SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON STUDYGUIDE

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

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2. Why would Paul rejoice in his sufferings for the believers in Colossae (v. 24)?

4. What was lacking in Christ’s afflictions (v. 24)? (See underlined commentary for this verse.)

5. How do the sufferings of present-day believers relate to the suffering of Christ?

6. Do you think each believer has experienced suffering in one way or another? Why, or why not?

14. What should be the first step in determining whether a church is centered in Christ or not?

15. If you examine the church’s message, how would you determine if it was Christ centered or not?

16. What do you think the unchurched people of our community would say if they were asked to tell what is the main message our church is trying to communicate?

17. Based on how our church spends its time, money, and energy, what are our priorities?

18. How high a priority is our church’s desire to make the gospel fully known to all the people of our community?

3. In what areas of your life do you need warning and teaching so you can be more consistent in your spiritual growth?

5. In what sense did Paul use the word perfect in KJV [mature, HCSB] (v. 28)?

14. What does verse 3 mean to you? How would you explain it to a new believer? a non-believer?

15. How deeply concerned do you think Paul was that the church grow spiritually? Why?

16. What were the qualities in the lives of people who impressed you so that you sought to follow their examples?

18. To what degree have you, our class, and our church been involved in reaching out beyond our own group to share Christ? What more would He have us do?

1. Based on verse 4, what was the point of what Paul was telling the Colossian believers?

3. What may have been in Paul’s mind that he was concerned that the Colossian believers not be deceived?

7. How did Paul conclude his encouragement to the Colossian believers (vv. 6,7)?

13. What do you think it means to be “well ordered” and strengthened in our “faith in Christ” (v. 5)?

14. Do you think you need the Holy Spirit to help you grow and mature spiritually?

15. If so, what will it take for you to allow the Spirit to help you grow and mature spiritually?

22. How is walking the walk different for you now than it was as a young adult? In middle age?

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.)

1:24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

1:24 This is a much-disputed verse, but the general sense of it is clear. In it the apostle teaches that the sufferings he endured in the course of his work were in the interest of the Colossians, indeed, of the whole church, and in the knowledge of that, he is able to rejoice (cf. Eph 3:13).

“Now” may possibly be both temporal and transitional in force. In its temporal sense, the word indicates that Paul’s joy and his suffering were both realities at the time of writing this letter. There may be a note of emphasis in the word (nun), viz., “just now, at this very moment.” In its transitional sense “now” shows that this paragraph is closely related to the thought of the preceding section, in which Christ’s unique supremacy has been expounded. Looked at in this manner, the term is almost equivalent to “therefore” and shows that the thought of Christ’s supremacy is a factor in Paul’s ability to rejoice in the midst of suffering.

Three things are said in the verse about the sufferings of Paul: First, they are for the sake of other people. The apostle speaks of suffering “for you” and “for the sake of his [Christ’s] body.” In both phrases the preposition means not “in place of” but “in the interest of.” The first phrase alludes to the fact that Paul’s bonds and imprisonment had been incurred in the course of bringing the gospel to the Gentiles, to which class the Colossians belonged. The sufferings, therefore, were for their sake in the sense that they shared in the benefit of the ministry that brought on those sufferings. The second phrase affirms that the benefit of Paul’s sufferings extends not simply to the Colossians, nor to the Gentile portion of the church only; they in some sense have a bearing on the whole body of Christ. Indeed, the apostle’s sufferings contribute even to our well-being, for had he not suffered imprisonment, this letter might never have been written, and we would have been deprived of its message.

Second, Paul’s sufferings are identified with the afflictions of Christ. “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions.” These words have evoked a great amount of discussion. Many Roman Catholics, for instance, interpreting the “afflictions” of Christ as Christ’s redemptive sufferings, have used this verse as grounds for asserting that Christ’s atonement is defective and that the sufferings of the saints are needed to supplement his work on our behalf. But whatever is meant by “what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions,” we may be sure that Paul did not regard the death of Jesus as lacking in efficacy (cf. Col 2:11-15). That death was complete, once for all, and wholly adequate to meet man’s need. The Roman doctrine, as Lightfoot says, can be imported into this passage only “at the cost of a contradiction to the Pauline doctrine” of the satisfaction of Christ’s sacrifice.

In Lightfoot’s interpretation, the afflictions of Christ are those endured personally by him on earth, but he insists that the reference is to Christ’s ministerial afflictions, not his mediatorial redemptive sufferings. The word “afflictions” (thlipseon), he explains, is never employed elsewhere in the NT of the sufferings of Christ on the cross; the reference, then, is to the tribulations our Lord endured in the course of his life and ministry. The sufferings his people endure are a continuation of what he endured, and in that sense they complete his afflictions. “It is a simple matter of fact,” writes Lightfoot, “that the afflictions of every saint and martyr do supplement the afflictions of Christ. The Church is built up by repeated acts of self-denial in successive individuals and successive generations. They continue the work which Christ began.”

The underlying principle is the believer’s union with Christ. That union is so intimate—Christ the Head, his people the body—that he suffers when they suffer (cf. Isa 63:9). His personal sufferings are over, but his sufferings in his people continue (cf. 2Cor 1:5; Philippians 3:10). Perhaps Paul was thinking of Christ’s words to him on the Damascus road (Acts 9:4, 5).

“What is still lacking” is not an intimation of deficiency in Christ’s own sufferings but a reference to what is yet lacking in Christ’s suffering in Paul. In his experience as a prisoner the apostle was filling up the sum or quota of suffering yet remaining for him to endure.

Third, they are the sphere of Paul’s joy. The sufferings Paul endured for the gospel seem never to have been to him a source of perplexity or of sadness. “You may,” writes MacPhail, “occasionally hear the clang of the Roman chain, but you never hear a groan from the brave prisoner.”

Paul’s attitude had nothing in common with those ascetics of a later time who inflicted torture on themselves in the belief that they would thereby gain merit with God. Paul’s joy was not in suffering as such, but in “what was suffered for you.” That is to say, it was the distinctive character and circumstances of his sufferings that enabled him to find joy in the midst of them. He saw them as a necessary part of his ministry and knew that they were incurred in the line of duty. (For other NT references to the theme of joy in the face of suffering, see Matthew 5:12; Acts 5:41; Hebrews 10:34.)

A second feature of Paul’s ministry was the proclamation of God’s message. His statement concerning this is of great value to all who wish a better understanding of preaching. The thought revolves around four conceptions: Paul’s appointment to the office of preacher (v. 25), the message he preached (vv. 25b-28a), the method he employed (v. 28b), and his ultimate aim (vv. 28c-29).

1:25 Elsewhere Paul speaks of himself as a minister of the gospel (v. 23; Eph 3:7), of God (2Cor 6:4), of Christ (2Cor 11:23), of a new covenant (2Cor 3:6). Here he is the church’s minister, and as such is bound to toil and suffer in whatever way the church’s welfare requires. Suffering is not, then, simply a matter of joy (v. 24) but of duty as well. “I” (ego), expressed in Greek for emphasis, suggests that Paul was thinking of a ministry peculiar to himself. The word for “minister” (diakonos), the same as that used earlier of Epaphras (1:7) and of Paul (1:23), simply means “one who serves.”

Paul’s appointment to his office was “by the commission God gave” him—literally, “according to the dispensation [arrangement] of God.” “Commission” is a free rendering of the word oikonomian, which has a rather wide range of meanings. “Plan,” “arrangement,” “stewardship,” “management,” “administration,”—these are all possible meanings. The KJV and ASV here translate it “dispensation”; Am. Trans. has “divine appointment”; RSV, “divine office.” “Dispensation” (“arrangement”) suggests that Paul looked upon his call to the ministry as part of the divine plan for the evangelization of the world; oikonomia is in fact sometimes used in Scripture for the plan by which God has ordered the course of history (cf. Eph 1:10, RSV). But oikonomia, related to our words “economy” and “economics,” is perhaps best rendered here by “stewardship” (cf. Luke 16:2-4). This rendering suggests that Paul conceived of the work to which God appointed him as both a high privilege and a sacred trust. He was a servant of the church, but in the deepest sense he was a steward of God.

The purpose of the apostle’s stewardship was “to present the word of God in all its fullness.” Some understand this to refer to the geographical extension of the gospel (cf. Rom 15:19). But Paul probably means that his special ministry was to make clear the true nature of the gospel as a divine provision intended for all people.

1:26 The preceding verse has spoken of Paul’s message as “the word of God,” a general term that sums up the oral proclamation of the apostles. Verses 26, 27 define the word of God more specifically in terms of a “mystery.” A word borrowed from the religious vocabulary of the day, “mystery” (mysterion) is used in the NT of truth undiscoverable except by divine revelation (cf. 1Cor 2:6 ff.; 14:51). In Ephesians it is used six times—more often than in any other book of the NT. In 1:9 the term is used of the mystery of God’s dealing with the world; in 3:3-9, where it occurs three times, the word has special reference to the inclusion of Gentiles in the privileges and blessings of the messianic salvation, in 5:22 it speaks of the spiritual union of Christ and his church; and in 6:19 it is practically equated with the gospel. In Colossians the word occurs four times (1:26, 27; 2:2; 4:3). Coming from a root that means to initiate, mysterion in a general sense denotes a secret. In its various contexts in the NT, however, it ordinarily speaks of an “open secret”; that is, it denotes something that, though once a secret, has now been fully revealed in the gospel.

