached that very conclusion. It is as if on the one hand Paul is saying that the Colossians have already died, yet on the other hand is telling them that they must put themselves to death. How can both be true? The answer is that as long as believers are still living on earth their condition and their state do not wholly coincide. As to their state they are even now perfect, without any sin, wholly justified! Their old self is dead and buried (Col. 2:11–13). Now it is true that their condition is in harmony with this, but only in principle. In the words of the Heidelberg Catechism, Even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of this obedience [that is, of obedience to God's commandments]; yet so that with earnest purpose they begin to live, not only according to some but according to all the commandments of God (Lord's Day XLIV, Answer to Question 114). This progressive character of sanctification is also clearly taught by Paul (II Cor. 3:18; Phil. 1:6; 3:12, 13) and is in harmony with the rest of Scripture (Ps. 84:7; Prov. 4:18; Mark 9:24; also implied in I John 1:8 10). While with respect to the new life which was imparted to them by the Holy Spirit believers are so closely united with Christ that they are said to be with him in heaven (Col. 3:3), yet the old life is still of the earth as well as on earth. But there is no reason for despair. The very presence of the new life, the life in Christ, enables believers progressively to put to death^[117] the members that are upon the earth. When the question is asked what is meant by the members that must be put to death the answer is: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. But how can members be vices? Some expositors regard this to be impossible. They suggest various solutions.^[118] Yet it would seem to me that the difficulty is not nearly as great as some would make it appear to be. John Calvin may be on the right track when he states that these vices are called members since they adhere so closely to us. Another very similar way of solving the difficulty, a way which does not imply a rejection of Calvin's view but is clearly in line with it, would be to regard the use of the word members (= vices) to be an instance of the figure of speech called metonymy, in which, for example, the name of the cause or source is substituted for the effect it produces, the consequences that flow forth from it, the fruit or product it yields. Thus in Num. 3:16(in the original) the word mouth is in the Hebrew substituted for the word command that issued from the mouth; or just as in American slang the expression, I'll have none of your lip means, I will not tolerate any saucy remarks that issue from your lips. So here also the command, Put to death therefore your members that (are) upon the earth: immorality, impurity, etc., means, Put to death therefore the effects produced by, and associated so closely with, the members of your body, such effects, products or works, as immorality, impurity, etc. I am therefore in agreement with Bruce (op. cit., p. 268) when he says, In Rom. 7:23Paul speaks of the law of sin which is in my members; here [in Col. 3:5] he goes farther and practically identifies the readers members with the sins of which they were formerly the instruments. But what he is really thinking of is the practices and attitudes to which his readers bodily activity and strength had been devoted in the old life. Thus also Ridderbos (op. cit., p. 207) states, The `members are here identified with the sins committed by these members, which in a similar connection in Rom. 8:13are called the deeds of the body. Lists of vices are of frequent occurrence in ancient literature, both pagan (moralistic) and anti-pagan. The recently discovered Dead Sea Scrolls also have such lists.^[119] In the letters of Paul they occur in the following passages: Rom. 1:18–32; I Cor. 5:9–11; 6:9, 10; Gal. 5:19–21; Eph. 5:3–6; I Thess. 4:3–7; I Tim. 1:9, 10; II Tim. 3:2–5; Titus 3:3. The difference between the Christian and the non-Christian treatment of these vices is that apart from Christ and the fullness of grace imparted by his Spirit there is no power in all the universe to overcome them. Christ, he alone, supplies that power. As to arrangement, it is rather obvious that verse 5 lists five vices, and so does verse 8. However, whether there is any significance in this number five as here used is questionable, and if any special meaning attaches to it we must confess that we do not know what it is.^[120] It is true, nevertheless, that the first list enumerates vices that describe the sinner as he is in himself, while the second characterizes him in his relation to the neighbor. It is also possible to see in the first list a movement from the surface of life to its center, and in the second the reverse. This will become evident as the various items are studied one by one. Of the five vices mentioned here in Col. 3:5the first four are also listed in I Thess. 4:3–7, the last four also in Rom. 1:24–29. The first is immoralityI Thess. 4:3; cf. Matt. 5:32; 15:19; 19:9; John 8:41, etc. . Though referring basically to unlawful sexual intercourse, it probably includes illicit, clandestine relationships of every description. The emphasis, however, is on evil in the sexual realm, particularly evil deeds. These evil deeds spring from evil thoughts, that is, from uncleanness, which is mentioned nextRom. 1:24; I Thess. 4:7; cf. Matt. 15:19; Mark 7:21, etc. . It is not necessary, however, to limit uncleanness to that which is filthy in thoughts. The intents of the heart are undoubtedly also included (Heb. 4:12). That it is the evil disposition of the heart and will of man which is the source of his wicked thoughts and deeds is clear from the two vices that are mentioned next, namely, passion and evil desire. It is not easy to distinguish between these, though there may be some merit in Lightfoot's suggestion that the former describes this vice more from its passive, the latter more from its active side. For passion see also (Rom. 1:26; I Thess. 4:5, etc.; for evil desire, Rom. 1:24; I Thess. 4:5, etc. The word evil is added because desire as such is not necessarily wrong. The word used in the original may also refer to legitimate desire, for example, Christ's desire to eat the Passover with his disciples.^[121] But evil desire is the inordinate craving for sexual satisfaction, or for other things, such as idol-worship, material possessions, renown, etc. The emphasis, in the present context, is, however, on illicit sex relationships, but not to the exclusion of other wicked yearnings. Out of this evil craving arise all kinds of sins. It is therefore basic, and is so regarded by Paul himself in Rom. 7:7. In this connection it is also interesting to note that in the Decalogue the sin of coveting is mentioned lastEx. 20:17), as being the source of all the others, and that Jesus, too, considers the lustful heart, that is, the heart filled with evil desire, to be the root whence springs the evil deed, for he says, Every one who looks on a woman to lust for her has already in his heart committed adultery with her (Matt. 5:28). But though by mentioning passion and evil desire the apostle has, as it were, reached the very bottom of every sin, he adds one more vice, one in which all the others are summarized, namely, self-seeking or greedRom. 1:29, etc. . Every sin is basically selfishness, the worship of self instead of the worship of God, the substitution of self for Christ, in one's affections (Col. 3:1–3). It is for this very reason that Paul adds, which is idolatry (Eph. 5:5). The young man who gets a girl in trouble may call this love. He is mistaken. It is self-seeking, greed, at least to a considerable extent. This young man wants to have more than his due. He is overreaching, going beyond what is proper (see N.T.C. on I and II Thessalonians, pp. 100, 101). However, the apostle is not thinking particularly about a young man but rather about the old man, (see 3:9) that is, the carnal nature of any man, regardless of age, the nature of man as it is apart from saving grace. 6, 7. Having listed the vices which formerly characterized the Colossians and by which they are still being tempted, the apostle continues, on account of which the wrath of God is coming.^[122] By means of what is sometimes called a prophetic present tense (John 4:21; 14:3) Paul stresses the fact that the coming of the wrath of God, to be visited upon those who live in such sins, is so certain that it is as if that wrath had already arrived. These sins attract God's displeasure like a magnet attracts iron or like a high steeple on an isolated hill draws lightning. The reference, no doubt, is to the revelation of God's wrath in the coming judgment day (Rom. 2:5–11; Eph. 5:6; II Thess. 1:8–10). Calvin very appropriately observes that the real purpose of this prophecy about the inevitability of God's wrath being visited upon confirmed evildoers is that we may be deterred from sinning. Accordingly, even such a wrath-statement is filled with mercy! By God's sovereign grace, however, the Colossians have, in principle, renounced this kind of conduct. For them it belongs to the past. Says Paul, in which things you also walked at one time, when you were living in them. Note, you also, that is, you, like other heathen. Living and walking are almost identical. Nevertheless, in certain contexts, as here, there is a difference. Walking here indicates behavior; living, disposition. Thus also (Gal. 5:25, If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. The Colossians having become new creatures, are no longer absorbed in these vices of former days. They have become ashamed of their earlier ways. By the power of the Holy Spirit they have been sanctified, cleansed. Their life is hid with Christ in God (see above, verse 3). Nevertheless, as pointed out previously, this does not mean that even now the victory has been fully won. The flesh is still lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the fleshGal. 5:17; cf. Rom. 7:15–24). Hence, the command which follows in verses 8, 9a is very much to the point: 8, 9a. But now you, too, lay them all aside: wrath, anger, malice, slander, shameful language out of your mouth. No longer lie to one another. The former vices had not only wrought destruction in the lives of men as individuals, viewed separately (see on verse 5 above), but had also disrupted the relationship between neighbors. This must not continue. Accordingly, wrath (Latin: ira), that is, settled indignation, when the heart is like a roaring furnace; anger or fury (Latin: furor), the tumultuous outburst, like fire in straw;^[123] malice, not merely mischief but the evil inclination of the mind, the perversity of disposition which bodes ill for man's fellow-man; slander or reviling;^[124] and shameful language out of your mouth, that is, abusive speech, all of these must be laid aside. Note here the progress in vice, from wrath inside the heart, through various stages, to the bitter outward manifestations: slander and abusive language. Lying, too, must be discarded (I Tim. 2:7). It must no longer be in evidence in the lives of believers. All manner of hypocrisy and deception has always marked the heathen world. That is true even today. A missionary told us that in answer to his question why a certain enquirer had failed to keep her promise to attend a midweek meeting, the woman answered, I'm very sorry that I was unable to attend, but, you see, I had to go to the funeral of my mother-in-law in a distant city. Afterward the missionary discovered that the mother-in-law in question had died years ago and that the woman who had invented the excuse had not even been out of the village on the day of the midweek meeting. He added, They will tell you anything that occurs to their minds just to save face. Lay aside all these vices, says Paul, just as one discards a worn-out garment or one that no longer fits the person who has been clothed with it. For literal use of the expression Lay aside in connection with robes see (Acts 7:58. The apostle, well-versed in the Old Testament, knew that the figure of a garment was frequently used in the sacred scriptures to indicate character. Sometimes it referred to God-glorifying character, consisting of the fruits of grace, such as righteousness, justice, joy, faithfulnessJob 29:14; Ps. 132:9; Isa. 11:5; 61:10); sometimes to evil character: pride, violence (Ps. 73:6); or to the latters's result: shame and dishonor (Ps. 35:26; 109:29). The garment of righteousness and salvation is ascribed to Jehovah himself (Isa. 59:17). It is therefore understandable that Paul makes use of this figurative manner of speaking (Heb. 12:1; James 1:21; I Peter 2:1). It is clearly implied in (Rom. 13:12a, 14; Gal. 3:27, did put on Christ; Eph. 4:22, 25. With a slight modification of the figure the apostle sometimes speaks of the Christian's duty to put on his spiritual armorRom. 13:12b; II Cor. 6:7; Eph. 6:13–18; and I Thess. 5:8). 9b 11. When Paul urged the Colossians to lay aside the vices that had marked their previous manner of life he was using consistent reasoning. He was, as it were, saying, Continue to do in practice what you have already done in principle. He says, seeing that you have put off^[125] the old man with his practices, and have put on the new (man).^[126] As has been shown (see on 2:11, 12), when they were baptized the Colossians had decisively renounced put off and cast away the old man (Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22), that is, the body of the flesh, their former manner of existence, their earlier wicked selves, with its practices, the very practices listed in 3:5, 8, 9a, and had put on the new man, Christ (Gal. 3:27), that is, the new nature which believers have as members of Christ. Hence, let them now adorn their baptismal profession of faith with a godly life. Let them put to death (verse 5) and lay aside (verse 8) all their former vices. Says John Calvin, The old man is whatever we bring from our mother's womb, and whatever we are by nature. It is called the old man because we are first born from Adam, and afterward are born again through Christ. And Thomas Goodwin, There are but two men that are seen standing before God, Adam and Jesus Christ; and these two men have all other men hanging at their girdles. Cf. Rom. 5:12–21; I Cor. 15:22, 45 49. It should be stressed that it is only in Christ (by means of vital union with him) that this new man is formed in the believer; also that, because of this very fact, all those who have become new men, whether Jews or Gentiles, can also be called, in their corporate existence, one new man in him, as it is expressed in Eph. 2:15, that he might create in himself of the two one new man. Cf. Gal. 3:28. Now in each believer this new man is a progressively developing entity, as Paul indicates by continuing, who is being renewed for full knowledge. In slightly different language an analogous, though not entirely identical, thought is expressed in (II Cor. 4:16, in the words: Accordingly, we do not lose heart, but (are confident that) though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. From both of these passages it is evident that the believer's new nature resembles a growing plant. It is being constantly renewed by the Holy Spirit and increases in vigor with a definite goal in mind. The fact that the new man is, as it were, an expanding reality and that salvation means progress is clear not only from these passages and from the references given earlier, in the discussion of verse 5 aboveII Cor. 3:18), but also from the following, to which many others could be added: (II Cor. 9:10; 10:15; Eph. 2:21; 4:16; Phil. 2:12, 13; I Thess. 3:12; I Thess. 4:10; II Thess. 1:3; I Tim. 4:15; II Tim. 2:1. When a man is led through the waters of salvation, these are ankle-deep at first, but as he progresses, they become knee-deep, then reach to the loins, and are finally impassable except by swimmingEzek. 47:3–6). The same thought occurs in Colossians (1:9, 10; 2:19). The new man is being renewed for full knowledgeEph. 4:24adds righteousness and holiness . This knowledge excels by far any so-called knowledge in which the false teachers who disturbed the churches of the Lycus Valley were glorying (Col. 2:2, 3, 18). It pertains to both heart and mind, is experiential, and has God's holy will as its object (Rom. 12:2). A true discernment of that will, particularly with reference to its good pleasure (Eph. 1:5), is very rewarding. It is a means toward a fuller, richer measure of salvation's joy and peace. A contrast will make this clear. While it is true that here on earth a person's experience with his neighbor will at times cause him to say, The better I know him and understand his intentions, the less I trust him, in the kingdom of heaven the very opposite truth prevails, namely, The more we know him that is, the triune God or our Savior Jesus Christ, and his purposes of grace, the more we trust and love him. Paul continues, according to the image of him who created him. The standard or yardstick and the aim of the renewal is God's image, the likeness of the very One who created this new man in the hearts and lives of believers, just as he once created the first Adam as his own image (Gen. 1:26, 27). Nevertheless, the new man is not simply the restoration of whatever pertained to the first Adam before the fall. (To mention only one point of difference between the original creation and the new creation: in the state of rectitude Adam had no inkling of knowledge concerning God's redemptive love.) Rather, Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, so we shall also bear the image of the heavenly One (I Cor. 15:49), in whom redemptive love is wholly centralized. Now this glorious progressive transformation into the image of God recognizes no racial-religious, cultural, or social boundaries. Paul continues, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman. All racial bigotry, chauvinism, and snobbery is condemned here. Here the truth that before God all men are equal receives its best because infallibly inspired expression. To be sure, by divine illumination there have always been men who have grasped this truth, at least to a degree. Yet, the vast majority among all races have denied it, if not in theory at least in practice. There was, for example, the Assyrian who considered his gods to be mightier than those of any other nation, stronger even than the God of Israel (II Kings 18:33–35). There was the Jew who knew no fear because, in distinction from the men of other nations, he had the temple (Jer. 7:4), and was able to say, We have Abraham as our father (Luke 3:8). The Edomite considered himself to be superior to other men because he was living in the cleft of the rock (Obad. 3). There is also the red man who considers the white man underbaked, the black man burnt, but himself just right, and is sure that the village in which he lives occupies the very center of the earth's surface; the white man who considers himself to be a member of the superior race, is sure that a special curse of God rests on those who belong to the opposite race, and that it is his privilege and duty by means of enslavement to perpetuate this curse; and the Negro who says that not the white man but he himself is superior and should assert this superiority if need be by force. Of course, not every member of any race or class is guilty of this exclusivism and clannishness, but there are many who are. Hindus are by no means the only ones who believe in the caste-system! In the early days of American history there were men of distinction who regarded the white settlements as representing God's chosen people, destined, because of their extraordinary virtue, to rule the world. There are Germans who put their whole heart into singing, Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, and Dutchmen who believe that there exists a special covenant between God, The Netherlands, and the House of Orange. There are fine, evangelical people, brothers and sisters in Christ, who feel certain that even in the present dispensation national distinctions have value before God (Col. 3:11; cf. Eph. 2:14, 18, 19), and that the Jews will one day rule over the entire world from Jerusalem. And there are males who believe that superiority is somehow linked with sex, and that Woman is the lesser man. Now it is not Paul's intention to deny every ethnic, cultural, or social distinction. That there are, indeed, differences is freely admitted, and, in fact, sometimes even emphasized. All members of the human body do not have the same function. Thus it is also with Christ's body, the church (Rom. 12:4; I Cor. 12:12–31). Let all work together harmoniously. Similarly, not all have had the same opportunities or advantages (Rom. 3:1, 2). Let the specially privileged recognize their added responsibilities (Rom. 2:9, 12; 3:12; cf. Amos 3:2; Luke 12:47, 48). In certain respects, therefore, it is by no means true that all men are alike. But in two important points they are, indeed, equal! First of all, all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23; cf. 2:11; 3:9–18; 5:12, 18). Secondly, the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all that call on him (Rom. 10:11, 12). Those who, by God's sovereign grace, are led to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved regardless of race, culture, or social position (Rom. 3:22b, 23, 24; 4:11, 12; 5:18b; 11:32; Gal. 3:13, 14; 3:9, 27 29; Eph. 2:11–22). Now the present passage (Col. 3:11) is not the only one in which the apostle contrasts certain groups. See also Rom. 1:14, and especially Gal. 3:28. But in each letter the particular contrast which he draws is in keeping with the purpose he has in mind for that letter. Thus, in Galatians, in harmony with its background and intent, the distinctions enumerated are racial-religious, social, and sexual. It reminds one of the prayer of thanksgiving uttered by a male Jew who blesses the Lord each morning because he did not make him a Gentile, a slave, or a woman! Paul says that in Christ those distinctions, when they are regarded as marks of preferment by God, are definitely out. In our present passage, the contrasts and the reason for stating them thus and not otherwise are as follows: (1) racial-religious: where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision. ^[127] This is stated to counteract the teaching of the ceremonialists (see above, on 2:11–14). (2) cultural: barbarian, Scythian. Though these two designations both refer to the supposedly uncultured, there is an implied contrast here between the cultured and the uncultured. Knowledge and philosophy are of no help in creating within the heart the new man. Yet, it was on such human attainments that the false teachers who were troubling the Colossian church placed the emphasis. See on 2:4, 8, 18. (3) social: slave, freeman. It is as if Paul were saying, O Colossians, do not look down on slaves. Accept Onesimus as your very own, your brother in Christ. As far as standing before God is concerned there is no distinction between bond and free. Grace bridges all chasms. Though the Greeks divided mankind into two categories, Greeks and barbarians; and though the Romans, after conquering the Greeks politically but having been conquered by them culturally, drew a similar contrast between Greeks-Romans, on the one hand, and barbarians, on the other; and though the Jews, unconverted to Christ, set Greek over against Jew, grace recognizes no such distinctions, for both Gentile and Jew are reconciled to each other by being reconciled to God through the cross (Eph. 2:13). Similarly, since the only circumcision that has any value before God is the circumcision of the heart, it stands to reason that before him the question whether or not one has been literally circumcised or has not been literally circumcised has no meaning. See N.T.C. on Phil. 3:2, 3. And since the world by its wisdom did not come to know God (I Cor. 1:21), the cultural distinction also has no value in a person's standing before God. Academic degrees do not make any one a new man. Refinement in customs and manners, in itself not to be despised, is not saving grace. And, on the other hand, being a barbarianActs 28:4; Rom. 1:14; I Cor. 14:11twice , a mere stammerer to the ears of the more sophisticated, cannot, in and by itself, prevent one from becoming a new man, not even if this barbarian happens to be of the reputedly lowest class, namely, a Scythian. In the seventh century b.c. these Scythians, savage and warlike nomads from the northern steppes, had deluged the countries of the Fertile Crescent, including Palestine, and, having subsequently been repulsed, had left a memory of dread and horror.^[128] The account of Herodotus with reference to them is as follows (in part): They invaded Asia, after they had driven the Cimmerians out of Europe &and made themselves masters of all Asia. From there they marched against Egypt; and when they were in that part of Syria which is called Palestine, Psammetichus, king of Egypt, met them and with gifts and prayer persuaded them to come no farther.& They ruled Asia for twenty-eight years; and all the land was wasted by reason of their violence and their arrogance.& The greater number of them were entertained and made drunk and were then slain by Cyaxares and the Medes (I.103 106). They drank the blood of the first enemy killed in battle, and made napkins of the scalps, and drinking bowls of the skulls of the slain. They had the most filthy habits and never washed with water (IV.64, 65, 75). Cf. Tertullian, Against Marcion I.1, Marcion was born there, more filthy than any Scythian. Josephus states, The Scythians delight in murdering people and are little better than wild beasts (Against Apion II.269). In II Macc. 4:47 we read, Menelaus, the cause of all the evil &sentenced to death those unfortunate men who would have been set at liberty uncondemned if they had pleaded even against the Scythians. That even against the Scythians speaks volumes! Cf. III Macc. 7:5. And Origen (Against Celsus I.1) speaks of Scythian laws, or more impious even than these, if there be any such. Nevertheless, even though a man be a Scythian, that as such cannot hinder him from becoming a new man in Christ. That is what Paul is here saying. Or, as Justin Martyr put it so strikingly, But though a man be a Scythian or a Persian, if he has the knowledge of God and of his [God's] Christ, and keeps the everlasting righteous decrees, he is circumcised with the good and beneficial circumcision, and is a friend of God, and God rejoices in his gifts and offerings (Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 28). And finally, as to slave, freeman, since If therefore the Son will make you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36), any bondage that pertains to merely earthly social relationships can have no relevance for salvation. For more extensive discussion of Slavery see on Col. 3:23 4:1; also Commentary on Philemon in this volume, and Scripture on Slavery, pp. 233–237. Paul concludes this paragraph with the words, but Christ (is) all and in all. Christ, as the all-sufficient Lord and Savior, is all that matters. His Spirit-mediated indwelling in all believers, of whatever racial-religious, cultural, or social background they be, guarantees the creation and gradual perfection in each and in all of the new man, who is being renewed for full knowledge according to the image of him who created him. Thus, most appropriately, the very theme of the entire letter, namely, Christ, the Pre-eminent One, the Only and All-Sufficient Savior, climaxes this passage.^[129] 3:12–17 III. They Should Put On the New Virtues 12 Put on, therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, 13 enduring one another, and forgiving each other if anyone have a complaint against anyone. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so do you also. 14 And above all these things (put on) love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of Christ, for which you were called in one body, rule in your hearts, and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell among you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another, (and) by means of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs singing to God in a thankful spirit, with all your heart. 