Introductory remarks:
In the Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul presented the church, the body of Christ, in its heavenly position in the heavenlies. In this Epistle to the Colossians Paul presents the body of Christ here on earth living Christ. Christ is the central theme of this Epistle, and the church secondary. It presents Christ living in and through the church. "Paul sends greetings from himself and Timothy to the saints at Colosse. He continually thanks God for the faith and love they show to all. The truth of the grace of God has been increasing in them since they heard of it from Epaphras. He prays they will be filled with knowledge and live in it so they do good works to please God and that He will strengthen their faith. Paul speaks of how God has made Christ the center of the universe and, that we, who were enemies, are reconciled to God through Christ's death on the cross. Paul has been sent by God to build the saints by preaching the mystery to the Gentiles" (A Survey of Colossians - By Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: Salutation vv. 1-2: Paul thanks God for the Colossians vv. 3-8: The Person and work of Christ vv. 9-23: Paul's ministry to the Church vv. 24-29.
Salutation
Verse 1, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother.
LGT "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timotheus the brother."
It is believed by many that Paul never visited Colosse, but the Colossians certainly must have heard of Paul and Timothy. Paul does not mention Timothy as an apostle, but as his brother in Christ. Paul calls him "his son", and many believe that Paul led Timothy to Christ. The assembly in Colosse met in the home of Philemon.
Verse 2, "To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
LGT "To the saints in Colosse and faithful brethren in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father."
To the saints in Colosse and faithful brethren in Christ: Saints here is used as a noun and not an adjective. The saints and faithful brethren are one and the same. If they were two different groups each would have the article "the" prefixing them. They are connected by a coordinating conjunction. All believers are saints, which mean "set apart unto God", by being in Christ. Once we believe, the Holy Spirit places us into eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are then named saints. We don't become saints by works, but simply by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. Grace to you and peace from God our Father: the Author of all grace. It is fitting that Paul begins his epistles with the word "grace", for his entire message is based on grace. Without the grace of God there would be no Glad Tidings to present.
Paul Thanks God for the Colossians
Verse 3, "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you."
LGT "We give thanks to God [the] Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, continually praying concerning you."
Paul is saying that he and Timothy are thanking God every time they pray for the believers in Colosse. "Paul and Timothy on hearing about the progress the Colossians were making, did not congratulate themselves, but gave glory to God" (Eadie).
Verse 4, "Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints:"
LGT "Having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which ye have towards all the saints:"
Having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus: Paul now gives the reason they praised God in their prayers. Paul and Timothy had heard from Epaphras of the faith the Colossians had in Christ Jesus. And the love which ye have towards all the saints: Paul particularizes the fact that they love all the saints, not all men. It is right to love all men, but not with the same love; this love the Colossians had for the saints was agape love, which cannot be produced in the soul, but must be produced by the Holy Spirit. The love that we might have for the unbeliever is philo love, which is friendship love, and may be based on the fact that they are God's creation; we love them based upon our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ; we love the saints based upon their own relationship with Jesus Christ, that is, we love them as family members.
Verse 5, "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel."
LGT "On account of the hope which [is] laid away for you in the heavens; which ye heard of before in the Word of the Truth of the Glad Tidings:"
On account of the hope which is laid away for you in the heavens: this phrase is connected logically with the first phrase of verse 3, "We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," On account of the hope which is laid away for you in the heavens. This hope is kept out of reach of all enemies and sorrow. Which ye heard of before in the Word of the Truth of the Glad Tidings: the hope of all that heaven has for them, they have heard before. The Gospel of Grace is the only place they could find this hope. "The Word of the Truth of the Gospel could alone reveal the nature and the certainty of future and celestial blessedness. "The idea and expectation of spiritual felicity [eternal bliss] and glory in heaven are not connected with the sciences of earth, which deal so subtly with the properties and relations on mind and matter. These forms of knowledge and discovery lead but to the lip of the grave, and desert us amidst the dreary wail of dust to dust and ashes to ashes, but the truth contained in the gospel throws its radiance beyond the sepulcher, unveils the portals of eternity, and discloses the reality, magnitude, and character of 'the hope laid away in heaven.' And, therefore, every blessing which the gospel makes known has futurity in its eye - an eye that pierces beyond the present horizon; and the Christian life, in the meantime, is one as much of expectation as of positive enjoyment" (John Eadie).
