Colossians Ch. One - An Unfinished Study (Continued)

by T.M. Hyland, Birkenhead, U.K. | Category: Colossians Ch. One - An Unfinished Study (Continued) | Nov 1982

Chapter 1:3 - 8

The phrase "the word (Gr. logos) of the truth of the gospel" (v.5) merits consideration. The gospel is "the depository and the vehicle of the truth" (Alford): therefore its terms are not subject to change or adjustment. And since "the word" is the instrument of the New Birth (James 1:18), the evangelist's primary responsibility is to "preach the word". In doing so he will deliver his message with becoming reverence, watchful lest in diction or deportment he may detract from its unique authority. "If any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God" (1 Pet. 4:11) is the apostle Peter's solemn charge to those gifted in the ministry of the word. Some modern styles of preaching tend to trivialize the gospel.

Paul's allusion to the reproductive power of the gospel (v.6) is reminiscent of our Lord's parable of the Sower. The life-giving seed can bear fruit only as it takes root in prepared hearts. There it grows and flourishes. How powerful growth can be! Slowly, almost imperceptibly, it works with irresistible power. A tree can split a concrete pavement, and a weed can push its way through an asphalt path. The words "bearing fruit and increasing" (v.6) have a dual reference; they include the widespread dissemination of the Christian faith ("in all the world"), as well as its transforming power in those who come under its influence. In apostolic days its achievements on both these counts were irrefutable. It triumphed over massive and sustained opposition, and it produced in those who embraced it a quality of life which could have no other than a divine source. It passed the test proposed by the wise Gamaliel to the Jewish Sanhedrim:

Take heed to yourselves as touching these men ... let them alone:

for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will be overthrown:

but if it is of God, ye will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply ye be found even to be fighting against God (Acts 5:35-39).

So it was in those early days; so it is today. No iron or bamboo curtain can restrain the message of the cross'; neither satanic nor human hostility can nullify its power.

The winds of hell have blown,

The world its hate hath shown, Yet it is not overthrown:

Hallelujah for the cross!

Chapter 1:9 - 11

The apostle proceeds to inform the Colossian saints of the gist of his prayers on their behalf. The words "for this cause" indicate that the thrust of his prayer campaign for them would now be adjusted in the light of the information he had just received from Epaphras.

Throughout Paul's epistles there are many allusions to his service of intercession on behalf of God's people. This forms an important part of his apostolic ministry; and is impressive testimony to the spiritual stature of this great man of God. His prayers were always relevant to the particular circumstances and spiritual hazards of those on whose behalf they were presented. It was always his primary objective that those he served should advance towards spiritual maturity. There are many pitfalls on the Christian pathway. Paul's rare spiritual discernment and foresight enabled him to detect error even in its germinal stages. Keeping this in mind we note what he places in the forefront of his supplications at the throne of grace on behalf of the Colossian church. He commences: "... that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will" (v.9). That is a weighty and vital petition defining an indispensable element in 'all genuine spiritual growth. These Colossian converts were in the early glow of that unfeigned devotion which the Spirit of God alone imparts (v.8). Paul's concern was that their "first love" should be preserved-on the one hand, from lapsing into a lifeless formalism, and, on the other, from any tendency towards the undisciplined enthusiasm which is sometimes mistaken for godly zeal. The one safeguard against both these extremes is a progressive understanding of the will of God. Vanities and superstitions which in former days had dominated the thought and life-style of the Colossian saints must be eradicated and their quickened faculties of mind and heart now devoted to acquiring the knowledge of God's will.

Paul uses the verb "filled" (Gr. pleroo) to describe the flow of divine knowledge into the human mind. The term, together with is cognate noun (1,~oma, fulness), is a keyword in the apostle's theology, and is particularly prominent in Colossians and Ephesians. Here Paul's desire was that the will of God should not occupy a subsidiary place in the minds of the saints, but should become the criterion by which all things are to be measured. In our passage the verb "filled" is in the passive voice. It indicates a divine operation. The greater the inflow of the knowledge of God's will, the better equipped the believer will be to face and resolve the problems and temptations he will meet day by day. Yet the will of God is not a catalogue of rules to be applied indiscriminately. It is living and penetrating in its power. Hence the need for the qualifying clause in Paul's petition: "... filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding". "Wisdom" (Gr. sophia) is insight into the true nature of things, while "understanding" (Gr. sunesis) is the competence to apply that insight to particular problems, cases and circumstances. Ally spiritual wisdom and understanding with a knowledge of God's will and you have a believer with far-reaching potential.

But the apostle has not yet completed his petition; there is a third strand to it. What is to be the practical consequence of the knowledge and spiritual enlightenment for which Paul pleads? Are believers to opt out of the strains and stresses of society and become ascetics? There are indications that some teachers in Colossae were indeed advocating this course (2:20-23). As Paul prays he may well have had such tendencies in mind. For him knowledge of God's will is no profit to the believer unless he becomes the living expression of it. So he continues, and supplicates that the Colossian saints may "Walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God".

"Walk" (Gr. penpateo) is used frequently by Paul to portray Christian behaviour. It signifies "the whole round of the activities of the individual life" (Vine). Far from becoming a recluse and withdrawing within himself, the enlightened believer will carry about with him the insignia of his calling. He should be "known and read of all men". The standard of conduct to which he is to aspire, "walk worthily of the Lord", is high, and its scope comprehensive. There is no relationship or circumstance, private or public, which does not give opportunity for the new life to express itself. Yet how often have we cause for regret that words, actions and attitudes in unguarded moments have belied the dignity of our calling. At such times, to shield ourselves from enfeebling discouragement, it is good to be assured that we have an understanding and compassionate Father:

Like as a father pitieth his children,

So the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.

For He knoweth our frame;

He remembereth that we are but dust (Psa. 103:13, 14).

The word "good" in the phrase "every good work" is the translation of the Greek adjective agathos, which has a wider connotation than "acts of kindness". It includes the ideas of soundness and reliability. For example, Barnabas "was a good (agathos) man" (Acts 11:24). There was no shoddiness about his character, ministry or methods. No doubt this quality of consistent reliability was a major factor in the choice of Barnabas for the important mission to Antioch. It was Paul's desire that the spiritual experiences of the Colossian saints would produce "good" works of this sort.

The term, "increasing in the knowledge of God" (v. 10) may be compared with the earlier statement, "filled with the knowledge of His will" (v.9). Paul does not repeat himself without reason, and we may be sure that these statements although complementary are not necessarily synonymous. The "will of God" in a particular epoch, crisis or circumstance may be a matter for spiritual discernment, whereas His character and ways are invariable. Maybe, Paul, in using the broader term, places the emphasis on the latter. Indeed, no higher pursuit is open to the believer than the acquisition of the true knowledge of his God. If, in the words of the Westminster Confession, "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever", then all other pursuits must take a secondary place.

Each of the steps we have traced in the build-up of Paul's petitions leads us to a higher point in Christian experience. Keeping this in mind we endeavour to track the progress of the apostle's thinking in v. 11:

"Strengthened with all power, according to the might of His glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy". The joining of the present participle "strengthened" (Gr. dunamoumenoi) with the noun "power" (Gr. dunamis), and the link with "the might (Gr. kratos) of His glory", give us a vivid picture of dynamic energy. At first sight this might give an impression of a reservoir of spiritual power seeking release in some external encounter or enterprise. But that does not appear to coincide with the context. It seems almost an anti-climax to introduce "patience" and "longsuffering" here. Yet it is clear by his use of the preposition "unto" (Gr. eis) that Paul is identifying the purpose of the particular accession of divine strength which is the subject of his prayer for the Colossian saints. It has to do, first and foremost, with the weakness which besets the believer when "the flesh" - the self-life - is in the ascendancy. "0 wretched idol, myself! when shall I see thee wholly decourted, and Christ put wholly in thy room?" wrote the saintly Samuel Rutherford. This has been the desperate cry of many a troubled Christian. No matter how gifted a believer may be, the absence of patience (endurance) under trial, and longsuffering under provocation, will impair his usefulness. "This is one of several Pauline passages which put before us the beautiful paradox of holy power coming out of holy gentleness" (Moule).

Teach me thy patience; still with Thee

In closer, dearer company;

In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,

In trust that triumphs over wrong.

Let us not miss the point of the closing words "with joy". The "all patience and longsuffering" for which Paul prays are not of the "grin and bear it" type, but to be freely exercised in an atmosphere of cheerful liberality.

T.M. Hyland, Birkenhead, U.K. | Nov 1982
Colossians Ch. One - An Unfinished Study (Continued)