Colossians 1 commentary

COLOSSIAS 1 COMMETARY
Written and edited by GLE PEASE
PREFACE
Preface to the class on THE COLOSSAL CHRIST OF COLOSSIAS.
This commentary is based on a class I taught, and this is the way I began the class. I
have always found it meaningful to know something about a teacher who is teaching
a class. It gives you some insight into their perspective, and why they so foolishly
sometimes disagree with your more logical views.
When I was born I was quite homely. So much so that when my parents abandoned
me in the hospital parking lot they were arrested for litering. When I got a little
older my father taught me how to swim at an early age by taking me out in a boat
and throwing me over. It was not bad once I got out of the bag. I told my teacher
one day I don't think my parents like me. She said nonsense, what makes you say
that? I told her that when I got home yesterday, I found they had moved.
I made people happy as a kid. I remember one teacher saying it was the happiest
day of her life when I graduated from her class.
I was in the eighth grade and still thought farm was spelled EIEIO.
I thought it was Custer's last stand was where they got the idea for arrow shirts.
I thought the Indians got to America first because they had reservations.
Many felt I would never get through college, but I showed them. I made it through
in just two terms-Truman's and Isenhour's.
I had a hard time with girls. I just could not get the hang of dating. I asked one girl
if she could like a guy like me. She said sure if he wasn't too much like you.
I asked one girl what I would have to give her to get a kiss, and she said
chlorophorm. My romantic life could be written on a piece of confetti.
I finally met Lavonne, she was different than any other girl I had ever met. She
liked me. She said she married me for my brain. Her philosophy has always been its
the little things in life that really count. So much for my biography.
The real story is I was born, as was my wife, and raised in Sioux Falls, S.D. I went to
Bethel College and Seminary for 9 years and have been a Baptist General
Conference pastor for 34 years. I have 3 children and 5 grandchildren and 8
greatgrandchildren. I have read hundreds of authors on Colossians and I share
quotes from many of them that give insights that I never saw, or could not
communicate as well as they have.
How much you get out of the class will depend on how much you want to get. How

much you want will be measured in such things as note taking on things you want to
remember, and questions you come up with to go deeper or to get practical
application of the truth in this part of God's Word. I think Bible Study is fun, and I
hope it will be that to you as we dig into this great letter of Paul.
I have been a teacher long enough to know that there is always a risk of
misunderstanding everytime you open your mouth and say something. So please feel
free to interrupt at any time and ask questions and seek for clarification.
Communication has not really taken place unless the listener gets the message the
speaker intends. It does not always happen that way.
Mike Hays has written a paragraph that reveals how dangerous it can be to assume
that you are being heard the same way as you mean to be heard. He writes, Clear
communication is a key for those who live in such a diverse society like you and me.
Some of the corporate giants have found out how important it is to communicate
clearly if they are going to continue to make a, profit. When Gerber first started
selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as here in the USA -- with
the picture of the cute baby on the label. Later, when sales were going poorly, they
found out that in Africa companies routinely put pictures on the label of what is
inside. When Pepsi started marketing its products in China, they translated their
slogan, Pepsi Brings You Back To Life pretty literally. The Chinese characters
they chose really meant, Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From The Grave. The
Chevy ova never sold well in Spanish speaking countries because o Va means
It does not go. Coors put it slogan of a few years back, Turn it Loose, into
Spanish, where it was read, Suffer from Diarrhea. When Braniff translated a
slogan touting its upholstery, Fly in Leather, it came out in Spanish as Fly
aked. We really need to be careful what we say and how we say it, huh!
The point of Bible study is so that we are influenced by the truth we come to
understand so that we can be an influence in the world for our Lord. There are
many things we cannot do, but all of us can be an influence, and often that is the
most important thing that can be done. Let me share some examples that can
encourage all of us to be aware that our influence can be a power that makes a
difference in some life.
Cecil B. DeMille wrote, When I was a nine year old boy, and old preacher came to
Echo Lake, ew Jersey to conduct a series of meetings. Young DeMille attended
every morning, but one cold rainy morning he was the only one who showed up. He
wondered if that man would preach to one small boy. DeMille describes that
unusual scene. If he preached under those circumstances I felt that he was a
man of God. If he dismissed the service I felt that he would be false. And he did
preach, although it was a very short sermon. Then he came down to the alter railing
of the church and invited me to come up. He said: My audience no doubt noticed
that I did not take the collection at the usual time. I now invite my audience to come
up and put the offering the plate. I walked up proudly to that alter, put my nickel
in the plate and, as I did so, that old gray-haired preacher put his hand on my head
and prayed a prayer in which he lifted my name to God. I shall never forget the feel

of that old preacher's hands on my head. I have en-joyed the greatest honors of life.
Here in Hollywood I have met the great of the earth. But I have never had any thrill
as great as the feel of that preacher's hands on my head. It was a kind of
ordination. That had much to do with my interest in producing Biblical motion
pictures. Millions have watched the Biblical movies of Cecil B. DeMille, but nobody
even knows the name of the old preacher who put his hand on him as a boy, and
thus, became a major influence in his life. Because of the impact of influence, that
hand that touched the little boy, touched a whole world of people.
The same story can be told on the negative side of influence. Vincent Teresa in his
book My Life In The Mafia, tells of how his uncle would ask him to shine his shoes,
and then give him ten or fifteen bucks. This made a deep impression on him, and he
said to himself, I don't know what he does, but what ever it is I want to do it. That
was the beginning of his desire to be a gangster.
Bach's, the Passion According To St. Matthew is generally acclaimed as the greatest
choral work ever written in German. Bach performed it once in his day, and it was
put away where it lay unperformed for 100 years. In 1829 Felix Mendelssohn
obtained a copy of it and revived it. He unleashed a title wave of enthusiasm for
Bach that has never ebbed to this day, and so Mendelssohn had great influence on
Bach's fame, but Bach even more on Mendelssohn, for the 20 year old composer was
converted to faith in Christ by his exposure to Bach. They lifted each other.
Henry Drummond said, There is nothing exaggerated more than the power of our
words, and there is nothing we exaggerate less than the effect of our influence.
Andrew Robinson, one time chairman of the board of Westinghouse, tells of the
strange experiment he saw performed in their lab. A great steel bar eight feet long
and weighing 1000 pounds was suspended by a slender chain from the ceiling.
Parallel to it was a small cork suspended by a silk thread. The cork was slung into
the steel bar, and, of course, had no effect whatever. But after about ten minutes of
constant swinging of that cork into the steel bar, a little quiver could be seen, and
after two more minutes a visible vibration could be detected. After 25 minutes the
steel bar began to swing like a huge pendulum. The experiment proved that even
the least likely force, with no visible influence can by persistence have an impact
that is visible. The study of influence reveals just how tremendous the trivial can be
in its impact.
Why was the good Samaritan so caring and compassionate. For all we know, he had
been helped by someone who found him in the same condition some years before.
Whatever the influence, his act of love for a stranger has influenced all the rest of
history. There are Good Samaritan Hospitals, Good Samaritan ursing Homes,
and Good Samaritan Ministries of all kinds. The whole world has been lifted by one
man's kindness. We do not even know his name, but he was an Atlas of influence,
for he lifted the whole world when he lifted that helpless victim. We have no record
of what that victim did in gratitude, but he could very well have become a social
worker ministering to people who were victims of crime. For all we know, the world
is full of people with compassion who have been influenced by this one unknown
man. Only the omniscient mind of God could trace the impact of his influence, but

we know it is inexhaustible.
What is the point of all this about influence? We need to recognize that influence is
the bottom line in Bible Study. Each book of the Bible is designed to have an
influence on our lives. If it has no influence, we have not studied it, no matter how
much time we have spent reading it and discussing it. God has a purpose for all He
has revealed, and that is to influence us to be influencing others. We are always
being an influence for good or ill, but the purpose of Bible Study is to make sure we
are growing in our influence for good, and for the Kingdom of God-that is, that He
might more completely reign in our lives and the lives of those He brings into our
sphere of influence.
Sarah Bolton wrote,
The smallest bark on life's tumultuous ocean
Will leave a track behind forever more;
The lightest wave of influence, once in motion
Extends and widens to the eternal shore.
Another poet wrote,
My life shall touch a dozen lives
Before this day is done,
Leave countless marks of good or ill,
Ere sets the evening sun.
This, the wish I always wish,
The prayer I always pray:
Lord, may my life help others' lives
It touches by the way.
The following verse by verse commentary is based on the reading of many other
studies of Colossians combined with my own insights into the text.
ITRODUCTIO:
1.Paul wrote this epistle from prison in Rome where he had plenty of time as he
awaited his trial. Daille wrote, The imprisonment of St. Paul has done the church
more good than the prosperity of the rest of the faithful of that age. This letter was
written the same time as the letter to the Ephesians and Philemon, and they all seem
to be delivered by the same messengers, Tychicus and Onesimus who was returning
to his master, Philemon, who lived in Colosse.
J. Vernon McGee writes, The Prison Epistles include Eph.,Phil., Col.,and the very
personal Philimon. The year was about A.D. 62. Four messengers left Rome
unobserved, but the each carried a very valuable document. Tychicus was carrying
the Epistle to the Ephesians over to Ephesus where he was the pastor or the leader

