Overview; The Sufficient
Christ Changes Lives
Only the
sufficient Jesus Christ changes lives. Paul’s message is that the Jesus Christ
of reality, the Jesus Christ of the Scriptures, is the only Christ that
satisfies all of our needs. He is the only Christ that is sufficient for every
need that the human being has. Only the biblical Jesus Christ can deal with
every problem and difficulty in our lives, and the other christs/messiahs,
other philosophical ideas and other religions, are
found extremely wanting in comparison to a true understanding of the biblical
Christ. And so this fits his structure in this epistle. The first two chapters
are focusing on the superiority, the supremacy, the sufficiency of Jesus
Christ: who He is as the one in whom the fullness of deity dwells bodily and
that He is one with the eternal God, the creator of the universe.
So often we are
focusing on the distinctiveness of the person of the Godhead that we struggle
when it comes to the unity of the Trinity, the unity of the Godhead; and what
we say of one person of the Trinity is true of all the persons of the Trinity. They
are equally sovereign, equally love, equally just and righteous, equally
eternal, equally omniscient, etc. They are, then, identical in their essence
and what is true of one is true of the others.
When we talk about the Father as creator the Son also is creator, the
Holy Spirit is creator. They had distinct roles but we can also speak of them
as being part and parcel of what the other members did because of the unity
concept within the Trinity. It is on the foundation of the eternality of Jesus
Christ and the one who is the creator, preserver and sustainer
of the universe that Paul is going to build his understanding of who Jesus
Christ is. In the second chapter we focus then on what He did in terms of our
reconciliation to God and the forgiveness and the wiping out and eradication of
sin and of the sin penalty at the cross. And if we don’t understand who Jesus
is in chapter one we can’t really comprehend the depth
and breadth of what Jesus did on the cross in chapter two. If we don’t
understand those two we can’t really get to the bottom line application in
chapter three.
If you asked the
apostle Paul to explain something, before he would start in the throne room of
God. And he would make sure that you understood that the grain that made the
flour that was necessary for the bun, and the cow that provided the meat that
was ground up to be the burger patty, were all created by God. So for
Christians the thought about the bun and the burger is not the same as the
pagan. It is a different burger for the Christian than it is for the pagan. For
the pagan it is a product of time plus chance, it just happened to be that way.
But for the Christian it is by God’s specific, directive, sovereign plan; He is
the creator and the provider of everything that is there. Only then, after we
made sure we understood that, would Paul then talk about how you process the
beef, how you cook the beef, and how you bake the bun and put it all together. Most
of us want to forget what would be called the theoretical thought, which is how
philosophy categorizes that—the abstract ideas. We just want to get down to the
nuts and bolts and that is because we are American pragmatists—the word Paul
uses for that is “worldly.” We want to leap to the application without
understanding the why and the wherefores that lie behind the application. There
is another word for that; it is called “legalism.” Legalism says go do these
ten things and you’ll be fine, but the Scripture says it is not just the
external observance of things that makes us spiritual, gives us a relationship
with God and allows us to grow spiritually. We do the things that we are
supposed to do because the internal thinking has changed. We don’t want to be
like the Pharisees and just be whitewashed tombstones with dead stuff inside,
we need to change from the inside first and then that changes what we do on the
outside. But we also don’t have much patience with that. That is part of the
thinking of our world as opposed to the thinking of the Greeks or the Romans at
the time of Christ, and so we want to hurry up and get past the theoretical and
get to the nuts and bolts so that we can figure out how to live our lives. We
don’t realize that to live our lives in service to God demands that we first
change the way we think. That is what Paul says in Romans 12:1, 2. We are not
to be conformed to the world, the spirit of the age, but we are to be
transformed by the renewing of our minds. It is our thinking that is at the
core of our living.
The first two
chapters of Colossians are going to focus on the supremacy, the superiority and
the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. We learn who He is in the first chapter and we
learn what He did for us in the second chapter, and why that is then superior
to this false teaching that was being popularized in Colosse.
