SS Lesson Archive Week 1

Fairview Baptist Church
2040 Main Street WW - Ashland, Kentucky 41102
"Where Everybody Is Somebody and Jesus is Lord"

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1. What do you know about the church of Colossae and why Paul wrote the letter to them? (See Digging Deeper.)

3. What part do your beliefs play in having spiritual strength to withstand the opposition of Satan and false teachers?

5. What are some of the things Paul prayed for in relation to the Colossian believers (vv. 9-12)?

6. Why did Paul pray that the Colossian believers be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual knowledge (v. 9)?

8. What are some thing you need to be praying for in your relationship with other people and in your church?

9. What aspects of the Christian life Paul mentioned in these verses do you need to develop more fully in your life?

13. to know God’s will so we can live worthy of the Lord and His provision for us through Christ

16. What evidence have you observed that Christian people still face opposition for believing biblical truth about Jesus?

3. What does verse 15 tell us about Jesus? verse 16? verse 17? verse 18? verse 19? verse 20?

4. How can the verses in this passage of Scripture help you know who Jesus is and what to say about Him?

7. Do you believe that if Christ truly is the “Center of Everything,” we must give diligent effort to learn just “Who Christ Is” and, once we have learned the truth, to share it with others?

9. How would you explain the following statements about Jesus Christ to a non-believer?

10. What would you say to a younger person who asked you who you believe Jesus is and why you believe that?

12. What are you and your church doing to help others understand Jesus intellectually and experience Him personally? What more could you do?

2. How would you describe the “domain of darkness” to a new believer (v. 13)? a non-believer?

4. So, how is a person rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the Son He loves (v. 13)?

5. What is the analogy behind the concept of “redemption” (v. 14)? (See Digging Deeper.)

6. What do you think verse 21 would mean to a new believer? a non-believer, especially one who is considered a “good” person?

10. What do you think Paul meant by the last part of verse 23? (Perhaps Rom. 1:18-20.)

11. As a believer, when we experience redemption through faith in Jesus, are we set free to live for Christ?

13. What are some examples of alienated people being reconciled with one another?

14. How does this reflect the meaning of our being reconciled to God through Christ?

19. What is the primary action on our part that makes what Christ has done for us effective in our lives?

20. How can we demonstrate that we have been redeemed and reconciled to God through Christ? How well are we doing with this?

21. What would you say to someone who claims that Colossians 1:23 seems to teach that we can lose our salvation if we do not “remain grounded and steadfast in the faith”?

Lesson Outline, Introduction, Discussion Questions, and Conclusion adapted from the following sources:

SOURCE: Bible Studies For Life: Life Ventures Leaders Guide; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; Nashville, TN 37234

SOURCE: The Herschel Hobbs Commentary; Family Bible Study; by Robert J. Dean; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; 1 LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN.

SOURCE: Advanced Bible Study; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN.

COMMENTARY:

(NOTE: Commentary for the focal verses comes from two sources: “The Expositor’s Bible Commentary New Testament” and “The Complete Biblical Library Commentary” and is provided for your study.)

I. Why Beliefs Matter (Col. 1:9-12) Commentary

To the thanksgiving of verses 3-8, the apostle adds a fervent petition. He prays that the Colossians may be so filled with the knowledge of God’s will (v. 9) that they may be enabled to live worthily of the Lord, pleasing him in everything (v. 10a). This worthy life involves fruitfulness in every good work (v. 10b), growth in (or by) the knowledge of God (v. 10a), patience and long-suffering (v. 11), and gratitude to God for the blessings of redemption (vv. 12-14).

1:9 The words “for this reason” (dia touto), referring back to the entire discussion of vv. 3-8, show that the petitionary prayer is Paul’s response to the news that had come to him of the Colossians’ experience in Christ. He was grateful for what had already happened to them. He prays now for the further enrichment of their lives.

The Greek word (kai) in the opening part of v. 9 is not expressed in NIV. C.F.D. Moule construes it with the phrase “for this reason” and interprets the entire construction to mean “that is precisely why” or “that, in fact, is why.” On the other hand, H.C.G. Moule connects kai with the pronoun “we,” rendering it “we also.” The meaning then is “we on our part, meeting your love with a love-prompted prayer.” Either way, the word shows that v. 9 stands in close connection with the preceding paragraph.

Paul’s prayer contains two requests. The first, and the one on which the rest of the prayer is based, is that God might fill the readers with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Scott thinks that the apostle here “begins to touch gently on his complaint against the Colossians,” namely, that with all their devotion they had failed to attain true knowledge, “mistaking windy speculations for a deeper wisdom.”

The Greek word for “knowledge” (epignosis), a compound form used in the NT only of moral and religious knowledge, has engendered considerable debate. Armitage Robinson, for instance, concludes that the simple, uncompounded form (gnosis) is the wider word and denotes knowledge in “the fullest sense.” The compound form used here he takes to be “knowledge directed toward a particular object.” Earlier scholars, on the other hand, are inclined to see epignosis as the larger and stronger word. Meyer, for example, defines it as “the knowledge which grasps and penetrates into the object.” Lightfoot remarks that “it was used especially of the knowledge of God and of Christ as being the perfection of knowledge.” The older interpreters who understand the word as denoting thorough knowledge, that is, a deep and accurate comprehension, are probably correct. Such knowledge of God’s will is the foundation of all Christian character and conduct.

The will of God in its broadest and most inclusive sense is the whole purpose of God as revealed in Christ. In this passage the term perhaps has special reference to God’s intention for the conduct of the Christian life.

To be “filled” with the knowledge of the divine will suggests that such knowledge is to pervade all of one’s being—thoughts, affections, purposes, and plans. (The reader should be alert to the unusual emphasis on “fullness” in this Epistle. The recurrence of this idea suggests that the Colossian errorists claimed to offer a “fullness” of blessing and truth not found, they said, in the preaching of Epaphras. Paul answers by stressing the true fullness available in Christ.)

The phrase containing the words “all spiritual wisdom and understanding” is taken by some interpreters as a fuller explanation of “knowledge of his [God’s] will” (cf. TEV). The thought then is that knowledge of the divine will consists or takes the form of spiritual wisdom and understanding. NIV interprets the phrase to denote the means by which we acquire knowledge of the will of God.

“Wisdom” and “understanding” probably should not be treated separately but should be looked on as expressing a single thought, something like practical wisdom or clear discernment. The use of the two words simply gives a certain fullness to the statement and thus deepens its impression on the reader.

1:10 Paul’s second petition, that the Colossians might “live a life worthy of the Lord,” is built on, and grows out of, the request for knowledge of the divine will; living a worthy life is thus represented as a result (or purpose) of knowing God’s desire for one’s life. This suggests that knowledge of God’s will is not imparted as an end in itself; it is given with a practical intent. “The end of all knowledge, the Apostle would say, is conduct.”

“Live a life” translates a single word (peripatesai) that literally means “to walk.” But it is often used in Scripture to depict life in its outward expression (cf. Col 2:6; 3:7; 4:4, et al.).

To live a life “worthy of the Lord” (axios tou kyriou) probably means to live a life that is commensurate with what the Lord has done for us and is to us. It may also suggest acting in conformity with our union with Christ and with his purpose for our lives.

The ultimate aim of knowing the will of God and living a worthy life is that the readers “may please him [God] in every way” (lit., “unto all pleasing”). The Greek word for “please” (aresko) suggests an attitude of mind that anticipates every wish. In classical Greek it had a bad connotation, denoting, as H.C.G. Moule observes,

a cringing and subservient habit, ready to do anything to please a patron; not only to meet but to anticipate his most trivial wishes. But when transferred to ... the believer’s relations to his Lord, the word at once rises by its associations. To do anything to meet, to anticipate His wishes is not only the most absolutely right thing we could do. It is His eternal due; it is at the same time the surest path to our own highest development and gain.

Verses 10b-14 underline some of the elements in, or constituent parts of, the kind of life that is pleasing to the Lord. The leading ideas, expressed in Greek by four participles, are rendered in English by “bearing fruit” (v. 10b), “growing” (v. 10c), “being strengthened” (v. 11a), and “giving thanks” (v. 12). Grammatically, they all modify, and express attendant circumstances of, peripatesai—the word translated “live a life.”

“Bearing fruit” renders a present tense (karpophorountes), the meaning being that the Christian life is to exhibit continual fruitfulness. The fruit itself consists in “every good work”—or, as NEB puts it, “active goodness of every kind.” (Paul lays great stress on good works in his letters [cf. Eph 2:10; Gal 5:5; Titus 1:16; 2:7, 14; 3:8, 15, et al.]. But he represents them as the fruit, not the root, of a right relationship with God.)

The Christian should not only bear the fruit of good works in his life; he should at the same time experience personal spiritual enlargement. This idea is expressed in the words “growing in the knowledge of God.” “Growing” (auxanomenoi), like “bearing fruit,” represents a present tense and puts emphasis on habitual action. The preposition in represents the knowledge of God as the sphere or realm in which spiritual growth takes place. It is possible, however, to translate the phrase as “growing by the knowledge of God.” When rendered like this, the text affirms that the knowledge of God is the means by which the Christian grows. What rain and sunshine are to the nurture of plants, the knowledge of God is to the growth and maturing of the spiritual life.

1:11 “Being strengthened with all power” expresses a third element in the life pleasing to God. Christians are engaged in moral conflict with the cosmic powers of a darkened world (cf. Eph 6:12), and nothing short of divine empowerment can enable them to stand. “Strengthened,” which speaks of continuous empowerment, translates the same root word used in Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

This empowerment is “according to his [God’s] glorious might.” That is to say, it is not proportioned simply to our need, but to God’s abundant supply. The Greek behind the phrase “his glorious might” (to kratos tes doxes autou) is more literally rendered “the might of his glory.” Though NIV represents a legitimate interpretation, possibly we should retain the literal rendering and understand the thought to be the might of God’s own manifested nature. In this interpretation “glory” (doxes) stands for the revealed splendor or majesty of God—the sum total of his divine perfections. (Paul uses the word glory more than seventy times in his Epistles. Its basic meaning is physical brightness or radiance, but its exact meaning must be determined by its various contexts. In Romans 6:4 Christ is said to have been “raised from the dead through the glory of the Father.”)

The twofold issue of such empowerment is “endurance and patience.” The first term renders a Greek word (hypomonen) denoting the opposite of cowardice and despondency. Beare defines it as “the capacity to see things through.” The second term (makrothymian), translated “longsuffering” in KJV, is the opposite of wrath or a spirit of revenge. It speaks of even-temperedness, the attitude that in spite of injury or insult does not retaliate.

It is debatable whether “joyfully” (meta charas; lit., “with joy”) should be construed with “endurance and patience” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NEB) or with “giving thanks” (NIV.) In the former construction, joy is seen as the pervading element of endurance and patience. Goodspeed renders it “the cheerful exercise of endurance and forbearance.” A distinctively Christian quality (cf. Gal 5:22; Philippians 1:18; 2:17; 3:1, et al.), joy is often associated in the NT with hardship and suffering.

1:12 The fourth ingredient, and the crowning virtue, of the worthy Christian life is gratitude. One reason for giving thanks to God is that he has “qualified” believers “to share in the inheritance of the saints.” The Greek word for “qualified” (hikanosanti), which basically has in it the thought of making sufficient or competent, may shade into the sense of empowering or authorizing. From its use in this passage we may conclude that in themselves believers have no fitness for sharing in the heritage of God’s people. They can experience this only as God qualifies them for such a privilege. The tense of the word is aorist, pointing to the time of the Colossians’ conversion. The suggestion is that the qualifying is not a process but an instantaneous act.

To “share in” the inheritance of the saints is to have a portion of the heritage belonging to God’s people. There is an obvious allusion to the inheritance of ancient Israel in the Land of Promise and the share of the inheritance each Israelite had. Christians, as the new people of God, also have an inheritance, and each believer has a share allotted to him.