17 And whatever you do in word or in deed, (do) all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. As the calmness of the inland lake, reflecting the beauty of the rising sun, follows the turbulence of warring winds and tempestuous billows, so, in principle, the peace of Christ (verse 15) had displaced the restlessness which formerly characterized the Colossians, when they lived apart from Christ, as described in the previous paragraph (see especially verses 5 9). For beauty of style and direct appeal to the heart the present section is unsurpassed. The same can be said about its practical value. If the Colossians will only live the life that is portrayed in such a graphic and yet simple manner in these few lines, their problems will be solved. Of course, only by strength imparted by God and by means of complete reliance on the sustaining power of his sovereign, transforming grace, will they be able to heed the directions given. These directions are introduced as follows: 12, 13. Put on, therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved. Put on is repeated from verse 10. And the word therefore means (amplified), Since you have in principle taken Christ into your hearts, therefore actually be in practice yes, be fully what you have professed to be, and what I, Paul, actually believe you have begun to be. Be this as God's elect. For a twelve-point summary of the doctrine of election in the epistles of Paul see N.T.C. on I and II Thess., pp. 48–50. Note especially the following statements, taken from points 7, 10, and 12: Election affects life in all its phases, is not abstract. Although it belongs to God's decree from eternity, it becomes a dynamic force in the hearts and lives of God's children. It produces fruits. It is an election not only unto salvation but definitely also (as a link in the chain) unto service. It has as its final aim God's glory, and is the work of his delight (Eph. 1:4–6). In apposition with the expression God's elect are the ascriptions holy and beloved. As God's chosen ones, these people, both individually and collectively as far as they are true believers, are holy, that is, set apart for the Lord and for his work. They have been cleansed by the blood of Christ from the guilt of their sins, and are being delivered, more and more, from sin's pollution, and renewed according to the image of God (see on verse 10 above). They are, moreover, beloved, and this especially by GodI Thess. 1:4; cf. II Thess. 4:13 . Thus, the qualifying designations of honor that were formerly applied to the ancient covenant people of Israel (I Peter 2:9; then Isa. 5:1; Hos. 2:23; cf. Rom. 9:25) are here used in connection with the members of the church of the new dispensation. The church is the new Israel. Paul continues. (Put on) a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering. It is immediately evident that these qualities overlap. A person with a compassionate heart will also be kind. One who is lowly or humble in disposition will also be meek, etc. Hence, not but and so for the others. The expression heart of compassion^[130] indicates a very deep feeling, a yearning with the deeply-felt affection of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:8). As to the depth of this feeling one thinks of the reaction of Joseph upon seeing Benjamin (Gen. 43:30), or in revealing himself to his brothers (Gen. 45:1–4). Another example would be the tender relationship between David and Jonathan (I Sam. 18:1; 20:4, 17). The next quality is kindness. This is Spirit-imparted goodness of heart, the very opposite of the malice or badness mentioned in verse 8. The early Christians by means of kindness commended themselves to others (II Cor. 6:6). God, too, is kind (Rom. 2:4; cf. 11:22), and we are admonished to become like him in this respect (Luke 6:35). Examples of human kindness would be the same persons already mentioned in connection with heart of compassion. To avoid repetition, let us add the Good Samaritan of the well-known parable (Luke 10:25 37), Barnabas (Acts 4:36, 37; 15:37), and the apostle Paul himself (I Thess. 2:7–12). Lowliness or humility a virtue despised by the heathen (as noted earlier) is also mentioned as a quality which believers should more and more strive to acquire. The person who is kind to others generally does not have too high an estimate of himself. A happy condition arises when in a church each member counts the other to be better than himself (Phil. 2:3). Of course, there is also such a thing as feigned humility (see on 2:18, 23). Good examples of true humility would be the centurion who said, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof (Luke 7:6), and the publican who, in a striking parable, pours out his heart by sighing, God, be merciful to me, the sinner (Luke 18:13). According to the entire context, however, it is modest self-appraisal in relation to the neighbors, especially to fellow-believers, that Paul has in mind. Of course, these two humility toward God and the same disposition toward men far from being mutually exclusive, belong together. Meekness, mentioned next, is definitely not weakness or spinelessness, the characteristic of the person who is ready to bow before every breeze. It is submissiveness under provocation, the willingness rather to suffer injury than to inflict it. A striking example is Moses (Num. 12:3). For longsuffering see on 1:11. What a longsuffering hero was Jeremiah during his lengthy period of prophetic activity. Think also of Hosea who, instead of rejecting his unfaithful wife, slips away to the haunt of shame, redeems Gomer with fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley, and mercifully restores her to her position of honor!^[131] Continued: enduring one another. The Colossians are urged to bear with one another in love (Eph. 4:2). Paul was able to say, Being persecuted we endure (Cor. 4:12). The example of Job comes to mind (James 5:11). Paul adds, and forgiving^[132] each other if anyone have a complaint against anyone. Just as the Lord^[133] has forgiven you, so do you also. For the divine forgiveness see on 2:13. Christ, while on earth, had taught his disciples to pray, Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matt. 6:12). It is possible that the expression Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so do you also is a conscious echo of the just quoted petition of the Lord's Prayer, showing that Paul knew that prayer. Anyway, it is identical in spirit and meaning. Jesus had also instructed Peter to forgive not up to seven times but up to seventy times seven times (Matt. 18:22), and had added a touching parable ending with the words, So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from the heart (Matt. 18:35; cf. Mark 11:25). Moreover, the Lord had underscored these precepts with his own example. While being crucified he had implored, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). When Stephen, while he was being stoned to death, prayed Lord, lay not this sin to their charge, he was following the example of Christ. This would seem to be the proper place to point out that Paul here links his admonitions to Christ's person and work, as has been indicated also in connection with Col. 1:28. See the three columns there. The qualities which, according to Paul's teaching here, mark the new man are also ascribed to Christ. For his heart of compassion and his kindness see Matt. 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34. His lowliness and meekness are exemplified in Matt. 11:29; 21:5; John 13:1 15; Phil. 2:8; his longsuffering and endurance or forbearance, in Matt. 17:17; John 14:9; I Peter 2:23; and his forgiving spirit, in Matt. 9:2; Luke 7:47; 23:34. Accordingly, when a believer manifests these virtues in his association with his fellow-men he has put on ChristRom. 13:l4 . And it is comforting to know that he who has seen Christ has seen the Father (John 14:9; cf. 1:18), and that he who is an imitator of Christ (I Cor. 11:1; I Thess. 1:6) is also an imitator of God (Eph. 5:1). 14. This holds also with respect to love, as (Eph. 5:2clearly indicates. The apostle continues, And above all these things (put on) love, which is the bond of perfection. This supremacy of love note above all these things is clear also from I Cor. 13:13. Love heads the list of the fruits of the SpiritGal. 5:22). In Paul's prayer for the Philippians the petition mentioned first of all is that your love may abound more and more (Phil. 1:9). Love dominates the writings of John, where it is mentioned scores of times. With Peter, too, love is supreme (I Peter 4:8). How highly the anonymous author of Hebrews regards it is evident from (Heb. 10:24; 13:1. Love is the lubricant that enables the other virtues to function smoothlyGal. 5:6, 13). It is intelligent and purposeful self-giving that Paul has in mind, the fulfilment of both the law and the gospel. In the present context it is especially mutual love, love for one another within the Christian community, that is thought of, though it is true that such love overflows its boundaries (I Thess. 3:12). That is of the very essence of love: to overflow. It was this love for one another, as brothers and sisters in the Lord, of which Jesus spoke when he issued his new commandment (John 13:34; I Thess. 4:9). See also on Col. 1:8. Now this love is called the bond of perfection. This has been interpreted to mean that love is the grace that binds all these other graces together (Bruce, op. cit., p. 281). Though this may be correct, and a sensible connotation is thereby ascribed to the expression, it is probably better to interpret it in the light of what Paul himself says in this very epistle, namely, they themselves being welded together in love (2:2). Love, then is the bond of perfection in the sense that it is that which unites believers, causing them to move forward toward the goal of perfection. This interpretation is also in line with the apostle's purpose in writing this letter. It is as if he were saying, Not knowledge or philosophy the kind of knowledge and philosophy of which false teachers boast or obedience to human regulations, but love for one another, the spontaneous response to God's love for you, is that which will strengthen and unite you, and will lead you toward the attainment of your spiritual ideal. For the meaning of this ideal see also on 1:28. 15. Paul continues, And let the peace of Christ, for which you were called in one body, rule in your hearts. This peace is the condition of rest and contentment in the hearts of those who know that their Redeemer lives. It is the conviction that the sins of the past have been forgiven, that the present is being overruled for good, and that the future cannot bring about separation between Christ and his own. Concerning this peace the apostle says in (Phil. 4:7, And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will keep guard over your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. It is the peace of Christ because it was merited for believers by Christ, is through his Spirit bestowed upon them, and is fostered by this same Lord and SaviorJohn 14:27; 16:33; 20:19, 21, 26). It is, moreover, patterned after the peace that dwells in the Savior's own heart. Now this peace also has its social aspect, on which the emphasis falls in the present passage (Eph. 4:3, 4), as is evident from the phrase for which you were called in one body. When men were called out of the darkness into the light they, as seen by God, were not drawn out of their sinful environment as pebbles are picked up from the beach. On the contrary, they were called as a body, for from eternity they had been viewed as a corporate entity in Christ. In time they were called in order that they might promote this spiritual oneness in every way. Now this purpose can be accomplished only when the peace of Christ rules^[134] in each heart. Let each individual, therefore, constantly ask himself, Will I have peace within if I do this or do that? Let him be sure to be at peace with God, for only then can he expect to live in true harmony with his brothers (James 4:1). Paul adds, and be thankful. It is worthy of note how frequently in this brief epistle the apostle refers to the privilege and duty of being thankful (1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 16, 17; 4:2). Gratitude makes for peace and excellent public relations. When a person is overpowered by the feeling of warm and deep appreciation for benefits received from God he will hardly be able to grudge someone else his wealth or superior talents. Hence, this admonition fits splendidly into the immediate context. Gratitude promotes peace. The exhortation also suits the broader context which mentions some of the blessings believers have received. They are hid with Christ in God, have received the forgiveness of sins, and are experiencing daily spiritual renewal. Moreover, the apostle is about to mention the further blessings of the indwelling word and of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. For all these favors thanksgiving is in order. Though all men should give thanks, the Christian can be expected to do so. Ingratitude marks paganism (Rom. 1:21). In all probability it also marked the fearfilled alarmists who were vexing the addressees (Col. 2:16–23). Having therefore been rescued from paganism let the Colossians also turn their backs upon these so-called philosophers. Let them in newness of spirit be joyful and praise the Lord every day. Thus they will be truly and serenely blessed, and in turn will be a blessing to others. 16. Paul has just been saying. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. At first glance a believer might well ask, however, If I do this am I not building the edifice of my hope and trust upon a rather insecure, subjective foundation? After further thought, however, he answers, Not at all, for I have peace when in my inmost being I, by God's sovereign grace, resolve to live in accordance with the objective word of Christ. Verses 15 and 16 must therefore not be separated. By obedience to the gospel peace is conveyed to the heart. So Paul continues, Let the word of Christ dwell among^[135] you richly. The objective, special revelation that proceeds from (and concerns) Christ the Christ-word should govern every thought, word, and deed, yes even the hidden drives and motivations of every member, and thus should bear sway among them all, and this richly, bearing much fruit (John 15:5). This will happen if believers heed the word (Matt. 13:9), handle it rightly (II Tim. 2:15), hide it in their hearts (Ps. 119:11), and hold it forth to others as being in truth the word of life (Phil. 2:16). Though when the apostle wrote this, the word of Christ had not yet been entrusted to the written page in the form and to the extent in which we now have it, this does not cancel the fact that for Paul and for all believers in his day as well as, in broader scope, for us today, All scripture (is) God-breathed and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped, for every good work thoroughly equipped (II Tim. 3:16, 17). The logical continuation is: in all wisdom^[136] teaching and admonishing one another.^[137] For the explanation of these words see on 1:28, where essentially the same thought is expressed in an almost identical statement. The differences are as follows: (1) in 1:28 the apostle relates what he, Timothy, etc., are doing; here (Col. 3:16) he admonishes the Colossian believers what they should be doing. In both cases the content is the same: admonishing and teaching. Believers, by virtue of their office as believers let them not forget that they are clothed with that office! should do what Paul and his associates are doing by virtue of their office, respectively as apostle and apostolic delegates. Each person must do it in accordance with the rights and duties of his particular office. (2) In 1:28 the object is somewhat broader, every man. Here (Col. 3:16) the emphasis is rather on mutual teaching and admonition. And (3) in 1:28 the phrase in all wisdom is placed last. In the Colossian passage it is placed first, perhaps to underscore the thought conveyed in the immediately preceding adverb richly, as if to say, If the word of Christ is to dwell among you richly, then in all wisdom you should admonish and teach each other. There is something else that should also be done if the word of Christ is to dwell among the Colossians richly. It is stated in these words: (and) by means of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs^[138] singing to God in a thankful spirit,^[139] with all your heart. Paul clearly recognizes the edifying nature of God-glorifying singing. As to the meaning of the terms psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19) a little investigation quickly shows that it may not be easy to distinguish sharply between these three. It is possible that there is here some overlapping of meanings. Thus, in connection with psalms it is natural to think of the Old Testament Psalter, and, in support of this view, to appeal to Luke 20:42; 24:44; Acts 1:20; 13:33. So far there is no difficulty. However, expositors are by no means agreed that this can also be the meaning of the word psalm in I Cor. 14:26. As to hymns, in the New Testament the word hymn is found only in our present passage (Col. 3:16) and in (Eph. 5:19. Augustine, in more than one place, states that a hymn has three essentials: it must be sung; it must be praise; it must be to God. According to this definition it would be possible for an Old Testament psalm, sung in praise to God, to be also a hymn. Thus when Jesus and his disciples were about to leave the Upper Room in order to go to the Mount of Olives, they hymnedMatt. 26:30; Mark 14:26). It is held by many that what they hymned was Psalms 115 118. According to (Acts 16:25in the Philippian prison Paul and Silas were hymning to God. Is it not altogether probable that some, if not all, of these hymns were psalms? Cf. also Heb. 2:12. But if Augustine's definition is correct there are also hymns that do not belong to the Old Testament Psalter; such hymns as the MagnificatLuke 1:46 55) and the Benedictus (Luke 1:68 79). Fragments of other New Testament hymns seem to be embedded in the letters of PaulEph. 5:14; Col. 1:15–20; I Tim. 3:16, and perhaps others . The word song or ode (in the sense of poem intended to be sung) occurs not only in Eph. 5:19and Col. 3:16but also in Rev. 5:9; 14:3, where the new song is indicated, and in Rev. 15:3, where the reference is to the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, These are not Old Testament Psalms. Moreover, a song or ode is not necessarily a sacred song. In the present case the fact that it is, indeed, sacred is shown by the addition of the adjective spiritual. All in all, then, it would seem that when here in Col. 3:16the apostle uses these three terms, apparently distinguishing them at least to some extent, the term psalms has reference, at least mainly, to the Old Testament Psalter; hymns mainly to New Testament songs of praise to God or to Christ; and spiritual songs mainly to any other sacred songs dwelling on themes other than direct praise to God or to Christ.^[140] The point that must not be ignored is this, that these songs must be sung in a thankful spirit. The songs must be poured forth sincerely, rising from within the humbly grateful hearts of believers. It has been said that next to Scripture itself a good Psalter-Hymnal is the richest fountain of edification. Not only are its songs a source of daily nourishment for the church, but they also serve as a very effective vehicle for the outpouring of confession of sin, gratitude, spiritual joy, rapture. Whether sung in the regular worship-service on the Lord's Day, at a midweek meeting, in social gatherings, in connection with family-worship, at a festive occasion, or privately, they are a tonic for the soul and promote the glory of God. They do this because they fix the interest upon the indwelling word of Christ, and carry the attention away from that worldly cacophony by which people with low moral standards are being emotionally overstimulated. The passage under discussion has often been used in support of this or that theory with respect to what may or may not be sung in the official worship-service. Perhaps it is correct to say that the appeal is justified if one is satisfied with a few broad, general principles; for example, (1) In our services the psalms should not be neglected. (2) As to hymns, in the stricter sense of songs of praise, It is probably true that a larger proportion of the religious poems which are used in public praise should be hymns in the stricter sense. They should be addressed to God. Too many are subjective, not to say sentimental, and express only personal experiences and aspirations which are sometimes lacking in reality Charles E. Erdman (op. cit., p. 91). For the rest, it is well to bear in mind that Paul's purpose is not to lay down detailed rules and regulations pertaining to ecclesiastical liturgy. He is interested in showing the Colossians and all those to whom or by whom the letter would be read how they may grow in grace, and may manifest rightly the power of the indwelling word. His admonition, therefore, can be applied to every type of Christian gathering, whether on the Sabbath or during the week, whether in church or at home or anywhere else.^[141] 17. A fundamental principle for Christian life and conduct summarizes and climaxes this priceless paragraph, namely, And whatever you do in word or in deed, (do) all^[142] in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. For the expression Whatever you do see also verse 23 and (I Cor. 10:31. In connection with Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus it should be noted that the name indicates the Lord Jesus himself as he has revealed himself.^[143] In the name means, accordingly, in vital relation with him, that is, in harmony with his revealed will, in subjection to his authority, in dependence on his power. The clause giving thanks to God the Father through himEph. 5:20; then also John 14:6; 15:5b; Rom. 1:8; 7:25; 16:27; I Cor. 1:20) is explained by the fact that it is on the basis of the Son's atonement that sinners are accepted by the Father, and that they receive every blessing. Hence, it is altogether just and fair that through him thanksgiving be given to the Father. The main lessons of this closing paragraph should not escape us. As I see it they are the following: This entry is longer than a Bible module can hold. The rest is at https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/hendriksen/ CHAPTER IV Outline of Chapter 4:2–18 Theme: Christ, the Pre-eminent One, the Only and All-Sufficient Savior II. This Only and All-Sufficient Savior Is the Source of the Believers Life, and Thus the Real Answer to the Perils by Which They Are Confronted, chapters 3 and 4 C. Closing Admonitions, Greetings, etc., 4:2–18 4:2–4 1. Prayer urged 4:5, 6 2. Wise conduct and gracious speech stressed 4:7–9 3. A good word for Tychicus and for Onesimus, who have been sent with tidings and encouragement 4:10–15 4. Greetings 4:16–5. Exchange of letters requested 4:17–6. Crisp directive for Archippus 4:18–7. Closing salutation 4:2–4 I. Prayer Urged 4 2 Persevere in prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving; 3 at the same time praying also for us, that God may open to us a door for the message, to speak forth the mystery concerning Christ, on account of which I am in prison, 4 (praying) that I may make it clear, (and may speak) as I ought to speak. 2. (As Paul is now approaching the close of the letter he issues certain admonitions of a general nature, as in 3:1–17; with emphasis on the positive, cf. 3:12–17. It is not surprising that, having spoken about the word(3:16), the apostle now stresses the importance of prayer,for word and prayer belong together: in the former God speaks to us, in the latter we to him. Says Paul: Persevere in prayer.Prayer is the most important expression of the new life. As such it is the means of obtaining for ourselves and for others the satisfaction of needs, both physical and spiritual. It is also a divinely appointed weapon against the sinister attack of the devil and his angels, the vehicle for confession of sin, and the instrument whereby the grateful soul pours out its spontaneous adoration before the throne of God on high. Accordingly, perseverance in prayer is urged. See also Acts 1:14; Rom. 12:12; Eph. 6:18. This is in keeping with the teaching of Jesus in which he admonished his disciples to persevere in prayer, and not to lose heart when a petition is not immediately answeredActs 18:1 8). Paul adds, keeping alert in it.This admonition to remain fully awakein prayer reminds one of Matt. 26:41; Mark 14:38; Luke 22:40, 46. Yet, in these Gospel passages the wakefulness referred to is to be taken more literally, as the respective contexts indicate. What the apostle has in mind is that, while continuing in prayer, the worshiper shall be alive to such matters as: a. his own needs and those of the family, church, country, world, b. the dangers that threaten the Christian community, c. the blessings received and promised, and (last but not least) d. the will of God. Cf. Acts 20:31; II Cor. 16:13; I Thess. 5:6; I Peter 5:8; Rev. 3:2, 3. From the Greek verb which expresses this necessity of being vigilant a form of grgor�M(I am awake, I remain alert) the early Christians coined a favorite proper name: Gregory. Now when one is deeply and humbly conscious of blessings received and promised he will express his gratitude to God. Hence, Paul continues: with thanksgiving.Cf. Eph. 5:20; 6:18; Phil. 4:6; I Thess. 5:18; and see also above, on Col. 3:15, 17. It is worthy of note that the apostle wedges his admonitions to particular groups (3:18 4:1) in between two reminders to give thanks to God (2:17 and 4:2), as if to say, Wives, husbands, children. fathers, slaves, masters, obey these instructions spontaneously,prompted by gratitude for the many blessings received. It should be borne in mind that the man who issues this directive is a prisoner. However, (thisprisoner is able to thank God even for his chainsPhil. 1:12–14). Surely, on the basis of the thought expressed so beautifully in Rom. 8:28the believer can be thankful for whatever happens to him. 3, 4.In these prayers the needs of Paul and his companions must be included. Accordingly, the apostle continues, at the same time praying also for [Greek] -2 _ftnref1 ([Greek] Like Daniel before himDan. 2:18), and probably also Esther (Esth. 4:6), Paul felt the need of being remembered in prayer. Moreover, Timothy (Col. 1:1) and Epaphras (4:12) must be remembered similarly, and doubtless also those mentioned in 4:10, 11, 14. This is by no means the only time that the apostle asked to be thus remembered. See above, on 1:9, the parallel columns. See especially (Eph. 6:18–20. This passage from Ephesians, in fact, should be constantly borne in mind in the interpretation of Col. 4:2 4in its entirety. Brothers, do pray for usI Thess. 