of that church. Epaphroditus was carrying the Epistle to the Philippians as he was
the pastor in Philippi. Epaphras was carrying the Epistle to Colossians; apparently
he was a leader of the church in Colosse. Onesimus was carrying the Epistle to
Philemon. Philemon was his master, and Onesimus, who had run away was
returning to him. These four are companion epistles and together had been called
the anatomy of Christianity, or the anatomy of the church. We can see that the
subjects of these epistles cover all aspects of the Christian faith.
You notice that we refer to Paul's writings as both letters and epistles. The idea of
the epistle has become traditional, but the fact is he wrote letters and not epistles.
Deissmann, a great scholar in the area of epistles of the ancient world says it is a
mistake to call Paul's letters epistles. They were literary forms meant for
publication, but a letter was personal and written for a definite situation and to
meet a definite need. Paul was not aware that he was writing what would become
Scripture for all God's people. He was just pouring out his heart to those he loved.
He wrote love letters and not epistles designed to impress others with his literary
talent.
Samuel Morris had a great influence on a great many people he never saw or who
never saw him. He was a son of an Africa king who escaped from a tribe that had
captured him. He found refuge in a Christian mission station where he heard the
Gospel and he gave his life to Christ. It is a long story of hardship and suffering, but
he finally got to America and to a Christian college in Indiana. Under his influence
a revival broke out in the school. The severe American winter was too much for
him, however, and after a brief illness he died. He had told everyone of how he
intended to take the Gospel back to his people. At his grave three young men gave
themselves to do the work that he had planned to do. After his death his influence
spread. Students came from all over the world, and dozens of them trained for
service on foreign fields. The grave of that black boy is the most visited grave in the
city of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Here is a case where one life had a great impact on many others even though they
had never met. Paul is an even greater example of this very thing. Paul had a
colossal influence on the Colossians even though he never visited their city or their
church. In 1:4 he says he heard of their faith in Christ. It was by reports of others
that he was aware of them. In 2:1 he refers to them as among those who never saw
his face. Paul does not have his usual warm personal greetings to individuals as in
his other letters, because he did not know these people personally.
Paul spent three years in Ephesus, and while he was there people came from all the
cities round about to hear the Gospel. Some came from Colosse and were converted.
They went back to start the church in their city. Paul indirectly therefore, started
the church, but he had never been there. He wrote to these Christians he had never
seen and by so doing had a great influence on them and on all Christians ever since.
This epistle represents the great power of the written word. The author could not
go into all the world, but what he has written has gone into all the world, as well as

into all history. ever underestimate the influence you may have by writing. You
can influence people you will never know if you put a message into writing. Write a
message to those with a need that Gods truth can meet and you can never know the
impact it might have.
We will not all have the wide spread influence of Paul, or of a Samuel Morris, but
all of us are constantly influencing others. You cannot detach yourself from having
a good or bad influence on others you know, and even those you do not know.
Indirectly we all influence people we never see by the way we influence those we do
see. They in turn have an influence on us because of others in their lives we may
never know or see. The very fact that we are studying the letter to the Colossians
rather than some other book is due to the influence of other people we don't even
know. You know me, but you don't know the people who influenced me to select
this book for our study.
Paul did not know the Colossians nor did he know the millions of Christians who
would be influenced by his letter to them. The whole point of this introduction is
that we need to be aware that God can do more than we dream to influence other
people if we will just do something to minister to someone. Paul heard of a need and
he wrote a letter, and now 2,000 years later it is still being used of God to meet
people's needs. His deed of love is now influencing us.
Paul was the only Apostle who was an enemy of Jesus before his conversion. All
through history God has used many of his worst enemies to become his best friends,
and spread his Gospel with their radical testimony of conversion. Paradoxes abount
in the life and writings of Paul. Right away we see the big shot Jew named Saul
become the little Christian named Paul. We see the worst become the best. We see
Paul blinded so he could see the light.
1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of
God, and Timothy our brother,
1. Paul nor the Holy Spirit are superstitious, it would seem, for this is one of thirteen
epistles in the ew Testament that begin with Paul as the author.
Many feel that the number 13 is bad luck. There is enough people who fear the
number that we have a word for it-triskaidekaphobia. If you ride an elevator look
for the 13th floor and you will not likely find it, for people will not stay in a room on
that floor. Some even go so far as to try and prove that this is an evil number, and is
the number of Satan. One of the most superficial studies I have ever seen is one
trying to prove this. The author goes through verse thirteen in various chapters of
the Bible and sees negative things and concludes it is an evil number. For Example:

1.Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked
and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
2.Proverbs 13:13 Whoso despiseth the word shall
be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.
3.Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens,
and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of
hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
4.Ezekiel 13:13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD;
I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an
overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.
5. Matthew 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables:
because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they
understand.
6.Mark 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for
my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved.
This is pure folly, for you could go through and find bad stuff in verse three also,
and verse seven, the two perfect numbers, and also find good stuff in the thirteenth
verse of other chapters. It is an abuse of the Bible to prove such a stupid thing. 13 is
no different than any other number, and the fact is it has much good going for it.
First of all, our nation started with 13 colonies and The Great Seal on our dollar bill
has:
13 stars
13 stripes
13 arrows in the eagles talons
13 letters in the motto
13 laurel leaves
13 berries on the branch
13 feathers in each wing
13 levels on the pyramid
Jesus chose 12 and so His chosen and himself were 13 who began the ew
Testament. Jesus did not fear the number 13. It is no argument against the number
to say Judas betrayed him for that 12th disciple was restored in Acts so there was 12
again and their Lord, making 13.
2. We see here three things: The Author, the Authority, and the Associate.
AUTHOR
Paul was the author of more books of the ew Testament than any other person. He
was to be God's man to reach out to the Gentile world, and most of what Paul wrote
was to the Gentile world. He was born and raised in Tarsus, in Asia Minor, where
he was exposed to the world and thought of the Gentiles. The university of Tarsus
was more famous in that day than the U. of Athens. Scholars came from the ends of

the world to teach there. Paul, thus, got an education that made him an excellent
tool to bridge the gap between the Jews and Gentiles. Paul was a Jew and proud of
it, but he was also proud of his Roman citizenship and that he was used of God to
reach the Gentiles.
Dr. Grant C. Richison wrote, “The name Paul means little. If there was anyone
who could call himself Mr. big, it was the apostle Paul. He was the greatest
missionary of the first century. He was one of the great men of his day. In Judaism
he had a promising career. He was a Pharisee. He was the outstanding persecutor of
the church. He ran out of victims in Jerusalem so he went to Damascus to capture
more Christians, Then Saul (Paul), still breathing threats and murder against the
disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the
synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men
or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2). He was on his
way to murder the disciples in Damascus. On that road to Damascus he met the
risen Lord and received Jesus Christ as his Savior. As a Christian he spread the
gospel to the Gentile Roman world. The Lord Jesus ruined his previous career of
killing Christians! One look at Jesus and it changed everything in his life. Jesus'
worst enemy became his greatest emissary.”
I was journeying in the noon-tide,
When His light shone o'er my road;
And I saw Him in the glory,
Saw Him, Jesus, Son of God.
Marvel not that Christ in glory'
All my inmost soul hath won;
I have seen a light from heaven,
Far beyond the brightest sun.
Paul was Saul, and the fact that he had the name of he first king of Israel who also
came from the tribe of Benjamin, tells us that the name Saul was still honored, even
though Saul failed God. ot all names are ruined by the bad behavior of their
owners, as was the case with Judas. Saul the proud self-sufficient big shot Pharisee
had to be humbled to become little Paul so that God could make him truly great.
Paul was not a right wing or a left wing in his views, but he was the whole bird. He
was not an old timer or a new generation person, he was an always person. The past
person is always looking back to the good old days, as if all the good answers were
back there. The now person is caught up in the present and the fads and sensations
of the current scene is where its at. What is the latest and coolest, and what is in is
all they care about. The always person is one who serves the Lord of all ages. He can
focus on the values of the past that will never change, and on the new values that
Christ brought into the world, and on the never-ending values that will continue
into eternity. God's best is in the past, and the present and the future. There is no
time in which God has not had His best for man. There is always the Past Heritage,
The Present Help and the Perpetual Hope. The always person is always relevant for
He is dealing with the God who is always relevant, for He is always with it, and has

His best available in all times. The good old days are for real, and there is no time
like the present, and the best is yet to be. All of these statements are true in Christ.
Paul is constantly referring to the past, present and future.
AUTHORITY
Apostle by the will of God. An apostle is one who is sent. Paul is not a self-appointed
Apostle, but one who has his authority directly from God. It was not his
plan, nor his choice of vocation. It was God who chose him for this job. It was not
his aspiration but God's ordination that made him an apostle. Paul makes sure that
no one ever gets the impression that he has taken it upon himself to be an apostle.
Every chance he got he told of how he persecuted the church, and was totally
unworthy of anything but judgment. He felt his terrible past made him the least of
the apostles. He is only in the service of Christ because of the grace of God. Paul
did not work his way up the ladder of some hierarchy. o group ever took a vote on
whether Paul should be apostle.
An Apostle is an Ambassador for God, and one with authority to speak on God's
behalf. It is not to be taken lightly, but very seriously, for it is not a mere man who
speaks, but one who speaks on behalf of the Master of all men. We are accountable
for what we hear from Paul, for it is God's message.
ASSOCIATE
Timothy our brother. He is called in II Tim. 1:2 my dear son. Here he is called
and equal with Paul, a brother in Christ. This is the only place he is called brother.
In the next verse he calls the Colossians brothers also, and so we see Paul is being
very brotherly here and setting a tone of equality. He is not trying to boss them
around but is giving brotherly advice and guidance. The concept of God's people
being brothers goes back to when all of them were literal brothers. The twelve tribes
of Israel were all related for all came from 12 brothers. This was a very important
word to Paul. He uses the word 34 times, which is far more than anyone else does. It
was a male world in terms of leadership in public, but Paul does use sister as well.
Brother is the Greek word Adelphos and sister is Adelphe. Paul loved this word for
after his conversion it was the first word he heard from Ananias in Acts 22:12-13.
And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the
Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother Saul,
receive your sight.' And in that very hour I received my sight and saw him.”
Join hands then, brothers of the faith,
Whate'er the race may be.
Who serves my Father as a son
Is surely kin to me.
Brothers includes the women also. In Acts `1:15 we read, In those days Peter stood
up among the brethren. In that context we read there were women in that group

