Southern Christian
University
The Prison Epistles #3
James A. Turner
Please read all the references. They will help in a
better understanding.
Beginning Colossians
Introduction To Colossians
The Colossian letter is in the main, as was
mentioned in the introduction to Ephesians, a shorter form of the letter to the
Ephesians with only a few exceptions. The primary exception is
Colossians 2:16 – 23 where instruction is given concerning the false doctrines that
the Colossians were being confronted with.
Another exception is that it is written to
brethren that Paul had never met face to face. He had only heard about them
through Epaphras (Colossians 1L7-8, 4:12-13) who had been their
faithful preacher and teacher, and also to the churches at Laodicea and Hierapolis. Please look on a map and see
that these churches were only about thirteen to twenty miles apart, and they
made up the field of labor for Epaphras.
Another exception is that in this letter Paul tells that the
gospel had gone forth into “all the world” bearing fruit and
increasing (Colossians 1:5-6), and that the gospel, “was
preached in all creation under heaven (Colossians 1:23).” Colossians 1:5-6 and 1:23 and Matthew 24:14) and 24:14-22 show definitely that
the gospel had been preached in the “whole world” before the destruction of
Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Roman armies.
These references also show that some of our brethren
are using Matthew 24:31 wrongly when they speak of the angels
going forth “with a great sound of a trump” being messengers of the
gospel to “carry the gospel” to the “whole world’. Men, and not angels, are
sent to proclaim the gospel. During the miraculous age of the church an angel
told Philip to leave Jerusalem and go to Gaza (Acts 8:2), but it was Philip the
earthen vessel (II Corinthians 4:7) that told the eunuch from
Ethiopia what he needed to do in order to be saved (Acts 8:29-39).
We will let this suffice for an introduction to
Colossians, and now we will begin the reading and study of this epistle.
“Paul, an apostle of
Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints
and faithful brethren at Colossae;
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” Paul needed to speak of his apostleship to let the
brethren at Colossae know that he was speaking
to them by the authority of Christ. Note that Timothy was with him at the time
of writing, and he was with him part of the time during that two years
imprisonment at Rome (Acts 28:30-31).
Verses three to nine, “We
give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for
you, having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love
which ye have toward all the saints, because of the hope which is laid up for
you in the heavens, where of ye heard before in the word of truth of the gospel,
which is come to you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit
and increasing, as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the
grace of God in truth; as ye learned of Epophras our beloved
fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, who also
declared unto us your love in the Spirit (1:3-8).” Can a good reader
read all of the epistles of Paul and not be impressed with the fact that he was
thankful for his brethren every where, and prayed for them on a regular basis,
and he always expressed confidence in his brethren; and let us learn how
important it is to express confidence in our brethren.
Beginning with verse nine, “For
this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make
request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all
spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk worthily of the Lord unto all
pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God,
strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all
patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks unto the Father, who made us
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who delivered
out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the
son of his love; in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins;”
Verse thirteen is another reference, which shows
that the premillennial doctrine is a false doctrine. Advocates of that doctrine
say that Christ came to establish a kingdom, but because the Jews rejected him
he ushered in the church age, and that the kingdom age is yet to come and he
will return to earth to set up a kingdom in the land of Israel, and reign as an
earthy king for a thousand years. According to Harold Lindsey another temple
must be established on the sight of the old temple, and that the law will be
reestablished including animal sacrifices etc. Don’t you think that it is a
little strange that Paul did not have that great wisdom of Harold Lindsey.
Paul correctly said that those Colossians had “been translated
out of the power of darkness (devil’s kingdom) into the kingdom of the Son of his
love.”
Every person who obeys the
gospel is translated out of the devil’s kingdom into the spiritual kingdom
of Christ. Please remember that
Jesus could not have pleased the Jews more if he had accepted Satan’s challenge
to become an earthly king (Matthew 4:8-11). In
fact that would have pleased his apostles (Acts 1:6),
but Jesus did not come to be an earthly king (John 18:36), when they were
ready, to make him an earthly king by force, Jesus left their presence (John 6:12-15). But
false teachers like Harold Lindsey think he is still going to be an earthy
king.
Verse fifteen, “Who is the image of
the invisible God;” Hebrews 1:3 reads, “the effulgence of his
glory and the very image of his substance,”
“the first born of all
creation; for in him (Christ) were all things created, things visible and
things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all
things have been created through him, and unto him, and he is before all
things, and in him all things consist. And he is the head of the body the church: (Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:4) who
is the beginning, the first born from the head; (first born to die no more) that
in all things he might have the preeminence.”
In Acts 13:33, Paul quotes from the
second psalm, “this day have I begotten thee,” and applies it to the
resurrection of Christ from the dead.
