Colossians 3 [NASB]
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
This passage instructs Christians to ‘put on’ the new virtues fitting their position in Christ. We must not only cease to do the evil things we once did, but “we must learn to do well; not only not to hurt any, but to do what good we can to all”(Matthew Henry).
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
Because God has chosen us, He has made us holy in His sight. We are holy- ‘set apart’ for the Lord and for His work and have been cleansed from all unrighteousness. With this in view, we are therefore beloved of God. What was true of God’s chosen people, Israel, can now be said of the believers in Colossae, and all those who are chosen of God. Paul therefore exhorts the believers to put on the following virtues:
Compassion – love for and mercy towards one another. Kindness – “Spirit imparted goodness of heart” (William Hendriksen). Humility – lowliness, having a correct estimate of oneself. Gentleness – a meekness of spirit, “the submissiveness under provocation, the willingness rather to suffer injury than to inflict it” (William Hendriksen). Patience – long-suffering in the face of adversity.
Luke 6 [NASB]
35"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
36"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Galations 5 [NASB]
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Matthew 11 [NASB]
29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
All of these virtues are characteristics of God which He displays to us in the work and person of Christ.
Romans 13 [NASB]
14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ...
If He has dealt with us in this way, so should we deal with those around us. Paul continues with further instructions:
13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
We need to (in the exercise of these virtues) bear with the short-comings of those around us, remembering that they are called to bear with our deficiencies. As not yet perfected and glorified there are many areas we fall short in, and so we need to be ready and willing to endure one another. When a brother sins against us we need to be ready to forgive them. This command of Paul is strikingly similar to the Lord’s Prayer.
Matthew 6 [NASB]
12'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors...
14"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15"But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
We are called to forgive, because the Lord has already forgiven us our sins which are far weightier than any grievances we may have between ourselves. For more on this see the parable of the ungrateful slave of Matthew 18:21-35.
14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Jesus taught love for one another as the fulfilment of the second table of the Law. The love for our fellow believers which Paul speaks of here is the perfect bond of unity. Bruce interprets this as “the grace that binds all these other graces together”. Henriksen comments “love then is the bond of perfection in the sense that it is that which unites believers, causing them to move forward toward the goal of perfection”.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Knowing who Christ is and what He has accomplished for us, we must therefore let His peace rule - govern or direct us. As Matthew Henry points out “We are called to this peace, to peace with God as our privilege and peace with our brethren as our duty”. There is both a peace which we have before our Redeemer and Judge, and also a peace which governs our relationships with one another. If Christ’s peace rules our hearts, we will be enabled to bear with one another and forgive one another, because we are resting in the knowledge of Christ’s forgiveness for our sins. John Wesley points out that the cause and effect of this passage could also be reversed: “And then the peace of God shall rule in your hearts -Shall sway every temper, affection, thought, as the reward (so the Greek word implies) of your preceding love and obedience”. Either way we can apply this test to great advantage: “let the individual, therefore, constantly ask himself, “Will I have peace within if I do this or do that?” Let him be sure to be at peace with God, for only then can he expect to live in true harmony with his brothers” (William Hendriksen). A body made up of many members must be at peace with itself, must exhibit spiritual oneness.
Paul adds that we are to be thankful. This theme runs through the epistle (1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 16, 17; 4:2). As we are thankful for what Christ has achieved we are enabled and empowered to do these things Paul is calling us to.
16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The peace of Christ can only rule in our hearts when the word of Christ is richly dwelling within us. This word should richly dwell - take residence, “be always ready and at hand to us in everything, and have its due influence and use” (Matthew Henry), bear much fruit. It should be read, believed, dwelt upon, it should be hidden in the hearts of the believers. For an example of right appreciation of the word see Psalm 119. As a result of this indwelling of the word we can with all wisdom teach and admonish one another. To admonish is to warn, stimulate, and encourage. We must do this in accordance with the rights and duties of our particular office, but note that all Christians are called to teach and admonish in some aspect even if they are not apostles as Paul was or teachers. One of the means of this teaching and admonishing in wisdom is the singing of God-glorifying songs. Let us not look down on this practice as less spiritual or necessary than other more “noble” pursuits. Spiritual songs “fix the interest upon the indwelling word of Christ and carry the attention away from the worldly cacophony” (William Hendriksen).
17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Paul gives us an overarching command to close this section. ‘In the name of’ refers to “in harmony with His revealed will, in subjection to His authority, in dependence on His power” (William Hendriksen). As Hendriksen gave a test for a decision based on the peace of Christ in verse 15, so F.F. Bruce gives the following: “When faced with a situation, the believer may well ask “Can I do this ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’ whose reputation is at stake in the conduct of His known followers? Can I thank God the Father through Him for the opportunity of doing this thing?”” We can offer our thanks to God through Him because Christ has atoned for our sins, and now lives as our intermediary. Paul ends this section by pointing us back to the one and only, all-sufficient Saviour, Christ Jesus.
These are but a few short thoughts on a huge section of Scripture, I pray that they may spur you on to put these verses into practice. God bless, Taliah.
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
28 October 2010
22 August 2010
The Preeminence of Christ
Over a year ago I heard a sermon on Colossians 1:15-19 that has come back to my memory many times since then. As I have been considering the insights I gleaned from this sermon, I thought I would share some of my notes and thoughts.
