LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Exegesis of Colossians 1:9—14: Paul’s Prayer in 1:9-11
Submitted to Dr. Walter Davis
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
RTCH 500-B4 Summer 2017
Research, Writing, and Ministry Preparation
by
Robert Beanblossom
15 June 2017
Contents
Introduction 1
Context 2
General Considerations 3
Authorship 3
Date and Place of Writing 4
Destination 5
Occasion 6
Purpose 7
Geo-Historical Context: The Lycus Valley ca. AD 40-70 8
Text in Context: Paul’s Epistle to the Christians 10
Paul’s Prayer: Colossians 1:9-14 10
Bibliography 12
Introduction
Paul wrote a letter in behalf of “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Col 1:2)1 to the Christians at Colosse to encourage them and to give them doctrinal and practical tools to combat false teaching known today as the Colossian Heresy.2 Paul had never been to Colosse but had started the church vicariously through Epaphras (Col 1:7; 4:12-13), possibly a convert from his Ephesian ministry. Rather than attack the false teachers or their doctrine, Paul extoled the “Person of Christ as the one absolute mediator between God and man, the true and only reconciler of heaven and earth,”3 or, as Ironside described, “Christ as the Head of the body,” the head of His church.4 The Apostle not only represented God, but interceded with Him on their behalf, “praying always” for them (Col 1:3) that they would be filled with the knowledge of His will, walk worthy of the Lord, and be strengthened according to His power (Col 1:9-11). This recurrent Pauline theme (cf. Eph 4:1; 1 Thess 2:12), suggests authenticity.
The following study reveals that a relationship with God is more than the one-time event of salvation: it is a developing relationship based upon increasing knowledge about God and walking worthy in Him as we mature in spiritual strength and understanding; both demanded and enabled by God. The prayer is in two parts, first for what they need (1:9-11), and second for what they have received (1:12-14).
We will consider the first part and at its application for Christians today. We will utilize
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1 All Scriptureis from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.
2 J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon; A Revised Text, (1892; rpr., Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1959), 73
3 Ibid., 114.
4 H. A. Ironside, An Ironside Expository Commentary: Philippians and Colossians, (1920; rpr., Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic and Professional, 2007), 108.
Greek-English resources to provide knowledge and authority that we lack in that area, including Strong’s Concordance5 and Marshall’s Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek and English6 to develop a working understanding of the Greek as translated in the KJV. The overall method will be based upon an abbreviated form of the conservative Syntactical-Theological method described by William Kaiser, Jr., and Moises Silva in their Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics7 that recognizes the preeminence of the Word. We will assume that the authority of the text results from the Holy Spirit directing the inspired writer, and that our job is to “grasp the truth the author intended to convey.”8 First, the geo-historical context of Colosse in ca. 60 AD will be reviewed, then the entire letter will be used to establish the context; and finally, the prayer itself will be explored, seeking Paul’s message for those Christians. The prayer as understood from the research will be used to develop an application for Christians toady.
Context
The Epistle to the Colossians is one of four letters written by Paul as a Roman prisoner, either from house arrest in Ephesus, from which he was later released, or from Rome, that ended with his execution. As in his letter to the Philippians (Phil 1:1), Paul associated the letter with his young protégé Timothy (Col 1:1). “It is noticeable how, in many of his letters, the apostle links
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5 James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996).
6 Alfred Marshall, ed., The Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek and English (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975).
7 Kaiser, Walter C., and Moises Silva, An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics; the Search for Meaning Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 35-46.
8 Ibid., 45.
up younger and less experienced fellow laborers with himself, as here, in his salutations. . . . In his care for the development of the younger brethren, Paul becomes a model for older teachers, and evangelists to the end of the dispensation.”9 This is not incidental to Paul’s purpose but part of his growth plan, an example for us founded upon Jesus’ walk with His disciples. This thematic recurrence also suggests authenticity.
General Considerations
Authorship
The epistle states explicitly that it is from “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother” (1:1) and concludes with a “salutation by the hand of me Paul” (4:18a). Some scholarly discussion exists today that questions the Pauline authorship of this epistle. The position is without consensus or a reasonable substitute.10 Carson, et al., summarize an evangelical position that holds that the “the actual authorship of the letter does not matter.”11 Ironside unequivocally presupposes divinely inspired Pauline authorship.12 Of these representative positions, only Ironside upholds the Scripture-based conservative Christian position of the inerrancy and divine inspiration of Scripture (1 Tim 3:16). If Paul is not the author as the epistle claims, the inspiration of this letter, therefore the Canon as a whole, is open to question. Therefore, Pauline authorship as claimed in 1:1, is accepted.
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9 Ironside, Commentary, 19.
10 D. A. Carson, Douglas Moo, and Leon Morris, An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 331-332.
11 Ibid., 338.
12 Ironside, Expository, 107.
Paul states that Tychicus (4:7-9) and Onesimus (4:9), known to be his companions, were the bearers the Colossian and Philemon letters to their destinations. Conjuncture abounds, but some suggest that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7), was a problem with his vision (cf. Gal 4:15) that affected his ability to write. Under this theory, his solution was to use trusted scribes, or amanuenses, to record his dictation. This view suggests that his common closing, in which he noted that his signature was quite distinctive (cf. Gal 6:11), was also his means of authentication. The actual nature of his “thorn” is but speculation derived from scripture. The scope of this paper prevents further commentary. Pauline authorship is accepted.
Date and Place of Writing
Accepting Paul as the author, two limited periods between AD 51 and Paul’s death in 67 are suggested for the date of both this letter and Philemon. These are considered to be two of four prison epistles that also include Ephesians and Philippians. Paul mentions his bonds but does not discuss his specific location. “When he wrote the letter, Paul was in prison (Col 4:3, 10, 18).13 Opinions differ on which prison period this was. For Carson, et al.: “It is probable that Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were written from the same place. The personal links with Philemon . . . are clear evidence that Colossians and Philemon were written at much the same time, while the case for Ephesians rests on the general similarities to Colossians,” but concede that a lack of personal links may indicate that it was written from a different place.14 The early date would be during the reign of Claudius (51-54). Since he did not mention governmental persecution, this is possible. The late date would be during the reign of Nero (54-68), who
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13 Carson, Introduction, 334.
14 Ibid.
initiated extensive persecution of Christians, blaming them for the fire that razed Rome in 64. If during Nero’s reign, no noted persecution suggests a window of 54 to 63. Thomas Constable suggests that “Paul probably wrote this epistle from Rome, toward the middle or end of his first house arrest there, between 60 and 62 . . . . This view of the letter’s origin generally fits the facts better than the Caesarean and Ephesian theories of origin.”15 “Objections to . . . (other) centers leave us with Rome . . . . “We cannot say that any center is strongly favored by the evidence, but perhaps a little more can be said for Rome than for anywhere else.”16 We agree.
Destination
The primary destination was clearly the “saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse” (1:2a). There is no evidence to suggest that Paul ever visited this church.17
He included instructions to “cause it to be read also in the church of the Laodiceans” with the further note to share other epistles that were circulating, at least in the Lycus Valley (4:16). This argues against a view that isolates the inspired writers from communication with each other and with other Christians. “We are not surprised therefore to find them so closely connected in the earliest stages of Christianity.18 J.B. Lightfoot said that it was to this “least important church” that Paul addressed his epistle.19 This might add weight to the Roman theory: perhaps Paul, seeing his execution coming, developed a sense of urgency regarding several issues that he felt needed addressing, including concern over false teachings that were distracting and misleading
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15 Thomas L. Constable, “Notes on Colossians, 2017 Edition,” accessed 30 May 2017, Published by Sonic Light: http://www.soniclight.com/http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/colossians.pdf., 3.
16 Carson, Introduction, 335.
17 Lightfoot, Epistles, 23-30.
18 Ibid., 2.
19 Ibid., 16.
a small band of Christians he had never met and never would, and the very personal letter of Philemon. This is but a thought; there is no documentation to substantiate it.
Occasion
Paul was neither the founder of the Colossian church (2:1), nor did he ever visit it. Epaphras, “our dear fellowservant, who is for you (the Colossians) a faithful minister of Christ,” was the founder and pastor of this church (1:7), and possibly for each of the tri-cities (4:13).20 Some suggest that he was recently converted under Paul, possibly at Ephesus, although this is conjecture. He had come to Paul to support him in prison (1:7), to bring him good news of the spiritual condition of the church (1:7-9), and to secure Paul’s advice concerning false teachers who were plaguing the church: the enduring portion of that advise is this epistle. “The two main problems were the misunderstood doctrine of Christ, and the misunderstanding of how this doctrine affects Christian living.”21 Carson, et al., observes that the precise nature of the false teachings, described today as the Colossian Heresy, is unknown.22 Lightfoot infers the “presence of two disturbing elements which threatened the purity of Christian faith and practice in this community.”23 He finds both the presence of Judaic legalism and elements of theosophic speculation, both “alien to the spirit of Judaism proper.”24 After further investigation and evaluation, he concludes that the “epistle itself contains no hint that the Apostle has more than
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20 Renchi Arce, “Exegetical Study of Colossians [sic.] 1:9-11.” 2001. Accessed 15 May 2017. https://www.academia.edu/200183/Exegetical_Study_of_Colossians_1_9-11. Academemia.edu., 3.
21 Constable, “Notes,” 3.
22 Carson, Introduction, 335.
23 Lightfoot, Epistles, 73.
24 Ibid.
one set of antagonists in view . . . . Nor indeed does the hypothesis of a single complex heresy present any real difficulty . . . (since) some special tendencies among the Jews themselves . . . prepared the way for such a combination in a Christian community like the church at Colosse.”25
We will accept this premise since our focus is Paul’s response rather than the specific heresy. Lightfoot argues that, “the Apostle’s language hardly leaves the question open. The two elements are so closely interwoven in his refutation, that it is impossible to separate them. He passes backwards and forwards from one to the other in such a way as to show that they are only parts of one complex whole.”26 While his opinion may not be universal, even among evangelical theologians, it is consistent with Scripture and adequate for our purposes.
Purpose
Paul’s epistle to the Christians at Colosse had a three-fold purpose: (1) to communicate his love and concern for vibrant young Christians whom he would never meet; (2) to counteract the work of false teachers who had insinuated themselves into the congregation; and (3) to extol emphatically the supremacy of Jesus Christ, their eternal Savior and Sustainer:
Paul wanted to express his personal interest in this church, which he had evidently not visited. He wrote to warn the Colossians, first, of the danger of returning to their former beliefs and practices. Secondly, he also refuted the false teaching that was threatening this congregation. The outstanding Christian doctrine that this letter deals with is Christology. Thirdly, Paul’s great purpose was to set forth the absolute supremacy and sole sufficiency of Jesus Christ.27
Possibly sensing the end of his earthly walk, Paul was intentional in exalting Christ above all
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25 Lightfoot, Epistles, 75.
26 Ibid., 75.
27 Constable, “Notes,” 4.
else, the sole answer to sin, Satan, and subversive teachings of all sorts. He built upon the success and love of the Colossian Christians, encouraged their growth, and provided a universal solution for the false teachings that they and those who follow them face:
Its great purpose is to close the door of the Colossian church against the peculiar heretical teaching that had recently begun to knock for entrance. No entrance had as yet been effected, but there was danger that it might be gained. The burden of the letter thus consists of warning.28
The particular purpose for Colossians was to equip the congregation to overcome the assault on the young converts by false teachers: the Colossian Heresy. We will consider the letter in a geo-political sense, in the context of Paul’s message, and in the context of his prayer for those Christians in 1:9-11. It is assumed in this paper that Scripture is the inspired, inerrant, and complete Word of God through His select authors.
The Geo-Historical Context: The Lycus Valley ca. AD 40-70
The text of Scripture is the primary authority that must be considered in any interpretation. However, all human communication since man was created exists in space and time: a historical context. After a lengthy discussion concerning attacks on historicity and objective reality in some modern scholarship, Walter C. Kaiser, et al., state that, “If meaning is to be held accountable to the criteria of truthfulness and veracity, it will need to set that text in the primary world of realities in which it purports to have happened.”29 We, therefore, will briefly
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28 Richard C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon, Reprint (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1964), 17.
29 Kaiser, Walter C. Kaiser, and Moises Silva, An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics; the Search for Meaning (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 137.
review some geographic and historical factors that impacted Paul and the Colossians at the time the letter was written.
“Lying in, or overhanging, the valley of the Lycus tributary of the Maeander (River) were three neighboring towns: Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colosse.”30 The cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis stood within six miles of each other on opposite shores of the river that ran through Colosse, upstream by ten or twelve miles.31 In the time of Paul’s epistle, the cities were part of the Roman colonial system. Located on crossroads of important trade routes, the area was a producer in its own right, known for a particular black dyed wool.32 It was known for its beauty: geologic activity gave it a surreal appearance as a peculiar calcareous coating shown in the sun.33 Earthquakes destroyed the tri-cities more than once. Adjustments to trade routes due to the new geography possibly caused a population shift that allowed the neighboring cities rebuilt and grew at the expense of Colosse.34 Strabo (64 BC-AD 24) wrote, somewhat earlier, that Colosse had become a small, but cosmopolitan, town.35 The population was primarily Greek colonists and native Phrygians, but included many Jews from the Diaspora.36 Religion reflected Greek and Roman influence as well as that of resident foreign traders and former Syrian rule.37
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30 Lightfoot, Epistles, 1.
31 Ibid., 2.
32 Ibid., 22.
33 Ibid., 8.
34 Ibid., 22.
35 William Hendricksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Philippians and Exposition of Colossians and Philemon, Reprint (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), 13.
36 Constable, “Notes,” 1.
37 Ibid., Lightfoot, 10-13.
The Text in Context: Paul’s Epistle to the Christians in Colosse
Paul’s opening remarks to the Colossian Christians include his typical salutation identifying himself and his current helper, Timotheus, a blessing and general prayer, and encouraging words, reminding them that they, as others of his flock, are constantly in his prayers (1:1-8). Next is a specific prayer for the Colossians that we will consider in this paper (1:9-17). Following, and overlapping the section of his prayer, is a discussion of the preeminence of Christ (1:13-23): in creation (1:13-20); in redemption (1:21-23); and in His church (1: 24-2:3).
Paul’s Prayer: Colossians 1:9-14
The prayer is theologically significant both in the whole and in the parts. The introduction (1:3-8) includes the preliminary prayer that is part of the salutation and introduction. There he reminds them that they have “heard before . . . the truth of the gospel; which is come unto you” (1:5b-6a). Overall, it presents Jesus Christ in God as the foundation of their salvation and the power to overcome all attacks on their faith and obstacles to the experience of their fulness in Him.
The Apostle again shows his love and concern for the Colossian Christians by asserting that he “does not cease to pray” for them (1:9) as he did in his introduction (1:3). In vs. 9-11 he seeks specific blessings to further ground them in their faith and enable a maturing Christian walk. The remainder of the prayer (vs. 12:17) melds his discussion of the preeminence of Christ, with “thanks unto the Father” (1:12) for the foundational gifts they have already received as believers. We will consider the verses 9-11.
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