START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Colossians 1:1-14
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OBSERVE:
Paul’s letter to the Colossians is regarded as one of his four “prison letters” (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. There is also good evidence to include Paul’s “pastoral letters” — 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus — as letters written from prison). These were probably written when he is incarcerated in Rome near the end of his recorded ministry, and possibly his life.
Surprisingly, Paul had not visited Colossae when this letter was written, despite his extensive travels throughout the Roman province of Asia where Colossae is located. The church was planted by Epaphras, who happens to be with Paul as he is writing. No doubt Epaphras is advising Paul about some of the issues that are arising in Colossae:
we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus…and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Paul begins this letter much as he does others that he has written. He greets the Colossians using his title as an apostle of Christ Jesus, and mentions his protege Timothy. He says to the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ that he is praying for them and is thankful for their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints.
By saints, of course, he has in mind all Christians who have come to faith in Christ. He is in no way thinking of an elite group of “super-Christians.” All Christians, by virtue of the redemptive work of Christ, are set apart as holy, which is the meaning of saints. As he explains near the end of today’s passage (verses 13-14), they have been entitled to share in the inheritance of the saints because of the work of God the Father through his Son:
He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Paul praises the faithful ministry of Epaphras who has carefully instructed the Colossians about the gospel:
You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you.
Moreover, Paul notes that this ministry has continued to flourish in Colossae just as it has everywhere:
Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.
So, inspired by Epaphras’ accounts of the faith of the Colossians, Paul continues to pray for them:
For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.
Paul’s emphasis is clear. As the Colossians deepen their relationship with God, they deepen their understanding of sound Christian doctrine — and consequently their lives are transformed ethically and they bear fruit in good works to others. A healthy spiritual life is grounded in a faith-filled relationship with God, enlightened by sound doctrine, and lived out in godly living.
APPLY:
How can Paul possibly write a letter to people he’s never met? How can he possibly understand how their minds work, what their concerns are, what is going on in their lives?
Of course he hears the reports that Epaphras has brought to him. But even more than that, Paul understands two things — the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the human heart. He knows what human beings yearn for, and what they are seeking above all else — reconciliation with God. And he knows that this is the purpose for which Christ has come to earth.
We might well ask ourselves the same question — how can a letter written to an obscure church in a city that was later destroyed by an earthquake possibly be relevant to us?
The answer is simple. The hopes of the human heart are the same now as they were nearly 2000 years ago. And the truths of the gospel remain the ultimate fulfillment of those hopes.
RESPOND:
Some of the finest theology in the Christian faith is embedded in our hymns. Charles Wesley wrote a hymn titled simply A Prayer for Children. In this hymn, he offers a timeless prayer:
Unite the pair so long disjoined,
Knowledge and vital piety:
Learning and holiness combined,
And truth and love.
I make this my own prayer in my own spiritual life — that I may deepen my relationship with God through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, worship, fasting, and the sacrament. I also pray that as I study the Scriptures I will deepen my understanding of sound Christian doctrine — and that the fruit of these spiritual practices and doctrinal understanding will be a transformed life that makes a difference in the lives of others.
Our Lord, may Paul’s prayer for the Colossians be my prayer — that I may lead a life worthy of you, fully pleasing to you, as I bear fruit in every good work and as I grow in the knowledge of God. Amen.
PHOTOS: "'Thank the Father, who has made you able to share the light, which is what God’s people inherit. God has rescued us from the power of darkness' Colossians 1:12-13 GW" by Colin Campbell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
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