Chapter 4

Masters provide your slaves with what is right and fair because you know you also have a master in heaven.

There is a duty on Christian masters of slaves to. Their treatment of slaves should be determined by their understanding that they have a heavenly master. They should treat the slave in the same way that they would want their heavenly master to treat them. They should act in the same way he has acted towards them. As such they should provide the slaves with what is right and fair. They should treat their slaves in the right way.

Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful. And pray for us too that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly as I should.

Paul now highlights how the Colossians are to be able to become involved in his message and role in Gods purposes. The Colossians are to devote themselves to prayer, the verb devote “designates a steadfastness of action, which implies something that occurs without interruption continuously as well as something that occurs regularly” (Barth and Blanke). The Colossians are to be committed to regular prayer not just the occasional rare prayer. The prayer is to be characterised by watchfulness, Dunn sees this as expectation and awareness that Christ is returning again. Also the prayer is to be characterised by thankfulness, the Colossians need to be thankful in their times of prayer.

Paul now gives them one thing that they can pray for, that God would open a door for the gospel. “Within the New Testament this picture of an open door, which is used in missionary contexts, denotes the provision of opportunity. God opens the door for the missionary giving him an field in which to work in and he opens a door of faith to gentiles so that they may believe.” Paul recognises that if he is to be successful in his missionary efforts then he will need the assistance of God. This open door is to be the enabling factor for Paul to be to proclaim the mystery of Christ that is the gospel message. It is because of this gospel message that Paul is in chains. It was because he proclaimed the mystery of Christ that he ended up imprisoned. Paul also asks that he would be able to proclaim clearly as he should. Paul wants to be able to make the meaning of the Christ event obvious to people so that they fully understand the significance of it.

Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders: make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation always be full of grace seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Having shown the Colossians how he desires to act within the world around him. Paul looks to emphasis how the Colossians are to act within the world around them. The Colossians are firstly to be wise in how they act, this involves living according to the will of God (equivalent to acting wisely). They are “to follow Christ’s pattern for full and authentic human lives” (Wright). Holiness and godliness should mark their walk in the world. They are also to make the most of every opportunity, the Colossians should literally buy up the time, it is a resource that is disappearing so they need to act now to make the most of it. Wright notes that this is “probably an instruction to regard time as an opportunity for witness and to use it eagerly as such”. The Colossians are to be highly active in their witness to the work of Christ.

Paul next begins to highlight specifically their speech . Their conversation is always to be full of grace, Dunn sees grace here as taking the secular meaning at the time to mean “that which delights and charms”. The Colossians speech is to be attractive not causing people to not want to hear them. Their speech is also to be seasoned with salt, “the image is clear salt that seasons that is makes more interesting what would otherwise be bland to the taste”. the Colossians are to make their speech interesting so that it is palatable to others. This is not talking about watering down the message, rather the best way to understand it is, is to understand in the context of Paul’s desire to make the message clear. What will make the gospel attractive and palatable is when it is clear and easy to understand.

All this is so that you may know how to answer everyone. The Colossians need to make sure their speech and conduct are like this so that they can hold their own in the society around about them, not ashamed to speak. “Here evidently was a church not on the defensive, against powerful forces organized against it, but expected to hold its own in social setting of the market place, baths and meal table and to win attention by the attractiveness of it life and speech”.

Tychius will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother a faithful minister and fellow servant in the lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances that he may encourage your hearts.

Tychius the courier of the letter will tell the Colossians all about Paul. Having asked the Colossians to pray for him (and so join with him in his mission) Paul and the Colossians have established a partnership. This partnership to work will need to involve the sharing of news, about Paul and his mission. Also as Wright points out, they need to know how it goes with the one who is bearing the torch of the saving purposes of God, partly in order to pray with him, and partly because their life in Christ is bound up mysteriously with him and his work”. Tychius is then described as a dear fellow Christian, Tychius was obviously close to Paul’s heart. He is also seen as a faithful minister, that is Tychius is one who Christ works through by his Spirit in the church. He is faithful that is he can be relied upon and trusted to do the work.

He is also identified with Christ as being a fellow servant in the lord, that is one who like Paul has given his life to serve Christ. Paul did not see himself as the only servant of God but rather that their were other servants of God. Paul is the one though who has sent Tychius, implying that Paul does have a higher level of authority. The purpose of his sending is so that the Colossians may be encouraged in their hearts. Paul wants the Colossians to be able to be strengthened in their being, he sees the means to do that to be telling them about his circumstances. If Paul is in prison then this would encourage the Colossians to fresh and more resilient commitment to the gospel. For as the Colossians see Paul’s suffering and joy in participating in the progress of the gospel it will stir and encourage the Colossians likewise to commit and be strong in their faith.

He is coming with Onesimus our faithful and dear brother who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

Onesimus is the same slave who ran away from his master, so people in Colosse are likely to be wary of him or suspicious of him. The first thing Paul does then is to use the same language to describe Onesimus as he does Tychius. O’Brien comments “this suggests that Onesimus the slave is to receive the same warm greeting from the Colossian church that would be extended to any visiting Christian”. The Colossians are to respect Onesimus in the same way as they would respect Tychius. This shows that Paul wants complete reconlition between the two parties. He is described as one of the Colossians this refers both to the fact that he is from Colosse as well as to the fact that he is now one of the people of the God, and so has become like the Colossians.

Both Onesimus and Tychius will join together to tell the Colossians everything that is happening with Paul. They may have come as a pairing for a number of reasons. Firstly two was more of a valid witness to the truth of something, and so two would add more validity to what Paul is saying. Also it was better for Onesimus to not go on his own but to have the support and backing of somebody else. Lastly the information is more likely to be imparted with greater accuracy.

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instruction about him; if he comes to you, welcome him). Jesus who is called Justus also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.

Aristarchus was recorded as being with Paul a number of times in Acts. He is described here as a fellow prisoner, this shows us that Paul was in prison as well as Aristarchus. Dunn comments on Aristarchus that “in a culture dominated by ideas of honour and shame, the willingness to accept the stigma of prison would indicate a high degree of personal commitment”. Here was one the Colossians could look to as being someone absolutely committed to the gospel.

The next person mentioned is Mark here was someone who had not been overly faithful to Paul and the progress of the gospel but here we see that he has been restored. It is the fact that he has been reinstated, that Paul had needed to send instructions about him, that if he was to come to them he was to be welcomed. His cousin Barnabas is the next one to be mentioned. O’Brien comments “Paul refers to Barnabas as though he was well known in Colossae. Perhaps Mark was at this stage was only winning back his reputation in the Pauline churches and needs Paul’s special plea”. The last person Paul mentions is Jesus also called Justus,

Paul describes this group as being the only Jews who work with him for the kingdom of God. Paul is here showing his solidarity with Jewish people, but at the same time it shows that he views them as being no different then Gentiles. As Gentiles are described in the same way as being fellow workers. These Jews are not working for circumcision or to make proselytes but rather for the kingdom of God. These people were serving the fact that God had brought in his promised blessings into this day and age, and that a day was coming when God would fulfil all he has promised to do and establish his reign fully. Having these people has proved a comfort to him. Joining with the old covenant people of God to declare that a new day had dawned that the mystery had been revealed must have brought Paul encouragement, especially when he saw the hardness of hearts of his people the Jews. All these people were sending their greetings, that is these Jews were welcoming and affirming their solidarity with the gentile Colossian Christians.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Next Paul goes on to describe someone who would be very familiar to them Epaphras the one who had taught them the grace of God. He is one of them, indeed he was a native to Colossae and had a significant part in their church. He sends his greetings, it is important now for Paul to show that Epaphras had the Colossians intentions at heart, and his dedication them. This is because Paul is calling the Colossians back to what Epaphras taught and so he needs to establish the teacher to help establish the teaching.

Though he is not their with them Paul depicts Epaphras as working hard for them as well as for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. Paul is keen to show that “though not physically present there, Epaphras has a vision for God’s work in the Lycus valley, and is working hard to bring it to reality” (Wright). The way in which this is happening is through wrestling in prayer for them. Epaphras is in anguishing tireless prayer for them striving for them. O’Brien observes “Epaphras was intimately acquainted with the affairs of the congregation. He perhaps as no other knew of the destructive nature of the false teaching and responded in regular urgent intercession”.

His praying is with the aim that they stand firm in the will of God, having a good solid grounding in what God wants them to do. He also wants them to be mature, that is made complete in Christ understanding who they are in Christ and working out what they have become. They are to be fully assured, they are to be convinced of the truth of the gospel and confident in it. This shows that Epaphras’ concerns match those of Paul’s.

Our dear friend Luke the doctor, and Demas send greetings. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the Church in her house. After this letter has been read to you see that it is also read in the Church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.

Luke the author of Luke and Acts is here described as being a doctor. He is viewed as the friend of both Paul and the Colossians. Demas is seen later in the letter to Timothy to have deserted the faith he is viewed here though as very much part of the apostle Paul and the early churches world. Paul now views the churches in the Lycus valley as having close fellowship between them as he expects his greetings to be passed on by the Colossians to the brothers at Laodicea; as well as to Nympha and the Church in her house. Here we see that churches also gathered in peoples houses. The church did not have its own special building but rather met in each others houses.
Paul expected his teaching to be passed round and to benefit other churches. After the Colossians had read the letter they were also to see that it is also read in the Church of the Laodiceans. Wright comments “It is clear from this that Paul intends his letters to be read out in the assembled church and thus to function as authoritative”. Wright sees this then as the “principle reason for the preservation of Paul’s letters in the sub-apostolic period, and their eventual adoption as part of the canonical new covenant books”. The letters were not just to be for one church in particular but were to benefit a number of churches. The Colossians were in turn to read the letter from Laodicea. This is a letter that was written by Paul to the church in Laodicea. It is impossible to say what this letter consisted of was it the letter now known as Ephesians which just don’t know. But one thing is certain Paul expected his letters to be read out loud for the benefit of the churches.

Tell Archippus “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord”. I Paul write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

There is no evidence to say specifically who Archippus is. But he has received a work in the Lord which he is to finish. O’Brien argues that “it is a ministry he has received in the Lord and involves the proclamation of the Pauline gospel. As such Archippus is the guarantor to the Colossian congregation that they have received the apostolic gospel”. It is hard to tell whether this is the case but what is for sure the congregation are all to have a part to play in encouraging Archippus.

Paul now signs of the letter, this was done to stop forgery of letters so that people knew it came from the person who had actually sent it. He asks them to remember his chains this is likely a call for them to pray for him because he is in prison. He then bestows grace upon them.

Chapter 3

Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Paul is now counteracting the false teaching on how to be holy by showing the basis and source for true Christian holiness and living. He has already shown that they have died with Christ to the rules they are trying to submit too. Now he shows them that they have been raised with Christ. O’Brien highlights the significance of this; “if their death with him severed their old links that bound them to the old order; then their resurrection with him established links with a new and heavenly order”. It is participation in Christ’s resurrection that enables them to be able to share in the power of the new age.

It is as a result of this entering into the new age the new creation now, that the Colossians are to set their hearts on things above. O’Brien again offers excellent insight into what Paul is taking about when he talks about the things above. He comments “Paul is thus employing spatial categories in a qualitative manner to describe two spheres which correspond to the eschatological schema of the two ages”. Paul is therefore saying that the things of the coming age the lifestyle of the new creation should dominate the believers motives and desires. O’Brien summarises the thought excellently he writes; “the Colossian Christians have already participated in the world to come, the powers of the new age have broken in upon them they already participate in the resurrection life of Christ. Thus their aims and ambitions, indeed their whole orientation is to be directed to this sphere”. The age to come not the present age is to be their dominating and discerning factor in their lives.

This new life and new creation is where Christ is with all authority and power. He has been given the supreme position of kingship by God. He is the exalted lord of all. It is the fact that Christ is lord of all and has been given the place of supreme influence, that should dominate the lives of the Colossians. No power or authority can prevent them or disqualify them from participation in the new age. And so as such the ascension to power of Christ should motivate them to live by a completely different value system to that of the people of this age. Their position is secure in Christ and therefore their conduct should reflect this.

Set your mind on things above not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears then you will also appear with him in glory.

Paul now reiterates what he has been saying, he is instructing the Colossians not to have their thoughts dominated by the earthly things the basic principles of this world. They are rather to let their minds and their thinking be shaped and formed by the values of the new age that Christ has inaugurated and which through his resurrection they participate in. O’Brien sees that “this contrast closely resembles that which Paul describes elsewhere as the spheres of the “flesh” and the “Spirit.” The Spirit brings in the new creation and therefore O’Brien is right to see a link here. And so Paul is describing living life according to the Spirit or life based around the thoughts and actions of this age the flesh.

The basis for such thinking is that they died, that is they no longer live according to this age, and therefore their lives should not be affected by the values of this age as they do not belong to it. There life now is hidden with Christ in God. That is who they are really are and what they are really like is not found here in this age. Rather their true identity is to be like Christ and because he is not visible and has not returned who they truly are is hidden.

So as a result when Christ does appear, then the believer will also appear. Who the believer really is will be revealed with the coming of Christ. The believer will be seen in all their glory as a son of God. It will be the revelation of the sons of God. And it is the fact that the Colossians future is to be fully like Christ appearing with him in glory, that should mean that they live a different life now. Who they will be is should determine what governs their thinking. It should also affect how they understand themselves now as this resurrection is a present reality.

Put to death therefore whatever belongs to the earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming.

The practical response should be an outworking of the reality of the situation. They should treat the things of this age as they have become to this age, putting them to death. They are no longer dominated by the earthly nature but are rather dead to it. As such they should put it to death. Their life now exists and is shaped by the future age and so should not be dominated by the present evil age. They have been redeemed into the kingdom of light and so no longer belong to this present age. Therefore they should deal ruthlessly with the things of this present evil age.

Sexual immorality is having sexual intercourse outside of the bond of marriage. Impurity is character that has been tainted and effected by immoral behaviour. Lust refers to out of control overpowering sexual urges. Evil desires is where evil things are longed for in the heart. Greed “unchecked hunger for physical pleasure, which is the breeding ground for more specific evil desires”. Greed here is then identified as being synonymous with idolatry which the worship of other Gods. Wright comments that these things can be seen to be the same because; “all such greed places at the centre of ones attention and devotion that which is not God”.

Paul’s is not creating a list of do’s and don’ts but is rather concentrating on the heart attitudes and desires behind sin. These things are not part of the new nature of the Colossians and should be dealt a death blow. Paul now shows that because of such things the wrath of God is coming. God is going to judge this evil age and deal with it in anger, punishing all those who belong to it. This age will be destroyed because of its wickedness it is passing away. The Colossians are therefore further encouraged to put these things to death as these things only lead to death, and will eventually be destroyed.

You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice and filthy language from your lips .

Paul now appeals to their personal experience to show them the reality of the change that has occurred since they participated in the resurrection with Christ. Paul reminds them that they used to live lives dominated by the things just mentioned. This shows that Paul viewed these things as being a past reality that no longer exists in their lives a definite break has occurred. This was the life they once lived. As Dunn comments “the aorist tense of the first verb sums up that previous behaviour as a single event now past”. Paul is therefore using their own personal experience to show them what he means by dieing to this age and entering the new one.

But this does not mean that Paul perceives that the Colossians now live perfect lives and are not effected by sin. They must continually rid themselves of the bad attitudes that dominate this age. These things include: anger which is “the continuous state of smouldering or seething hatred“ (Wright). Rage when such anger and hatred surfaces. Malice is evil that is done with the intention of bringing hurt or harm to another. Lastly filthy language from your lips which is words that are full of evil and perversion “words which by their foul association contaminate both speaker and hearers“.

Do not lie to each other since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self with which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian Sycthian slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.

The Colossians are not to lie to one another. The reason being is that they have taken off the old self. The idea here is that the Colossians have died so the person who died can be seen to be the old self. This person who lived dominated by the present age no longer exists but is rather dead. This though is not some abstract concept but found a touching point in the fact that the practices of the old life also were removed. So Paul is saying that removal of these sinful things is the same as being dead to the old way of life. The old has gone and has been removed.

They have now put on the new self, the new has become a reality for them. O’Brien comments that “just as the old man is what they once where in Adam the embodiment of unregenerate humanity so the new man is what they now are in Christ, the embodiment of new humanity”. Their identity has become the new Adam Christ not the old sin dominated first Adam. The Colossians have left the old sphere and have entered the new. This new self is described as being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator. The ideas here clearly refer back to the creation narrative in Genesis. So as such what Paul is describing is a new creation that is happening in Christ. This new creation this renewal into the image of God is as Wright literally translates it, is “into knowledge implying that the renewal spoken of is to result in the true knowledge of God”. It is only as the Colossians are made more like Christ the new Adam and so become more and more the image of God that they will truly understand God.

It is in this new creation in Christ the new Adam, that all ethic and religious differences are stripped away. The barrier between Jew and Gentile is removed as God makes all things new. What once separated people now no longer does. Rather then this separation Christ is all and in all. Barth and Blanke see this as referring to the fact that Christ is the supreme lord of all peoples and groups so rather then disunity there is unity in Christ. All have “become equally worthy as having their Messiah as Lord”.

Therefore as God’s chosen people holy and dearly loved clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you might have against one another. Forgive as the lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Having made the statement that all religious ethnic distinctions have been broken down in Christ. Paul can now call the Colossians Gods chosen people holy and dearly loved. The Colossians are now the people of God, Dunn comments “more clearly then anywhere else in Colossians it is evident that the gentile recipients of the letter were being invited to consider themselves full participants in the people and heritage of Israel….The starting point for their praxis as Christians was the recognition that they stood before God as Israel stood before God”.

The Colossians have become the new people of God. Their being raised with Christ has meant that they now participate in the new creation and have been transformed. It is this rescue and transformation that now means that they are to be understood as the eschatological people of God. Their position as the people of God is what testifies to them that a radical change in their fundamental identity has taken place. So as such they having taken off the old man like clothes because they were dead to him, they now begin to put on the new man. They become what they are. “Having taken off the shabby clothes appropriate for the old age, the Colossians are to be fitted out with beautiful new robes appropriate for their new position.”

To do this they are to clothe themselves with compassion, which is a heartfelt genuinely deep sense of sympathy towards others. Kindness is the outworking of compassion it also involves the outworking of love. Humility is the ability to be able to forego ones for the sake of another, it is not giving oneself priority and the highest place. Gentleness is the outworking of humility and refers to the tender careful love that someone shows another. Patience is having a good reaction to circumstances and people a reaction that does not become angry and bitter.

Paul now shows them how this is to be practically worked out among them. First they are to bear with each other. That is they are to be patient with each other not becoming angry towards one another causing them to sin against one another. Rather they should demonstrate patience towards one another. Crucial for being able to do this is to be able to forgive whatever grievances they may have against one another. It is only as they exercise forgiveness that they will be able to patiently bear with each other. Their example of how to forgive and their standard of forgiveness is to be as the lord forgave them. The magnitude of loving forgiveness they received is the standard the benchmark for how they are to forgive.

Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. All of these virtues are to be governed by the principle of love. Love is the means by which unity occurs within the people of God as they live lives of love embodying the above virtues then the church will be more unified. The Colossians are to live lives of love which find expression through kindness gentleness forgiveness etc to those around them, enabling the church to reach perfect unity. “It is by this love one of the graces of Christ that his body is built up” (O‘Brien).
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

The Colossians are to allow Christ’s peace to have rule and authority in their lives. Ephesians 4:3 sees that peace is the means whereby the unity that the Spirit gives is maintained. “The peace which is created through the messiah should be a determining factor for all areas of life” (Barth and Blanke). Christ has brought peace the Colossian Christians this peace should affect how they act think and feel especially in relation to one another.

They are to make sure that peace is given it rule and dominion in their lives for two reasons. They are members of one body, they are not isolated Christians going solo but have a vital part to play in relationship with one another. Secondly they were called to peace, the idea here is that they were called out saved to become the people of God. Dunn sees it as important that the people of God were promised peace in the in the future age; this means that “the peace the Colossian believers could experience in their hearts was further proof that they belonged to the people of the Messiah in the age of the Messiah already come”. The peace that was to dominate their lives was the outworking of the fact that they were Gods people.

Paul also wants people to be thankful. Paul has already stressed in the letter that he wants them to be overflowing with thankfulness. Thankfulness is to be a dominate mark of the people of God who have been called out in unity to live lives of peace. As they have become the new people of God sharing in the new creation they are to live lives of thankfulness.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Paul is instructing the Colossians as a community to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly. These words are not directed to the individual but rather to the community as a whole. The context with its communal exhortations make this most apparent. The community of believers in Colosse are to have the word of Christ “that is the message of the gospel with its central focus on Christ” (Fee); dwell in their midst. This idea of dwelling in them, “is characterised by the fact that it shares its richness (1:27) with those to whom it came”. What is in mind therefore in the idea of the rich dwelling of the gospel, is that the gospel is to have an effect upon their lives. This is in keeping with the idea of the gospel being an effective agent among them that is taught in the letter. Paul wants the Colossians to enjoy the riches that the gospel brings. Dunn comments “there is a richness in the word of Christ which makes it an inexhaustible source of spiritual resource, intellectual stimulus and personal and corporate challenge; but without the participants positive response its indwelling might be feeble rather then rich”.

This is to occur as they teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. The Colossian Christians are to give one another instruction into the content significance and meaning of the gospel message. The idea of teaching and admonishing with all wisdom is the way Paul defines his own ministry in 1:28. The Colossians therefore are to understand themselves to be outworking Paul’ Spirit empowered ministry among themselves. They are to presenting people perfect as they walk out this role of teaching and admonishing with wisdom. Fee therefore observes that “here is plain evidence that Paul did not consider ministry to be the special province of either apostles or office holders. As in the earliest of his letters (1Thes 5:14), these kinds of activities in the Christian assembly are the responsibility of all”. All have a role in ensuring that people are edified through the gospel. This is to be done in wisdom, O’Brien sees this wisdom as being shown in a practical way so that, “the teaching and admonition are given in a thoughtful and tactful way”.

The additional means by which the word of God is to have a rich effect among them, is as they sing psalms hymns and spiritual songs. Dunn sees the importance of singing among the early church as he notes “prior to the invention of printing, hymns and songs were a necessary and invaluable means of implanting teaching”. Paul viewed singing as an important vehicle for the communication of the truth and the enabling of the gospel to dwell richly among them. The word for Psalms is derived from the verb to pluck or play a stringed instrument. Psalms therefore have a very musicality about them. This implies that music was to play an important role in Paul’s vision of a richly effected gospel community.

Hymns are seen to songs that are used to praise, heroes and gods within contemporary society, so what Paul has in view here is songs that have a praise focus, celebrating God and this wonderful good news. Spiritual songs notes Dunn certainly denotes or at least includes songs sung under the immediate inspiration of the Spirit.” Indeed Barth and Blanke translate the phrase to mean “songs produced by the Spirit”. Spontaneous Spirit inspired charismatic singing was crucial therefore in ensuring the rich effectual indwelling of the gospel. Here we see that the charismatic serves the purpose of ensuring the effective indwelling of the gospel among the congregation of God. Fee comments “Spirit songs are but one expression of the Spirits presence whose fullness will guide and inspire all of the worship in its several expressions”.

Such singing and rich indwelling of the gospel is to be done with gratitude in their hearts towards God. Thankfulness must dominate and flow powerfully among the congregation their must be an overflow of it in their midst. One of the primary expressions of the rich effective indwelling of Gods word will be their thankfulness directed towards God.

As they worship the gospel is to have a rich and powerful effect among them, as the whole community makes an effort to ensure that it richly indwells them. This is to be done through the power of the Spirit. “The church is to be stocked with good teaching as a palace is filled with treasures” (Wright).

And whatever you do whether in word or deed do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the father through him.

All things in life are to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus done as if they were done for Jesus. O’Brien comments “in becoming a Christian the believer calls upon Jesus as Lord and comes under the authority of Christ. He belongs wholly to him thus everything he says or does ought to be in light of the fact that Jesus is lord. His behaviour should be entirely consistent with Jesus character and this will occur as the word of Christ richly indwells him and other members of the congregation”. Everything they do must reflect their new position and identity in Christ.

The life worked out in the context of living for God must find its response in thankfulness to God in everything. This thankfulness occurs through Christ, it is only by means of Christ that the Colossians gain offer thankfulness to God in every situation. “Since all things have been created through Christ and in principle redeemed through him Christians can do all that they do whether it be manual work, political activity, raising a family, writing a book, playing tennis, or whatever in his name and with gratitude”. This sets the basis for all the relational instructions that Paul is about to give, showing how this is practically worked out in our daily relations.

Wives submit to your husbands as is fitting in the lord. Husbands love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord. Fathers do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged.

Wives are to submit, the wife must not rule over her husband dominating him and telling him what to do. Rather the wife is to live under the rule and authority of the husband. This does not mean that Paul viewed the wife as being less of a person then the husband, he rather recognised that they were to have different and specific roles. O’Brien comments Paul is not suggesting here that the women is naturally or spiritually inferior to the man or the wife to the husband. But he does mention elsewhere that there is a divinely instituted hierarchy in the order of creation and in that order the wife follows that of her husband”. Such a response and attitude is fitting for one who has become a new creation in Christ.

Husbands are to love their wives and not be harsh to them. Husbands role of authority is to be worked out through love. This loves “involves his unceasing care and loving service for her entire well being” (O‘Brien). The outworking of this will be that he will not be harsh to her. He must be fair towards her and what she does, not being overly critical or unfair in his judgement of her. Wright highlights well what this should look like: “He must scrupulously avoid the temptation to resent her being the person that she is, to become bitter or angry when she turns out to be like him a real human being and not merely the projection of his own hopes or fantasies”.

Children obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord. children are to show obedience to their parents in every aspect of their lives, there should not be an area where the child shows rebellion to their parents. Fathers in turn are not to embitter their children. The father should not aggravate the child, because as the child is trying to be obedient it will lead to the child becoming discouraged, because that obedience will be made difficult.

Slaves obey your earthly masters in everything; and do not do it only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the lord.

Slaves are to obey the instructions and what their earthly masters ask them. This idea of earthly masters, shows that this master is only a temporary master and so is firstly a temporary master. Also since Colossians are raised with Christ and entered the new age they are not their true masters. But no of these is to negate the obedience required of the slaves to these masters. Such obedience is not to be done in order that the earthly master sees them and looks upon them in a good way. Rather such obedience is to be done when they are not looking and so it is seen to be sincere. That is the obedience is to be done for obedience sake not just for the benefits that result. “The Christian at work must be a whole person totally given to the task at hand, not just doing the minimum required to avoid rebuke, with a show of effort when one is being observed” (Wright).

This obedience is to be done with reverence for the lord. The idea here is that the obedience is to flow from the respect that they have for Christ. “The main motivation for such single-minded obedience is not the human relationship of slave to master, but the obligation that, whatever ones position in human society one should live as before the lord and for the lord” (Dunn). Their view of Christ should determine how the slave is to work. The new relationship in Christ must effect the persons work.

Whatever you do work at it with all your heart, as working for the lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong and there is no favouritism.

People are not to work as if they are working for their earthly masters, as they have a heavenly master and they should be working for him instead. This means that whatever they do they should do whole heartedly giving themselves fully to making sure the task is the best they can do. This is because they will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Jesus will grant the slave the very thing he would not be able to have here on earth and inheritance. The life lived for God will result in an inheritance as reward.

It is Christ whom they are serving, they are not serving their human masters but rather Christ. As such their obedience to their earthly masters should be an outworking of their obedience to Christ. Christ is not just seen as the one who gives reward but also as the one who repays people for the wrong they do. Christ will give the wrongdoer what they deserve for the wrong that they do. Dunn comments that “the force of this warning is twofold: it encouraged harshly treated slaves that their masters could not escape due judgement, in the final judgement if not in this life and it warned the slaves themselves to maintain their own high standards of integrity so far as possible”. What they should also bear in mind is that there is no favouritism with Christ. Christ does not look at people more favourably then others based on their status but rather views people objectively. The slaves can be assured of a fair judgement and therefore should give themselves fully to obey their masters no matter how unfairly they may be treated.

Chapter 2

I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the mystery of God namely Christ.

Paul now having shown that he is one who struggles for people to be made perfect in Christ. Explains that he is struggling for the Colossians Laodiceans and for all have not met him personally. Paul wants them to know this, because in Paul’s mind it is important that they understand that he is labouring for them. Paul is keen to show them that he labours for them in order to highlight the importance of why or for what he labours. They need to understand the object of his labouring this is important for Paul and what he wants them to know.

He labours and exerts himself so that they be encouraged in heart. The heart “the source of the will, emotion thoughts and affections” is to be strengthened. Paul wants these people to have strong heartfelt commitment to the gospel; unable to be shaken by the things that may come along to deter such commitment. But not only that he wants them to be united in love. His desire is for a community which has a communality and unity that springs from love. Dunn sees the encouragement and strengthening coming from the loving unity. He writes “the encouragement is thought of not in terms of in terms of a sequence of individuals being individually encouraged but an encouragement which facilitates and is facilitated by their experience of being held together in love”. Encouragement and strengthening is to be found in a loving community.

Paul desires a loving encouraging community so that people may have the full riches of complete understanding. It is in a united loving community that Paul believes that people gain understanding. Wright comments “living in a loving forgiving community will assist growth in understanding, and vice versa, as truth is confirmed in practice and practice enables truth to be seen in action and so to be fully grasped”. Paul does not want people to have a partial understanding but rather a complete understanding. O’Brien believers that riches can also be interpreted to mean assurance therefore Paul is wanting people to have a firm conviction of the truth of this understanding. Paul wants them to now the full benefit’s the riches of what it means to have complete understanding.

All of this is in order that they may know the mystery of God namely Christ. Paul is here equating a rich full complete understanding to be the same as knowing Christ. Paul is therefore holding Christ up to the Colossians to show them that it is in Christ that they find complete understanding. Beneficial knowledge and understanding is to be found in Christ. O’Brien comments “there could be not appreciation of divine wisdom apart from this personal knowledge of him”.

In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one will deceive you by any fine sounding arguments.

Having shown that the Colossians can get a fully rich complete understanding through knowing Christ, Paul now demonstrates why this is the case. In Christ are hidden, Barth and Blanke see that a 1 Corinthians 2:6ff offers the key to understanding this verse. They argue that in Christ wisdom and understanding are hidden to the natural man who does not have the Spirit. They argue that the “hidden wisdom of God can be recognised only through the Spirit that is bestowed by God”. This is helpful as it shows that why people would view Christ as being insufficient for wisdom and understanding. The Colossians should be not be deceived by people claiming that Christ is not sufficient for understanding God and his purposes; because people only argue like this because the treasures of wisdom and understanding are hidden from them. The Colossians have the Spirit of God and therefore they should understand that in Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

In Christ then though hidden from those without the Spirit are all treasures of wisdom and understanding. The idea here according to O’Brien is that all knowledge and wisdom deposited or stored in Christ so that “to search for other sources of knowledge apart from him is a useless enterprise”. God has placed in Christ all the wealth of knowledge and understanding so that he is the only place to go to understand God. “Everything we might want to ask about God and his purposes can and must be answered with reference to the crucified and risen Jesus, the messiah” (Wright).

Paul tells them all this so that no one will deceive them by any fine sounding arguments. The Colossians are not to look to any other philosophy or system because Christ is the source of all true wisdom and knowledge. They must look to him alone and no where else. Arguments that downplay or ignore Christ no matter how fine or clever they are counter to the realty that Christ is the centre of all wisdom and understanding and therefore such arguments are to be ignored.

For though I am absent in from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

Paul was not physically present with the Colossians, but he was present with them in spirit. An number of views are put forward as to what Paul means when he says he is present with them in Spirit. For me two best views are held by O’Brien and Dunn. O’Brien agrees with Ernst Best by seeing that Paul believed that because they where one body that he was with them. He comments “since the Spirit of God has united both him and the Colossians to Christ. Because both live with Christ, he is present in spirit with them”. Dunn understands that Paul would be present with them through the Spirit, that is by means of his prayers and the letter the Spirit would make it as if Paul himself was present.

The best view is Dunn’s in my opinion. As what seems to be the case is that through the prayers of Paul the Spirit comes and ministers to them as if Paul was their praying with them. And through the letter the Colossians are able to benefit from Paul’s teaching charismata and therefore enjoy the Spirit that way, as if Paul was their teaching to them. Because the Spirit is with them as a result of Paul it is as if Paul himself was there amongst them.

Paul delights to see how orderly they are and how firm their faith in Christ is. As a result of his prayers and letter Paul can delight that he is their by the Spirit and can be pleased that they are united in a firm faith.

So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.

Paul can now draw out a massive implication for the Colossians based on what he has argued. Having shown that Christ is the one in whom they can find all they need to know about God. And that Christ is pre-eminent the one through whom the mystery of God that has been hidden has been revealed. Paul shows the Colossians that the way they received Christ which was through the gospel they should continue to live a life based around that gospel revelation of Christ. There lifestyle should be a reflection of the transformation that has come through the gospel message. Their lives should reflect the Lordship of Christ and demonstrate that he is Lord. The Colossians should allow the gospel the message of Christ to dictate how they are to live.

The Colossians should put their roots down into Christ and see that it is only through Christ that they will find what they need to live for him. Like a plant putting down its roots in order to find suitable nutrition so the Colossians should seek to find their spiritual nutrition in Christ. Not only that they are also to be built up in him that is they are to grow and develop in God moving upwards with Christ as the foundation and the one on whom they build.

This is all made possible as they draw their strength form the faith they were originally taught. The message of grace they learned from Epaphras is to provide the strength they need to make these things a reality in their lives. In sum they are being “admonished to conduct their lives as those who have been incorporated into Christ”.

The believers are also to be strengthened through overflowing thankfulness. As they look to live their lives in the light of the gospel being strengthened by its message it is important that they live lives of overflowing thankfulness. If the gospel is to have any effect upon the lives of the believers it must produce an abundance of thankfulness. Wright stresses the importance of thankfulness in this letter when he writes; “thankfulness, filling the church so full that it constantly spills over is placed in this letter as the centre of Christian living”.

Living out the reality of the gospel is what Paul is calling the Colossians too. This is made possible as they make themselves strong through understanding the gospel and living lives of thankfulness.

See to it no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather then on Christ.

Having shown the importance of a life that reflects the truth of the gospel and draws strength from the gospel Paul now shows them what they should avoid. They are to avoid being taken captive, the idea here is of “deportation, of being taken away as booty” (Barth and Blanke). They are to avoid becoming exiles to God. This would happen through hollow and deceptive philosophy. Philosophy is to be understood as “a term which many apologists for all sorts of religious and pseudo-religious teaching would use because of its distinguished pedigree as subsequently in relation to the mysteries” (Dunn). This sort of thing because it is outside of Christ is deceptive that is it leads people astray and into error, contrary to the truth found in the gospel. It is also hollow or empty it has now transforming power in it to change lives. It also “sets this philosophy in sharp contrast to the mystery and all its glorious riches” (O’Brien).

The heart of the problem with such philosophy is that it depends upon human tradition. Because it is not based on Christ it is seen to be human as Christ has all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that belong to God; therefore outside of Christ the teaching can not be of God. Also such teaching is seen to be earthbound rather then from God it is from the creature not the creator. Christ defines whether a teaching has any value or whether it is merely derived from the human understanding or antiquity.

Such teaching is seen also to be based on the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Wright defines these basic principles to be “local presiding deities, the national gods supposed to rule over the different areas and races of the world”. The view is that other powers and authorities have a significant part to play and therefore they should determine ones understanding of God. But Paul’s argument shows that this overlooks the reality of Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form and you have been given fullness in Christ who is the head over every power and authority.

The reason why such teaching is dangerous is that is that in Christ all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form. Dunn comments because Christ has the fullness of God in him means “that God could be encountered directly in and through this particular human being, Christ”. Because Christ has all the fullness of deity living in him then the way to encounter or meet with God is through Christ. The Colossian Christians do not need to try to find God through means other then Christ by searching through philosophic systems they can meet God through Christ.

Paul now shows the significance of this argument, he is showing that “from the fullness of deity that dwells in the exalted Christ follows the infilling of the Colossian Christians” (O‘Brien). The Colossians have all they need of God in Christ there is nothing that they need to look for outside of Christ. In Christ they have all they need for life and godliness. They have no need for human tradition or working with for the powers. Wright argues that this verse parallels Ephesians 1:23 and 3:19 and suggests the “meaning that God intends to flood the lives of men and women and ultimately the whole creation with his own power love and richness and that he has already begun to put this plan into effect through Christ and by his Spirit. That is the Colossians’ inheritance in Christ, and they can want nothing more from any other source”. The Colossians are to look no where other then Christ for fullness as it is only in him that all the resources of God are to be found.

The Colossians also have no need to submit to teaching that depends upon powers and authorities as Christ is the head over every power and authority. “The readers need not pay their respect to the principalities and powers. For the one in whom they are complete is Lord and master of such beings”. The Colossians need not have the these beings dictate how they live and what they do as Christ has been given the pre-eminent place over them. All they need is Christ.

In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

It is relation to Christ that these believers were also circumcised. Paul defines this circumcision as the putting off of the sinful nature. It was through dealing with the sinful nature, removal of it that the Colossians were in effect circumcised. Barth and Blanke see Paul to be arguing that this circumcision means that the Colossians are now part of the people of God. Not through a physical circumcision which has now been made redundant; physical circumcision “is no longer a mark that separates the chosen from the non chosen”. They also argue that the phrase not done with human hands, “in the NT differentiates the work of God from that of human beings, where the later is qualified as something temporary and incomplete, and which stands for and symbolizes and foreshadows the final and finished work, which is accomplished by God”.

What Paul is describing then is a new circumcision one that deals with the sinful nature and has replaced circumcision as that which identifies people as the people of God. It is the fulfilment of the OT longing that Gods people would circumcise their hearts, in other words deal with the sin in their lives. In Christ this has been made possible. Paul now argues how this new circumcision has taken place. It is not something that humans do but is rather done by Christ. The means whereby it has happened is burial with Christ in baptism. Paul sees the Colossians as being dead (see also 2:20) they have been buried, something that only happens to dead people. The death they have participated in is Christ’s death the sign or seal of this death is baptism.

Baptism is not the place in which the believer dies with Christ to his old way of life but is rather the sign or symbol that he has died; in the same way that burial is the sign or symbol that someone has died. O’Brien argues “as the burial of Christ set the seal upon his death, so the Colossians burial with him in baptism shows that they were truly involved in his death and laid in his grave. It is not as though they simply died like Jesus or were buried as he was laid in the tomb. Rather they died with him on the cross and were laid in his grave. The burial proves that a real death has occurred and the old life is now a thing of the past”. Paul is therefore appealing to their baptism to show them that they have died with Christ and so have died to the old age dominated by sin and so should no longer live according to the sinful nature they as they have died to it.

The Colossians are also raised with him, the Colossians do not just share Christ’s death but also participate in his resurrection life. Dunn comments that for Paul the resurrection life was a future reality but the believer could also be said to experience it in the present. He argues then that the Christ event “meant not only that the sentence of death on the old epoch, its rule(r)s and its practices, had already been passed, but also that believers were able to share in the resurrection life of the new epoch”. The new creation and the powers of the age to come which are a reality with the resurrection can be enjoyed in the present. “That is to say it was evidently thought necessary to draw in the new emphasis as a way of encouraging positive embrace of the power of the new creation and not just renunciation of the old”. The old age has passed in the Colossians experience and now they can enjoy the life of the new age.

This is made possible through their faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Dunn’s comments here are again helpful “it is the openness of faith to divine grace, the commitment of mind and life to that which is confessed about the resurrection, that makes it possible for faith to serve as the conduit through which the divine energy flows to energize the commitment and make more effective its translation into action”. It is through faith in the resurrection power of God that raised Jesus to life that we participate in that same power. It is only as the Colossians believe in the resurrected Lord whom God raised from the dead, that they will be able to experience the power of that resurrection in their own lives. The new life of obedience is only made possible by Christ. The people of God are not those who have experienced the temporary human circumcision but those who have experienced the life transforming powerful circumcision of participation in Christ.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.

Paul first off depicts the condition that the Colossians used to be in they were dead in their sins. Barth and Blanke view this idea of being dead in sin to be based in the OT they quote Von Rad who argues; “the dead were absolutely outside the cultural domain of Yahweh, and Israel was permitted to know no domain other then this. The dead were separated from Yahweh and his community because they were placed outside the cult of Yahweh (Ps 88:11-13. Herein lies the primary bitterness of death, and this is addressed very movingly in the death experience in the lament of the Psalms”. Death meant exclusion from being the people of God and meant having no relationship with God, complete alienation from God. It was sin that had led the Colossians to this place, their sinful nature had created this alienation from God.

Paul highlights the extent of this by showing that they were still in the uncircumcision of the sinful nature. The sinful nature dominated their existence defining who they were. It describes the Colossians pre the Christ event which was the point at which their existence and state completely changed. Outside of the Christ event the Colossians had no hope and were completely estranged from God. They had no place in his community and so no share in any of the promises without hope. It was in this place that God made them alive with Christ. God gave them Spiritual life removing the deathly alienation caused by sin that dominated their existence. “The Colossians have come to life then with Christ, who was dead and rose again; their new life then is sharing in the new life which he received when he rose from the dead. It is only in union with him that death is vanquished and new life an integral part of Gods new creation is received”. It is only in the Christ event specifically the resurrection that this state of death can be reversed and the Colossians enter into newness of life. It is only with Christ that the Colossians can enjoy their share in the promises of God and the hope of glory.

He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by his cross.

Paul’s aim in this verse is to show that the teaching that is based on human tradition is utterly redundant as well as the teaching based upon the powers and gods of this world the basic principles. The reason is the cross has made them meaningless and insignificant.

Paul first shows that God has forgiven us all our sins. It is important to see a link here between the forgiveness experienced and the new life O’Brien cites Caird who comments “whether a man is morally and spiritually dead or alive depends on his relationship with God the one source of life; and the relationship once severed by sin can be restored only by forgiveness”. It is forgiveness that has made this new life possible. The verb used to describe this forgiveness of all sins “is a suitable verb for the cancellation of a debt”. What Paul has in mind here then is sin being like a debt that has to be repaid, but God coming and cancelling the debt. That is indeed the metaphor that Paul will now describe to illustrate this idea of forgiveness.

God cancelled the written code with its regulations. The idea here is of striking out a book removing the record of something. What was cancelled and removed was the written code with all its regulations. The most persuasive argument concerning what Paul is talking about here is to see the written code and regulations, as the law acting as an IOU note. It is “the signed acknowledgement of our indebtedness before God. Like an IOU it contained penalty clauses. The Jews had contracted to obey the law and in their case the penalty for breach of this contract meant death. Paul assumes that the gentiles were committed through their consciences to a similar obligation to the moral law in as much as they understood it. Since the obligation had not been discharged by ever group the bond remained against us”.

The law stood like an IOU of all the things that people should do for God but had failed to do. People therefore were under the obligation of not paying that debt. And so it was against and opposed to people. Against us “indicates active opposition or enmity: the second a barrier which stands in ones way” (Wright). The law was mans enemy as it lead to condemnation as a result of not meeting its demands. It also formed a barrier for right relationship with God.

But this written code has been wiped out cancelled it no longer has any significance for those who are made alive with Christ. God has taken the code and its regulations away nailing it to the cross. The thought here is of the “indictment itself being destroyed by means of crucifixion, as though it was the indictment which was itself nailed to the cross in in execution. The play then is rather with the thought of Christ as himself the condemnatory bond and his death as its destruction. The metaphor is again convoluted but presumably again reflects the idea of Christ’s death as a sin offering and thus of Christ as embodying the sins of the offerer and destroying them in his death”. The laws sentence and oppositsion its barrier against men was wiped out and removed as Christ took upon himself the consequences of the IOU of the law.

The law therefore has no place and authority in the lives of those who are made alive with Christ. Its demands have been removed and its obligations have been dealt with. This verse shows as Wright helpfully puts it “the torah was not a help but a hinderance; God has erased its accusing demands and removed them from the scene altogether…No longer can it bar the way to the life of the age to come”. God has removed the hinderance that the law created therefore living according to teaching based on the traditions of man is utter foolishness. All sins have been dealt with and people are to live out the life of the age to come that is the source of the Christian life not rules and regulations.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by his cross.

The powers and authorites of this world have been stripped of all their strength and power. The word for disarming could also be understood to mean stripping of this is how Dunn sees it. He sees it as “powerful imagery of old and wasted garments being discarded…for the Colossions at any rate the point would be clear: the spiritual powers including the elemental forces should be counted as of no greater value or signifcance than a bunch of old rags”. The powers an authorities have been made meaningless discarded and stripped of any significance for the Colossian Christians.

The next thing Christ did was to make a public spectatcle of these powers. “Having divested the principalities and powers of their dignity and authority on the cross, God exposed to the universe their utter helplessness” (O‘Brien). The powers having been disarmed and cast off, were then shown to be made redundant. “By putting them on public display God exposed the principalities and powers to ridicule. This open manifestion of their being divested of dignity and authority serves to demonstrate more clearly the infinte superiority” (O‘Brien). The powers have been clearly shown to the Colossians to be insignificant. Therefore teaching based on powers is to be discarded because the powers have been openly discarded by Christ having had their powers stripped.

The next thing we see that God has done is triumph over the powers and authorities. O’Brien sees the “image behind the verb is that of a tumultuous proccession through the streets of Rome to celebrate a military victory”. Christ has like a general conquered over the powers and authorities and has gone on an open victory parade in order that people can see the victory that he has accomplished. This victory and display of victory was made by the cross. In the cross the freedom for the people of God was purchased, a freedom that enabled them to live in accordance with the powers of the new age. These people had been redeemed from the old age including its powers and authorities. These things no longer hold any influence for the people of God as Wright describes these powers and authorities, they “have become quite simply out of date a ragged and defeated rabble”. These powers and authorites are irrelevant because in his death Christ brought an end to the relationhip that believers have with the old age. Therefore teaching based on these powers is irrelevant and outdated.

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a new moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality however is found in Christ.

The result of what Christ has done is to have a direct bearing on how the Colossians live. The Colossians are not judge others based on these certain things nor are they themselves to allow judgement to effect them. What is at stake with food and drink is two things. Firstly it relates to the OT laws on food on drink, what could be then happening is that the Colossians are allowing the OT laws to determine their conduct. Secondly the Colossians may be concerned tha the food or drink they have has been involved in some way with idols, and therefore they are fearful of the powers and authorities of idols and so therefore are trying to avoid such food and drink. The next thing that is a concern is that of new moon celebrations and Sabbath days. These are again the things that are to do with the mosiac law, and determined the identiy of Israel as the people of God.

Paul then describes these things as shadow of the things that were to come. Paul is showing that these things are transitory and were always destined to pass away. The things that were to come are the more important thing. These laws and regulations belonged to a specific period of time, when that time ended with the coming of the new age so did the significance of these things. Wright comments “now that the reality has come, there is no point clinging to the shadows”.

The temporary things of the old age have based the things that have come in the new age. The ultimate reality and significance of these things is found in Christ. It is the Christ event in Christ that we find all that is necessary and needed. Christ is the substance to the shadow of Jewish food laws and feasts: he is the reality which casts its shadow backward in time; they are the provisional inferior copies whose inadequacy is now evident in light of the real”. Christ is what all these OT things pointed forward to he perfectly fulfils the law bringing the reality and significance of it to light. These rules and regulations were only a pale poor reflection of the glory of Christ.

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.

Paul is attacking here those who would look to lead the Colossians astray. He depicts these people as delighting in false humility. That is this type of person puts on a show of humility but in reality it is a sham. These people find pleasure in being able to worship like the angels. Barth and Blanke put forward the case that this is what is in view here, that these people are looking to worship like angels. Their main argument is that if these people are worshipping angels instead of God surely Paul would have attacked this; showing that only God is to be worshipped especially since the letter has addressed the reality of the supremacy of Christ above all things.

This view helps explain what Paul says next when he argues that these people go into great detail about what they have seen. The idea here is that these people have seen great heavenly visions, possibly entering a trance like state where they have become like the angels in heaven. They have clearly made a big deal of what they have seen in these states, hoping that these things will gain them greater authority and respect. O’Brien comments that “the false teachers claimed to have joined in the angelic worship of God as they entered into the heavenly realm and prepared to receive visions of divine mysteries”. It is therefore likely that ascetic practice based around conforming to a number of rules and regulations was deemed to be necessary to be able to enter into this heavenly state.

The result of this is that his mind which is not governed by the Spirit puffs him up. Such a person becomes very proud and self inflated with their own importance. But the problem is that what is increasing his pride and ego actually is idle notions. Wright comments “all they have discovered in their vaunted mystical experiences is a set of imaginary fantasies”. Their ecstatic visionary experiences are from their imagination they are not genuine. Paul is concerned that the Colossians make sure that such a person does not disqualify them from the prize. The idea here is that these angel worshippers were giving the impression that there’s was the true form of spirituality and that everyone else’s was counterfeit. They were therefore judging others who may not appear to be as spiritual as them to be those who would not qualify for the prize. They were viewing those who did not live the same sort of lifestyle or having the same sort of experiences as them as being substandard.

He has lost connection with the head from whom the whole body supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Paul now describes the person who is trying to disqualify others. This person is described as having lost connection with the head. The head here is Christ as he is the head of the body the church. What is important to understand in this section is the thought that thought of “the body’s complete dependence on the head for its nourishment and growth” (Dunn). The person therefore who looks down upon other members of the body isolates himself from the head. The key idea to grasp is that the growth is corporate, “there is no thought of some members groining independently or out of step with the rest”. This person in his pride and having been puffed up by his visions, distances himself from the rest of the body. The result is that he is unable to participate in the growth that comes from the head to the body. He has lost connection with Jesus and the growth he gives because he has chosen not to be connected with the body.

Wright comments on the situation “it is no shame when a Christian finds that he or she can not grow spiritually without support and help from fellow believers; it is rather a surprise that anyone should have thought such a thing possible”. Paul is therefore showing that it is community that one is able to grow and develop isolated “super spirituality” will cause one to lose connection with the head of the body.

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world why as though you belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are all based on human commands and teaching.

Paul reiterates that the Colossians had died with Christ this time he direct applies the implication of this. “As death breaks the bond which binds a subject to his ruler so dying with Christ severs the bond that bound the Colossians to the slavery of the principalities and powers” (O‘Brien). The point Paul is making is that the Colossians had completed ended their relationship to the old order the basic principles of this world the old way of life. So because they have ended their relationship with the old order Paul is questioning why they are living as if they have not. They are doing this because they are submitting to the rules that were part of that order; the rules which have been superseded by the things that were to come. The old age has ended therefore to submits to its rules is to return to that age, to the basic principles of that age; an age they are dead to.

These rules are described as rules that are things like do not handle taste or touch. Wright comments “that the verb translated here handle is stronger then that rendered touch thus producing a downward sliding scale which corresponds to the upward rise in absurd scrupulosity”. Paul is attacking those religious rules that were thought to ensure religious purity. From the most easy rules to the more specific harsher rules. These rules are part of the world to which the Colossians are dead to and therefore they should have no bearing on their lives.

Paul sees the ultimate destiny of these things to be that they will perish with use. These things he is attacking are laws regarding perishable things which once used are no longer available they pass away. Possibly this is a play on words to show that the rules themselves are transitory and will also perish as they belong to the old order of things. Whether Paul means this or not his point is to show the vanity of these rules for godly living.

He argues that they will perish and pass away and are not beneficial for godliness because they are all based on human commands and teaching. O’Brien sees here a reference to Isaiah 29:13 which says “these people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men”. The point in Isaiah is that the man made rules were used as a means for worshipping God and obeying God without actually dealing with the impurity and rebellion found in the heart. Jesus also used this verse to attack the religious leaders of his day who were distorting the true requirements of Gods word in order to be able to do what they really wanted.

Paul is arguing that such teaching which does not require transformation of the heart and does not transform the heart will ultimately perish. These rules do not produce the heart godliness the transformation from the inside out that God requires. It is to this theme that Paul now presses home.

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom with their self imposed worship their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any real value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Paul argues that if one where to look at these regulations they would appear wise they would appear like the sort of things that God would want people to submit to. Paul gives three reasons why they may appear to be good. Firstly they have self imposed worship, they produce very controlled and forced worship. Such regulations create very disciplined worship. They also produce false humility, those looking on would observe someone who appears to be very submitted to the rules and therefore appears to be submitted to God. But in actual fact nothing could be further from the truth the rules are likely to cause them to be bloated with pride and their own sense of self importance. Such rules encourage harsh treatment of the body, that is to the eye the person living out such regulations would appear to live a very self controlled life not controlled by their own desires.

But the reality is that these sorts of regulations despite how they appear actually lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. These rules have no power to change and control the heart. Instead the person ends up giving themselves over to a whole host of wrong desires precisely because these rules do not have the power to help them. Wright comments “genuine holiness which is an anticipation of the life of the age to come into which the risen Christ has already entered, is not to be had by methods whose very nature focusing as it does on the perishable material things binds them to the present age”. The law can not provide the life needed to obey its own demands and is therefore futile. If the Christian life is to be lived out through the power of the age to come rules that are based on the old order of things are therefore powerless to help, as they only bring people back to that order.

Chapter 1

Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Paul had not met the Colossian believers and so as such his introduction reflects this. Paul introduces himself to be an apostle that is one who is sent. Paul’s apostleship is not under attack in this letter, but Paul is keen to stress his apostleship at this point in order to emphasise the important and official nature of the letter. As well as to weight and authority to what he is about to say, this is important because false teaching had disrupted the Colossian congregation.

Paul now highlights the weightiness of his apostleship firstly by identifying himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus. Dunn comments that Paul is not adding something further to identify himself but is rather referring to the fact that; “his commission and authorization came directly from Christ”. It was through the revelation of Christ to Paul that he was able to preach the gospel. It was also Gods purpose for Paul to be an apostle man did not decide but rather it came from God.

Paul includes Timothy into his greeting, O’Brien points out that, “those linked with Paul in his introductions are not joint authors of the letters. Their names probably appear alongside Paul’s so as to indicate to the congregation that they too preach the one true gospel”. It is interesting that Paul refers to Timothy as our brother, it shows that Paul is identifying with the Colossians. It could be possible that they knew Timothy and so Paul uses their shared relationship with Timothy as a bridge of commonality between them and himself. What is clear Paul is stressing that they are all brothers in Christ.

Paul now describes the Colossians as being holy and faithful. Here are two very pertinent issues that will be manifest throughout the letter. Firstly the question of what it means to be holy is raised frequently throughout the letter, as Paul attacks the false notions of the false teaching. Secondly the idea of remaining faithful is also a pertinent issue, the Colossians are in danger of not being faithful to the gospel and so Paul affirms their original faithfulness that they previously demonstrated when they first heard the gospel. This also indicates that the Colossians had not fully slipped into the false teaching that had entered the church.

Paul now blesses them with grace and peace, and appeals to the joint fatherhood of God as the source of this blessing. Paul thus joins himself with the Colossians through showing his joint son-ship that they both experience in Christ.

We always thank God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.

When Paul is praying for the Colossians he always thanks God for them. This is interesting for two reasons. Firstly Paul must have had a good report about them. Because of this thankfulness to God it shows as, Wright points out, that “he knows God has already been at work amongst them. His characteristic way of mentioning this is not simply to remark that he has heard of their conversion, but to tell them that he thanks God for it”. Paul is fully aware of Gods work among them, and he makes this awareness known by telling them that he thanks God for them. This shows that he is likely to have received a report which would have been good both in its content i.e. the Colossians had done well and also in its quality i.e. the report contained a good amount of information. Both these two things would have been crucial if Paul was to thank God.

The second thing that is interesting is that Paul does not thank any human being but rather God; the point being that it is God that has produced anything of worth to be thankful for in the Colossians and therefore he is the only one worthy of thanks. Barth and Blanke point out that Paul “makes it clear that all benefits that accrue to the community are not derived on the success of his mission or personal fame. Paul and his co-workers do not view themselves as the givers. Rather they perceive themselves very consciously as those who are among the recipients. In this equality they all want and should be giving thanks”.

God here is seen to be the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, what we see therefore is that Christ has a unique relationship to God; but having already shown that God is our father, Paul is able here to show how we participate in this relationship with God through Christ. We are sons of God through Christ.

Paul now explains why he is filled with such thankfulness. He explains that such thankfulness is because of two things: firstly their faith in Christ Jesus. It is important for Paul to stress here their faith and most importantly its object Christ Jesus, as this is the very thing that is being undermined in the congregation. Dunn describes perfectly what Paul is saying here; “What Paul and Timothy commend here therefore is the way in which the Colossians received the message about Christ and committed themselves in trust to the one so proclaimed making Christ the focus and determinant of their lives from then on”. The Colossians clung to the Christ proclaimed in the gospel and it is this faith that is to be thanked for. This demonstrates that faith in Christ comes from God and is worthy of praise.

Secondly the love they have for all the saints. What Paul is doing here is showing that their faith did not produce a libertine attitude but rather enabled them to love. What we see here is an important idea in Pauline theology that faith in Christ is always accompanied by the necessary moral reorientation, that comes by the Spirit and expresses itself in love. Their love is not limited to a select few but is directed to all the saints, their love knows no distinctions.

The faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth the gospel that has come to you.

Paul now identifies the source of this faith and love, these things come from the hope that is stored up for them in heaven. What Paul shows is that the Colossians are looking forward that their faith is future orientated. What Paul though is talking about here is not the act of hoping but is rather describing the content of hope; by implication they would be hoping as an act. This hope is described as being stored up for people in heaven, O’Brien comments “the Colossian Christians are assured that everything contained in their hope is kept for them in its right place - in heaven where no power, human or otherwise can touch it. Though now hidden from men’s view that hope which is centred on Christ himself will finally be revealed when he is revealed”. They were given a secure future that will not be changed or destroyed. It is this that caused faith and love to be produced in them. The future hope had an effect upon the present. “The solid facts about the future of Christians are a powerful motivation for constant faith and costly love in the present” (Wright).

The content of this hope was made known to them in the word of truth the gospel. What we see then is that the gospel contained a very distinctive future outlook to it. The message shared with them must have contained a lot about the future that believers can expect to enjoy and the fact that it is stored in heaven for them. Theirs was a heavenly outlook.

The gospel is also described as the word of truth. The gospel is not a false message contra the teaching that has come to them. Their hope is based upon the truthfulness of the gospel message itself. The idea of truth would also have meant something else to the Greek reader as Dunn points out, he argues that what is described here is “the unveiling of the full or real state of affairs”. He sees that the gospel “unveils the reality of human destiny in the sure hope that it holds forth”. The gospel has historic significance as it points forwards to where all of history is heading.

For Paul it is important to show that the Colossians had heard this message in the past. The believers had experienced and enjoyed receiving the message of the gospel and its future hope, therefore they should be aware of how foolish the false teaching is. The main reason for this is that the love and faith they were experiencing came from that gospel message and no other message. The Colossians knew the gospel and through the hope in it had experienced faith and love. Paul’s argument therefore is that outside of the gospel there is absolutely no basis for the life of faith and love.

This gospel message had truly come to them the idea is of an active effectual event has occurred. Paul is clearly appealing to their tangible experience of conversion where as Wright puts it “God has reached out to them, has visited them with his saving power”. The Colossians had experienced the saving power of the gospel and so need not look else where for other teaching.

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood Gods grace in all its truth.

Paul pictures the gospel message as being like a tree that is growing and bearing fruit among all types of peoples. O’Brien comments that the fruit bearing “is to be understood as a crop of good deeds while the growth of the gospel points to the increasing number of converts”. The gospel is throughout the world transforming lives to produce good deeds as well as causing numbers of people to be saved. The growth of the gospel is therefore both qualitative as well as quantitative.

This has also been occurring among the Colossian believers, the Colossians are part of something that is global. Within the Colossian congregation people would be added as they hear the gospel message as well as the Colossians lives being transformed so that they live lives of good works. This has been happening since the day they heard and understood Gods grace in all its truth through the message of the gospel. Barth and Blanke comment “From the onset and immediately since the day on which the Colossians perceived the word of truth, it forged ahead mightily, bore fruit and grew”.

The word for understood “indicates complete and perfect knowledge as distinct from fragmentary understanding” (Barth and Blanke). The Colossians had a full understanding of the favour of God towards them in the Christ event their knowledge was complete on the subject. They therefore did not need more understanding on how to be saved. They had as Wright puts it “Clear recognition and understanding of the genuine Christian gospel - that God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son to die for it”. But as has been seen they did not just understand the gospel but rather had been transformed by it. Wright goes on to say that this knowledge of the gospel “is a powerful stimulus for full hearted Christian love for God in return”.

You learned it from Epaphras our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

The source of this understanding was the teaching given by Epaphras O‘Brien points out that “the term learned probably indicates that Epaphras had given them systematic instruction in the gospel rather then some flimsy outline and that these Colossians had committed themselves as disciples to that teaching”. Epaphras had given them thorough and complete instruction so as such they understood the grace of God in the gospel in all its truth.

Epaphras is then described our fellow servant Paul is therefore placing Epaphras on the same footing as both himself and Timothy. The Colossians should respect his teaching as if it was the very teaching of Paul himself. He is then described as being a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, Barth and Blanke comment that he “is not a servant of Paul and there is no reference to the fact that only as his deputy is he bearer of apostolic authority”. What Paul is doing here is defending the authority and position of Epaphras and in doing so he is defending the original teaching that the Colossians received. Epaphras is a minister of Christ, he is not a minister from man but his authority and message are rooted in Christ. He has though been serving on behalf of Paul so if they reject Epaphras and his message they reject Paul as well.

Epaphras is seen to be the one informing Paul of the Colossians situation he is the one who told Paul about their love in the Spirit. Having elaborated on the Colossians faith in Christ through the message of gospel, Paul now turns his attention to the source of the love of the Colossians. He sees their love for all the saints to be an outworking of the power of the Spirit in their lives. O’Brien comments “the communities life was filled with a love generated by the Holy Spirit, enabling it to come to the help of all the saints”. We see here a key Pauline idea that the source for ethical transformation is the Spirit that love is the result of the Spirit at work within them. Fee comments “Paul once again reflects the thorough going Spirit-orientation of his understanding of the Christian life and experience. That believers in his congregations have been filled with love is for him both presupposition and evidence of the Spirit’s presence in and among them”. The love of the Colossians was evidence that they were enjoying life in the Spirit.

For this reason since the day we heard about you we have not stopped praying about you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

The first question that has to be asked is what is the reason for Paul praying what he did. The most likely thing is all that he has been talking about so far, rather then something specific. It is their love for the saints through the spirit as well as their faith, all of which come from the gospel message that they have fully learned. Ever since Paul heard about all these things he has been praying for them on a consistent basis. His thoughts about them and knowledge of them lead him to pray for them.

He is has been asking God to fill them with the knowledge of his will. Paul wants them to be able to understand what God wants them to do. O’Brien sees this prayer arising out of the position that Paul finds himself in; “in prison aware that he might not be able to visit and strengthen the churches to which he wrote he saw the need for them to increase in knowledge of God and his will, and with this Gods mystery, Christ. Also the requirements of the churches demanded a further exposition of the gospel to combat fresh dangers and heresies that were arising”. Paul before he begins to attack the heresy that was disturbing the Colossians explains to them that he is praying for them that they understand Gods will. The basis for Paul’s theological defence is prayer that the Colossians understand Gods will properly.

This filling with knowledge of Gods will is through wisdom and understanding from the Spirit. Though the NIV translates it spiritual wisdom and understanding, it is important to understand that as Dunn points out “wisdom and understanding come only from the Spirit”. Fee shows that the use of what is translated spiritual that “unless there is strong contextual evidence to the contrary this word should ordinarily be understood as the adjective for the Spirit”. The idea then is that Paul is praying that the Colossians, who have experienced the Spirit in salvation finding expression in love, experience more of the Spirit, to reveal the will of God filling them with knowledge of Gods will.

Fees conclusion is worth quoting he writes “Thus Paul is anticipating one of the chief concerns of the letter, that they come to know and live out genuine Christ-likeness; the way forward is through the gift of the Spirit who in the first place gives understanding as to what Gods will is”. In order to be able to combat the error and live for God the Colossians will need the help of the Spirit.

And we pray this in order that in you may live a life worthy of the lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work growing in the knowledge of God.

The idea here is that as they received the gospel and it transformed their lives and produced the fruit of good works so further knowledge of Gods will, will produce in them more good works. Also knowledge of Gods will, will direct them in the way that should live. All this will mean that they will life worthy of the lord pleasing him in every way bearing fruit in every good work. The Spirits influence in giving them wisdom and understanding will enable this to happen.

They will also grow in knowledge of God. The knowledge of Gods will, will make them more holy yes but will also produce in them a greater knowledge of God. Wright is helpful here when he writes “understanding will fuel holiness; holiness will deepen understanding”. Knowledge is necessary to combat error but also to be able to live to please God. Holiness and growth in knowledge are joined together and can not be separated one leads to the other.

Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you might have great endurance and patience

Paul now mentions that he is praying that they are strengthened. At the forefront of Paul’s idea is “the contrasting idea of the weakness of the Christian, who is mighty only through God, is brought to the forefront” (Barth and Blanke). The source of this strengthening is to be with all power. Fee sees this reference to be to the Spirit with the power coming from the Spirit he builds a very convincing case for this.

The power comes from and finds its source in Gods glorious might. Might or strength according to Barth and Blanke is to be understood in the OT and other Jewish literature as “that which comes to the aid of weak, miserable Israel in a struggle against its enemies or even the to individual who finds himself in a similar situation”. This strength is also seen to be glorious, that is it is a reflection of who God is. The power that strengthens them is an overflow of who God, coming to strengthen people in their weakness and helplessness, through the power of the person of the Spirit.

The purpose is so that the Colossians are able to have great endurance and patience. Endurance is to be understood as the ability to be able to persevere in the face of opposition and difficulty; O’Brien points out that the Greek signifies “that kind of perseverance which enables one to hold a position in battle against enemy attacks from without”. The Spirits power also enables people to be patient in this endurance, Dunn comments that such patience “was highly prized both within wider Hellenism particularly stoics as steadfast fortitude under hardship”.

God gives people strength by the Spirit to go through hardship and difficulty. The Spirit is not simply for charismatic experience but he is essential in suffering and hardship. Fee comments “the power of the Spirit in Paul thus reflects a full-orbed understanding of the Christian life as both already and not yet, which includes both the miraculous on the one hand and patient endurance in the midst of hardship on the other. And he simply does not see these two kinds of empowering as being in opposition to one another”.

Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Paul wants the Colossians to be thankful to the father, even in the midst of Spirit empowered suffering the Colossians are to be a thankful people. The Father they are to thank has qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints. The point is that the Father has given them all that they need to be able to participate in all the blessings that are available to the people of God. The word made fit is used by Paul “when describing a status or office for which he was not fit in himself, but for which God fitted him” (Wright). The Colossians would be unable to participate in this inheritance in and of themselves God needed to act to enable them to be able to participate in these blessings.

The inheritance of the saints, according to Dunn, “is unmistakeably Jewish in character. And for anyone familiar with the Jewish scriptures it would immediately invoke the characteristic talk of the promised land and of Israel as Gods inheritance. Particularly noticeable is the way the language could be transferred to the eschatological hope of the share in the resurrection and/or life beyond death in the eternal life of heaven”. The key idea is that the people of God had a future blessing (Canaan) after being redeemed out of slavery in Egypt, but now there is a new future blessing and it is through God that the Colossians can enjoy this. They are now the people of God and so can enjoy the subsequent blessings as a result; this is only made possible through God not anything that they are or do.

This inheritance is in the kingdom of light, and is what gives definition to what the inheritance means. “The point is that the inheritance for which the all powerful Father had fitted them was in the realm of the light of the age to come. Unlike Canaan it belonged to a spiritual dimension unable to be ravaged by war famine or the like. For the Colossian Christians most of whom were probably Gentiles by birth this was good news indeed”. The gentile Christians can now join the people of God and enjoy the hope laid up for them.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins.

Paul now elaborates on how God made the Colossians fit to be able to share in the inheritance of the saints. Firstly God has rescued them from the dominion of darkness. The key idea is that the Colossians where once in a state of sin and ignorance towards, they were dominated by and in the tyranny of sin. But they have been rescued from this state and power of sin, God has removed them from this state freeing them from it. This has allusions to the deliverance that God worked for Israel from the bondage of Egypt.

But the Colossians were not just freed from this bondage but were also brought into the kingdom of the Son whom the father loves. The thought here is that the Colossians are now participating in the future kingdom in the present. What is being said here is that the Colossians can now particapte in the benefits of the age to come. It is in this Jesus whose kingdom they particpate in that they have redemption the forgivness of sins. The idea of redemption “connotes liberation from imprisonement and bondage” (O’Brien). What is important to note is that this is viewed as a present reality.

This redemption is accompanied with and seen as synomounous with the forgivenness of sins. God has in Christ forgiven the Colossians sins this forgiveness is crucial for understanding how they can be freed from bondage. This whole section is exactly summarised by Wright “Paul then is asserting in shorthand form that in Christ, the true Israel the true King the one who God loves Gods people are rescued from the dark power that has enslaved them and are brought into the blessings of membership in the new covenant”. The Colossians are to thank God because they have been freed from sin and given a hope for the future as well as been forgiven and are able to enjoy that hope in the present having been brought into the kingdom of Gods Son.

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.

Having discussed the one in whom the Colossians had forgiveness of sin Paul now goes on to describe this Son who the father loves. First of he is described as being the image of the invisible God. Jesus is the exact representation of God, “from all eternity Jesus had, in his very nature been the image of God, reflecting perfectly the character and life of the father” (Wright). This idea of image of God also depicts Christ as being the new Adam, who was made in the image of God. Fee comments “in a strophe that is all about the relation of the Son to the original creation the first thing said about him is that he replaces Adam as the true image bearer”. As such Christ has come to usher in and bring in the new humanity, the new creation. It is in him that people are given new life and transferred from the fallen Adamic dominion into the kingdom of Gods Son the new Adam.

What Christ is the image of, is the invisible God, Barth and Blanke comment, “according to the proclaimation of the OT, God is not invisible; it is simply not within the capacity of human beings to see Yaheweeh. And without his protection, sight of Yahweeh is feared to result in the imminent death of the human who dared to see him”. But what has not been able to be seen is now seen in Christ who is the image of the invisible God. O’Brien comments “the very nature and character of God have been perfectly revealed in him; in him the invisible has become visible”.

The idea of firstborn over all creation does not mean that Christ was the first created thing as the next part would not make any sense if this were the case. Rather “the term firstborn was frequently used in the LXX (130 times) mostly in genologies and historical narratives to indicate temporal priority and soveirgnity of rank. Frequently firstborn was used to denote one who had a special place in the fathers love” (O‘Brien). What we see Paul referring to then is that Christ has a unique positsion of preminance and superioty over anything in creation and not only that but he also has a special place in the love and affection of the father that nothing else has.

What has enabled this and what proves it is that it was by him that all things were created. Christ was the one enabled creation to come into being he is the source of creation. It is important to stipulate that what is being talked about here is that creation is to be viewed as a totality and everything within creation owes its existence to Christ. This distinguishes Chrsit from just being like any other part of creation he is completely unique as such he is to be viewed as the firstborn the one who is supreme. He is separate from creation as the creator and so he can not take his place alongside the same rank as anything in creration.

Paul now begins to list the things that are part of this creation and so show the scope of Christ’s creative pre-eminence. First in this list he created all things in heaven and on earth O‘Brien sees a link between visible and earth and invisible and heaven. This is more then likely as earth refers to all that people come into contact with materially the visible things to the human eye. Also Christ is supreme creator over the unseen that which is not seen on earth and is deemed to be spiritual e.g. the spirit world angels and demons.

He is also supreme creator of thrones powers and authorities. Paul is referring to human rulers and power structures such as governments and others in control and power. But not only that as Wright points out “at the same time we can not ignore we should not ignore the supernatural or demonic element in these powers. Anything to which human beings offer the allegiance proper only to God is capable of assuming a sinister borrowed power. For Paul the powers were unseen forces working in the world through pagan religions astrology or magic or through the oppressive systems that enslaved or tyranised human beings”.

The Colossians need not fear the effects of the powers and authorites as Christ their saviour is their supreme creator. Christ is not one of these powers but is over them as their creator. The salvation of the Colossians is so glorious and effecious and the gospel such good news because the saviour is so pre-eminent.

Not only was he the one by whom all things were created but he was the one for whom all things were created for. He is the ultimate reason for creation the one for whom it all exists. As Fee comments he is “the goal of creation the one for whom all creation exists and toward whom it points”. Christ is the ultimate reason why.

Next Paul shows how Christ is eternal in his existence and that he is what holds the universe together. He is before all things, their was not a time when Christ when Christ was not he has been before all things. In him all things hold together “through him the world is sustained, prevented from falling into chaos” (Wright). Christ maintains the strucute and order of all things that he created. The powers do not have ultimate control over creation it is the supreme creator who holds ultimate sway over creation.

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 supremecy.

Christ is the head of the church, he is the source of life and authority within the church. Christ holds the place of supreme importance, but what is also important is to understand that as the body is vitally dependent upon the head so the Colossian Christians are dependent upon Christ.

This one who looks after the church who is supreme in the church, whom the church are dependent upon, is the same one who is supreme over all creation. Barth and Blanke comment “that he who fully cares for the life of the church is the same messiah who also called the cosmos into being and who sustains it”.

He is also seen to be the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, what Paul is saying here is that, Christ is the first person out of the many who will be raised to new life. In other words Christ is the beginning of the new creation as when the resurrection takes place new creation will be brought in, Christ through his resurrection has therefore become the beginning of that new creation. And so the future hope of the Colossians is grounded in the reality that Christ has already been raised from the dead and ushered in the beginning of the new creation. So it is only in Christ that the Colossians can experience new life. “With Jesus’ resurrection, the new age has dawned. The new man has emerged from among the old humanity, whose life he had shared whose pain and sin he had borne” (Wright). So as inaugurator of the new creation Christ has the supreme position within that new creation, this is so that in all things he might have the supremacy. Not a single thing of Gods working from original creation to new creation does not have Christ in a position of 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.

Paul now goes on to show why Christ is supreme. Firstly it was Gods pleasure to have all his fullness dwell in Christ. O’Brien comments “God in all his essence and power had taken up resistance in Christ”. Christ is fully divine, he experiences in his being everything that is in God. Dunn notes that the idea of fullness is the same as completeness, what is being said therefore is that Christ is completely divine. He goes on to say “that the completeness of God’s self revelation was focused in Christ, that the wholeness of Gods interaction with the universe is summed up in Christ”. God acts in Christ through the fact that Christ is fully God. There is nothing in God that is not in Christ he is completely equal with the highest being God himself and so he is fully supreme.

It was also through Christ that God reconciled all things to himself. Nothing was reconciled to God outside of Christ. It is important to understand Paul’s underlying presupossition at this point that “the unity and harmony of the cosmos have suffered a considerable dislocation, even a rupture, thus requiring reconciliation” (O‘Brien). Sin has permitted all of creation and so as such it needs to be reconciled to God. Paul now emphasises that both things in heaven and things in earth have been reconciled. The invisible as well as the visible has been reconciled to Christ. Nothing is excluded in the reconciliation that has occurred in Christ.

This reconciliation occurred through Christ making peace through his blood, shed on the Cross. What is denoted here is that the enmity between God and creation has been removed through Christ’s death on the cross. There is now peace between God and creation through Christs death on the cross. Christs death has cosmic signifcance effecting Gods relationship with creation. His sacrifice on the cross has had massive significance, the gap between God and creation has been closed.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy and in his sight without blemish and free from accusation.

Paul describes the Colossians former state; having shown the reconciliation that has occurred on the cross he is now specific about the reconciliation that has occurred for the Colossians. The first thing he says about that state is that they were alienated from God. They were estranged from God their were not in any form of relationship with God they were strangers to God. This is confirmed by the fact that they were enemies with God in their minds. The Colossians used to be enemies with God. Their entire disposistion was in opposistion to God. “Christians prior to their conversion were estranged and hostile to God in their thinking in the cast of their mind” (O‘Brien).

This enmity was caused by their evil behaviour; sin had completely corrupted their disposition forcing them into becoming enemies with God. The effects of sin have been devasting for humanity making them enemies with God. This enemity means that there is no way that man would move towards God to be saved but rather God has to take the initiative in order to save people. God has therefore acted to overcome this enimity between man and himself. This has occurred through the incarnate God-man, Christ’s physical death on the cross. Paul is surely alluding to the atoning work of Christ where Christ removed the wrath that God felt towards the sinner. It was in Christs death that the enemity of God was removed so that man God be made right with God.