And, of course, Christ is the firstborn of all creation, in that he is
the “first-fruits of them that slept,” in that he was raised from the dead to die no
more. John says, “In
the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was
God. All things were made by him, and
without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light
of the world (John
1:1-3).” And John came to be a witness of the
light. He was not the light, but he came
to bear witness of the light. John 1:14 reads, “The
Word became flesh and dwelt among us and, we beheld him as the only begotten of
the Father full of grace and truth." The
Bible teaches very definitely that God made the worlds through Christ, that all
things were made through him.
Verse
16, "For in him were all things created, in the
heavens, and upon the earth, things
visible, and things invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: All things have been created through him, and
unto him: And he is before all things." Before the heavens and the earth were
created, Christ was. He is eternal! "He is before all
things, and in him all things consist." As
the Hebrew writer said, “upholdeth all things by the word of his
power (Hebrews
1:3). "And he is the
head of the body, the church (parallels Ephesians 1:22-23)
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead
(raised to die no more) that
in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the
fullness dwell and through him to reconcile all things unto himself; having
made peace through the blood of his cross, through him I say, whether things upon
the earth, or things in heavens. And
you, being in times past alienated (The church
at Colossae was made up primarily of Gentile people, like the
church at Ephesus.) and
enemies in your mind and your evil works, yet now hath he reconciled in the
body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and
unreprovable before him." It will not to be on the
basis of our goodness that he will present us without blemish, but when we
follow him, and when we know that we have done wrong, and repent, and pray for
forgiveness, we are forgiven through his blood, and thus he can present us as
though we had never sinned, without blemish and unreprovable before him. But notice the condition on which he will
present us without blemish and unreprovable, "If so be
that you continue in the faith." But if a person does not
continue in the faith, Christ cannot present him without blemish. "If so be that you
continue in the faith grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope
of the gospel, which ye heard, which was preached in all creation unto heaven;
whereof I Paul am made a minister." There are
those who want to take issue with what is plainly stated in this book that the
gospel had been preached in the entire world.
Every place where there were people, the gospel had been preached,
according to Colossians 1:6 and Colossians 1:23. And then some of our brethren come with the
idea that the gospel was going to be preached in such a greater way after the
destruction of Jerusalem, when the gospel had been
preached to all the world in a period of about thirty years. What should that tell us about our situation
today?
Verse twenty-four, " Now
I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up my part that which is
lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is
the church, whereof
I was made a minister, according to the dispensation (stewardship) of God which was
given me to you ward." Christ chose Paul as an
apostle especially to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentile
people. "To fulfill
the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations (parallels Ephesians 3:1-3) but
now hath it been manifested to his saints: To whom God was pleased to make known what is
the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory. Whom we
proclaim, admonishing every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we
may present every man perfect in Christ." Every
man who has been converted to Christ can be presented if he is willing to be
presented as perfect in Christ. "whereunto
I labour, also striving according to his working, which worketh in me
mightily." Paul, with great faith and dedication, and
with all that miraculous ability that God had given him, it surely had worked
in him mightily.
Chapter two
"For I would have
ye know how greatly I strive for you and for them at Laodicea. Laodicea was about thirteen miles from Colossae. Paul had not been to Colossae, or to Laodicea. And as for many as have
not seen my face in the flesh; that your hearts may be comforted, they being
knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of
understanding, that ye may know the mystery of God, even Christ, in whom are
all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge hidden. This I say, that no man delude you with
persuasiveness of speech, for though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am
with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness
of your faith in Christ." Epaphras had told Paul about
them, and although he had not seen them, he was joying and beholding their work
from what he had told them of the steadfastness of their faith in Christ. In verse six he begins to warn them against
the false teachers. "As
therefore ye receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, Epaphras had been a faithful teacher. He had taught them correctly, but now there
are false teachers among them, trying to pull them away from the right
way. rooted and built it up
in him, and established in your faith, even as ye were taught, abounding in
thanksgiving." So continue in that good and
faithful way that Epaphras taught you to walk in.
Verse eight "Take heed lest
there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain
deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not
after Christ." Any philosophy, any teaching
that is contrary to the teaching of Christ is false doctrine. When men start teaching the traditions of men
and the rudiments of the world, they've turned away from Christ. "For in him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Paul emphasized that in the Ephesian letter, that in
Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead. "And in him we are
made full." We are complete in Christ, and as is
mentioned later, we do not any “voluntary humility,” to worship angels
and other
things that they were being encouraged to do.
In Christ we are made full, we do not need any man made
requirements. "Who
is the head of all principality and power.
In whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with
hands. In the putting off the body of
the flesh in the circumcision of Christ: Having been buried with him in baptism,
wherein ye were also raised with him, through faith and the working of God who
raised him from the dead." Some have concluded on the
basis of the reading of verse twelve that baptism took the place of
circumcision. No, baptism just marks the
place where that inward circumcision takes place. If baptism took the place of circumcision,
then females wouldn't be supposed to be baptized, right? But we read about them being baptized, “both
men and women”
(Acts 8:12), but baptism is where the
old man of sin, the old man of the flesh is put away. And that is real circumcision (Romans 2:28-29). So it is at the point of baptism that that
old man is put to death.
"Having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also
raised with him wherein ye were also raised with him, through faith and the
working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
(parallels Romans 6:3-7).
Verse thirteen, And you, being dead
through your trespasses (dead in sin) and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you,
I say, did he make alive together with him (parallels
Ephesians 2:1) having forgiven us of our trespasses; having
blotting out the bond written ordinances that was against us, which was contrary
to us, and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." So verse fourteen is saying, that when Christ
died on the cross, he took the law out of the way. And, again, some of our brethren in coming
with false arguments to meet Premillennialism, have reasoned that the law was
not completely taken out of the way until 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was destroyed. Well, the destruction of Jerusalem pretty well took away that
system of worship by the Jews, but the law was fulfilled when Christ died on
the cross, or else this inspired writer is a liar. So when Christ died on the cross, the law was
completely fulfilled. The unbelieving
Jews had continued with that system of worship, and the destruction of the
temple did away with that system, but the law was completely fulfilled when
Christ died on the cross. Jesus said, “I
came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill.” One way, in which Christ fulfilled the law,
is that he kept every provision of the law perfectly, and then when he died on
the cross, he took that law out of the way, nailing it to his cross. "Having despoiled
the principalities, and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing
over them in it.”
Verse sixteen, “Let no man therefore
judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a
sabbath day.” All
of those things pertained to the Old Testament religion. They had the clean,
and unclean meats, and they had those three annual feast days, plus they were
to offer sacrifices at each new moon; and they were to keep the Sabbath, or
Saturday as a holy day. So one of the
false doctrines that they were being confronted with was those Judaizing
teachers trying to get them to keep requirements of the Old Testament, and Paul
is saying, do not let them judge you and require you to do any of those
things. Verse seventeen, “which
are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ." The Adventists people try to reason that Christ just
fulfilled some of the ceremonial things in regard to the law that the Ten
Commandments had been enforced from the beginning of time, and the Sabbath day
is still binding. There is no reference
that any one kept the Sabbath until God gave the ten commands unto the Israelites
after they came out of Egypt (Exodus 19,20), and the Sabbath was given them as
a day of rest in remembrance of their bondage in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Well, here he says
that all of those things were a shadow of things to come, but the body is
Christ.
Another false doctrine that they were being
confronted with was, "Let
no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshiping of the
angels." The reasoning was that man is so corrupt and
so sinful that he cannot approach God or Christ directly, but he needs to do it
through the medium of angels. Well, Paul
says if you let them ward off that false religion on you, it will rob you of
your prize, and the prize would be eternal life at the end of the way. And so
if they followed that philosophy, they would be robbed of their salvation in
Christ, and eternal life at the end of the way.
"Let no man rob you of your
prize." Think how the Catholics want
to worship through the medium of Mary. This passage tells us that it is wrong,
that is “voluntary humility,” and not according to God's will. "by a voluntary humility
and worshiping of the angels, dwelling in the things, which he hath seen,
vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind." A fleshly mind does not think correctly. "And not holding fast to
the Head,
(Christ) from whom all the body being supplied and knit
together, through the joints and bands increases, with the increase of
God. If you died with Christ." The emphasis is just as surely as you died with
Christ. “From the
rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject
yourselves to ordinances." This is another false
doctrine. There were those who were
saying, do not handle this, do not taste this, do not touch this, that the
Bible does not say that we are not to touch or taste. Think of the Catholic doctrine again and Paul
foretelling that in I Timothy 4, “forbidding to marry
and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received of
them which believe and know the truth.” So any
time people try to ward off on you something that the word of God does not
restrict you in, if you let them do it, you are doing the wrong thing. In other words their man made ordinances, do
not handle this, do not taste this, and do not touch that. "All things, which are
to perish with the using; after the precepts and doctrines of man." Those are just precepts and doctrines of men,
which have just “a show of wisdom.”
Verse twenty-three, "Which
things have a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility and severity to the
body, but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh." One of the theories of that day on the part of
some was that all material things are fleshly things and wrong, and, therefore,
we have to punish the body, because it is so corrupt. But I do not think that lasted very long
until it turned to the other extreme, that we cannot control the body, so we
might as well do as we please, eat, drink, and be merry and live as Paul
reasoned in I Corinthians 15:32-33.
In other words they reasoned that all matter is sinful, and therefore the body itself is so sinful
that we have to punish the body, and, deny ourselves of this, and deny that,
and the other, which God has not restricted.