5:25) was Paul's constant appeal. Now when he urged this upon his fellow-workers and fellow-believers he had something very definite in mind. Hence, stating the contemplated result of the prayer, and using an idiom that may have belonged to the common speech of that [Greek] -2 _ftnref2 [Greek] as it is also a metaphor among us, he continues, that God may open to us a door for the message. A door,then as now, is an opportunity to enter, a means of approach or access. In the present context it is an opening for the wordor message. Cf. I Cor. 16:9; II Cor. 2:12; Rev. 3:8. Now the apostle did not intend to say: Pray that by my release from imprisonmentI may again be able to proclaim the message of salvation. No, he wanted that door right here and now! That this was not an absurd request, as if it would be impossible for a prisoner to have an open door, is shown by such a passage as Acts 28:30, 31. And if the objection be raised that such freedom as there presupposed did not necessarily continue, and that before his release the apostle was transferred from his rented house to the soldiers barracks, or that in some other way he was placed under stricter custody, the answer is that even this added severity would not completely remove the open door, as is clearly shown in Phil. 1:12–18. As there indicated, from a certain point of view the seeming disadvantage was in reality an advantage, as Paul's chain made it very clear that his was not a fair-weather religion, but something far more precious and real. Nevertheless, humanly speaking, circumstances could easily change. When Paul made this prayer-request was he thinking, perhaps, of a summons before the Roman tribunal for a hearing, probably not the first one? And is he now saying, in effect, O Colossians, do pray that, when we are called to give an account before the authorities, we may speak forth very freely and that our message may also gain entrance into the hearts of those who hear? Besides, testifying openly and clearly before every type of audience and under all circumstances is not easy. Hence, this man of God who in a sense already had an open door is not at all inconsistent when he now asks that prayer may be offered so that he may (at all times and under all circumstances) have an open door. This explanation is also in line with the parallel passage, Eph. 6:19, and with what follows immediately here in Colossians, namely, to speak forth the mystery concerning [Greek] -2 _ftnref3 ([Greek] its content being Christ himself as the source of salvation, full and free, for both Gentile and Jew, a secret no longer concealedbut now, O glorious paradox!, a secretfully revealed,and not revealed only but realizedin the hearts and lives of people of every class, station, and nationality. See further on 1:26, 27 and on 2:2 above. Paul continues, on account of which I am in prison,hence all the more in need of, and entitled to, being remembered in your prayers (cf. 1:24). That it was indeed as a result of the proclamation of this mystery especially its disclosure to the Gentiles!that Paul was fettered and in custody follows from the many references in which it is clearly indicated that the Jews, filled with fury because Paul preached the gospel to Jew and Gentilewithout distinction, had accused him before the civil authoritiesActs 18:12, 13; 21:28; 22:21–30; 23:26–30; 24:1–9; 25:1, 2, 6, 7; 26:19–21, 32). Now Paul wishes to be remembered in prayer for two reasons: a. so that he may continue to proclaim the blessed contents of the mystery, as has been indicated, and b. that he may do this in the proper manner. As to b., therefore, he continues: (praying) that I may make it clear, (and may speak) as I ought to speak.When a goodmessage is proclaimed in a badway it can do more harm than good. How often have not those who, though innocent, were imprisoned or otherwise molested, made matters worse both for themselves and for the cause which they were defending, by failing to observe this truth. When the apostle now asks to be remembered in prayer so that he may not fall into this error but may speak as he should,he probably had in mind some or all of the following particulars: a. Pray that I may speak clearly, b. boldly,that is, without fear or restraintEph. 6:19, [Greek] , c. yet also graciouslyCol. 4:16a , and d. wisely,so that I may know exactly what approach to use when questioned by groups or individuals of various backgrounds: visitors who come to see me in prison, soldiers who guard me, and the Roman authorities before whom I may be summoned. 4:5, 6 II. Wise Conduct and Gracious Speech Stressed 5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer each individual. 5.In the spirit of the principles to which Paul has bound himself and in connection with which he has just now asked the Colossians to remember him and his companions in prayer (see verses 3 and 4 above) he now urges them to adhere to a similar way of life. Says he, Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders.To the Jew every non-Jew was an outsider. And to the Christian every non-Christian is, in a sense, an outsider. See I Cor. 5:12, 13; I Thess. 4:12; I Tim. 3:7. In the days of the early church believers were often slandered by these outsiders. For example, they were called atheistsbecause they served no visible gods, unpatrioticbecause they did not burn incense before the image of the emperor, and immoralbecause, of necessity, they would often meet behind locked doors. The apostle knew that the best way to defeat this slander was for Christians daily to conduct themselves not only virtuouslyinstead of wickedlybut also wiselyinstead of foolishly. See Appendix, Scripture on Tactfulness. It was then as it is now: in the long run the reputation of the gospel depends on the conduct of its devotees. It is as if the apostle were saying, Behave wisely toward outsiders, always bearing in mind that though few men read the sacred scrolls, all men read you. But not only does such wise conduct, so that believers use the best means to reach the highest goal, serve as a weapon against vilification and character-assassination, it also has a positive purpose, namely, to win outsiders for Christ. Paul was fully aware of the fact that the most effective way for Christians to spread the gospel so that it would be accepted was to conduct themselves in such a manner that the heathen would say, Behold how they love each other, and, in spite of all we have said about them, even love us and treat us with kindness, returning good for evil. That Paul had this positive purpose in mind is also evident from the fact that he adds: making the most of the opportunity.If the participle used in the original has fully retained its etymological significance, the apostle literally said, &buying upthe opportunity. The sense then would be Do not just sit there and wait for opportunity to fall into your lap, but go after it. Yes, buy it. Buy up the entire stock of opportunityop. cit.,p. 134 . Count not the cost. Winning even one soul for Christ is worth it (Prov. 11:30; Rom. 11:14), and so is salvation itself (Matt. 13:44, 45). But in any event the minimal meaning is, Avail yourselves of every opportunity to be a blessing to others. One thought which, though not here expressed, may very well have been in the background is this: the days are evil and are speeding toward the great consummation of all things. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. Therefore, make the most of the opportunity while you have it. Cf. Rom. 13:11, 12; I Cor. 7:29; Gal. 6:9, 10; and especially Eph. 5:16. 6.See also on Col. 3:8, 9, 16. Paul has asked the Colossians to pray that hismanner of speaking might always be the very best (see above, on verse 4). So, having as it were set the example, he now admonishes the addressees to be similarly careful in the use of theirtongue: Let your speech always be gracious &Note always,that is, both in addressing a group or in talking to the neighbor, both when conversing with an equal or when replying to someone in authority, to rich and poor alike, not only in proclaiming the message of salvation but also in discussing the weather. When gracious speech becomes their habit they will not use improper language when suddenly confronted with a difficult situation; for example, when summoned to appear before a worldly judge or when persecuted for the faith. Just what is gracious speech? By non-Christians of Paul's day the same expression was used. However, what they meant by it was (sparkling conversation,speech dotted with witty or clever remarks. When Paul uses the term he has reference to the type of language that results from the operation of God's grace in the heart. Negatively,such speech will not be abusiveRom. 1:29–32; II Cor. 12:20; Gal. 5:19–21, 26; Eph. 4:31; Titus 3:2). Neither will it be vindictive. It will be patterned after the example of Christ who when he was reviled did not revile in return (I Peter 2:23). Positively, it will be truthful and loving. Perhaps the best (description ofgracious speech is found in the words of Paul himself: speaking truth in loveEph. 4:15), and the best (examplein the words of Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they doLuke 23:34). A further description of this kind of gracious speech is: (seasoned with salt.Those whom the Lord calls the salt of the earthMatt. 5:13; Mark 9:49, 50; Luke 14:34, 35) must not be insipid in their language. Salt prevents corruption. It is hard to believe that this idea was absent from the mind of Paul, for in the parallel passage he says, Let (no corruptspeech proceed from your mouth, but only such (speech) as is good for edification, as fits the need, that it may impart grace to those who hearEph. 4:29). But not only does salt have preservative power. It also has pungency and flavor. Speech flavored with salt is, accordingly, not empty or insipid, but thought-provoking and worth-while. It is not a waste of time. Also, such speech does not repel. It attracts, has spiritual charm. Accordingly, it is distinctive: a Christian is known by his speech as well as by his conduct. Now in their conversations believers must be mindful not only of the particular occasion that evokes their remarks but also of the person addressed. Hence, the apostle continues: (so that you may know how to answer each individual.In other words, they should speak the right word at the right time to the right person. This reminds us of I Peter 3:15, But in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord, always being ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. The Holy Spirit himself will help them to do this. Hence, they need not be frightenedMatt. 10:19, 20; Mark 13:11). Christ will give them a mouth and wisdom (Luke 21:14, 15). 4:7–9 III. A Good Word for Tychicus and for Onesimus, Who Have Been Sent with Tidings from Rome and with Encouragement 7 All my affairs will Tychicus make known to you, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord, 8 whom I am sending to you for this very purpose, that you may know our circumstances and that he may strengthen your hearts. 9 (He is) accompanied by Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will acquaint you with everything (that has taken place) here. 7, 8. All my affairs will Tychicus make known to [Greek] -2 _ftnref4 ([Greek] was one of Paul's intimate friends and highly valued envoys. He hailed from the province of Asia, and had accompanied the apostle when at the close of the third missionary journey the latter was returning from Greece through Macedonia and then across into Asia Minor and so to Jerusalem on a charitable missionActs 20:4); that is, on that trip Tychicus had traveled in advance of Paul from Macedonia to Troas, and had been waiting for the apostle in that city. And now, some four years later, having spent some time with Paul in Rome during the latter's first Roman imprisonment, Tychicus had been commissioned by the apostle to carry to their destination not only the epistle to the Colossians, as implied here in (Col. 4:7, 8, and the one to Philemon, as a comparison of 4:9 and Philem. 1, 8 22, would appear to indicate, but also the letter that has been transmitted to us as the Epistle to the EphesiansEph. 6:21, 22, which is almost identical with Col. 4:7, 8). The description of Tychicus as (the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lordis nearly like that of Epaphras (though not in word-order). There is essentialidentity. Hence, see on Col. 1:7. And the reasons for recommending Tychicus so highly are also similar to those given in the case of Epaphras. It stands to reason that Tychicus, having just now spent some time with Paul and being a man of sound judgment, would be the right person to supply all the necessary information about Paul and his companions and fellow-Christians in Rome. Besides, paper was not as plentiful and cheap as it is today, the circumstances under which Paul, the aged prisonerPhilem. 9) had to dictate his letters were not altogether favorable, certain things are better saidthan written;hence, for such and similar reasons Paul continues: who I am [Greek] -2 _ftnref5 [Greek] to you for this very purpose, that you may know our [Greek] -2 _ftnref6 ([Greek] Not only this, however, but also, and that he may strengthen your hearts,probably by stilling your fearsPhil. 1:12–14), by delivering to you this very letter, and in general by orally supplying the atmosphere of consolation and spiritual strengthening based upon the promises of God. 9.The apostle continues: (He is) accompanied by Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will aquaint you with everything (that has taken place) here. It is not necessary to repeat what is said about Onesimus in Introduction IV B and in -2 _ftnref7 N.T.C.on Philemon (see especially on verses 8 22) in this volume. The emphatic recommendation of Onesimus to the entire church of Colosse was, and no doubt was meant to be, a powerful support for the plea in behalf of him which Paul addressed to Philemon, the slave's master, one of the members of that church. What has been affirmed by many a commentator, namely, that the very preservation of the Epistle to Philemon proves that this plea was successful is probably correct. By calling Onesimus the faithful and beloved brother the apostle underscores before the entire church verse 16 of his personal letter to Philemon. By permitting Onesimus to stand at the side of Tychicus as an informant regarding everything pertaining to Paul and the church in Rome the apostle is telling the Colossians, including Philemon, that he regards the man who by God's transforming grace is now living up the meaning of his name Onesimus: profitable, helpfulto be also wholly reliable. IV. Greetings 1 23 Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 (and so do) Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow-workers. , This section in Colossians may be divided into two parts: a. vss. 10 14, in which three of Paul's companions of Jewish birth Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus Justus, and also three of Gentile birth Epaphras, Luke, and Demas send greetings to the Colossians; and b. verse 15, in which the apostle requests the Colossians to forward his greetings to the brothers in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house. A look at the parallel columns reveals the following: (1) Due largely to the fact that in the Colossian passage Paul enlarges on Mark, on those of the circumcision, and on Epaphras, this passage is lengthier by far than the corresponding list of greetings in Philemon. (2) In Colossians six men send greetings, in Philemon only five. Jesus Justus is not mentioned in the smaller letter. We do not know for what reason his name is omitted. The order of the names also is different. The Colossian list mentions Aristarchus, Mark, Jesus Justus, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas in that sequence. In Philemon the order is: Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. Taking the names one by one, in the order in which they are mentioned in Colossians, we begin with 10a. Aristarchus, my fellow-prisoner, greets you. (The native town of this man, or at least the place with which he was mainly associated, was Thessalonica. At Ephesus, during Paul's lengthy ministry there (third missionary journey, outward bound) he was with the apostle, and, recognized by the Ephesian rioters as one of Paul's traveling companions, he, along with another man from Macedonia, Gaius, was on the spur of the moment seized by the mob). Later we again find him in Paul's company on the return from this same journey. In fact, Tychicus, from Asia, (see above, on verse 7) and Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, are mentioned as Paul's travel-companions in the same verse (). This was the trip on which delegates from various churches of predominantly Gentile origin were carrying aid to the needy in Jerusalem. We meet Aristarchus once more in the very beginning of the account of Paul's Voyage Dangerous (). He started out with Paul and probably accompanied the apostle all the way to Rome. (For the idea of Lightfoot, that Aristarchus disembarked at Myra, there is no evidence whatever.) From Rome he is now sending greetings both to the Colossians and to Philemon. Now a glance at the parallel columns above indicates a rather striking peculiarity that requires some attention. In Colossians Aristarchus is called my fellow-prisoner, but in Philemon no such qualifying designation is added. Along with others he is designated my fellow-worker (). Conversely, in Philemon it is Epaphras who is described as my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, but in Colossians, though much is said about Epaphras, that specific designation is not used with respect to him. From this circumstance and from the fact that Aristarchus was not under arrest when Paul as a started on his journey to Rome, and that Epaphras, too, somewhat later, was delegated to Rome as a free man,the probably warranted inference has been drawn that when Aristarchus, here in, and Epaphras, in this must not be taken in a strictlyliteral sense. These men may well have volunteered to share Paul's imprisonment, assisting him in every possible way. They must have been glad to do this since they, as well as Paul, were captives in Christ's train10b. So does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. Mark, the one whom we recognize as the writer of the second Gospel, was also associated with Paul in Rome at this time, and as such is sending greetings both to the Colossians and to Philemon. We now learn that he was a cousin of Barnabas. This could be the reason why, some twelve years earlier, the latter had treated him with such extraordinary kindness. This happened just after Mark, on Paul's first missionary journey, had deserted his senior partners and had gone home. Because of this act of disloyalty and cowardice Paul had refused to accept the suggestion of Barnabas that Mark be given another chance and be taken along on the second missionary journey (). There had been a sharp contention about this matter between Paul and Barnabas. But by now, Mark seems to have redeemed himself. The apostle no longer regards him as a liability, but recommends him warmly, and even includes him among those who have been a comfort to him (see on verse 11). Moreover, this favorable attitude continued, for even in his very last letter that has come down to us Paul says, Mark &is very useful to me for (the) ministryWhat factors or agencies did the Holy Spirit use in bringing about this favorable change in the life of John Mark? In all probability one or more of the following: a. The kindly tutelage of Barnabas, that true son of encouragement. Not was it due to this but no doubt in great measureb. The stern discipline of Paul, shown in refusing to take Mark with him on the second journey. Perhaps Mark needed exactly that seeming harshness. c. The influence of Peter who calls Mark my son (). A consistent early tradition links these two men. Peter knew that there was hope for those who had fallen into the sins of disloyalty and cowardice. The Holy Spirit may well have used all three factors and others also to perform his marvelous work in the mind and conscience of the man who came back. Paul continues, concerning whom you received instruction; if he comes to you receive him.What these instructions were and who had issued them we do not know. Either it was Paul himself, in which case he here underscores what he had previously ordered regarding Mark; or else it was Barnabas, Peter, or some other person deemed to be invested with a degree of authority, in which case the apostle here endorses these earlier directives. The first alternative would seem the more probable. In any event it is clear that Mark, being now somewhere in Paul's vicinity, was about to make a trip to Asia Minor, and that his itinerary would include Colosse. The apostle bespeaks a wholehearted acceptance for him. There is no reason to doubt that Mark made this tour, even though there is no further specific record of it. There are, however, two lines of evidence which link Mark with the churches of the general region of Asia Minor during apostolic times: a. We know that Peter was closely associated with the churches of this region, for he addressed his first epistle to them (, 2). Also his second? Cf.. And in Peter's letter Mark sgreetings are conveyed to these churchesb. We also know that during Paul's second Roman imprisonment Mark was at a place where he could easily be picked up by Timothy, who at that time was in all probability continuing his work in province of Asia. See N.T.C., on I and II Timothy and Titus, p. 43, 321. The name of this Jew who had become a Christian is a combination of the Greek equivalent (Jesus) of Joshua or Jeshua, and a Latin surname (Justus), which, meaning the just or the righteous, may well have been regarded by those of Jewish origin as representing the Hebrew ZadokZedekiahJer. 1:3, Jehovah is righteousness or righteousness is of Jehovah . The same cognomen is found also in, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, a Jewish Christian, and in, Titus Justus, a Roman or Latin who had been attracted to the synagogue. The name Justus was rather common among both Jews and non-Jews, and could be used both by itself or as a surname. About this man (not mentioned in Philemon) we have no other authentic item of information than that which is given here in. However, the little that is said about him, as he joins others in sending greetings to the believers in the church of Colosse, is very favorable. We are told that of Christians the three persons just mentioned namely, Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus Justus [Greek] -2 [Greek] were the only fellow-workers who had been of (comfortthat shade of meaning of the word [Greek] predominates here to Paul. For the term fellow-workers see on. Note the striking modifier after the word for the kingdom of God. Did the apostle thus qualify the term in order to convey the idea, Especially among the Jews with their great emphasis upon the kingdomI should have received more co-operation? Besides, had he not preached the kingdom of God among these very people almost from the moment of his arrival in Rome? See. In that passage and also here in the term kingdom of God obviously has reference to the divine realm as a presentreality. It indicates the dispensation of salvation which in its present phase began with the coming of Christ. God is using Paul and others as his agents in the establishment of this reign of God in the hearts of men. See also on It must not escape our attention that the apostle's statement with reference to these three men as the onlyJewish-Christian fellow-workers who had been a comfort to him implies deep disappointment with other people of his own race. Paul was painfully aware of his estrangement from his own people). And he was not insensitive to the fact that the Judaists (Jews who confessed Jesus but over-emphasized the law) regarded him with suspicion, 2, 24; 21:20, 21;; Phil. 3:23 . It cannot be wrong to regard; 2:20, 21; as shedding further light on the apostle's feelings anent this matter. All the more, therefore, does he appreciate the co-operation he is receiving from Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus Justus! 12 13. (To the greetings from three Jewish Christians Paul now adds those from three of Gentile origin, namely, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas. Verses 12 and 13 concern Epaphras, the evangelist of Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. To some extent the interpretation of these verses has already been given. With respect to this brother and the apostle's high regard for him see Introduction III A 1; see also on. In his quality as fellow-prisoner) Epaphras has been discussed in connection with Aristarchus (see above on verse 10a). On the three cities to which reference is made in verse 13 see Introduction II and III. Paul writes: (In the spiritual sense Paul uses the word doulos(servant) specifically only with respect to himself;;; ) and Epaphras (). A servant of Christ Jesus is one who has been bought with a price and is therefore owned by his Master, on whom he is completely dependent, to whom he owes undivided allegiance and to whom he ministers with gladness of heart, in newness of spirit, and in the enjoyment of perfect freedom (, 22; 7:6), receiving from him a glorious reward (). Every true Christian is in a sense such a servant. See N.T.C. on for more on this concept. It is to the church in Colosse and to Philemon that Epaphras is sending his best regards. always wrestling for you in his prayers.For wrestling or striving in prayer see also, and cf. what the apostle says about himself in. Epaphras was deeply in earnest as he again and again invoked God's favor upon the Colossians and besought the Lord to help them so that they might not be led astray but might stand firm in the true faith. Further, that you may stand firm, mature.For the meaning of the word mature see above on 1:28; also N.T.C. on (especially p. 176, footnote 156 there). When Paul further defines the object or contemplated result of Epaphras prayer by adding, fully assured in all the will of God,he must be using the perfect participle fully assured in the sense of the cognate noun in (see on that passage). Thorough, rich, gratifying insight into all spiritual matters is meant; understanding which not only penetrates the mind but also fills the heart with satisfying conviction. Epaphras does not want these churches that are dear to his heart to be deluded by error. They must remain true to their confession of faith in the all-sufficient Savior Jesus Christ. It is for that reason that he wrestles for them in prayer. And it is exactly that wrestling in prayer which is probably the best explanation of the words, The Colossian Heresy had undoubtedly affected all three churches founded by Epaphras. Hence, it is in connection with the danger that threatened them all that he betakes himself to the throne of grace in earnest and repeated [Greek] -2 14a. Luke, the beloved physician, greets you.From a comparison with verse 11 we learn that Luke was a Christian from the Gentiles. The present passage shows that he was at Rome just now and was a doctor and a person of amiable personality, beloved by his Lord, by believers generally, and by Paul specifically. He was to become the author of the third Gospel. Note that he and Mark, who wrote the second Gospel, were together in Rome. It is not at all surprising but gratifying that in spite of lengthy arguments to the contrary, thoroughly conservative scholarship is more and more arriving at the conclusion that in composing his own Gospel Luke made use of Mark's as one of his [Greek] -2 [Greek] Luke was a remarkable person, always loyal to Paul, to the gospel, and to his Lord. Frequently he had been Paul's companion in travel, as is indicated by the we sections in Acts (16:10–17; 20:6–16; 21; 27; 28). He had been with Paul on the second missionary journey, namely, at Troas and at Philippi. He had evidently been left behind at the latter place (). Toward the close of the third tour he seems again to have joined Paul at Philippi (), and he accompanied him to Jerusalem. For a while we do not see him. But suddenly he re-appears, for he is in Paul's company on the long and dangerous sea-journey to Rome (Acts 27). And it is from Rome during this, Paul's first, Roman imprisonment, that he is sending his greetings to the Colossians and also to Philemon. Later, the apostle, experiencing his second and final Roman imprisonment, would write these touching words, Luke is the only one with mea . This would be followed by, Pick up Mark and bring him with you.& Luke and Paul had much in common. Both were educated men, men of culture. Both were big-hearted, broad-minded, sympathetic. Both were believers and missionaries. 14b.& and so does Demas. Yes, Demas, too, is a fellow-worker (), one of Paul's assistants in the ministry who wishes to be remembered to the church in Colosse and to Philemon. Paul does not yet know that one day this man will be a deep disappointment to him, and that with reference to this assistant in the gospel-ministry he will, during his second Roman imprisonment, write these plaintive words, Demas has deserted me, because he fell in love with the present world, and has gone to Thessalonica (). And with that tragic statement Demas will disappear from sacred history. Having finished the section in which six men three of Jewish and three of Gentile birth send their greetings to the Colossians, the apostle now asks that certain greetings be forwarded to believing neighbors. His request is: Note that Hierapolis (see on verse 13 above) is no longer mentioned. We simply do not know what may have been the reason for this. The apostle wants the addressees to convey his greetings to the brothers in nearby Laodicea. On the of the three cities Colosse, Laodicea, Hierapolis in their relation to each other and to Ephesus, and on their see Introduction II A (including maps 1, 2, 3), and II B. In Laodicea Paul singles out for separate greetings Nympha and the church in her [Greek] -2 [Greek] Did he know Nympha personally? Perhaps a group of Laodiceans living close together, but separated at some inconvenient distance from the others, met at her house for worship. So special greetings are extended to them and their hostess. For the house-church idea see 4:16 V. Exchange of Letters Requested 16 And when this letter has been read among you, see to it that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you also read the one from Laodicea. The letter, after it has been delivered to the proper ecclesiastical authorities at Colosse by Tychicus, will be read by the lector to the congregation assembled for worship. Now when this has taken place, says Paul, The believers of nearby Laodicea will not only be in this letter coming from the beloved apostle Paul, they will also be spiritually by it. So it must also be read in their midst. So far there are no difficulties. But now Paul continues: Altogether too large a literature has been built up around these few words. Countless conjectures have been made regarding this letter from Laodicea. [Greek] -2 The main ones are as follows. Paul had reference to: 1. A letter written by the LaodiceansAccording to most of the advocates of this view it was addressed to the apostle himself. This theory was strongly advocated, among others, by Theodore of Mopsuestia (a.d. 350 428), classical representative of the school of Antioch. John Calvin's defense of this view was no less vigorous. Said he, Afflicted with double mental aberration are those who think that it was written by Paul to the Laodiceans. I have no doubt that it was an epistle sent to Paul, the perusal of which might be profitable to the Colossians, as neighboring towns usually have many things in common. However, &some worthless person, I know not who, had the audacity to forge an epistle that is so insipid that it is impossible to conceive of anything more foreign to the spirit of Paul. [Greek] -2 No doubt Calvin was influenced by eagerness to reject the spurious perhaps also by hesitancy to accept a lost Pauline epistle. Among the many objections to theory (1) are the following: a. If Paul had this letter in his possession, why should he ask the Colossians to get it from the Laodiceans? b. How did he know that the Laodiceans had made a copy of their letter, before sending it to Paul? But if they had made such a copy, how did the apostle know that they would be willing to give it to the Colossians and to let them read it to the church assembled for worship? c. Why should he place these two on a par: a letter written by himself to the Colossians, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and an uninspired communication supposedly sent to him by the Laodiceans? 2. A letter written by Paul from Laodicea; perhaps Galatians or I Timothy or I Thessalonians or II ThessaloniansObjections: a. Although Paul may very well have passed through Laodicea (see Introduction III A), namely, on his way to Ephesus (third missionary journey), the design of that trip was to confirm already established churches along the route of travel, and to reach Ephesus in order to spend some time there, as he had promised. On the trip there must have been little or no time for letter writing. b. In all probability none of the letters to which reference was made was written from Laodicea. Galatians and I and II Thessalonians seem to have been written from Corinth (N.T.C. on I and II Thessalonians, pp. 15, 16). I Timothy probably originated in Macedonia (Philippi? see N.T.C. on I and II Timothy and Titus, pp. 39–41). 3. A letter written by Paul to PhilemonSince, according to this theory Philemon lived in Laodicea, this letter when it reached Colosse via Laodicea could be called the letter from Laodicea. Objection: This theory has been discussed in some detail. See Introduction IV B; and see on. Philemon, in all probability, did not live in Laodicea but in Colosse. Accordingly, there is no solid support for this view. 4. The letter to the Laodiceans which today is known as the Apocryphal Epistle to the Laodiceans [Greek] -2 Objections: a. This letter is nothing but a cento of Pauline phrases strung together without any definite connection or any clear object (Lightfoot). b. Jerome already stated that it is rejected by all. The Council of Nicea (a.d. 787) warned against it. c. It was obviously fabricated to satisfy curiosity with respect to d. Since such a disproportionately large part of this small letter was lifted from Paul's Epistle to the Philppians, it is evident that it does not even fit the Lycus Valley situation. 5. The canonical Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians This theory has gained many adherents. It is generally linked with the circular letter view of Ephesians, though the latter theory is not really dependent upon it. According to this interpretation of b, as soon as Ephesians in its circuit of the churches has been read to the church of Laodicea it must, in accordance with Paul's wishes, be sent on to Colosse in exchange for Colossians. Conclusiveproof for the correctness of this theory is lacking. It is supplied neither here in Colossians nor in. (The discussion of the latter passage would he appropriate in a Commentary on Ephesians.) On the other hand, though it is merely a theory, it is not exposed to the objections that count against the preceding four. It proceeds on the valid assumptions that both letters to which reference is made in by the apostle Paul. According to this theory, then, Ephesians, reaching the Colossians from Laodicea, will thus truthfully become the letter from the Laodiceans. 6. A genuine letter of Paul addressed to the Laodiceans, but now lostAs before (see above, under (5)), when this letter reaches the Colossians it will be the letter from the Laodiceans. Evaluation: Here, too, proof is lacking, and here, too, the theory is free from the objections mentioned as valid against the first four. The fact that this theory proceeds from the assumption that a letter written by Paul can have been lost, in the sense that it was not handed down to posterity, should not count as a valid objection. Not all of Paul's letters have been preserved (). Those favoring this theory are of the opinion that the reason why, in God's providence, Paul's letter to the Laodiceans was not preserved may well have been that the distinctive portion of the epistle that wherein it differed from Colossians, though certainly of real value for the membership in the Lycus Valley (at least for that of Laodicea and Colosse), was lacking in It must be borne in mind that Tychicus had to pass through Laodicea in order to reach Colosse. In all probability he traveled the road which Paul himself had used, but now Tychicus traveled it in reverse (from W. to E.) See Introduction II A, map 4. Would it not have been strange if, having delivered Ephesians to the elders at Ephesus, and being on his way to deliver Colossians to the authorities at Colosse, he would have had no missive from Paul to the church of Laodicea through which town he was passing? Both theories supply this need. According to (5) Tychicus could have told the Laodiceans, Paul's letter which I left at Ephesus will be sent to you presently. Having read it, send it on to the Colossians, who will send you, in exchange, the letter which we are going to deliver to them. According to (6) Tychicus, welcomed by the Laodiceans, would deliver to them Paul's letter addressed specifically to them. That letter itself probably contained a request that it (or a copy of it) be sent to the Colossians in exchange for the one addressed to them. Against (6) it is sometimes urged that Paul would hardly have asked the Colossians to convey his greetings to the brothers in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house (), if at the same time he had been writing a letter addressed specifically to the Laodiceans. Others, however, answer that for a heart so filled with love and friendliness such a thing can be considered neither impossible nor unnatural. Besides, objections have also been advanced against (5), particularly against the circular letter theory. There are times, in the course of exegesis, when a precise answer is impossible, and the choice must be left between two alternatives, in this case theory (5) and theory (6). 4:17 VI. Crisp Directive for Archippus 17 And say to Archippus, Attend to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfil it. 17. And say to Archippus. (Archippus was a member of the family of Philemon who lived in Colosse, and at whose home the church was accustomed to gather for worship. In the apostle bestows on him the signal honor of calling him our fellow-soldier. See in this volume, on. As he was probably the sonof Philemon and Apphia he cannot have been very old. We may, perhaps, compare him to Timothy to whom Paul, after his release from the present Roman imprisonment, was going to write, Let no one despise your youth). Those words were addressed to Timothy when he was perhaps somewhere between 34 and 39 years of age. See N.T.C. on I and II Timothy and Titus, p. 157. Now for this companion-in-arms, Archippus, the apostle has a special message. He expresses it in language which, because of its terse, commanding character, must have sounded all the more direct and unequivocal. Paul tells the church of Colosse to say to Archippus, Nothing further is said about the nature of this ministry. Nor are we told why Archippus had to be thus admonished. Some have thought that the reason was that he lacked diligence or energy, that he was somewhat on the lazy side, always postponing to the indefinite future the tasks that needed immediate attention. The objection to this theory is that in that case Paul would hardly have called him our fellow-. Perhaps a safer method of reaching a probable answer to the double question: a. What was this ministry? and b. Why did Paul choose this method of reminding Archippus of his responsibility? is to study the exact meaning of the expression used. Archippus must attend to the. The word in italics is the equivalent of the Greek. In Paul's writings it has several [Greek] -2 [Greek] Prominent among these meanings is, however, the spiritual one, according to which the word has reference to the office of the ministry,and the service implied in that office. In the present instance we can, perhaps, proceed even farther in arriving at a reasonable conclusion with respect to the sense of the term in. The latter passage has a very close parallel in II Tim. 4:5b Attend to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfil it. Do the work of an evangelist, your ministry discharge to the full. Now in Timothy's case that ministry was the work of an evangelist or gospel-preacher (Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11). Timothy, who, when Paul will be writing these words, will be in Ephesus as Paul's envoy, must herald the word, being on hand in season, out of season, He must reprove, rebuke, admonish, with all longsuffering and teaching (II Tim. 4:2). In Colosse, too, someone must have been in charge of the flock. When Colossians was being written and brought to its destination it could not have been Epaphras, the minister of the churches in the Lycus Valley, for just now he was with Paul in Rome, from which he is sending greetings (4:12). Who was it? In view of the striking similarity between Col. 4.17and II Tim. 4:5b, the conclusion does not seem unreasonable that this interim-shepherd was none other than Archippus. Further, since he, too, just like Timothy, was probably rather young and somewhat diffident, wondering perhaps whether the church would give him a man so inexperienced its full co-operation in this important work, the apostle, very tactfully, orders the congregationitself to encourage him by saying to him, as it were, Go right ahead, we are with you and we promise to help you in every way. The task you are trying to perform was given to you by the Lord, and you are discharging it with strength imparted by him. Hence, Attend to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfil it. All this is, of course, no more than a reasonable conjecture. 4:18 VII. Personal Greeting, Reminder, Benediction 18 The greetings by my own, Paul's, hand. Remember my bonds. Grace (be) with you. 18a. The greeting by my own, Paul's, hand. (It was customary for Paul to write a few words of greetings with his own handII Thess. 3:17; cf. I Cor. 16:21). He had a twofold purpose in doing this: a. to mark the autographed letter as a genuine one, an authentic product of the mind and heart of Paul (II Thess. 3:17); and b. to discourage the spread of spurious letters (II Thess. 2:1, 2). It is also clear from this that Paul was in the habit of dictating his letters (Rom. 16:22; Gal. 6:11; and see on Philem. 19). 18b. Remember my bonds.It is a sign of Paul's true greatness that he did not deem himself to be too exalted to solicit continued sympathy and intercession in behalf of himself, a prisoner! See on 1:9; cf. 4:3. 18c. Grace (be) with you.In this shortest possible form the benediction is also found in I Tim. 6:21II Tim. 4:22b . But though brief it is rich in meaning, for grace is the greatest and most basic blessing of all. It is God's favor in Christ to the undeserving, transforming their hearts and lives and leading them on to glory. The apostle, who in his opening salutation had spoken of (gracepeace), now closes this letter by again authoritatively pronouncing thisgrace upon the believers in [Greek] -2 _ftnref19 [Greek] Seed Thoughts of Colossians 4:2 18 (1) Persevere in prayer. Sometimes the answer does not come at once because we are not as yet ready to receive the blessing; sometimes, because the blessing is not yet ready for us. Besides, if whenever we prayed God immediatelygranted the petition, would we appreciate his blessings? (verse 2a). (2) &keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. Paul was a prisonerwhen he wrote this. How true are the lines: Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage. (Lovelace) From his first Roman imprisonment the apostle wrote four letters that have come down to us: Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, and Philippians. Colossians overflows with thanksgiving (1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 16, 17; 4:2); Ephesians, with grace (1:2, 6, 7; 2:5, 7, 8; 3:2, 7, 8; 4:7, 29; 6:24) and glory (1:6, 12, 14, 17, 18; 3:13, 16, 21); Philippians, with joy (1:4, 18, 25; 2:2, 17, 18, 28, 29; 3:1; 4:1, 4, 10); and all four with lovePhilem. 1, 5, 7, 9, 16, and cf. 12 , (verse 2b). (3) &praying also for us, that God may open to us a door for the message. The prisoner prays not for a door of exitfrom prison, but for a door for the entranceof the message (verse 3). (4) &(praying) that I may make it clear, (and may speak) as I ought to speak. Not only (whatwe say but also howwe say it is importantEph. 4:15), (verse 4). (5) &making the most of the opportunity or &buying up the opportunity. For some Time is money. For Paul it is opportunity to conduct oneself wisely toward outsiders (verse 5). (6) &so that you may know how to answer each individual. Not only whatwe say and howwe say it is important (see No. 4 above) but also to whomwe say it (verse 6). (7) All my affairs will Tychicus make known to you &Some things are better saidthan written(verses 7 and 8). (8) &Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother; Mark, the cousin of Barnabas &if he comes to you receive him. Brother (Ais very generous in his willingness to overlook the sin which brother Bcommitted against brother C,but not nearly as eager to forgive Ds trespass against himselfA). Paul, however, does both. He forgives Onesimus for having wronged Philemon, but he also forgives Mark for having wronged himself, i.e., Paul (Acts 13:13; 15:38; II Tim. 4:11), (verses 9 and 10). (9) Of those of the circumcision these are the only co-workers for the kingdom of God who have been a comfort to me. The most privileged individuals are not always the most profitable (verse 11). (10) Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always wrestling for you in his prayers that you may stand firm, mature and fully assured in all the will of God. The mark of a great leader is that he is eager to speak well of a person and to bolster confidence in him. Paul did this again and again (verses 12 and 13). (11) Luke, the beloved physician, greets you, and so does Demas. Here these two are mentioned favorably, in one breath. Later the contrast would become apparent, and Paul would write, Demas has deserted me, because he fell in love with the present world &Luke is the only one with me. Two kingdom workers may be working side by side, doing the same kind of work, as far as men can see. God sees the heart (II Tim. 4:10, 11). (12) &and the church in her house. In a sense every home should be a house-church (verse 15). (13) &see to it that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you also read the one from Laodicea. This not only because these two letterswere important to the two churches, but also because the two congregationsshould be important to each other (verse 16). (14) &that you fulfil it. Every God-given task must be fulfilled (verse 17). (15) Remember my bonds. A truly great man is not too proud to ask that he be remembered in prayer (verse 18). Paul's Epistle to the Colossians Chapter 1 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the saints and believing brothers in Christ at Colosse; grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 While praying for you we are always thanking God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you cherish for all the saints, 5 by reason of the hope laid up for you in the heavens, of which you have previously heard in the message of the truth, namely, the gospel, 6 which made its entrance felt among you, as indeed in the entire world it is bearing fruit and growing so also among yourselves from the day you heard and came to acknowledge the grace of God in its genuine character, 7 as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 And for this reason, from the day we heard it we never stopped praying for you, asking that you may be filled with clear knowledge of his will (such clear knowledge consisting) in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to live lives worthy of the Lord, to (his) complete delight, in every good work bearing fruit, and growing in the clear knowledge of God; 11 being invigorated with all vigor, in accordance with his glorious might, so as to exercise every kind of endurance and longsuffering; 12 with joy giving thanks to the Father who qualified you for a share in the inheritance of the saints in the light 13 and who rescued us out of the domain of darkness and transplanted us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, 14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, 16for in him were created all things in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities, all things through him and with a view to him have been created; 17 and he is before all things, and all things hold together in him. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence, 19 for in him he [God] was pleased to have all the fulness dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, through him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens. 21 And you, who once were estranged and hostile in disposition, as shown by your wicked works, 22 he in his body of flesh through his death has now reconciled, in order to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before himself; 23 if, indeed, you continue in the faith, founded and firm, and are not moved away from the hope that is derived from the gospel which you have heard, which was preached among every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. 24 I am now rejoicing and my sufferings for you, and what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ I in his stead am supplying in my flesh, for his body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister, according to the stewardship of God given to me for your benefit, to give full scope to the word of God, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints; 27 to whom God was pleased to make known what (is) the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory; 28 whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, in order that we may present every man perfect in Christ; 29 for which I am laboring, striving by his energy working powerfully within me. Chapter 2 1 For I want you to know how greatly I strive for you, and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 in order that their hearts may be strengthened, they themselves being welded together in love, and this with a view to all the riches of assured understanding, with a view to the clear knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ; 3 in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. 4 I say this in order that no one may mislead you by persuasive argument. 5 For, although in the flesh I am absent, yet in the spirit I am with you, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 6 As therefore you accepted Christ Jesus the Lord, (so) in him continue to live, 7 rooted and being built up in him and being established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with thanksgiving. 8 Be on your guard lest there be any one who carries you off as spoil by means of his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not according to Christ: 9 for in him all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily, 10 and in him you have attained to fulness, namely, in him who is the head of every principality and authority, 11 in whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by the putting off of the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in your baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith in the operative power of God who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you he made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses. 14 having blotted out the hand-written document that was against us, which by means of its requirements testified against us, and he took it out of the way by nailing it to the cross, 15 and having stripped the principalities and the authorities of their power, he publicly exposed them to disgrace by triumphing over them in him. 16 Therefore allow no one to pass judgment on you in questions of food or drink or with respect to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath: 17 things that were only a shadow of those that were coming, while the object casting the shadow is to be found with Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on the things he has seen, without cause puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not keeping firm hold on the Head, from whom the entire body, supported and held together by joints and ligaments, grows with a growth (that is) from God. 20 If with Christ you died to the rudiments of the world, why, as though you were (still) living in the world, do you submit to regulations, 21 Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch 22 referring to things that are meant for destruction by their consumption according to the precepts and doctrines of men? 23 Regulations of this kind, though to be sure having a reputation for wisdom because of their self-imposed ritual, humility, and unsparing treatment of the body, are of no value whatever, (serving only) to indulge the flesh. Chapter 3 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek the things that are above,where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 On the things that are above set your minds, not on the things that are upon the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ (who is) our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore your members that (are) upon the earth: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry; 6 on account of which things the wrath of God is coming; 7 in which things you also walked at one time, when you were living in them. 8 But now you, too, lay them all aside: wrath, anger, malice, slander, shameful language from your mouth. 9 No longer lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his practices, 10 and have put on the new man, who is being renewed for full knowledge according to the image of him who created him, 11 where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ (is) all and in all. 12 Put on, therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, 13 enduring one another, and forgiving each other if anyone have a complaint against anyone. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so do you also. 14 And above all these things (put on) love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of Christ, for which you were called in one body, rule in your hearts, and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell among you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another, (and) by means of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs singing to God in a thankful spirit, with all your heart. 17 And whatever you do in word or in deed, (do) all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 18 Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh toward them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, in order that they may not lose heart. 22 Slaves, obey in all things those who according to the flesh are your masters, not with eye-service as men-pleasers but with singleness of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, put your soul into the work, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the recompense, namely, the inheritance. (It is) the Lord Christ (whom) you are serving. 25 For, the wrong-doer will receive (the conquences of) what he has wrongly done. And there is no partiality. Chapter 4 1 Masters, render to your slaves that which is fair and square, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. 2 Persevere in prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving; 3 at the same time praying also for us, that God may open to us a door for the message, to speak forth the mystery concerning Christ, on account of which I am in prison, 4 (praying) that I may make it clear, (and may speak) as I ought to speak. 5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer each individual. 7 All my affairs will Tychicus make known to you, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord, 8 whom I am sending to you for this very purpose, that you may know our circumstances and that he may strengthen your hearts. 9 (He is) accompanied by Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will acquaint you with everything (that has taken place) here. This entry is longer than a Bible module can hold. The rest is at https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/hendriksen/