Introductory remarks:
Paul continues his exhortations on the social duties of the new life in Christ in verse one, and then his exhortation for prayer and his final greetings to the remainder of the epistle. "Paul asks that they pray that he can preach as he should. He says to deal wisely and graciously with outsiders. Paul says Tychicus and their own Onesimus will give details of how he is doing. He sends greetings from various people who are with him and sends greetings to a few there" (A Survey of Colossians - By Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: Social duties of the new life continued v. 1: Exhortation vv 2-6: final greetings vv. 7-18.
Social Duties of the New Life Continued
Verse 1, "Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal: knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven."
LGT "Masters, that which [is] just and that which [is] equal give to the bondsmen, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."
Remember, Paul is addressing the believers in the Colossian assembly. That which is just and that which is equal give to the bondsmen: by being in control of the servants, the boss assumes he is not under the law; however, Paul dashes that presumption: knowing that you also have a Master in heaven: if the earthly masters would follow the lead of the Heavenly Master, there would be no labor problem. The terms just and equal means to give him a just pay for his labors. The master is to treat his servants or slaves, as pleasing to his heavenly Master; however, the case may be that the Christian master has an unconverted slave, or a Christian slave may have an unconverted master; in this case the spiritual lesson still applies of being just and equal regarding the Christian master, and working "heartily as unto the Lord" with regards to the Christian servant or slave. The fact that the master knew that the same Master of heaven that ruled him also ruled his servant and this should have a great impact on how he treated his servant. He might also recollect the language of Job: "If I did despise the cause of my man-servant, when they contended [challenged] with me; what then shall I do when God riseth up? And when He visiteth, what shall I answer Him? Did not He that made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb? (Job 31:13-15).
There are those in the world who claim that the Bible justifies slavery. Any thinking Christian, who has studied grace doctrine knows this is a fallacy. John Eadie helps clear up this matter in the following two paragraphs:
"That the apostle in such admonitions pursued the wisest course, the Servile wars of Rome are abundant evidence. The principles inculcated by him lightened the burden, and their practical development in course of time removed it. So numerous were slaves, that in very many cases they far outnumbered the freemen - as in Attica, where the proportion was at least four to one. Probably very many of them were found to be in all the early churches.
The apostle lays down three positions fatal to slavery. First, he denies a common theory of the times, which seems to have regarded slaves as an inferior caste, either born so, as Aristotle affirms, or brought into servitude, as Homer sings, from mental imbecility. For he pleads for reciprocity, and thereby admits no distinction but the one of accidental rank. And, secondly, he declares that certain duties to slaves spring from natural right, an idea, the admission of which would not only at once have put an end to the incredible cruelties of Spartan and Roman slave owners, but which did also, by and by, as it leavened society, prompt Christian men to give liberty to their servants, made like themselves in God's image, and as entitled as themselves to a free personality. Thirdly, he avows that in the Christian church there is neither 'bond nor free,' and thus provides and opens a spiritual asylum, within which equality of the highest kind was enjoyed, and master and slave were not in such a relationship recognized. For master and slave were alike the free servants of a common Lord in heaven. In the meantime, as Chrysostom says, Christianity gave freedom in slavery, and this was its special distinction. The same Father tells what spiritual benefit Christian servants had often imparted to their masters' households, and Neander states that a Christian female slave was the means of bringing the province of ancient Georgia to the knowledge of Christ."
EXHORTATIONS
Verse 2, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving."
LGT "Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving:"
Prayer has three characteristics: first, we go to the throne of grace with a petition to the Father that is in line with His will, never asking for a selfish reason. Second, God speaks to us through His Word, and in it, we will find He answers us. Thirdly, we must thank Him for whatever His will might be, and not be superstitious about looking for signs; watching does not mean looking for a sign. We are to be looking to the Father mentally all the time, that is, be aware that He is always with us, and that He shares in all our trials and tribulations, and will not allow us to be tried beyond what grace supplies. To pray with thanksgiving is to pray with faith in the Father. Paul knew the Colossians were a praying group, but he exhorts them to continue in prayer, and not only praying, but steadfastly, in a spiritual dedication of continuance.
