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The Epistle of Paul to the
COLOSSIANS
1
Salutation
1 Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and brother Timothy,* Literally, “Timothy the brother”—Paul gives recognition to his junior associate. 2 to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Sovereign Jesus Christ.† Perhaps 20% of the Greek manuscripts omit “and Sovereign Jesus Christ” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
Building rapport‡ Paul had never been in Colosse, so he needed to build rapport with strangers.
3 We always give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you 4 (having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus§ The going back and forth between “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” appears to be merely a matter of style. and your love toward all the saints), 5 because of the hope* ‘Hope’ in the Bible contains an element of certainty; it is not mere wishful thinking. that is being reserved for you in the heavens, of which you have already heard through the Word of the Truth† Yes, ‘the’ Truth—the Text has the definite article. The Lord Jesus repeatedly referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of ‘the Truth’, so Paul is affirming that the Gospel they heard was God's Word. 6 (the Gospel that has come to you just as also in all the world, where it is producing fruit and growing‡ Although half the Greek manuscripts, followed by the Textus Receptus, and hence AV and NKJV, do not have “and growing”, the other half, including the best line of transmission, do. (The omission could be an easy case of ‘similar ending’.) just as also among you, from the day in which you heard about and truly understood God's grace), 7 even as you learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave,§ The Greek word here means precisely ‘slave’; Paul repeatedly referred to himself as Christ's slave, as did others. who is a faithful servant of Christ on your* Instead of “your”, perhaps 10% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘our’ (as in NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.). behalf, 8 who also reported to us your love in spirit.† The Text has no article with ‘spirit’, so the reference may not be to the Holy Spirit, which is why I render “love in spirit”. If this love was directed toward Paul, it could not be emotional, since they had never met him. This whole paragraph is a single sentence—if you feel that the syntax is a little convoluted, you are right.
Christ preeminent
Walk worthily of the Lord
9 For this very reason, since the day we heard of it, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the real knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 in order for you to walk worthily of the Lord, pleasing Him in every way,‡ This reminds me of John 5:19 and 12:49-50; the Lord Jesus was filled with this knowledge and understanding (and evidently we are supposed to be as well). being fruitful in every good work and growing into the real knowledge of God;§ Getting to know God is a process. 11 being enabled with all capability according to the strength that resides in His glory,* His glory reflects who He is, and He is all powerful; that power can “enable” us “with all capability”. for all endurance and steadfastness.† This is a great prayer to pray for anybody. Note, however, that the emphasis is on enduring and being steadfast—sounds like tough times.
12 Nor have we stopped giving thanks joyfully to the Father who has qualified us‡ The Father declares us to be qualified, based on the Son's work. Instead of “us”, perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘you’ (as in NIV, LB, TEV, etc.). for the share in the inheritance of the saints in the Light;§ Yes, ‘the’ Light—the Text has the definite article. John 1:7 refers to Jesus as ‘the Light’, and in John 8:12 Jesus calls Himself ‘the Light’ of the world. What sort of person will enjoy basking in the Light? 13 who delivered us out of the dominion of the darkness* “The darkness” refers to Satan's kingdom, and since there are only the two spiritual kingdoms in this world, everyone is in either one or the other (Luke 11:23). and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have the redemption through His blood,† “Through His blood” is omitted in some 40% of the Greek manuscripts, but the 60% include the best line of transmission. Without the shed blood of God's Lamb, we would have neither redemption nor forgiveness. Praise God for the Blood! the forgiveness of our sins.
The supremacy of Christ described
15 He is the visible representation of the invisible God,‡ Remember Jesus' answer to Phillip in John 14:8-9. ‘Firstborn’ over all creation,§ In that culture the ‘firstborn’ had the preeminence. 16 because by Him all things were created* Although the Trinity was presumably involved in the Creation, this verse plainly states that the Son was the principal agent (see also Hebrews 1:10 and John 1:10).—those in the heavens and those on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities† “Those in the heavens” would include angelic beings, including high ranking ones—they owe their existence to the Son.—all things have been created through Him and for Him.‡ Most inhabitants of planet Earth do not understand that God created them for Himself, so they live out their existence here without knowing why they are here. That is why Sovereign Jesus commanded that His Gospel should be proclaimed to everyone. 17 Yes, He is before all, and in Him all things subsist.§ “Subsist” could also be rendered ‘hold together’—maybe that is why molecules, with their contrary magnetic charges, do not fly apart. 18 Also, He is the Head of the body, the Church.
He is Beginning,* There is no article with “beginning”, so I consider that it functions like a proper name. the firstborn from among the dead,† This is an interesting (even if unpleasant) figure of speech; death is viewed as a huge womb, pregnant with all the deceased, and Jesus was literally the first one out, the first one to be ‘born’, the first one to resurrect with a glorified body. He was the first, but only the first! Because He conquered death we can also escape that ‘womb’. so that He may be preeminent in everything, 19 because in Him all the Fullness was pleased to dwell‡ I take the point to be that while Jehovah the Son was confined to a human body the Father and the Holy Spirit were with Him to such an extent that it could be said that the Godhead was dwelling in Him. 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself,§ It is difficult to know whether the pronoun refers to “the Fullness” (the Godhead) or to Christ—either makes sense. having made peace through the blood of His cross* This is reminiscent of Isaiah 53:5, “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him”. But the cost was terrible: the shed blood of God's Lamb.—through Him, whether things on the earth or things on† That is what the Text says, “on”. Beings and things that are an inherent part of Heaven do not need ‘reconciling’, so Paul uses this means to indicate the non-inherent ones that do need it (but do not ask me for a list). the heavens.
The truth applied
21 So now He has reconciled you as well (you who once were alienated and hostile in your mind because of your wicked works),‡ Are wicked works the cause of the alienation, or its result? I suspect that they keep ‘feeding’ each other, so it is both. 22 by His physical body§ Note that Jesus' physical body receives emphasis; you can't have blood without a body. through His death, so as to present you before Him holy and blameless and above reproach* What a marvelous purpose, what a marvelous prospect, but we have to “continue in the Faith” (verse 23).— 23 if, that is, you continue in the Faith established and firm, not drifting away† God has done His part, but we must do our part, which includes ‘continuing’ and not drifting. from the hope of the Gospel, that you heard and that was proclaimed in all the creation under the heaven,‡ I wonder how and when this took place. of which I, Paul, became a servant.
What Paul does and why he does it
Present everyone perfect in Christ
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings§ I confess that I have not yet arrived at this spiritual level, to rejoice in suffering. on your behalf and supplement in my flesh* Evidently the ongoing well-being of the Church requires suffering on our part (we cannot add to the saving work of Christ), the enduring of affliction—Satan and his minions are very active in this world. the things lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the Church, 25 of which I became a servant according to the stewardship from God that was given to me towards you, to complete the Word of God,† I take it that Paul was aware that he was writing new Scripture, expounding Truth that had been withheld from Old Testament saints (verse 26). 26 the secret‡ I consider that ‘secret’ is a better rendering than ‘mystery’. The truth about the Church is not all that mysterious, it just had not been explained before. that has been hidden from past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints; 27 to whom God resolved to make known who is the wealth of the glory of this secret among the nations,§ Although God's saving interest has always included the whole world (“all the families of the earth”—Genesis 12:3), throughout the OT God worked mainly through His specially chosen people, Israel. Now the Bride of Christ includes Jews and non-Jews on an equal footing. namely Christ in you, the hope of glory;* Christ is ‘the wealth of the glory’, but He must be in us for us to have any hope of sharing in that glory; and we must proclaim Him to the nations for them to have any hope. 28 whom we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ.† In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) Christ commanded His followers to ‘make disciples’ (which involves a whole lot more than just ‘winning souls’), and Paul declares that to be his objective. Instead of “Christ”, perhaps 60% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘Christ Jesus’ (as in AV and NKJV). I follow the best line of transmission. 29 It is to this end that I labor, striving according to His working that works through me with power.‡ If we want to see God manifesting His power through us, we must subordinate ourselves to His working.