called brethren. It is a general term for the family of God. All who have a common
father are brothers to each other. Stedman writes, “These days it is necessary to
point out that when the Scriptures talk about brothers and brethren, it always
includes sisters as well---sistern, we might say. If we understood the biblical truth
about mankind we would not have gotten into the awkward situation we find
ourselves in today, where we wonder whether we ought to call a woman a
chairperson or chairwoman, or what. That entire situation would be happily
taken care of if we observed what the Bible says. In the beginning, it says, God
created man, male and female he created them, and he named them man. Thus,
women have as much right to there man as males do. They can properly call
themselves the sons of God just as men do, and they can properly include
themselves in the term brethren as much as men do. Both are men in that
generic sense. If we understood that there would be no need, as some are
threatening today, to republish the ew Testament, eliminating all so-called
chauvinist terms.
Timothy was with Paul in Ephesus and no doubt got to know some of the people
from Colosse. He was with Paul as he wrote this letter and Paul includes him as an
equal. God made Paul an apostle but he did not make him a snob. With all his
authority from God he still needed brothers to encourage and support him. Timothy
is just a boy compared to Paul, and so we see the possibility of an older man and a
younger man being great friends and companions.
Dr. Grant C. Richison writes, “Timothy was a vest-pocket edition of the apostle
Paul. He was Paul's companion on many of his travels (II Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; II
Thes. 1:1) and his son in the faith (II Tim 2:1). Timothy had a Gentile father (Acts
16:1) but Jewish mother and grandmother (II Tim. 1:5). He learned the Old
Testament from a young age from them (II Tim. 3:15). Paul hand-picked Timothy to
serve with him. Timothy joined Paul on his second missionary journey at Lystra
where he was reported to be effective in ministry (Acts 16:2). Thereafter they were
almost inseparable. Wherever Paul went, he took Timothy. Wherever Paul could
not go, he sent Timothy. ow if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you
without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do (I Cor. 16:10). Paul
personally polished him as a leader. He wrote I II Timothy to this young pastor.”
Paul had numerous colleagues and friends but none of them were quite as close as
Timothy. ote his view of Timothy in Philippians 2:10-23, But I trust in the Lord
Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know
your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For
all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus [but not Timothy]. But
you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in
the gospel. Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with
me. God brought these two men together and they remained together. Their
friendship stuck. Their friendship glued together with a divine adhesive. Others
forsook Paul. When the going got tough, they quit, This you know, that all those in
Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes (II

Tim. 1:15). Paul knew what it was like to have some bitter disappointments in his
friends and co-workers.
What kept Paul and Timothy together? They had nothing in common. Paul was
much older than Timothy (Philemon 9). In I Timothy Paul said, Let no man
despise your youth. Usually, people who have a large age gap do not remain
together for very long unless they are relatives These two were poles apart in their
family background. Paul was a pure blood Jew (Phil. 3:5). Timothy was half Jew,
half Gentile. His father was a Gentile (Acts 16:3). They were poles apart in their
education. They were not on the same plane. Paul had a graduate degree. He sat at
the feet of Gamaliel. There is no record of any formal training of Timothy. People
can be radically different in every way and still be one in Christ because he becomes
their center and primary motivation in living and serving.
Paul always has companionship with other fellow servants, and this reveals that
Christians are to be social people and develop relationships, for this gives life great
meaning. Christ is Savior and He is our all in all, yet, the fact is we are made to have
other relationships, and we are not complete on our own. Even Jesus needed
relationships. He had his disciples and he loved to go to the home of Mary and
Martha and Lazarus. We are made to need relationships. They are a key factor in
our happiness and our success in living. The paradox is, it is also relationships that
give us most of the grief of life, and most of our heartaches and frustrations are due
to relationships, and so they are essential, yet they are often a burden. Those closest
to Jesus gave him the most grief. The inner circle of Peter, James, and John would
not watch one hour, but fell asleep as he struggled in Gethsemane. It was his
disciples who made him frustrated and caused him to say, How long must I endure
this. Paul also had grief from his close relationships and some of them forsook him,
like Demas, and made him sad.
2. To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at
Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our
Father.
ADDRESSEES
1. Holy brothers. It means they were people set apart to be in the service of doing
the will of God in the world. The vessels in the temple were called holy, not because
they were different from those used in every day life, but because they were set
apart to be used in the service of God. To be holy is to have a special purpose related
to God. The Christian is saved to serve God. He may not be better than others in
many ways, but he is called to a better use. He is a saint, meaning he has a calling to
be what God wants him or her to be.

HOLY: Barclay writes, The Greek word Holy is hagios; this is also the word for
saint, which in the KJV is the regular word for the Christian. The basic meaning
of this word is different. The temple is holy because it is different from
other buildings; the Sabbath day holy because it is different from other days;
God is supremely the Holy One because He is the Wholly other, the one who in
his being is different from men. So, then, first and foremost the Christian is
different. But it is of the first importance to note wherein that difference is
expressed. It is expressed, not by withdrawal from the world, but by involvement in
the world. The difference is to be expressed within the life of the world.
Just as a king may have a vessel in his palace he uses to spit in that may be far more
costly and beautiful than the one the priest uses to remove the ashes from the altar,
so there are men in the world who are finer specimens of manhood, and more
cultured and more intelligent and talented, than many professing Christians.
evertheless, the blackened vessel used in the temple is holy, and so is the weakest
and most inadequate Christian, for they are called to a specialized task of being
tools for the service of God in this world. Ironside wrote, The vilest sinner is
constituted by God a saint, the moment he puts his trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ......thus we are saints by calling and not primarily by practice. Being holy or
being a saint is not something we achieve by living a perfect or near perfect life, it is
something we receive. It is a title that comes with salvation. Every Christian is a
saint and is therefore one who is holy.
Ray Stedman wrote, “Why is God's name holy? Because it is his name. We call his
book the holy Bible because it is God's book. We call Palestine the Holy Land
because it peculiarly belongs to God, more than any other spot on earth. In that
sense, therefore, holy has nothing to do with how you act but more with who you
are. You belong to God. By faith the Colossians had believed what God said,
therefore God claimed them for his own; they belonged to him.”
Holy defines their relationship to God, and brother defines their relationship to each
other. Saints are those who-
1.Receive the Gift of God.
2.Respect the Goal of God.
3.Radiate the Glory of God.
In Buddhism a saint is one who is empty of all desire, but for a Christian it is one
who is filled with desire to do the will of God.
2. Someone made this interesting observation: lt. is addressed to God's dedicated
people and to the faithful brothers in Colosse. ow in the matter of opening
addresses Paul's custom changed. In his earlier letters he always addressed the letter
to the Church. I and 2 Thessalonians, I and 2 Corinthians and Galatians are all
addressed to the Church of the district to which they are sent. But beginning with
Romans all Paul's letters are addressed to God's dedicated people in such and such
a place. It is so in Romans, Colossians, Philippians and Ephesians. As Paul grew
older, he cared more and more to see that what matters is individual people. The
Church is people. The Church is not a kind of vague, abstract entity; it is individual
men and women and children. And, as the years went on, Paul began to think less

and less of the Church as a whole, and more and more of the Church as individual
men and women. And so, in the end, he sends his greetings, not to a kind of abstract
society called the Church, but rather to the individual men and women of whom the
Church must always be composed.
Alexander Maclaren on this text points out that the Christians in the .T. were only
called Christians twice, but they were called brothers often. Christian has become
the popular term to go by, ever though in was the nick-name given by the world.
The deeper name given by Paul is saints and brothers. Masses of very diverse
people, both Jews and Gentiles, being called brother because they are a part of the
family of God. Maclaren says, ..there had never been anything like it in the world.
The name is a memorial of the unifying power of the Christian faith. The unity of
all believers is based on their common Father, which makes them all brothers and
sisters. He says again, Do not be content with the vague, often unmeaning name of
Christian, but fill it with meaning by being a believer on Christ, a saint devoted to
God, and a brother of all whom by like precious faith, have become Sons of
God.
FAITHFUL
Being faithful was very important to Paul. It meant somebody you could count on.
They could be trusted to be reliable. If they have a duty to do, you can count on it
they will do it. There is nothing more frustrating than the unfaithful. You expect
them to do what they say they will do and then make plans accordingly and they let
you down. They are a disappointment and it is discouraging, but with the faithful
you know it will be as they promise. The reason Paul loves Timothy was because he
was so faithful. When others let him down and even forsook him, Timothy was
always there for him. Paul loved to praise those who were faithful.
Col 1:7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant, who is for you a
faithful minister of Christ;
Col 4:7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and
a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord:
Col 4:9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They
shall make known unto you all things, which are done here.
Someone put it this way: To some, the word plugger may seem a little coarse and
undignified when applied to people. It shouldn't. ot even when applied to God's
people. As defined by Webster in its colloquial sense, the plugger is one who keeps
steadily and doggedly at work. When that work is the Lord's work the pluggers are
the faithful. So, even if the word seems common, the people it describes are certainly
not. They are the unsung heroes of the Lord's army. They are the backbone of the
church. They are worthy of honor. Praise the pluggers. ot for their extraordinary
talents, but for making good use of whatever talents they do have. They don't let
their inability to do things hinder them from doing little things. They are content
just to do the best they can at what they can (Eccl. 9:10). That may mean cleaning
the building or mowing the lawn. It may involve helping the sick or cheering the

fainthearted. It may mean nothing more than giving a tract or an invitation, but
they just keep right on, doing all as unto the Lord.
Faithful brothers. Here is a Jew writing to Gentiles and calling them brothers.
People in that day hated each other for being one or the other. Hatred characterized
the relation of Jews and Gentiles. But in the church and in Christ these enemies
become brothers. All walls between people are to be broken down in Christ. Parker
writes, There are messages which can be delivered only to such men as are here
described. Paul has written nothing to societies of wicked men. the Apostles have
nothing to say to brotherhoods of evil or confederacies of malice; they can only
deliver their gospel to those who are prepared to receive it. The sun indeed has
nothing to say to plants that are dead, or to trees that are plucked up by the roots:
but how much it has to say to plants that live, and to trees that stretch forth their
branches, as if in eager expectancy, towards heaven!
ADDRESS
1. In Christ. This is their permanent address that will never change for all eternity.
Colosse was only their temporary address. This city was destroyed by an
earthquake, but it did not change their address of being in Christ. Barclay writes,
The Christian lives in two dimensions. He lives in this world, and he does not take
the duties and relationships lightly; he fulfills his every obligation to the world in
which in lives. But above and beyond that he lives in Christ. In this world he may
move form place to place, so that now he is in one place and now in another; but
wherever he is, he is in Christ. That is why outward circumstances will make very
little difference to the Christian; his happiness and his peace and his joy are not
dependent on them; these things can change, but the fact is that he is in Christ can
never change.
We never say men are in Paul, or Moses, or Isaiah, or Luther, or Calvin. We say
they are Lutherans and Calvinists, and mean they are followers of these men, but
never that they are in them. Calvin's ideas may be in us, but we are not in him. The
ideas of Jesus may be in men also, and they not be in Him. A Christian is one who
has Christ in him and thus, he is in Christ. A cup can be in the water and the water
in the cup. If you are in love, love will be in you. To be in is to be immersed in, and
surrounded by. Jesus is our environment. We are in the world but not of it, but we
are in Christ and of Him. We are in the air and the air is in us, so we are in Christ
and Christ is in us. Both our internal and external world are Christ oriented.
2. R.C. Sproul has some fun occasionally at a lecture in his studio at Orlando. He
will go up to someone in the audience and ask, Where do you live? The person
will answer, Chicago or St. Louis or Burlington. Then R.C. asks, are you
alive now? The person answers, Yes. Are you in Chicago now? The answer is
no. But, you said you live in Chicago? What is it that you are doing now? His
point is simple: Our home is in a specific location. We live wherever we ARE. As
Christians we are both in the world and in Christ. The being in Christ is to make a

major difference in how we are in the world. Colosse is not to be the major influence
in our lives, but Christ, and that influence is to make a difference in Colosse. When
Colosse has a more powerful influence than Christ, we are worldly Christians. We
need to ask ourselves often, where am I living right now? Am I in Colosse, and
letting it be the primary source of influence in my life, or am I in Christ letting Him
be that primary source of influence?
3. We are in Christ, and so what happens to Him happens to us. We are raised with
Him, and we are ascended with Him. We are in His humanity and all that happens
to Him is our destiny. Paxton says it,
Denotes our position=Where He is, we are.
Defines our privileges=What He is, we are.
Describes our possessions=What He has, we share.
Determines our practice=What He does, we do.
4. What the Epistles say about Christ.
1. Romans: We are justified in Christ.
2. Corinthians: We are dignified in Christ.
3. Galatians: We are sanctified in Christ.
4. Ephesians and Colossians: We are unified in Christ.
5. Thessalonians: We are glorified in Christ.
6. Timothy: We are qualified in Christ.
7. Titus: We are purified in Christ.
8. Hebrews: We are magnified in Christ.
9. James: We are amplified in Christ.
10. Peter: We are edified in Christ.
11. Jude: We are fortified in Christ.
12. Revelation: We are beautified in Christ.--A. T. Pierson.
5. I CHRIST WE HAVE
1. Love that can never be fathomed.
2. Life than can never die.
3. Righteousness that can never be tarnished.
4. Peace that cannot be understood.
5. Rest than can never be disturbed.
6. Joy that can never be diminished.
7. Hope that can never be disappointed.
8. Glory that can never be clouded.
9. Light that can never be darkened.
10. Happiness that can never be interrupted.
11. Strength that can never be enfeebled.
12. Purity that can never be defiled.
13. Beauty that can never be marred.
14. Wisdom that can never be baffled.
15. Resources that can never be exhausted. QUOTED FROM WAR CRY
6. This is really Paul's letter to podunkville, for this is the least important city Paul

wrote to. His letters to Rome and Corinth were to very big and major cities of the
world of that day, but Colosse was a dying town. Yet these Christians motivated
Paul to write one of the greatest letters in history that has influenced all of the
history of the whole church.
7. It was located near the other two cities mentioned in this letter. Laodicea in 2:1,
4:13-16. and Hierapolis in 4:13. These other two cities were bigger and could be seen
by each other as they stood on opposite sides of the Lycus river in what is now
Turkey. They were about six miles apart and up the river 12 miles was this smaller
town of Colosse. Rev. Bruce Goettsche wrote, Colosse was considered a small town
at this time but was near a major trade route which meant that many travelers
passed through their area. I think the best way to understand what Colosse was like
is to liken it to a small town just off the Interstate. People from all over the world
stop in that town to get gas or lodging. With these visitors come an exposure to the
thinking and values of the world. Different people would stop and visit and share
their ideas and philosophies. It was only natural for the people of the town to be
intrigued by some of the things they had heard. It is similar to what takes place
when someone goes to college . . . they are exposed to ways of thinking that are
different from their own and often have radical swings in belief.
Some of these ideas were embraced by the people. Soon, these ideas were finding
their way into the church. And though the change was subtle (at this point), the
gospel was being distorted. The church was beginning to be molded by the world in
which it lived. This is called Syncretism. It is a blending of various philosophies.
However, any change in the pure gospel message diminishes the Gospel. Anything
we try to add pollutes God's great plan. Maybe you can already see why this is a
message for our time. o matter where we live, we are constantly exposed to the
philosophies of the world. We may feel like we are isolated and secure. But we are
not. Today with C, network television, the radio, mass marketed literature, the
daily newspaper, and the Internet, we are constantly being bombarded with non-
Christian thinking. Unfortunately, even much of the Christian broadcasting is
now carrying secular overtones.
8. It was rich territory with fertile land and great flocks of sheep. It became the
center of the woolen industry of the world. All three cities benefited from this, but
Laodicea became the political and financial center of the area and Hierapolis
became the trade center and place for health spas with its vapor springs. The
competition was too great for Colosse and she had nothing special to offer and so
began to decline. It can and does happen to the best of people and places. Today the
ruins of the other two cities can be seen but there is not one stone left of Colosse to
tell where it once was. In the eighth century people left the city and by the twelfth
century it disappeared completely. Colosse was a dying city and it had this small
church. It could be neglected we would think, but Paul felt it was important to deal
with the issues of the small church and because of his value system the whole world
has benefited.
GRACE.

This was one of Paul's favorite words, and he begins and ends this letter with grace,
and he does so with every letter he writes, with Hebrews as the only exception, and
there is debate if he wrote that. THAYER points out that: a. CHARIS contains the
idea of kindness which bestows upon one what he has not deserved. b. The T
writers use CHARIS (or Karis) preeminently of that kindness by which God
bestows favors even upon the ill-deserving, and grants to sinners the pardon of their
offenses, and bids them accept of eternal salvation through Christ. - e.g., Ep 2:5
Karis is the Greek word and it is equivalent to our God bless you. This word covers
all of the ways people wish others the best. Good luck is the secular equivalent.
Grace is more personal for it refers to the favor of God. May the favor of God be
upon you. Greeks meant beauty by grace, and would be saying, May you have
beauty of person and beauty of soul. May your houses and children, and all your
surroundings be fair to the eyes. May you lives be like a noble poem or statue with
do discord or deformity to mar them. We get the word charm from the Greek
charis. There is to be a loveliness about the Christian life. If it is not attractive it
falls short of the ideal of Christ. He was full of grace. King writes, How much it
means! God's attitude, as in Eph. 2:8; God's assistance, as in I Cor. 15:10; God's
attractiveness, as in Acts 4:33. Since all this is what the Word implies, what a wish
it is with which to greet our fellows: May this all-embracing grace be yours.
Parker, Paul does not proceed upon the principle that because grace was once
given to the saints and faithful brethren that therefore they need no more. We need
daily grace for daily need. We must, indeed, never permit the soul to be cut off from
the fountains of heavenly grace... Grace is God's provision for the Christian life.
Peace is the enjoyment of God's provisions. A person experiencing peace is in the
process of experiencing God's grace. Grace is the normal Greek salutation.
Peace is the normal Hebrew salutation.
PEACE.
The Hebrew SHALOM peace[ 13 ] is equivalent to the Greek EIREEEE peace but
in Paul's greeting peace has the special meaning that Christ gave to it. He said to
His disciples, Peace I leave with you, adding that His peace is not as the world
gives (Joh 14:27; compare Col 3:15). Peace is the sense of being O K with God,
others, and yourself. You can have all the riches and fame of the world, but if you
do not have peace you are not happy. This is the highest state of well being.
Old castles often had deep wells for time of war. The enemy might cut off the water
supply from the aqueducts, but they could not touch the source of water within. To
have an inner sense of peace is to have a well within that cannot be reached by the
turmoil of life and external circumstances. This is one of life's great blessings and
one Paul wanted for all believers. Grace is the root and peace is the fruit. They are
not once for all gifts like salvation but must be gotten constantly. We need God's
grace and peace today and every day. They are to the soul what food and water are
to the body.
This is not peace with God. That peace we receive at the point of salvation. This is

peace of God, God's very own peace for everyday life. It does not take much for
people to get our goat. We charge into conflict over something insignificant. Paul
desires that every believer will know the peace of God in whatever situation they
face. This is the ability to call an armistice because the war is over. We no longer
need to fight insignificant battles.
Illustration of the meaning of PEACE - Jim Walton was translating the T for
the Muinane people of La Sabana in the jungles of Colombia. But he was having
trouble with the word peace. During this time, Fernando, the village chief, was
promised a 20-minute plane ride to a location that would have taken him 3 days to
travel by walking. The plane was delayed in arriving at La Sabana, so Fernando
departed on foot. When the plane finally came, a runner took off to bring Fernando
back. But by the time he had returned, the plane had left. Fernando was livid
because of the mix-up. He went to Jim and launched into an angry tirade.
Fortunately, Walton had taped the chief's diatribe. When he later translated it, he
discovered that the chief kept repeating the phrase, I don't have one heart. Jim
asked other villagers what having one heart meant, and he found that it was like
saying, There is nothing between you and the other person. That, Walton
realized, was just what he needed to translate the word peace. To have peace with
God means that there is nothing--no sin, no guilt, no condemnation--that separates
us. And that peace with God is possible only through Christ (Ro5:1). Do you have
one heart with God?
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
1. Ray Stedman writes, Paul is in Rome, a prisoner in chains, and unable to travel
to Colossae, a thousand miles east, to help them. There is nothing he can do
physically for them. But spiritually, he is a powerful prayer warrior who can create
in their midst a tremendous opportunity to know truth that will free them and
enable them to withstand the assault of false teaching. That, then, is what he is
doing: he is praying for them. The striking thing about this prayer is the very first
sentence of it: For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not
stopped praying for you... This was a continuing prayer. As far as we know, Paul
had never been to Colossae. Apart from one or two among them, he did not
personally know these believers. And yet he prays continually for them. When we
come to statements like this in Scripture it is quite fair to ask, when did he do this?

Day and night he is chained to a Roman guard, he never has a moment to himself.
Awake or asleep, he is bound to his jailer. Furthermore, when he is awake, his
friends are dropping by to see him to seek his counsel and instruction. He even
ministers to the Roman guards, many of whom came to Christ, as we learn in the
letter to the Philippians. He is busy writing letters, too, so when did he find time to
pray for the Colossians? The answer lies in the form of prayer that Dr. Carl
Lundquist calls living prayer. Here is a quotation from a recent letter I received.
This is the description of an ongoing life of prayer, used by Maxie Dunnam in his
Workbook of Living Prayer. It refers to quiet, whispered prayers and praises that
flow from our hearts all day long. Dunnam suggests that we use interruptions,
people or events that break in unexpectedly upon our day, as calls to specific prayer.
Most of us use mealtime---grace time---to think of God and to voice our thanks to
him. But more than food can call us to prayer. Frank Laubach, the modern mystic,
challenges us to use the newspaper or the television set in the same way. As world
decision-makers are pictured before our eyes we can breathe a quiet prayer for
them by name. We can read a newspaper prayerfully, whispering back to God our
intercessions for those in need, about whom we are reading. When someone calls
our attention to himself, even in an impolite way--- tripping us on the bus, jabbing
us with an umbrella, dodging in front of us (in traffic.
I often pray Henry Van Dyke's beautiful prayer, Grant me the knowledge that I
need To solve the questions of the mind. Light Thou my candle while I read, To
keep my heart from going blind. Enlarge my vision to behold The wonders You
have wrought of old.
2.CALVI,We give thanks to God. He praises the faith and love of the Colossians,
that it may encourage them the more to alacrity and constancy of perseverance.
Farther, by shewing that he has a persuasion of this kind respecting them, he
procures their friendly regards, that they may be the more favourably inclined and
teachable for receiving his doctrine. We must always take notice that he makes use
of thanksgiving in place of congratulation, by which he teaches us, that in all our
joys we must readily call to remembrance the goodness of God, inasmuch as
everything that is pleasant and agreeable to us is a kindness conferred by him.
Besides, he admonishes us, by his example, to acknowledge with gratitude not
merely those things which the Lord confers upon us, but also those things which he
confers upon others.
But for what things does he give thanks to the Lord? For the faith and love of the
Colossians. He acknowledges, therefore, that both are conferred by God: otherwise
the gratitude were pretended. And what have we otherwise than through his
liberality? If, however, even the smallest favors come to us from that source, how
much more ought this same acknowledgment to be made in reference to those two
gifts, in which the entire sum of our excellence consists?
To the God and Father. (279) Understand the expression thus — To God who is the
Father of Christ. For it is not lawful for us to acknowledge any other God than him

who has manifested himself to us in his Son. And this is the only key for opening the
door to us, if we are desirous to have access to the true God. For on this account,
also, is he a Father to us, because he has embraced us in his only begotten Son, and
in him also sets forth his paternal favor for our contemplation.
Always for you, Some explain it thus — We give thanks to God always for you, that
is, continually. Others explain it to mean — Praying always for you. It may also be
interpreted in this way, “Whenever we pray for you, we at the same time give
thanks to God;” and this is the simple meaning, “We give thanks to God, and we at
the same time pray.” By this he intimates, that the condition of believers is never in
this world perfect, so as not to have, invariably, something wanting. For even the
man who has begun admirably well, may fall short in a hundred instances every
day; and we must ever be making progress while we are as yet on the way. Let us
therefore bear in mind that we must rejoice in the favors that we have already
received, and give thanks to God for them in such a manner, as to seek at the same
time from him perseverance and advancement.
2B. This verse gives us 4 basic principles in prayer.
1. PARTERSHIP I PRAYER. WE
Paul could handle negative because he did not bare the burden alone. He
had companions, and in his mind he escaped the prison of self-centeredness. I
trouble is the major problem of life. It is what Wallace Hamilton called the
alphabetical heresy--the use of the capital I and the small you. Paul learned to
reverse this and concentrate on the we and the you.
2. PERSISTECY I PRAYER. ALWAYS
Someone said, The more temporal things that are used, the more they wear
and waste; but spiritual things are strengthened and increased with exercise. Every
spiritual grace has in it the seed of an endless reproductiveness.
So often we pray for those who are not Christians and forget that Paul
prays most for those who are Christians even when they are doing great. They too
need our prayers that they might keep going strong and not slip back. Doctor R. A.
Torrey was told at a Bible Conference that his ministry 27 years previously in
Australia had produced some of the countries greatest soul winners. When he asked
for some names he said when these men made decisions I put them on my prayer list
and have prayed for them everyday for 27 years.
Brother Lawrance, the cook in a monastery wrote, The time of business
does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clutter of my
kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I
possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed
sacrament.

3. POSITIVES OF PRAYER. THAK
The principle and the prominent part of prayer is thanksgiving. We must be
evaluating the lives of others at all times and be giving thanks for all signs of
growth.
4. PERSOS I PRAYER. WE--GOD—YOU
Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, The minister who does not earnestly pray over
his work must surely be a vain and conceited man. he acts as if he thought himself
sufficient of himself and therefore need not appeal to God. Yet what a baseless pride
to conceive that our preaching can ever be in itself so powerful that it can turn men
from their sins and bring them to God without the working of the Holy Ghost.
I developed a sermon based on the above outline, and I include it here even though
it is available in my sermons on Colossians.
3. THREE KEYS TO A BETTER PRAYER LIFE.
Dietrich Bonhoffer was a leader in the church of Germany at the time of
Hitler's rise to power. He opposed Hitler and was imprisoned in 1943. He did not
cease to influence people, however, even in prison. He inspired others by his
courage. The guards were supposed to be his enemies, but they so respected him
that they smuggled out his writings that have influenced millions since.
One of the men who was in prison with Bonhoffer was the English officer
Payne Best. He survived the war and wrote this account in a book. I want to share it
with you because it represents the kind of example of Christ-likeness that we see in
the Apostle Paul, who wrote the letter of Colossians from his prison cell in Rome.
Best wrote- Bonhoffer-was all humility and sweetness, he always seemed to me to
diffuse an atmosphere of happiness, of joy in every smallest event in life--He was one
of the very few men I have ever met to whom his God was real and close to him.
Then after Best describes a service that Bonhoffer held for the prisoners on Sunday,
April 8, 1945 he wrote, He had hardly finished his last prayer when the door
opened and two evil looking men in civilian clothes came in ;and said 'prisoner
Bonhoffer, get ready to come with us.' Those words, come with us-for all the
prisoners they had come to mean one thing only--the scaffold. We bade him good-bye-
he drew me aside-“this is the end”, he said. For me the beginning of life. ext
day, at Flossenburg, he was hanged.
This courageous optimism in the most negative of circumstances is one of the
characteristics we see in the Apostle Paul. In his prison epistles we do not hear any
whining or complaining, but only words of joy and thanksgiving. Paul had indeed
learned to be content in every state of life. He too faced death at any time, yet he
wanted to use his time to write and encourage others. His negative experience has
led to positive results in the lives of millions through history.

George Jackson, in a tribute to Robertson icole, the editor of the British
Weekly said, He flung down a bunch of keys for me, and has set me to opening
doors for myself on every side of me. This is what Paul has done for the Colossians
and for the whole church of Christ. He has thrown down a bunch of keys that
enable us to open doors to God's best on every side. As we focus on v.3, we can see
that Paul has given us three keys to a better prayer life. The first key is-
I. THE PARTERSHIP OF PRAYER.
otice Paul says, We always thank God. He does not say I thank God, but
he included his partner Timothy. The idea of a prayer partner is very Biblical. Jesus
said prayer is more powerful when two agree on what they desire from God. In
Matt. 18:19-20 we read, Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about
anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two
or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
It seems as if God has designed prayer to be a promoter of unity, fellowship
and brotherhood. He has promised to answer more effectively those prayers that
come from a partnership. This is a key to a better prayer life, but it is often
neglected. We have potential power in prayer that we seldom use. Cabeza deVaca
tells of how he and his companion explorer went from Florida to the Pacific between
1528-1536. On one occasion they were lost and starving and in a state of despair
when they were found by Indians. The Indians felt that since they were white men
they should have the power to heal some of their sick. They were miserable
themselves and now they were expected to heal others or die. He wrote, We prayer
for strength. We prayed on bended knees and in agony of hunger. Then they
blessed the sick Indians, and to their amazement the ailing red men said they were
made well. DeVaca wrote, Being Europeans, we thought we had given away to
doctors and priests our ability to heal. But here it was, still in our possession. It was
ours after all; we were more than we thought we were.
The fact is, all of us are more than we think we are. If we form partnerships
in prayer we will have a key that will open many doors that otherwise might never
open. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He made it clear he expected them to
pray in partnership. He used only plurals. It was our Father, give us this daily
bread, forgive us, and lead us not into temptation.
Every believer needs to develop some relationship with another believer
where they feel like true partners in prayer. In prayer, the loner is a loser. We may
pray much alone, but we need to know that there is someone else who is one with us
in our praying. When Lavonne and I began to hold hands each night, and talk over
requests, and agree on what we desire to bring before God, it lead to so many
answers we stopped keeping track of them. We are convinced any couple would be
enriched if they would begin this practice of partnership in prayer. Learn how to
enjoy the we of prayer. In verse 9 Paul says again, We have not ceased to pray for
you. A we prayer is a better prayer than an I prayer, and so the more you pray in

partnership the better prayer life you will have.
II. THE PERSISTECE OF PRAYER.
Paul says, We always give thanks. Always refers to the persistence of
Paul’s prayer. The modern language Bible puts it, We constantly give thanks to
God.
In verse 9 we see this emphasis again, and from the day we heard of it we have not
ceased to pray for you. Paul did not just say prayers, he prayed, and there is a
world of difference. I can say a prayer in a matter of seconds, but to pray takes up a
part of my consciousness, and becomes a real concern of my life. This kind of
prayer does not cease, for it is a persistent factor in ones life. Paul wrote this letter
as a part of his prayer concern. Prayer is not only asking God for His guidance, it is
the listening and responding to His guidance. Paul’s response in writing this letter
is a part of the circle of prayer. It is Gods answering his prayer for them through
him by writing to them the things they need to hear.
Persistence in prayer means there is some listening and follow-up. It is not
just flashing a telegram to God, but a listening for an answer, and putting feet to
your prayer by doing what you can to be a part of the answer. This is another
partnership in prayer, for it is a partnership with God. God does not want to work
alone any more than we do. He wants to work with us and have us work with Him
to achieve His purpose in history.
In verse 9 Paul says he has prayed for them to be filled with the knowledge of
God's will. He asked God to do this for them, and then he wrote this letter to tell
them the will of God and thus, he was an answer to his own prayer. He was a
partner with God. Much unanswered prayer is due to our not persisting in prayer
until we see how we can be partners with God in answering it. Persistence is a test of
our sincerity. Much prayer is a matter of routine and can easily be superficial, but if
you persist and thank God always for certain aspects of life you demonstrate a true
and deep interest. By his persistent prayers Paul proves he really cares about the
Colossian Christians.
Paul makes it clear that he expects them to also pray for him. In 4:2-3 he
writes, Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us,
too, that God may open a door for our message..... Paul wants their partnership in
prayer too, and we thus can conclude that the number of people caring about a
matter enough to persist in seeking God about it makes a difference with God.
Persistence is a principle that is necessary for success in any area of life. The
more you use things the more they wear out and become useless, but the more you
use the things of the spirit the more they develop and become more useful. Professor
Phelps in his Autobiography with Letters, tells of how he hated his first concert of
classical music. He decided to keep on trying to enjoy it and the day came when the
symphony became one of his greatest pleasures. The first time he read Browning he
was not impressed, but he persisted in reading until he came to almost idolize the

man's writings. If we keep at something and persist in seeking its value we can come
to love and value what we did not care about at all. This is the point of persistence in
prayer. We give up to soon and lose the joy of answered prayer that would make it a
greater pleasure rather than a chore. What do you pray for always?
III. THE POSITIVE OF PRAYER
The prominent part of Paul's prayer was thanksgiving. That is the positive
aspect of prayer that is so easily neglected. Lack of thanks in our prayer is not a sign
that we are not close to God, however, for this is a common lack toward those we
care about. We seldom thank our mate or children for their acts of love and service
on our behalf. We tend to take them for granted, and so it is with God. His goodness
is so common that there is no end to the things we could thank Him for daily. But
the commonplace is soon taken for granted and we forget to be grateful for the
blessings all around us.
Paul had the amazing ability to be ever grateful for the commonplace. Paul
would have made a marvelous husband. Imagine a wife who is thanked and praised
every time she does as act of love and service. Thank you dear for making that meal,
and for making the bed, and for cleaning the house, and for getting the kids off to
school, and thanks for washing my shirt, and on and on it could go. Paul could be
giving thanks without ceasing. It was not as if he had no problems to struggle with,
for Paul had perpetual battles and needed plenty of help and encouragement, but he
never neglected the positive aspect of prayer, which is thanksgiving.
Because prayer was positive for Paul, it was not a bore and a chore. He could
hardly wait to thank God again for all His grace. Have you ever felt so grateful to
someone you could not wait to see them and express your gratitude? You can't be
satisfied until they know how much you appreciate them and their acts of love. Paul
felt this way toward God every day, and all day of every day.
Prayer is basically the desire to be in touch with God. That desire is stronger
when you want to express your gratitude to Him. There is no bad way to pray for
any prayer is better than no prayer, but there is a better way to pray and that is
with a positive attitude of thanksgiving. Come to God thanking Him for what He
has already done before you plead for Him to do more for you. The best reason God
has to answer your prayer is because you are so grateful for His previous answers.
Lack of thanks is the best reason to deny further blessings. Thanks is the one thing
we can give to God to express how we feel about all He has given to us. God is to
gain in this two way communication of prayer too, and the only way He can and be
pleased is by our being positive in thanksgiving.
Paul was always a positive thinker and, no doubt, the reason he could be, in
spite of all his trials, was because he was always looking for the things he could
thank God for in his every day life. If we look for them they are everywhere in our
lives too. If you will be positive in how you see God's blessings all around you, you
will be positive in your prayer life by being ever thankful, and this in turn will make

you more aware of your positive blessings.
The prayer here is all positive. Most of the time we spend in prayer we are
praying for problems. It is almost embarrassing not to have a problem for then what
are people to pray for in your life? Like the 8 year old boy who was in Sunday
School and all the class was sharing prayer requests and as an 8 year old he had to
come up with something significant, and so he asked for prayer that his father might
give up drinking. He had a can of beer he got from somewhere that sat in the frig
for 7 months. The word spread, and finally got back home. ow he had something
to pray about. He began to pray he would make it to nine.
This story illustrates the paradox that faces Christians. If your life is too
good, you get little attention. You are not on anyone's prayer list. It is problems that
get you on the list. The more problems you have and the more struggles with life
and sin, the more attention you get. Get it altogether and you are ignored. The
Christian who is always sinking in some quicksand is the one who gets all the
attention. The wheel that squeals gets the oil.
The longest letters of Paul are to those churches with the most problems, and
most sinful behavior. It is a universal principle. It is the sick who get the attention of
the doctor. It is those in trouble who get the attention of the lawyer. It is those with
car problems who get the attention of the mechanic.
Yet, in spite of this, the goal of the Christian is to press on to perfection and
have such a positive life that there is no need to be on the prayer list for many
problems. We all need to be on the list for the positive, however, and be lifted up in
the way Paul does for the Colossians.
4. As is his custom, Paul gives thanks for those to whom he writes, 1:3-8. Paul did
not give thanks for the Galatians or the Corinthians (II Corinthians). If he can
honestly thank God for the people to whom he writes, he always does so. As soon as
the salutation is complete he introduces what he thanks God about them (compare
Rom. 1:8). He could not honestly thank God for the Galatians. It is amazing that he
could thank God for the Corinthians (I Cor 2:1). Paul did not say thank God you all
have great jobs, children, houses, cars and power in the community. He was grateful
for their Christian character and the contents of their lives and spirit rather than
the content of their closets and bank accounts. Paul was thankful for people. It was
a major part of his prayer life. We may spend more time being thankful for things.
Like Gene Perrett says that there are eight things to be grateful for:
Be grateful...
* for automatic dishwashers. They make it possible to get out of the kitchen before
the family come in for their after-dinner snacks.

* for husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house. They usually make
them big enough to call in professionals.
* for the bathtub -- the one place the family allows Mom some time to herself.
* for children who put away their things and clean up after themselves. They're
such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents.
* that we can still have a good heart-to-heart talk with our youngsters. They need a
good nap now and then.
* for gardening. It's a relief to deal with dirt outside the house for a change.
* for teenagers. They give parents an opportunity to learn a second language.
* for smoke alarms. They let you know when the turkey's done.
5. BI, A thankful recognition of Christian excellence as introductory to
warnings and remonstrances. Almost all Paul’s Epistles begin thus. Gentle
rain softens the ground, and prepares it to receive the heavier downfall
which would else mostly run off the hard surface. These expressions are not
compliments, or flattery used for personal ends, but uncalculated
expressions of affection which delights to see white patches in the blackest
character, and of wisdom which knows that the nauseous medicine of blame
is most easily taken if wrapped in a capsule of honest praise. All persons in
authority may be the better for taking this lesson.
2. The praise is cast in the form of thanksgiving to God, as the true
fountain of all that is good in men. All that might be harmful in direct
praise is thus strained out of it. Christian excellences are God’s gifts. The
fountain, not the pitcher, should have the credit of the water.
3. There were two points which occasioned his thankfulness.
(1) Faith. This is sometimes spoken of as “towards” Jesus, which
describes the act by its direction, as if it were the going out of man’s
nature to the true goal of all active being. “On” Christ, describes it as
reposing on Him as the end of all seeking. But more sweet is faith
considered as “in” Him as its home, where the seeking spirit may fold
its wings, be strengthened, and tranquillized.
(a) In all, faith is the same—simple confidence. But how unlike are
the objects!—broken reeds in the one case, and the firm pillar of
Divine power and tenderness in the other. And how unlike, alas!
the fervency and constancy of our trust in each other and in Him.
(b) Faith covers the whole ground of man’s relation to God.
Everything that binds us to the unseen world is included in it.
(c) From that fruitful source all good will come, and that faith
lacks its best warrant which does not lead to whatsoever is of good

report.
(2) As faith is the parent of all virtue, so it is the parent of love—the
whole law of human conduct packed into one word. But the warmest
place in a Christian’s heart will belong to those in sympathy with his
deepest self. The sign on the surface of earthly relations of the central
fire of faith to Christ is the fruitful vintage of brotherly love, as the
vineyards bear the heaviest clusters on the slopes of Vesuvius.
(3) So here we have two members of the familiar triad, and their
sister, Hope, is not far off. And the hope laid up in heaven is a motive
for brotherly love. This hope is not the emotion, but the object, and
the ideas of futurity and security are suggested by that object being
laid up. This is not the main motive, but it is legitimate to draw
subordinate motives for holiness from the anticipation of future
blessedness, and to use that prospect to reinforce the higher motives.
II. A solemn reminder of the truth and worth of that gospel which was
threatened by the budding heresies of the Colossian Church.
1. He begins by reminding them that to that gospel they owed all their
knowledge and hope of heaven. Its sole certainty is built on the
resurrection of Christ, and its sole hope on His death. All around us we
see those who reject these surrender their faith in the life beyond.
2. The gospel is a word of which the whole subject and contents is truth.
It is of value, not because it feeds sentiment or regulates conduct only,
but because it reveals knowledge about the deepest things of God, of
which, but for it, man would know nothing. It is not speculation, but
truth; and truth because it is the record of Him who is “the Truth.” “To
whom shall we go?” If elsewhere, to will-o’-the-wisps and Babel.
3. This gospel had been received by them. “You have accepted the Word;
see that your future be consistent with your past.” Blessed are they
whose creed at last can be spoken in the lessons learned in childhood, to
which experience has but given new meaning.
4. This gospel was filling the world. “All the world” must be taken with
an allowance for rhetorical statement, but the rapid spread of
Christianity then, and its power to influence all sorts of men, were facts
that needed to be accounted for if the gospel were not true. All schisms
and heresies are partial and local, suit coteries, and are the product of
circumstances; but the gospel goes through the world, and draws all
men. Dainties are for the few, and the delicacies of one country are the
abominations of another; but everybody breaks bread and lives on it. Do
not fling away the gospel, which belongs to all, for that which can never
live in the popular heart, nor influence more than a handful of “superior
persons.”
5. Another plea for adherence to the gospel is based on its continuous
and universal fruitfulness. It brings about results which attest its claim
to be from God. Our imperfections are our own; our good is its. A
medicine is not shown to be powerless if a sick man has taken it
irregularly. This rod has budded at all events; have any of its antagonists’
rods done the same? Don’t cast it away, says Paul, till you have found a

better.
6. They have heard a gospel which reveals the “true grace of God”—
another argument for steadfastness. In opposition to it then, as now,
were put various thoughts and requirements, a human wisdom and a
burdensome code. They are but bony things to try and live on. The soul
wants something more than bread made out of sawdust. We want a
loving God to live on, whom we can love because He loves us. Will
anything but the gospel give us that?
III. The apostolic endorsement of Epaphras, the early teacher of the
Colossians, whose authority, no doubt, was imperilled by the new direction
of thought, and Paul was desirous of adding the weight of his attestation to
the complete correspondence between his own teaching and that of
Epaphras. We know nothing of him except from this letter end that to
Philemon. He is a member of the Colossian Church (Col_4:12). He had
brought the tidings which filled the apostle’s heart with joy and love for
their Christian walk (verses 4-8), and of anxiety lest they should be swept
away from their steadfastness. Epaphras shared this (Col_4:12). He was in
some sense Paul’s “fellow-prisoner,” and alone of Paul’s companions
receives the name of “fellow-servant,” which may be an instance of Paul’s
courteous humility. “Don’t make differences—we are both slaves of one
Master.” As He had truly represented Paul, so he had lovingly represented
them. Probably those who questioned Epaphras’ version of Paul’s teaching
would suspect his report of the Church; hence the double witness borne
from the apostle’s generous heart to both parts of his brother’s work. Never
was leader truer to his subordinates than Paul. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Thanksgiving
I. The duty.
1. Arises out of an express command. We are bound to be thankful for all
things (Job_1:21; Isa_24:15).
2. Is a test of Christian character. All the saints have been distinguished
by it, and have treasured up their mercies that they might render it. To
be lacking in it is to lack the chief distinguishing grace of Christian
character, and to incur the greatest sin- ingratitude.
3. Must always form a prominent feature of spiritual worship- witness
the Psalms.
4. Is most reasonable in itself—when we consider that it is the best
return we can make for any blessing.
II. Its special subjects. The graces of the spirit in ourselves or others.
1. Faith takes the precedence, because it is the first and root-grace. Think
of what faith does—saves, is the evidence of things unseen, casts all care
on God, etc.
2. Love which is fruitful in blessed effects. The loveless man is miserable.
3. A good hope through grace—which anticipates heaven. (T. Watson, B.

A.)
Apostolic thanksgiving
I. Its spirit.
1. It is unselfish. We hear the prisoner praise and exult for the joys of
others. Arthur Helps says: “It is a noble sight. That man is very powerful
who has no more hopes for himself, who looks not to be loved or
admired any more, to have more honour and dignity; but whose sole
thought is for others, and who only lives for them.”
2. Ungrudging. He is about to deal with their errors, but is eager first to
recognize what is laudable. There are two sets of men, those who first see
the blemish, then the beauty; and those who first admire and then
criticise. To the first of these Paul belonged.
3. Constant.
II. Its subjects.
1. The spiritual possessions of the Church. Sometimes Paul views faith
and love as leading up to hope: here he depicts hope as kindling faith and
love.
(1) The faith is Christ-centred.
(2) The love is practical.
(3) The hope is secure.
2. The means by which these possessions had been obtained.
(1) The gospel.
(a) In its universality.
(b) In its fertility. The gospel is not only vital, but reproductive.
(2) The preacher.
3. The source and sphere of their possession. “Love in the Spirit” is the
life of all the saints. (U. R. Thomas.)
The custom of the apostle to begin his Epistles with thanksgiving showed
the devout habit of his mind, his constant recognition of the source of good,
and his interest in the spiritual condi tion of those to whom he wrote.
I. Thanksgiving an essential element in prayer. “We give thanks, praying
always for you.”
II. The Being to Whom all thanksgiving is due. “The God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ.’“
III. The grounds of this thanksgiving.
1. The reputation of their faith in Christ.

(1) Christ is the object and foundation of all true faith. He is so as the
Divinely-consecrated Deliverer of our race. The grandeur of His work
and the glory of His character are suggested by the titles here given.
(2): Faith is the root-principle of Christian life.
2. Their possession of an expansive Christian love. Love to Christ is
necessarily involved, for love to the saints is our affection for Christ’s
image in them. Love is all-embracing. Peculiarities, defects, differences
of opinion, are no barriers. It is the unanswerable evidence of moral
transformation (1Jn_3:14). It is the grandest triumph over the natural
enmity of the human heart. It is the indissoluble bond of choicest
fellowship.
3. Their enjoyment of a well-sustained hope.
(1) Its character. The prospect of heaven—of possessing a spiritual
inheritance whose wealth never diminishes and whose splendours
never fade—of seeing Christ, and being like Him and dwelling with
Him for ever. This prospect lifts the soul above the wearinesses,
disappointments, and sufferings of the present limited life.
(2) Its security “laid up”—safely deposited as a precious jewel in
God’s coffer. There no pilfering hands can touch, no breath tarnish,
no moth corrupt it. Earthly treasures vanish, and to God’s people
sometimes nothing but hope remains. Where this treasure is there
the heart should be.
(3) Its source—the gospel. It alone unfolds the mysteries of the future.
How dismal the outlook where hope is unknown.
Lessons:
1. We should thank God for others more on account of their spiritual
than temporal welfare.
2. Learn what are the essential elements of the Christian character—
faith, love, hope.
3. The proclamation of the gospel should be welcomed, and its message
pondered. (G. Barlow.)
The connection between thanksgiving and prayer
The participle marks the thanksgiving as part of the prayer, and the adverb
makes it prominent, indicating that when they prayed for them they always
gave thanks. There is no true prayer without thanksgiving. Gratitude
intensifies the soul’s sense of dependence on God, and prompts the cry for
the needed help; and, on the other hand, earnest prayer naturally glides
into fervent thankfulness. As one sin is interlinked with and produced by
another, so the Use of one grace begets another. The more temporal things
are used, the more they wear and waste; but spiritual things are
strengthened and increased with exercise. Every spiritual grace has in it the
seed of an endless reproductiveness. Underlying every thanksgiving for
others is a spirit of tender, disinterested love. Moved by this passion, the

apostle, from the midst of imprisonment and sorrow, could soar on the
wings of gratitude and prayer to heaven. “Thanksgiving will be the bliss of
eternity.” (Passavant.)
Five Christian elements
I. Christian experience. It consists in—
1. Faith.
(1) That which leads us to accept as true the testimony of the gospel
concerning Christ.
(2) To depend upon Him for all the blessings promised by Him.
(3) To constantly apply to Him for all that He has revealed and
accomplished.
(4) To lay hold of His friendship, and find Him in every respect a
faithful, suitable, ever-present, all-sufficient friend.
2. Love, the constant attendant of faith, and by which faith works.
(1) It produces universal benevolence to all the world, and
compassion for perishing sinners.
(2) It especially delights itself in the saints as related to and bearing
the image of Him who is the supreme object of love.
(3) It will evidence itself in love to Christ’s commands, ways, people.
3. Hope.
(1) Its object is heaven.
(2) As a grace it dwells in the heart, always in some measure
accompanying faith and love.
(3) It is with the Christian even in his darkest moments.
II. Christian communion consists in—
1. Joy and gratitude to God on behalf of those who give evidence of being
partakers of His grace in truth. This is quite distinct from ordinary
friendship.
(1) It is founded on personal attractions or intimate intercourse.
(2) It is oneness of soul which subsists in the absence of every other
consideration, and notwithstanding unfavourable circumstances.
2. Fervent prayer for the establishment and perfection of those graces in
the beginning of which we rejoice (verses 9, 10).
3. Cheering and animating each other to perseverance, notwithstanding
all the trials and difficulties we may meet (verse 11).
4. Encouraging each other constantly to keep in mind our infinite
obligations and glorious prospects (verses 12, 13).
III. Christian resources.

1. The word of the truth of the gospel (verse 5). Till this came the
Colossians were strangers to faith, love, and hope.
2. The instrumentality of ministers. Epaphras and Paul were dear fellow-servants
and faithful ministers, one preaching to the Colossians, by
which they believed, and both labouring for their establishment and
edification.
3. Prayer for the supply of all those spiritual blessings which the saints
have learned to appreciate and desire (verses 3-9).
4. The operations of the Holy Spirit, which gives efficiency to all love
(verse 8) is especially said to be in the Spirit, who is indeed the agent of
every grace.
IV. Christian practice (verse 6). Wherever the gospel is preached, and
attended with Divine power and efficacy, it brings forth fruit.
1. In the conversion of sinners.
2. Where vital religion is possessed it is evidenced by exemplary
deportment and diffusive benevolence. There is fruit that both the
Church and the world can see. They cannot see our love to Christ or our
hope of heaven, but they can see our conscientious dealings in the world,
our charity, our unworldliness. These are fruits which give evidence of
vitality and vigour in the root.
V. Christian expectations. Christians have a hope that is laid up for them in
heaven.
1. As to themselves, it is secret and out of sight. It is only faith that can
realize it. They are yet in their minority in a world of discipline and
education; heirs, indeed, but not of age. Supplies are sent them here, but
their hope, their portion, is laid up in heaven.
2. It is treasured up in a place of perfect security, so that no enemy or
thief can reach it.
3. It is laid up where none of the changes of time can affect it. If we
carried it about with us, we might lose it. When we die we should drop it;
but it is safe in heaven, out of the reach of disappointment.
Conclusion:
1. If we desire spiritual prosperity, let us be much in prayer for ourselves
and others. Nothing more enlarges our capacity for holy enjoyment.
2. If we possess a hope in heaven, let it be evidenced by superiority to the
world and love to our fellow-heirs.
3. If these blessings are imparted to sinners through the instrumentality
of the gospel, be concerned to spread the gospel. (J. Hirst.)
Christian love the chief grace
Love, amid the other graces in this world, is like a cathedral tower, which
begins on the earth, and, at first, is surrounded by the other parts of the

structure. But, at length, rising above buttressed walls, and arch, and
parapet, and pinnacle, it shoots spirelike many a foot right into the air, so
high that the huge cross on its summit glows like a spark in the morning
light, and shines like a star in the evening sky, when the rest of the pile is
enveloped in darkness. So love, here, is surrounded by the other graces, and
divides the honours with them; but they will have felt the wrap of night, and
of darkness, when it will shine, luminous, against the sky of eternity. (H. W.
Beecher. )
6. GILL, We give thanks to God,.... Meaning himself and Timothy. This is
the beginning of the epistle, which is introduced with a thanksgiving to God;
to whom praise and thankfulness are always due as a Creator and
preserver, as the author of all good things, as the Father of mercies,
temporal and spiritual, and as the covenant God and Father of his people
through Christ: wherefore it follows,
and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; the sense of which either is, that
God the Father, who is the object of praise and thanksgiving, is both the God
of Christ, and the Father of Christ, the God of Christ, as Christ is man, and
the Father of Christ, as Christ is God; or the latter is exegetical of the
former, and may be rendered thus, God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ: and very properly are thanks given to him under this character,
because it is as he is the Father of Christ that he blesses his people with all
spiritual blessings; and because he is their God, as well as his God; and their
Father, as well as his Father, though in a different sense, his by nature,
theirs by adoption. Moreover, as all their blessings come from God, as the
Father of Christ, and through Christ, and for his sake, so it is very proper
that thanks should be returned unto him under that character; and through
Christ, by whom alone such sacrifices of praise are acceptable to God: it is
added,
praying always for you; which, as it is expressive of the constant discharge
of the duty of prayer, and the continual remembrance of these saints in it,
and shows the affection the apostle had for them; so it points out the time
when, and the way and manner in which Paul and Timothy gave thanks to
God on account of them; it was when they were at the throne of grace, and in
their frequent prayers to God; thankfulness for mercies received, both by
ourselves and others, being a branch of the duty of prayer.
7. EBC, THIS long introductory section may at first sight give the
impression of confusion, from the variety of subjects introduced. But a little
thought about it shows it to be really a remarkable specimen of the Apostle’s
delicate tact, born of his love and earnestness. Its purpose is to prepare a
favourable reception for his warnings and arguments against errors which
had crept in, and in his judgment were threatening to sweep away the
Colossian Christians from their allegiance to Christ, and their faith in the
gospel as it had been originally preached to them by Epaphras. That design
explains the selection of topics in these verses, and their weaving together.

Before he warns and rebukes, Paul begins by giving the Colossians credit for
all the good which he can find in them. As soon as he opens his mouth, he
asserts the claims and authority, the truth and power of the gospel which he
preaches, and from which all this good in them had come, and which had
proved that it came from God by its diffusiveness and fruitfulness. He
reminds them of their beginnings in the Christian life, with which this new
teaching was utterly inconsistent, and he flings his shield over Epaphras,
their first teacher, whose words were in danger of being neglected now for
newer voices with other messages.
Thus skilfully and lovingly these verses touch a prelude which naturally
prepares for the theme of the epistle. Remonstrance and rebuke would
more often be effective if they oftener began with showing the rebuker’s
love, and with frank acknowledgment of good in the rebuked.
I. We have first a thankful recognition of Christian excellence as
introductory to warnings and remonstrances.
Almost all Paul’s letters begin with similar expressions of thankfulness for
the good that was in the Church he is addressing. Gentle rain softens the
ground and prepares it to receive the heavier downfall which would else
mostly run off the hard surface. The exceptions are, 2 Corinthians;
Ephesians, which was probably a circular letter; and Galatians, which is too
hot throughout for such praises. These expressions are not compliments, or
words of course. Still less are they flattery used for personal ends. They are
the uncalculated and uncalculating expression of affection which delights to
see white patches in the blackest character, and of wisdom which knows
that the nauseous medicine of blame is most easily taken if administered
wrapped in a capsule of honest praise.
All persons in authority over others, such as masters, parents, leaders of
any sort, may be the better for taking the lesson-provoke not your-
inferiors, dependents, scholars-to wrath, lest they be discouraged-and
deal out praise where you can, with a liberal hand. It is nourishing food for
many virtues, and a powerful antidote to many vices.
This praise is cast in the form of thanksgiving to God, as the true fountain of
all that is good in men. How all that might be harmful in direct praise is
strained out of it, when it becomes gratitude to God! But we need not dwell
on this, nor on the principle underlying these thanks, namely that Christian
men’s excellences are God’s gift, and that therefore, admiration of the man
should ever be subordinate to thankfulness to God. The fountain, not the
pitcher filled from it, should have the credit of the crystal purity and
sparkling coolness of the water. Nor do we need to do more than point to the
inference from that phrase having heard of your faith, an inference
confirmed by other statements in the letter, namely, that the Apostle
himself had never seen the Colossian Church. But we briefly emphasise the
two points which occasioned his thankfulness. They are the familiar two,
faith and love.
Faith is sometimes spoken of in the New Testament as towards Christ
Jesus, which describes that great act of the soul by its direction, as if it
were a going out or flight of the man’s nature to the true goal of all active
being. It is sometimes spoken of as on Christ Jesus, which describes it as

Colossians 1 commentary

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Colossians 1 commentary