Verse 3, "Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds."
LGT "Praying at the same time also for us, in order that God may open up to us a door for discourse, to speak the mystery of the Christ, on account of which also I have been bound."
Praying at the same time for us also: while you are praying, please remember us: in order that God may open up to us a door for discourse: that we may be loosed from prison in order to give us an opportunity to get the message of grace out: to speak the mystery of the Christ: the gospel of grace, which is Christ, now offered to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. On account of which also I have been bound: this is the reason Paul has been in this Roman prison. Paul is not worried about his release from prison, just that if it is the Lord's will he may be used to get the gospel out; for Christ Himself said: "It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you." You see, Paul knew about inspiration and the Father's will, and this is the only door he is interested in. Paul labored more than any other apostle to get the Gospel of grace out to the Gentile world, for which, I for one, am eternally grateful.
Verse 4, "That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak."
LGT "In order that I may make it manifest, as it is necessary that I speak."
Paul felt it necessary to preach the gospel of grace, which is Christ to the entire world. "It is true that Paul's imprisonment kept him from reaching out to the world, but Paul felt constrained by the love of Christ for Him to share the gospel of grace to as many as he could reach."
Verse 5, "walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time."
LGT "Walk in wisdom towards those without, redeeming the time."
Walk in wisdom: walking in wisdom is living the Word. Knowledge of Bible Doctrine is necessary to be able to live Bible Doctrine. Therefore, knowledge is the intake of Doctrine, while wisdom is putting Bible Doctrine into everyday practice. Towards those without: those outside the family of God, all unbelievers. Redeeming the time: "The general meaning is purchasing, or seizing on the opportunity." Knowing that every opportunity of walking in the Light, that is, fellowship with the Father, is an opportunity to use the time wisely. We are to live according to grace doctrines that Paul has taught in these epistles, and will continue to teach in the verses following, in order that the world may see Christ in us, the Hope of glory, and that the Holy Spirit may use us to present Christ to a lost world. This is much different than trying to collar people, and pressing them for a decision; for I think this is very unwise. I believe that the believer should "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good manner of life in Christ" (1 Peter 3:15,16). And as Paul said in Eph. 5:15-17, "See, then, that ye walk circumspectly [in the Light], not as fools [con-artists and hypocrites] but as wise [those walking in fellowship], redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is." The will of God for the life of the believer is the same in every case; His will is that we study Bible Doctrine, confess all known sin to the Father, and remain in fellowship the maximum amount of time; this is buying up the time God has given us on this earth. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to live through us. Going out and trying to save the world with a misplaced zeal, is saying that what we have to say may be able to convince the unbeliever of their need for salvation. This is not our obligation; our privilege is to let our lights shine in a darkened world and let Christ, the Lamb of God seek and save the lost, by the convincing power of the Holy Spirit; if we are His instrument, so be it; however, we are not to go out and try and force the world to believe in the Christ they are rejecting. John Eadie makes this comment on unwise proselytism [to persuade someone to believe in Christ]: "Unwise efforts at proselytism defeat their own purpose; zeal without knowledge is as the thunder shower that drenches and injures, not the rain that with noiseless and gentle descent softens and fertilizes. The great Teacher Himself has said, Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend [slash] you (Matt. 7:6).
The next verse is connected with this one.
Verse 6, "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
LGT "Let your word [be] always with grace, prepared with salt, to know how it is necessary [for] you, each one to answer."
Let your word be always with grace, prepared with salt: a perfect combination. Salt makes food palatable. The believer's conversation should be in direct line with the grace in his or her heart. Salt with the Greeks was represented as wit. In this context I believe salt represents truth as Paul has presented the gospel in grace. To know how it is necessary for you, each one to answer: speak out of the heart, that is, whatever is in the heart will come out of the mouth, "Out of the abundance of the heart, man speaketh" (Luke 6:45). There is a well known phrase about, "garbage in, garbage out." Whatever we feed our minds will come out in our conversation as well as our actions. There might be a lot of things in this world of which we may plead our ignorance, but the Word of God must not be one of them. If we are ignorant of God's Word, we will not be prepared to give an answer of our hope that is in us; in fact, if we are ignorant of God's Word we may not even be aware of the blessedness of the hope that we have in our abiding relationship with our big brother and Lord, Jesus Christ. There is another grace principle in our conversation, and that is, we must show wisdom by knowing when to speak and when to keep quiet; my dad use to say to me, "it is better to keep your mouth shut, and let people think you are stupid, then to open it, and let them remove all doubt."
Eadie quotes Watson's Discourses on the Colossians, regarding talking too much with nothing to say:
"And we may generally observe, that men of the weakest minds are oftimes the most garrulous [talkative]; they unconsciously try to make up in number of words what is obviously wanting in weight and wisdom: whereas men of much grace and sound intellect try to say much in few words: they bring massive thoughts within small compass: there is hardly anything they dread more than to seem to be talking much, and yet to be really saying nothing. And it is well worthy of remark also, that he never speaks much to edification [building up of others] who knows not when to cease to speak. It is one thing to speak much, and another thing to speak with effect [grace seasoned with salt]. Much talkativeness and much grace seldom go together. Speaking and thinking aright are widely different operations of the mind; and the one is often possessed in an eminent degree, while the other is almost entirely wanting. We generally lay it down as a rule, that there is far the most depth where there is the least noise."
Final Greetings
Verse 7, "All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord:"
LGT "All the things concerning me Tychicus will make known to you, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow bondman in [the] Lord:"
Tychicus was the minister of the church in Ephesus, and Paul is sending him to the Colossians to inform of all of his affairs. Paul sends Tychicus with these three spiritual designations: First, the beloved brother in the Lord. Second, he was a faithful minister giving out the gospel of grace. Third, he was a fellow-servant, fellowshipping with them in the Lord.
Verse 8, "Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts."
LGT "Whom I sent to you for this very thing, that ye might know the things concerning us, and might encourage your hearts."
The more natural reading of this verse is, that ye might know the things concerning us, and not as the KJV has it "That he might know your estate". Tychicus would assure the Colossians that Paul and his co-workers were fine, and that all is well with them, and this would be a comfort to the Colossian believers. "The Colossians were in distress at the apostle's condition, and in sorrow for his imprisonment, but when Tychicus should tell them how he was circumstanced, and what his views and feelings were, how his mind was unruffled and his courage un-subdued, he would comfort their hearts" (John Eadie).
Verse 9, "With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here."
LGT "Together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is of you. All things here they will make known to you."
Together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother: Onesimus was a co-bearer of this letter to the Colossians. Paul says that along with Tychicus, he was a faithful and beloved brother. Who is of you: the Colossians only knew Onesimus as a runaway slave from Philemon. He either was from Colosse as his original home, or that he spent a lot of his time there. Onesimus was converted by Paul and sent back to Philemon. All things here they will make known to you: Paul will let them know by letter how things are with him and also the things in the church at Rome. "Onesimus was a slave of Philemon in Colosse. He had run away from his master, had been led to the Lord through the ministry of Paul, and was now sent back to his master by him. Paul wrote a letter to Philemon when he sent Onesimus back, and he tells Philemon that Onesimus is his beloved brother. You can see from this that there is a new relationship in Christ. Masters and slaves are now brothers in Christ Jesus" (McGee).
Verse 10, "Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)"
LGT "Aristarchus my fellow prisoner salutes you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, (concerning whom ye received orders; if he comes to you, receive him:)"
"Aristarchus was a fellow prisoner with Paul, and he was his friend. (Aristarchus went to prison on his own, in order to be with Paul and help and comfort him as much as he could) Marcus is John Mark, the nephew of Barnabas - son of his sister. He is the writer of the Gospel of Mark. You will remember that Mark left Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, and because of this Paul didn't want to take him along on the second missionary journey. Paul was wrong in his judgment of John Mark. The boy made good, and Paul acknowledged that here. Paul gives the Colossians instructions, 'Don't reject him like I did. You folks receive him.' Paul mentions John Mark again in his second letter to Timothy: " . . .Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry" (2 Tim. 4:11)" (McGee).
Verse 11, "And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me."
LGT "And Jesus, the one called Justus, who are of the circumcision; these [are the] only co-workers for the kingdom of God, who were to me a consolation."
And Jesus, the one called Justus: Jesus was a very common name then. The Hebrew rendering of the name is Joshua. Who are of the circumcision: Jewish Christians that helped Paul. These are the only co-workers for the kingdom of God, who were to me a consolation: Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus, were the only Jewish Christians that were co-laborers together with Paul. Of all the Jews in Rome, these are the only ones he names that helped him.
Verse 12, "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."
LGT "Epaphras, who is of you, a servant of Chris Jesus, salutes you, always striving for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God."
Epaphras who is of you: Epaphras was the minister serving in Colosse, and is the one who brought news of Colosse to Paul, chp. 1:7, now Epaphras is in bonds with Paul in this Roman prison. A servant of Christ Jesus: as one of the ministers in Colosse, being one with them had a deep concern for them. Salutes you: along with me sends his greetings, for he is, always striving for you in prayers: the word striving is the Greek word agonizai, and it is from this word we get our English word, agony. His prayer was intense supplication for their welfare. That ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God: this should be our prayer for all our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they stand complete in the will of God; no prayer should be offered for any thing that is not in the will of God; for to be out of the will of God, is to be out of fellowship. The word complete in this context means to be fully assured of the will of God. With all the threatening of the false doctrines that they are being challenged with by the false teachers, Epaphras prays that they stand fast in the grace doctrines he taught them, and to be full assured in God's Word and immoveable.
Verse 14, "For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis."
LGT "For I bear witness to him that he has much labor for you, and the ones in Laodicea and the ones in Hierapolis."
For I bear witness to him: Paul had a great opportunity there in prison to observe Epaphras in much detail. That he has much labor for you: is torn with agony over your welfare. And the ones in Laodicea and the ones in Hierapolis: These two cities in Asia Minor were six to ten miles apart, and about the same distance from Colosse. Epaphras was well acquainted with these cities that were so close to his assembly. These cities, in the Lycus Valley might have been evangelized through the ministry of Epaphras, and so he was much concerned for their welfare, especially in regards to the false teaching Gnostics and Judaizers.
Verse 14, "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you."
LGT "Luke the beloved physician salutes you, and Demas."
Luke the beloved physician salutes you: "Luke, the author of the gospel and the Acts. Both Mark and Luke are with Paul at this time, possibly also with copies of their gospels with them. The article here (repeated) may mean 'my beloved physician.' It would seem certain that Luke looked after Paul's health and that Paul loved him. Paul was Luke's hero, but it was not a one-sided affection" (A.T. Robertson). And Demas: this is all Paul has to say about Demas, maybe he knew something about the character of Demas, for later he deserted Paul 2 Tim. 4:10. It could be that Paul did not feel the same bond of fellowship he had with the others, especially his beloved physician.
Verse 15, "Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house."
LGT "Salute the brethren in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the assembly in her house."
Paul sends greetings to the several assemblies in Laodicea, one in particular meeting in the home of Nymphas. I have translated the house of Nymphas in the feminine "her house"; however there are good authorities that render it in the masculine "his house", and also in the plural "their houses." There is no real way of being sure, but it is of little matter. One thing of note here is that the first assemblies met in homes, and didn't meet in other buildings until the third century. Calvin even makes a note that every home in the Christian family was to be a church. McGee makes an interesting note here: "These cities had great heathen temples, but the Christians met in homes. I used to hold the viewpoint and still do - although I don't emphasize it today as I did at one time - that as the church started in the home, it is going to come back to the home." This is quite encouraging to me, for that is exactly what our family has been doing for the past twenty-five or so years; we just got fed up with the modernization of the church, entering into politics and adopting the trashy racket the world calls music, in order that they might win the world to Christ; the opposite has happened, the world has won the church to their way of thinking, which is obvious by the spiritual moronic Saddleback Church, under the tutelage of Rick the Slick Warren. These twenty-first century progressives have made it impossible for any thinking Christian that has an ounce of Bible Doctrine in their souls to be able to stomach the crap that goes on in these organized churches.
Verse 16, "And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea."
LGT "And when you may read the epistle among you, cause that it may be read in the assembly of [the] Laodiceans, and that also ye may read it from Laodicea."
The epistle to the Colossians, the one which Paul was writing at the time, after it had been read to the assemblies there, it was to be copied, and the original kept, and the copy sent to Laodicea, and then on to the other churches. Paul's epistle to the Ephesians had been copied in Ephesus and sent on the Laodiceans, and then another copy made and sent to Colosse. Without getting into the argument of which epistle the Laodiceans sent to Colosse I might add that all the epistles of the apostles were circular, and that this is the way the Word of God was circulated in the first and even down to the fourth century. It was not until the printing press was invented that it became a useful tool in every household. "Paul does not say that he had written an epistle to the Laodiceans. Apparently the letters of Paul were circulated around, and the Laodiceans had read one of them. A great many scholars believe that this might be a reference to the Epistle to the Ephesians. Paul is telling the Colossians to read that epistle also to share theirs with the Laodiceans" (McGee).
Verse 17, "And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it."
LGT "And say to Archippus, take heed to the service which thou didst receive in [the] Lord, that thou fulfill it."
Paul had a twofold purpose in sending this admonition to Archippus: (1.) Because he was given the spiritual gift of minister, Paul is saying keep on filling full your mission, that is, keep teaching grace doctrine, and (2.) In order that the Colossians would know that Paul gave him his complete approval, and that he was a grace teacher. This gave Paul peace of mind, and Archippus great confidence to have the approval of such a Godly man as Paul.
Verse 18, "The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen."
LGT "The salutation of Paul by my [own] hand. Remember my bonds. Grace [be] with you."
Paul dictated most of the letter, and most commentators believe Luke was not only his personal physician, but also his amanuensis, that is, his personal secretary taking his dictations. This salutation was Paul signing the letter with his own personal signature. Paul wanted to make sure that his epistle didn't get mixed up with the so many spurious letters and forgeries at the time. Remember my bonds: "Every possible form of remembrance they were besought to cherish. With every mention of his name, or allusion to his work, his chain was to be associated. Every picture, which their mind's eye formed of him, was to be of a prisoner. When they felt their obligation to him as an apostle, they were to think of the captivity. Their freedom of religious observance was to suggest to them, by the contrast, his incarceration. When they asked a blessing on their spiritual benefactors, they were not to forget the fetters of him - the apostle of the Gentiles. 'Remember my bonds.' When his right hand penned the salutation of the previous clause, no wonder he felt his bonds so keenly, and spoke of them, for at the same moment his left hand was chained to the right arm of the Roman soldier who kept him. And now he bids them farewell - The adieu Grace be with you is brief, but expressive. The apostle concludes as he began, with an earnest benediction, a prayer for fullness of blessing, alike for their present and eternal welfare" (John Eadie).
This letter to the Colossians has been a wonderful study for me; I hope you have been blessed also. May God continue to bless us with His wonderful Grace.
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