Colossians 1:1-14: The Christian’s Faithfulness

 

 

These questions sound very contemporary. Yet it may surprise you to know that they are the very issues Paul dealt with in his letter to Colossae.

 

Introduction: The Church at Colossae: Holy and Faithful

Colossia lies fast asleep hidden beneath a mound of earth in the valley of the River Lycus about one hundred miles east of Ephesus, and twelve miles from Laodicea in the southern part of Western Turkey. Its an area of volcanic activity with frequent earthquakes. The valley itself is cut out of snowy white limestone, the river bed and cateracts resembling a moving glacier. The very name Colossae comes from "collosos" meaning gigantic statue, an indication of the impressive surrounding scenery.

The chalky deposits in the water gradually formed a natural petrified arch, beneath which the current flowed giving rise to superstitious beliefs about angelic appearances. The archangel Michael, for instance, was believed to be their protecting saint.

Colosse was a prosperous mercantile city renowned for its wool and cloth-dyeing industries. By the time Paul wrote his epistle to them, however, the city had declined in influence eclipsed by its neighbouring cities (Colossians 4:13, 16). This was in part due to the re-routing further west of the road from Sardis to Pergamum to ensure it went via Laodicea instead.

The distinctive features of religious life in Colosse included not only the local pagan worship of Cybele and superstitions concerning angels, but also a mixture of Jewish legalism, gnosticism and Eastern mysticism. It was this cocktail of error which we shall see in the weeks ahead that Paul refuted in his letter to the young Church there (Colossians 2:8-9,16-23).

Paul uses the vocabulary of the Gnostic heretics, such as 'fullness', 'wisdom', 'perfect', and 'complete' but invests them with Christian meaning to describe our relationship with Jesus Christ. The little word 'all' is used 30 times to stress the pre-eminent, universal and completed of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15-18; 3:11). We therefore don't have to worry about angelic mediators or legalistic practices. Colosse reminds us not to let anyone "deceive you by fine-sounding arguments" (Colossians 2:4), that "no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy" (Colossians 2:8), or "judge you by what you eat or drink" (Colossians 2:16). We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ.

Although rebuilt, Colosse gradually declined in influence, increasingly overshadowed by Laodicea and Hierapolis. The legacy of Colosse is therefore not its secret rituals or prized coloured wool but the good news that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ becomes part of his body, the church, of which he is the Head (Colossians 1:18).

All that is left of the city today is the mound awaiting excavation.

But that doesn't matter. We already have the most important treasure from Colossae in our very hands. I'm excited at what we may find as we come to study, to excavate this jewel of the Colossian church which Paul describes as "Holy" and "Faithful". One day we'll get to meet them face to face. I pray that we might be worthy of the same greeting from them. Holy and Faithful. Ť

 

The Strategy of Paul: The Apostle of Jesus Christ

Paul never visited Colossae. The fact that such a thriving church had been established there within twenty years of Pentecost is striking proof of the wisdom of Paul's missionary strategy. He didn't do all the ministry. Instead he established his own work in a central place like Ephesus. Paul was committed to multiplication and trained many disciples to take the Gospel wider.  Paul had spent three years in Ephesus in which, "all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord." (Acts 19:10). During this time Epaphras, Philemon, Onesimus, Archippus and Apphia, who were all from the region of Colosse, came to faith in Jesus Christ (Philemon 2,10, Colossians 4:9, 12). Epaphras returned to Colosse and helped found a church there (Colossians 1:7). He also ministered in the cities of Hierapolis and Laodicea (Colossians 2:1; 4:12-13). The church at Colosse met in the home of Philemon (Philemon. 2). It is possible that Apphia and Archippus were his wife and son, and that Archippus was the pastor of the church (Colossians 4:17).

 

Later, Epaphras visited Paul in prison in Rome, and brought him news of the church at Colossae. Mostly positive, there was one thing that caused him concern. The Colossians were being unsettled by bad teaching.

 

The Reason for the Letter: Grace and Peace

A virulent poison was infecting the life blood of the Church. They were being infected by teaching which distorted their view of Jesus, and the basis of their relationship with the Father. The Colossian heretics claimed people needed to experience something deeper and mysterious to find "full" salvation. The danger came not from outside the church but from within it, as Paul had predicted would happen before he'd left for Rome. The Gnostics believed that hidden powers ruled human destiny and controlled human affairs. Every natural force, the wind, the rain, thunder and lightning has its demonic overlord. Every place, every tree, every hill, river and lake had its spirit.

