Colossians 1 New International Version - UK
(NIVUK)
1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2
To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in
Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[b]
Thanksgiving
and prayer
3
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have
for all God’s people – 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up
for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of
the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit
and growing throughout the whole world – just as it has been doing among you
since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it
from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister of Christ
on our[d] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying
for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will
through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e] 10 so that
you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing
fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being
strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may
have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father,
who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the
kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and
brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins.
The
supremacy of the Son of God
15
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have
been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him
all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is
the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he
might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell
in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things
on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the
cross.
21
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[g]
your evil behaviour. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body
through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from
accusation – 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not
move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard
and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I,
Paul, have become a servant.
Paul’s
labour for the church
24
Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is
still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body,
which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me
to present to you the word of God in its fullness – 26 the mystery that has
been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s
people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious
riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I
strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
The
IVP New Testament Commentary Series
The
Fruit of the Gospel (1:5-6)
Paul
shifts from thanking God for what we have heard about the Colossians to what
you have already heard about . . . the gospel. The common verb hear logically
relates Paul's favorable report of the Colossians' life with the Colossians'
reception of the gospel, so that the one results from the other: because the
Colossians have already heard the Christian gospel (and presumably believed it
to be true), their lives have been transformed. This connection of proclamation
and transformation makes perfect sense to Paul, whose missionary experience is
of the gospel . . . bearing fruit and growing (see Luke 8:1-15). Moreover his
personal experience is validated by Scripture, whose stories of Old Testament
prophets heralded the good news of God's salvation as the final solution to
Israel's spiritual and sociological woes. We should not be surprised, then,
that Luke's narratives of Paul's calling on the Damascus Road (cf. Acts 9:1-19;
22:6-21; 26:9-23) and Paul's own allusions to the same event reverberate with
echoes of the prophets called by God to their evangelistic tasks (compare Gal
1:11-17 and Jer 1:4-19). Like the prophets of old, Paul is called to preach the
gospel; and as with the Israel of old, the church's believing response results
in restoration by God's powerful grace.
The
content of Paul's gospel is the word of truth. Even as the prophets of God
proclaimed "the word of the Lord," so does Paul. The subject matter
of Paul's gospel is theological because its source is God; its claims can be
trusted as true because God is Truth. Significantly, the phrase word of truth
translates a Hebraism more naturally rendered "God's true word" (as
in Ps 119:43). In the Old Testament the phrase refers to the content of God's
revelation given in Torah (literally, Law), which is a reliable guide to God's
promised blessing. This intimate union of revealed truth and experienced life
is noted elsewhere in Paul's writings, where the reconciling "word"
(2 Cor 5:19) comes from God (1 Cor 14:36), the Lord (1 Thess 1:8) or Christ
(Col 3:16) in order to shape the life of the faith community (Phil 2:16). This
equation of divine revelation and human experience anticipates Paul's argument
against the Colossian "philosopher," whose teaching is a "word
of falsehood" and results in spiritual and eschatological death rather
than in life (see O'Brien 1982:12). The "deceptive philosophy" of
Colosse, which fashioned a private and mystical religion, would also diminish
interest in the work of evangelism and thereby undermine the prospect of
changed lives.
In
order to highlight the importance of evangelism, Paul cites two results of his
Gentile mission. First, the proclaimed gospel is being heard all over the
world. Paul's phrase does not refer to the universal scope of his Gentile
mission (as Houlden and Lohse suggest) but rather to its "triumphal
progress" (as O'Brien says) that now has come to Colosse. Perhaps Paul's
phrase echoes Jesus' "parables of growth," in which growth (of a
tree, a tiny mustard seed, a loaf of bread) signals the ultimate triumph of
God's covenant people. In this sense, the progress of the Gentile mission to
Colosse fulfills in part the promise contained in Jesus' parables.
Second,
the gospel message is the medium by which the whole world comes to understand
the truth about God's grace. Nowhere in Paul's writings is there a more
succinct expression of the importance of evangelism than here: the proclamation
of the gospel clarifies the intentions and results of grace. God's grace is a
difficult notion for most people to grasp, partly because it contradicts so
much of what we learn and experience from the non-Christian society that
surrounds and conditions us. Secular humanism teaches that only the
self-sufficient individual survives; secular materialism teaches that only the
self-interested individual prospers. Everyday experience teaches us that
receiving gifts from others is conditioned on first giving gifts. In Western
society, as in ancient Colosse, the myths and idols of secular humanism provide
no resources for understanding the gospel's truth that one's humanity survives
and prospers only because of the loving interest of God and the sufficiency of
God's grace. And the medium of the message is the proclamation of the gospel
for conversion.