“In the kingdom of light” appears at first to mark the inheritance as future and heavenly. But the following verse affirms that Christians have already been rescued from the dominion of darkness and are even now in the kingdom of God’s Son. H.C.G. Moule therefore rightly argues that the reference is “properly to the believer’s position and possession even now. This Canaan,” he explains, “is not in the distance, beyond death; it is about us today, in our home, in our family, in our business, ... in all that makes up mortal life.”

SOURCE: The Expositor’s Bible Commentary New Testament; Frank E. Gaebelein; General Editor; Zondervan Publishing House; A Division of Harper Collins Publishers

1:9. Having expressed his gratitude to God for all these facts relayed to him by Epaphras, Paul then earnestly prayed for the Colossian saints. Paul's 218-word sentence in the original language begins at verse 9 and continues through verse 20. First, he prayed they would receive a greater knowledge of God's will. The term "filled" suggests the idea of filling to completeness. He wanted them to have a thorough or full knowledge (epignōsis) or an ever-increasing knowledge. Paul described a thorough knowledge which involved a deep, accurate, and comprehensive acquaintance with the way God expressed himself in the Bible.

Apparently the Colossians did not lack knowledge, but they were in need of help in the area of spiritual perception, without which they could be easily victimized by a system of thought that could undermine their whole experience with God. The Colossians already had some knowledge of God's will, but they needed more or a fuller development.

This full knowledge would consist of spiritual wisdom and understanding. The first of these two terms is a general word embracing the whole range of mental faculties, and the second term refers to insight which discriminates between the true and the false.

1:10. Paul's second petition is a consequence of the first. The knowledge of God is not imparted to be an end in itself, but is given to enable believers to live in a manner worthy of the Lord. To "walk worthy of the Lord" means in general to live a life commensurate with what the Lord has done for a person. Doctrine and ethics were inseparable to Paul. Right knowledge should lead to right behavior. The Greek word translated "worthy" (axiōs) often was used in connection with a pair of scales in which the item on one side should weigh as much as the item on the other side.

Paul did not imply that believers can ever repay the Lord for what He has done for them. On the other hand, it would be a real affront to Him if Christians did not live in a worthy manner. Paul used four parallel participles in this passage to define precisely the ways a worthy life will be manifested. First, the believer who is walking properly will be "fruitful." Secondly, that person will be "increasing in the knowledge of God."

1:11. Thirdly, a person who is living a worthy life will experience being "strengthened with all might." In making this statement Paul purposely piled up expressions for emphasis. Both "strengthened" and "might" come from one of the common Greek words for power or "inherent ability" (dunamis), while the word "power" in the next part of the statement comes from a word basically meaning "manifested strength" (kratos).

This mighty power in turn will manifest itself in "patience," "longsuffering," and "joyfulness." The first term relates to perseverance in spite of all kinds of obstacles. The Greek word actually means more than "patience"; it especially contains the idea of holding to a course of action with steadfast determination. This kind of perseverance seems most difficult when affliction is present. "Longsuffering" basically means to forbear other people. It more closely denotes the idea of patience than does hupomonē. "Joyfulness" is self-explanatory, but is an ingredient not always present along with patience and longsuffering.

1:12. The remainder of the passage through verse 14 contains the basis for wanting to live the right kind of life. God has qualified believers, or made them fit, to share in the inheritance of His saints by delivering them from the realm of spiritual darkness and placing them in His Son's kingdom through His wonderful sacrifice.

The most dangerous aspect of the Colossian heresy was its depreciation of the person of Jesus Christ. To the errorists of Colosse, Christ was not the triumphant Redeemer to whom all authority in heaven and on earth had been committed. At best he was only one of many spirit beings who bridged the space between God and men.

This passage is a part of Paul’s answer to this heretical teaching. One of several great Christological declarations in Paul (cf. 2:9-15; Eph 1:20-23; Philippians 2:5-11), it proclaims the unqualified supremacy of our Redeemer. Scott says it “represents a loftier conception of Christ’s person than is found anywhere else in the writings of Paul.” The affirmations of the passage are all the more remarkable when we remember that they were written of One who only thirty years earlier had died on a Roman cross.

It is somewhat arbitrary to separate this passage from what precedes it. So imperceptibly does Paul move from prayer (vv. 3-14) to exposition that it is difficult to know exactly where one leaves off and the other begins. In KJV, for instance, everything from v. 9 through v. 18 is treated as a single sentence. ASV places a period at the end of v. 11. NIV, RSV, JB, and NAB, which begin a new sentence (and a new paragraph) with v. 15, seem to represent the best construction of the passage.

Three profound and sweeping statements concerning Christ are made. These show his relation to deity (v. 15a), to creation (vv. 15b-17), and to the church (v. 18). In making these assertions, Paul refuted the Colossian errorists, in whose system angelic mediators usurped the place and function of Christ. His task in earlier correspondence (such as Galatians and Romans) had been to expound the importance of Christ for salvation; in the face of this new teaching at Colosse, he found it necessary to affirm Christ’s cosmic significance.

1:15 In regard to deity, Christ is “the image of the invisible God” (cf. 2Cor 4:4). In interpreting this statement, we must not understand the apostle to be teaching that Christ is the image of God in a material or physical sense. The true meaning must be sought on a level deeper than this. Nor should we limit the concept to one stage or period of Christ’s existence. Some interpreters think Paul’s primary reference is to the preincarnate Christ, and the statements of vv. 15b, 16, which speak of Christ’s relation to creation, do lend some support to this view. Others prefer to think the apostle had in mind the incarnate Christ in his glorified state. Peake, a proponent of this view, says the passage assumes the preexistence of the Son, but its assertions are of the exalted Christ. In view of the uncertainty of the matter, it seems best not to limit the concept at all. Christ always has been, is, and always will be the image of God. His incarnation did not make him the image of God, but it did bring him, “as being that Image, within our grasp.”

Eikon, the Greek word for “image,” expresses two ideas. One is likeness, a thought brought out in some of the versions. Christ is the image of God in the sense that he is the exact likeness of God, like the image on a coin or the reflection in a mirror (cf. Heb 1:3). The other idea in the word is manifestation. That is, Christ is the image of God in the sense that the nature and being of God are perfectly revealed in him (cf. John 1:18). Therefore Paul can boldly say that we have “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2Cor 4:6) and that believers, reflecting the Lord’s glory, “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2Cor 3:18). Paul’s statement leaves no place for the vague emanations and shadowy abstractions so prominent in the gnostic system.

In relation to the universe, Christ is “the firstborn over all creation.” Each word of this phrase must be interpreted cautiously. “Firstborn” (prototokos) is used of Christ, in addition to the passage under study, in Colossians 1:18; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 1:6; and Revelation 1:15. (It is used also in Luke 2:7, but in a different setting.) It may denote either priority in time or supremacy in rank (NIV). In the present passage perhaps we should see both meanings. Christ is before all creation in time; he is also over it in rank and dignity. The major stress, however, seems to be on the idea of supremacy.

Some see in the word an allusion to the ancient custom whereby the firstborn in a family was accorded rights and privileges not shared by the other offspring. He was his father’s representative and heir, and to him the management of the household was committed. Following this line of interpretation, we may understand the passage to teach that Christ is his Father’s representative and heir and has the management of the divine household (all creation) committed to him. He is thus Lord over all God’s creation.

1:16, 17 The apostle now states the ground for Christ’s dominion over creation: he is firstborn (Lord) over creation because he made it. To him it owes its unity, its meaning, indeed its very existence.

Three prepositional phrases define the creative activity of Christ: All things came to be “in [NIV, by] him” (v. 16a), “through [NIV, by] him” (v. 16b) and “for him” (v. 16c). Creation was “in [en] him” in the sense that it occurred within the sphere of his person and power. He was its conditioning cause, its originating center, its spiritual locality. The act of creation rested, as it were, in him. Creation is “through” (dia) Christ in the sense that he was the mediating Agent through whom it actually came into being. The preposition is frequently used of Christ’s redemptive mediation between God and men (cf. Eph 2:18; 1 Thess 5:9, et al.), but the thought here is that the entire life of the universe is mediated from God through Christ (cf. John 1:3, 10). Creation is “for” (eis) Christ in the sense that he is the end for which all things exist, the goal toward whom all things were intended to move. They are meant “to serve His will, to contribute to His glory.... Their whole being, willingly or unwillingly, moves ... to Him; whether, as His blissful servants, they shall be as it were His throne; or as His stricken enemies, ‘His footstool.’”

“All things,” used twice in the verse, translates an expression (ta panta) that was sometimes used in the sense of our word “universe.” It denoted the totality of things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. The reference to “thrones,” “powers,” “rulers,” and “authorities” is perhaps an allusion to the angelic hierarchy that figured so prominently in the Colossian heresy. Paul’s mention of these things does not, of course, mean that he recognized the existence of a hierarchy of spirit beings. His words do suggest, however, that whatever supernatural powers there may be, Christ is the One who made them and he is their Lord.

1:17 Verse 16 has stated the essential reason for Christ’s lordship over creation, namely, that he is its creator. Verse 17 is a sort of summing up of the thought of vv. 15, 16. But in addition, it rounds out and completes the statement of Christ’s relation to creation. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” That Christ is “before” all things means primarily that he is before all in time; however, the statement is general enough to include also the notion that he is above all in rank. The thought is similar to that of the earlier expression, “firstborn over all creation” (v. 15b).

That all things “hold together” in Christ means that he is both the unifying principle and the personal sustainer of all creation. It springs from him and finds in him its common bond and center. He is, to use the words of Lightfoot, “the principle of cohesion” who makes the universe “a cosmos instead of a chaos” (cf. Heb 1:3).

1:18 Paul’s third affirmation concerning Christ’s supremacy relates to the new creation: “And he is the head of the body, the church” (v. 18a; cf. 2:19; Eph 1:22, 23; 4:15). To be the “head” of the church is to be its sovereign. In the figure there may also be the suggestion that Christ is the source of the church’s life, but this is not its primary significance. Christ, as Head of the church, is its Chief, its Leader. It is he who guides and governs it. “He” is emphatic, the meaning being that Christ alone—Christ and no other—is Head of the church.

“Church” (ekklesia), which means “assembly” or “congregation,” is best interpreted here as a term embracing all the redeemed people of God. The mention of the church as “the body” of Christ suggests at least three things: (1) that the church is a living organism, composed of members joined vitally to one another, (2) that the church is the means by which Christ carries out his purposes and performs his work, and (3) that the union that exists between Christ and his people is most intimate and real. Together they constitute one living unit, each, in a sense, being incomplete without the other.

Verse 18b gives one ground of Christ’s headship over the church: “He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead.” In the Greek the first word is a relative pronoun (hos), and in this context is almost equivalent to “because he is.” The word beginning may be interpreted in any one of three ways: as referring to (1) supremacy in rank, (2) precedence in time, or (3) creative initiative. There is, of course, truth in each of these, but it seems best to see in Paul’s word the idea of creative initiative. The meaning then is that Christ is the origin and source of the life of the church, the fount of its being (cf. NEB).

“Firstborn” (prototokos), which in the Greek text is in apposition with “beginning,” defines more precisely what Paul means. This term was used earlier (v. 15) to point up Christ’s relation to creation, and we concluded that it suggested both precedence in time and supremacy in rank. In the present passage the idea of precedence is the more prominent. Thus, the meaning is that Christ was the first to come from the dead in true resurrection life (i.e., never to die again, cf. 1Cor 15:20). And because he was the first to be born from the dead, he possesses in himself the new and higher life that his people, by virtue of their union with him, now share. Thus, his being the firstborn from the dead is that which establishes his place as the beginning, the origin of the church’s life.

The idea of sovereignty, however, is not entirely absent from this passage. Because Christ was the first to be born from the dead, he has the dignity and sovereignty belonging to the Firstborn. Peake, who is a proponent of this view, interprets the passage to mean that “from among the dead [Christ] has passed to his throne, where he reigns as the living Lord.”

“So that in everything he might have the supremacy” in one sense is a summary of all that Paul has affirmed from v. 15 to this point, but syntactically it must be seen as expressing the purpose of the immediately preceding statement about Christ’s being the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. He rose from the dead in order that his preeminence might become universal, extending both to the old creation and to the new. He had always been first, but by his resurrection he entered upon an even wider and more significant sovereignty (cf. Acts 2:26; Rom 1:4).

