Post by foxjj on Sept 25, 2023 7:07:13 GMT
Colossians 1:1-29 (ESV)
The letter to the Church in Colossae, was one of the letters written from Rome when Paul was imprisoned there. Paul opens with his standard greeting by giving praise to Christ Jesus. He greets the Colossians as Saints, confirming their membership of God’s family:
“1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”
Paul continues with thanksgiving and prayer for their faithfulness:
“3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,”
The love we show as Christians, comes from the love and hope we have through our experience of God’s gift of salvation. The knowledge of this gift came through the preaching of The Gospel of Jesus Christ:
“5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”
The following verse’s are an outline of Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, of which we can also use as a personal prayer for others. This portion of Scripture is a guide, or a standard if you will, for our own Christian life:
“9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Paul now turns to one of his most important teachings, the Preeminence of Jesus Christ:
“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
The words "image of the invisible God" used here, mean full representation of the invisible God. Jesus was Immanuel, which means God with us as stated in Matthew 1:23: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).” All though He created all things, Jesus came amongst us so that we could spend eternity with Him. Our Creator became our Savior.
Verse's 18 to 20 proclaim Jesus’s headship over the Church, along with the uniqueness of the cross:
“18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
The Father chose the Son to reconcile sinful humanity onto Himself. Verse 18 teaches no man can claim to be the head of the Church, because the Church is the body of believers, and Jesus is it’s head. He is the firstborn from among the dead - all who have died are still in the grave awaiting the final resurrection - however, death could not hold The Lord of all, for the fullness of God dwelt within Jesus. This was the One who went to the cross for you and I - the Lord of Creation.
The following verse’s emphasizes the human condition as hostile to God before our spiritual rebirth - our redemption:
“21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
Paul now writes of his ministry to the Church, reminding believers of the unique spiritual mystery of Christ in us which is our hope of glory:
“24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
Today, let us give thanks for all who give their lives to The Gospel.
John Joseph Fox.
The letter to the Church in Colossae, was one of the letters written from Rome when Paul was imprisoned there. Paul opens with his standard greeting by giving praise to Christ Jesus. He greets the Colossians as Saints, confirming their membership of God’s family:
“1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”
Paul continues with thanksgiving and prayer for their faithfulness:
“3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,”
The love we show as Christians, comes from the love and hope we have through our experience of God’s gift of salvation. The knowledge of this gift came through the preaching of The Gospel of Jesus Christ:
“5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”
The following verse’s are an outline of Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, of which we can also use as a personal prayer for others. This portion of Scripture is a guide, or a standard if you will, for our own Christian life:
“9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Paul now turns to one of his most important teachings, the Preeminence of Jesus Christ:
“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
The words "image of the invisible God" used here, mean full representation of the invisible God. Jesus was Immanuel, which means God with us as stated in Matthew 1:23: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).” All though He created all things, Jesus came amongst us so that we could spend eternity with Him. Our Creator became our Savior.
Verse's 18 to 20 proclaim Jesus’s headship over the Church, along with the uniqueness of the cross:
“18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
The Father chose the Son to reconcile sinful humanity onto Himself. Verse 18 teaches no man can claim to be the head of the Church, because the Church is the body of believers, and Jesus is it’s head. He is the firstborn from among the dead - all who have died are still in the grave awaiting the final resurrection - however, death could not hold The Lord of all, for the fullness of God dwelt within Jesus. This was the One who went to the cross for you and I - the Lord of Creation.
The following verse’s emphasizes the human condition as hostile to God before our spiritual rebirth - our redemption:
“21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
Paul now writes of his ministry to the Church, reminding believers of the unique spiritual mystery of Christ in us which is our hope of glory:
“24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
Today, let us give thanks for all who give their lives to The Gospel.
John Joseph Fox.
