Colossians 1

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:30:31utc

1:1,2

"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."

The opening words differ little from those in other epistles. Paul stresses his apostleship. This stress may be stronger here than elsewhere. He wants to show that God has given him the right to meddle in the affairs of a church which he doesn't know personally and where he is not personally known. His apostleship is "by the will of God." We find this same sentence in Eph. 1:1. This was, obviously, the way Paul introduced himself. Now, Paul thoroughly knew the church in Ephesus. We read in Acts 19:9,10 that Paul spent at least two years in Ephesus. "He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord." It is far from certain, however, that the Ephesian epistle was actually addressed to the church in Ephesus. The word "Ephesus" in Eph. 1:1 does not occur in several important manuscripts. It could be that the book which we know as Ephesians is actually the letter that was sent to Laodicea, which is mentioned in Col. 4:16. ("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.") If this is true, the apostle would have only used the introduction of himself as "an apostle of Christ Jesus" in epistles sent to churches "as have not seen my face in the flesh," ch. 2:1 (KJV).

The recipients of the Colossian epistle are addressed in the same way as those receiving the epistle of Ephesians. "To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ." The KJV and RSV translate the Greek work agioi as a noun. "To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse." But the translators were not consistent because they should have treated pistoi as a noun also and say "To the saints and believers." Of course, this does not make any practical difference. It is on the basis of their faith in Christ that they have been sanctified, that is, set apart for God. They are saints because they are in Christ, Who is our holiness; Paul says: "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God; that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."[ 1 ]

This doesn't mean that we should not make a distinction between our position in Christ and our personal sanctification. This distinction becomes clearer if we substitute the word "glory" for "holy." The Seraphim in Isaiah do this when they say: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."[ 2 ] If sin means that we "come short of the glory of God,"[ 3 ] as Paul defines sin it, then holiness should mean that we partake in God's glory. Obviously, this glory has, as yet, not been revealed in our lives; however, it should be clear that positional holiness makes little sense if there is no trace of progressive sanctification.

This relationship between positional holiness and personal sanctification is the main theme of this epistle. Paul first presents God's holiness in us in Christ Jesus, and then he sets the fullness of God's glory as the goal constantly before us. The bridge between these two he calls "the hope." The point of his intercession is that the Colossians reach this goal and that, by fixing their eyes upon it and reaching toward it, they would see changes take place in their lives; thus the gap between what was, what is, and what ought to be becomes smaller and smaller.

The fact that Paul uses the word "holy" so early in his epistle indicates that he has a clear idea of what he wants to say. The word "faithful" has a double meaning in English. It suggests both faith and reliability.

"Grace and peace" is the salutation by which Paul binds the Old and New Testament together. The customary Greek salutation was chaire (hail). Paul changes this into "charis" (grace). In doing so he opens with very simple means a window on eternity. Generally speaking human forms of politeness are a watered down version of what intimacy must have been when man still enjoyed perfect fellowship with God. Our greetings have become meaningless. But for a man who has experienced the atonement and redemption in Christ it is possible to greet his neighbor with the blessing of Christ charis kai eirene.

"Shalom!" Paul's salutation here is shorter than the ones in Ephesians and Philippians but that probably has no significance.

There is a strong similarity between the opening of this epistle and Rom. 1:8-10. In both letter Paul indicates that he does not know the churches personally. He knows what the conditions of the church are only through what others have told him.

1:3-6

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; 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. 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 God's grace in all its truth.

In the letter to the Colossians there are three points which fill Paul's intercession for them with gratitude:

1. Their faith in Christ.

2. Their love for all the saints and

3. The hope that is stored up for them in heaven

As we mentioned already, "hope" is the theme of this epistle. Of course, faith in Christ is the foundation. There would have been no church in Colosse if people had not accepted the fact that Jesus died for their sins and that in His death and resurrection the powers of darkness had been conquered. And the best evidence that the faith of these people was not a dead faith was that they demonstrated love for one another. They loved not only their own people but all the saints.

Hope, however, is the climax. We get the impression that Epaphras had put the greatest stress on hope in his preaching in Colosse. It could be that the economic depression of the city made a very fertile ground for this form of preaching; healthy economy is rarely conducive to a good spiritual perspective. We know that it will do no good to gain the whole world at the expense of our soul. As Jesus says: "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?"[ 4 ] It is a sad thing, though, that those who try to gain the world invariably suffer in God's economy.

It is important that we express our thanks to God for one another. Thanksgiving robs the devil of the opportunity to sow negative feelings of criticism in our human relationships.

The faith of the Colossians was a result of their hearing the Gospel from the mouth of Epaphras. Love was the fruit of this faith, which the Holy Spirit grew in their hearts. This doesn't mean that the Spirit would have had nothing to do with their faith, but faith and love are not factors that come about without our involvement. God imputes love and faith to us; however, it seems that hope belongs to a different category. Yet, in First Corinthians, Paul presents them as an inseparable unity. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."[ 5 ] Faith and love grow in our lives on earth, but hope is rooted in eternity. Paul says that it is stored up for us in heaven. Peter is very clear on this point, speaking about our heritage, he says: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade; kept in heaven for you."[ 6 ] He also links this hope with the resurrection from the dead. So we could define hope as a reaching out toward the inheritance that awaits us on the other side of our lives on earth.

Hope, in the Biblical sense, has little in common with what is meant by it in our daily use of the word. For unsaved people, hope is a rather vague concept that has little or no relationship with certainty. For the Christian hope is certainty. The writer to the Hebrews gives this definition: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,"[ 7 ] or, as the KJV puts it: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hope is based on the guarantee of God's glory which is awaiting us. If we believe in God, that is, if we consider God to be reliable, we will start to understand something of His character, which will lead us to certain conclusions. Jesus drew such conclusions when He said "But about the resurrection of the dead; have you not read what God said to you, `I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living".[ 8 ] The fact that God is the living God guarantees the resurrection from the dead and the fact that God is the God of glory forms the solid basis for our hope of glory.

Those points were, obviously, the content of the preaching of the truth, as Epaphras had brought it to the Colossians. I wonder how much we have deviated in our modern preaching for this truth. Usually truth is not presented as absolute. Even in Jesus' time, the tendency existed to make truth relative to subjective experience. This shows in Pilate's question to Jesus: "What is truth?"[ 9 ] The fact that truth is absolute should be fundamental in our announcement of the Gospel. Therefore we can say that sin is not only a deviation from the truth but also from God's glory, as Paul states: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."[ 10 ]

Looking at Colossians from this perspective, we find it difficult to determine what Paul had in mind when he said: "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 God's grace in all its truth." "The world" must have been the Roman empire, but we should not think too little of his vision, even in those days. He may not have known the world as "From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya," but he must have been familiar with Jesus' words "The field is the world,"[ 11 ] and "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."[ 12 ] He also understood the germinating power of the seed of the Gospel. The way in which the Gospel bore fruit in Colosse guaranteed the limitlessness of the harvest. What God did in Colosse He could do anywhere; for man is the same the world over. The good news is that every person has the capacity to know the grace of God. Everyone who has sinned needs forgiveness of sin, and we all qualify as sinners. Understanding God's grace consists of the realization that our sins have been forgiven by the blood of Christ.

1:7,8

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.

We deduct from these verses that Epaphras was one of Paul's disciples from the time Paul was in Ephesus and gave his lectures in the hall of Tyrannus. "Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord."[ 13 ] We conclude from the above that people who followed Paul's lectures in turn went out and passed on what they had learned to the people in their own cities. The result was that people turned to Christ, and churches mushroomed all over the area. Paul's lectures surely were more than mere intellectual exercises, but they must have been very practical; otherwise such results would not have occurred.

Paul had a great respect for and appreciation of Epaphras, whom he calls "our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf." The quality of a disciple is of great importance in the spread of the Gospel. Paul emphasizes those qualities: "reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."[ 14 ] Such people are links in the chain of the spreading of the Gospel.

The word "love" occurs twice in these verses: Paul loved Epaphras, and Epaphras was able to convey this love to the Colossians. Then, the love of Epaphras evoked love in the hearts of the believers in Colosse. This "love in the Spirit" (vs. 8) is a healthy demonstration of human emotions.

The Tyndale Commentary makes some very profound remarks about this section. "You ... understood God's grace in all its truth." The Greek word is epignosis which indicates a grasp of the essence of something which goes beyond the intellect and the emotions.

1:9-14

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that 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, Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 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.

As we said before, the epistle is a blueprint for intercession. These verses are, Therefore, the essence of what Paul wants to say. We will never be able to understand completely the mystery of prayer. The Kingdom of Heaven will not come unless people pray "Thy Kingdom come!" Paul understands the important role prayer plays. He realizes that the Colossians had "understood God's grace in all its truth." This meant that they had a good start, but the church would bog down without intercession. We see in Revelation what happened to the church of Laodicea.[ 15 ] And in our present day there is also no trace left of the church in Colosse. Of all the churches in Asia Minor, which is now Turkey, nothing remains. After Paul's death nobody took up his mantle of prayer and witnessing. This should make us aware of the importance of prayer for others.

Now, let us examine how Paul prays and what the things are he requests in his prayer. He emphasizes five points:

1. That they will be filled with the knowledge of God's will, a knowledge which will demonstrate itself in spiritual wisdom and understanding.

2. A life that is worthy of the Lord.

3. A desire to please the Lord in every way.

4. to bear fruit in every good work

5. To grow in the knowledge of God.

After this Paul discusses the result of such a life. Each of the above points is worth a detailed study.

1. The first point is the knowledge of God's will. This is essential for all that follows. God's will is revealed in His Word. For the church of the New Testament the Word of God was the Old Testament, for us in the twentieth century it is the whole Bible. The Bible gives a complete picture of God's will. It will depend on our attitude toward the written Word as to whether we will really get to know God's will or not. Jesus' motto for life should be ours: "Here I am, I have come ..... I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."[ 16 ] The key is obedience. Jesus says Himself: "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."[ 17 ] The willingness to obey God's will should precede the knowledge of God's will.

First we observe the commandments and the precepts of the Bible, but then we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our personal life. Knowing the leading of the Holy Spirit requires a finer ear. God does not reveal His will to us as one of several options. We will not be able to choose between God's will and something else. The choice is made before we start to find out what God's will is. If we surrender to God's will, He will not let us remain in the dark as to what that will is. This surrender will result in "spiritual wisdom and understanding." "Spiritual wisdom" is translation of the Greek word sunesis "understanding." The Dutch Bible translates it with "spiritual insight."[ 18 ] I like that translation better.

2. The purpose of the above is to live a life that is worthy of the Lord. This means a life style that is in accordance with the glory of God. In English the word "worthy" is related to "worth." During the presidential election campaign in the United States the slogan "family values" was promoted. That this was defeated by the emphasis on the state of the economy is not the point we are discussing. "Family values" is a vague term that stands for a certain conservative style in which families stay together in harmony. Of course, in political campaigns those slogans are not supposed to have a religious basis. It would be wrong, in that context, to say that decency is derived from holiness. The values Paul discusses go back to the central meaning. He speaks about a life that can stand comparison with the glory of God.

We have to state, of course, that nobody can be measured by the standard of God's glory and pass the test. Yet, Paul does not say anything negative about this. He knows that at the end of this life of imperfection and stumbling efforts there is an eternity of glory that awaits us. John says in I John 3:2,3: "We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." It is the course we set that determines the style. If we do live this kind of "worthy" life, people around us will take note. Unbelievers maintain high standards for Christians, and they judge us with a sharp eye. To live a life "worthy of the Lord" describes our testimony in this world, and it determines the amount of light we emit.

3. If our life style influences our surroundings, our "pleasing Him in every way" relates, of course, to our fellowship with God. The only way in which we will please God is by being "an aroma of Christ." "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."[ 19 ] When Paul says that we should please God in every way, the stress is put on "in every way." Originally the word apeskeia (Greek for "to please") means the lowly submission as of a slave to his master. This conveys a repulsive picture to our modern mind. There is no indication in the Bible that God treats us as slaves or considers us to be worms. In fact, God honors us. But from our side we are wise if we consider ourselves to be "unworthy servants" ... who "have only done our duty."[ 20 ]

If we keep in mind the "in every way" part of our obedience, we will look at the details of our life to see if there is anything that would not please the Lord. In practice, this means that we surrender every domain of our life to the control of the Holy Spirit. It is a fascinating thought that the possibility exists that God would take pleasure in what I do. Is that what is meant by the song of the angels: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests"?[ 21 ]

4. Bearing fruit requires constant fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Jesus says: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."[ 22 ] Bearing fruit in Christ and doing good works is identical. Paul's slight stress on the words "in every good work" not only draws our attention away from negative things we could do but it also stimulates us to enlarge our horizon. We should bear fruit in as many different varieties as possible. There is, of course, the danger that we would waste our energy and spread ourselves too thin so that, in fact, nothing is accomplished. I am sure that Paul does not mean to say that we should do all the good works that can done. That would not agree with the variety of gifts the Holy Spirit imparts to the body of Christ, and it would cause tensions that are not from God. Obviously, the intention is that what we do should be a good work which we do unto the Lord and not for ourselves; our works should bear fruit to the glory of God.

5. Growing in the knowledge of God differs from the knowledge of God's will in vs. 9. Spiritual growth starts with obedience to the will of God. The goal is to know the eternal personality of God. All personality is derived from God's eternal personality. If human personality with all of its limitations, deviations, and sins is already so fascinating that the world is full of novels and character studies that have been written, how much more wonderful is it to grow in the knowledge of God's character. To know Him is the purpose and fulfillment of our life. "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."[ 23 ]

Knowing God is a growing process that will never end. It will fill eternity. On earth we can only make a beginning. As we reach out in faith toward the Lord we will have experiences with Him that will increase our knowledge of Him. At the end of a life full of answers to prayer, George Müller said that he knew the Lord. This may have been an incomplete statement, but it moved the people who heard it. Francis Schaeffer says that the fact that our knowledge is incomplete does not mean that we cannot have true knowledge.

True knowledge excludes misunderstandings and misconceptions. Job accused God of the calamities in his life because he did not understand the character of God. Israel treated God with suspicion. They believed that God had lured them into the desert to kill them treacherously. If we become convinced of God's absolute love and justice, we will grow in the true knowledge of God. We don't labor for God in an impersonal relationship as an employer and an employee. God shares His secrets with us in an intimate relationship that is unparalleled.

The strengthening Paul speaks about in vs. 11 and 12 is retroactive. The Tyndale Commentary also points this out. We are not only strengthened as a result of our obedience and our bearing fruit, but God's strength is also the source and the basis of our fruitfulness. If God did not strengthen us, there would be no question of obedience and spiritual growth. Without God we would not have any endurance. Paul describes it as a spiral; we move upward in a circle. We read in the psalms about people who go up to the temple in Jerusalem: "They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion."[ 24 ]

After the initial surrender of our will the Holy Spirit draws us up higher and higher so that we come ever closer to the throne of God. The Tyndale Commentary points out that our strengthening is not the result of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, but the source of our strength is the glory of God. Circumstances can stimulate us to look for strength from above, and we receive strength to endure hardship as God's light shines upon us. We understand, as Daniel found, that the powers of this world represented by the huge statue Nebucadnezar saw, have only feet of clay. We can thank the Father because we see things in their right perspective.

God's glorious might was demonstrated in Jesus' resurrection from the dead, in which our death was conquered also. This gives us a handle on life. Because of this we can let down our anchor, and we can resist death. Paul comes back to this theme several times in his epistles, as in Eph. 1:19,20 and Phil. 3:21. Because we know how the end, God's glorious future for His children, we are able to bear the intervening period of sickness, suffering, and even death. We find this same thought expressed in Rom 5:2-4, where Paul says: "Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." There Paul emphasizes that suffering is beneficial to the forming of our character. Under pressure we are prepared for the glory that is awaiting us. We rejoice, not because things are difficult, but because we can reach out toward what lies ahead.

This life is a preparation for the inheritance we will receive. We are not only "shielded by God's power" in this life, as Peter puts it in I Pet. 1:4,5 but the Holy Spirit also builds our character. He prunes and purifies us so that we learn to live for eternity: "the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." On this earth people flatter and manipulate old aunts from whom they expect to receive a share in the inheritance. As children of God, the least we can do is to adapt ourselves to the light that shines upon our life and to let it shine through us. This light is the glory of God.

The verses 13 and 14 contain one of the clearest declarations in the Bible about what God did for us when we turned toward Him and how the Holy Spirit renewed our hearts. "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." We were all born in prison, and from birth we possess the mentality of a prisoner. It was part of our nature to obey the warden. Israel in Egypt gives a good illustration of this mentality. When Moses brought the message of liberation, it sounded attractive, but it did not coincide with the reality of their slavery. The Gospel has the same kind of unrealistic sound for modern man. It is "not relevant" to him. This is the result of the fact that we fail to realize that God created us for life and liberty. At our conversion this realization comes back to us and the prince of darkness loses his grip. The devil is no match for the Almighty God Who lays His hand upon us and pulls us toward Himself. No demonic power is able to stand against this love of God.

This does not mean only that the Evil One has no longer any power over us, but also that we do not have to maintain a prison mentality any longer. We are no longer under obligation to obey our sinful tendencies. Yet, just as Israel, after they left Egypt and arrived in the desert, kept on longing for the onions and garlic of Egypt, so our "old man" keeps pulling us down, unless we put ourselves wittingly on the basis that we have a right to be free of sin because we have been crucified with Him, buried with Him and raised from the dead with Him. Paul describes all this in Romans 6.

God has transferred us into the kingdom of Jesus, as the RSV puts it. We are not autonomous. We are part of a kingdom in which we have citizenship, and we owe obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ. But the relationship is quite different from the one in which we were governed by Satan. He is a murderer of men, and his aim is to destroy. In Christ we share in God's love. Because He loved us, He gave His life for us, and our answer to this love is obedience. I am a citizen of the kingdom of the Son of God. Every morning I should remind myself of my glorious citizenship.

In Jesus we are part of a new order of things. The key to this new order is "redemption and forgiveness of sins." We do not receive redemption and forgiveness as independent entities, outside of Christ. They are part of being in Christ. We are only redeemed and forgiven inasmuch as we are "in Christ."

It is important to note that Paul makes a distinction between being rescued from the dominion of darkness and being forgiven. Some Pentecostal Christians teach that all sins are acts that are committed under demonic pressure; as if our personality would have nothing to do with this and we would not be personally responsible for our acts. All that would be needed is to be rescued from the power of the demon who makes us do it. Pardon implies personal responsibility. God forgives us because He holds us personally responsible for our acts. We need not only be rescued from the dominion of darkness but we should also confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. Let's say it again: this redemption and forgiveness are in Him. When He was nailed to the cross, He took away from the devil every claim upon men and all dominion over him. In Him we are partakers of this victory

1:15-23

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

The mention of the Kingdom of the Son God loves brings Paul to the glorious utterances of the verses 15-20. Here, Paul mentions four very important things about Jesus Christ:

He is the image of the invisible God. vs. 15
He is the Creator. vs. 16
He is the head of the church. vs. 18
He is the redeemer. vs. 20

Most commentators believe that Paul says these things to cut off some influences of gnosticism in the church in Colosse. This is quite possible, of course, but the first intent is but positive not negative. Our vision of the person of Christ is crucial to our spiritual life. To know Him is the most important thing in the world. The depth of our knowledge of Him determines our spiritual health, which is the best defense against aberration.

Who is Jesus?

1. He is the image of the invisible God. Our physical eyes cannot see spiritual reality. That is why the Word became flesh in order to enable us to see Him, hear Him speak and touch Him. As John says: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life."[ 25 ] The writer of the Hebrew epistle agrees completely with Paul when he says that "the Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being."[ 26 ] And in the Gospel of John the apostle puts full emphasis on this truth. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. …. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. …. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known."[ 27 ] Jesus, Himself, says to His disciples: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."[ 28 ] All these verses confirm the same truth, but they do not explain the mystery. It will always remain the greatest miracle to us that the invisible God expresses Himself in a visible world. Yet, at the same time are we, ourselves, beings who are partly spiritual and who are able to express abstract thoughts and emotions in sounds of words and music, in sculptures and art. In a sense we, ourselves, are expressions of God's being in flesh and blood; we are men who have been created in His image and likeness. That is why God's revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ is accessible to us. The conclusion of all of this is: Jesus is God.

2. He is the Creator. The phrase: or "the first-born of all creation," (NAS) is confusing to us, because birth has the connotation of the beginning of something that had no previous existence. When the Son is called "firstborn" or "only-begotten" does this not mean that He is not the eternal one who existed before time was created. Speaking about wisdom, Solomon says: "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began."[ 29 ] These verses indicate that the word birth can be used in a poetical sense. If we take the above literally, it would mean that God did not possess any wisdom before this point. With the words, "the firstborn over all creation" Paul says the same as John in the prologue of his Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word. …. Through him all things were made."[ 30 ] The Father created everything through the agency of the Son.

What an overwhelming truth is the fact that Jesus is the Creator of all, and that, as man He became part of His own creation. Like the apostle John, we will never overcome our astonishment over the fact that we can have contact with the eternal God via our ears, our eyes and our hands. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life."[ 31 ] Our Lord Jesus Christ is the firstborn of all creation and I am His creation.

Paul uses three prepositions in Greek: en, di and eis, which mean "in," "by" and "unto." They indicate the relationship between the Creator and creation. "In Him, through Him and unto Him." (ASV). In doing so, Paul shows us the depth of the process of creation which surpasses our understanding. If everything that exists has its existence "in" Christ, it means that the essence of creation is a part of God's character. Being the time-bound creatures we are, we cannot imagine what eternity is like. We tend to place eternity within the frame of time, instead of outside. We call eternity "everlasting," which is an expression borrowed from time. I cannot understand how it is possible that creation existed eternally in Christ and yet was brought about in time. Yet, everything within me tells me that Paul used the right words when he says: "For in him were all things created" (ASV). God expressed His being in creation. The picture of a seed is, probably, the best illustration, although it does not completely exemplify the reality. As the whole oak tree is contained in the acorn, so is all of creation contained in Christ. Heaven and earth, as they exist at present, have their issue in Him.

Paul distinguished two levels: the visible and the invisible; meaning the material and the spiritual. Most of the material bodies are invisible to the naked eye. We cannot see atoms and magnetic fields and so on. But that does not qualify them as spiritual. To deny the existence of the spiritual, as the naturalists do, leads to nonsense.

The terms "thrones, powers, rulers and authorities" pertain, probably, to the invisible and spiritual creation. These terms are, generally, understood to indicate various categories of angels. We don't know the source from which Paul knew these names. They are, most likely, a part of Jewish tradition and the angelology of Paul's time. The names must have been part of the inventory of gnosticism that was prevalent in the first century. Paul uses them to indicate that Jesus is Lord over the powers that were given inflated positions in the church that was under the influence of gnosticism. These ranks of angels were created by Christ. "All things were created by him and for him" is clear and natural language. It corresponds to what David says: "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth."[ 32 ] And this Word is Christ.

Created "unto Him" (ASV) reveals the meaning and the purpose of creation. This point is especially important for us as human beings. We exist "unto Him." John says: "You created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."[ 33 ] He did not only create because He willed, but also because He had pleasure in creation and glory and joy. That is why God says: "I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind."[ 34 ] The fact that sin tries to take away this joy and destroy it doesn't mean that the discovery of the meaning of life no longer kindles joy in us. The reward for leading a life that is focused on God is to enter into the joy of the Lord.[ 35 ]

Five times Paul states the absolute priority of Christ over all of creation: "Firstborn over all creation," "all things were created by him and for him," "He is before all things," "He is the head," "He is the beginning." There is no doubt left as to the relationship between Christ and creation.

In vs. 18 the apostle jumps from the old creation to the new. The abyss of sin which lies between the two, although it is not mentioned, is bridged in this way. The church consists of people who were rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom. They are people who were dead in their sins and have come to life through the new birth. He made us into members of His body. We receive our life from Him. The priority of Christ, Therefore, has a much deeper meaning for us than for the rest of creation. He is not only the Lord because He created us, but because we have come into a unique and intimate relationship with Him, and because He gave His life for us in order to save us.

Chronologically, "the first-born from the dead" should precede "the head of the body." Easter comes before Pentecost. Paul reaches a special effect by reversing the order. It draw the attention of the church to the risen Lord. As "first-born from the dead," He stands at the head of a long line of people who are going to take part in His resurrection. We, who are living between life and death, see Him who has conquered death. So we see that immortality has entered into the mortality of this life on earth, and we know that, if He is the first, we will be next.

"God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him," we read in vs. 19. The Father held nothing back in His love for the Son. He gave Him everything He had: all of His eternal, infinitely divine characteristics. So Jesus could say to His disciples: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."[ 36 ] In the same manner does the Son pour out His fullness upon us, who have received the Holy Spirit as "an earnest" or "guarantee," and "we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is."[ 37 ]

By the blood that was poured out at the cross, everything that had been separated from God was reconciled again with Him. The way Paul puts it, this reconciliation acquires a great depth in connection with the fullness of God in Christ Jesus. The One Who died on the cross was not a poor deprived, despicable human wreck. Demons and men may have treated Him as such; but He was the Lord of glory. Reconciliation came about in that God made peace on the cross by the blood of Jesus. Throughout the ages man had poured the blood of animals upon altars, as an image of this pouring out of Christ's blood. This was the purpose of the Incarnation. He came to pour out His soul into death and to pay for every debt our sins had incurred with God.

This reconciliation is universal. "Whether things on earth or things in heaven," does not allow any limitations. Calvin erred at this point when he stated that Christ's blood was shed only for the elect. Reconciliation is not limited to man alone. This does not mean that every creature is, automatically, saved from perdition, but that, if anyone or anything is lost, it is not because God put limits to salvation. Man is lost because of his own choice. During an exorcism session one demon is said to have spoken the words: "No provision is made for us." It is quite possible, however, that the demon lied. But this question is outside our field of vision.

We have little idea of the extent of damage sin has caused in heaven and on earth. The author of the Hebrew epistle lifts up a tip of the veil when he says: "It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."[ 38 ] The fall of Lucifer and later of man has polluted all of creation. Angel, man, and beast were affected. Reconciliation, Therefore, means much more than payment of our personal guilt. When the peace of God descends upon our souls, it is only a fraction of a huge cosmic process or restoration. We do not enter Heaven as isolated individuals; however, this also does not mean that we are not saved personally and one by one.

The last verses of this chapter (vs. 21-29) emphasize again the individual and universal aspect of reconciliation. The Colossians were formerly "alienated from God and enemies." The word "alienated" suggests a deviation from an original condition. Sin separates us from the source of life. Being an enemy means being actively involved in opposing the Person and the work of God. Man who does not know God is more dangerous than the wildest animal.

These verses state that man is held personally responsible for his evil deeds, which demonstrate his hostility towards God. It is true that God brought about reconciliation without our personal involvement and that Adam sinned without consulting us first. In the same way that Adam's guilt was imputed to us, so Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us. That is to our advantage; otherwise, we would have to pay personally for a debt that we would never be able to pay. But the fact that we die for a sin we did not personally commit and that we are given life without doing anything for it personally, does not mean that we have no personal responsibility. Enmity with God means that we have personal culpability towards God. If we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, the Holy Spirit can implant in us God's holiness, which will, ultimately make it possible for us to stand "without blemish and free from accusation" before God. "Without holiness no one will see the Lord."[ 39 ]

This is not something that will happen to us automatically, whether we want it or not. Neither will it happen without our being deeply involved in it. This is obvious from vs. 23. We read the condition: "if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel." We are held responsible for our continuation in the faith and our holding on to the hope. It is my humble opinion that Calvin was wrong at this point, by insisting that grace is irresistible.

Yet, perseverance is also not a matter of human determination, but of faith in God, who is able to keep us from falling.[ 40 ] We should lean upon the perseverance of our Lord Jesus Christ, not upon the strength of our own character. Solomon advises us: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."[ 41 ] This gives us the key to the perseverance of the saints. Peter's denial of Christ is a clear example of what happens when we lean upon our own understanding. The devil knows us better than we know ourselves, and he knows how to manipulate our weaknesses. Unless we place ourselves under the protection of Jesus Christ, we do not have a ghost of a chance against him.

When Paul speaks about "not moved from the hope held out in the gospel," he, probably, speaks about the danger of being influenced by false doctrines which threatened the church in Colosse, such as gnosticism and Judaism. It is important that we get a good grasp on the truth. A Christian bookstore somewhere in New England, supposedly, carried a sign on its display window "Dogma stops here." The sign should have read "Dogma begins here." Faith is not a matter of the heart alone, it involves the whole man: intellect, emotions, and will. If we go off the track in our thinking, our emotions will eventually lose sight of hope also.

Paul says some things about the Gospel that go far over the boundaries of his own time and life. He says that the Gospel "has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven." Unless we take this hyperbolically, (which is a figure of speech evangelists use with ease), we have to believe that Paul opens here a window on a reality that is closed to us. We can hardly believe that Paul exaggerated to the point where he believed that his ministry of the Gospel was universal. During his lifetime the Gospel had not been preached over the whole earth; it still has not. In one of his visions in the book of Revelation, John says: "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-- to every nation, tribe, language and people."[ 42 ] Paul's preaching of the Gospel, as well as every other proclamation of the truth, is part of this "eternal Gospel preached to every creature under heaven." What the Bible proclaims in time and space is part of God's eternal word to the whole of creation. If the message of redemption from sin had been one of God's afterthoughts that would only have occurred after the fall of man, then the fall itself would have taken God by surprise. That is inconceivable. The book of Revelation calls Jesus: "The Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world."[ 43 ] And the covenant, on the basis of which the blood was poured out, is called "an eternal covenant."[ 44 ] In that sense of the word it is true that "the Gospel has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven." In the same sense what Isaiah says is true that the whole earth is full of God's glory.[ 45 ] This truth may not be visible for us who live in time and space, but this does not mean that the Word of God should be doubted. It should stimulate us even more to make our lives in time and space part of God's eternity on earth.

It sounds almost absurd that Paul, as a frail human being, can say that he has become a servant of this Gospel. Yet, this is true. And every servant of Jesus Christ can repeat this after him. As human beings we handle things of eternity.

[ 1 ] I Cor. 1:30

[ 2 ] Isa. 6:3

[ 3 ] Rom. 3:23

[ 4 ] Matt. 16:26

[ 5 ] I Cor. 13:13

[ 6 ] I Pet. 1:3,4

[ 7 ] Heb. 11:1

[ 8 ] Matt. 22:31,32

[ 9 ] John 18:38

[ 10 ] Rom. 3:23

[ 11 ] Matt. 13:38

[ 12 ] Matt. 28:20 (KJV)

[ 13 ] Acts 19:9,10

[ 14 ] II Tim. 2:2

[ 15 ] Rev. 3:14-22

[ 16 ] Ps. 40:7,8

[ 17 ] John 7:17

[ 18 ] geestelijk inzicht

[ 19 ] II Cor. 2:15

[ 20 ] Lk. 17:10

[ 21 ] Lk. 2:14

[ 22 ] John 15:5

[ 23 ] John 17:3

[ 24 ] Ps. 84:7

[ 25 ] I John 1:1

[ 26 ] Heb. 1:3

[ 27 ] John 1:1, 14, 18

[ 28 ] John 14:9b

[ 29 ] Prov. 8:22,23

[ 30 ] John 1:1,3

[ 31 ] I John 1:1

[ 32 ] Ps. 33:6

[ 33 ] Rev. 4:11

[ 34 ] Prov. 8:30,31

[ 35 ] Matt. 25:21,23 (KJV)

[ 36 ] John 14:9

[ 37 ] I John 3:2

[ 38 ] Heb. 9:23

[ 39 ] Heb. 12:14

[ 40 ] Jude 24

[ 41 ] Prov. 3:5,6

[ 42 ] Rev. 14:6

[ 43 ] Rev. 13:8

[ 44 ] Heb. 13:20

[ 45 ] Is. 6:3