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Colossians

Paul took the time to express his positive image of the faithful of Colossae (Colossians 1:3 – 8).  Their faith and love had been successful, prompting thanksgiving by other.  Their attitude of confident expectation of heaven had and would continue to produce results.  They were producing fruit on par with everyone else.  The type of love that was in them as a result of the Holy Spirit, God’s love, was being reported.  Such reminders are part of what the church is, building up others despite situations and distance.  To the faithful, such encouragement is reflex.

After hearing of the gracious natures of the faithful of Colossae, Paul and company prayed that they would make even bigger gains: wisdom, knowledge, understanding, patience, longsuffering, joy, and thankfulness (Colossians 1:9 – 12).  These character traits, which are products of the indwelling Spirit, result in walking worthily, pleasingly, and productively.  The faithful never settle for the minimum threshold of acceptability, but take the time to exhort one another to greater heights.

The gospel should be good news.  Paul showed how to address the mistakes of the past without evoking negativity, guilt, or shame (Colossians 1:13 – 23).  For the faithful, the memories of the past are about joy and thankfulness for deliverance.  Paul emphasized the family relationship.  God took on the older brother role, who then made the universe as an incubator for faith.  He planned ahead to handle our justice problem because the objective was not benchmark behavior but mutual trust.  The faithful continue in their role of building that trust.

Paul viewed the discomforts generated by his life as an apostle in much the same way as Jesus viewed His (Colossians 1:24 – 25).  Paul (and Jesus) rejoiced in that discomfort because of the results.  By way of illustration, athletes suffer significantly during training, but such is endured joyfully because of the success it produces.  Paul was discharging a responsibility as an apostle for the sake of those other people who cared about God.  The modern faithful take up that role as ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), finding joy in the hardship.

Before the era of the indwelling Spirit, even faithful people kept doing more and more damage to their characters, so life was a downhill spiral.  How people could ever improve was a mystery.  Part of the Good News was that this transformation into godly character was now available (Colossians 1:28 – 28).  The faithful today are not forgiven failures but works-in-progress as the Spirit rebuilds.  The faithful have hope of something better not only at Judgment, but also in the present.  This hope is not about comfort but about character.

Paul enjoined the faithful of Colossae to keep it simple (Colossians 2:4 – 23).  The tools of deception were listed as persuasion, philosophy, tradition, false humility, worship of angels, visions, and asceticism.  In contrast, the Good News abounds with thanksgiving, the hope of completeness, defeating the flesh, trusting the promises of God, connectedness, understanding redemption, and depending on the power of God.  The faithful have joy today as well as hope for the future, knowing that family cohesion means a lot more than health and wealth.

The perspective of the faithful (Colossians 3:1 – 4) depends on an understanding that their spirits have already been raised to a linking with Jesus, resulting in objectives in the unseen, a mindset that determines value by connection with spirits, and divesting of the failures and heartaches of the past.  So far in this letter, Paul has promised a hope of heaven, knowledge of the will of God, being fully pleasing, being strengthened, and becoming consistent.  The same promises are available today for those who choose, on the basis of evidence, to trust God.

People tend to treat poor behavior as an incurable part of the human condition, subject to regulation but not cure.  Paul wrote to the faithful of Colossae as those who had successfully put off that garb, exchanging it for godly knowledge and being conformed to the character of Jesus (Colossians 3:5 – 10).  Such is the expectation of God for the faithful, to be no longer enslaved to the common behaviors of this world, but to rise above them much as Jesus demonstrated in His brief stint on earth.

Ethnocentrism has been part of the human condition since the Tower of Babel.  Within Christianity, this was not to be so (Colossians 3:11, Galatians 3:28).  But how?  Not by legislation, which has never been successful, but by developing a gracious nature, having selfless concern, being consistent, being thankful, and be at peace with self (Colossians 3:12 – 15).  The faithful have the indwelling Spirit to develop these traits.  The rest are doomed to repeat history.

Singing has the amazing ability to change how we feel, unfortunately for the better or for the worse.  Not surprisingly, the gospel recommends using songs with positive themes as a way to promote unity between people (Colossians 3:16 – 17).  Subjects should revolve around the basic principles of the family of God: mutual trust and selfless concern.  Rather than rehashing failures, make the foundation about thanksgiving.  Frame expectations with graciousness, expecting the best of people, not the worst.

Paul asked for the prayers of the faithful in Colossae that he would make the message clear, and have opportunities to do so despite being in prison.  He followed that with a prescription for the foundational attitudes for all evangelism (Colossians 4:2 – 6).  Use wisdom, which, fortunately, is available to the faithful through prayer.  The form of the message will need to be adjusted to fit the circumstances.  Redeeming the time – recognize that, left to itself, the time slot will turn south.  Buy it back with Good News.  And, be gracious and witty.

Paul closed most of his letters with a bit of news about mutual acquaintances.  In Colossians 4:7 – 18, Paul’s reasons were to comfort the readers in knowing that friends were safe and well, to encourage them by knowing that those far away were praying for them, to enlarge their field of view by mentioning other places, and even to admonish some who needed to get back to the tasks of the kingdom.  Modern Christianity would do well to model Paul’s methods, taking the time to renew ties and spread encouragement, building up the whole body of Christ.