CHRIST
the Creator! Elim Missions
Colossians
1
In
the next 4 days our sole focus will be on Jesus being the Son of God and the
second person of the trinity!
This
is important as people are reading books by Dan Brown and the like who claim
that Jesus was a mortal prophet, made divine by a vote at the council of Nicea
in 325AD. What they don't realise is that the Council was answering the Arians
belief that Jesus was created. Even before this date there is much evidence to
show that people believed in the divinity of Christ.
We
have just come through the season of carols such as:
God
of God, Light of Light,
Lo!
he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very
God, Begotten not created.
The
word 'begotten' carries 2 truths:
The
Father God is not God the Son and vice versa.
The
Father and the Son are one God not two Gods.
CS
Lewis wrote "We don't mean there are 2 Gods, we mean there is 1 God. When
you beget, you beget something of the same kind of things. When you make or
create, you make something different to you."
For
all eternity the Father has seen the mirror of Himself in His Son and the
reflection of Himself found in the Son. There was never a time when the Son did
not exist and when God could not be seen in Him.
In
fact Jesus Christ is the Creator! v16
And
because of this:
Jesus
is the one who can wipe your past away, v13-14.
Jesus
is the one who can create new things out of nothing, v16.
Jesus
is the one who can keep your life and situation going, v17
One
day when all is revealed, every one of us will bow our knee and confess in the
power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Lord of all creation to the glory of
the Father.
The Bible Panorama
Colossians 1
V 1–2: FAITHFUL Paul, with Timothy,
desires God’s grace and peace for the ‘faithful’ Christians at Colosse.
V 3–8: FAITH Paul gives thanks for their faith which
produces love for all the saints. That faith gives them a home in heaven and
makes the gospel become real to them. It has produced fruit among them. It is
through faithful Epaphras that the church was founded. He came to Christ
through Paul. He informed Paul of the Colossian church’s state.
V 9–14: FRUITFUL Paul and his fellow
Christians pray continually for the church members at Colosse, that they will
know God’s will and please God and be fruitful in everything they do. Knowing
His enabling strength, they will experience patience, longsuffering and joy,
too. They are delivered from darkness, belong to the kingdom of Jesus Christ,
and are redeemed through His shed blood.
V 15–18: FIRSTBORN Jesus Christ is the
Creator, and therefore was never created. But He is the firstborn of the
creation in the sense that He has the right of the firstborn to inherit
everything from the Father. Paul emphasises the deity of Christ with this
truth. He is the One who holds all things together, the Head of the church, and
the first Person to rise from the dead never to die again. Jesus Christ must
have the pre-eminence as God.
V 19–23: FULLNESS All the fullness of the
deity dwells in Christ, and not only has He reconciled sinners to Himself, but
ultimately He will reconcile the whole of creation to Himself. Our
reconciliation brings us peace with God through the blood of His cross. The
evidence of reconciliation is ongoing holy living for Him and being grounded
steadfastly in Him.
V 24–29: FLESH Paul suffers physically in the flesh
because he is a minister of the gospel and a representative of Christ. His
focus all the time is on Jesus Christ. The previously hidden ‘mystery’ is now
revealed as ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’. Gentiles can now know the
indwelling Christ. While in the flesh, he is determined to preach Christ and to
warn sinners to turn to Him. He labours to strive to do this according to God’s
strength within him which so enables him.
Dictionary of Bible Themes
7027 church, purpose and mission of
The
church is called to praise and glorify God, to establish Jesus Christ’s
kingdom, and to proclaim the gospel throughout the world.
God’s
purposes for the church
To
praise God 1Pe 2:9 See also Eph 1:5-6,11-12,14; Heb 13:15; 1Pe 2:5
To
share God’s glory Ro 8:29-30 See also Mt 13:43; Jn 17:24; Ro 9:23; 1Co 2:7; Php
3:21; Col 3:4; 2Th 2:14; Rev 2:26-27; Rev 3:4-5,21
God
will build his church Mt 16:18-19 See also Mt 27:40 pp Mk 15:29; Jn 2:19-22;
1Co 3:9; Eph 2:21-22; Eph 4:11-13; Heb 3:3-6; 1Pe 2:5
To
challenge Satan’s dominion Eph 3:10-11 “rulers and authorities in the heavenly
realms” refers to the powers of evil. See also Mt 16:18; Eph 6:12; 1Jn 2:14
To
go into the world in mission 2Co 5:18 See also Mt 5:13-16; Mt 28:19-20; Mk
16:15; Lk 24:48; Jn 20:21; Ac 1:8; Php 2:15-16; Col 1:27
The
church’s mission
To
preach the gospel to the world Mk 13:10 pp Mt 24:14 See also Mt 28:19; Lk
24:47; Jn 10:16; Ac 13:47
To
do good to all Gal 6:10 See also Mt 25:37-40; Lk 6:35; Ac 9:36; Eph 2:10; 1Ti
6:18; Jas 1:27; 1Pe 2:12
Images
of the church’s mission Mt 5:13-16; Jn 15:5-8 A fruitful plant in a fruitless
world: Mt 7:18-19; Ro 7:4; Eph 5:9-10; Php 1:11; Col 1:6,10; Jas 3:17 Salt in
an insipid world: Mk 9:50; Lk 14:34-35 Light in a dark world: Ro 13:12-14; Eph
5:8; Php 2:15; 1Th 5:5-6
The
growth of the church
Numerical
growth among the first Christians Ac 11:21 See also Ac 2:41,47; Ac 4:4; Ac
5:14; Ac 6:1,7; Ac 9:31,42; Ac 11:24; Ac 12:24; Ac 13:49; Ac 16:5; Ac 17:4; Ac
18:8; Ac 19:20
The
church is to grow to maturity Eph 4:12-13 See also Php 1:6; Php 3:13-15; 2Th
1:3
Aspects
of growth Growth in character: 2Co 9:10; 1Th 3:12 Growth into Christ: Eph 4:15;
Col 1:10; 2Pe 3:18
Heb
6:1 growth in understanding
Prayers
for the growth of the church Eph 3:14-19 See also Eph 1:17-19; Php 1:9-11; Col
1:9-12; 1Th 3:11-13; 2Th 1:11-12
Visions
of the church’s final destiny
Rev
7:9-10 John’s vision of the church in glory. See also Mt 24:31; Jn 10:16; Eph
1:10; 1Th 4:16-17; Heb 12:22-23; Rev 21:2
Some
thoughts on the Church’s Mission and Christian Maturity
1. To go into the world in mission
2 Corinthians 5:17-21New International Version -
UK (NIVUK)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new
creation has come:[a] the old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the
world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of
reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were
making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled
to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God.
Matthew 28:16-20New International Version - UK
(NIVUK)
The great commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to
the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they
worshipped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.’
The Church’s Mission
2.
To preach the gospel to the world
Mark 13:10 New
International Version - UK (NIVUK)
10 And the
gospel must first be preached to all nations.
John
10:11-16New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
11 ‘I am the
good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired
hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf
coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock
and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares
nothing for the sheep.14 ‘I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep
know me – 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down
my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold. I
must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one
flock and one shepherd.
3.
To do good to all
Galatians
6:1-10New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Doing good to
all
6 Brothers
and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should
restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.
3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive
themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride
in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each
one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives
instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.7 Do
not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows
to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to
please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become
weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not
give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Ephesians
2:1-10New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Made alive in
Christ
2 As for you,
you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when
you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,
the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also
lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and
following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving
of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by
grace you have been saved. 6 And God
raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in
Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable
riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it
is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God – 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Matthew
25:31-40New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
The sheep and
the goats
31 ‘When the
Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his
glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will
separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.34 ‘Then
the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my
Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation
of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was
thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me
in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
37 ‘Then the
righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or
thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and
invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or
in prison and go to visit you?”40 ‘The King will reply, “Truly I tell you,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me.
4.
The church is to grow into maturity
Ephesians
4:11-16New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
11 So Christ
himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and
teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure
of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and
forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by
the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead,
speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature
body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself
up in love, as each part does its work.
Philippians
3:12-16 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
12 Not that I
have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press
on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and
sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I
do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, 14 I press
on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in
Christ Jesus.15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of
things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make
clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
