Colossians Chapter 1

Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,

Paul is AN apostle of Jesus Christ. There were many of them, including several that are named other than the 12 Apostles to the nation of Israel. But Paul is the only person in the bible who claims to be THE apostle of the Gentiles. No other writer an no other apostle makes that claim.

Paul was sent to the Gentiles, he was given the dispensation of the grace of God to the Gentiles, and he is the preacher, the teacher and the apostle OF the Gentiles. On the basis of all that, where in the bible would a Gentile think to look to find out anything about his salvation? The only conclusion would be to look in Paul's epistles, Romans through Philemon.

Now Colossians is much like the book of Ephesians, in that it was written to people Paul had never met. He had only heard of their faith. Both the Ephesian letter and the Colossian letter contain major doctrine pertaining to Gentiles in the dispensation of the grace of God.

Colossians 1:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

Colossians 1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

The hope of the church, the body of Christ is in heaven and not upon the earth. God has his earthly people, the nation of Israel, which in the future will be a kingdom of priests and an holy nation whose job will be to be the teachers of all the other nations who will inherit the earth.

But the body of Christ is not a nation, holy or otherwise. In the body of Christ there is no nationality:

Colossians 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Notice these two locations here:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

In the sermon on the mount Christ told some people:

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

But Paul writes, here in the book of Colossians:

Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

It is as plain as the difference between day and night isn't it? There is a difference between day and night because God DIVIDED it:

Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Now notice another division:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Notice what it is that we are told to "rightly divide." It is not the bible. It is not the word of God. But we are told to rightly divide the WORD OF TRUTH. Now in Ephesians Paul gives us the definition of the phrase:

Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

The "we" in the verse is a group of people. Paul is included among them. In the next verse there is a different group of people. They are called "ye." But notice our definition:

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard

the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:

in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

See it there? The "word of truth" is clearly given a definition. It is the "gospel of YOUR salvation." The gospel of your salvation is the gospel committed to Paul. He calls it MY gospel. He is the only person in the bible who claims that the message he preaches is MY gospel. There were 12 men chosen and sent to preach in Matthew 10:5 but they were not sent to preach the gospel Paul preaches. Only Paul preaches Paul's gospel.

So when the Colossians heard the word of the truth of the gospel it is the gospel Paul preaches. Now there is an interesting fact in the next verse, notice:

Colossians 1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

Paul's message is "come unto you," that is, you Colossians. But he says as it is IN ALL THE WORLD. Now Paul evidently wrote to the Colossians during a time when he was in prison in Rome at the close of the book of Acts. Luke refers to a period of time of two years there in which Paul preached. That would most likely be in about AD61-63.

He says that MY gospel is come unto you and IN ALL THE WORLD. Notice in verse 23:

Colossians 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

It is the gospel which YE have heard. Notice that it was preached to EVERY CREATURE which is under heaven. On the basis of that we can definitely know something. It is NOT the same gospel as the gospel of the kingdom Jesus referred to:

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

According to that verse, when that gospel which is referred to there is preached in all the world then the END shall come. It has now been almost 2000 years since Paul wrote these words and the end has not yet come. Conclusion: All gospels are not the same. There is more than one gospel in the bible. Hence we must rightly divide the word of truth WHICH IS..the gospel of YOUR salvation.

Colossians 1:7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;

Colossians 1:8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

So Epaphras has informed Paul of the Colossians salvation and Paul prays for them:

Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

Paul said that we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches but in the words the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

The body of Christ is spiritual, not physical. The salvation is spiritual. The baptism is spiritual. It is our spirit which will be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Everything about the body of Christ is spiritual. So what we need is spiritual understanding, not rules, ordinances and man made religion.

Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Colossians 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

The power to us-ward who believe is the resurrection power God wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand. We are told to reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. When we trust in Christ as our Saviour the Holy Spirit baptizes us and places us IN Christ. We are identifed in his death, his burial, and his resurrection. We are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God and are given a position in Him at the Father's own right hand.

This is the knowledge and spiritual understanding Paul is talking about. It is about our walk. Walking worthy of the Lord. Walking in our practical daily lives in that knowledge and in that truth. The idea is to make the positional truth a practical reality because of what God has done for us that are saved.

Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

We are no longer in darkness but in light. We are there because of the redemption that is in Christ:

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

God is invisible. God is a spirit. They that worship him must worship him in spriit and in truth. But we have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Now when Colossians 1:15 refers to Jesus Christ as being the "firstborn of every creature" it is not saying that he was created. He IS the creator. He is the ONE who created all things. The reference in the verse is to the new creation. Jesus Christ is not a created individual nor was he born of some creature. John is clear about that:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same one who spoke in the book of Genesis is the one John refers to above.

John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

And Paul says exactly the same thing:

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Colossians 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

The "firstborn" is stated here. God eventually will make all things new. Jesus Christ, our Saviour, is FIRST. That is, he has preeminence over all things.

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

So in Genesis the Creator is Jesus Christ. He was not created. But here he is the firstborn from the dead. That is, raised from the dead, never to die again. He has been born again. He is the beginning of God's new creation. Yet, in him dwelleth all of the fulness of the Godhead bodily. He is God manifest.

Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

There we see the twofold purpose of God. Earth and heaven.

Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Colossians 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Colossians 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

The "if" in the verse is not an "if" pertaining to salvation. The issue is to be grounded and settled. Romans 8 is clear that there is NO condemnation for the beleiver and there is NO separation possible. So the "if" would have to be a reference to being approved rather than ashamed at the judgment seat of Christ.

At the judgment seat of Christ it is a believer's work which will be tried, not the believer himself. Notice:

1 Corinthians 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

1 Corinthians 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

So the issue is the reward and not salvation because salvation is complete for the person who has trusted Christ alone, believing the truth of the gospel committed to Paul, that Christ died for our sins, all of them. He was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. And Paul says, in Romans 5:1 that "being justified by faith we have peace with God THROUGH our Lord Jesus Christ.

In other words we are saved by the grace of God through the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is not the issue of how big or great or strong our faith is. The faith that got the job done was the faith OF Christ. Not ours. Salvation for the body of Christ is not "iffy."

And the issue here is either reward or loss. If a person's work abides he will be rewarded, but if not:

1 Corinthians 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

We should never try to put ourself, or even our faith, in the equation where salvation is concerned. Salvation is a gift. It is not of works lest any man should boast. Salvation is the result of the workmanship of Jesus Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. We have nothing to boast about.

Salvation today is the result of the preaching of the cross, which is Paul's message:

Colossians 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

Paul says that he rejoices, even though he has never met these people. He rejoices in HIS sufferings. Jesus Christ alone could suffer for our sins, but in order to make that truth known, somebody had to suffer to get the message out. Paul was the "chosen vessel" to do that. He suffered in his flesh the afflictions.

When he first announced the gospel of the grace of God in Acts 20:24 he said that he knew that "bonds and afflictions abide me." But he said none of these things move me. Paul didn't even count his own life dear to himself. He had a course to finish. He determined to do it with joy. In his last letter we find out that he did:

2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

It was Paul's job to "fulfill the word of God." That is to say to to level up, to furnish, to finish, to complete. Paul completed scripture, hence he said "All scripture is given," in 2 Timothy 3:16.

Colossians 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

And without Paul's prison epistles the world would not know anything at all about this mystery:

Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Perfect in Christ Jesus refers to being grown up, mature, complete. Paul, himself, laboured unto the same thing:

Colossians 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

He didn't say that he had already attained to being perfect, but that is what his focus was on. Notice in Philippians:

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

That "prize" is the reward at the judgment seat of Christ. All believers have the high calling, but not all will receive the "prize."