This mystery, Paul explains, “has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to his saints.” The words express the two characteristics of a mystery in the NT: “hidden for ages and generations ... now disclosed.”

Some interpreters understand “ages” to refer to the ages before the creation of the world; “generations,” to the generations of human history. The whole expression is thus equivalent to a declaration that the mystery had been previously concealed from both angels and men. NIV suggests that “ages” and “generations” are used generally to refer to people living in former times. This is perhaps the better interpretation.

To the people of God (“the saints”) the truth that was once hidden is now “disclosed.” The Greek construction is grammatically irregular, involving a change from a participle (“has been kept hidden,” first part of v. 26) to an indicative verb (“disclosed,” last part of the verse). The sudden shift from participle to indicative may be a reflection of “Paul’s intense joy that the long silence has been broken; he is content with nothing short of a definite statement of the glorious fact.”

1:27 The thought is that God was pleased to reveal to his people how great is the glorious character of the gospel mystery (lit., “the riches of the glory of this mystery”). Paul’s frequent use of “riches” suggests that Christ had “opened the door for him to an inexhaustible treasure of goodness (Rom 2:4), glory (Rom 9:23; Eph 1:18; 3:16; Philippians 4:19), wisdom (Rom 11:33), and grace (Eph 1:7; 2:7), and every time he explores it he finds something new to take his breath away.” Scott, observing that “glory” in Paul’s writings “carries with it the idea of something divine,” thinks the whole phrase suggests “richness in divine significance.” “Among [lit., in] the Gentiles” defines the sphere in which the wealth of glory has been especially displayed. Paul seems to have been thinking of the wonder of the unfolding of the divine mystery in the conversion of pagan people and in their being drawn into the one body of Christ.

The inner content of the mystery is defined as “Christ in you.” (Cf. vv. 25, 26, where the mystery is defined as the gospel.) Some scholars read “Christ among you,” that is, among you Gentiles (cf. Lightfoot). If the words are understood in this fashion, the mystery consists in the offer of redemption to the Gentiles. They had appeared to be forever excluded from God’s favor, but it had been a part of God’s secret plan from the beginning that they should be included in the messianic salvation. There is much to be said for this interpretation, but the context requires that we understand the phrase as referring to an inner, subjective experience. The mystery, therefore, long hidden but now revealed is not the diffusion of the gospel among the Gentiles but the indwelling of Christ in his people, whether Jews or Gentiles.

Christ in you is now declared to be “the hope of glory.” “Hope” is joyous expectation or anticipation. “Glory” is that which will belong to the Christian in the heavenly state (cf. 3:4; Rom 5:2; 8:17). The general truth is that Christ dwelling in the believer is the ground for certainty of complete salvation. A kindred notion is found in Ephesians 1:13, 14, where the Spirit is designated as “the earnest of our inheritance.” In this letter “Christ himself occupies the sphere that Paul elsewhere assigns to the Spirit.”

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

1:24. In his description of the supremacy or preeminence of Christ, Paul went from creation (1:15-17) to redemption (1:18-23) and then to his own ministry in the present passage through verse 29. Some people take the statement in verse 24 to mean that something is lacking in the atoning value of Christ's sacrifice and Paul was able to supplement the saving work of Christ through his own sufferings. The whole system of a treasury of merit consisting of the sufferings of Christ plus the afflictions of "the saints," and dispensed in the form of indulgences, comes from a false interpretation of this verse and from other statements.

While we cannot be positive about exactly what Paul had in mind, he probably was referring to the thought that the union between Christ and His church is so intimate that He suffers when they suffer. His personal sufferings may be over, but His people cannot suffer without its having an impact on Him as well.

The apostle surely did not believe Christians are exempt from suffering. A philosophy that teaches God exempts Christians from any form of suffering is dangerous because people who believe it will not be prepared when the difficulties of life arise.

1:25. The word translated "dispensation" (oikonomia) literally means "house-manager" and could be rendered "stewardship, administration, economy." The apostle was keenly aware that God had given him a divine commission to preach the Word. Furthermore, he was always concerned about giving out the Word of God.

While Paul may have had something else in mind, it is possible he was referring to the necessity of people receiving the Word of God and practicing it. In other words, he was not pleased just to dispense the truth of the Scriptures in a manner similar to scattering seeds in a field. He was concerned that the seed of the Word of God would take root and produce fruit in people's lives.

Apparently the translators of the New International Version believed Paul was referring to presenting the totality of the Word of God. That idea is very consistent with the statement by the apostle to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:27) in his farewell address to them. His constant intention always involved informing people of all the will of God, not just certain segments of it. Either interpretation seems consistent with the total teachings of the apostle. Whatever he meant, the verse obviously shows the apostle's intense determination to present the Word of God to other people.

Paul's chief concern in regard to his personal ministry was very clear. He wanted Christ to be supreme in it. He did not want to become sidetracked on some minor issue that did not emphasize the centrality of the gospel. A person who truly declares the gospel message as central is a person who will make Christ supreme in his ministry. This is the kind of ministry that truly touches and changes lives for Christ.

1:26, 27. Paul was faithful to the divine commission God had entrusted to him (Acts 9:15), but he made it clear in this passage that the revelation of this mystery was disclosed to the saints in general and not just to him. Paul had more to say about God's purpose for Christians in general in the first seven verses of chapter 2, but his brief reference here indicates the way he constantly reminded other people of their responsibility to proclaim the gospel. A careful search of the apostle's writings will reveal several passages where Paul first described his own responsibility to carry out the commission God gave to him, only then in turn reminded Christians of their responsibility to do the same. God will use anyone to propagate His message to the world. The obligation belongs to all believers. Truly the fact that Christ actually indwells believers constitutes one of the greatest mysteries the human race has ever known. He, of course, does so in the person of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer (Romans 8:9).

II. Are We Growing Spiritually? (Col. 1:28–2:3) Commentary

1:28 In v. 25 Paul has defined his message as “the word of God.” In vv. 26, 27 he has used the term mystery. Here his message is shown to center in the Christ who indwells believers. At the deepest level, therefore, the apostle conceived of his message not as a system or as a collection of rules and regulations, but as a living and glorious Person who is the fulfillment of the deepest hopes of mankind and the source of new life for all his people. “We” is emphatic (like “I” in vv. 23, 25) and distinguishes Paul (and his fellow preachers) from the Colossian errorists. “Proclaim” translates katangellomen, a word suggesting a solemn or public proclamation. Scholars of an earlier period (e.g., Westcott, Vincent) thought there was in it the notion of proclaiming with authority. Schniewind, who speaks of it as belonging to the “language of mission,” asserts that the term includes the idea of “instruction, admonition and tradition.” It perhaps has a wider significance than the more common word for “preach” (kerusso) in Paul’s writings (cf. v. 23).

“Counseling” (nouthetountes) and “teaching” (didaskontes) describe two attendant circumstances of Paul’s preaching. The former word, used in the Pauline Epistles eight times and only once elsewhere in the NT (Acts 20:31), has to do with the will and emotions and connotes warning. Here it relates to non-Christians, the thought probably being that the apostle sought to awaken each of them to his need of Christ. Some interpreters think the word corresponds to the demand for repentance in the Gospels. “Teaching,” which probably refers to a ministry for converts, stresses the importance of instruction in proclaiming the Word. “With all wisdom” seems to express the way the teaching was done.

“Everyone,” stated twice in v. 28 for emphasis (three times in the Greek text), shows that Paul’s gospel was not marred by the exclusiveness that characterized the false teachers. They believed the way of salvation to be so involved that it could be understood only by a select few who made up a sort of spiritual aristocracy. Unlike the errorists, Paul slighted no one. Every person was the object of his direct concern.

The aim of Paul’s proclaiming, admonishing, and teaching was to “present everyone perfect in Christ.” “Present” (paristemi) refers to the bringing into God’s presence at the return of Christ (cf. 1 Thess 2:19-20; 5:23). Only then will God’s work in the believer be complete. “Perfect” suggests attainment of the proper end of one’s existence. Other versions use such terms as “complete” (NAB), “full grown” (Montgomery), “mature” (RSV). The reference is to maturity in faith and character (cf. Eph 4:13), and it is a prospect held out for “everyone.” Such maturity is possible “in Christ,” that is, by virtue of the believer’s union with Christ.

1:29 To accomplishing this end Paul gave himself unstintedly. “I labor” translates kopio, a word denoting wearisome toil. Weymouth expresses it, “I exert all my strength.” “Struggling” renders the word agonizomenos, which our familiar English “agonize” transliterates. A term from the athletic arena, it signifies intense exertion. This struggle, Paul affirms, is “according to his [God’s] working” (kata ten energeian autou). That is to say, the struggle is carried on, not through Paul’s own natural powers, but by the supernatural power at work in him. “Working” is the rendering of a Greek term (energeian) from which we get the word “energy.” It is an energy that “powerfully works” (lit., “energizes”) in the apostle. The entire statement shows that through faith in Christ we can link our life with a source of strength that enables us to rise above our natural limitations.