 

The Colossians lived in a demon haunted universe. Some were seen as intermediaries to God, but others were barriers to God, the vast majority hostile. The Colossian heretics were arguing that something more was needed than belief in Jesus Christ to overcome the dark forces. Gnosticism professed to give secret knowledge, a "fullness" a "freedom" a "deeper life" of victory over the evil spirits of the world, but at the same time bi-passed devotion to Jesus. In the coming weeks we are going to see how Paul brings Jesus to centre stage. How he stresses that the secret is out, the mystery is open to all. The truth of God has been revealed exclusively and fully, and finally in Jesus Christ. Paul's purpose throughout the entire letter is to elevate the Lord Jesus Christ. To focus our minds on Him, and the reconciliation he has achieved for us with the Father. Jesus alone is the antidote to every known form of spiritual and intellectual poison. There is no other.

 

Today’s introductory passage (Colossians 1:1-14) breaks into three: Paul's Thanks; Paul's Prayer; and Paul's Motive.

 

1. Paul’s Thanks (Colossians 1:3-8)

The Colossians were being tempted to doubt their salvation. Paul reminds them of the basics. Faith, hope and love, make up a familiar triad in Paul's writings. There are almost a kind of Apostolic shorthand. By combining these three elements of Christian spirituality Paul is providing a basic, and sufficient description of the genuine Christian. These three qualities are the hallmarks, the proper evidences of the work of God in our soul.

 

Faith in Christ

This is the first and central sign of true spiritual life.

 

When missionary John Paton was translating the Bible in the Outer Hebrides, he searched for the exact word to translate believe. Finally he discovered it. The word meant "lean your whole weight upon". That is what saving faith is, leaning your whole weight on Jesus Christ.

 

Love for the Saints

There is no social grouping in the world to compare with the Christian family. Here alone we experience a unique kind of sacrificial care that goes way beyond any other kind of relationship. Where else do you discover brothers and sisters among complete strangers? But where does faith and love spring from?  Paul replies with an unexpected way. When the emphasis today is on the here and now and on the instant, the immediate, its good to get our bearings straight. A genuine spiritual experience is marked by a future hope.

 

Hope in Heaven

Not the kind of hope we equate with crossing the fingers. "I hope to see you soon". Christian hope is the sure and certain confident expectation of eternal life, promised and provided by Jesus. John wrote in his letter, "I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God in order that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)

 

Notice that Hope is not a consequence of faith and love. In life we generally tend to move from the certain to the uncertain. The natural world sees this as moving from the certain now to the uncertain future.  But for the Christian it’s the other way round. Our future with Christ in Heaven is certain, therefore we can trust him with the present, which is uncertain. The only fixed point in the Christian's life is our future. Our present experience of fellowship with God, and our love for one another is but the anticipation of the substantial realities which are still hidden, reserved for the future. Heaven is not the finishing touch to the joys now. Our present experience is merely a foretaste of what is to come. Isn't that staggering? Profound? Doesn't it blow your mind to view reality in this light? Let me illustrate what this means.

 

I recently heard the true story of a girl struggling in one of her subjects at school. Her parents went to talk with the teacher about allowing her to switch subjects. The teacher said, "let me talk to your daughter first." This is how she counselled the girl. She said "If I guarantee you that you'll pass you exams and at least get a grade B will you carry on with the course?" The girl could hardly believe her ears. "Of course I will” she said. You know what happened?


The girl got an A. Later the teacher confided in the parents that she couldn't have made that promise to any child, but she knew the girl had the ability, it was just a case of removing the fear of failure, and then she could relax and excel. That’s what Paul is saying here.
The future is certain. Jesus has passed the exam for us. We cannot fail. This is our hope.

Now let’s relax and get on with living a life of faith pleasing to God, loving the brethren. Paul describes the Christian then as one who has faith in Christ, love for the brethren and whose hope is grounded in heaven. This is our assurance. Colossians 1:3-5.