The word for “he” (autos) is normally not expressed in Greek because it is implied in the personal ending of the verb. Here, however, it is expressed, suggesting that preeminence is the exclusive right of Christ. “He himself” or “he alone” is the idea. “Have supremacy” literally means “have the first place”; or perhaps better still, “become first.” C.F.D. Moule takes the whole phrase to mean: “‘that he might be alone supreme among all’—sole head of all things.”

Paul has ascribed unique supremacy to Jesus Christ. He has affirmed him to be Image of God, Lord over creation, Head of the church—indeed, preeminent in all things. Verses 19-23 state the grounds—observe the first word of v. 19—on which such supremacy is affirmed.

The last phrase of v. 18 implies that Christ has unshared supremacy because God has decreed it. “It was,” as Calvin says, “so arranged in the providence of God.” The present passage states this in different terms, but still puts it within the context of the divine will. Two things that God willed are specifically set forth, one having to do with the fullness of God in Christ (v. 19), the other with the reconciling work of Christ (vv. 20-23).

1:19 The subject of the verb translated “was pleased” is uncertain. Some take it to be “Christ.” Lightfoot calls this view “grammatically possible” but thinks “it confuses the theology of the passage hopelessly.” Others construe the subject to be “fullness.” The NIV understands the passage as affirming an action of God. God willed that in Christ all fullness should dwell.

The word for “fullness” (pleroma), which Scott calls “perhaps the most difficult” in the Epistle, is the focal point of much discussion. The term is found about seventeen times in the NT, but there are only four places in which the meaning is parallel to that of the present passage (Eph 1:23; 3:19; 4:13; Col 2:9). The word seems to have been in current use by the false teachers, and was possibly, though not certainly, employed by them of the totality of supernatural powers (“aeons”) that they believed were in control of men’s lives. Calvin understands Paul to use it of “fulness of righteousness, wisdom, power, and, every blessing,” explaining that “whatever God has he has conferred upon his Son.” Peake, following Meyer, Eadie, Alford, and others, interprets “fullness” to mean “the fulness of grace, ‘the whole charismatic riches of God’” (cf. John 1:14). He understands the whole statement “as having reference to the sending of the Son in the incarnation. The Father was pleased that He should come ‘with the whole treasure of Divine grace.’”

Others interpret “fullness” as a reference to Deity. C.F.D. Moule, for instance, explains it to mean “God in all his fullness,” that is, “all that God is.” Phillips renders it “the full nature of God”; NEB, “the complete being of God.” Lightfoot paraphrases it, “the totality of Divine powers and attributes,” the suggestion being that nothing of deity is lacking in Christ. The similar expression found in Colossians 2:9 lends support to this view.

It is significant that Paul says “all” the fullness dwells in Christ. The Colossian errorists perhaps looked upon the many spirit beings they thought of as filling the space between God and the world as intermediaries and taught that any communication between God and the world had to pass through them. They probably included Christ among these supernatural powers, admitting that he was of heavenly origin and that God was in some sense present in him. He was, however, only one aspect of the divine nature and in himself was not sufficient for all the needs of men. Paul, in contrast, declares that Christ is not just one of many divine beings. He is the one Mediator between God and the world, and all, not part, of the attributes and activities of God are centered in him.

“Dwell” translates katoikesai, a verb that suggests permanent residence as opposed to temporary sojourn. Lightfoot thinks Paul was refuting a Colossian notion that the divine fullness had only a transient and incidental association with Christ. In distinction from this, the apostle asserts that it abides in him permanently.

1:20 The Father was pleased “to reconcile to himself all things” through Christ. This statement sustains a close connection with v. 19. For one thing, the Greek word for “to reconcile” (apokatallaxai) is parallel with the word for “dwell” (v. 19), both terms being grammatically dependent on the verb rendered “was pleased” (eudokesen) (v. 19). The Father willed that all fullness should dwell in Christ; he also willed to reconcile all things to himself through Christ. “Reconcile,” the essential meaning of which is “to change” (from enmity to friendship), suggests the effecting in man of a condition of submission to, and harmony with, God (cf. Rom 5:10, 11; 2Cor 5:18-20; Eph 2:14, 15). The Greek verb, a double compound form, probably has intensive force: to change completely, to change so as to remove all enmity.

This work of reconciliation is on the widest possible scale, having to do with “all things.” Calvin limits “things in heaven” to angels. H.C.G. Moule interprets it similarly but admits that reconciliation affects the angelic world “in a sense as yet known only to the Lord.” It is perhaps better to understand the word heaven as an inclusive term taking in everything not belonging to the “earth”—perhaps what is sometimes called the “starry heavens.” “Things on earth ... things in heaven” thus denotes everything in God’s universe.

One must be careful not to interpret this in such a way as to make it contradict the clear teaching of other Scriptures. Admittedly, the statement might appear, on its surface, to indicate that eventually everything will be brought into a saving relationship with God. Such universalism, however, is contrary to those passages that affirm that apart from personal trust in Christ there is no salvation. Our Lord, in fact, spoke of the impenitent as going away into “eternal punishment” (Matt 25:46). We should therefore understand this statement to be a reference to the cosmic significance of Christ’s work, the thought being similar to, but not identical with, that of Romans 8:19-22. There the general sense is that the disorder that has characterized creation will be done away and divine harmony restored. Here perhaps the main idea is that all things eventually are to be decisively subdued to God’s will and made to serve his purposes.

SOURCE: The Expositor’s Bible Commentary New Testament; Frank E. Gaebelein; General Editor; Zondervan Publishing House; A Division of Harper Collins Publishers

1:15. This verse begins the main theme of the letter: the preeminence or supremacy of Christ. The Gnostic heresy which apparently had infected the Colossian assembly contained many unscriptural doctrines, but its main error was its depreciation of the person and work of Christ. Many Bible scholars believe this section of Scripture consisted of a hymn sung by the Early Church.

Paul first described Christ as "the image of the invisible God." The Bible states in several locations that the essence or substance of God is invisible to human beings (Romans 1:20; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27). It also states that no man can ever see God, an obvious reference to the Father, but that Christ has made the Father known (John 1:18; 14:9).

"Image" expresses two crucial points. First, it suggests "representation, likeness." Hebrews 1:3 reflects the same idea through another Greek term that was translated "exact representation" in the New International Version. "Manifestation" is the second idea reflected in the term "image" (John 1:18; 14:9). Paul also described Christ as "the firstborn of every creature." "Firstborn" (prōtotokos) does not imply that Jesus is part of creation, but rather indicates His priority and sovereignty over all creation.

1:16. This verse reinforces this interpretation by emphasizing that Christ's relationship to creation is not that of being part of it but that of bringing all things into existence. Notice the progression in this passage. First, Paul showed Christ's relationship to deity, and then His relationship to creation. The words "by him" in this verse would be translated better as "in Him" because they express the fact that He was the agent through which everything was created (John 1:3). The tense of the verb "were created" is aorist in the first instance and perfect tense in the second, referring to the continuous result.

1:17. Here Paul summarizes the previous affirmations of the supremacy of Jesus in creation. Not only did Jesus always exist (John 1:1; 8:58), but He holds all creation together. Thus, the Gnostic philosophy that matter is evil and was created by some being other than Christ is completely unscriptural.

1:18. Just as Christ is supreme over the natural creation, so is He sovereign over the new creation, the New Testament Church of which He is the Head. He is supreme in the spiritual realm as well as in the material realm.

The constant use of the term "body" for the Church suggests several important facts. First, it designates the Church as a living organism, composed of members vitally connected to one another. Secondly, it points to the Church as the means through which Christ accomplishes His purposes and performs His work in the world. Thirdly, it shows that the union between Christ and His church constitutes a very vital and intimate one.

Verse 18 establishes the ground for Christ's vital headship of the Church. He is the "beginning" (archē) or "source" or "origin." He is the "firstborn" (prōtotokos), the first to rise from the realm of the dead in a permanent fashion (Revelation 1:5). This implies the idea of opening the way for others to follow. Because of these achievements, Christ deserves recognition as the Preeminent One.

1:19. God planned that His "fulness" (plērōma) would reside in Christ. Fullness was the very term used by the Gnostics for the totality of so-called divine emanations, or intermediary beings, which they believed controlled people's lives.

The Gnostic teachers parceled out deity among the many spirit beings, called "aeons," which they envisioned as filling the space between God and the world. According to them, any communication between God and the world and between the world and God had to pass through the spheres in which these intermediary beings exercised rule. They included Christ as one of many such "divine beings," but the apostle made it clear that Christ is the only mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5).

1:20. God willed that through Christ all reconciliation would occur. "Reconcile" literally means bringing back into proper relationship. Because God was not the offender, the Bible uses the term relative to men being brought back into the proper relationship with God.

Reconciliation has both an objective and a subjective side. Objectively, God removed the barrier between himself and sinful man by the death of Christ on the cross, so sinners may experience a living relationship with God. Subjectively, people must accept the possibility for reconciliation that God has provided.

III. What Christ Has Done (Col. 1:13-14,21-23) Commentary

1:13 The proof that God has qualified us for a share of the inheritance of the saints is that he has “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” “Rescued” translates errusato, a word that means to liberate, save, or deliver someone from something or someone; that from which Christians have been rescued is a “dominion of darkness.” Luke (22:53) reports Jesus’ use of the same phrase at the time of his arrest in Gethsemane. “Darkness” in Scripture is symbolic of ignorance, falsehood, and sin (cf. John 3:19; Rom 13:12). But Paul probably had the Colossian heresy in mind, because the principalities and powers to which the false teachers urged Christians to pay homage are designated by him “the powers of this dark world” (Eph 6:12).

God’s action in behalf of his people does not stop with deliverance from the authority of darkness. He has also “brought” them “into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” “Brought” translates metestesen, a word that was used in secular literature in reference to removing persons from one country and settling them as colonists and citizens in another country. It might be rendered “reestablished.” The tense of the verb points to the time of conversion. The “kingdom” (rule) is not to be interpreted eschatologically. It was for the Colossians a present reality (cf. John 3:3-5). Nor is the kingdom to be interpreted in a territorial sense. That is to say, it is not an area that may be designated on a map; it is the sovereign rule of the Lord Christ over human hearts.

“The Son he loves” translates a phrase (tou huiou tes agapes autou) that literally reads “the Son of his love.” It is a Hebraic way of saying “God’s dear Son.” The expression is reminiscent of the words of the Father at the baptism and the transfiguration of Jesus.

1:14 “In whom,” which has its antecedent in “the Son” (v. 13), affirms that redemption and forgiveness are ours by virtue of union with Christ. “Redemption” (apolytrosin) a term that speaks of a release brought about by the payment of a price, was used of the deliverance of slaves from bondage or of prisoners of war from captivity. “Emancipation” expresses the idea. “We have” teaches that the believer’s redemption is a present possession.

Aphesis (“forgiveness”) literally means “a sending away.” It thus speaks of the removal of our sins from us, so that they are no longer barriers that separate us from God. Redemption and forgiveness are not exactly parallel or identical concepts, but by putting the two terms in apposition to each other, the apostle teaches that the central feature of redemption is the forgiveness of sins.

1:21 Verse 20 has presented the general aspect of the reconciling work of Christ (“all things ...”). Verses 21-23 show how this applies personally and specifically to the Colossians. Prior to their conversion to Christianity they had been “alienated from God,” “enemies” in their minds. The former word (apellotriomenous), which literally means “transferred to another owner,” speaks of estrangement from God. The perfect tense of the Greek word denotes a fixed state or condition. The latter word (“enemies” [echthrous]) affirms the Colossians’ hostility to God. This hostility, Paul explains, affected their “minds” (dianoia; lit., “thought,” “disposition,” “attitude”) and was outwardly expressed in their “evil behavior” (ergois tois ponerois; lit., “wicked deeds”).