A third feature of Paul’s ministry was his pastoral concern for those he served. The concern expressed in these verses arose from Paul’s anxiety about the response of the Colossian Christians to the error being propagated by the false teachers. Such an expression of concern is what we would expect from the man who wrote Philippians 3:18. Anyone who shares Paul’s exalted concept of Christ (cf. Col 1:15 ff.), we may add, can never be indifferent to the inroads of error.

2:1 The metaphor of the arena is implicit in this verse, the Greek word translated “exerting” (agona) being built on the same root as the word rendered “struggling” in 1:29 (agonizomenos). “How strenuously I am exerting myself” freely renders words that literally mean, “how great a struggle I have.” “Struggle” (agona), which denotes strenuous activity, here speaks of deep and earnest solicitude. The powers that wrestled with Paul for the ruin of his work were real and resolute; he therefore had to “meet them, foot to foot, force to force, in Christ.”

The particular struggle Paul had in mind appears to have been that of prayer. At the time he wrote these words he could not move beyond the walls of his “rented house” (Acts 28:30), being continuously held by the chain linking him to a Roman soldier. But even under these circumstances he could engage in the combat of prayer and so exert himself strenuously in behalf of his readers.

This brings before us an aspect of Paul’s prayers that we often overlook—namely, that they sometimes involved him in a truly awesome conflict, an intense struggle of the soul. (Cf. the Gethsemane experience of our Lord.)

Paul’s agony in prayer was “for,” that is, in behalf of, the Colossians. But it was also in behalf of “those at Laodicea and for all who have not met me personally” (lit., “have not seen my face in the flesh”). Laodicea (cf. Introduction, 1) was an important banking center in ancient times. It is mentioned elsewhere in the NT only in Colossians 4:13, 15, 16 and in Revelation 3:14. The wording of v. 1, though capable of being interpreted otherwise, seems to suggest that the Colossians and the Laodiceans were among those who had not met Paul personally.

2:2 Paul’s concern for his readers was that “they may be encouraged in heart and united in love.” The Greek word for “encouraged” (paraklethosin), which literally means “to call to one’s side,” signifies such ideas as comfort, encouragement, and exhortation, depending on the context in which it is found. Here perhaps it means being strengthened against the onslaught of error.

“United” suggests being “compacted, welded into genuine unity.” The NIV places “united in love” in a coordinate relation to “encouraged in heart.” The Greek text, however, employs a participle for “united” (symbibasthentes) and thereby implies that the means by which the strengthening (encouraging) takes place is the readers’ being knit together in love (cf. RSV). But NIV does no violence to the essential meaning of the passage.

One consequence of being “encouraged” and “united” is attaining “the full riches of complete understanding.” The idea is that heart encouragement and being united in love bring an inward wealth that consists in full or assured understanding. This in turn brings knowledge of “the mystery of God.” The word for “knowledge” (epignosin) indicates a depth of full knowledge, perhaps a true knowledge (cf. 1:9). On “mystery,” see 1:26.

There is considerable variation in the last part of the Greek text of v. 2. Our own preference is to accept the shorter reading (tou theou, Christou) and to understand “Christ” to be an appositive defining the mystery. This is the interpretation preferred by most modern scholars and is represented among the versions by ASV, TCNT, NASB, NAB, NIV, etc. The great truth taught is that all that is deepest in God is summed up in Christ.

2:3 This Christ who is the essence of the mystery of God is described as the One “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Two thoughts are contained in this statement: First, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ. The false teachers claimed to have, through their relation with a supposed hierarchy of supernatural beings, a higher knowledge than that possessed by ordinary believers. Against this, Paul argues that all wisdom and knowledge are in Christ and that their treasures are accessible to every believer. Second, the treasures of wisdom are in Christ in a hidden way. “Hidden” does not, however, mean that they are concealed but rather that they are laid up or stored away as a treasure.

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. 1:28–2:3

1:28. This statement reflects beautifully the fact that Paul was not satisfied just to enjoy fellowship with the Lord personally. He wanted everyone else to enjoy this same experience. For that reason he proclaimed Christ, and his associates did the same. This proclamation consisted of "warning" unbelievers and "teaching" believers so the latter would mature in Christ. His ultimate goal was to present spiritually mature people to Christ at His second coming. He used the term "every man" three times in this verse, showing that he was not an exclusionist. This verse also shows that Christ always was central in his ministry.

One can see the proper balance Paul and his associates practiced in their ministries. First, they were concerned about the unconverted and warned them with the Word of God with the express purpose of helping them to turn to the Lord Jesus in order to find forgiveness for their sins. However, that concern did not end when people became Christians. It only changed to a different type of concern, that of helping individual believers become more and more Christlike. This is God's ultimate purpose for believers.

1:29. This verse serves as an excellent culmination of Paul's comments about his own ministry. His ministry did not cease just because of his incarceration, but even while in prison he was able to "labor." "Striving" or "struggling" (NIV) comes from a Greek participle which has the word from which we get agony (agōna) as its basis. How could he agonize in prison? He must have been referring mainly to prayer. He also purposely used two Greek words relating to power. The first was translated "working" and comes from a Greek term which gives us our word energy (energeia). The second was translated "mightily" and comes from the word for inherent ability or power (dunamis). In this first chapter of Colossians, the apostle set forth Christ as supreme in every sense of the word, in creation, in redemption, in an individual's own ministry, and in his practical Christian living.

2:1. After carefully stating the supremacy of Christ in his own ministry, Paul made it clear that the Lord should be preeminent in every Christian's life. In fact, he struggled for them in prayer that God's purpose would be realized in their lives. The English word agony comes from the Greek term translated "conflict" in this verse. The language sounds as if he was in perpetual distress over them, and the possibility of their relapse into their former sinful ways brought him dismay and sorrow. Paul's statement also clearly demonstrates his loving concern for believers. He did not want them to stagnate, but to mature in their faith. Many commentators use this verse to prove that Paul did not start the churches in Colossae and Laodicea. Yet Paul had a concern for both churches. Notice that he asked the Colossian believers to pass the epistle along to the Laodicean church.

2:2. Paul began in verse 2 to express the purpose for this struggle in prayer for them. He prefaced his comments with a very strong Greek term (hina) often used to preface statements of purpose and usually translated "in order that." First, Paul coveted for them encouragement, comfort, or inner strength. Second, he desired that they be united or "knit together" in love (agapē). While error is divisive, true love that emanates from God himself is the motivating force that binds God's people together. Thirdly, he wanted them to have a full knowledge, or constantly increasing knowledge of what it meant to have Christ indwelling them, what Paul labeled here "the mystery of God." It is a marvelous mystery that Christ does indwell His people, but the more we understand God's work in the believers, the clearer this "mystery" becomes. This is an excellent reminder that our knowledge of Christ improves progressively throughout the Christian life. While all Christians "know" Christ because of the living relationship that exists between the Lord and His people, Christian maturity enables them to know Christ in an ever-increasing manner.

2:3. This verse continues the idea and shows why it is so important for believers to progress in their knowledge of Christ as a result of their relationship with Him. The verse contains an obvious reply to the Gnostics who taught a limited and perverted kind of knowledge. It is absolutely necessary for Christians to have a proper knowledge of Christ, because in Him "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." The Gnostics taught that knowledge was an end in itself and had to be parceled out through intermediary beings. Paul vehemently rejected this mentality, insisting that a full knowledge of God comes only through Christ. As well as countering Gnostic thought, this statement militates against any religious philosophy that claims people can come to salvation without Christ. As Peter said to the religious hierarchy in Jerusalem, "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

III. Are We Walking the Walk? (Col. 2:4-7) Commentary

2:4 Paul now expresses the reason for his anxious concern: “I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” The pronoun “this” refers to the utterances of vv. 1-3, containing the declaration that all knowledge is stored up in Christ and also Paul’s own expression of anxiety about the Colossians. The Greek word for “deceive” (paralogizetai) implies leading astray by false reasoning. “Fine-sounding arguments” (pithanologia), translated as “persuasive rhetoric” by Lightfoot, has something of the same meaning. It implies the attempt to convince someone by “fast talk” or, to put it colloquially, by handing him “a smooth line.” Paul was obviously thinking of the attempt of the errorists to lead the Colossians away from their convictions about Christ.

2:5 Paul was no indifferent spectator of his readers’ problems but had a sincere interest in them. Though not physically with them, he felt his spiritual oneness with them and rejoiced in their orderliness and in the firmness of their faith. “How orderly you are” (lit., “your order”) contains a military term (taxin) connoting the orderly array of a band of disciplined soldiers. “Firm” translates stereoma, a word meaning solidity and compactness. In applying it to the faith of the Colossians, Paul emphasizes the unyielding nature of their faith or, as Eadie puts it, “the stiffness of its adherence to its one object—Christ.” Like the word for “orderly,” “firm” belonged to military parlance. It may therefore mean something like “solid front” (Lightfoot, p. 176). If this is the imagery Paul intended, he sees the situation of the Colossians as being like that of an army under attack and affirms that their lines were unbroken, their discipline intact, and their “faith in [reliance on] Christ” unshaken.

NIV represents the two verses comprising this section as introducing the warnings of 2:8 ff. rather than as closing out the section on Paul’s ministry (begun at 1:24). NEB and JB, as well as the UBS text, support this arrangement. Although it is not a matter of great importance, it would seem best to take these verses as a kind of summary appeal made in light of the preceding discussion—an appeal for the readers to remain true to Christ as Lord. This is the arrangement of ASV and RSV.