And here Paul says that they have a show of wisdom, and will worship,
and humility, and it looks like it would make a fellow better, but it does not
make him any better! "And
severity to the body, but are not any value against the indulgence of the
flesh." So unless God says do not do it, you are not
to listen to man who says do not do it. If it is right in the sight of God,
then it is right.
Chapter Three
"If then you be
raised together with Christ, (meaning just as surely as you have) seek the things that
are above where Christ is seated on the right hand of God." Think of the many passages, which emphasize
the fact that Christ is seated on the right hand of God. David never actually had a throne, the throne
was God's, (I Chronicles 29:23) and Christ is now sitting on David's
thrown at the right hand of God. "Set
your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the
earth; for ye died." When you obeyed the gospel, you died to
self. Remember Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “if
any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me.” So they died to self when they obeyed the
gospel. "And
you died and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall be
manifested then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory".
Verses five to fifteen is a parallel to the putting
off and putting on passage of Ephesians 4:22-32. Really, it is the
same passage, just put in different words.
"Put to death therefore your members which
are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,
which is idolatry. (parallel to Ephesians 5:3) for
which things' sake cometh the wrath of God on the sons of disobedience." Those who are going the way of fornication,
and uncleanness, and passion, and evil desire, and covetousness are going away
from God. They are following Satan, and
the wrath of God will come upon them unless they turn. "For which things'
sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience: Wherein ye once walked (before you became
Christians) when you lived in these things, but
now do ye also put them all away, anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful
speaking out of your mouth.” Those things are just as bad
as some of those mentioned in verse five.
"Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put
off the old man with his deeds, and having put on the new man, that is being
renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him. Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, or
circumcision and uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman: But Christ is all and in all." God does not save a
Greek one way, and a Jew another way, and a circumcised person one way, and an
uncircumcised person another way, but God saves all men alike. They are all subject to the law of God in the
same way, whether bondman or freeman, all are subject to the will of Christ, as
given in the New Testament.
Verse twelve, "Put
on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion." When you feel for the heartaches and the
needs of others, you have a heart of compassion. When Jesus looked on the
people and saw them as sheep not having a shepherd, he was moved with
compassion, and asked them to pray that the Lord of harvest would send laborers
into the harvest fields (Matthew 9:36-39). So we are to have a heart of compassion. "Kindness, lowliness,
meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another in love, and forgiving each
other, if any man have a complaint against any."
From time to time we all have some complaints, but here is what we are
supposed to do about it, "even
as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye.
And above all things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. (of completeness in Christ) And let the peace of
Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were also called in one body; and be
ye thankful. A
spirit of thanksgiving helps us to have real peace and contentment.
Verse sixteen, “Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly, in wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace (instead of melody as given in
Ephesians 5:19) in your hearts unto God. And
whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through him." We
have a good song based on verse seventeen entitled, Do All In The Name
Of The Lord, meaning that everything that we do is to be done in keeping
with the authority of Christ.
Colossians 3:18-4:8 is almost identical to the
parallels in Ephesians. Note that 4:7-9 shows that Onesimus,
Philemon’s slave, was with Tychicus the carrier of the three letters, and Paul
says of Onesimus “who is one of you”, and this shows the close relationship
between Colossians and Philemon and also in verse seventeen he tells them, “and
say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the
Lord, that thou fulfill it.”
From verses twelve and thirteen we learn that
Epaphras their faithful teacher (1:7-8) was with Paul, and that
he “hath much labor for you, and for them in Laodicea,
and for them in Hierapolis.”
These three
churches must have been the field of Epaphras’s labor. They were about thirteen
to eighteen miles apart. On the basis of verse sixteen some reason that there
was a Laodicean epistle that has been lost, but it reads, “that
ye also read the epistle from Laodicea.” The epistles were to
circulate from one church to another (I Corinthians 1:2; II Corinthians 1:1; I Peter 1:2; and also Colossians was
to be read in the assembly of the church, and then it was to go to Laodicea and
be read in the church there. The epistle “from Laodicea” was probably the Ephesian
letter that it would circulate among the churches of Asia, and the Colossian brethren
would receive it from Laodicea.
Verse eighteen, “The salvation of me
Paul with my own hand. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you.” Galatians 6:11 reads, “See
how large letters I write unto you with mine own hand.” II Thessalonians 3:17, “The
salutation of me Paul, which is the token in every epistle:
so I write.” And
Romans 16:22 reads,
“I Tertius who write the epistle saluteth you, and Quartus the brother.” These references and also
Colossians 4:18 show that it was Paul’s pattern to have some one else to do the
writing of the epistles, but he wrote enough with his own hand to show that it
was from him, and thus guard against forged epistles in his name (II
Thessalonians 2:2).
We have about covered everything in chapter
four. I would like to go back to verse
three, "With all praying for us also that God may open
unto us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am
also in bonds, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak." From Philippians we learn that Paul must have
been standing in that open door, but he had not realized it!