1:22 God reconciled the Colossians “by Christ’s physical body through death.” “Physical body” renders somati tes sarkos (lit., “body of flesh”). Perhaps Paul deliberately used this rather redundant expression to emphasize (in contradiction to the views of the heretics) the reality of Christ’s body. Peake understands Paul to be alluding to and answering “the false spiritualism” of the Colossian heretics. Asserting that reconciliation could be accomplished only by spiritual (angelic) beings, they attached little or no value to the work of Christ in a physical body. In opposition to this, Paul stressed the importance of Christ’s physical body.

The result of Christ’s reconciling work is the presentation of the Colossians “holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” Some interpreters, perhaps most, take these words as a description of a yet-future presentation to God (at the Judgment Day). And this is the view this passage seems naturally to suggest. There are, however, a number of scholars who see it as a statement of what God through Christ had already done for the Colossians. In reconciling them, he brought them into his presence, no longer as unhallowed, stained by sin, and bearing the burden of guilt; but “holy” and “without blemish and free from accusation.” So the reference is to the standing effected for the believer at the time of and by the death of Christ.

Bruce presents a view in which there is a balance between the present and the future: “The sentence of justification passed upon the believer here and now anticipates the pronouncement of the judgment day; the holiness which is progressively wrought in his life by the Spirit of God here and now is to issue in perfection of glory on the day of Christ’s parousia.”

“Holy” suggests consecration and dedication (see the discussion of v. 2). “Without blemish,” which translates a technical sacrificial term (amomous), was used of animals that were without flaw and therefore worthy of being offered to God. The use of this word gives support to the view that in this statement Paul was not thinking about our personal conduct but about our position in Christ. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a Christian life that is without blemish in actual conduct. But Christians’ identification with Christ is such that his righteousness and his standing before God are theirs (2Cor 5:21; 1 John 4:17).

“Free from accusation,” like the other two terms, expresses a condition possible only because men are in Christ, covered by and sharing in the benefits of his death for them.

1:23 Some interpreters, especially some of those who understand the foregoing words as a description of the believers’ presentation before God at the time of judgment, explain v. 23 as a warning against indolence and complacency. The Colossians, they understand Paul to say, will be thus presented to God only “if [they] continue in [their] faith, established and firm,” and so forth. Bruce comments, “If the Bible teaches the final perseverance of the saints, it also teaches that the saints are those who finally persevere—in Christ. Continuance is the test of reality.”

Those who take v. 22 to be a statement of accomplished fact contend that the words of v. 23 are proof of a past (and continuing) experience, not a condition of what is future. “No reference,” affirms Nicholson, “is here made to the future, no doubt of any kind is insinuated, no threatening danger is implied. The apostle’s purpose is simply to state the absolute accomplishment of salvation in the past sufferings of Christ, and the demonstration of it which is furnished to an individual soul in the present existence of his faith.”

It is significant for both interpretations that the condition is stated in such a way as to express the apostle’s confidence in his readers. “The Greek,” writes Radford, “indicates not an uncertain prospect but a necessary condition and an almost certain assumption.... Paul is at once insistent and confident; they must [continue], and he is sure that they will.”

“Faith” may denote a body of doctrine, but perhaps here, as usual in the NT, it means personal faith, that is, reliance on Christ. Therefore, instead of “the faith” (KJV, ASV, RSV), it should read “your faith” (NIV, NEB). The words that follow “faith” explain what is involved in continuance in faith, namely, being “established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” “Established” suggests being founded securely, as on a rock. “Firm” (lit., “settled”) depicts a steady and firm resolve.

The “hope held out in the gospel” is in its fullest sense the expectation of ultimate, complete salvation that will belong to believers upon the return of their Lord. There may be an implicit contrast between the certainty of the gospel and the delusive promises offered by the Colossian errorists.

In the closing words of v. 23 three statements are made to stress the importance of remaining true to the apostolic gospel: (1) It is the message “that you heard.” The reference is to the gospel that had been initially preached to them by Epaphras (cf. 1:7) and was the instrument of their conversion. (2) It has been “proclaimed to every creature under heaven.” Its universality is a mark of its authenticity. C.F.D. Moule suggests that the statement does not mean that the gospel had been preached to every individual, but that it had been “heard in all the great centers of the Empire (cf. Rom 15:19-23).” Bruce suggests that Paul was “perhaps indulging in a prophetic prolepsis.” Obviously there is an element of hyperbole in the statement. (3) Paul closes with the affirmation that he himself had “become a servant” of the gospel. Paul does not designate himself in this fashion for the purpose of magnifying his office, but to impress on the Colossians that the gospel heard by them from Epaphras and proclaimed in all the world, was the same gospel he preached.

SOURCE: The Expositor’s Bible Commentary New Testament; Frank E. Gaebelein; General Editor; Zondervan Publishing House; A Division of Harper Collins Publishers

The Complete Biblical Library Commentary - Galatians-Philemon: Col. 1:13-14,21-23

1:13. This verse makes the drastic nature of the experience of regeneration even more evident. The language is quite typical of the way Paul pictured the life of a person before accepting Jesus Christ as Lord. He constantly described the lost condition of people outside of Christ. He wrote about God's delivering believers from "the power of darkness." "Power" actually comes from a common Greek term (exousia) normally translated "authority." The language depicts a very drastic experience, being snatched out of one condition and placed in another condition. This second condition occurs when a person becomes part of Christ's kingdom or comes under His rulership.

1:14. Paul could not have closed his prayer in a more fitting manner than by reminding the Colossians of the redemptive work of the Messiah, the most important work of all history. In the original language the term "redemption" contains a definite article, literally meaning "the redemption." Redeem carries the idea of "buying back" something that had been sold. Possibly Paul was thinking of his own experience when he referred to "the forgiveness of sins." The entire prayer from verse 9 through verse 14 serves as an excellent reminder of the necessity of a proper balance between knowledge and experience. A person needs proper knowledge, it must be translated into experience.

1:21. Paul reminded the Colossians in a very straightforward manner of their condition before their reconciliation to God. The language is very reminiscent of Romans 1:18-32 and gives a vivid picture of heathenism at its worst. The apostle probably carefully pinpointed the Colossians' former evil behavior because many Gnostics taught that it mattered little how a person lived in the body, as long as he cultivated the spirit.

This approach serves as a very convenient justification for practicing sin. Paul connected the word "mind" with "wicked works." "Yet now" in this verse indicates God's intervention. Notice the obvious contrast between the frank statements "were sometime alienated and enemies" and "yet now hath he reconciled."

1:22. Paul very carefully combined two Greek words in this verse (sōma, "body," and sarx, "flesh") to specify the actual humanity and genuine body of Jesus. The Gnostics generally taught that reconciliation could be accomplished only by spiritual beings, but Paul emphasized that it happened by the putting to death of Jesus' physical body. "In the body of his flesh" indicates the sphere in which reconciliation took place, and "through death" specifies the instrument by which it happened.

Christ's ultimate purpose in this glorious process of reconciliation is to present believers before God at His second coming as those who have become Christlike through the sanctification process. This statement, as well as the following verse, should be enough to show that Christians are not perfected at conversion. Even though positionally believers are perfect because the perfection of Christ has been imputed to them, experientially they must go through the process of progressive sanctification in which the Holy Spirit works in them to make them actually like the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:23. The last verse in this section about the supremacy of Christ in redemption contains a warning to the Colossians against relapsing into their former condition and an encouragement to continue to recognize Jesus as their all-sufficient Saviour.

The "if" here is the focal point of much controversy because it is an indicative mood "if" (ei ) in the Greek language. Because of the mood involved, it often is translated "since," so it is used by some people to deny any element of condition in the context. Although certainly not all grammarians agree concerning this point, in the indicative mood "if" may denote the fact that the actor in a situation knows what decision he will make, but other people do not know. Therefore, "if ye continue" would mean the Colossians knew their own intentions, but other people may not have.

Obviously, just making the decision is not all that is involved in the matter. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to continue in "the faith," but He cannot help us unless we permit Him to do so. The language of the entire verse seems to lend support to the conditional element involved in continuing to allow Christ to accomplish His work in our lives. He is not satisfied just to bring us to an initial experience with himself. He obviously wants that relationship to continue. The passage closes with a lovely statement showing the universality of the gospel which God manifested to mankind.

The Book of Colossians: The apostle Paul wrote the Book of Colossians from Rome during his first Roman imprisonment (see Acts28:16-31) about AD 60-62. Although he did not plant the church in Colossae, Paul likely played a significant role in its beginnings. During the two years Paul spent planting the church in Ephesus, he also used Ephesus—the chief city of the province of Asia—as a hub to reach the entire province with the gospel. (See Acts 19:10.) Paul often used the large urban centers in the Roman Empire as a base of operation to spread the gospel throughout the rest of the region. Through the use of emissaries during his missionary journeys, Paul was able to keep up with the spiritual life of the various churches that he had founded directly or indirectly. While Paul was in Rome, he was made aware of some false teachings that had made inroads among the believers in Colossae, motivating him to write The Letter to the Colossians to correct these heresies. During that same imprisonment, Paul also wrote Ephesians (which shares many parallel passages with Colossians), Philippians, and Philemon.

SOURCE: Advanced Bible Study; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN.

COLOSSIANS: The apostle Paul wrote the Letter to the Colossians around AD 61 during his imprisonment in Rome. “Who is Jesus?” From the earliest days of Christianity, there has never been a shortage of answers and theories regarding this question. Paul’s letter to the Colossians addressed this question as well, as he combated pagan ideas that were creeping into the church. Paul had never visited the church at Colossae, but he was concerned about its members and warned them against those who were promoting theories about Jesus that mixed pagan and scriptural ideas. These false teachers had taken elements of astrology, magic, and Judaism and produced a doctrine that regarded Jesus as merely an angelic being. To correct this view, Paul emphasized the deity of Christ and listed several titles of Jesus that highlighted his uniqueness” “the visible image of the invisible God,” “the one through whom God created everything,” “the head of the church,” and “supreme over all who rise from the dead.” Then Paul instructed his readers in the new life they should lead in Christ.

COLOSSIANS (koh lahs' sihuhns): A letter from Paul to the Church at Colossae. It is one of the Prison Epistles (along with Ephesians, Philemon, and Philippians). The traditional date and place of writing is A.D. 61 or 62 from Rome. The letter itself does not name the place where Paul was imprisoned, and Caesarea and Ephesus have been suggested as alternatives to Rome. If written from Ephesus, the time of writing would be in the mid-50’s; if from Caesarea the late 50’s. The primary purpose of Colossians was to correct false teachings which were troubling the church.

The City of Colossae: Colossae was located in the southwest corner of Asia Minor in what was then the Roman province of Asia. Hierapolis and Laodicea were situated only a few miles away. All three were in the Lycus River valley. A main road from Ephesus to the east ran through the region. See Asia Minor.

Colossae was prominent during the Greek period. By Paul’s day it had lost much of its importance, perhaps due to the growth of the neighboring cities. Extremely detrimental to all of the cities of the region were the earthquakes which occasionally did severe damage. Shortly after Paul wrote Colossians, the entire Lycus Valley was devastated by an earthquake (about A.D. 61) which probably ended occupation of the city.

The region included a mixture of people native to the area, Greeks, Romans, and transplanted Jews. The church probably reflected the same diversity. As far as we know, Paul never visited Colossae. His influence was felt, however, during his ministry in Ephesus. (Acts 19:10 records that all Asia heard the gospel.) The letters to Philemon and to the Colossians indicate that many of Paul’s fellow workers (if not Paul himself) had worked among the churches of the Lycus Valley. As a result, the relationship between the apostle to the Gentiles and the Colossian church was close enough that when trouble arose some of the church turned to Paul for instruction.

Content: Colossians may be divided into two main parts. The first (1:3-2:23) is a polemic against false teachings. The second (3:1-4:17) is made up of exhortations to proper Christian living. The introduction (1:1-2) is in the form of a Hellenistic, personal letter. The senders (Paul and Timothy) and the recipients (the Colossian church) are identified, and a greeting is expressed (the usual Pauline “grace and peace” replaced the usual secular “greeting”).

Typical of Paul, a lengthy thanksgiving (1:3-8) and prayer (1:9-14) lead into the body of the letter. Paul thanked God for the faith, hope, and love (1:4-5) which the Colossians had by virtue of their positive response to the gospel. He prayed that they might have a full knowledge and understanding of God’s will and lead a life worthy of redeemed saints, citizens of the kingdom of Christ (1:9-14).

The doctrinal section which follows begins with a description of the grandeur of the preeminent Christ (1:15-20). Though the precise meaning of some words and phrases is uncertain, there is no doubt as to Paul’s intent. He meant to present Jesus as fully God incarnate (1:15, 19), as supreme Lord over all creation (1:15-17), as supreme Lord of the church (1:18), and as the only Source of reconciliation (1:20).

The origin of this grand statement on the nature and work of Christ is debated. The structure, tone, and vocabulary of the passage have led many to speculate that 1:15-20 is a doctrinal statement (hymn) that was in use in the church of Paul’s day. This passage and Philippians 2:6-11 are thought by the majority of scholars to be the most obvious examples of pre-Pauline tradition in the letters of Paul. However, difficulty in recreating a balanced hymnic structure has convinced most that Paul rewrote portions of the hymn, if indeed he was not the author of the entire confession. Author or not, the apostolic stamp of approval is on these words which Paul used to state unambiguously that Christ is Lord and Savior of all.

The purpose of the first two chapters was to correct the false teaching which had infiltrated the church. The heresy is not identified, but several characteristics of the heresy are discernible: (1) An inferior view of Christ is combated in 1:15-20. This Christological passage implies that the heretics did not consider Jesus to be fully divine or perhaps did not accept Him as the sole Source of redemption. (2) The Colossians were warned to beware of plausible sounding “philosophies” which were antichrist (2:8). (3) The heresy apparently involved the legalistic observance of “traditions,” circumcision, and various dietary and festival laws (2:8, 11, 16, 21; 3:11). (4) The worship of angels and lesser spirits was encouraged by the false teachers (2:8, 18). (5)Asceticism, the deprivation or harsh treatment of one’s “evil” fleshly body, was promoted (2:20-23). Finally, (6) the false teachers claimed to possess special insight (perhaps special revelations) which made them (rather than the apostles or the Scriptures) the ultimate source of truth (2:18, 19).

Scholars cannot agree on who these false teachers were. Some of the characteristics cited above seem to be Jewish; others sound like gnostic teachings. Some see the teachings of a mystery religion here. Dozens of alternatives have been proposed by very capable authors. It is even argued that Paul was not attacking one specific heresy (or if he was, he did not have a clear understanding of it himself), but rather was warning the Colossians about a variety of false teachings which had troubled the church, or which might trouble it in the future. While the passage does not clearly identify the heretics, it does clearly state that Christ (not angels, philosophies, rituals, traditions, asceticism, nor anything else) is the Source of redemption.

Colossians 3:1-4 provides the link connecting the theology of chapters 1 and 2 with the exhortations to live a Christian life in chapters 3 and 4. The command to “put to death” (3:5 NIV) and to “rid yourselves of all such things” which will reap the wrath of God (3:5-11) is balanced by the command to “clothe yourselves with” (3:12 NIV) those things characteristic of God’s chosen people (3:12-17). The changes are far from superficial, however. They stem from the Christian’s new nature and submission to the rule of Christ in every area of one’s life (3:9, 10, 15-17).

Rules for the household appear in 3:18-4:1. The typical first century household is assumed, thus the passage addresses wives and husbands, fathers and children, masters and slaves. Paul made no comment about the rightness or wrongness of the social structures; he accepted them as givens. Paul’s concern was that the structures as they existed be governed by Christian principles. Submission to the Lord (3:18, 20, 22; 4:1), Christian love (3:19), and the prospect of divine judgment (3:24-4:1) must determine the way people treat one another regardless of their social station. It is this Christian motivation which distinguishes these house rules from those that can be found in Jewish and pagan sources.

A final group of exhortations (4:2-6) and an exchange of greetings (4:7-17) bring the letter to a close. Notable in this final section are (1) the mention of Onesimus (4:9), which links this letter with Philemon, (2) the mention of a letter at Laodicea (4:16), which may have been Ephesians, and (3) Paul’s concluding signature which indicates that the letter was prepared by an amanuensis (secretary) (4:18).

SOURCE: Holman Bible Dictionary; General Editor, David S. Dockery; Holman Bible Publishers; Nashville, Tennessee.

Christ as “Firstborn” (Col. 1:15,18): Among the Hebrews, the firstborn son had special privileges and responsibilities. Exodus 4:22 refers to Israel as God’s “firstborn”; as such, the Israelites had priority status among the nations and the responsibility of sharing God’s revelation with those nations. As “the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15), Christ has priority status. He who always existed also fulfilled the responsibility of creating the universe. He is first in rank, power, and authority. As “the firstborn from the dead” (v. 18), Christ was the first to be raised from death to continuing life. His bodily resurrection points to all believers’ being raised from death to new life through Him.

SOURCE: Life Ventures-Bible Studies for Life; Leader Guide; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; Nashville, TN.

“firstborn” (vv. 15,18): The first male born into a family in ancient Israel received a double portion of inheritance, that is, twice as much of the father’s estate as each of his brothers received. Also, the first son born into the family of the high priest became the next high priest. Because of the prominence of the firstborn son in the Old Testament era, the term acquired the metaphorical meaning “preeminent one.” This can be seen most clearly in Psalm 89:27 where God says of King Davie, “I will also make him My firstborn, greatest of the kings of the earth.” Clearly, David wasn’t God’s firstborn in the literal sense of the term—David wasn’t even his father’s firstborn (he had seven older brothers)—so the metaphorical meaning must be in view here. The later phrase of the verse defines the meaning of firstborn: “greatest of the kings of the earth.” Paul’s two uses of “firstborn” in Col. 1:15,18 should be understood this way as well: Christ is the Preeminent One over the dead since He conquered the greave and is over creation, since He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things in the physical universe.

SOURCE: Advanced Bible Study; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN.

REDEEM, REDEMPTION, REDEEMER: To pay the required price to secure the release of a convicted criminal, the process therein involved, and the person making the payment. In early use the idea and the words related to legal and commercial activities. They provided biblical writers with one of the most basic and dynamic images for describing God’s saving activity toward mankind.

Old Testament: Three Hebrew words express the legal and commercial use of the redemptive concept. Padah was used only in relation to the redemption of persons or other living beings. For example, if a person owned an ox which was known to be dangerous but did not keep the ox secured and the ox gored the son or daughter of a neighbor, both the ox and the owner would be stoned to death. If, however, the father of the slain person offered to accept an amount of money, the owner could pay the redemption price and live (Ex. 21:29-30; compare v. 32). Numbers 18:15-17 shows how religious practice adopted such language.

The Hebrew ga'al indicated a redemption price in family members involving the responsibility of a next-of-kin. See Kinsman. God called Jeremiah to demonstrate his confidence in God’s promise by going out from Jerusalem to his ancestral village, Anathoth, and acting as next-of-kin to redeem or ransom the family land by paying the redemption price for it (Jer. 32:6-15). Such commercial practices easily passed over into religious concepts. God would redeem Israel from her iniquities.

The third Hebrew word kipper or “cover” came to extensive use in strictly religious concepts and practices. It is the word from which “Kippur” is derived in “Yom Kippur,” Day of Atonement, or Day of Covering, perhaps the most sacred of the holy days in Judaism. The verbal form in the Old Testament is always used in a religious sense such as the covering of sin or the making of atonement for sin. See Atonement. The noun form, however, is sometimes used in the secular sense of a bribe (Amos 5:12) or ransom (Ex. 21:30). In Psalm 49:7-8 it is used in the sense of ransom in association with padah (redeem).

The doctrine of redemption in the Old Testament is not derived from abstract philosophical thought but from Hebrew concrete thinking. Religious redemption language grows out of the custom of buying back something which formerly belonged to the purchaser but for some reason had passed into the ownership of another. The original owner could regain ownership by paying a redemption price for it. In the Old Testament the terms and ideas are frequently used symbolically to emphasize dramatically the redemptive or saving activity of God. The basic Old Testament reference is the Exodus. At the sea God redeemed His people from slavery in Egypt (for example, Ex. 6:6; 15:13; Deut. 7:8; Ps. 77:15).

God similarly redeemed Israel from the Babylonian captivity by giving Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba to King Cyrus (Isa. 43:3; compare 48:20; 51:11; 62:12). Job knew that he had a living Redeemer (Job 19:25). Psalmists prayed for redemption from dis-tress (26:11; 49:15) and testified to God’s redeeming work (31:5; 71:23; 107:2). The Old Testament witness is that God is “my strength and my redeemer” (Ps. 19:14).

New Testament: The New Testament centers redemption in Jesus Christ. He purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28), gave His flesh for the life of the world (John 6:51), as the Good Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep (John 10:11) and demonstrated the greatest love by laying down His life for His friends (John 15:13). The purpose of Jesus in the world was to make a deliberate sacrifice of Himself for human sin. He did something sinful people could not do for themselves. He brought hope to sinners, providing redemption from sin and fellowship with the Eternal Father. As the Suffering Servant, His was a costly sacrifice, the shameful and agonizing death of a Roman cross. New Testament redemption thus speaks of substitutionary sacrifice demonstrating divine love and righteousness. It points to a new relationship to God, the dynamic of a new life, God’s leniency in the past, and the call for humility for the future.

In other ways and language the centrality of redemption through the death of Jesus Christ is expressed throughout the New Testament from the Lamb of God who lifts up and carries away the sin of the world (John 1:29) to the redeeming Lamb praised by a multitude because He was slain and by His blood redeemed unto God’s people of every kindred, tongue, and nation (Rev. 5:8-14).

SOURCE: Holman Bible Dictionary; General Editor, David S. Dockery; Holman Bible Publishers; Nashville, Tennessee.

Kevin Hall is professor of religion and occupies the Ida Elizabeth & J. W. Hollums Chair of Bible at Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma.

HILOSOPHY, as the love (Greek, phileo ) of wisdom (Greek, sophia ), was a vital intellectual, religious, and cultural force in the first century. When Paul prayer that the Christians at Colossae would be “filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [sophia ]” (Col. 1:9) and exhorted them not to be taken captive through philosophy (2:8), he was not directly debating philosophers as he had in Athens (see Acts 17:16-34). He was, nevertheless, dealing with some sort of teaching that he regarded as a vain and deceitful philosophy that he sought to counter with the wisdom (sophia ) of Christ as the “image of the invisible God” who “is before all things” and in whom “all things hold together” (Col. 1:15-17).¹ By such a proclamation, he expressed a view of God with profound philosophical implications. In particular, Paul’s proclamation moved beyond the philosophical monotheism popular among philosophies of the day by expressing what God had revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, His crucified and risen Son.

Of the four most influential philosophies of the first century, the Stoic and Epicurean philosophical traditions deserve the most attention. Numbered among the Stoics were such noteworthy Romans as Seneca, Epictetus, and the second-century emperor Marcus Aurelius.² Stoic philosophy shared much in common with the thought of the giants of Greek philosophy, Plato and Aristotle, especially the systematic use of the concept of a supreme deity. Whereas Plato and Aristotle had established the concept of a supreme deity through reason, the Stoics worked with a universal reason (Greek, logos ) as their concept of God. Stoic monotheism was thus a religious materialism in which God was in all things and all things were controlled by the Logos (God).³ The Epicureans, on the other hand, were strictly materialists. They were not atheists since they granted, like most ancient philosophers, the existence of God and other divine beings. As a way of life, however, they sought and developed a philosophy that delivered them from the fear of God and the fear of death. They achieved this by developing an explanation of all things, including God, in terms of matter. Thus, being of nature, the Epicurean God did not control nature and could not interfere in the lives of men.⁴

Philosophers from both of these schools perceived Paul’s proclamation of Jesus and His resurrection as the introduction of “strange deities” into the philosophical marketplace of Athens (Acts 17:16-21). Paul countered that he was only proclaiming the truth of the God they worshiped “in ignorance” (v. 23). Paul went on to quote the ancient Greek philosopher and poet Epimenides and the Stoic philosopher Aratus to establish a point of contact between his proclamation and the philosophers’ interests.⁵

Given Paul’s background as a Roman citizen from Tarsus, a town with its own school of philosophy,⁶ the fact he would be able to find points of contact between his proclamation of Jesus as the Christ and first-century philosophy and to use them for purposes of persuasion is understandable. Paul, however, had a thoroughly Jewish formal education.⁷ Thus the obvious similarities between Paul’s language and that of the philosophers, especially the Roman Stoics, represent just one aspect of Paul’s writings.