- Colossians
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*1:1 Literally, “Timothy the brother”—Paul gives recognition to his junior associate.

†1:2 Perhaps 20% of the Greek manuscripts omit “and Sovereign Jesus Christ” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

‡1:2 Paul had never been in Colosse, so he needed to build rapport with strangers.

§1:4 The going back and forth between “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” appears to be merely a matter of style.

*1:5 ‘Hope’ in the Bible contains an element of certainty; it is not mere wishful thinking.

†1:5 Yes, ‘the’ Truth—the Text has the definite article. The Lord Jesus repeatedly referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of ‘the Truth’, so Paul is affirming that the Gospel they heard was God's Word.

‡1:6 Although half the Greek manuscripts, followed by the Textus Receptus, and hence AV and NKJV, do not have “and growing”, the other half, including the best line of transmission, do. (The omission could be an easy case of ‘similar ending’.)

§1:7 The Greek word here means precisely ‘slave’; Paul repeatedly referred to himself as Christ's slave, as did others.

*1:7 Instead of “your”, perhaps 10% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘our’ (as in NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.).

†1:8 The Text has no article with ‘spirit’, so the reference may not be to the Holy Spirit, which is why I render “love in spirit”. If this love was directed toward Paul, it could not be emotional, since they had never met him. This whole paragraph is a single sentence—if you feel that the syntax is a little convoluted, you are right.