 

You know what happens when something goes wrong with your computer and you suspect you have a virus infection - and you have to call Technical Support. You are so focussed on the problem you get frustrated and stressed. And then you hear the calm voice on the other end of the line. What do they usually ask you to do? They don’t usually start with the problem but take you back to where you should be. “Turn on the computer….” Begin at the beginning... And if its bad, you have to reinstall… This is what Paul does in the next few verses. Having given thanks for their faith, love and hope, he doesn’t tackle the heresy but takes them back to their core beliefs - he reminds them of the true gospel and its impact.

 

The True Gospel (Colossians 1:5b-8)

 

The Gospel is Truth

"the word of truth" The question is not does it work or feel good but is it true? The Word was revealed and received in History.

 

The Gospel is Universal

"all over the world"

The Gospel is Productive

"bearing fruit and growing"

 

The Gospel was Received

 "you learned it from Epaphras, a faithful minister of Christ". Paul stamps his authority on the work of Epaphras among them. They had received the full Gospel. Bishop Stephen Neill was for most of his life a missionary in India. Listen to His observations about modern gnosticism... Paul's Thanks.

 

2. Paul’s Prayer (Colossians 1:9-12)

As we look at this prayer, which is so typical of biblical prayers, notice how Paul prays and what he prays for.

 

How Paul Prays: 1:9

Urgency = "Since we heard about you"

Constancy = "we have not stopped praying"

Intensity  = "asking God to fill you..."

 

What Paul Prays for: Knowledge  1:10

Paul prays that the will of God be understood.

The false teachers promised the Colossian believers that they could be "in the know".  They were being offered secret knowledge that must have sounded very tempting.

 

But Paul will have none of it. In Christ, his friends at Colossae had already received full knowledge. Notice the number of times he uses the word "all" or "every".

 

Paul was not offering them more knowledge like the Gnostics.

He's praying that they come to comprehend, to grasp, to be filled with the knowledge of what they have already received through Jesus Christ. Jesus has given all, He's held nothing back. This is not abstract knowledge but a knowledge that leads to holiness, to the fruit of the Spirit revealed in us. Paul prays for Knowledge of what God wants, so they can please Him, do good and know Him better.  The simple test of any knowledge then is this. Does it help you become a more holy person? Will it lead others to want to know Jesus too.  How Paul prays and what Paul prays for.

 

Why Paul Prays: Power (1:11-12)

Paul will not be left behind by these heretics offering power this, power that.... That’s the in thing at the moment isn't it. Powerful Christianity. The temptation to want more sparkle, more power, more knowledge, more experience, more "umph" is as strong now as it was in the first century. And the temptation to depart from the true Gospel just as perilous. Paul is very clear where such views come from. "Moving on" usually means a "leaving behind".

Read 1:11a. But for Paul its a power with a difference. Paul prays for knowledge and strength for what? Whats all this power for Paul?

 

Answer, wait for it -  to endure setbacks, with patience, and even with joy and thanksgiving. Sounds a bit of an anti-climax doesn't it. When things get difficult what do we usually pray for? How often do we pray for endurance and patience and joy?

We usually ask that God would solve the problem, remove the adversity, relieve the pain, heal the wound, provide material comfort now, as if that will glorify Him. Paul prays for the very opposite, for endurance and patience in the middle of adversity.

 

Endurance = ability to deal triumphantly with what ever the world hurls at us.

 

Patience  = long suffering with people. Why does he pray for endurance and patience? For the simple reason he knew they were going to need it. Because there is no easy way out of suffering, no short cut to spirituality, no escape hatch for Christians when the going gets tough. This is the norm for the Christian life. Most books on the normal Christian life are nothing of the sort. This is the normal Christian life here.

 

Joy = Furthermore, he prays for joy. Why? Because he knows our natural tendency, in the midst of adversity is to gripe and moan, to complain and gossip and slander, and wallow in bitterness. C.F.D. Moule once said, "If joy is not rooted in the soil of suffering it is shallow."

 

This passage reminds me of a story I read over the summer by Isobel Kuhn, "Green Leaf in Drought". Its the true story of the last CIM family left in China in 1948, and their struggle to leave. Arthur and Wilda Matthews, and their thirteen month old daughter had gone to the remote northern borders of China to take the gospel to the Mongols. They had already been in China for ten years learning the language, preparing for this exciting momentous opportunity. But the book takes up their story in 1950 when shortly after arriving in the northern province they were placed under house arrest, forbidden contact with Chinese nationals, charged with criminal offences, and humiliated for three lonely long years in isolation, poverty, ill health and uncertainty.

 

The book is the testimony to their endurance and patience and joy. In the forward Oswald Sanders writes, "God does not waste suffering, nor does He discipline out of caprice. If he plough, it is because He purpose a crop. God staked much on the faith and uprightness of Job, and allowed Satan to test him to the limit in order to vindicate His confidence, rout Satan, purify Job and edify Jobs friends. Did He test these two children of His in China with similar ends in view - to show that He could be to His own when all other resources failed, to discomfort their enemies who found they could not starve God's children; to gloriously enrich and refine and temper their own lives, and to strengthen the suffering Chinese believers who witnessed their triumph?

 

Paul is saying the same thing here.

Paul's Thanks: Faith Love based on Hope.

Paul's Prayer: Knowledge that bears fruit, power that leads to perseverence.

 

And Paul’s Motive (Colossians 1:12-14)

Paul's motive, the thing that keeps him going, the ultimate reason for his thanks and his prayers is this. He knows that they have been qualified by the father. Read verse 12.

This qualification means that all the conditions have been met which entitle a person to claim his full standing as one of God's chosen people. It says nothing here about "feeling" qualified for heaven. No one rightly feels qualified. Feelings don't come into it. Indeed relying on our feelings at this point would give us precisely the wrong assurance. If you feel qualified, that you deserve to go to heaven, its a sure sign that you're not qualified, Then how are we qualified?  Notice who does the qualifying, how and when.

 

Rescued: Ultimate Deliverance (1:13)

"Rescued" = to free a captive from the dominion of darkness, from the darkness of error, impurity and misery. The Gnostics offered a further deliverence ministry to these Christians. I was speaking to a couple recently from another town who'd been asked to join in a deliverence ministry. Like the Gnostics, they were being taught to see demons in just about everything, the cause of all the bad that happens to Christians, behind every temptation, illness and suffering. They'd been led to believe that most Christians

needed some kind of deliverence ministry. I cautioned them that God does not teach a variety of levels of oppression and possession in the Scriptures and that we should be cautious about being dogmatic. Exorcism is a specialised ministry, a dangerous

ministry, an evangelistic ministry, but also I believe a rare ministry today. I told them that the most useful work they could do is share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is nothing deeper, nothing higher or more necessary than that people hear of the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross, where the Father was satisfied, and Satan defeated, where they can be forgiven and delivered from the dominion of darkness.

 

Transferred: Kingdom Children (1:13)

But there's more to it. Its not sufficient for the Father to have delivered us from the kingdom of darkness: there’s a positive side too. He has at the same time brought us, transferred us, imported us into the Kingdom of His Son. The word "Transferred" speaks of a complete change of residency. In the ancient world when one empire conquered another, they would take the population of the defeated country and transfer them lock, stock and barrel, to some other land. Notice the tense. The Fathers already done it.

Its a past tense event, its not something we still need to seek. Through the Cross of Christ these powers have been forced to yield their pray, and see their former captives released to enter the realm of a greater king. Rescued, Transferred and

 

Redeemed: Sins Forgiven (1:14)

The blessing of forgiveness has sometimes been devalued as merely the wiping of the slate clean.  The Gospel is precisely the offer of freedom because of the forgiveness of our sins. Forgiveness flows from the cross where Christ not only cancelled our debt but also disarmed our enemy. It affects the past and the present. Nothing can surpass or suppliment the forgiveness of sins. This is because the sovereign rule of Christ is present where there is forgiveness of sins; and with forgiveness of sins everything, life and blessings everlasting, has in fact been granted.

How has the Father qualified us?

 

He has rescued us from darkness to light.

He has transferred us from slavery to sonship.

He has redeemed us from condemnation to forgiveness.

 

We have begun to see why Paul wrote this letter. He wants to protect the young church at Colossae. He cannot stand by while the new teachers speak of a new and superior gift of so called ‘freedom’. Like them, have we forgotten what our Lord and Saviour has done for us? Can we be dissatisfied with the great work of redemption on the cross? Is Christ not sufficient both to pardon and to deliver us from all our sins? Then let us be filled with knowledge and power for this - a life of increasing goodness and ever more gratitude to the end of our days. Lets pray.