Paul reasoned as a Jew, basing his arguments on Scripture and working within a Jewish concept of God. As a Jewish monotheist with a biblically nuanced understanding of the one God, Paul could find points of contact with the Stoic concept of a divine logic or word that held all things together. Plus, he could forcefully challenge the Epicurean dismissal of God’s status as the world’s Creator. But as Colossians demonstrates, the crux of Paul’s “philosophy” was not based entirely on reason. Through he taught “with all wisdom” (Col. 1:28), Paul proclaimed a mystery that had been hidden but was now made known (vv. 26-27). At the heart of that mystery was Christ as “the image of the invisible God” (v. 15).

Where Paul invoked the concept of “image” and an “invisible God” some have seen the influence of Plato’s philosophy. In fact, the earlier Jewish philosopher Philo had employed allegorical interpretations of the Old Testament in a direct attempt to reconcile Jewish theology and Greek philosophy. Philo seemed interested in and indebted to Plato. Philo’s work seemed to be an apologetic for the Jewish faith in the face of the dominant Hellenistic culture of his day. Philo also made direct use of the Stoic concept of the divine logos and the universal spirit.

Both Philo and Paul could address philosophical concerns and interests with a more dynamic understanding of God than that the contemporary philosophical concepts of their age proffered. Jewish monotheism arose from the biblical witness to the history (beginning with creation) of the one God of Israel. For Philo, that history attested to the unique and unsurpassed significance of the Jewish people. For Paul, that history climaxed in the death and resurrection of God’s Son. Therefore, when Paul or Philo dealt with concepts of the divine image, the invisible God, or divine wisdom, they drew from an historical, not just philosophical, account of God that could speak of God’s transcendence over creation and presence within creation (immanence) in ways never quite achieved in Greek philosophy.

Whereas Philo achieved a measure of success as a philosopher, Paul labored as an apostle who proclaimed a message revealed to him through “a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:12). Therefore, the sophia he loved and proclaimed was predicated on the message of Christ crucified, a message so thoroughly Christological that it appeared as foolishness, defying logic (see 1 Cor. 1:18-25). Without the benefit of the revelation of God in Christ, the logic of philosophical monotheism either lead to an invisible God above and beyond the material creation (Plato and his followers), an immanent God within creation (the Stoics), or a materialism that made God a harmless or irrelevant idea (the Epicureans). Without his arresting vision on the road to Damascus, the zealous and gifted Paul may have become an apologist for Judaism to rival or exceed the philosopher Philo. By God’s grace, he consistently proclaimed with his life and through his letters the eternal wisdom of God. Bi

2. Samuel Enoch Stumpf, Socrates to Sartre: A History of Philosophy, 5^th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993), 113.

3. Ibid., 116-117; Terence P. Paige, “Philosophy” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (DPL), ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 713-18.

5. Paige, “Philosophy,” 716. The Epimenides quote is “in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). The Stoic citation is “we also are His children” (Ibid.).

SOURCE: Biblical Illustrator; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; Nashville, TN 37234; Vol. 38, No. 2; Winter 2011-12.

Robert A. Weathers is pastor of First Baptist Church in Shallotte, North Carolina.

EAL ESTATE AGENTS instruct clients that the selling potential of their home may rest in three factors: Location, Location, Location. The same often distinguishes a great city from its lesser-known neighbors. Even the rise and decline of a city can be tied to its unique location. That was the case of Colossae. By the time Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians believers, the city had enjoyed prominence and experienced decline, both as a result of its location.

Although the exact time of its founding is shrouded in uncertainty, Colossae emerged as early as 485 BC as a city rooted in the former Phrygian Empire. In 480 BC, Herodotus, a Greek historian, called it a “great city of Phrygia.”¹ Another historian, Xenophon, wrote that it was a “large and prosperous city.”²

This greatness was largely a result of the city’s position in the Lycus Valley of Asia Minor, a lush area fed by the Lycus River. The city benefitted from travelers who would usually come to Colossae first as they entered the valley on the way to Ephesus, about 100 miles to the west. In addition, the popular city of Hierapolis was just 13 miles away, and Laodicea was even closer, merely 12 miles away (Col. 4:15-16). After enjoying a brief stay in Colossae, then Laodicea, a visitor could journey to Ephesus and then to Rome, roughly a 1,100-mile trip.³

In its early history, the area accumulated great wealth. The river provided fertile pastures for grazing and fields for growing produce, so Colossae enjoyed a thriving sheep and cattle industry. Additionally, the city had grown rich from growing and selling figs and olives. Colossae also shared with Laodicea an abundance of chalk deposits, left by the flowing river, which provided merchants with ample resources for dying cloth. As a result, Colossae was famous for its wool manufacturing, and especially for its production of a fine, reddish-purple cloth called colossinus.⁴

The cities in the Lycus Valley enjoyed these great benefits, but they suffered great disadvantages, too. For instance, Colossae and its neighbors endured tremors and earthquakes that occasionally rattled the pristine valley. But even more than the earthquakes, Colossae suffered from governmental bureaucracy. Colossae began a slow decline when the Roman Empire chose to shift the route through the valley. Asia became a Roman province in 190 BC, and the Romans decided that the best place for a capital city for this district was Laodicea. So they rerouted the road system to make Laodicea the most important junction in the region. Prosperity was literally diverted from the smaller city of Colossae. The decline of the city was slow but assured. Writing about 20 years prior to Paul, a Greek geographer named Strabo noted that the receding city had become a “small town.”⁵

The gospel came to the Lycus Valley through the preaching of Paul’s associate, Epaphras, around AD 52-55 (Col. 1:7; 4:12-13).⁶ By the time this young evangelist arrived in the valley, Laodicea had become a city of remarkable wealth and even greater influence. Further, Hierapolis was a bustling center of trade and the region’s most attractive resort, with its cathartic baths drawing crowds of tourists to the city. Colossae, however, “had declined in political and financial importance,” making it perhaps “the least important city to which Paul ever wrote.”⁷

Even so, despite Colossae’s political and economic weaknesses, Epaphras ministered in a city layered with a mixed and colorful population. Phrygian descendants still lived there, and the Roman military and political presence was dominant. Commerce had brought in various ethnic groups and religions. Included in these groups would have been a large population of Greek-speaking Jews. Many of these Jews descended from families imported into the Lycus Valley by the Seleucid king Antiochus the Great (223-187 BC). In addition, as the church was planted and flourished, Gentiles from these varied populations evidently responded quickly and enthusiastically to the gospel of Christ.⁸

Young Christians tend to carry old beliefs with them for a while, and this influx of Gentiles into the church, mixing with converted Jews and other persons of various religious beliefs, practices, and ethnic backgrounds, probably caused the problem that generated Paul’s letter. When Epaphras visited Paul in Rome and brought a report on the progress of the fledging church in Colossae, the core of his report was positive. However, Paul picked up on a disturbing theological trend and chose to address it. For Paul to ignore the problem would have subverted the gospel of grace the Epaphras had preached and that the Colossian Christians had believed.⁹

The heresy that was spreading in the church at Colossae had elements of Jewish legalism. Paul addressed an obsession with rites and rituals, such as food regulations, the Jewish calendar, and the Sabbath (2:16). But unlike the extreme legalism Paul battled at Galatia, the brand of false teaching at Colossae was syncretistic, meaning that it was mixture of Jewish religion and Hellenistic thought. Most scholars agree that the Colossian letter reveals this was an early form of a growing religious philosophy called “gnosticism,” a name derived from the Greek word for “knowledge.” Gnostics generally believed in a hierarchy or order of beings. They entertained themselves with a fascination of angels, believing these beings controlled communication between God and humanity. They also believed angels served as agents in creation, that Christ Himself had to surrender some authority to angels, and that He was not fully equal with God but was a spiritual being positioned within that celestial hierarchy.¹⁰

Gnostic teachers claimed their insights were available only to a few spiritual elite. These teachers were encouraging Christians at Colossae to gain levels of knowledge, leading presumably, to an ultimate level of perfection. Additionally, the Gnostics would participate in a series of initiation rites, one of which was baptism.¹¹ Paul wrote to combat these heresies and, more importantly, to restate the gospel and the certainty of Christ’s divinity. Paul instructed that Christ was superior to the angel and that knowledge of Him and His salvation was available to all (1:15-20).

Not long after Epaphras preached in Colossae and in the surrounding cities, in AD 60 a devastating earthquake struck the valley. Hierapolis and Laodicea were heavily damaged but managed to recover and remained strong for years. Already weakened from shifting politics and economic blows, Colossae never fully recovered. Most inhabitants moved to nearby stronger cities. In its latter history Colossae was pummeled by invading armies, until finally, in the twelfth century, “the church was destroyed by the Turks and the city disappeared.”¹² Ancient Colossae has never been fully excavated.

Although Colossae’s physical location may have contributed to its decline and eventually its complete demise, the spiritual stature of the city remains preserved in one of Paul’s most theological and Christological letters. As one theologian observed, “God has often chosen the small and weak things of this world to accomplish His purpose. One of the most challenging and profound letters in the New Testament was written to a small and declining city.”¹³ Bi

1. Richard R. Melick, Jr., Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32 in The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991), 162; See Herodotus, The Persian Wars in Herodotus, vol. 3, Books 5-7 in Loeb Classical Library, trans. A. D. Godley (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1922), 7.30 (pp. 344-45).

2. Gene Lacoste Munn, “Introduction to Colossians,” Southwestern Journal of Theology 16.1 (Fall 1973): 9; See Xenophon, Anabasis in Xenophon, vol. 3 in Loeb Classical Library, trans. Carleton L. Brownson, rev. John Dillery (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998), 1.2.6 (pp. 56-57).

3. Edgar J. Banks, “Colossae” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, gen. ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 732; Melick, 162.

4. Scott Nash, “Colossae” in Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, ed. in chief David Noel Freedman (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 269k-270; Melick, 163; Banks, 732; Munn, 10.

5. Melick, 163; see J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1879), 16.

6. See Acts 19:10. F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), 407-408.

Biblical Illustrator; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; Nashville, TN 37234; Vol. 35, No. 4; Summer 2009.

HAVE JUST RETURNED from a trip to visit the Wake Medical Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The journey toward the hospital and the sight of the facility brought back vivid memories from 13 years ago when my wife and I entered this hospital to share the joy of the birth of our first-born. Although we never lived in Raleigh and only spent a few days in the hospital, the town and the medical center will always be special to us as the place of the birth of our first-born. I am describing a reality known to all parents: there is something special about the first-born.

The purpose of this article is to explore the context of the term “first-born” as it was used by Paul in reference to Jesus. We shall look first at the use and meaning of the term in the New Testament. Then we shall examine how this term is placed in the hymn in Colossians. An examination of its Greco-Roman and Jewish environments will help us then to gain perspective on what Paul was saying when he called Jesus the first-born of all creation and the first-born from the dead.

The apostle twice referred to Christ as the “first-born” in Colossians 1:15-18. We have come to recognize this text as a hymn that the early Christians sang as a hymn of praise to Christ. Separated into stanzas, both the first stanza and the last stanza use the term “first-born” in reference to Christ. The first stanza stated that Christ is the first-born of all creation and the final stanza declared that He is the first-born from the dead. Thus, this term was used in connection with Christ both to begin the singing of the hymn and to conclude it. Given the importance of beginnings and endings, the term “first-born” becomes critical in our text. Paul began and ended the hymn with the same term but different referents. Christ is the first-born of creation: Christ is the first-born from the dead. An exploration of the use of this term in the New Testament followed by a look at how it was used in both the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds will help us get a more complete perspective on the power of this term.

The word “first-born” is found only eight times in the New Testament. Paul used the world three times (Rom. 8:29: Col. 1:15,18); the writer of the Book of Hebrews used it three times (1:6; 11:28; 12:23); John employed it once in Revelation (1:5); and Luke used it in telling us of the birth of Jesus (2:7). At first glance, Luke apparently used the term in its purely literal sense of the first child born to a woman. We understand, however, how much more Luke said in the use of this term when we know its force in the remainder of the New Testament.

The Greek word for “first-born,” like its English translation, is a combination of two words. The second of the two is a term used of the act of giving birth; the first is a word that not only means first in succession but also first as in foremost. The term suggests something or someone that stands at the head of the line and above all the rest. One writer has observed that the word is rare outside the Bible, but its focus is most often on the first term in the word and not the second.¹ In other words, the emphasis is not on the “birth of the first,” but on the meaning of “the first of birth.” The major meaning of “first,” moreover, is on privilege, priority, and power, not on place in the order of birth. Paul spoke of Jesus as the “first-born among many brethren” (Rom. 8:28, NASB), and the emphasis is not so much on Jesus being the first among many as it is on Jesus being the first ahead of and above the rest. The writer of Hebrews tells us that the angels worship the first-born (1:6), thus emphasizing the privilege, priority, and power of Jesus. John declared in Revelation the identity of Jesus as “the first-born of the dead” (1:5, NASB) not only to establish His priority among the dead but to exclaim His power over death. He not only leads the way and shows the way, He is the way. To see how “first-born” is used in the New Testament is to recognize that it is used both to set Jesus among humans and also above and beyond us. To refer to Jesus as “first-born” is to say much more about His character and quality than about His being the first among others born to Mary.

Paul amplified the meaning of “first-born” in the hymn in Colossians by using two phrases: (1) first-born of all creation and (2) first-born from the dead. The first phrase occurs at the beginning of the hymn and the second phrase is found at the conclusion of the hymn. When we understand the focus of this term in both the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds, we can see more clearly the importance of the placement of the term in the hymn and also the perspective it provides.

We know from the writings of the Old Testament that the first of the fields and the first of the family were seen to hold a special place in God’s eyes. The ancient Israelites were commanded, “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God” (Ex. 23:19, NIV). W. D. Davies wrote on the importance of the offering of the firstfruits: “In the Hebraic mind the first of a particular series was the archetypal form, and as such represented the entire species. Thus the offering of the first fruits symbolized the offering of the entire crop or harvest.”² The people also received clear communication about the first-born son (Deut. 21:15-17). His place was not one of position only, but also of privilege, prominence, and power. The first-fruits were to be brought to God’s house; the first-born were dedicated as especially dear to God. The focus for both was on the sovereignty of God, who superintends life and sees it through to His fulfillment—from the sowing of the seed to the gathering of the harvest and from the beginning at birth to the ultimate union with God.

C. F. Burney argued that the term “first-born” in the New Testament was to be connected with the term “beginning,” which stands in the first verse of Genesis.³ He argued that Christ fulfills every meaning of the term “beginning.” He is first in priority of time, in privilege of place, in prominence of position, in providing the power to fulfill God’s purpose for the world. Some scholars suggest that the term “first-born” flows out of the wisdom tradition, in which the way of wisdom is considered the embodiment of the word and way of God. Others suggest that the term is connected with the messianic expectations of the Jewish traditions of the mainstream. J. B. Lightfoot contended that various streams of tradition flow together into this singular term, so that calling Jesus the “first-born” is saying that He fulfills alike the hopes of those who seek wisdom and the desire of those who look for Messiah.⁴ He stands before time at the head of the line with the emphasis being on “primacy of function, not priority in time.”⁵

The term “first-born” expresses the paradox we must learn to profess if we would understand Christ properly. We profess that Christ is the One sent from God; He is the “Son of God.” We profess that Christ is one of us: He is the “Son of man.” We profess that He is “truly God, truly man.” He is the first-born, which relates Him both to the world of birth and life and also to the birth of the world, which gives the world its life. The term “first-born” helps express this profound paradox that is at the center of our Christian confession. It does not explain the paradox, but it gives us yet another way of saying it: the Christ who was present at the birth of the world came to be born into the world.

The term “first-born” does something else in the hymn in Colossians, however, that we must not miss. Paul used the term in connection with creation and death. He brought together Christ as the first-born with the reality that is at the beginning and the reality that is at the end. He used this term to declare that Christ gives meaning to creation and provides the power to overcome the only reality that can defy the life of creation—death. The mystery that is in the midst of creation and the mystery that surrounds the meaning of death finds its meaning in Christ.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said that the “Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:22, KJV), but he proclaimed Christ who to those who believe is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1:24, KJV). The term “first-born” come to be associated with the wisdom the Greeks sought. A most significant snare for many among the Jews seeing Jesus as Messiah was His resurrection from the dead. His death and resurrection were the sign for which they were looking, but they could not see it. What Paul proclaimed in 1 Corinthians about Jesus being the power of God and the wisdom of God, he announced in Colossae when he said that Christ is the first-born from the dead and the first-born of all creation.

The term “first-born” refers to Jesus’ unique place as the only one who can stand among creation and yet be before it and above it; He alone tasted the darkness of death but was raised to defeat it. To say that He is first-born is to announce His privilege, priority, and power over all that has been, is, and ever shall be. He is at the head of the line, and He alone can give order to creation and meaning to life in the midst of the chaos of death. Bi

1. “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 6, ed. Gerhard Friedrich, trans. and ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1968), 869-70.

2. W. D. Davies, The Gospel and the Land (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1974), 28.

3. W. D. Davies, Paul and Rabbinic Judaism (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980), 152.

4. J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishers, 1976), 146.

5. Arthur G. Patzia, Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1984), 16.

SOURCE: Biblical Illustrator; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; Nashville, TN 37234; Summer 1995.

Kendell H. Easley is associate professor of New Testament and Greek, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Memphis, Tennessee.

OMETIME AROUND AD 61 two men traveling by boat from Rome arrived together at the port of Ephesus. One of them, Tychicus, carried two important letters: the first one was to be delivered in Ephesus (and perhaps other places); the other was to be taken inland to the Christians in Colossae. The second man, the slave Onesimus, clutched a letter that he hoped would grant him pardon and perhaps freedom.

Could these men possibly have guessed that believers in Jesus Christ would be studying and learning from these letters more than 19 centuries later? Did they recognize that the author of the letters, their dear friend Paul, had written under the inspiration of the Spirit? To understand the message of these letters, we must project ourselves mentally back to the world of ancient Asia.

What comes to mind when you hear the term Asia? In the New Testament, Asia meant a Roman Province in the western portion of Asia Minor (modern Turkey).¹

Asia had become a province of Rome about 133 BC. The million or so inhabitants of Asia were governed by a proconsul, or governor, answerable to the Senate in Rome.² Several cities in the province were bustling centers of business, culture, and religion. Pergamum, for example, had been a capital city in pre-Roman times. Pergamum hosted a temple to Augustus, the first shrine built to honor a Roman emperor.³

However, Ephesus and Colossae were the focus of Paul’s Asian interest in his travels and epistles. A brief first-century description of these two cities can help us understand the letters Paul wrote to them.

Ephesus had an ancient heritage. Lying at the mouth of the Cayster River, Ephesus was the greatest commercial center of Asia, with perhaps three hundred thousand inhabitants. The magnificent central boulevard was the heart of both a huge shipping industry and the Asian caravan traffic. This street was lined with columns and ran from the harbor through the city. Since Ephesus was the Roman capital of the province, many government officials lived there, spending impressive amounts of money on various public projects.⁴

Religiously, Ephesus was largely pagan. Ephesus was long famous as the warden for a many-breasted fertility goddess called “Artemis” in Greek and “Diana” in Latin. The temple to the goddess—one of the Seven Wonders of the World—ranked as one of the largest and most splendid buildings in the empire.⁵ Many Ephesians believed that the image of Artemis in the temple had come from Heaven (Acts19:35).

In the New Testament times Ephesus rivaled Pergamum as a center fro worship of the emperor. Many inhabitants also had a fascination with the occult and magic. Further, a large Jewish colony flourished under Roman legal protection.

If Ephesus was the most significant city in Asia, Colossae was one of the least important. The city was about one hundred miles east of Ephesus. Lying in the Lycus River valley (along with Laodicea and Hierapolis), Colossae had been important as a crossroads town, but the highway system changed and Colossae was bypassed in favor of Laodicea. Thus by Paul’s day Colossae was a small declining town with only a few thousand inhabitants. Seemingly, Paul never went there. Religiously, Colossae was much like Ephesus: mainly pagan religions were practiced, although some Jews had settled there.⁶

In the Book of Acts, the apostle Paul engaged in three missionary journey’s. From the perspective of visible success, his third, concentrating on Asia, was both the greatest and longest. Two chapters in Acts (19-20) are given to this five-year period (about AD 52-57).⁷

During this time Paul adopted the evangelistic strategy that had worked well on his second journey: settle down in a provincial capital city for an extensive time of church planting. Ephesus was the heart of Paul’s third journey. Acts provides six “snap-shots” of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus that tell us of the great success the Lord granted there.

· A core group of 12 men, previously followers of John the Baptist’s teachings, were led to faith in Christ (Acts 19:1-7).

· Paul was allowed to evangelize in the Ephesian synagogue for three months, resulting in a number of Jewish converts (v. 8).

· Paul preached and taught daily from a rented lecture hall for two years. The results was many people who dwelt in Asia heard the gospel (vv. 9-10). The seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2—3 were probably established during this time.

· The Lord used Paul mightily to set many persons free from both physical disease and spiritual bondage (vv. 11-16).

· The pagan culture of Ephesus was impacted by Christianity as converts gave up immoral or idolatrous practices (vv.17-20).

· Followers of the religion of Artemis, goddess of Ephesus, became so disturbed by the success of Christianity that they incited a major riot in the city’s amphitheater (19:23—20:1). This brought Paul’s three-year ministry in Asia (about AD 52-55) to a close.⁸

Some time later, probably early in AD 57,⁹ Paul had a tearful reunion with the leaders of the Ephesian congregation (vv. 13-38).

Paul’s circumstances changed dramatically between his Acts 20 meeting with the Ephesian leaders and the time he wrote his three letters to various Asian Christians. Paul was arrested and spent two years in Rome waiting for his case to come before the emperor (28:30-31). During these two years (AD 60-61). Paul was not in a Roman prison but lived in rented quarters under house arrest. Apparently he was readily accessible to visitors.

Until modern times, many Bible students assumed that Paul’s “Prison Epistles”—Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon—were all written during the time Paul was waiting in Rome to face Caesar.¹⁰ Many commentators concluded that Paul’s circumstances at the end of Acts fit perfectly with this description of his condition in the letters.

Many scholars have continued to affirm that Paul wrote all these letters from Rome during his detention, AD 60:61.¹¹ No good reason exists for denying the accuracy of the centuries-old tradition to this effect.

A careful reading of Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon indicates that they all must have been written at about the same time¹² This becomes apparent when one considers several significant individuals mentioned in the letters. The following are noteworthy:

Tychicus (Acts 20:4; Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7) was a Christian from Asia, probably from Ephesus. Paul entrusted him with the responsibility of carrying both Ephesians and Colossians. In all likelihood, Tychicus delivered both letters on a single trip from Rome to Asia.

Onesimus (Col. 4:9; Philem. 10—12) was a runaway slave from Colossae whom Paul had led to faith in Christ. He accompanied Tychicus from Rome to Colossae and carried a letter from Paul to his master, Philemon.

Timothy (Col. 1:1; Philem. 1) was associated with Paul in the introductory greeting of both Colossians and Philemon.

Archippus (Col. 4:17; Philem. 2) was a man living in Colossae, possibly the son of Philemon. Paul gave him special instructions concerning ministry.

This evidence indicates that Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were written and dispatched at about the same time. New Testament scholars generally agree that Ephesians represents a refinement of and a theological reflection concerning the content of Colossians.¹³ Thus Ephesians was written shortly after Colossians. The following order is probable:

Colossians was first, written to the Christians of Colossae to deal with the dangerous false teachings there as reported by Epaphras (see Col. 1:7-8).