It is contrary to the legalism that has come out of Judaizers,
it is contrary to the mysticism that comes out of the culture, and it is also
contrary to the asceticism that is part of that false religion as well. Having
established that, then Paul goes into the second part of the epistle in chapter
three where he talks about the fact that because Jesus is the sufficient,
superior, supreme Lord of the universe we must submit to His authority. We must
live a certain way. This is not some abstract doctrine,
it changes the way we think and the way we live. It is at that point that we
begin to see a series of imperatives, commands that are directed toward our
volition, addressing believers that we should think,
live or act a certain way.
The first
imperative that we find is in
In terms of
looking at a person’s life there is person A who doesn’t lie, doesn’t cheat, is
very moral, and there is person B who doesn’t lie, doesn’t cheat and is very
moral. One is doing it superficially (legalism); the other person is doing it
out of an understanding of grace and biblical truth. Externally they might look
the same but internally there is the difference between a person who is a
vibrant, active believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and the other person who is
just a dead man trying to look like he is alive, and he doesn’t produce
anything of spiritual value.
Going back and
looking at the first half of the book we will pick some of the key things. In
the first two verses we have the typical salutation from the apostle Paul where
he identifies himself, says that he is accompanied by Timothy, and that he is
addressing the believers in Christ who are in Colosse.
He says, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” Even though this is a
typical salutation from the apostle Paul, when we look at this through the eyes
of the Colossians who are being influenced by this heresy, who think of the Old
Testament God as this God who is way, way, way out there, and that there is
this series of emanations that have come forth from Him—the Old Testament God,
Jesus, angels, prophets, the whole chain of being that is there and you really
never know this God of gods—this just has a nuance to it that explodes that
whole viewpoint. Because what Paul is saying is that it is God who directly
gives us grace and peace. There is no ladder of emanations in between us and
God. So he has these little statements like that that take on a different
significance in this epistle in light of the thinking of those to whom he is
writing.
Then in vv. 3-14
he focuses on prayer: what Paul is praying for and his thankfulness to God for
what had been provided in the Colossians and their spiritual life, and then in
9-14 what he is specifically praying for in terms of these Colossian believers
and their spiritual life. What we see in vv. 3-8 is a focus on thankfulness for
something that is future. Colossians 1:3 NASB
“We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for
you.” “By praying” is an instrumental participle, “by praying always for you.” Then
the next verse is an explanation of the constant prayer for them. Verse 5
starts NASB “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven,” and
that completes the thought and explains the caused of his gratitude. The main
clause reads, “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
because of the hope which is laid up for you.” He has a future orientation
here. He talks about their present faith, the application of that faith in
their relationships in terms of their love for one another and that this is
oriented towards a future destiny which is the hope that has been laid up for
them in heaven. So we see that Paul’s famous triad is evident in these verses:
faith, hope, and love. But it is the hope that is future that is the cause of
his thankfulness.
We will see also
in this paragraph that this faith hope and love is based upon truth. Twice we
have this emphasis on truth. That also would resonate against the thinking of
those who hold to this false teaching in Colosse.
They have this hope because of the word of truth of the gospel. In verse 6 he
says that they are thankful because the gospel has brought forth fruit among
them “since the day you heard {of it} and understood the grace of God in
truth.” So we have this emphasis on truth in various places, and again we have
mention of bringing forth fruit, v. 6, and being fruitful is mentioned is v.
10, and several other times in the epistle. So a major focus for Paul is understanding that our salvation and the fullness of the
gospel (in the biblical, not the charismatic sense) impacts every area of life
and then produces spiritual growth and spiritual productivity.
In vv. 9-14 we see
Paul’s specific petition on behalf of the Colossians, and the focus of his
prayer is that believers can be filled with knowledge so that they may live
worthy of the Lord. He wants them to be filled with knowledge toward an end.
His purpose is that we can walk or live (walking is always a metaphor for
living) in a manner that is worthy of the Lord. In light of all that He is and
all that He has done for us, then in gratitude we should live in a manner
worthy of Him. He states in v. 9 that he is praying for them and his purpose is
stated in v. 10, “that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.”
That end game walk
is defined by four participles. These participles are best understood as
instrumental of means. How do we walk worthy? We walk worthy by a) “being
fruitful in every good work; b) “increasing in the knowledge of God.” How do we
increase in the knowledge of God? By studying His Word and making that a
priority in our life so that nothing that we do is more important than our
understanding of who God is and what He has done for us and our understanding
of His Word; c) by being “strengthened with all power,” and that relates to the
Holy Spirit, a similar phrase to Ephesians 6:10-12 relating to the fact that
God is the one who strengthens us in the angelic conflict and spiritual
warfare; d) giving thanks. So gratitude is an essential part
of our worthy walk with the Lord.
But that gratitude
then is related to four reasons. We give thanks to the Father, first of all,
because He “qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” This
is going to bring us into the whole doctrine of judgments and rewards. Second,
because “He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and” third, “transferred us
to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” The kingdom hasn’t been established yet, so
this is generally understood as a proleptic view of the kingdom, i.e. this is
our destiny. That fits within the context because he is talking about
inheritance which is future; he talks about hope which is future, so the
kingdom also is future. Hope is our position in the kingdom where we receive
our inheritance. Fourth, “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Redemption
is a price that pays off a debt. What we will see is that these two ideas of
redemption and forgiveness are further expanded when we get into the second
chapter, specifically in vv. 13-15 and that the forgiveness of sins has to do
with the eradication of the certificate of debt that was against us and that we
have objective forgiveness of the sin penalty which took place at the cross.
Then having
focused on his prayer Paul transitions in verse 15 to the next major division
of this first section the epistle. From v. 15 through 2:7 we learn that only
the true Christ is sufficient because He is superior to all, He is sovereign
over creation. We learn first of all in v. 15 that He is the image of the
invisible God. That mean He is an exact replication of the invisible God the
Father, who has not been seen but we know Him only through Jesus, according to
John 1. Second, Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. We think of firstborn
as first in order but firstborn in Greek has the idea of eminence, position,
not order. So He is the pre-eminent one who is over all creation. Third, we
learn that He is the creator: “by Him all things were created, {both} in the
heavens and on earth.” He is involved directly in creation but in terms of the
unity of the Godhead He is just as much creator as the Father or the Holy
Spirit; “visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities.” That includes the material as well as the immaterial. Why is that
important? Because of the dualism in this Colossian heresy that draws a
distinction between matter and that which is spirit: that that
which is matter is somehow tainted by sin and finitude and is not as
significant as that which is spiritual. So what Paul is emphasizing here
is that God is equally the creator of all that is immaterial as well as all
that is material, all that is spirit as well as all that is physical, and you
cannot draw this distinction saying that one is superior to the other. Fourth,
we learn in v. 17 that He is the one who sustains and maintains the universe: “He
is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Man can’t mess it
up. We can mess up a few little things, a river here and this and that; but we
can’t do what the global warming people think we can do, because Jesus Christ
is in control and He has built internal scrubbers into the warp and woof of
physical reality so that man cannot destroy himself. He will come close to it
but that is all under the sovereign control of God and we just have to wait for
the Tribulation before it really gets bad. Fifth, v. 18, “He is also head of
the body,” and head as we will learn does not have to do with source (e.g.
source of a river). The Greek is never used that way. Head has to do with
authority, with the person who is in charge. Jesus is the authority of the
body, i.e. the body of Christ, the church. “He is the beginning, the firstborn
(in relationship to the resurrection) from the dead, so that He Himself will
come to have first place in everything.”
Then that is
related to reconciliation, v. 20 “and through Him to reconcile all things to
Himself” in reference to not only Jesus but to the entire Trinity, “having made
peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, {I say,} whether things on
earth or things in heaven.” Once again, it includes both the
physical and the spiritual, the material and the immaterial. This is a direct
attack on the teaching of the proto-gnostics, the
teaching of the heresy in Colosse. Then in v. 21 “And
although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, {engaged} in evil
deeds, [22] yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body” – material, it
wasn’t just some apparent ghost that appeared on the cross, which was the
teaching of Docetism.
In v. 24 he goes
on to say that because of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done He is now a
minister to all. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh
I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is
lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” Once again he is dealing with the contrast
between the flesh and the spirit, the material and the immaterial, the physical
and the spiritual. He is talking about the sufficiency of Christ in our
day-to-day physical existence. On the basis of that [25] “Of {this church} I
was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for
your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the {preaching of} the word of
God, [26] {that is,} the mystery which has been hidden from the {past} ages and
generations, but has now been manifested to His saints.” This is not the
mystery of the Gnostics which was only for the spiritual elite but a new
revelation, i.e. the New Testament, which has been revealed to the saints. It
is for all the saints. [27] “to whom God willed to make
known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which
is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Colossians
Starting
in chapter two he talks about the fact that there is complete knowledge in
Christ. Verse 2, “…to
all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding,” it is
available to every believer, “{resulting} in a true knowledge of God’s mystery,
{that is,} Christ {Himself}” – both of the Father and of Christ. [3] “in whom
are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” If you want to have real
wisdom and knowledge, it is not in esoteric philosophy, not in New Age
thinking; it is in the knowledge of the Scriptures and in Jesus Christ, and
that is available to every believer.
Verse 6,
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, {so} walk in Him,” an
imperative; “beware,” v. 8 is an imperative; v. 16, Let no one judge you; v.18,
“Let no one cheat you.” Those are the four imperatives in chapter two. How did
we receive Christ? By faith. We walk by faith and not
by sight, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7. That doesn’t mean that walking by
faith doesn’t include certain procedures that are relevant and important to the
Christian life. We are to confess our sins, we are to pray, we are to witness,
we are to read the Scriptures, we are to study, and we are to worship. All of
those are things are part of our walk in faith, we
don’t say well I am believing God will forgive me of my sin and then never
think about it again. That means [7] having been firmly rooted {and now} being
built up in Him and established in your faith [the body of doctrine], just as
you were instructed, {and} overflowing with gratitude.”
Then we are warned
against philosophy. Colossians 2:8 NASB “See to it that no
one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception…” And then the
explanation, [9] For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
[10] and in Him you have been made complete [positionally]…”
He goes on to refute legalism, mysticism and asceticism. Legalism is refuted in
vv. 11-15 because on the cross Jesus Christ wiped out the certificate of debt
against us. We have forgiveness because of what Christ did for us. That’s legal
forgiveness. The penalty of sin is forgiven and wiped out, so the issue for the
unbeliever isn’t sin, it is Christ. His sin has been paid for.
On the basis of
this, [16] “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink
or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--; [18] Let no one
keep defrauding you of your prize [reward],” again focusing on the future. If
you are living on the basis of a pseudo-Christ and the pseudo spiritual life
you’ll end up with nothing at the judgment seat of Christ and you’ll enter
heaven as through fire, and there will be shame at the judgment seat of Christ.
In vv. 18, 19 he
refutes the mystical idea of focusing on angels and things which we have not
seen, i.e. the whole emanation ladder of emanations from God. And in vv. 22, 23
he refutes the asceticism which is the focus on just giving up externals
because somehow in the giving up of things one becomes spiritual.
All of that is the
doctrinal foundation for understanding the imperatives of chapter three. Chapter three shifts to the fact that because Jesus Christ is
sufficient, superior and sovereign we are to live a certain way. We are
to submit to His authority because He is the head of the church. In v. 1 we are
to focus on the things above. We are to have the priorities that God has and
not the priorities that our friends and neighbors
have. Second, we are to set our minds on the things above, i.e. on eternal
truth and not on relative truth. Third, we are to put to death the members on
earth. This is a term related to Paul’s discussion on sanctification in Romans
chapter six, that when we trust in Christ we are identified with His death,
burial and resurrection, and therefore at that point we are positionally
free from the power of sin in our life. So we are to “reckon ourselves dead to
sin.” We do this by putting off sin, i.e. stop doing it. He emphasizes putting off in verse 8 and
putting on, i.e. the character qualities that should characterize us.
Then there are
two present active imperatives in vv. 15, 16 and dictating that they should
characterize our life all the time. Colossians
Then it has
application in the Christian home. All of these are present
active imperatives, which indicates that they should be a continuous
characteristic in our life.
Colossians
Then
in chapter four, “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing
that you too have a Master in heaven.” Implication: you will be held accountable for how you
take care of your employees. In verse 2 is a return to the emphasis on prayer,
“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with {an attitude of}
thanksgiving.”
We are to walk in wisdom, and that is
the last commend in reference to the spiritual life. Colossians 4:5 NASB “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of
the opportunity.” Time management is a reflection of your ability to walk in
wisdom.
The conclusion to the epistle is in vv. 7-18 where Paul gives various greetings and short messages in relation to those who are with him to those who are in Colosse because they know one another.