Colossians

Colossians 1:3 – 6  “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually for you, praying, having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love you have into all the saints; because of the hope being laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of truth, the gospel, being presented into you, just as also in all the world; it is bearing fruit and increasing, just as also in you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth.”

Colossians 1:9 – 12  “For this reason we also, since the day we heard, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord into all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God; in all power being strengthened, according to His glorious power into all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father having qualified you into sharing the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

Colossians 1:13 – 14  “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  The sacrifice of Jesus paid off the whole justice system.  But people still had a problem.  Why would God trust us again (which would be forgiveness)?  A bank may redeem your car, if you stop paying on the loan, to pay off the debt.  But the bank will not trust you again for a long, long time.  God’s offer is to trust again those who set out to trust Him and His promises.

Colossians 1:15  “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God.”  God is not made of physical stuff; we say that He is a Spirit.  How are we to develop an appreciation of who God is? We learn everything through our physical senses.  How are we to understand who God is if we cannot see, touch, hear, smell, or taste Him?  One of the reasons God came to earth as Jesus was so we could understand His character, His personality.  Developing that mental image of God may be accomplished by reading the gospels and focusing on the character of Jesus.

Colossians 1:15 – 17, “[Jesus is] the firstborn over all creation, because in Him all things were created what are in heaven and that are upon the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.  All things were created through Him and into Him.  He is before all things and in Him hold together.”  Firstborn is a figure of speech for most important.  Jesus is the most important person because He also is the Creator.  More than that, He continues to hold the meaning of creation together, rather than just observing from afar.

Colossians 1:18, “He [Jesus] is head of the body, the church…”  The leadership of Jesus in the church is baffling to those who have experienced only governmental and business hierarchies.  Sadly, many varieties of churches have opted for these familiar structures, essentially competing for secondary leadership positions, then relegating Jesus to absentee landlord status.  In reality, Jesus leads through the indwelling Spirit who is given to all the faithful, in whom are developed mutual trust and selflessness, making authoritarians obsolete.

Colossians 1:19, “In Him [Jesus] all the fullness was pleased to dwell.”  In the preceding context, Jesus was characterized as the deliverer, redeemer, the physical picture of an invisible God, the most important, the creator, the purpose of creation, and the head of the church.  As an attention-grabbing literary device, the fullness, the overflowing of the integrated and consistent character of God “was pleased” to dwell in Him.  Rather than Jesus seeking greatness, this personified greatness sought Him out.  Sounds like someone I should get to know.

Colossians 1:20, “…and by Him [Jesus] to reconcile all things into Himself, by Him, whether things upon earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”  The reference to His cross reveals that the reconciliation is through Jesus’ sacrificial death.  We and those in heaven have peace with justice because of Him.  First, each person must come to grips with the certainty that no one can undo their bad choices, so the repercussions of them belong to us.  Second, each person must accept the reality that Jesus paid it all off.

Colossians 1:21 – 22, “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him.”  Many church leaders attempt to convince their hearers to adopt a sense worthlessness and sinfulness, whereas Jesus views the faithful as holy, blameless, and above reproach.  People act in concert with their perceptions of themselves.

Colossians 1:23, “…if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel…”  The faithful are given the indwelling Spirit, who has all the tools needed to maintain and grow faith.  However, the faithful still have free will, so have the ability to opt out.  Paul cautions his readers to remain sensible and optimistic, and not, as he will expand upon in the following chapter, be deceived by complexity, philosophical jargon, or charismatic nonsense.

Colossians 1:24, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.”  In the most intense day in Jesus’ life, He characterized His life as joy (John 15:11) and wanted His followers to have the same, even though He would rather have not had to endure quite so much pain (Matthew 26:39).  Paul used the same analogy, that he rejoiced in the painful parts of his service because the church benefitted.  Hard times are endured most readily when done for those you love.

Colossians 1:27, “To them [the faithful], God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery in the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Glory is a parade of godly character traits.  The mystery was how the pagan world could possibly come around to worship the one true God after millennia of fake claims and irrational appeals.  Jewish Christians at least had a history of dealing with this true God.  The evidence was that these Gentiles began to display the character of Jesus virtually immediately, which was clearly miraculous.

Colossians 1:28, “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man consistent in Christ Jesus.”  The focus of the gospel is Jesus: His character and mastery of life on a broken planet.  Warning has to do with the reality of justice: it cannot be ignored forever.  Teaching must be according to wisdom: logical and sensible, not emotional or self-centered.  The goal is consistency between thoughts and actions, between conscience and choices.

Colossians 2:2 – 3, “…that their hearts may be enlightened, being knit together in love, and to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  Enlightenment is not mysterious but sensible, that point when the light comes on and life makes sense.  Each mystery mentioned in the New Testament is explained in its following paragraph.  Knowing the purpose of creation and my place in it brings an assurance that overcomes anxiety and fear.