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:15-19
Matthew Henry adds:
"Christ in His human nature, is the visible discovery of the invisible God, and he that hath seen Him hath seen the Father. Let us adore these mysteries in humble faith, and behold the glory of the Lord in Christ Jesus. He was born or begotten before all the creation, before any creature was made; which is the Scripture way of representing eternity, and by which the eternity of God is represented to us. All things being created by Him, were created for him; being made by his power, they were made according to his pleasure, and for his praise and glory. He not only created them all at first, but it is by the word of his power that they are upheld. Christ as Mediator is the Head of the body, the church; all grace and strength are from him; and the church is his body. All fullness dwells in him; a fullness of merit and righteousness, of strength and grace for us. God showed his justice in requiring full satisfaction."
From this we are reminded that Jesus is preeminent in all things and His preeminence is past, present, and future. Jesus is the Creator of all things and the sustainer of all things.
It is worth noting that Jesus never went more than 100 miles from His birthplace of Nazareth, yet nearly 2 billion people describe themselves as followers of Christ! As Christians, we agree that Christ is preeminent, but do our lives show that Christ is preeminent? What does it mean for Christ to truly be preeminent in our lives? Luke 6:46-49 provides the answer to this question:
"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:46-49
We often assume that the man building his house on the sand is not a Christian, but actually, Jesus is talking about people like us. In order to build our lives on the preeminence of Jesus Christ, we must first come to Him. So often, we come to Jesus on our way to something else. We use Him as a ticket to something else. We come to Jesus with our eyes fixed on what He's going to do for us.
Jesus says, "Come to me." Saving faith is faith in Jesus. We often make His teaching more about what we can do "for Him", not what He has done for us. The rock of our faith is the person of Jesus Christ. Everything we do should be an expression of what Jesus has done for us.
Next, as we endeavor to make Christ preeminent in our lives, we must hear His words. Jesus is speaking to us, but are we hearing Him?
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away."
Our doctrine should be made up of truths from the Bible. Studying Jesus' words and understanding what they mean involves effort. This is so challenging to me because I often struggle with going through my entire morning devotions without even really taking the time to think deeply about what I am reading!
"If you want to feel deeply, you need to think deeply." - CJ Mahaney
"A lot of us want an experiential, deep feeling, but feeling built on feeling is empty. Emotion and feeling need to be built on something solid and unchanging. Dig your way to the truth and then the emotions will come. You will be founded on the unchanging truth of who He is." -Joshua Harris
The third step is to put His truth into practice.
"You can know 'Christianity' backwards and forwards, but if you don't put it into practice, it is nothing. Christian doctrine is for living." - Joshua Harris
"It is not enough to have your life in close proximity to the rock. When Jesus is preeminent, He pushes other things aside. His demand on us is the greatest expression of His love for us." - Joshua Harris
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:15-19
Matthew Henry adds:
"Christ in His human nature, is the visible discovery of the invisible God, and he that hath seen Him hath seen the Father. Let us adore these mysteries in humble faith, and behold the glory of the Lord in Christ Jesus. He was born or begotten before all the creation, before any creature was made; which is the Scripture way of representing eternity, and by which the eternity of God is represented to us. All things being created by Him, were created for him; being made by his power, they were made according to his pleasure, and for his praise and glory. He not only created them all at first, but it is by the word of his power that they are upheld. Christ as Mediator is the Head of the body, the church; all grace and strength are from him; and the church is his body. All fullness dwells in him; a fullness of merit and righteousness, of strength and grace for us. God showed his justice in requiring full satisfaction."
From this we are reminded that Jesus is preeminent in all things and His preeminence is past, present, and future. Jesus is the Creator of all things and the sustainer of all things.
It is worth noting that Jesus never went more than 100 miles from His birthplace of Nazareth, yet nearly 2 billion people describe themselves as followers of Christ! As Christians, we agree that Christ is preeminent, but do our lives show that Christ is preeminent? What does it mean for Christ to truly be preeminent in our lives? Luke 6:46-49 provides the answer to this question:
"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:46-49
We often assume that the man building his house on the sand is not a Christian, but actually, Jesus is talking about people like us. In order to build our lives on the preeminence of Jesus Christ, we must first come to Him. So often, we come to Jesus on our way to something else. We use Him as a ticket to something else. We come to Jesus with our eyes fixed on what He's going to do for us.
Jesus says, "Come to me." Saving faith is faith in Jesus. We often make His teaching more about what we can do "for Him", not what He has done for us. The rock of our faith is the person of Jesus Christ. Everything we do should be an expression of what Jesus has done for us.
Next, as we endeavor to make Christ preeminent in our lives, we must hear His words. Jesus is speaking to us, but are we hearing Him?
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away."
Our doctrine should be made up of truths from the Bible. Studying Jesus' words and understanding what they mean involves effort. This is so challenging to me because I often struggle with going through my entire morning devotions without even really taking the time to think deeply about what I am reading!
"If you want to feel deeply, you need to think deeply." - CJ Mahaney
"A lot of us want an experiential, deep feeling, but feeling built on feeling is empty. Emotion and feeling need to be built on something solid and unchanging. Dig your way to the truth and then the emotions will come. You will be founded on the unchanging truth of who He is." -Joshua Harris
The third step is to put His truth into practice.
"You can know 'Christianity' backwards and forwards, but if you don't put it into practice, it is nothing. Christian doctrine is for living." - Joshua Harris
"It is not enough to have your life in close proximity to the rock. When Jesus is preeminent, He pushes other things aside. His demand on us is the greatest expression of His love for us." - Joshua Harris
I pray others will be challenged by these scriptures, notes, and quotes!
08 August 2010
Who is God?
“There is none holy as the LORD” (1 Sam. 2:2).
To worship God properly we must know something about Him. True worship must be based on a deep heartfelt appreciation of who God is, what He has done for us, and what He has promised to do: it must be based on truth rather than the inconsistency of our feelings. “They that worship [God] must worship Him … in truth” (John 4:24). Today I just wanted to impress upon you, mainly through scripture verses, one characteristic of God, His holiness. This understanding brings the sinner into a relationship with God that is founded on Him: His character, His work, His promises.
“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness” (Psa. 30:4).
“He sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name” (Psa. 111:9).
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims … and one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
The declaration of the holiness of God will ring out in heaven throughout eternity: “And the four beasts … rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Rev. 4:8).
What then do we do with this information? How should it change our perceptions, our actions and our attitude? Go back to Isaiah, hearing the seraphim proclaim in rapturous chorus, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. What was Isaiah’s response to this truth?
“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).
However holy Isaiah may have been in comparison to the other Israelites, in the presence of God and His holiness Isaiah became thoroughly aware of his own utter unholiness. So many people, Christian and non-Christian alike, say they are a “good person” and therefore do not deserve the judgement of God which culminates in Hell. If only we would compare ourselves to Him, then we would gain a more realistic assessment of our own sinfulness and see how fitting His judgement is.
Understanding our sinfulness in the eyes of God is not simply a self deprecating experience that ends in despair. No, no! It leads to joy indescribable, appreciation unable to be uttered and a liberty unequalled. In Christ we are no longer held held under the bondage of our sin: we are no longer separated from our Creator. Through the saving work on Jesus Christ on the Cross the relationship God always wanted for us to have with Him is established. When He returns this relationship shall be fully consummated and we shall be as He sees us.
I hope this short study on the holiness of God has been of some encouragement to you. Doing a word study on holiness is a good place to start should you wish to understand this topic in further depth.
God bless,
Laura
PS: On a personal note let me publicly congratulate my dear sister Taliah on the birth of her second child; Elijah James. We are all praying for you and your family (hubby Shane and daughter Abigail) as you welcome this new addition into your homes and lives.
To worship God properly we must know something about Him. True worship must be based on a deep heartfelt appreciation of who God is, what He has done for us, and what He has promised to do: it must be based on truth rather than the inconsistency of our feelings. “They that worship [God] must worship Him … in truth” (John 4:24). Today I just wanted to impress upon you, mainly through scripture verses, one characteristic of God, His holiness. This understanding brings the sinner into a relationship with God that is founded on Him: His character, His work, His promises.
“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness” (Psa. 30:4).
“He sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name” (Psa. 111:9).
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims … and one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
The declaration of the holiness of God will ring out in heaven throughout eternity: “And the four beasts … rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Rev. 4:8).
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning let songs arise to Thee!
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty—
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! all Thy saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea,
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which were, and art, and evermore shalt be!
Early in the morning let songs arise to Thee!
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty—
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! all Thy saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea,
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which were, and art, and evermore shalt be!
R. Heber
What then do we do with this information? How should it change our perceptions, our actions and our attitude? Go back to Isaiah, hearing the seraphim proclaim in rapturous chorus, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. What was Isaiah’s response to this truth?
“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).
However holy Isaiah may have been in comparison to the other Israelites, in the presence of God and His holiness Isaiah became thoroughly aware of his own utter unholiness. So many people, Christian and non-Christian alike, say they are a “good person” and therefore do not deserve the judgement of God which culminates in Hell. If only we would compare ourselves to Him, then we would gain a more realistic assessment of our own sinfulness and see how fitting His judgement is.
Understanding our sinfulness in the eyes of God is not simply a self deprecating experience that ends in despair. No, no! It leads to joy indescribable, appreciation unable to be uttered and a liberty unequalled. In Christ we are no longer held held under the bondage of our sin: we are no longer separated from our Creator. Through the saving work on Jesus Christ on the Cross the relationship God always wanted for us to have with Him is established. When He returns this relationship shall be fully consummated and we shall be as He sees us.
I hope this short study on the holiness of God has been of some encouragement to you. Doing a word study on holiness is a good place to start should you wish to understand this topic in further depth.
God bless,
Laura
PS: On a personal note let me publicly congratulate my dear sister Taliah on the birth of her second child; Elijah James. We are all praying for you and your family (hubby Shane and daughter Abigail) as you welcome this new addition into your homes and lives.
21 July 2010
Colossians 3:1-4
1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Last study we looked specifically at the heresies which the Colossian church faced, and the answers to these heresies found in Christ and His finished work. This study we are blessed to look at these four short verses which contain incredible truths.
1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
This language is similar to chapter 2 where through baptism the believers are buried and raised up with Christ.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
If the believer has been granted these great privileges through the death and resurrection of Christ, then naturally it follows that they should continue to seek the things pertaining to Christ. Hendriksen in his commentary on Colossians states “the verb ‘seek’ implies persevering effort; hence the rendering, “Be constantly seeking,” is not incorrect. This seeking, moreover, is more than a seeking to discover. It is a seeking to obtain... The emphasis, though, is not on the seeking but on the object sought. A precise rendering would be, “the things that are above be constantly seeking.””
Our hearts and minds have been bought by the precious blood of Christ, and so we should be constantly seeking the things where Christ is. Our Saviour is not only the spotless Lamb of God, but He has been exalted to the right hand of God.
Christ Himself made this claim before Caiaphas, the high priest, referencing Psalm 110.
Matthew 26 [NASB]
63But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God."
64Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."
65Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy;
Psalm 110 [NASB]
1The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."
What an encouragement it should be to us to know who Christ is, what honour He has been bestowed, and what He has done for us when we were raised up with Him.
Ephesians 1 [NASB]
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him...
For this reason we are told to keep seeking the things above where Christ is.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
The idea behind this verse is that we are to ponder and yearn for these things above. Paul is giving the Colossian believers very practical teaching, this admonition is the answer to all their temptations which they are faced with. Some of the things which are in view here are listed later in chapter 3.
Colossians 3:12-16 [NASB]
...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing ... forgiving ... love... peace of Christ ... thankful...
If we compare these things with the alternatives of ‘self-made religion’ offered in chapter 2 it becomes clear that if these Christ-like virtues fill our hearts and minds then they shall be of great value against fleshly indulgence.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
As Christians we can have assurance that we will receive these things because of the truths in verse 1 - we have already been raised from the dead with Christ, and this same Christ has been bestowed power and authority at the right hand of God.
We are however often tempted to set our minds on the things of earth. Peter walked on water, but began to sink when he looked away from Christ and looked to the wind and the storm around him (Matthew 14:22-32). I so often am dismayed when I am setting my mind on my circumstances and not on Christ. As Meredith shared last week, as Christian we can choose joy in Christ because we can rejoice IN THE LORD. It is in Him that we have these great and magnificent promises.
1 John 2 [NASB]
15Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
How incredible it is when we see who Christ is and what He has done that we still need to be exhorted to set our minds on Him! May the Lord help us.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Paul repeats here the language of death. We are dead, buried and raised with Christ.
Galatians 6 [NASB]
14But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
These things on earth which we once sought after with our whole being have been crucified to us in Christ. As Matthew Henry states “If we are dead to the earth, and have renounced it as our happiness, it is absurd for us to set our affections upon it and seek it. We should be like a dead thing to it, unmoved and unaffected towards it”.
As the earth is dead to us we are likewise made alive to a new world – Christ. Paul constantly speaks in this way in his epistles.
Galatians 2 [NASB]
20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Philippians 1 [NASB]
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Christ is now the “principle and end of the Christian’s life” (Matthew Henry). By hidden we understand that our lives are safe in Him. Our lives are also hidden as He is from this present world. The world did not understand Him and does not now see Him as He is – likewise the believer.
1 John 3 [NASB]
1See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
What a hope we have laid up in Christ!
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Our hope is not only for now, but for the future at His second coming. When Christ appears we will be like Him, and so we will be revealed with Him in glory! If we have been raised up with Christ, all of this is our hope. If our life is now hid with Christ it will then be revealed in Him also. Praise the Lord!
Matthew Henry concludes “Do we look for such a happiness, and should we not set our affections upon that world, and live above this? What is there here to make us fond of it? What is there not there to draw our hearts to it? Our head is there, our home is there, our treasure is there, and we hope to be there forever.”
What great things Christ has done for us. He is the Only and All-Sufficient Saviour. He is our hope, our life, our joy.
God bless.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Last study we looked specifically at the heresies which the Colossian church faced, and the answers to these heresies found in Christ and His finished work. This study we are blessed to look at these four short verses which contain incredible truths.
1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
This language is similar to chapter 2 where through baptism the believers are buried and raised up with Christ.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
If the believer has been granted these great privileges through the death and resurrection of Christ, then naturally it follows that they should continue to seek the things pertaining to Christ. Hendriksen in his commentary on Colossians states “the verb ‘seek’ implies persevering effort; hence the rendering, “Be constantly seeking,” is not incorrect. This seeking, moreover, is more than a seeking to discover. It is a seeking to obtain... The emphasis, though, is not on the seeking but on the object sought. A precise rendering would be, “the things that are above be constantly seeking.””
Our hearts and minds have been bought by the precious blood of Christ, and so we should be constantly seeking the things where Christ is. Our Saviour is not only the spotless Lamb of God, but He has been exalted to the right hand of God.
Christ Himself made this claim before Caiaphas, the high priest, referencing Psalm 110.
Matthew 26 [NASB]
63But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God."
64Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."
65Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy;
Psalm 110 [NASB]
1The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."
What an encouragement it should be to us to know who Christ is, what honour He has been bestowed, and what He has done for us when we were raised up with Him.
Ephesians 1 [NASB]
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him...
For this reason we are told to keep seeking the things above where Christ is.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
The idea behind this verse is that we are to ponder and yearn for these things above. Paul is giving the Colossian believers very practical teaching, this admonition is the answer to all their temptations which they are faced with. Some of the things which are in view here are listed later in chapter 3.
Colossians 3:12-16 [NASB]
...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing ... forgiving ... love... peace of Christ ... thankful...
If we compare these things with the alternatives of ‘self-made religion’ offered in chapter 2 it becomes clear that if these Christ-like virtues fill our hearts and minds then they shall be of great value against fleshly indulgence.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
As Christians we can have assurance that we will receive these things because of the truths in verse 1 - we have already been raised from the dead with Christ, and this same Christ has been bestowed power and authority at the right hand of God.
We are however often tempted to set our minds on the things of earth. Peter walked on water, but began to sink when he looked away from Christ and looked to the wind and the storm around him (Matthew 14:22-32). I so often am dismayed when I am setting my mind on my circumstances and not on Christ. As Meredith shared last week, as Christian we can choose joy in Christ because we can rejoice IN THE LORD. It is in Him that we have these great and magnificent promises.
1 John 2 [NASB]
15Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
How incredible it is when we see who Christ is and what He has done that we still need to be exhorted to set our minds on Him! May the Lord help us.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Paul repeats here the language of death. We are dead, buried and raised with Christ.
Galatians 6 [NASB]
14But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
These things on earth which we once sought after with our whole being have been crucified to us in Christ. As Matthew Henry states “If we are dead to the earth, and have renounced it as our happiness, it is absurd for us to set our affections upon it and seek it. We should be like a dead thing to it, unmoved and unaffected towards it”.
As the earth is dead to us we are likewise made alive to a new world – Christ. Paul constantly speaks in this way in his epistles.
Galatians 2 [NASB]
20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Philippians 1 [NASB]
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Christ is now the “principle and end of the Christian’s life” (Matthew Henry). By hidden we understand that our lives are safe in Him. Our lives are also hidden as He is from this present world. The world did not understand Him and does not now see Him as He is – likewise the believer.
1 John 3 [NASB]
1See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
What a hope we have laid up in Christ!
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Our hope is not only for now, but for the future at His second coming. When Christ appears we will be like Him, and so we will be revealed with Him in glory! If we have been raised up with Christ, all of this is our hope. If our life is now hid with Christ it will then be revealed in Him also. Praise the Lord!
Matthew Henry concludes “Do we look for such a happiness, and should we not set our affections upon that world, and live above this? What is there here to make us fond of it? What is there not there to draw our hearts to it? Our head is there, our home is there, our treasure is there, and we hope to be there forever.”
What great things Christ has done for us. He is the Only and All-Sufficient Saviour. He is our hope, our life, our joy.
God bless.
26 June 2010
Colossians 2:8-23
Colossians 2 [NASB]
8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
16Therefore 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--
17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
18Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
22(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
-
8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
What was positively stated in Colosians 2:6-7 is now negatively emphasised in verses 8-10. Paul is saying ‘Ýou have received Christ, do not allow yourself to be carried away by anything less than what you already have which is found in Christ’.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
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.
Through this whole section (chapter 2) Paul is showing his deep concern for the Colossian church and presents the reality found in Christ as the answer to any temptation they may face.
As Paul states earlier in the letter, the believer has been transferred out of the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s Son (Col 1:13-14) and so to be taken captive once more would be the greatest tragedy.
The things Paul warns against are the futile, empty deceptions which accompany the philosophies of men. These are not godly men but rather earthly, worldly. What fellowship has Christ or the Christian with such things (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)? We are to be taken captive only by those things which are according to Christ, firmly rooted, established and built up in them.
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Here is the reality of Christ presented in all its glory. Paul has already expounded on Christ’s supremacy in chapter 1, and declared that in Him is the mystery of God and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3), but now Paul crowns this with the declaration that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. Hendriksen summarises the meaning of this phrase as ‘all the fullness of the indwelling essence of God is completely concentrated in Christ’ and goes on to say that this means that ‘there is no need of or justification for looking elsewhere for help, salvation or spiritual perfection’ (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
Paul goes on to say literally ‘in Him you have attained to fullness’. Again, Hendriksen helpfully paraphrases ‘in Christ you have reached the Source whence flows the stream of blessings that supplies whatever you need for this life and for the next’. Why go to any other source when you have Christ? Why submit to any other rule or authority when He is head over all and all things have been put in subjection under His feet?
Ephesians 1 [NASB]
19b These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
F.F. Bruce puts it that ‘those who are in Christ have no need to pay respect to the forces over which He has vindicated His pre-eminence’.
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
As Paul has presented the supremacy of Christ, he now presents the supremacy of the ‘religious system’ (for want of a better term) which Christians now have a part in. It is as if he is saying: ‘if any religious system is presented to you, the Christian, which appears to have value or weight compare it to what we now have in Christ’. If someone speaks to you about physical circumcision then compare it to the spiritual circumcision which deals with the sanctification of the whole self by dealing with the body of flesh. The Christian has the spiritual circumcision in their baptism where they are buried and raised again. We were dirty sinners who were dead in our transgressions, and He made us alive and changed us from objects of wrath and condemnation to recipients of forgiveness and justification. Praise be to God! All of this is possible not simply through the physical action of baptism in and of itself, but ‘through faith in the working of God’.
Paul presents the parts involved in ‘making us alive’: forgiveness, setting aside the law (as the means to obtain righteousness) and the disarming of the rulers and authorities. Paul comforts the believers by setting out what privileges Christ has won in the cross. The battle with sin, death and the spiritual hosts of evil has been won for us in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Once again, all that we need is found in Christ.
16Therefore 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--
17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Here we begin to see more specific examples of the teachings which the Colossians were faced with. Paul has dealt with the philosophical teachings which were creeping in and now looks at the Jewish aspects of the regulations others are trying to impose on the believers. In light of the previous section Paul can say ‘therefore no one is to act as your judge’. As in Romans 8:32-34, if it is God who has justified us and who will judge us, then what can any man say regarding a way to God which exceeds the way He has outlined for us? Any man who questions the sufficiency of our salvation found in Christ is questioning God Himself because “...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB). These things which people are pointing to as necessary for salvation (food, drink, festivals) take away from the all-sufficiency of Christ who came as the fulfilment of the Old Testament ‘shadows’. Paul has just listed in verses 11-15 the things which Christ’s life, death and resurrection have achieved for the believer. How can these external observances add anything at all to what we have in Him? Hendriksen points out that “if even the law of God, as a code of ceremonial ordinances and rules and as a means unto salvation, was blotted out and nailed to the cross, then surely man-made instructions regarding eating, drinking etc. must be discarded”.
18Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
Paul uses strong language here of ‘defrauding you of your prize’. Do not let others try to make you feel inferior to them with regards to their ‘spirituality’ because this special ‘knowledge’ he claims to have is a source of pride as 1 Corinthians 8:1 says: “...Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.” Note that those who live this way have a ‘fleshly’, unregenerate mind. The false humility is a disguise for sinful pride and all of this without cause. There is no real weight behind the assertions of someone like this, and Paul exposes this to encourage the believers to hold fast to Christ.
Those who take their stand on visions they have seen have not held fast to Christ, the head and they have forgotten that in Christ “...are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3 NASB). It is “to Christ that the entire church owes its growth. The church need not and must not look for any other source of strength to overcome sin or to increase in knowledge, virtue, and joy” (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
22(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Paul moves on to another area of teaching which, although it may appear to be ‘wisdom’ does more harm than good. If righteousness comes through the keeping of the Law then Paul concludes elsewhere that Christ died needlessly.
Galatians 2 [NASB]
18"For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19"For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.
20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
How much more so for man-made ordinances and restrictions such as ‘do not taste’? The perfect God breathed Law was unable to secure our salvation. If we are putting our hope of salvation in anything which is ‘destined to perish’ then we are foolish.
Jesus spoke of this when the Pharisees questioned Him over the traditions of the elders.
Matthew 15 [NASB]
7You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
9'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN'
...
17Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?
The conclusion of this section is a scathing rebuttal of any system of religion outside of the all sufficiency of Christ. Paul says that it may appear wise, but this is a thin facade which covers something of ‘no value’. Hendriksen summarises “Any system if religion which is unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as the only and all-sufficient Saviour is an indulgence of the flesh, a giving in to man’s sinful conceit, as if he, by his own contrivances, were able to perfect Christ’s imperfect work. It makes matters worse instead of better.”
Paul in this letter has continually presented Christ in all His glory as the all-sufficient Saviour of the believer and supreme One over all. He is the answer to anyone who seeks to present a different way to God. He is our hope, our assurance, and our wisdom. “In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete” (Col 2:9-10). May we take Pauls words to heart and be protected against any judge or any who would defraud us of our prize.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
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.
God bless.
8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
16Therefore 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--
17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
18Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
22(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
-
8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
What was positively stated in Colosians 2:6-7 is now negatively emphasised in verses 8-10. Paul is saying ‘Ýou have received Christ, do not allow yourself to be carried away by anything less than what you already have which is found in Christ’.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
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.
Through this whole section (chapter 2) Paul is showing his deep concern for the Colossian church and presents the reality found in Christ as the answer to any temptation they may face.
As Paul states earlier in the letter, the believer has been transferred out of the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s Son (Col 1:13-14) and so to be taken captive once more would be the greatest tragedy.
The things Paul warns against are the futile, empty deceptions which accompany the philosophies of men. These are not godly men but rather earthly, worldly. What fellowship has Christ or the Christian with such things (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)? We are to be taken captive only by those things which are according to Christ, firmly rooted, established and built up in them.
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Here is the reality of Christ presented in all its glory. Paul has already expounded on Christ’s supremacy in chapter 1, and declared that in Him is the mystery of God and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3), but now Paul crowns this with the declaration that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. Hendriksen summarises the meaning of this phrase as ‘all the fullness of the indwelling essence of God is completely concentrated in Christ’ and goes on to say that this means that ‘there is no need of or justification for looking elsewhere for help, salvation or spiritual perfection’ (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
Paul goes on to say literally ‘in Him you have attained to fullness’. Again, Hendriksen helpfully paraphrases ‘in Christ you have reached the Source whence flows the stream of blessings that supplies whatever you need for this life and for the next’. Why go to any other source when you have Christ? Why submit to any other rule or authority when He is head over all and all things have been put in subjection under His feet?
Ephesians 1 [NASB]
19b These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
F.F. Bruce puts it that ‘those who are in Christ have no need to pay respect to the forces over which He has vindicated His pre-eminence’.
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
As Paul has presented the supremacy of Christ, he now presents the supremacy of the ‘religious system’ (for want of a better term) which Christians now have a part in. It is as if he is saying: ‘if any religious system is presented to you, the Christian, which appears to have value or weight compare it to what we now have in Christ’. If someone speaks to you about physical circumcision then compare it to the spiritual circumcision which deals with the sanctification of the whole self by dealing with the body of flesh. The Christian has the spiritual circumcision in their baptism where they are buried and raised again. We were dirty sinners who were dead in our transgressions, and He made us alive and changed us from objects of wrath and condemnation to recipients of forgiveness and justification. Praise be to God! All of this is possible not simply through the physical action of baptism in and of itself, but ‘through faith in the working of God’.
Paul presents the parts involved in ‘making us alive’: forgiveness, setting aside the law (as the means to obtain righteousness) and the disarming of the rulers and authorities. Paul comforts the believers by setting out what privileges Christ has won in the cross. The battle with sin, death and the spiritual hosts of evil has been won for us in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Once again, all that we need is found in Christ.
16Therefore 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--
17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Here we begin to see more specific examples of the teachings which the Colossians were faced with. Paul has dealt with the philosophical teachings which were creeping in and now looks at the Jewish aspects of the regulations others are trying to impose on the believers. In light of the previous section Paul can say ‘therefore no one is to act as your judge’. As in Romans 8:32-34, if it is God who has justified us and who will judge us, then what can any man say regarding a way to God which exceeds the way He has outlined for us? Any man who questions the sufficiency of our salvation found in Christ is questioning God Himself because “...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB). These things which people are pointing to as necessary for salvation (food, drink, festivals) take away from the all-sufficiency of Christ who came as the fulfilment of the Old Testament ‘shadows’. Paul has just listed in verses 11-15 the things which Christ’s life, death and resurrection have achieved for the believer. How can these external observances add anything at all to what we have in Him? Hendriksen points out that “if even the law of God, as a code of ceremonial ordinances and rules and as a means unto salvation, was blotted out and nailed to the cross, then surely man-made instructions regarding eating, drinking etc. must be discarded”.
18Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
Paul uses strong language here of ‘defrauding you of your prize’. Do not let others try to make you feel inferior to them with regards to their ‘spirituality’ because this special ‘knowledge’ he claims to have is a source of pride as 1 Corinthians 8:1 says: “...Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.” Note that those who live this way have a ‘fleshly’, unregenerate mind. The false humility is a disguise for sinful pride and all of this without cause. There is no real weight behind the assertions of someone like this, and Paul exposes this to encourage the believers to hold fast to Christ.
Those who take their stand on visions they have seen have not held fast to Christ, the head and they have forgotten that in Christ “...are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3 NASB). It is “to Christ that the entire church owes its growth. The church need not and must not look for any other source of strength to overcome sin or to increase in knowledge, virtue, and joy” (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
22(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Paul moves on to another area of teaching which, although it may appear to be ‘wisdom’ does more harm than good. If righteousness comes through the keeping of the Law then Paul concludes elsewhere that Christ died needlessly.
Galatians 2 [NASB]
18"For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19"For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.
20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
How much more so for man-made ordinances and restrictions such as ‘do not taste’? The perfect God breathed Law was unable to secure our salvation. If we are putting our hope of salvation in anything which is ‘destined to perish’ then we are foolish.
Jesus spoke of this when the Pharisees questioned Him over the traditions of the elders.
Matthew 15 [NASB]
7You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
9'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN'
...
17Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?
The conclusion of this section is a scathing rebuttal of any system of religion outside of the all sufficiency of Christ. Paul says that it may appear wise, but this is a thin facade which covers something of ‘no value’. Hendriksen summarises “Any system if religion which is unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as the only and all-sufficient Saviour is an indulgence of the flesh, a giving in to man’s sinful conceit, as if he, by his own contrivances, were able to perfect Christ’s imperfect work. It makes matters worse instead of better.”
Paul in this letter has continually presented Christ in all His glory as the all-sufficient Saviour of the believer and supreme One over all. He is the answer to anyone who seeks to present a different way to God. He is our hope, our assurance, and our wisdom. “In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete” (Col 2:9-10). May we take Pauls words to heart and be protected against any judge or any who would defraud us of our prize.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
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.
God bless.
21 May 2010
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.
-
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.
-
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.
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.
-
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.
-
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.
27 March 2010
Colossians 1:15-23
Colossians 1
13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers of authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He himself will come to have first place in everything.
19For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
20and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross, through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
22yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him, holy and blameless and beyond reproach –
23if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Jesus, the beloved Son of verse 13, is the image of the invisible God. “To say that Christ is the image of God is to say that in Him the nature and being of God have been perfectly revealed – that in Him the invisible has become visible” (F. F. Bruce on Colossians).This idea of ‘image’ is given more detail in Scripture.
Hebrews 1
1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
3And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
John 1
18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
John 14
9Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
This speaks of Christ’s divinity, that in seeing one you have seen the other. It is quite clear through the whole Old Testament that God alone is to be worshipped, that YHWH is the only God.
Isaiah 42
8"I am the LORD, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.
God will not give His glory to another, yet Christ is the radiance of His glory. How is this possible, how can God allow another being to be spoken of in this way, unless they are one and share the same attributes.
This same Jesus is said to be the firstborn of all creation. What are we to understand this word – ‘firstborn’ – to mean? In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the LXX, the same word is used approximately 130 times. Of these about half refer to the literal physical first-born from the womb. In the other usages we start to see alternative treatments of the word. In Deuteronomy 21:17, Genesis 27, and Genesis 43:33 the firstborn was associated with special rights and privileges. In some instances ‘firstborn’ was given as a title of honour with relation to God’s special choosing, as in Exodus 4:22 for Israel (second born of Abraham), Jeremiah 31:9 for Ephraim (second born to Manasseh) , Psalm 89:27 for David the king (the youngest of his brothers).
So the question remains, when Paul by the inspiration of the Spirit calls Jesus the firstborn of all creation, what does He mean? Was Jesus the first created being of all of creation (as the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe)? When we look at verses 16 and 18 it becomes clear that this word is used as a title to distinguish Him above all of creation as supreme.
16For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers of authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.
If Jesus Himself was a creation of God, then what part of creation would that be? This list which Jesus created is all inclusive, and laboriously so. Paul could have said Jesus created all things, but he chose by the inspiration of the Spirit to list these things. Things in heaven, on earth, invisible, visible – is there any realm which is not included? So if Jesus created ALL things, this excludes Him from being a part of that creation. To be the firstborn of all creation thus can be seen to be a title of God’s special choosing of Him ‘so that He himself will come to have first place in everything’ (verse 18).
God is clear in the historical narrative of Moses and the prophecies of Jeremiah that He alone is the Creator, and so by crediting Jesus with creation, the Holy Spirit testifies to Jesus’ divinity.
Genesis 1
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Jeremiah 10
10But the LORD is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King
At His wrath the earth quakes,
And the nations cannot endure His indignation.
11Thus you shall say to them, "The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens."
12It is He who made the earth by His power,
Who established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.
16The portion of Jacob is not like these;
For the Maker of all is He,
And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The LORD of hosts is His name
God the Father and God the Son are intimately linked in 1 Corinthians 8. Whereas in Colossians creation is by, through, and for God the Son; in 1 Corinthians 8 creation is from and for God the Father, and by and through God the Son. This is only consistent when we understand the godhead as a Trinity, one God three persons.
1 Corinthians 8
5For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,
6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Any other so-called gods have no claim to glory or right to worship, for there is One who was before them and who sustains all things. Christ existed before anything else.John 1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was in the beginning with God.
His power and wisdom are shown as He acts to hold all things together.
18He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He himself will come to have first place in everything.
Christ is supreme not only in creation but in the church also. The idea of Christ being the head of the body is familiar to us now, but it was peculiar of Paul when he first wrote his letters. He conveys the “picture of Christ’s power, wisdom, life and will directing the body, protecting and nourishing it” (F. F. Bruce on Colossians).
And He has first place in the resurrection from the dead. Again we have the term ‘firstborn’, but this time coupled with ‘beginning’. Many rose from the dead before Christ did (e.g. Lazarus in John 11:44), but it was by the power of Jesus that this was possible. Those who rose again did not rise to eternal life, but perished later. Christ was the first to rise by His own power, vindicating His claims to divinity, and the first to rise again to eternal life. Thus He has the title of being ‘firstborn’; He is the Supreme One who rose from the dead ushering in the new way. It is in the power of Him and His resurrection that we have hope for our own.
1 Corinthians 15
20But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
21For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,
24then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
Paul says that Christ has first place in creation, in the church, in the resurrection – that He has first place in everything. With this in mind, what do other gods have to offer? If the Colossians were ever tempted to follow after another god they only had to look at Christ and see that He was the Supreme One, the First, the only Creator and Sustainer of all things.
19For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
God was ‘pleased’. It was His foreordained will that Christ should have all the fullness dwell in Him. What was this fullness?Colossians 2
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
“All the attributes of God, His Spirit, word, wisdom and glory are disclosed in Him” (F. F. Bruce on Colossians).
20and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross, through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
The Father was well pleased to send Christ and reconcile us to Him. The question however remains that if all things were by Christ, through and for Christ, why did they need to be reconciled to Him?
Romans 3
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The peace which we have is through the blood of the cross. The cross brings redemption, forgiveness of sins and the right to be a part of the kingdom of God. Praise God!
Colossians 1
13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
21And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
Paul speak of this often in his letters, he wants us to know of our former state before God, that we were lost and now we have been found, blind and now we see.Ephesians 2
1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Do we know and rejoice in the change God has wrought in us, or do we not even consider that we were once hostile to God? It is key to the message of the gospel to know our fallen-ness before God, and the hope in Christ.
22yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him, holy and blameless and beyond reproach –
Praise the Lord for the incarnation!Romans 8
3For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
What we couldn’t do, Christ did – in the flesh. He knows our frame, He knows our temptations, but He lived the perfect life for us.
God was well pleased to send Christ, for He had a distinct purpose – to present (us) before Him, holy and blameless and beyond reproach.
23if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
This is the first statement in the passage which focuses on our response. Everything else has been on who God is, what God has done, what we were like before we came to Him. Now Paul turns to us. Paul says ‘if’. We will stand before God, presented by Christ as holy and blameless and beyond reproach, IF we continue in the faith not moved away. Considering the proceeding 10 verses, when we understand the true gravity of who Christ is, and what He has done, how can we be moved away from the hope found in Him to any other belief which is offered to us? As we saw in Jeremiah 10 any god which did not create the heavens and the earth will perish. We cannot place our hope or trust in any other than Christ who was before all things, created all things, who reconciled us to God and who is our head. Anything else is insufficient, is in subjection to Christ.Paul wants to make this clear to the Colossians who were being surrounded by all sorts of contrary teachings. We also have a world where every belief is considered equally valid, equally true - ‘if it works for you’. The Word of God is clear, Christ is first in everything. We need to continue in our faith, firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel. Christ is our hope, so let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith (Hebrews 12:3).
God bless you, and may you be encouraged by Christ, who He is and what He has done. Praise the Lord.
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