Colossians 2:1-7

Last time we looked at Paul’s example to us in his suffering with rejoicing, the fulfilling of his God-given stewardship and his glorying in the mystery now revealed to us in Christ. We concluded that we need to proclaim Christ as Paul did, warning, stimulating, encouraging, teaching every man. We need to work hard, to strive and labour, in God’s strength which works within us.
As we go on in the letter of Colossians Paul speaks of his desires for the Colossian believers – what he would like to see in them as they grow in Christ. We also have the first explicit warning in verses 4. Paul has hinted at the temptations which the Colossian believers face in his prayers for them in chapter 1 and his examination of who Christ is and what He has accomplished. We will look more comprehensively at the warnings when we go through the rest of chapter 2. Now for the passage:

Colossians 2:1-7 [NASB]
1For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,
2that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,
3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.
5For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.
6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

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1For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,

Paul continues his use of the language of a spiritual ‘struggle’ from chapter 1:24, 29. The word for struggle is also rendered agony, conflict, contention, fight and race in the NT. These are common themes for Paul in his letters. He wanted them to know what he was going through as he supposed that it would affect them and spur them on to accomplish what he sets before them. Paul had concern for these believers, for those in the region beyond them in Laodicea and for those whom he had not yet met. His concerns were well founded as we see in the letter to the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:14-22. Interestingly this passage is very similar to Colossians 1, in that the introduction points to Christ being the beginning of the creation of God, and the close shows Him to be the One who overcame and is seated with the Father on His throne. This was obviously something which the believers needed to realize and hold on to if they were to face the opposition which was prevalent in this area.

Revelation 3 [NASB]
14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
…
21'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

So what was Paul struggling about?

2that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,

Paul’s concern was for their hearts. “Once the heart has been thoroughly won over and established in grace, the entire person has become the object of God’s marvelous transforming power” (Hendriksen on Colossians).

He is not wishing for them a simple happiness or merriment, but rather an encouragement which is more solid and steadfast than that as it is founded in love and full assurance of understanding. Later in the letter Paul will call love the “perfect bond of unity” (Col 3:14 NASB). Fellowship with believers was the means to comforting and encouraging each other, and this in love.

As Matthew Henry points out: “We may keep up a communion by faith, hope, and holy love, even with those churches and fellow-Christians of whom we have no personal knowledge, and with whom we have no conversation. We can think, and pray, and be concerned for one another, at the greatest distance; and those we never saw in the flesh we may hope to meet in heaven.”

Paul speaks of attaining all the wealth of understanding. In chapter 1 Paul prayed this for the Colossians.

Colossians 1 [NASB]
9For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Here in chapter 2 he gives the how of attaining. It is in the encouraged heart and in the united believers knit together in love. It is in full assurance of the Christian doctrines passed on to them through Paul and others. With these things there results a true knowledge of God’s mystery which Paul points out is Christ Himself, as in chapter 1:27 where it is “Christ in you, the hope of glory”.

There is a sense in which when we are encouraged and knitted together we have a knowledge of God’s mystery – Christ, but it could also be said that when we truly have Christ we will be encouraged and knitted together because in Christ these things are found.

3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

To attain to all the wealth that comes from a full assurance of understanding we need Christ, because in HIM are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We are, as Hendriksen puts it, “invited to ‘come, discover for yourselves’”.

4I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.

What a guard against going astray! In chapter 1 Paul establishes that Christ has “first place in everything” (Col 1:18 NASB), in creation, the church, redemption. Not only this, but He is the “hope of glory” (Col 1:27 NASB), He is “God’s mystery” (Col 2:2 NASB), AND in Him are “all the treasures of wisdom and understanding”.

He is what we are told in Proverbs 2 [NASB] to “make your ear attentive… incline your heart to…cry for… lift your voice for… seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures”.

Whatever persuasive arguments may come we can say as Peter did:

John 6 [NASB]
67So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?"
68Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.

5For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.

Even though he is not with them Paul seeks after their welfare by speaking with people from the church (e.g. Epaphras) and he says that in spirit he is with them. He carries their burdens to the Lord in prayer and rejoices with them in their triumphs.

Paul was concerned for these believers and this letter is full of warnings as we shall see in the rest of chapter 2. Still, in the midst of these very real dangers and concerns, Paul is able to look to the good which God is doing amongst them. In chapter 1:6 he says that the gospel is “constantly bearing fruit and increasing” in them. Here he commends their discipline and stability. They are conducting themselves in an orderly manner as Christians should. Their faith he calls stable, or firm. He has just spoken to them so that no one will lead them astray, yet he says they have a stability of faith in Christ. Note this stability and the faith are IN Christ. Every one should be looking to themselves to ensure that they are not deluded or led astray, even if they consider themselves firm in Christ.

This example of Paul shows us that we should look to the good work which God is doing in believer’s lives. There may be dangers, there may be causes for concern, yet we should still rejoice when we see growth and when we see any fruits being born.

So what is Paul’s commendation to them?

6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

There should be a progression. You have received Christ, so walk in Him, be rooted in Him, be established in Him, then you will overflow with gratitude. This is the gospel “constantly bearing fruit and increasing” (Col 1:6 NASB).

Christ is our professed Lord, so we need to make our walk conformable to this profession “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work” (Col 1:10 NASB).

We should be firmly rooted in Him.

John 15 [NASB]
4"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

As we abide in Him, He builds us up and allows us to bear much fruit. As we abide in Him we will be established in our faith. In Him are all our needs supplied.

This passage (v 6-7) seems to be Paul’s answer to what he prayed for the Colossian believers in Col 1:9-12 and the appropriate response called for in light of the riches in Christ he speaks of in Col 1:13-22.

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I pray that as we have worked through Colossians you are being encouraged in you hearts and in your faith and that we can be knit together in love as we fix our eyes on Christ who is our hope of glory. This book presents to us Christ in all His glory. May He grow us in our knowledge of Him.
God bless.