Philemon was second, written to Philemon of Colossae to appeal for leniency for Onesimus.

Ephesians was third, written to the Christians of Ephesus (or Asia in general, see later discussion).

By studying these three great letters more carefully, we can discover something of their occasion and purpose.

The church in Colossae may have been one of the “daughter” churches of Paul’s successful ministry in Ephesus. This congregation’sfounding probably was included in the statement of Acts 19:10: “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (NIV).

Paul had not gone to Colossae for evangelistic work (Col. 2:1). Instead, Epaphras, a native Colossian, evidently had taken the gospel there and established a congregation (1:7; 4:12). The gospel surely arrived in Colossae no later than AD 55, the last year of Paul’s ministry in Asia.

When Epaphras learned that Paul had been shipped to Rome for trial, he traveled there to meet with Paul. Among other things, Epaphras discussed a problem with Paul. The Christians at Colossae were vexed with a serious false teaching. Because this teaching is now known to us only from the way Paul dealt with it in his letter to the Colossians, it is called the “Colossian heresy.”

This epistle was written specifically to combat this false teaching. The exact nature of this teaching has been difficult to determine, since we must read backward from Paul’s answer to discover the problem. The following facts may offer some support:

· The false teaching detracted from Jesus’ identity as the preeminent Son of God (Col. D1:15-19).

· The false teachers found security in philosophical argument, probably of a Greek sort (2:8).

· Certain Jewish practices were being encouraged. Among these practices were circumcision and religious festivals (2:11,16; 3:11).

· The angels of God were thought to be mediating agents of God, worthy of worship (2:18).

· Self-denial was being proclaimed as the main way to approach holy living (2:20-23).

Which dangerous doctrine was this? In the 19^th century, New Testament scholars typically thought the Colossian heresy was essentially Jewish.¹⁴ In the 20^th century, the tendency was to connect the false teaching with gnosticism.¹⁵ Most agree that syncretism (blending of several sources) was a work in Colossae. In the final analysis we do not know. “But without some further information coming to light, we cannot identify the false teachers with any certainty, nor can we say with assurance whether they had a unified system, or whether Paul is referring to more than one set of teachings.”¹⁶

Paul’s main purpose in writing was to combat the false teachings. He did so by affirming the centrality and preeminence of Jesus Christ, by attacking humanistic philosophy, and by denying any Christian significance to Jewish practices. He assaulted asceticism (self-denial) as merely human. He called the Colossian believers to “put on” the new man. Holy living is to be based on a believer’s relationship to the living Christ, not conformity to legal obligation.

One of the leaders of the church in Colossae was Philemon, a wealthy man whose home was a Christian worship center (Philem. 1—2). Paul had led Philemon to faith in Christ (v. 19), apparently when Philemon was in Ephesus on business.

As was culturally accepted in the first century, Philemon was a slave owner. Apparently his slave, Onesimus, stole some money from him and ran away to Rome, an offense that could lawfully be punished severely. When Onesimus arrived in Rome, he found Paul, and Paul brought him to conversion (v. 10). As a result, his character changed. He grew in Christian maturity and became Paul’s helper.

Paul then had to send Onesimus home. Paul knew that taking advantage of free labor at Philemon’s expense was unfair. Tychicus, on his way to Colossae with an epistle for the church, was the obvious choice for a chaperone. Thus Paul wrote a short personal note to Philemon to urge leniency as opposed to the harsh treatment that Onesimus deserved. Onesimus probably always treasured this document as his “charter of liberty.”¹⁷

In this letter Paul showed his diplomatic skills (v. 17-22). Further, although he did not specifically call for an end to the institution of slavery, he showed the inherent incompatibility of the gospel with slavery. If any two men are in Christ, then they are dear brothers (v. 16), indicating an essential equality between them. How could one own the other, which implies that the two are not equal?¹⁸

As long as Tychicus was on his way from Rome to Asia, Paul decided to write his beloved friends in Ephesus. The composition of Colossians stirred within Paul profound reflection on the truths he had written. In particular Paul had been considering the doctrine of the church as the body of Christ. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul perhaps revised Colossians, deleting the specific references to the Colossian heresy and expanding his material on both Christian beliefs and behavior. He sent the letter to his dear friends in Ephesus—some of whom had been converts for eight or nine years.

The epistle to the Ephesians is actually more formal than we would expect. Ephesians has none of the personal references found in Colossians. On occasion Paul seems not to have been acquainted with the people to whom he was writing (see Eph. 1:15; 3:2; 4:21). This is rather odd if the original recipients were the Christians of Ephesus. These observations have led many scholars to suppose that Paul meant for this letter to be read by Christians in several congregations throughout Asia.¹⁹ Paul sometimes did write to more than one church in the same epistle, for Galatians was a circular letter.

Further, three of the earliest, most reliable handwritten Greek copies of Ephesians omit the words “in Ephesus” in the first verse of the epistle.²⁰ Since this is the only specific reference in the epistle to the destination, the argument has been that Paul did not include these word originally. This matter cannot be solved here. However, no violence occurs to the interpretation of Ephesians if Paul had in mind several congregations, including the one in Ephesus.

One final matter concerning Ephesians must be mentioned—authorship. Until the 19^th century, most Bible students assumed the great apostle composed Ephesians, based largely on the opening address (1:1). However, acknowledged differences exist between the style and doctrinal emphases of Ephesians and Paul’s other letters. Therefore, some have argued that Ephesians must have been written by someone other than Paul.²¹

The evidence against Pauline authorship is subjective. Objections can all be met fairly and forthrightly, especially since the writer plainly called himself Paul and all early Christians accepted Ephesians as Pauline. Therefore, no good reason exists for rejecting Paul’s authorship.²²

As Christians today our task is to discover what Paul meant so we may determine how these texts apply to us. We have learned together about the cities of Ephesus and Colossae. We have seen how Paul brought Christianity to Asia. We have discovered Paul’s circumstances as he wrote. We have learned something of the occasion and purpose of these three distinctive letters.

1. W. Bauer, W. F. Arndt, F. W. Gingrich, F. W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1979), 116.

2. E. A. Judge, “Asia,” New Bible Dictionary, 2^nd ed. (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1982), 96-97.

4. E. M. B. Green and C. J. Hemer, “Ephesus,” New Bible Dictionary, 336-37.

7. F. F. Bruce, New Testament History (New York: Anchor Books, Doubleday & Co., 1972), 326-336.

10. Ephesians 3:1; 4:1; 6:20; Philippians 1:7,13,14; Colossians 4:18; and Philemon 1,9 are the references in these letters to Paul’s bonds as he was writing.

11. For example, see Richard R. Melick, Jr., Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 36 in The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991), 168-70.

13. For example, Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1970), 492-93.

14. Especially J. B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 3^rd ed. (London: Macmillan, 1879).

15. For example, Edward Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, trans. William R. Poehlmann and Robert J. Karris (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971).

16. D. A. Carson, Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris, An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 339.

17. F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977). 406.

SOURCE: Biblical Illustrator; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; Nashville, TN 37234; Summer 1993.

BIBLE CHARACTER TRIVIA

Where In The Bible Is The Answer To This Week’s Trivia Question Found? Which of the evangelists went with Paul on his first visit to Rome? Answer next week!

The answer to last week’s trivia question: What king made a great feast to the nobles and princes of the 127 provinces of his empire? Answer! Ahasuerus (Xerxes), Est. 1:3

Study Theme: Christ The Center				What This Lesson Is About:
Week of:		Lesson Title:		This lesson is about seeing Christ for who He really is and then seeing everything else in light of that reality.
X	*Feb 5*	*Center of Everything*
	Feb 12	Center of My Church
	Feb 19	Center of My Belief
	Feb 26	Center of My Life

BACKGROUND PASSAGE:			Colossians 1:1-23
FOCAL PASSAGE:			Colossians 1:9-23
LIFE IMPACT:			This lesson can help you have a better understanding of who Christ is and what He has done, to stand in awe of Him, and to bow in submission to His authority.
LESSON OUTLINE:			I. Why Beliefs Matter (Col. 1:9-12) II. Who Christ Is (Col. 1:15-20) III. What Christ Has Done (Col. 1:13-14,21-23)
OVERVIEW OF BACKGROUND PASSAGE:
Introduction Col 1:1-14 Paul followed a standard form of salutation, thanksgiving, and prayer in the first part of the letter. It is perhaps longer than some of his other letters because Paul was not personally acquainted with the people of Colosse. The salutation carried greetings from both Paul and Timothy (1:1-2). Words of high commendation and thanksgiving follow for the well-being and spiritual health of the Christian community at Colosse (1:3-8). These opening words are followed by Paul’s prayer for their knowledge and godly conduct (1:9-14). The prayer centered on spiritual blessings, not on physical or material things. He prayed for spiritual insight (1:9), genuine obedience (1:10-11), and moral excellence (1:12-14). The prayer went right to the heart of the false teaching invading the church. The false teachers promised a special insight and a superior spirituality. Terms like knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual understanding were a part of the false teachers’ vocabulary. So Paul employed these types of words in his prayer. The prayer requested that God “fill” them “with the knowledge of his will” (1:9). The term “filled” is a key word in Colossians. It was likewise an important term for the false teachers. Paul used it here and in 1:19,25; 2:2,9-10; 4:12,17. It carries the idea of being fully equipped or controlled. Paul’s prayer then was for the Colossians to be controlled by the full knowledge of God’s will, which would lead to obedience and moral excellence. Explanation of the Supremacy of Christ Col 1:15-23 The false teachers challenged the true nature and deity of Jesus Christ. Their teaching possibly involved the worship of angels or some other beings (2:15,18,20) who negated or minimized the supremacy of Christ. The false teachers declared that salvation was achieved by knowledge rather than faith. Paul’s answer to these matters begins in this important section. Many think that 1:15-20 was a pre-Pauline hymn that Paul used and applied for the Colossian situation. Regardless, whether reworked or original, Paul presented Christ as preeminent in relation to the entire creation (1:15-17) and in relation to humanity and the church because of His resurrection (1:18-20). This hymn or early creed celebrated Christ as the sovereign Creator and Redeemer of all things. Paul described Jesus as Lord of creation, the “firstborn” (1:15). The term “firstborn” stresses uniqueness and sovereignty rather than priority in time. Jesus is the “firstborn” because He is the agent of creation and the heir of creation. Paul developed a physiological metaphor to establish the relationship of head over the body. As the head Christ sends life into the whole body. The church responds in humble adoration, acknowledging that Christ is head over all. God was pleased for His fullness to dwell in Christ and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself (1:19-20). The reconciliation spoken of in verses 19-20 is discussed with reference to humankind. Through Christ’s physical death they have been reconciled to God (1:21-23). The purpose of Christ’s reconciliation is to achieve a new creation in which estranged people may know and approach God. SOURCE: Holman Bible Handbook; General Editor David S. Dockery; Holman Bible Publishers; Nashville, Tennessee

INTRODUCTION:
How important is it for believers to understand what Scripture teaches about Jesus Christ—who He is, what He had done, and what this means for each of us who have chosen to follow Him. The teachings of Scripture clearly demonstrate that Christ is at the center of the life of all believers. The four lessons in this study theme are designed to help us understand how we can make Christ the center of our lives. The first study, Center of Everything, is about seeing Christ for who He really is and then seeing everything else in light of that reality. The focus of the second study, Center of My Church, is on what makes a church Christ-centered. In the third study, Center of My Belief, is about keeping Christ the center of your belief by rejecting any thinking or practices that deny the centrality of Christ. The last study, Center of My Life, is focused on teaching us who Christ is and what He has done for us so that it will shape our character, guide our home life, and direct our interactions with those who do not believe. This study should also strengthen our relationship with God and with others.
I.	Why Beliefs Matter (Col. 1:9-12)
⁹ For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, ¹⁰ so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. ¹¹ May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

I. Why Beliefs Matter (Col. 1:9-12) Commentary

II. Who Christ Is (Col. 1:15-20) Commentary

III. What Christ Has Done (Col. 1:13-14,21-23) Commentary

DIGGING DEEPER: