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PAUL'S THANKS AND PRAYERS

Colossians chapter 1

Introduction. Colosse was a city near Ephesus in Asia Minor. Nothing is known regarding the founding of the church at Colossae, it probably occurred during the period of Acts 19:10. The main worker there was Epaphras (1:7). The letter was written from prison in Rome (Acts 28) and carried by Tychicus (4:7-8), who also took a letter to the church at Laodicea (4:16). The theme of Colossians is the lordship of the Lord Jesus as Head of the Church.

VERSES 1 and 2

Greeting. It was Christ Jesus who appointed Paul to be an "apostle" - His special messenger, along with "the twelve"; Timothy was his helper, but not an apostle. All Christians are "saints" as children of God, sanctified by Him and not man. It is by the grace of God that we have peace with Him.

VERSES 3-8

Thanks for their conversion. How many were the prayers of the apostle with respect to the churches! How many hours would he pass in prayer, in spite of their own work and suffering!

A) He gave thanks for the faith, hope and love of the believers in Colosse. See 1st Corinthians 13:13 and 1 Thessalonians 1:3. They had faith in Christ, producing love for all believers, because of the hope (redemption accomplished, inheritance in heaven, Kingdom of God consummated). Such is the theme of the Gospel, which is the truth (3-5).

B) The Gospel was growing around the world and producing "fruit" in the character of believers wherever received. The worker amongst them was Epaphras (at that time he was with Paul - see 4:12-13), a teacher, who gave the apostle a good report about them (6-8).

VERSES 9-12

Prayer for their growth. Paul always prayed (not just once or twice) in favour of Colossian believers:

A) That they might come to the knowledge of God's will with respect to their lives. To achieve this, they needed spiritual wisdom and understanding (by studying and obeying His Word).

B) The purpose: that their lives might be pleasing to the Lord (v. 9), by their good works; that they might grow in the knowledge of God, with them always continuing to patiently and joyfully thank the Lord for having given them so great salvation.

It is more important that believers pray about their spiritual life than to occupy their prayers only asking for material blessings.

VERSES 13-20

The Son of His love. In this passage we see something of the excellence of Christ as Head of the Church and as King of the Kingdom of God (which is also the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of the Son - there is only one Kingdom, of which the subjects are those who have been forgiven and redeemed in Christ).

A) He is the image of the invisible God (see John 1:18, Hebrews 1:3). Jesus Christ is the eternal God, revealed in a visible and human Person. To men He was a young Jew, of poor parents and was crucified as a criminal, but He said he was the Light of the world, the Way and the Truth, the Resurrection and the Life - and he proved it by His unblemished character, by His signs and His resurrection.

B) He is the "firstborn of all creation" - the chief or head, for everything in heaven and on earth was made "through Him and for Him." He is the "Word" in John 1:1-4 and the "God Elohim" (plural name in Hebrew of Genesis 1).

C) He is the head of the church (v.18). All the redeemed are considered as one body, united to Him as the head. He was the first to rise from the dead, in His own power, and thus brought peace and reconciliation with God, in heaven and on earth, through His death for sin. All of this is the will of God (1st Timothy 2:4).

VERSES 21-23

The Colossians. They had been "alienated and enemies" in relation to God for their sins, but were now reconciled to Him by the death of Christ, Who would present them "blameless and irreproachable" to God, really His sanctified people.

All this came by his faith in the Gospel, which would be shown by the continuation of this divine message which was being proclaimed throughout the world (Acts 1:9).

VERSES 24-29

The faithful servant. The apostle suffered for love of the Church and rejoiced in it. "I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ" - for the Church, which is the "body of Christ" and of which Paul was a minister ("servant"). This service was the "dispensation" (stewardship) that God had given him, that His word might be fulfilled about "Christ in the Church" - the "mystery" hidden in times past and that would be the means of our glorification (v. 26-27 ).

This was the motivation for the work of the apostle, admonishing and teaching all men, so he might present them as "perfect" (in works and character) in Christ. For this, he laboured, striving according to the power of the Holy Spirit which worked in him mightily (v. 28-29).

 

Richard Dawson Jones (1895 - 1987)

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,
5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,
6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.
16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written: "I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND BRING TO NOTHING THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRUDENT."
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
31 that, as it is written, "HE WHO GLORIES, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD."

Colossians chapter 1