2:6 “So then” (oun) shows that Paul makes his appeal in light of the foregoing discussion. The Colossians had received Christ in a certain manner: as the Anointed of God (“Christ”), as the historic Savior (“Jesus”), and as the sovereign (“Lord”). Paul’s appeal is that they “continue to live [lit., walk] in him” in the same manner. That is to say, he wants their present and continuous conduct to conform to the doctrine taught them at the beginning, the doctrine they had committed themselves to at conversion.

2:7 In this verse four participles describe the walk in Christ. The first two, translated “rooted and built up in him,” go together. “Rooted” (errizomenoi) is in the perfect tense, suggesting a once-for-all experience, that is, a being permanently rooted. “Built up” (epoikodomoumenoi), a present tense, indicates a continual process. “Strengthened” (bebaioumenoi), the third participle, is also a present tense. “In the faith” conceives of faith as the body of truth (the faith system) and looks on this as the sphere within which the being “strengthened” takes place. Some versions render it “your faith,” suggesting faith in its more usual sense of trust in, and reliance on, Christ. The whole appeal was to be carried out in accordance with what had been taught the Colossians in their initial experience—“as you were taught.” The final phrase, “overflowing with thankfulness,” uses perisseuontes, a favorite word Paul uses more than twenty-six times. Often translated “abound” in KJV, its literal meaning is expressed in NIV—viz., “overflowing” (like a river overflowing its banks). The tense is present, meaning that for believers thanksgiving is to be a continual, habitual thing.

Gratitude, which Lightfoot calls “the end of all human conduct,” receives great emphasis in Paul’s Epistles. The present passage may imply that those who lack a deep sense of thankfulness to God are especially vulnerable to doubt and spiritual delusion.

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

2:4. Fourthly, the apostle was concerned that the Colossians not be deceived with "enticing words" or "fine-sounding arguments" (NIV) or "persuasive speech." Apparently the Gnostics (as are most false teachers) were very adept at deluding people because they majored in persuasive speech. Their "fast talk" was a proof that the art of persuasion, although the height of oratory, can degenerate into trickery.

Paul sincerely hoped the Colossians would remain faithful to the truth of God's Word. They lived in an age when rhetoric was emphasized as a sign of an educated person. Obviously, both the ability to relate a message and having the proper message are extremely important to our effectiveness as Christian workers. One can tell quickly from the writings of the apostle that he not only was a profound writer, but he also knew well the art and science of proper rhetoric. However, he was always careful to depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit. He knew mere human ability could not meet the need of a lost soul (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

2:5. Paul's desire for the Colossian saints relative to the four items he mentioned in his letter was not dependent upon his physically being with them. In this verse he used two words in a military sense to express his desire that they stand in "order" and in "steadfastness," comparing them to the orderly array of a well-disciplined army. A certain beauty exists in an orderly array whether in a military unit or in something else. A military commander must experience a certain satisfaction from observing his unit at attention.

2:6. Actually, this verse and verse 7 serve both as a conclusion to verses 1-5 and as an introduction to the rest of the chapter. The Colossians and their neighbors had begun their life in Christ, and Paul encouraged them to continue to live in Him. It is not enough to be converted. God wants His children to continue to grow until they reach maturity. This verse beautifully summarizes the total Christian life. It begins when a person accepts the provision God made through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and it continues by depending upon that same work of grace. Both occur through faith.

2:7. Paul summarized the manner in which Christians should live by using four Greek participles: (1) "Rooted" comes from a perfect tense participle (errhizōmenoi) which normally would be translated "having been rooted" and expresses the initial experience of being connected to Christ, as well as the continuing result of that initial relationship. (2) "Built up" (epoikodomoumenoi) shows Paul's change from an agricultural metaphor to one of construction, expressing the idea of allowing God to continue His work of construction in the believer's life. It is very encouraging to know God is not finished with the believer yet, but He patiently continues His work of construction in them. (3) "Stablished" (bebaioumenoi), or "being strengthened," refers to making firm or stable, expressing the ultimate purpose God has for working in our lives. (4) "Abounding" (perisseuontes) completes the cycle, because everything a Christian does should be permeated with thanksgiving.

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.

Mystery (Col. 1:26,27; 2:2): The word mystery was familiar to the people of Colossae. Numerous pagan religions were known as “mystery religions” because they emphasized secret teachings and rituals they held to be necessary for salvation and spiritual power. The religions’ secrets were guarded carefully and disclosed only to people who joined them. Paul borrowed the term mystery and used it 21 times, but he gave it new meaning. Rather than something hidden from many and only available to a few, God’s message (mystery) was revealed openly: salvation in Christ was available to all people. What once was hidden was disclosed fully in Christ’s coming, ministry, death, and resurrection. Christ made God’s purpose clear: God’s offer of grace was extended to everyone. The good news is amazing but not mysterious in the sense of hidden or unknown; in Christ, God has demonstrated He wants to redeem all people.

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

AFFLICTION a-flik´shun: Represents no fewer than 11 Hebrew words in the Old Testament, and 3 Greek words in the New Testament, of which the most common are (עֳנִי, ‛ŏnı̄), (θλῖψις, thlı̄́psis). It is used (1) actively = that which causes or tends to cause bodily pain or mental distress, as “the bread of affliction” (Dt 16:3; 2 Ch 18:26); often in plural, as “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Ps 34:19); (2) passively = the state of being in pain or trouble, as “to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction” (Jas 1:27). The following are the chief forms of affliction referred to: (1) Individual affliction, especially sickness, poverty, the oppression of the weak by the strong and rich, perverted justice. (2) National. A great place is given in the Old Testament to affliction as a national experience, due to calamities, such as war, invasion, conquest by foreign peoples, exile. These form the background of much of the prophetic writings, and largely determine their tone and character. (3) In the New Testament the chief form of affliction is that due to the fierce antagonism manifested to the religion of Jesus, resulting in persecution.

The Hebrew mind did not dwell on secondary causes, but attributed everything, even afflictions, directly to the great First Cause and Author of all things: “Shall evil befall a city, and Yahweh hath not done it?” (Am 3:6); “I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil (i.e. calamity); I am Yahweh, that doeth all these things” (Isa 45:7) Thus, all things, including calamity, were referred to the Divine operation. The Hebrew when afflicted did not doubt the universal sovereignty of God; yet, while assuming this sovereignty, he was sometimes tempted to accuse Him of indifference, neglect or forgetfulness. Compare Job passim; Isa 40:27; 49:14; Ezek 8:12; 9:9.

Yet there are traces of a dualism which assigns a certain vague limit to God’s absolute sovereignty, by referring affliction to an evil agency acting in quasi-independence of God. There could, however, never be more than a tendency in this direction, for a strict dualism was incompatible with the standpoint of Jewish monotheism. Thus Saul’s mental affliction is attributed to an “evil spirit,” which is yet said to be “from Yahweh” (1 Sam 16:14; 18:10; 19:9); and the fall of Ahab is said by Micaiah to be due to the “lying spirit” which enticed him to his doom, in obedience to God’s command (1 Ki 22:20-22). In the prologue of Job, Job’s calamities are ascribed to the Satan, but even he receives his word of command from God, and is responsible to Him, like the other “sons of God” who surround the heavenly throne. He is thus “included in the Divine will and in the circle of Divine providence” (Schultz). After the prologue, the Satan is left out of account, and Job’s misfortunes are attributed directly to the Divine causality. In later Judaism, the tendency to trace the origin of evil, physical and moral, to wicked spirits became more marked, probably because of the influence of Persian dualism. In New Testament times, physical and mental maladies were thought to be due to the agency of evil spirits called demons, whose prince was Beelzebub or Satan (Mk 1:23ff; 3:22f; 5:2ff; Mt 9:32f, etc.). Christ gave His assent to this belief (compare the woman under infirmity, “whom Satan hath bound,” Lk 13:16). Paul attributed his bodily affliction to an evil angel sent by Satan (2 Cor 12:7), though he recognized that the evil agent was subordinate to God’s purpose of grace, and was the means of moral discipline (1 Cor 12:7, 9). Thus, while the evil spirits were regarded as malicious authors of physical maladies, they were not, in a strictly dualistic fashion, thought to act in complete independence; rather, they had a certain place assigned to them in the Divine Providence.

Why did God afflict men? How is suffering to be explained consistently with the goodness and justice of God? This was an acute problem which weighed heavily upon the Hebrew mind, especially in the later, more reflective, period. We can only briefly indicate the chief factors which the Scriptures contribute to the solution of the problem. We begin with the Old Testament.