‡1:10 This reminds me of John 5:19 and 12:49-50; the Lord Jesus was filled with this knowledge and understanding (and evidently we are supposed to be as well).

§1:10 Getting to know God is a process.

*1:11 His glory reflects who He is, and He is all powerful; that power can “enable” us “with all capability”.

†1:11 This is a great prayer to pray for anybody. Note, however, that the emphasis is on enduring and being steadfast—sounds like tough times.

‡1:12 The Father declares us to be qualified, based on the Son's work. Instead of “us”, perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘you’ (as in NIV, LB, TEV, etc.).

§1:12 Yes, ‘the’ Light—the Text has the definite article. John 1:7 refers to Jesus as ‘the Light’, and in John 8:12 Jesus calls Himself ‘the Light’ of the world. What sort of person will enjoy basking in the Light?

*1:13 “The darkness” refers to Satan's kingdom, and since there are only the two spiritual kingdoms in this world, everyone is in either one or the other (Luke 11:23).

†1:14 “Through His blood” is omitted in some 40% of the Greek manuscripts, but the 60% include the best line of transmission. Without the shed blood of God's Lamb, we would have neither redemption nor forgiveness. Praise God for the Blood!

‡1:15 Remember Jesus' answer to Phillip in John 14:8-9.

§1:15 In that culture the ‘firstborn’ had the preeminence.

*1:16 Although the Trinity was presumably involved in the Creation, this verse plainly states that the Son was the principal agent (see also Hebrews 1:10 and John 1:10).

†1:16 “Those in the heavens” would include angelic beings, including high ranking ones—they owe their existence to the Son.

‡1:16 Most inhabitants of planet Earth do not understand that God created them for Himself, so they live out their existence here without knowing why they are here. That is why Sovereign Jesus commanded that His Gospel should be proclaimed to everyone.

§1:17 “Subsist” could also be rendered ‘hold together’—maybe that is why molecules, with their contrary magnetic charges, do not fly apart.

*1:18 There is no article with “beginning”, so I consider that it functions like a proper name.

†1:18 This is an interesting (even if unpleasant) figure of speech; death is viewed as a huge womb, pregnant with all the deceased, and Jesus was literally the first one out, the first one to be ‘born’, the first one to resurrect with a glorified body. He was the first, but only the first! Because He conquered death we can also escape that ‘womb’.

‡1:19 I take the point to be that while Jehovah the Son was confined to a human body the Father and the Holy Spirit were with Him to such an extent that it could be said that the Godhead was dwelling in Him.

§1:20 It is difficult to know whether the pronoun refers to “the Fullness” (the Godhead) or to Christ—either makes sense.

*1:20 This is reminiscent of Isaiah 53:5, “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him”. But the cost was terrible: the shed blood of God's Lamb.

†1:20 That is what the Text says, “on”. Beings and things that are an inherent part of Heaven do not need ‘reconciling’, so Paul uses this means to indicate the non-inherent ones that do need it (but do not ask me for a list).

‡1:21 Are wicked works the cause of the alienation, or its result? I suspect that they keep ‘feeding’ each other, so it is both.

§1:22 Note that Jesus' physical body receives emphasis; you can't have blood without a body.

*1:22 What a marvelous purpose, what a marvelous prospect, but we have to “continue in the Faith” (verse 23).

†1:23 God has done His part, but we must do our part, which includes ‘continuing’ and not drifting.

‡1:23 I wonder how and when this took place.

§1:24 I confess that I have not yet arrived at this spiritual level, to rejoice in suffering.

*1:24 Evidently the ongoing well-being of the Church requires suffering on our part (we cannot add to the saving work of Christ), the enduring of affliction—Satan and his minions are very active in this world.

†1:25 I take it that Paul was aware that he was writing new Scripture, expounding Truth that had been withheld from Old Testament saints (verse 26).

‡1:26 I consider that ‘secret’ is a better rendering than ‘mystery’. The truth about the Church is not all that mysterious, it just had not been explained before.

§1:27 Although God's saving interest has always included the whole world (“all the families of the earth”—Genesis 12:3), throughout the OT God worked mainly through His specially chosen people, Israel. Now the Bride of Christ includes Jews and non-Jews on an equal footing.

*1:27 Christ is ‘the wealth of the glory’, but He must be in us for us to have any hope of sharing in that glory; and we must proclaim Him to the nations for them to have any hope.

†1:28 In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) Christ commanded His followers to ‘make disciples’ (which involves a whole lot more than just ‘winning souls’), and Paul declares that to be his objective. Instead of “Christ”, perhaps 60% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘Christ Jesus’ (as in AV and NKJV). I follow the best line of transmission.

‡1:29 If we want to see God manifesting His power through us, we must subordinate ourselves to His working.

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD