Colossians 1
Paul is writing to Colossae, a province in Asia Minor, a province that was born from his evangelism efforts during his stint in Ephesus, where he spent 3 years. At the time this letter is written, He is held under house arrest in Rome, awaiting his trial with Caesar, to defend himself from the accusations of the Jews from Jerusalem that plot to kill him.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Colossae is located in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. The neighbors of Laodicea. Paul evangelism efforts in Ephesus in Acts 19 reached out to them as well.
Acts 19:10 | This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,
5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, They, Colossians, have love for the saints, they can do so because of the hope that is laid up for them in heaven
Saints : Hagios ( greek ) | set apart by (or for) God https://biblehub.com/greek/hagious_40.htm
The Greek word for saint, Hagios, simply means "one who is set apart by God." It does not refer to a special title or position granted only to a select, vetted group of individuals, as seen in Catholic tradition. Instead, all who are in Christ are called Hagios, set apart by Him for His purpose.
The proof that they have truly heard and embraced the word of truth is evident in their love for fellow Hagios. This love is not self-generated but is driven and sustained by the hope of eternity stored up for them in heaven.
6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,
7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf Just as others in the world have heard and borne fruit of love, the Colossians too, have heard and bear the same fruit in love.
This bearing of fruit began on the very moment they heard and understood the grace of God, which is the hope stored up for them in heaven.
The bearing of the Fruit of love for the Saints is modeled for the Colossians through EPAPHRAS, a faithful minister of Christ.
8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
It is Epaphras who informed Paul and his team about the fruit of love that the Colossians are bearing, a testimony of their faith in action.
From the day Paul heard of their love, even while imprisoned in Rome, he was filled with the same love for his Colossian brethren, continually praying that they be filled with the knowledge of God’s will and divine wisdom
10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Paul’s motive is simple: arming them with the knowledge of God’s will and divine wisdom, he wants the Colossians to be able to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him.
A walk worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him is one that: Bears fruit in love in every good work, reflecting His character. Grows in the knowledge of Him through His Word
As they walk in this way, they will be strengthened with His mighty power—a power that flows from His glory, and even more importantly, from understanding the depth of His glory.
This glory was revealed on the cross, where He conquered death and overcame the world. The more we grow in the knowledge of His glory > the greater our hope > the more fruitful our works > the stronger we become in His power > the more we endure with patience and joy.
Strengthened by His glory, they can endure tribulations with patience and joy. And more than that—even in the midst of trials, they can give thanks to the Father, who has qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints—eternal life.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Paul is reminding them again that redemption comes from the Son, the forgiveness of sin comes from the son. Without the son, all of us will still be in the domain of darkness.
The Preeminence of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Christ is the firstborn of all creation, brought forth by God the Father even before the creations were made.
God the Father—the Ancient of Days—created all things after Christ, through Him, and for Him.
If all things came into being through Him and exist for His purpose, then everything was designed with Him as the blueprint, the inspiration, and the very reason for its existence.
This is why the longing to return to God is woven into our very being—because we were brought forth through Him. A part of Him is imprinted in us, for we were made in Christ’s image (Genesis 1:27).
Christ existed before all creation and holds the highest rank above it. All things exist because of Christ, He is their purpose and in him, they are held together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
He is also made to be the highest in body of the Ekklesia. He is the beginning, the alpha, the first to die on the cross, thus the firstborn of the new covenant.
Church : ekklésia ( Greek ) In the New Testament, "ekklēsia" primarily refers to a gathering or assembly of people, often used to denote the community of believers in Jesus Christ.
Preeminent : próteuó ( Greek ) : To have the first place He is called to be próteuó in EVERYTHING. In Heaven, on earth, and of Ekklesia.
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
The full Spirit of God the Father dwells in Him—He who is without sin. God the Father is pleased to dwell in Him and has been in Him since the moment He brought Him forth, before all creation.
Christ, the Firstborn—the próteuó—the One in whom the fullness of God dwells. Through Him, God the Father reconciles all things, making peace by the blood that was shed.
Leviticus 17:11 | For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins
The One through whom and for whom all things were created has reconciled all things to Himself through His blood.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
The recipients of the letter, the Colossians, who were once alienated from God the Father, have now been reconciled to Him through Christ’s sacrifice.
Through His sacrifice, they are presented holy, blameless, and above reproach before God the Father.
Romans 4:7-8 | Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.
23 If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
IF INDEED : ei gheh ( Greek ) A primary particle of conditionality
They can only be presented holy, blameless, and above reproach on a primary condition....if they,
Continue in : epimenó ( greek ) | To remain, to persist, to stay https://biblehub.com/greek/1961.htm
Stable : themelioó | To lay a foundation, to establish, to ground https://biblehub.com/greek/2311.htm
Steadfast : hedraios | firm, immovable https://biblehub.com/greek/1476.htm
Not Shifting : metakineó | Not move away, Not dislodge https://biblehub.com/greek/3334.htm
They can only be holy and blameless if they remain grounded, not moving away from the faith and hope that comes through the blood and death of His cross.
The death on the cross was a proclamation from God the Father to all creation under heaven—a declaration of His love and redemption. John 3:16 is the gospel in which Paul became a minister.
John 3:16 | "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Paul's Ministry to the Church
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
Paul, having just written about strength, endurance, patience, and joy, is himself being strengthened by the same power as he rejoices in his sufferings for their sake.
Paul, imprisoned in Rome and awaiting trial before Caesar, writes this letter from captivity. He assures the Colossians—that his imprisonment and afflictions is for the sake of the body of Christ.
The Jews seek his life for proclaiming that the God of their forefathers is also the God of the Gentiles. The idolatrous priests and witch doctors seek his life for drawing their flock away, threatening their livelihood. And Satan himself seeks his life, for Paul is reaping a harvest from his dominion.
My flesh is filling up what is lacking…. Paul is not claiming to be strong or important that he carries the afflictions that Christ lacked—for Christ lacked nothing. No servant is greater than the master. Rather, Paul speaks of the ministerial sufferings he endures because he represents Christ.
John 15:18 | If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
John 15:20 | Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
Luke 10:16 | The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Jesus, the Preeminent One, having completed the work and paid the debt in full, has entrusted Paul with the sacred duty of proclaiming His victory to the Gentiles—a divine stewardship given directly by God.
Ephesians 3:8 | To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.
Galatians 2:7-9 | On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles)
The afflictions and suffering Paul endures for the salvation of the Gentiles are the very burdens of stewardship that Christ placed upon him. In this, Christ Himself suffers for the sake of His body—through Paul as His vessel.
Paul, consistent with his messages in his other letters, is modelling the suffering of Christ for the sake of the world through his own for the sake of the Colossians.
Philippians 1:29 | For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake
2 corinthians 1:5 | For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
Romans 8:16-17 | The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.
Paul suffers for the Gentiles because he is entrusted to proclaim God’s Word to them— the mystery once hidden but now revealed to Him and the saints.
2 Corinthians 11:24 | Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
If one endures such toil and suffering to proclaim a hidden mystery, with no worldly gain, plenty of rejection, and to still press on, surely it holds immense importance and weight.
What is the mysterious and hidden Word of God that Paul is called to make fully known—the Word that God has entrusted to him as a steward to pass down to the Colossians and the Gentiles?
It's scattered all over the old testament, God's true intentions. Once a mystery to the scribes and wise man, now finally revealed to the saints.
Genesis 26:4 | I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring ALL THE NATIONS of the earth shall be blessed.
Offspring (Singular): zera (Hebrew) | Seed, offspring
All the nations (Everyone) : gowy (Hebrew) | Nation, people, Gentile
The Hebrew word "goy" primarily refers to a nation or a group of people. In the Old Testament, it is often used to describe non-Israelite nations, commonly referred to as "Gentiles." However, it can also refer to the nation of Israel itself.
The multiplication comes from the ONE, starts from the ONE. And the blessings will be given to ALL THE NATIONS beginning through the ONE.
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
This mystery that has been revealed to the Saints, did not happen by accident. Like Paul, God chose them, and entrusted them to make it known to the Gentiles.
John 15:16 | You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit
God chose and entrusted them to make known to the gentiles, the mystery of the truth, that they are also the partakers of the blessings and inheritance through the blood spill by Christ.
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
All the riches of glory awaiting the Gentiles are found in Him alone—the Preeminent One, the Firstborn of all creation. That is the one and only that Paul proclaims.
Him we proclaim | The saints are called to proclaim Him, as the hope of glory for the Gentiles. To proclaim that in Him, the gentiles can partake in His inheritance of eternal life.
Warning and teaching everyone | The saints are called, with all wisdom, to proclaim Christ—the Preeminent One, through whom and for whom all things exist. They must teach believers to stand firm in faith, unwavering and steadfast, and warn them against drifting from the true hope to anything less than the truth.
John 14:6 | I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
That We may present everyone mature | When the saints stand before their Lord, they will present those entrusted to them as fully matured in Christ. They will have lived out the parable of the talents, faithful with what was given, and will hear their Master’s voice: "Well done, good and faithful servant.
29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. To hear this words from his master, Paul toils, knowing his toil is not in vain.
He presses on with all the energy of Christ, the passion of Christ, the desire of Christ, the contending of Christ, the love of Christ that works within him as the chosen vessel.
It is not Paul's burden but Christ’s. It is not Paul's strength but Christ’s.