Verse 6, "Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and the grace of God in truth."
LGT "Which is present unto you, just as also in all the world, [and] are bringing forth fruit, and growing, just as also in you, from the day which ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth."
Which is present unto you: the gospel of grace has come to them and it is present with them. Just as also in all the world: While the false doctrines were limited to certain areas, the gospel of grace had been noised abroad in the entire world. There is no good reason to limit the "world" gr. cosmos to the Roman Empire, as some commentators are wont to do, making it a hyperbole [an overstatement], such as McGee, Barnes, Robertson, etc. The reason I believe they do this is to make sure we send out missionaries to the entire world, because some in the world have never heard; I believe that missionaries ought to go forth, but not to bring them a new gospel, but to teach them the truth of the gospel of grace, which they heard, but rejected. There are no societies in existence that have never heard; they might be ignorant of grace, but they are not ignorant of God and his Son. The heathen has invented all types of imitations to take the place of God, in order that they might live according to their evil lusts; the missionary is privileged to bring them the Good News that will loose them from the bonds of deliberate ignorance. Missionary endeavor ought not to be from obligation but from privilege. And are bringing forth fruit, and growing: the Word of God does not return unto God void of fruit, and it grows the serious student.
John Eadie notes on this phrase:
"That gospel in all the world was no idle and barren speculation - a tinted cloud without rain, or a polished cistern without water. Or rather, it was a tree - yielding his fruit in his season: whose leaf never fadeth. The gospel bore choice and noble clusters of fruit. It is not a ceremonial to be gazed at, or a congeries of opinions to be discussed. It is essentially a practical system, for its ethics are involved in its creed and worship. It makes the heart its home, and diffuses its control and its impulses over thought and action, over motive and life. That fruit is the assemblage of graces which adorn the Christian character."
Just as in you: this gospel of grace has the same gracious effect on all who study it. From the day which ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth: from the first day that they heard the gospel of grace from Epaphras, they accepted it as God's Word, and it insulated them against the false teachings of Gnosticism. The sense is, that from the very first of their hearing the grace doctrines they began growing spiritually, and this was the Word bearing its fruit.
Verse 7, "As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow-servant, who is for you a faithful minister."
LGT "Just as ye learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ for you, on your behalf."
Just as ye learned from Epaphras: Epaphras was the leader of the Christian assembly in Colosse that met in the home of Philemon. Our beloved fellow-servant: Paul felt a special bond with those fellow ministers who were faithful presenting the gospel of grace. Who is a faithful servant of Christ for you: faithful serving the Colossians as their leader in presenting the gospel of grace. On your behalf: Epaphras was a faithful minister, serving them at Colosse for their spiritual welfare.
Verse 8, "Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit."
LGT "Who also made manifest to us your love in [the] Spirit."
Paul says that Epaphras had made known to them of their love, motivated by the Holy Spirit, was manifested in them. Divine agape love is produced and made manifest in the life of the believer by the Holy Spirit; there is no other way for it to be produced; it cannot be imitated, nor can it be produced without the Spirit, and this can only be accomplished as we are in fellowship with the Father: "He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him."
The Person and Work of Christ
Verse 9, "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."
LGT "On this account we also, from the day of which we heard [of it], do not cease praying for you, and making request that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and insight."
On this account we also, from the day of which we heard of it: since we heard of your faith and love toward all the saints; because of the grace that is in you; because of the hope laid up for you; because of your faith that sustains you; because of the zeal and the genuineness of your Christianity: do not cease praying for you: because of their progress and spiritual growth, Paul says that they will continue to make request for the Colossian believers. And making request that ye be filled with the knowledge of His will: the Greek word for "knowledge" here is epignosis, meaning complete knowledge or full knowledge. "The Colossians had gnosis, but the apostle wished them to be filled with additional and supplemental knowledge, not new knowledge, or a different form or section of Christian science, but a fuller development of the partial theological information which they already possessed. Had he gently wished them somewhat more knowledge, he might have used gnosis, but as he prayed that they might be filled with more of that insight which they already enjoyed, such an accumulation was naturally expressed by epignosis" (John Eadie). Robertson says that this is "Paul's answer to the conceit of Gnosticism." Of course God's will is that they grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth, as we see by the next phrase. In all spiritual wisdom and insight: these Christians need this spiritual wisdom and understanding in order to combat the false doctrines that continually try to creep into the church; we too, in our Christ-less society need the full armor of God. This spiritual wisdom and understanding is in contrast with the humanistic false teachings of the Gnostics and Essenes. This spiritual insight is not simply the opposite of carnal lusts, but that insight that comes from serious Bible study, and is given by the agency of the Holy Spirit; spiritual wisdom and insight cannot come through any other agency but the Word of God and the revealing by the Holy Spirit. God can only reveal the mysteries of His grace through His Word guided by His Holy Spirit.
Verse 10, "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."
LGT "To walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, in every good work, bringing forth fruit and growing into the knowledge of God:"
To walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing: Once they received the full knowledge of the Lord through serious study of the Word, they were to respond by walking pleasing, by obeying Bible Doctrine, that is, adjusting their lives to the Word. This is wisdom; the appropriation of Bible Doctrine is full knowledge; putting these doctrines into every day experience results in spiritual wisdom. In every good work: allowing the Holy Spirit to work through them. Bringing forth fruit and growing into the knowledge of God: this is the result of knowledge and practice. This is a continual spiritual exercise as long as we take a breath.
Verse 11, "Strengthened with all might, according to the glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness."
LGT "With all power and strengthened according to the might of His glory, unto all endurance and longsuffering. With joy."
Allowing the Holy Spirit to strengthen and giving them grace to endure with longsuffering and joy, the surrounding circumstances is spiritual wisdom. The Word of God is the source of all spiritual insight, and the Holy Spirit is the source of all power needed to succeed spiritually, and grow in grace and the full knowledge of Truth.
Verse 12, "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."
LGT "Giving thanks unto the Father, who has fitted us for the share of the inheritance of the saints in the Light."
Giving thanks unto the Father: Paul returns to thanking the Father, and now begins to enumerate the things, which he is thankful for. All prayers should be directed to our heavenly Father. It is because of his spiritual insight and wisdom, and being strengthened and inspired by the Holy Spirit that he is able to teach these wonderful doctrines of grace. Paul teaches that they have everything to be thankful to the Father for and nothing in themselves in which to glory; they have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light; the Father, by His wonderful grace, is the Author of salvation, and sent His Son to die in our stead; the Father gave the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers, in order that they might walk worthy of this wonderful calling of being children of God. Who has fitted us: the apostle includes himself in this. The Father has fitted or qualified all believers to what he is describing as the benefits of divine grace. For the share of the inheritance of the saints of Light: as we walk in the Light on this earth, we will be forever in the Light in eternity. This light is Christ and all that the Truth of Christ is, for it is called, the Kingdom of Light. God has fitted the believer with the Earnest of the inheritance, the Holy Spirit, and with the blessed hope of eternity in the light.
John Eadie describes the believer being fitted for the Kingdom of Light:
"Man is incapable of enjoying it [the Kingdom of Light] by nature; for darkness covers his mind, and impurity has seized upon his heart, and he must needs be changed. John 3:3. He has no loyalty to its God, no love to its Savior, no relish for its pursuits, and no sympathy with its inhabitants. His nature must be brought into harmony with the scene, and into congeniality with the occupations of such a world of light. So that every element of mental obscurity, all that tends to the dark and dismal in temperament, and all that vails the nobility of an heir of God is dissolved, and fades away in the superior glory. The 'saints' possess it - therefore, their sanctification is complete. No taint of sin remains, no trace of previous corruption can be discerned. The language of prayer is superseded by that of praise, and the tongue shall be a stranger for ever to moaning and confession. None but the saints, as being 'light in the Lord,' can dwell in that light. An unregenerate spirit would feel itself so solitary and so unhappy, especially as it saw its hideousness mirrored in that sea of glass which sleeps before the throne, that it would rather plunge for relief into the gloom of hell, and there for a moment feel at ease among others so like it in punishment and crime. Again, the one inheritance is shared by many participants, and they who are to enjoy it are made meet for social intercourse. Selfishness vanishes before universal love, the intense yearnings of a spiritual brotherhood are developed and perfected, for the entire assemblage is so united as if only one heart thrilled in their bosom, while one song bursts from their lips . . . The Father qualifies them: and from Him are blood that pardons, the Spirit that purifies, the truth which nourishes, the hope which sustains, the charter which secures - the whole preparation which qualifies for the heavenly inheritance . . . So sudden and vast is the change from expectation to enjoyment, and from pain to rapture, that the translated saint will feel a zest on entering heaven which cannot be tasted by those who have never had experience of any other state or sphere of existence."
Verse 13, "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."
LGT "Who delivered us out from the authority of darkness, and translated [us] in the kingdom of the Son of His love."
Who delivered us out from the authority of darkness: God redeemed us out from the slave market of sin by the blood of His dear Son. The authority of darkness is none other than Satan himself, the prince of the power of the air, the ruler of darkness (Eph. 2:2). The unbeliever refuses the kingdom of light, because he loves darkness rather than light, because his deeds are evil continually (John 3:19). And translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love: Christ is now the moral sovereign ruler of the entire universe, and will take back the scepter from Satan when he binds him with chains, and casts him into the bottomless pit for one thousand years before the beginning of the Millennium. The Son of His love means, that Jesus Christ excites the love of the Father, and that no stronger love could possibly be. And a wonderful aspect of this agape love is that God loves us with exactly the same love that He has for His only begotten Son. All that the Son has is ours. Don't ask me to explain it, just believe it, because the Father has said it.
Verse 14, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins."
LGT "In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
In Christ we have redemption. Christ redeemed us from the darkened slave market of sin by His death on the Cross. Christ took on Himself our sins, and in turn imputed on us His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). God forgave us our sins based on Christ's redeeming work on Calvary. Adam's sin was imputed on us, and Christ took them upon Himself and imputed His righteousness on us in order that God would forgive us all our sins, past, present, and future. The Holy Spirit did not come down and take up residence in the soul of man until it was redeemed and justified and made pure and righteous by the death of Christ. The Holy Spirit could not reside in a dead spirit, for it first had to be made alive (Eph. 2:1) by the wonderful redemption of Christ, making the believer's spirit live and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Verse 15, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature."
LGT "Who is [the] image of the God, the invisible, the firstborn of all creation."
Who is the image of the God: not simply a mere likeness, but the exact essence. The invisible: "the meaning here is that the being and perfections of God are accurately and fully represented by Christ . . . No eye has seen Him, or can see Him; but in what Christ is, and has done in the works of creation and redemption, we have a fair and full representation of what God is" (Albert Barnes). The firstborn of all creation: the birth is never referred to in His relation to His Father but only to His earthly Mother. Christ created the universe with the Father and Holy Spirit; He was of the same divine essence; This entire verse is to refute the Gnostic heresy that denied Christ's humanity and deity; He was truly human and truly divine, He was very God of very God; the phrase means that He existed with the Father before creation; He was eternally existing with the Father and Holy Spirit. Christ was not created but He created.
Verse 16, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him."
LGT "Because in Him were created all things in the heavens and upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, whether lordships, whether principalities, whether authorities: all things through Him and unto Him were created:"
Because in Him were created all things in the heavens and upon earth: the first thing to be noted is that, as noted by Vincent, "In Him is not instrumental but local; not denying the instrumentality, but putting the fact of creation with reference to its sphere and center. In Him, within the sphere of His personality, resides the creative will and the creative energy, and in that sphere the creative act takes place. Thus creation was dependent on Him." The next thing is why Paul is making this truth about Christ creating the universe; (1.) He is refuting the Gnostic vain philosophy that Christ Himself was created, and that the Godhead was made up of demiurges, that is, one god creating another subordinate god, who in turn creates another subordinate god; one god creating material things, another creating invisible things, etc. etc. (2.) By this nonsense the Gnostics denied Christ's deity. I must remind you that the Word of God cannot be explained by physical phenomenon, it must be understood and explained spiritually, that is, in the Light of God's Word. All explanations that are not out of the Word of God are vain philosophy and speculations out of the feeble mind of men. The visible: our physical universe created in six days. And the invisible: the angelic hosts and their sphere. Whether thrones, whether lordships, whether principalities, whether authorities: so many existing suppositions by commentators regarding this verse I don't feel qualified to comment on it. It seems to me that what Paul is saying is that Christ, being the creator of the universe, stands high above any other created thing. "The object of the apostle is to show that Jesus is the creator, not simply of lower modes of being, but of the higher Essences of the Universe. Yes, those beings, so illustrious as to be seated on thrones; so noble as to be styled 'dominions;' so elevated as to be greeted with the title 'principalities;' and so mighty as to merit the appellation of 'powers;' these, so like God as to be called 'gods' themselves (Psalm 97:7), bow to the Son of God as the one author of their existence, position, and prerogative. As no atom is too minute, so no creature too gigantic for His plastic hand. What a reproof to that 'worshipping angels' afterward reprobated by the apostle - beings who are only creatures, and who themselves are summoned to do suite and service to the First-born" (John Eadie). All things through Him and unto Him were created: Christ created the Universe, and all things in it for His own glory. "The false teachers maintained that the universe proceeded from God indirectly, through a succession of emanations [productions]. Christ, at best, was only one of these. As such, the universe could not find its consummation in Him" (Marvin Vincent).
Verse 17, "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
LGT "And He is before all things, and all things in Him subsist."
Christ existed in eternity past before all things were created. Christ pre-existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for they are all eternal, that is, they had no beginning. Christ not only created all things, He holds all things together subsisting. Nothing in this universe of His goes unnoticed or unobserved; nothing happens by chance. Christ holds this universe together, while Satan seeks to destroy it.
Marvin Vincent quotes Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria (A.D. 196-?).
"He, the All-powerful, All-holy Word of the Father, spreads His power over all things everywhere, enlightening things seen and unseen, holding and binding all together in Himself. Nothing is left empty of His presence, but to all things and through all, severally and collectively, He is the giver and sustainer of life . . . He, the Wisdom of God, holds the universe in tune together. He it is who, binding all with each, and ordering all things by His will and pleasure, produces the perfect unity of nature and the harmonious reign of law. While He abides unmoved forever with the Father, He yet moves all things by His own appointment according to the Father's will."
"Christ is the controlling and unifying force in nature. The Gnostic philosophy that matter is evil and was created by a remote aeon is thus swept away. The Son of God's love is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe which is not evil" (A.T. Robertson).
John Eadie notes on Christ's Eternal Being:
"Priority of existence belongs to the great First Cause. He, who made all, necessarily existed before all. Prior to His creative work, He had filled the unmeasured periods of an un-beginning eternity. Matter is not eternal - is not the dark and necessary circumference of His bright Essence. He pre-existed it, and called it into being. Everything is posterior [after Him] to Him, and nothing coeval [contemporary] with Him. And the present tense is employed - 'He is,' not 'He was.' (John 8:58) His is unchanging being. At every point of His existence it may be said of Him, He is. He is all that He was, and all that He will be - and comprises in Him the birth and end of time. Were His existence measured by human epochs [periods or ages], you might say of Him at some bygone period 'He was' - but the apostle, glancing at His immutability [never changing] of nature, simply says, 'He is'."
Verse 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 preeminence."
LGT "And He is the head of the body, the assembly: who is [the] beginning, first born from among the dead, in order that He might be in all things holding the first place."
And He is the head of the body, the assembly: Christ is the head of the church, meaning the individual believer, not a group or organization. Believers should never subject themselves under any earthly authority, for Christ and Christ alone is the Head. There is nothing more blasphemous than for the Roman Church to subjugate poor ignorant people, trying to put them under the rule of the Pope, who is nothing more than a self-righteous imposter, who is of his father the devil. Who is the beginning: Christ is the originator of our salvation, and has reconciled the believer to God by the Blood of His Cross. First born from among the dead: Christ's resurrection was proof to all believers that they will be raised incorruptible. In order that He might be in all things holding the first place: "Christ became head of the Church by His incarnation and death on the cross; He became ruler of the universe by His absolute and eternal being" (Marvin Vincent). "The divine is not dwarfed into the human, nor has the human been absorbed into the divine, but both pre-exist without mixture or confusion. The incarnation of Jesus illuminates the Old Testament as a promise, and fills the New Testament as a fact" (John Eadie). "None like Christ is the decision of faith: none but Christ is the motto of love."
Verse 19, "For it pleased the Father that in him should all the fullness dwell."
LGT "Because in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell."
The words "the Father" are not in the original, but are properly supplied, because in God's great divine plan of salvation, not only did Christ go to the cross and secure our salvation, but Christ also supplied all the grace we need in time, to perfect us for eternity. All the riches of divine grace are found in Christ, and this pleased the Father, for He has seated Christ at His own right hand to share in all eternal benefits of this fullness. "In short, every grace, as it is needed, and when it is needed, in every variety of phases [utterance or speech] and operation; every grace, either to nurse the babe or sustain the perfect man, to excite the new life or to foster it, to give pardon and the sense of it, faith and the full assurance of it, purity and the felt possession of it; every blessing, in short, for health or sickness, for duty or trial, for life or death, for body or soul, for earth or heaven, for time or eternity, is wrapt up in that fullness which dwells in Christ" (John Eadie).
Verse 20, "And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."
LGT "And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross, [by Him] whether the things upon the earth, or things in the heavens."
And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself: Reconciliation is God acting toward man, redemption is the price paid for man. Christ is the chosen Agent in reconciling believers to the Father. It pleased the Father to reconcile a lost world to Himself by the blood of the cross. Christ was willing to become a man and take the sin of the world upon Himself, in order that man might be made righteous through the imputation of His own righteousness on them, and to make fallen humanity fit for His presence, back to the Father; I say back to the Father, because, Adam lost his perfect standing before God in Paradise, and his sin was imputed on mankind, so Christ went to the cross willingly to bring man back to God. The "all things" in this phrase limits this reconciliation to those who believe, and thus are appointed to reconciliation. We may dismiss that foolish notion of Norman Vincent Peale, and that insipid Robert Schuler, in teaching the restoration of all things being that eventually all will be saved, regardless of whether or not they accept Christ as Savior; this 'Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man nonsense', is right out of the garbage can of hell. Having made peace through the blood of His cross: Christ has made peace between the lost sinner and God; God cannot look at sin or even tolerate sin. Christ removed the great sin barrier between God and man by becoming sin for us, and now Christ says, "come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28): rest being eternal rest, salvation through the blood of Christ. Paul wrote about this peace in Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." By Him whether the things upon earth, or things in the heavens: this phrase means that reconciliation will bring peace and harmony between heaven and earth. The meaning then is bringing together both heaven and earth in submission to one Head, Christ. Bringing peace between the angels in heaven who do not stand in need of salvation, and redeemed men who have received reconciliation. John Eadie has this paragraph on reconciling things in heaven with things on earth:
"But when angels found out the ineffable [indescribable] stores of the Divine benignity [benevolence] towards man - in the mission and death of Jesus, in the untold abundance and fullness of blessings conferred upon him, in a vast salvation secured at a vast expense, and in a happy alliance concluded between them and the ransomed church - did they not share in the same reconciliation and feel themselves drawn nearer a God of grace, whom they can now love with a higher thrill and praise with a more rapturous hallelujah? In being re-united with man they feel themselves brought closer to God, and though they sing of a salvation which they did not require, still they experience the Savior's tenderness, and are charmed with the reign of His crowned humanity. The gloom that sin had thrown over them is dispelled; and creation as one united whole rejoices in the presence of God. The one Reconciler is the Head of these vast dominions, and in Him meet and merge the discordant elements, which sin had introduced. The breach is healed. Gabriel embraces Adam, and both enjoy a vicinity to God, which but for the reconciliation of the cross would never have been vouchsafed [to grant special favor] to either. The humanity of Jesus bringing all creatures around it unites them to God in a bond, which never before existed - a bond which has its origin in the mystery of redemption. Thus all things in heaven and earth feel the effect of man's renovation . . . Then at length starts into view the blessed kingdom - 'the new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.' The blood of His, that is, Christ's cross, was the source of peace - the reference being to the atoning sacrifice presented on Calvary."
Verse 21, "and you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled to God."
LGT "And you being in time past alienated and enemies in the mind in your evil works:"
And you being in time past alienated and enemies: God seeks men while they are yet sinners; He does not wait until man cleans himself up and make himself presentable to God; this is an impossible task; man must wait on God, by faith, to clean him up. Man is reconciled to God by faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed on him, and this makes him presentable to the Father. In the mind: this is where all choices are made. Man does not go to hell because they have committed some horrible sin, but because they make the wrong choice. If a man chooses to believe the truth of the Word of God for salvation, they will be saved; however, most men choose not to believe, because they love darkness rather than Light, because their deeds are evil. In your evil works: the choice not to believe results in wicked works, for the unbeliever sins as a way of life, that is, lawlessly. "Their alienation from God in their outward works exhibit themselves" (Marvin Vincent). Men in trying to rid themselves of every thought of God, hate Him so much, they make every invention of evil works to hide from God. Man is running away from God as fast as he can, and only those who realize it is futile, and that you can not escape, are rescued by Him, and reconciled to Him, and are given a new mind, and a live spirit in harmony with the Holy Spirit. The unbeliever is ruled by laws that protect them from other men; the believer is ruled by the grace of God, which protects him from God's wrath against all unrighteousness. "Fear not those who may take your life; but rather fear him that may take your soul." We either serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, or we serve Satan, the father of all lies.
Verse 22, "in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight."
LGT "Yet now He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before Him."
Yet now He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death: Christ became incarnate, by taking on the human form of man: He became flesh in order that He might die on the cross to reconcile us to God. Paul makes it very plain that Christ was truly human, against the Docetic Gnostics that denied Christ's humanity. Without human flesh Christ could not have died for the sins of the world. "For it was necessary that the Son of God should become man, and be partaker of our flesh, that He might be our brother: it is necessary that He should by dying become a sacrifice, that He might make His Father propitious [God being completely satisfied with Christ's as our sin sacrifice] to us" (Calvin). To present you holy: to present the believer as a separation unto God from all worldly defilement. And without blemish: perfect without spot or wrinkle. And unreproveable: not only free from blemish, but also from any charge of it. Before Him: before Him is referring to God. It has to do with future judgment, but also it refers to the present; we stand before God perfect in Christ, now and forever.
Verse 23, "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister."
LGT "Since indeed ye continue in the faith grounded and firm, and not being moved away from the hope of the Glad Tidings which ye heard, the one proclaimed in all creation which [is] under heaven, of which I Paul became a servant."
Since indeed ye continue in the faith: the "if" here in the KJV "is a condition of the first class determined as fulfilled" (A.T. Robertson), and is better translated since, as a matter of fact ye are continuing in the faith etc. Grounded and firm, and moved away from the hope of the Glad Tidings which ye heard: "Paul's point is that we have been reconciled - it is an accomplished fact. So if you are a child of God today, you will continue in the faith grounded and settled. You will not be moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard" (McGee). The One proclaimed in all creation which is under heaven: the gospel has been proclaimed in all the world, or Paul could not have said it. Paul does not say all believed, simply that all have heard. Of which I Paul became a servant: I Paul, became a minister of the gospel of grace by the will of God. Paul reverts back to his calling and it is a good introduction into the next section of this epistle.
Paul's Ministry to the Church
Verse 24, "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church."
LGT "Now I am rejoicing in the sufferings for you, and I am filling up that which is behind of the tribulations of the Christ in my flesh for His body, which is the church."
Now I am rejoicing in the sufferings for you: Paul is writing this epistle to the Colossians from a Roman prison, and he is not despondent and depressed, but he is rejoicing and praising the Lord. And I am filling up that which is behind of the tribulations of the Christ: this difficult passage is teaching us that Paul's suffering had no redemptive value whatsoever. The suffering that was left behind by Christ is the suffering Paul was experiencing because of his identification with Christ. Paul identified in Christ's suffering physically, and that is exactly what Christ had taught His disciples before he went to the cross. Any suffering the believer might experience because of taking a stand for Christ, has nothing to do with redemption, and cannot be construed deliberately by the Roman church as absolution, but is part of the perfecting process of knowing the true meaning of "fellowshipping in His suffering, and the power of His resurrection" (Phil. 3:10). "The sufferings of Christ are over, but the sufferings of His family continue." In my flesh for His body, which is the church: Christ died in order that we all might be part of His body; Christ suffered for the body as the Head; Paul suffered for the body as one of its members. Very few of us have ever suffered on account of our union with Christ; but we are able to fellowship in Christ's suffering by fellowshipping in His Word, "That I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable unto His death."
Verse 25, "Wherefore I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God."
LGT "Of which [church] I became a servant according to the dispensation of God, which [is] given me towards you to complete the Word of God."
Of which church I became a servant: this marks out why he suffered, the fact that God made him a minister to the church. According to the dispensation of God: The word dispensation, oikonomian, means a house-steward; "the word is used of the divine arrangement or economy committed to Paul" (Marvin Vincent). Which is given me towards you to complete the Word of God: this does not mean the Word of God is incomplete; it means that Paul is sent to teach all about the grace of God, which now includes the Gentiles along with the Jews. Paul is now completing what the Old Testament gave with signs and institutions. So the term "complete" means to fulfill the teaching of the Word of God as it is given to Paul by the Holy Spirit; Paul was inspired to give the church grace doctrine, and it was now open to all classes of men.
Verse 26, "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints."
LGT "The mystery which was has been hidden from the ages and from generations - but now was made manifest to His saints."
The mystery which was hidden from the ages and from generations: a mystery is something that had been hidden in the past is now revealed. But now was made manifest to His saints: The doctrine of the gospel of grace being offered to all, Jew and Gentile alike, had been foretold in the Old Testament, but now has been made manifest by Paul to the Gentiles; this gospel of grace was not only taught by Paul, but by other apostles as well. The fact of God's grace was not the hidden mystery, but the fact that it was offered to the Gentiles and to the entire world. This mystery was a very hard thing for the apostle Peter to accept.
Verse 27, "To whom God would make known that the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
LGT "To whom God did will to make known what the riches of the glory of this mystery [are] among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of the glory."
To whom God did will: God was well pleased. To make known what the riches of the glory of this mystery: to make known the riches of His Divine grace. Paul was chosen to make known the gospel of grace by the will of God. Among the Gentiles: The fact of the gospel of grace being offered to the Gentiles was this great mystery. Which is Christ in you: the moment you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit places you into union with the Lord Jesus Christ, and you become Christ's brother or sister, and you become part of His family, known as the church. The hope of the glory: the hope of the glory of the riches of grace is not the riches in themselves, but the fact that the Gentiles could appreciate them as their hope of glory. Their hope of glory was not Christ in Himself, but that they were in union with Him, that is, they possessed Christ, and Christ possessed them. The hope of glory is what the believer partially appreciates in time, but will fully possess in heaven.
Verse 28, "Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ."
LGT "Whom we announce, cautioning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, in order that we may present every man perfect in Christ:"
Whom we announce: Jesus Christ in you "the hope of glory" is the Gospel of grace. You cannot preach the gospel without preaching Christ. Cautioning every man: Paul states the phrase every man three times emphasizing the universality of the gospel of grace, and as Vincent says, "against the intellectual exclusiveness of the false teachers." Paul wanted to caution every man that they must look to Christ, and put their trust in Him. And teaching every man in all wisdom: the wisdom of the gospel of grace is that it is open to all, and most important, it is free to all. In order that we may present every man perfect in Christ: by accepting Christ every man is at once perfect in Christ. Once a person is saved he is saved for all eternity, and this wonderful gospel of free grace is universally open to all. This is the positional side of salvation; the practical or experiential sanctification is that the believer become mature in the doctrines of free grace, this is the process of being perfected in Christ every day, that is, growing in grace and the knowledge of truth. Maturity is experienced by daily fellowship with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, by confessing sin, and by serious Bible study.
Verse 29, "Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily."
LGT "Whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working, which works in me with power."
Whereunto I also labor: Paul is laboring to get souls saved, and he is also working to help Christians in Colosse reach spiritual maturity. Striving according to His working, which works in me with power: the mighty power of God was working in Paul to get the gospel of grace out to every man, and to build believers up in the Lord Jesus Christ.
John Eadie has these concluding remarks: "It was, indeed, no sluggish heart that beat in the apostle's bosom. His was no torpid [lazy] temperament. There was such keenness in all its emotions and anxieties, that its resolve and action were simultaneous movements. But though he labored so industriously, and suffered so bravely in the aim of winning souls to Christ and glory, still he owned that all was owing to Divine power lodged within him
The work to be perform'd is ours,
The strength is all His own;
'Tis He that works to will
'Tis He that works to do;
His is the power by which we act,
His be the glory too.
Therefore the apostle concludes - He labored not only under the prompting of the Divine energy (the Holy Spirit), but he labored just so far as that imparted energy enabled him. 1 Cor. 15:10, "By the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
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