This atoning death has created has meant that the believer can now be seen by God to be holy in his sight without blemish and free from accusation. When God looks at the believer he can not be accused of anthing and has no blemish. That is there is nothing to make the believer unholy and impure before God. The entire relationship of the Colosians has changed from enmity to perfect acceptance. Dunn sees here the important idea of “sacrificial interchange where the spotless sacrifice by dying as a sin offering is somehow interchanged with the blameworthy sinner and its spotlessness transferred to the sinner”. The perfect righteous sacrifical Christ has taken our sin upon himself and given the believer his righteouness.

If you continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven and of which I Paul have become a servant.

This relationship with God will only be sustained and occurred if the Colossians continue their faith in Christ not moved but remaining firm in the truth of the gospel. It is only the gospel that can sutain this relationhsip with God. It is faith which is to be the factor that is to enable the believers to continue right relationship with God. The idea of standing firm in this verse “describes the stability of a building with a good foundation” (Barth and Blanke). The Colossians have been given a firm foundation in the gospel that they learned from Epaphras, any building should be done on this firm foundation of the gospel. The gospel is to be the basis of their entire existence.

What they are to focus upon and not be moved from is the hope held out in the gospel. The hope where their faith and love sprung from is what they should not move from. Dunn sees the idea of being moved to be that of leaving one place for another. Paul does not want the believers to leave the hope in the gospel. As this is seen as the source of all the transformation that the Colossians have experienced they should be careful not to move from it.

The gospel they are to be fixed upon and commited to is the same one that they originally heard. They are not to dedicate themselves to another gospel but the one they heard through Epaphras. This gospel that has come to the Colossians is same gospel that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. Barth and Blanke understand that “the addition under heaven is an old Hebrew expression and describes the global signifcance of an action or an occurance”. This gospel as has been shown has a cosmic signicance because the saviour who is the content of the gospel is the one who is supreme over all creation. The significance of the gospel is summed up nicely by Wright who comments “from whales to waterfalls, the whole created order has been in principle reconciled to God”. Paul now identifies himself as being a servant of this gospel. Paul is commited to the service of the gospel. Pauls commital to the gospel as its servant should be mirrored by the Colossians who should equally commit themselves to it.

Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christs afflications for the sake of his body which is the church. I have become its servant by the commision God gave me to present to you the word of God in all its fullness.

Paul is using his commitment to the gospel to serve as an illustration to them, showing them how they should be commited to the gospel. Paul rejoices in what he suffered, this seems like a strange idea to rejoice in suffering. What is also difficult to understand is how Paul suffered for the Colossians, whom he never served? The key idea is that what Paul is referring to here is his call to be an apostle gentiles and as an apostle to the gentiles to suffer for the gospel. All of these ideas are interwined so much that Pauls rejoicing can be seen to be in the fact that he has been called to take the gospel to the gentiles. Suffering and mission for Paul are almost synmous ideas, so rejoicing in one means rejoicing in the other.

The second problem of how Paul suffered for the Colossians whom he never served is best solved by understanding that Paul saw that he was part of a universal mission. Paul did not have his own little mission but was part of Gods great purpose of reaching the gentiles as such, his suffering for the gentiles meant that he was suffering for the Colossians whose being reached was part of this large purpose of God. Essential to understanding Pauls mission then is to understand that Paul viewed himself as serving something bigger then one particular place or location he was servant of the body and servant of the gospel both universal things.

Paul therefore shows that he is committed wholeheartedly to the gospel and the church and is willing to suffer for these things. He also understands that his call to be a minister of the gospel can not be understood apart from the idea of suffering. And it is to this point to which he now turns as Paul looks to show: why his mission can not be understood apart from suffering why it is associated with suffering.

Paul now explains his sufferings as filling up in his flesh what is still lacking in the sufferings of Christ. What is being said here is that in the end times God has set a measure of suffering that is to be enured by all the saints. When this measure of suffering is fulfilled then Christ will return and with Him the last judgement and the fullness of the new age. Dunn argues “the thought then is that the death of Christ had (as it were) activated the first trigger” that is Christs death has begun this time of suffering “but those sufferings are not yet complete, otherwise the second and final trigger would have been activated too”, that is Christ would have returned in judgement. So as such the sufferings can be seen to be incomplete. Paul therefore views himself as filling up using up the measure of sufferings that are still lacking after Christ (who was the beginning of these sufferings) began to suffer them.

This view therefore also helps to explain why Paul can rejoice in his sufferings as his sufferings means the end is in sight as O’Brien puts it; “By helping to fill up this predetermined measure Paul brings the end, the dawning of the future glory so much closer”. Pauls suffering therefore is inevatible and why he can view his mission of the uinversal gospel being associated with suffering. It also explains why Paul can be seen to suffer for the Colossians because they both share in the sufferings of the end time, so if he is suffering it is for them. So Pauls mission and suffering were universal therefore he has a direct relationship with the church. Paul views his suffering to be for the church Paul suffers for others because he is commited to the gospel the gospel message is so important that Paul is willing to suffer for it.

Paul now begins to demonstrate what this ministry to the church is all about. Firstly he wants to make clear that he became the churches servant because God commissioned him. Paul understood his apostleship to come directly from God his work was fulfilling the purpose of God. This purpose of God for his life was so that he would present the word of God to the Colossians that it may be fulfilled. Most commentators chose the word fulfilled rather then fullness. The idea then is of the word of God having a purpose which needs to be fulfilled, the best understanding would be that: the word of Gods purpose is to save people. So by presenting the word of God to people they are able to become saved and therefore the word of Gods purpose is fulfilled. Wright comments “the word of God is a power let loose in the world, embodied in the true gospel message. It must be allowed to have its full effect to be fulfilled in that sense“. The gospels power is only fulfilled only comes in its fullness as it is presented.

One question remains how did Paul present the gospel or fulfill the word of God among the Colossians whom he had not visited? The easiet answer for me is to understand that Paul is talking about the gentiles here when he refers to you and so the Colossians being gentiles are seen to be the same as you. So Paul is saying: God gave me a commison to present to you gentiles the gospel in order that it may be fulfilled. This seems most likely based on three arguments: Firstly Paul is talking about his commision which he understood to be too the gentiles. Secondly Paul believer the good news was for the gentiles and so he is saying here that the fulfilling of the words purpose was to see gentiles saved. Thirdly Paul will describe his mission to the gentiles in verse 27.

The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known, among the gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery which is Christ in you the hope of glory.

Barth and Blanke argue that the purpose of these verses “is to emphasize the previous total concealment of the secret, which is now contrasted with the unlimited revelation of this same secret”. Paul first off shows the concealment of the gospel message and Christ event. It is a mystery, O’Brien cites Bornkamm who sees the word mystery to mean; “an eschatological mystery, a concealed imitation of divinely ordained future events whose disclosure and interpretation is reserved for God alone”. Its was God prerogative to reveal the message it was not something that man could natural find out it had to come from God. This mystery is then seen to be hidden for ages and generations. The gospel message in all its fullness was not made known fulfilled among men throughout all of history. It existed but God kept it from people.
But it is now disclosed, the gospel message and the Christ event have now been made known to people. Paul understood his mission of sharing the gospel to be a participation in the very historic purposes of God, of disclosing the message of the gospel. Wright offers some helpful background to this concept he comments; “here again we have the Jewish ideas rethought in the light of the gospel. In their looking forward to the day when God would act in history to restore the fortunes of his people, some Jewish seers expressed their hopes in terms of the secret plans that God was reserving for the last great day”.

Paul is therefore making a powerful argument that the Colossians are in a very privileged position of being made aware of the message of God. They are historically in a very privileged place knowing the mystery of the gospel. This is because the people who this message has been disclosed to are the saints, that is Gods people.

It is the saints the people of God who God has chosen to make known this mystery. God has given the revelation of the gospel to the people of God. It was Gods sovereign choice to reveal this message at this time. God has also chosen to make known this mystery among the gentiles, the gentiles are now in on Gods secret they are the ones experiencing the revelation of Gods mystery its unveiling. This mystery is a gloriously rich mystery, Dunn comments that this “has something of a liturgical ring and again heightens the sense both of divine condescension that what has been revealed is itself a manifestation of the heavenly majesty of God”.

Paul now defines this mystery as being Christ in you the hope of glory. The first thing that needs to be understood to see what Paul is saying here is to understand what Paul means when he talks about Christ being in believers. The idea of Christ being in believers must refer to the Spirit who is the one who is always spoken of as indwelling believers. The Spirit can be described as Christ, as he communicates the very life of Christ and shares the personality of Christ. It is the indwelling Spirit then who is the hope of glory. The Colossian Christians can be assured of the glory to come precisely because they have the Spirit indwelling them at the present. The Spirit is a down payment of the glory to come a foretaste of what they will one day experience. The Spirit is the sign to the gentiles that they are now the people of God looking forward and already caught up in the longed for day of the lord.

The Christ event is made real and accessible to the Colossians through the Spirit. Christ and the Spirit are the crucial focal point of the Colossians faith. It is only in the Christ event that the Colossians are able to be made perfect.

We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labour struggling with all his energy which so powerfully works in me.

Pauls emphasises that those who serve to present the gospel this mystery proclaim Christ. Christ is the focus and centre of Pauls preaching, he permeates his message. This proclaimation involves admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom. This is an important point to be making, as what Paul is doing is showing a direct link between, proclaiming Christ and teaching and admonishing wisdom. This shows that the message of Christ comes with all wisdom. O’Brien comments that “Paul in the proclaimation of Christ brings all wisdom within the reach of all”. Wisdom is not for a select few, but rather it is made known in the gospel it is for everyone.

Admonishing is setting people right who have got wrong thoughts or ideas Wright comments on the Greek word that it means “the setting of someone’s mind into proper order, with the implication that it has been in some way out of joint”. Teaching is more positive on the other than the corrective role of admonishing, it involves instructing people what they should think.

The point of proclaiming this mystery and bringing all wisdom that is found in Christ to people; is so that everyone will be perfect in Christ. Paul wants people to be holy and perfect his desire is for Christians to reach full maturity. This is only possible in Christ he is the one in whom people are perfect, Barth and Blanke comment, “there is no perfection except in firm unshakeable trust in the messiah and in faithfulness to him”. The Christ event is the key to the Colossians perfection it is through adherence and devotion to the gospel message as it is taught and admonished that the Colossians are made perfect.

Paul therefore struggles to ensure that this happens. Giving himself fully to teaching and admonsining people proclaiming Christ so that people maybe made perfect. This struggling and exertion is made possible through all his energy which so powerfully works in me. The idea is that Paul is able to labour and struggle in his teaching ministry because Gods energy works powerfully within him. The energy at work within Paul is the power of the Spirit. The Spirits energising presence is powerfully at work in Paul that the result is that he struggles for the sake of the gospel. Here we see “the balance between human effort and divine enabling” (Dunn). Paul struggles but God is the one who enables this struggling. The Spirit is crucial for the success of presenting people as perfect in Christ.