Colossians 2:6 – 7, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in faith, as you have been taught, abounding with thanksgiving.”  Consistency, the heart of the gospel, implies that we act in accordance to what we believe to be true.  The physical facts of Jesus character and resulting life provides the necessary foundation to give faith substance.  The result is neither arrogance nor fear of failure, but thanksgiving for the opportunity to be real.

Colossians 2:8 – 10, “Beware lest anyone take you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of this world, and not according to Christ.  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are made full in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”  People in every age have been very talented at fooling themselves and others, using the brokenness of the world as their foundation.  Jesus says that the faithful can overcome themselves and that brokenness.

Colossians 2:11, “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.”  One of the benefits of godly faith and the resulting indwelling Spirit is having our most sensitive parts exposed so that we can interact with others as our real selves and not through some defensive barrier.  The faithful are made able to interact with other spirits, rather than just with their shells.

Colossians 2:16 – 17, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”  The early Jewish Christians had followed the Law of Moses all their lives, so continuing those practices seemed obvious to them.  But the real purpose of those rules was to illustrate the mission of the Messiah and nature of His kingdom.  God put an end to those practices by destroying the Temple in 70 AD.  Now the faithful imitate Jesus, not the illustration.

Colossians 2:18 – 19, “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from which all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase from God.”  Misdirected teaching does not always come from those seeking power or money.  Sometimes the humble focus on seemingly religious topics that just miss the point: Jesus and His body, the church, in which all grow.

Colossians 2:20 – 21, “If you have died with Christ away from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations – ‘Do not taste, do not touch, do not handle.’”  When congregations devolve into regulations, they miss the point.  Rules may seem easier, but they do not succeed because the ability to overcome oneself gets skipped.  The promises of God (that in which the faithful trust) yield access to the indwelling Spirit, which in turn promotes good character, resulting in the desired behaviors.

Colossians 2:23, “These things [regulations] indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against the indulgences of the flesh.”  Societies have found that rules are necessary for the control of a general population.  But rules are never more than marginally effective, which is why judicial systems exists.  The faithful, however, are controlled by an ever-developing character (the job of the indwelling Spirit) that is looking more and more like that of Jesus.  Behavior is controlled from the inside out.

Colossians 3:1 – 2, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”  The picture of being raised with Christ illustrates that the faithful are no longer bound by the pressures of life on earth even while still living in it.  Focusing on the family of God in which everything depends on mutual trust and selfless concern will promote joy and peace in this life as well as in the next.  In short, think as a spirit.

Colossians 3:6, “…knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him [illustrated in baptism], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”  One of the several promises of God illustrated in baptism is the death of the earthly way of thinking that refuses to release us from a failing downward spiral.  In baptism, the faithful are asserting to God that they are confident that the power of the failures of the past and the fear of repercussions have been defeated and that they can rise to the level of the character of Jesus.

Colossians 3:10 – 11, “[The faithful] have put on the new, who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised not uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, nor free, but Christ, all and in all.”  The faithful are repaired by the indwelling Spirit to the godly knowledge that no legitimate ethnic, economic, or cultural divides exist.

Colossians 3:12 – 14, “As the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.  But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of consistency.”  I surely can put up with you as much and for as long as God has put up with me.  The key is selfless concern for your success.

Colossians 3:14, “Above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of consistency.”  Love, doing what is best for the other regardless of the effect on me, allows us to be consistent between what we know is right and how we act.  Without that selflessness, we fall prey to self-deception, which is the downfall of any relationship. 

Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, into which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”  Peace with God, with fellow believers, and with oneself are all promised to the faithful.  A confident expectation of that peace results in unity, not the other way around.  Thankfulness for that peace is only natural.

Colossians 3:16, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, in grace singing in your hearts to God.”  Interestingly, a major method for imparting the logic and reasoning of the gospel was in songs of several styles.  Music in the church was not for entertainment or emotion or worship, but for wise and gracious teaching to one another while in the presence of God.

Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”  The faithful should do all things while displaying the nature of Jesus (which is the meaning of “in the name of”).  At the same time, they give thanks to God for this new nature which was developed in them through the indwelling Spirit.  It is not that each faithful person imitates Jesus only on the outside, rather that each one grows into that nature which then seeps to the surface.

Colossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”  The key to prayer is that is should be built on a foundation of thankfulness.  Certainly, the faithful are encouraged to present their requests to God, but a focus on the things that need to be changed is negative.  Instead, focus on thankfulness, then add the small personal requests for change to the top.  First, this puts problems in perspective.  Second, the outlook remains positive.  Third, God’s history of making things work out develops a confident expectation for the future.

Colossians 4:5 – 6, “Walk in wisdom toward those outside, redeeming the time.  Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”  Buying back time implies that, left to themselves, things will go downhill.  So, the faithful cannot make things worse by trying to communicate the gospel.  Paul characterizes optimal interactions with outsiders as gracious, witty, and personalized.  This implies one-on-one connections, not mass sales events.