Bible Studies for Life

Sunday, February 5

“Center of Everything”

Colossians 1:9-23

By Burn Page

This passage highlights the centrality of Christ. He is creator, redeemer, and sustainer of all creation. In this context, Paul prayed for the Colossian Christians because they were being influenced by false teachers who propagated false teaching. Scholars differ as to what the false teaching was. While full-blown Gnostic [pronounced “Nostic,” from the Greek word gnosis — again the “g” is silent — meaning “knowledge”] heresy did not develop until the 2nd century, an incipient (or early) form of it or some similar teaching was threatening the Colossian congregation. According to this teaching salvation was gained through knowledge rather than by grace through faith. This dualistic teaching also viewed the spirit realm as good and all matter as evil. Consequently, God who is “spirit” (and therefore, “good”) would have nothing to do with a human body which is matter and considered to be “evil.” Obviously this doctrine negated the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation and denied the effect of Christ’s physical death on the cross — redemption.

So Paul prayed that they might be “filled with the knowledge of his will.” Paul wanted his readers to “be filled” (“under the control of”) the knowledge of God’s will. He wanted his readers not to have a knowledge of some false mystery religion but to have the knowledge of God’s will that is discerned from knowing God himself.

Paul wanted God’s will to be done in their lives so they would live (“walk”) in a manner that was “worthy of the Lord” which meant to live in a manner that was “appropriate.” Such a life was characterized by (1) “bearing fruit in every good work” which referred to the reproductive aspect of the Christian’s calling and (2) such a life of service would gain an increase in the knowledge of God. The good news was that the one who sought to live a life in such a worthy manner was not powerless to do so. Paul prayed for each believer to be “strengthened with all power according to his glorious might.” That strength came from “endurance” and “patience.” Endurance is “the capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances,” and patience is “a state of emotional calm in the face of provocation or misfortune and without complaining or irritation” (Louw-Nida). Neither circumstance nor people are to upset the person who walks in the will of God (Melick).

In Col. 1:15-20 Paul described Christ as the “image of the invisible God.” The word “image” (eikon), could convey the nuance of “representation” (like the image of Caesar on a coin) or it could convey the nuance of “manifestation.” Here the second seems to be what Paul is meaning — that the symbol or image brought with it the actual presence of the object. In other words, the invisible God becomes visible (“manifested”) in Christ. Paul wanted his readers to know that the person of Christ was truly and fully God and the work of Christ was that of reconciliation — to set right that which has gone wrong. All of creation will be reconciled through Christ either voluntarily (by willing submission to Jesus which brings the blessings of salvation), or involuntarily (being conquered by his power). One way or the other, willingly or unwilling, all things will be reconciled by and through Christ.

Through Christ’s death in a physical body (contrary to insipient Gnostic teaching) on the cross, he has rescued believers from Satan’s “dominion of darkness” and “brought us into the kingdom of his Son (the kingdom of light). God took the initiative in bringing Christians into the realm of his presence by qualifying (enabling) them to be a part of his kingdom. God qualifies us by giving to us what we need and that is righteousness (a right standing with him). Since he declares believers to be righteous by his grace, he alone qualifies a person for entrance into the kingdom. As God promised a physical inheritance to Israel, he promises believers a spiritual inheritance, the redemption that is in Christ. We have been saved or rescued (a term that comes from warfare terminology) from Satan’s kingdom of darkness; we have been saved to Christ’s kingdom of light; and we have been saved for the purpose of walking/living a life that is worthy (appropriate) of the Lord who has rescued us and pleases him in every way. In Christ, the past is blotted out and forgiven, the present is cleansed and empowered, and the future is delivered from the fear of failure.

Page is chair of the Department of Christian Studies and Philosophy at Mississippi College and a member of First Church, Clinton.