The traditional view in early Hebrew theology was that afflictions were the result of the Divine law of retribution, by which sin was invariably followed by adequate punishment. Every misfortune was a proof of sin on the part of the sufferer. Thus Job’s “friends” sought to convince him that his great sufferings were due to his sinfulness. This is generally the standpoint of the historians of Israel, who regarded national calamities as a mark of the Divine displeasure on account of the people’s sins. But this naïve belief, though it contains an important element of truth, could not pass uncontested. The logic of facts would suffice to prove that it was inadequate to cover all cases; e.g. Jeremiah’s sufferings were due, not to sin, but to his faithfulness to his prophetic vocation. So the “suffering servant” in Isa. Job, too, in spite of his many woes, was firm in the conviction of his own integrity. To prove the inadequacy of the penal view is a main purpose of the Book of Job. A common modification of the traditional view was, that the sorrows of the pious and the prosperity of the wicked were only of brief duration; in the course of time, things would adjust themselves aright (e.g. Job 20:5ff, Ps 73:3-20). But even granting time for the law of retribution to work itself out, experience contradicts the view that a man’s fortune or misfortune is an infallible proof of his moral quality.

The thought is often expressed that afflictions are meant to test the character or faith of the sufferer. This idea is especially prominent in Job. God allowed the Satan to test the reality of Job’s piety by over-whelming him with disease and misfortunes (2). Throughout the poem Job maintains that he has stood the test (e.g. 23:10-12). Compare Dt 8:2, 16; Ps 66:10f; 17:3; Isa 48:10; Jer 9:7; Prov 17:3.

For those who are able to stand the test, suffering has a purificatory or disciplinary value. (1) The thought of affliction as a discipline or form of Divine teaching is found in Job, especially in the speeches of Elihu, who insists that tribulation is intended as a method of instruction to save man from the pride and presumption that issue in destruction (Job 33:14-30; 36:8-10, 15 the Revised Version (British and American)). The same conception is found in Ps 94:12; 119:67, 71. (2) The purificatory function of trials is taught in such passages as Isa 1:25; Zec 13:9; Mal 3:2, 3, where the process of refining metals in fire and smelting out the dross is the metaphor used.

The above are not fully adequate to explain the mystery of the afflictions of the godly. The profoundest contribution in the Old Testament to a solution of the problem is the idea of the vicarious and redemptive significance of pain and sorrow. The author of Job did not touch this rich vein of thought in dealing with the afflictions of his hero. This was done by the author of the Second Isaiah. The classical passage is Isa 52:13-53, which deals with the woes of the oppressed and afflicted Servant of God with profound spiritual insight. It makes no difference to the meaning of the afflictions whether we understand by the Servant the whole Hebrew nation, or the pious section of it, or an individual member of it, and whether the speakers in Isa 53 are the Jewish nation or the heathen. The significant point here is the value and meaning ascribed to the Servant’s sufferings. The speakers had once believed (in accordance with the traditional view) that the Servant suffered because God was angry with him and had stricken him. Now they confess that his sorrows were due, not to his own sin but to theirs (53:4-6, 8). His sufferings were not only vicarious (the punishment of their sin falling upon him), but redemptive in their effect (peace and health coming to them as a result of his chastisement). Moreover, it was not only redemptive, but expiatory (“his soul guilt-offering,” 53:10)—a remarkable adumbration of the Christian doctrine of atonement.

So far we have dealt only with Old Testament teaching on the meaning and purpose of affliction. The New Testament makes no new contribution to the solution of the problem, but repeats and greatly deepens the points of view already found in the Old Testament. (1) There is a recognition throughout the New Testament of the law of retribution (Gal 6:7). Yet Jesus repudiates the popular view of the invariable connection between misfortune and moral evil (Jn 9:2f). It is clear that He had risen above the conception of God’s relation to man as merely retributive (Mt 5:45, sunshine and ram for evil men as well as for the good). His followers would suffer tribulation even more than unbelievers, owing to the hostile reaction of the evil world, similar to that which afflicted Christ Himself (Mt 5:10f; 10:16-25; Jn 15:18-20; 16:33). Similarly the Acts and the epistles frequently refer to the sufferings of Christians (e.g. Acts 14:22; 2 Cor 4:8-11; Col 1:24; Heb 10:32; 1 Pet 4:13; Rev 7:14). Hence afflictions must have some other than a purely punitive purpose. (2) They are probational, affording a test by which the spurious may be separated from the genuine members of the Christian church (Jas 1:3, 12; 1 Pet 1:7; 4:17), and (3) a means of discipline, calculated to purify and train the character (Rom 5:3; 2 Cor 12:7, 9; Jas 1:3). (4) The idea of vicarious and redemptive suffering gets a far deeper significance in the New Testament than in the Old Testament, and finds concrete realization in a historical person, Jesus Christ. That which is foreshadowed in Second-Isa becomes in the New Testament a central, pervasive and creative thought. A unique place in the Divine purpose is given to the passion of Christ. Yet in a sense, His followers partake of His vicarious sufferings, and “fill up … that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ” (Col 1:24; compare Phil 3:10; 1 Pet 4:13). Here, surely is a profound thought which may throw a flood of light on the deep mystery of human affliction. The cross of Christ furnishes the key to the meaning of sorrow as the greatest redemptive force in the universe.

The Scriptures abound in words of consolation and exhortation adapted to encourage the afflicted. Two main considerations may be mentioned. (1) The thought of the beneficent sovereignty of God “Yahweh reigneth; let the earth rejoice,” even though “clouds and darkness are round about him” (Ps 97:1, 2); “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Rom 8:28 the King James Version). Since love is on the throne of the universe, we may rest assured that all things are meant for our good. (2) The thought that tribulation is of brief duration, in comparison with the Joy that shall follow (Ps 30:5; Isa 54:7f; Jn 16:22); a thought which culminates in the hope of immortality. This hope is in the Old Testament only beginning to dawn, and gives but a faint and flickering light, except in moments of rare exaltation and insight, when the thought of a perfect future blessedness seemed to offer a solution of the enigmas of life (Job 19:25-27; Psalms 37; 49; 73). But in the New Testament it is a postulate of faith, and by it the Christian is able to fortify himself in affliction, remembering that his affliction is light and momentary compared with the “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” which is to issue out of it (2 Cor 4:17 the King James Version; compare Mt 5:12; Rom 8:18). Akin to this is the comfort derived from the thought of the near approach of Christ’s second coming (Jas 5:7, 8). In view of such truths as these, the Bible encourages the pious in trouble to show the spirit of patience (Ps 37:7; Lk 21:19; Rom 12:12; Jas 1:3, 4; 5:7-11; 1 Pet 2:20), and even the spirit of positive joy in tribulation (Mt 5:11f; Rom 5:3; 2 Cor 12:10; Jas 1:2, 12; 1 Pet 4:13). In the New Testament emphasis is laid on the example of Jesus in patient endurance in suffering (Jn 16:33; Jas 5:7-11; 1 Pet 2:19-23; 3:17f). Above all, the Scriptures recommend the afflicted to take refuge in the supreme blessedness of fellowship with God, and of trust in His love, by which they may enter into a deep peace that is undisturbed by the trials and problems of life (Ps 73, especially 23 through 28; Isa 26:3, 4; Jn 14:1, 27; Phil 4:7; et passim).

SOURCE: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia; James Orr, M.A., D. D., General Editor; Parsons Technology, Inc.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

SUFFERING suf´ẽr-ing: A great variety of Hebrew and Greek expressions, too large to be here enumerated, have been translated by “suffering” and other forms derived from the same verb. The most obvious meanings of the word are the following: (1) The commonest meaning perhaps in the English Versions of the Bible is “to permit,” “to allow,” “to give leave to”: “Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away” (Mk 10:4). (2) “To experience,” “to go through,”’ “to endure”: “I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him” (Mt 27:19). A woman “had suffered many things of many physicians” (Mk 5:26). Other common phrases are “to suffer affliction” (1 Thess 3:4; Heb 11:25, the Revised Version (British and American) “share ill-treatment”), “to suffer hardship” (2 Tim 2:9), “to suffer adversity” (Heb 13:3 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) “to be ill-treated”), “to suffer dishonor” (the King James Version “shame,” Acts 5:41), “to suffer violence,” (Mt 11:12), “to suffer wrong” (Acts 7:24), “to suffer terror” (Ps 88:15), “to suffer shipwreck” (2 Cor 11:25), “to suffer hunger” (Ps 34:10; Prov 19:15), “to suffer thirst” (Job 24:11). (3) “To put up with,” “to tolerate”: the King James Version, “For ye suffer fools gladly (the Revised Version (British and American) “ye bear with the foolish gladly”), seeing ye yourselves are wise” (2 Cor 11:1, 9). (4) “To undergo punishment”: “Think ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they have suffered these things?” (Lk 13:2). (5) “To sustain loss”: “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss” (1 Cor 3:15; also Phil 3:8). (6) “To suffer death.” Here the clearest references are to the suffering or passion of Christ, which indeed includes the enduring of untold hardships and affliction, all of which culminate in His vicarious death for man (Mt 16:21; Mk 8:31; 9:12; Lk 9:22; 17:25; 22:15; 24:26, 46; Acts 3:18; 17:3; 26:23; 1 Pet 3:18).

Suffering belongs to the discipline of all Christ’s followers (Rom 8:17; 2 Cor 1:7; Gal 3:4; Phil 3:10; 1 Thess 2:2; 2 Thess 1:5; 2 Tim 2:12; 3:12; Jas 5:10; 1 Pet 2:20 f; 3:14, 17; 4:1, 13, 16; 5:10). Such suffering is called a suffering for God’s or Christ’s sake (Jer 15:15; Acts 9:16; Phil 1:29; 2 Tim 1:12). This fellowship in suffering unites us with the saints of God in all times (Jas 5:10), and is indeed a fellowship with the Lord Himself (Phil 3:10), who uses this discipline to mold us more and more according to His character.

SOURCE: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia; James Orr, M.A., D. D., General Editor; Parsons Technology, Inc.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

C. Mack Roark is Dickinson Professor of Bible, Oklahoma Baptist University, retired, Shawnee, Oklahoma.

HRISTIANITY WAS NOT BORN IN A VACUUM. It came to life in a very religious world—and in a varied religious world. When the early Christians traveled beyond Judea they met a widely diverse religious atmosphere.

Within 20 years of Jesus’ death, Paul came to Athens “troubled . . . when he saw that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16).¹ Athenians were “extremely religious” (v. 22). Paul reminded the Corinthians that although there is but one God, the Corinthian Christians lived in a world that honored “many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’” (1 Cor. 8:5).

Probably least known among the many religions of this multi-cultural world are the mystery religions—with the emphasis on religions—plural. One cannot speak of the “mystery religion,” for they were as diverse among themselves as was the larger religious world. Each had its own god, customs, rituals, and initiation rites. They were of scattered and distant locales: Egypt, Greece, Persia, Asia Minor, and even Rome. They shared some common features, however, that group them together. We will give a quick overview, examine four mystery religions in turn, and then look at their relationship with early Christianity.

We know all too little about them, not least because they were, as the name implies, secret, often intensely secretive. (The Greek word musterion translates into English as either “mystery” or “secret,” depending on the context.²) Participants in these religions did not write often about what went on in the secrecy of their rituals. What little we do know comes from scattered and fragmentary mentions, usually by detractors. From this paucity of evidence we do learn the following: unlike the Greek and Roman gods who were of the heavens, the gods and goddesses of the mystery religions were mostly of the earth and underworld. They had: 1) a major focus on life after death; 2) a mythology of a dying and rising god reflecting ancient fertility cults; and 3) secret rites of initiation that often included ceremonial washing, fasting, communal meals, and sacrifice.

Oldest and best known among the mysteries are the Eleusinian cults, so named for their rites at Eleusis (modern Elefsis) not far from Athens. Briefly the mythology is as follows. The myth revolved around Demeter, the goddess of fertility and grain, and her daughter Persephone. Hades, the god of the underworld, abducted Persephone and carried her to the underworld. Demeter reacted angrily, stopped the production of all the world’s crops. Hermes helped broker a compromise whereby Persephone would spend four months with the dead (when the crops were dormant) and then eight months with the living (during growth and harvest). The initiate into this mystery symbolically experienced death and rebirth, believing that participation in the rites, which included ritual baptism, guaranteed a prosperous and happy afterlife.

The cult of Mithras was the most explicitly male-only cult of the mysteries. Mithras was the sun god of the Persians, but Mithraism became especially popular among the Romans, particularly with soldiers and officials. Although its origins were likely in the first century BC, our first evidence comes from the first century AD. Archaeologists have shown that it survived into the fourth century. The heart of this cult was the promise that at death the initiate could ascend through seven planetary stations to a final rest in heaven. Archaeologists have identified as many as 58 man-made caves in which adherents worshiped. In each cave (called a mithraeum ) is a scene that depicted Mithras sacrificing a bull. Participation in this sacrificial ritual was apparently the initiates’ means of salvation. Evidence shows that these rituals varied greatly from place to place, with the number seven always prominent.³

Unlike the Mithras cult, most devotees of Isis were women. Originating in Egypt, the veneration of the goddess Isis spread throughout the Mediterranean would during the Roman period. The popularity of Isis worship is evidenced by the number of temples, shrines, and statues that have survived. In this myth Osiris, who was both brother and lover of Isis, had been hacked into 14 pieces by his brother Typhon. Isis, with considerable difficulty and ultimately with magic, restored Osiris, who then became the god of the underworld. A ritual reenactment of Osiris’s death and recovery was believed to give the initiate power over death. This myth then somehow came to be associated with the flooding of the Nile, which was essential to the crops. Osiris was sometimes worshiped as Sarapis, and his popularity is seen in the many prayers to Sarapis found in ancient papyri letters.

Originally from Phrygia, the devotees of Cybele had some of the more bizarre practices. Cybele was the goddess of the earth, the Great Mother. The most prominent of the rites associated with Cybele was the taurobolium. Initiates would enter a pit beneath a grated floor on which a bull was slaughtered. Blood from the dying animal spilled through the grates and onto the devotees, drenching them with blood as they moved themselves to be covered as much as possible. Some evidence indicates that this was supposed to accomplish a new birth. Earliest evidence for this practice comes from the mid-second century AD, well past the time of the earliest church and the writing of the New Testament documents. By the fourth century, this was popular in Rome and attracted even the nobility.

The preceding descriptions, brief because of sketchy evidence, raise at least two questions: what, if any, is the relationship between the mystery religions and the early church and, how did the early church differ from the mysteries? Two things are certain. Parallels do exist between them, and the New Testament, especially Paul, used some of the language found in the mysteries. How do we explain this?

That parallels do exist gave rise early on to speculation that one depended on the other, with the assumption that the mystery rites were older. We must remember, though, that Christianity and the mysteries grew side by side in the ancient world where syncretism was pervasive. We should not be surprised, therefore, that similarities existed. But we know too little about these cults in the first century AD to be pooling from such diverse sources in an attempt to find a direct causal relationship. Analogies are difficult to explain when the practices of the mysteries, among themselves and within each, differed so much from place to place and changed so over the years. To say that a practice evidenced in the second or third century was present in the first century is an anachronism.

To draw a generalization here would be another fallacy. From diverse and fragmentary evidence some scholars have selected apparent parallels, then based on their more complete understanding of Christian practices, rendered broad generalizations of dependence. Evidence for ritual washings and communal meals is too uneven and fragmented for positing a direct connection.

Both did in fact proclaim a salvation after death, usually with a death and resurrection motif of some sort. But here Christianity differs. In the mystery religions the god’s death was not by choice; in the Christian faith Jesus’ death was an act of love to which He willingly committed Himself. In the mysteries the god’s death is a loss; in the Christian faith even the cross itself is victory.

One should also recognize that the mysteries would build on ancient myths that were without historical basis and were always changing. The early church looked to a historical Person and historical events. Further, the worship practices of the mystery religions were based on those myths and superstitions; the worship practices of the early church were based on believers trying to emulate and honor Christ and attempting to be obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

While Paul did use the word musterion often (21 times, sometimes translated as secret, sometimes mystery ), his use of the term was markedly different from those associated with the mystery religions. For Paul the mystery was not a secret to be kept, but a secret to be shared. The mystery has been revealed, and the secret is open (1 Cor. 2:1,7; Eph. 6:19; Col. 1:26; 2:2). Bi

2. Gunther Bornkamm, (musterion, mystery) in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, trans. and ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967), 802-828.

3. D. E. Aune, “Religions, Greco-Roman” in The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. G. F. Hawthorne and R. P. Martin (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 793; Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 3^rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), 295.

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

Garland Young is associate professor of religion, Cumberland College, Williamsburg, KY.

Salvation through faith in Christ alone – that is the heart of the Christian gospel. It was the basis of the gospel preached by the apostle Paul as well. Yet Christians ancient and modern have had trouble living as if this fundamental of the faith was indeed valid. The obstacles we face in life are so great. The temptations are so numerous. The enemy is so powerful. Is our faith in a living although invisible Christ really enough to save us? When we are weak or afraid, the urge is strong to begin to doubt whether the Christ we have confessed as Lord is really able to secure our redemption.

The first readers of Colossians suffered from this same problem. Paul complimented the Colossians for their “faith in Christ Jesus” and their “love” for “all the saints” (1:4; NIV). Yet he was concerned that certain errant views had gained a foothold in the Colossian church that called into question the all-sufficiency of Christ for salvation. Paul wrote these Colossian Christians to remind them that in Jesus Christ alone they had full access to the “invisible God” (1:15). Only in the mysterious indwelling of Christ’s Spirit could they have any “hope of glory” (1:27). Paul used the doctrine of Jesus as the Christ – known as Christology – to bolster the Colossians’ faith in that Christ as their only sufficient Savior.

Paul apparently wrote this letter to a group of Christians he had never seen. He indicated in the letter that the church in Colossae had been established by his associate Epaphras (1:7). The church as Colossae was probably established during Paul’s extended stay in Ephesus in A.D. 52-55. During this time Paul dispatched Epaphras on a mission inland up the Meander and Lycus Rivers. Epaphras succeeded in establishing mission works in several cities in this river valley, including Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis (4:13). Paul’s Letter to the Colossians was intended to formalize his relationship with these new churches. It may have been one of a pair of circular letters he had sent both to Colossae and to Laodicea (see 4:15-16).

In Paul’s day this particular region of Asia would have had a sizable Jewish population.¹ However, the Colossian church was primarily Gentile in makeup (1:21, 27; 2:13). Paul warned his readers of the futility of a set of beliefs that compromised the principle of the sufficiency of Christ for salvation. Scholars have traditionally termed this set of beliefs the “Colossian heresy.” The exact substance of this errant teaching has been the subject of heated debate. Paul nowhere detailed the contents of this teaching in Colossians. But we may recover some of the basic principles that were at issue. This false teaching emphasized the “worship of angels” (2:18). It stressed the importance of religious visions (2:18). It stressed radical self-denial as a pathway to holiness (2:21). And it accented the need to observe certain days of the calendar in order to be right with God (2:16).

Scholars are not united over the origins of these teachings. Some students see in these teachings the influence of the pagan mystery cults that were popular in the Greek culture of the day. Mystery cults were pagan religious groups that promised personal salvation to those who dedicated themselves to the worship of a particular god or goddess. This worship often included a secret initiation rite that introduced the convert to the “mysteries” of the deity. Paul’s use of the term “mystery to describe the Christian experience in Colossians (1:26-27; 2:2) has reminded some interpreters of the initiation rites employed in these mystery cults.² Others have speculated that the Colossian heresy was a form of gnosticism (NOSS-ti-siz-um). Gnosticism was a widespread philosophy that claimed that the physical world is entirely evil and that persons are saved out of it by gaining secret knowledge (Greek gnosis) about spiritual, divine realities. These interpreters have said that Paul’s use of the term “fullness” to describe Christ’s relationship to God in 1:19 and 2:9 recalls the use that later gnostic teaching made of that term.³ Still other scholars see an entirely Jewish backdrop to the heresy at Colossae. Paul’s references to extreme self-denial (2:21); the observance of festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths (2:16); and the worship of angels (2:18) may have indicated some type of overzealous interest in the Jewish law or some sort of Jewish mysticism as the problem at Colossae.⁴

Although debate continues as to the exact theological nature of the problem at Colossae, scholars agree that the basic problem there was one of Christology – the study of what it means to affirm Jesus as the Christ or Messiah. For Paul, affirming Jesus as Christ meant that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1:Cor. 15:3, NIV), that God raised Christ from the dead and exalted Him as Lord (Phil. 2:9-11), and that only the Lord Christ is sufficient to deliver us from the power of sin (Rom. 8:31-39). Apparently, some of the Colossian Christians had doubts about Christ’s full sufficiency to secure salvation for humans. So the Colossians had begun to explore other avenues of access to God. Drawing on various ideas from mystical Judaism and pagan Greek religion, these young Christians sought assurances of their salvation outside the gospel message about Jesus Christ.

Paul’s basic response to this Christological crisis was to affirm Christ’s all-sufficiency for salvation and to encourage the Colossians to root themselves in Christ and in no other teaching or philosophy (Col. 2:6-8). Two aspects of Paul’s response to the Colossian crisis are particularly important here. One is Paul’s use of the phrase “elemental spirits of the universe” (2:8, 20, NRSV). This phrase may have been a term used by those advocating false teachings at Colossae. And the meaning of this term seems to be pivotal to Paul’s argument. The term translated “elements” referred in ancient Greek to the basic items in any series, such as the notes in a musical scale or the letters of the alphabet. In Greek philosophy it was used to refer to the four basic elements of the universe: earth, air, fire, and water.⁵ But the term was also used in Greek religion to refer to cosmic forces or spiritual beings who were in charge of the heavenly bodies and who attempted to control human destiny.⁶ Paul’s reference to the ”principalities” and “powers” in 1:16 may well be an allusion to these cosmic forces. These forces may have been astrological in nature. But some scholars see a Jewish background to these elemental spirits. In some Jewish mystical traditions, the pagan “gods” worshiped by the Gentiles were believed to be angels whom God had put in charge over the various aspects of His creation. When mortals offered these angels idolatrous worship as gods, they rebelled against the authority of the one true God and enslaved their devotees to sin and spiritual darkness. Worshipers supposedly could placate these rebellious spirits only through acts of rigorous self-denial and through worship of the angels as deities (Col. 2:18).⁷

Paul’s response to this emphasis on the “elemental spirits” was to declare that they are created beings, whereas Christ Himself is eternal, uncreated, and preeminent over these powers (1:15-16). His sacrifice on the cross won Him victory over the principalities and powers, taking them captive and robbing them of their dominion over humanity (2:15).

The other important aspect of Paul’s response to the problem at Colossae was his use of the “Christ-hymn” in Colossians 1:15-20. The rhythmic qualities of the Greek attest to the hymnic character of this passage. Scholars debate whether Paul composed this hymn himself or whether he adapted it from some other source.⁸ Clearly, however, this hymn is the core of the Christology of Colossians. This hymn declared Christ to be the image of the invisible God, the One through whom the universe was created, and the One through whom the universe will eventually be reconciled to God.⁹ Several ideas dominate this hymn and drive home the concept of Christ’s sufficiency. Verses 15 and 16 stress the superiority of Christ as Creator. Christ is the visible manifestation of the invisible God (v. 15). The term “firstborn over all creation” as applied to Christ does not imply that He is a created being. The phrase instead refers to Christ’s preexistence prior to creation and to His sovereignty over it.¹⁰ In verse 17-18 the hymn highlights Christ’s continuing activity in the created order. Christ is the One who literally holds the universe together. His sovereignty is not limited to His past creative acts. It also extends to His present redemptive activity as the One who was “firstborn among the dead” and “head” of the church (v.18).¹¹ Paul used the expression “firstborn among the dead because he believed that God’s raising of Christ signaled that the general resurrection of the dead and the final judgment could not be far away (1 Cor. 15:20). Christ’s status as “head of the body, the church” extends the metaphor that Paul used elsewhere of the church as the body of Christ (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:12).

Finally in Colossians 1:19-20 the hymn stresses Christ as the “fullness of God.” In gnostic thought the term “fullness” was used to refer to the sum total of intermediary spirits that lay between humans and God. The Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, used this same Greek term to describe how God’s glory “filled” the earth (Ps. 72 (71):19; Isa. 6:3). Paul commandeered this term and applied it to Christ (v. 19; 2:9; see also Eph. 1:23; 4:19). Christ is the only and all-sufficient mediator between God and sinful humanity.¹² Furthermore, Christ’s reconciling and mediating work on the cross extends to all the universe, aiming to reconcile all of creation to fellowship with God (Col. 1:20).

Paul’s attempt to get the Colossians to reaffirm the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ over everything in the universe speaks powerfully today to Christians who are plagued by the same doubts as those shared by the Colossians. In the face of even the deepest spiritual needs, Jesus Christ is still our all-sufficient Savior, capable of redeeming us from the powers of darkness and preserving us from all forces that seek to separate us from God’s love.

^2.Peter O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 44 (Waco: Word Books, 1982), xxxiii-xxxviii.

^5.E. Plumacher, “STOICHEION,” Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 3, Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 277-278.

^6.O’Brien, Colossians, 132; F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Phileman, and to the Ephesians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984), 27.

^7.O’Brien, Colossians, 132; G. B. Caird, New Testament Theology, completed and edited by L. D. Hurst (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994), 102.

^8.Donald Guthrie, New Testament Theology (Downers Grove, IL; Inter Varsity Press, 1981), 352-353.

^12.Ibid.; O’Brien, Colossians, 51-52; D. S. Lin, “Fullness,” Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin, eds. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 320.

SOURCE: Biblical Illustrator; LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; Nashville, TN 37234; Summer 2000

Stephen G. Hatfield is pastor of Baring Cross Baptist Church, North Little Rock, Arkansas.

STUDY OF THE CHRONOLOGY of Paul’s life is a fascinating, yet perplexing process. One can easily get confused when trying to connect the sequence of events found in the book of Acts with the details found in the Apostle’s own letters. With so many details mentioned in connection with Paul’s life, one can easily understand why many well-meaning students of the Bible give up on being able to put all the pieces together. But persistent and careful study has its rewards. With an open Bible, a Bible dictionary, and an atlas in hand, one can begin to connect persons, places, and events that will open up new doors of understanding about God’s Word.

For example, consider the connections between two cities: Colossae and Laodicea. The city of Colossae is known because Paul wrote a letter to the Colossian church (the New Testament book of Colossians), while the city of Laodicea is singled out in the book of Revelation as one of the seven churches that received a special message from Christ (Rev. 3:14-22). These two cities have more in common than appearing in the pages of Scripture. A closer look reveals four connections that shed light on the beginnings of the Christian movement.

First, consider the biblical connections. Paul made reference to Laodicea several times in the Colossian letter. He assured both the Colossians and the Laodiceans that he labored on their behalf (Col. 2:1). The apostle commended his helper, Epaphras, who had worked among these two churches as well as in a church in the neighboring city of Hierapolis (4:13).¹ He sent greetings to the church in Laodicea and made reference to a woman, Nympha,² who hosted the church, or at least part of it, in her house (4:15). In the final occurrence, Paul requested that the two churches exchange the letters which he had sent to each of them (4:16).

Second, consider the geographical connections. These two cities, along with Hierapolis, were located in the Lycus River Valley (modern day Turkey). Colossae was situated on the southern bank of the river, while Laodicea, also on the south bank, lay approximately ten miles to the west. Hierapolis was located on the north side of the river, approximately twelve miles to the northwest of Colossae. The Lycus was a tributary of the Meander River, which emptied into the Aegean (Mediterranean) Sea near the site of ancient Miletus.

The geographical locale of Colossae and Laodicea made it possible for these cities to prosper. Goods could be transported worldwide from the port of Miletus on the Mediterranean Sea via the Lycus and Meander Rivers. A major trade route from Ephesus, which sat 100 miles to the west, all the way to Syria in the east, passed through the Lycus Valley. One geographical connection, however, was not so favorable: parts of the area suffered several earthquakes which heavily damaged both cities. According to the ancient historian, Tacitus (Annals, 14:27.1), Laodicea was destroyed by an earthquake around AD 60-61. Though not mentioned in this account, Colossae probably suffered heavy damage as well.

Third, the historical backgrounds of these cities reveal interesting connections. Both cities were originally Phrygian, but by Paul’s day had become part of the Roman province of Asia. Of the three Christian centers in the Lycus area, Colossae was the first to achieve city status. The Greek historian, Herodotus (History, 7.30) listed Colossae as a large Phrygian city during the reign of the Persian king, Xerxes (481 BC ). The historian, Xenophon (Anabasis 1.2.6 ) referred to Colossae as a large and prosperous city in the account of the march of Cyrus the Younger (401 BC ). Inscriptions and coins from the imperial period suggest that Colossae maintained its status as a city under Romans and prospered from its textile (wool) industry.³

The Seleucid ruler, Antiochus II (261-246 BC ), founded Laodicea, naming the city after his wife, Laodice. Once the Roman province of Asia was founded (190 BC ), the city grew in wealth and prominence. Because of its strategic location, the city served as a way station for supplies which Rome used in its conquest of Syria and Palestine.⁴ Under the Roman rule, Laodicea was able to develop its economic potential. The fertile soil of the Lycus Valley provided excellent grazing for sheep. As a result, the city became one of the largest producers of glossy black-dyed wool. The Laodiceans also developed a spice nard used in the treatment of eye ailments. The wealth generated from industry and trade allowed Laodicea to become widely known as a banking center. Their wealth also brought political prestige. The Romans made Laodicea the judicial seat for part of the province of Asia. This prosperity provided the background for the remarks addressed to the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:18: “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eyesalve to anoint your eyes, that you may see” (NASB).

History reveals that Colossae was not able to keep up with its neighboring city. After the earthquake, the city was never able to regain its prominence. The prosperous citizens of Laodicea, on the other hand, rebuilt their city without the aid of government assistance and continued to prosper. Yet, even before AD 60, Colossae perhaps was already on the decline. By the first century BC, Strabo, the Greek historian and geographer (Geography, 12.8.13), referred to Colossae as a small town, while describing Laodicea as a flourishing city (Geography, 12.8.16).

Fourth, consider the theological connections between the churches of these two cities. As seen above, churches existed in all three cities of the Lycus Valley (Col. 4:13). How did the churches in Colossae and Laodicea begin? They probably had their beginnings during Paul’s three year Asian ministry (Acts 19). Paul conducted this work from the city of Ephesus. Luke recorded that during this time people throughout all Asia heard the word of God (Acts 19:10). Though the apostle may not have evangelized the cities of the Lycus area himself (Col. 2:1), he considered them as part of his Gentile ministry. From the references in Colossians, apparently these converts were the fruit of the evangelistic efforts of a man named Epaphras (1:7). He was a Colossian and one of Paul’s co-workers who had nurtured all three churches of the Lycus area (1:7; 4:12-13). He brought news concerning their progress to Paul, who at the time of the writing of Colossians was a prisoner, probably in Rome. His visit with Paul prompted the writing of the letter to the Colossian church.

Epaphras made the journey to see Paul, to report on the progress of the gospel in the area, and to seek the apostle’s advise on how to handle a false teaching which had surfaced within the churches. Though the precise identification of this teaching cannot be determined, some have called it the Colossian heresy.⁵ From the Colossian letter one can identify several characteristics of the teaching. The heresy detracted from the person and work of Christ (1:15-19). It emphasized human philosophy (2:8) and incorporated the worship of angels (2:18). This false teaching sought to entice people by its superiority (2:21-23). One interesting aspect of the teaching was its use of Jewish elements (2:16). Though the churches of Colossae and Laodicea were predominately Gentile, they had Jewish members. According to the historian, Josephus (Antiquities, 12.3.4), the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus III (242-187 BC ), relocated 2000 Jewish families from Babylon to the Lycus Valley. In summary, the churches of the Lycus area, not just Colossae, faced a real threat to their faith. This threat was in the form of a teaching that incorporated Jewish legalism, Greek philosophy, and Oriental mysticism. The geographical connection between the two cities sheds light on the existence of such a heresy. The East-West trade route which passed through the valley allowed for the exchange of Christian, Jewish, and pagan ideas.

Another theological connection concerns the exchange of letters that Paul sent to each church: “And when this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea” (Col. 4:16, NASB).

How does one explain the absence of a letter to the Laodiceans in the New Testament? Scholars have sought to determine the contents of the “Laodicean letter” without success. One view asserts that the letter appears as the New Testament book of Ephesians⁶ while another identifies it as the letter to Philemon.⁷ Perhaps the best explanation is to view the letter as lost. Though its contents probably will never be known, its existence provides an important connection between the two cities. The philosophical ideas gaining ground in Colossae were probably alive in the other cities of the Lycus Valley as well. If a dangerous heresy appeared as a threat to the Colossian church, then it stands to reason that Paul wanted the neighboring Laodiceans to have access to his advice and counsel. The exchange of ideas was important for both churches.

In one sense then, the letter to the Colossians was actually a letter to the Laodiceans too. The churches of the Lycus Valley shared the same struggles. Their leaders faced similar challenges in winning their cities to Christ, in helping people stay true to their faith, and in discipling one another. They also shared the same hope. Paul wrote to both churches to remind them of the most important tie that bound them together: the Lord Jesus Christ. Bi

1. Hierapolis, mentioned only once in the New Testament (Col. 4:13), was known for its healing springs.

3. M. J. Mellick, “Colossae,” The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, 5 vols. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962), 1:658.

4. W. White, Jr., “Laodicea, Laodiceans,” The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 5 vols. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975), 3:877-78.

5. For discussion, see Peter T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 44 in World Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1982), xxx-xli.

6. A. T. Robertson, Paul and the Intellectuals: The Epistle to the Colossians (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1928), 208-209.

7. E. J. Goodspeed, Introduction to the New Testament (Chicago: University Press, 1937), 225-226.

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? Who stated the prophecy: “Look! The Lord comes with thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment on all? Answer next week!

The answer to last week’s trivia question: Which of the evangelists went with Paul on his first visit to Rome? Answer! Luke; 2 Tim. 4:11.

Study Theme: Christ The Center					What This Lesson Is About:
Week of:			Lesson Title:		This lesson is about what makes a church Christ-centered.
	Feb 5		Center of Everything
X	*Feb 12*		*Center of My Church*
	Feb 19		Center of My Belief
	Feb 26		Center of My Life


BACKGROUND PASSAGE:				Colossians 1:24–2:7
FOCAL PASSAGE:				Colossians 1:24–2:7
LIFE IMPACT:				This lesson can help you evaluate your church’s message and ministry and determine whys you can contribute to keeping Christ at the center of everything it does.
LESSON OUTLINE:				I. What Is Our Message? (Col. 1:24-27) II. Are We Growing Spiritually? (Col. 1:28–2:3) III. Are We Walking the Walk? (Col. 2:4-7)
OVERVIEW OF BACKGROUND PASSAGE:
Ministry for the Church Col 1:24-2:5 The second major part of the letter described Paul’s apostolic ministry for the church. Paul’s ministry task involved making known the mystery of God concerning Christ to the Gentiles in general (1:24-29) and to the churches of Colosse in particular (2:1-5). Paul’s service was to make known to Gentiles the “mystery” that God had kept hidden from the world but has now revealed to people like Paul (1:26). Paul worked to bring about the inclusion of the Gentiles into the church so he could “present everyone perfect in Christ” (1:28). Paul’s efforts on behalf of the Gentiles were intended to help them know the meaning of God’s “mystery” about Christ (2:2). By mystery Paul meant that God has now revealed something formerly concealed. The mystery is the fact that Gentiles are now made fellow members with Jewish Christians. Paul wanted to make sure the Colossians did not follow those who set forth Christ as merely an important visionary or religious leader. Christ is uniquely divine and preeminent. This is the foundation for true spirituality. The exhortation to live in him [Christ] is surrounded by themes that are clearly a response to the false teaching that threatened them (2:6-7). SOURCE: Holman Bible Handbook; General Editor David S. Dockery; Holman Bible Publishers; Nashville, Tennessee
INTRODUCTION:
This study focuses on both aspects of the church’s mission. The first outline point considers what we as believers should do when scattered in the world—proclaim the gospel. The second and third outline points consider what we as believers should do when gathered together—grow in the Lord spiritually and walk with Him consistently. All believers need to evaluate their church’s message and ministry to determine ways they can contribute to keeping Christ at the center of everything it does. The apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers provides us a model for exploring both aspects of the church’s mission.
I.		What Is Our Message? (Col. 1:24-27)
²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church. ²⁵ I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known, ²⁶ the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. ²⁷ God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

I. What Is Our Message? (Col. 1:24-27) Commentary

II. Are We Growing Spiritually? (Col. 1:28–2:3) Commentary

III. Are We Walking the Walk? (Col. 2:4-7) Commentary

DIGGING DEEPER: