Paul’s Prayer in Colossians 1:9-11

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
27 June 2017
ii
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
The Text in Context: Paul’s Epistle to the Christians at Colosse ………………………..10
Paul’s Prayer: Colossians 1:9-14 ………………………………………………………….10
Meaning …………………………………………………………………………………………11
Be Filled …………………………………………………………………………………12
Walk Worthy and Pleasing ………………………… …………………………..………15
Be Strengthened …………………………………………………………………………17
Significance: Colossians for Today’s Christian ………………………….………………..…20
Salvation: The Beginning ……………………………………………………………….20
Growth: Be Equipped ……………………………………………………………………20
Relationship: Walk Worthy ……………………………………………………………..21
Conclusion ..…………………………………………………………….………………….……22
Bibliography ………………………………………………………….…………………….……23
Appendix ………………………………………………………………………………..………25
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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 and through 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 Apostle’s intended message in the first part and its application for Christians today.
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1 All Scripture is 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.
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We will utilize 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 literal Greek of the Received Text. 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. The authority of the text results from the Holy Spirit directing the inspired writer: 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.
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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 for young Christians, an example for us founded upon Jesus’ walk with His disciples.
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. 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, Expository, 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.
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Paul states that Tychicus (4:7-9) and Onesimus (4:9), known to be his companions (cf. Eph 6, Phil 1), took 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 that affected his ability to write (cf. Gal 4:15). Under this theory, his solution was to use trusted scribes, or amanuenses, to record his dictation as he did here (4:18). This 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 this letter and Philemon, 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 initiated extensive
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13 Carson, Introduction, 334.
14 Ibid.
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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). 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 a small band of Christians he had never met and never
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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.
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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-city churches (4:13).20 Some suggest that he had been 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 Collossians [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.
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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
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. We will accept this premise since our focus is Paul’s response rather than the specific heresy.
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 anticipating 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.
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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 inspired 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 (n.d.; rpr., Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1964), 17.
29 Kaiser, Hermeneutics, 137.
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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 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 The area was known for its beauty: geologic activity gave it a surreal appearance as a peculiar calcareous coating reflected brightly in the sun.33 Earthquakes destroyed the tri-cities more than once. Adjustments to trade routes due to altered geography possibly caused a population shift that allowed the neighboring cities to rebuild and grow at the expense of Colosse.34 Strabo (64 BC-AD 24) wrote, somewhat earlier, that Colosse had been reduced to 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 Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Philippians and Exposition of Colossians and Philemon, (n.d., rpr., Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), 13.
36 Constable, “Notes,” 1.
37 Lightfoot, Epistles, 10-13.
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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 (1:9-14). We will consider the first part in this paper (1:9-11). Following, and overlapping 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
Paul’s prayer distinguishes between asking God for those things they need to grow, and praising Him for what they received at their salvation. The message is not new, but reminds these “saints” of what 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 expresses his love and concern for the Colossian Christians by asserting that he “does not cease to pray” for them (1:9) as he told them in his introduction (1:3). Lucius R. Paige related this unceasing prayer to habitual prayer: Paul brought this church before God on a regular basis.10 In vs. 9-11 he seeks those specific blessings needed to further ground them in their faith and enable a maturing Christian walk. The remainder melds his discussion of the preeminence of Christ, with “thanks unto the Father” (1:12) for the foundational gifts they
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38 Lucius R. Paige, A Commentary on the New Testament: From the Epistle to the Galatians to the Epistle of Jude (Boston: Universalist Publishing House, 1869), 6:78-79.
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had already received as believers.
Meaning
“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not to cease to pray for you . . .” (1:9a)
Writing with Apostolic authority and fatherly concern, Paul prays “for this cause” (1:9), where dia toutou39 “signifies a principle cause,” according to W. E. Vine, et al.40 That principle cause was a reminder of the bedrock of their faith. Marvin Vincent differentiates between Paul’s prayer and his desire, concluding that prayer is a general request, and desire is a special, or specific, request.41 His desire was that the Colossian Christians might be “filled” (1:9), that they might “walk” (1:10), and that they might be “strengthened” (1:11), all to establish them in the gospel of the all-sufficient Jesus Christ, to strengthen them against false teachings, and perhaps of persecution to come. Paul prayed for foundational growth, for a basic “faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven” (1:3-5a). Ironside summarized Paul’s prayer: “He hath made us meet for the inheritance of the saints in light; He hath delivered us from the authority of darkness; He hath translated us into the kingdom of His love; and we have redemption through His blood.”42 The work of the Spirit in the church founded by Epaphras had produced faith, love, and hope, all in the right areas. Through their attention to and power of the Gospel, they had “brought forth fruit . . . since the day ye
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39 Strong, Exhaustive, G1223.
40 W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Jr., Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words with Topical Index, (Abingdon Press, 1890; rpr., Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1970), NT 99.
41 Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament: The Epistles of Paul (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishing, 2009), 3:465.
42 Ironside, Expository, 127.
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heard it, and knew the grace of God in truth” (1:6b). This was a joy to the Apostle and a testimony to the efficacy of the Holy Spirit in changing lives. Their testimony had reached him through his “fellow prisoner” and co-worker Epaphras, who was apparently evangelist and minister to the Lycus Valley Christians. Paul would later address his concern for their continued faithfulness “lest any man should beguile you with enticing words” (2:4). This first part of his prayer (1:9-11) was, then, for the spiritual tools to continue their walk steadfastly and victoriously in the light of the Gospel in the face of false teachers or coming persecution.
Be Filled
and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding . . . (1:9b)
Paul petitions God on behalf of the Colossians that they might be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col 1:9). The filling [pleroo] Paul prayed for was exuberant, overflowing, complete and topped off.43 It was not static: overflowing requires movement as the contents spill over and flow outward, submerging all in its path, as the Gospel was doing through Christians such as these. This word was translated later in the epistle as complete: once assuring them that they “are complete [pleroo] in Him, which is the head of all principality and power” (2:10, emphasis author’s). Here we see shades of his earlier prison epistle to the Ephesians (cf. Eph 1:15-20), where he spoke of Jesus’ resurrection, as God “set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion . . .” (Eph 1:20-21). Using what Kaiser calls the analogy of scripture, where earlier Scripture supports later,44 and given the mandate to actively share the Colossian epistle
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43 Strong, Exhaustive, G4137.
44 Kaiser, Hermeneutics, 240.
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with the others in the Lycus valley (4:16), it is easy to believe that the Ephesian and Colossian epistles were also shared, giving additional context to Colossians. Since Paul’s missionary journeys ranged from about 1,500 miles to over 3,000 miles, the 120 miles separating Ephesus and the Lycus Valley churches were not prohibitive to interaction via the Roman roads. Neither time, distance, nor false teachers have been successful in limiting God or the development of His church.
In closing the epistle, he reminds the Colossians that Epaphras is “always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete [pleroo] in all the will of God” (4:12, emphasis author’s). Paul’s prayer opens with the petition and assurance that what he seeks for them God will provide in sufficient measure to meet all of their needs, unchecked and unhindered by any other force. Vincent links the power of Paul’s prayer with Mark’s statement: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mk 11:24).45 He prays, not for an initial filling, for he says, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught” (2:6-7). Paul was evermore the Apostle of Action, putting his, and encouraging others to put their faith into Spirit-fueled action.
His God is neither in hiding, nor secretive. He seeks boldly to join the creature with his Creator in a working relationship, seeking and living in His will. Paul has already reminded them that this God is not a local deity, but the God whose gospel “is come into you, as it is in all the world” (1:6). This knowledge is both “full knowledge,” and a “perfection of knowledge of God in Christ.” Salvation through the gift of God annuls the effects of the law
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45 Vincent, Studies, 465.
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while failure to accept the gift of God’s grace retains the curse of the law: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20).46
According to Paul, the God who is Spirit, can be known “with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (1:9b). This knowledge carries more than just a bit of data received and stored: Strong says that epignosis is, by implication, “full discernment.”47 This is an active knowledge, information that is accessible and able to be used, more than rote feedback, it is the foundation for “all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (1:9b). It is knowledge synthesized by faith into godly wisdom. It is wisdom that is spiritual understanding, where “understanding is the central apprehension of particulars growing out of wisdom” that is practically applied.48 Here we find that spiritual [pneumatikos]49 is emphatic in the Greek.50 Vine says that pneumatikos “always connotes the idea of invisibility and of power. It does not occur in the Septuagint nor in the gospels; it is in act an after-Pentecost word.”50 In this verse, he continues, it is “wisdom in, and understanding of . . . (of) which the burden is the things revealed by the Spirit.”51 This whole is synthesized as an imparted regenerate religious wisdom with the intellectual component driving a practical response, a synthesis of “Seek ye first (Matt 6:33a),” with “Go ye into all the world (Mark 15:15a)” through the “power of the Holy Ghost” (Rom 15:13c).
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46 Vincent, Studies, 466.
47 Strong, Exhaustive, G1922.
48 Vincent, Studies, 467.
49 Strong, Exhaustive, 4152.
50 Vine, Dictionary, 594.
51 Ibid.
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Walk Worthy and Pleasing
that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God . . . (1:10)
Paul prays that they “might walk worthy of the Lord” (1:9a). Paige says that this walk includes “cherishing His Spirit” to the extent that one “obeys His precepts.”52 Vincent say that Paul’s desire anticipates that the Colossians would “please God in all ways.”53 Ironside relates this walk to three worthies: (1) “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech ye that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph 4:1); (2) “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ” (Phil 1:27a); and (3) “that ye would walk worthy of God” (1 Thess 2:12),54 where worthy (including Col 1:9) and becometh are all the Greek axios which Strong’s amplifies: “as becometh after a godly sort.”55 The writer of Acts added, “that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name (Acts 5:41). Lightfoot suggests that the worthy walk produces the following attributes rather than being the product of those activities.56
The Greek areskeia, translated here as pleasing,57 is the only usage in the NT.58 Vine gives it the connotation of “a giving pleasure” whose purpose is a “Godward . . . walk worthy of the Lord.”59 Ironside, citing Griffith Thomas, notes that it is used elsewhere in Greek literature as
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52 Paige, Commentary, 789.
53 Vincent, Studies, 465.
54 Ironside, Expository, 123.
55 Strong, Exhaustive, G516.
56 Lightfoot, Epistles, 139.
57 Strong, Exhaustive, G699.
58 Ironside, Expository, 123.
59 Vine, Dictionary, 474.
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“a preference of the will of theirs before our own,”60 as Paul admonishes the Colossians to please God by adopting His will at the expense of their own.
Ironside reads the phrase translated in KJV as “being fruitful in every good work,” as better rendered, “bearing fruit in every good work.61 He includes the connotation that the duty for Christian service is not “simply preaching the gospel, teaching the Holy Scriptures, or engaging in what is sometimes called Christian activity or church work. We are very prone to do this and to distinguish between secular employment and sacred.”62 The Greek karpophoreo, fruitful,63 and ergon, work,64 are good, literal translations in the KJV according to Vine, holding their intended sense today.65 Joseph Thayer suggests that karpophoreo includes the nuance “to bear fruit of one’s self,”66 while ergon suggests “every good work springing from piety.”67 We might conclude, by integrating the complementary thoughts of Vine ad Thayer, that Paul’s message encompasses a desire for the Colossian Christians to understand that their fruit is the result of a walk that is submissive and obedient to the Holy Spirit, “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God (Phil 1:11).
Vincent suggests that the KJV translation of epignosis, “with the knowledge,”68 might
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60 Ironside, Expository, 123.
61 Ironside, Expository, 123.
62 Ibid.
63 Strong, Exhaustive, G2592.
64 Ibid., G2041.
65 Vine, Dictionary, 257, 684.
66 Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament; Coded with Strong’s Concordance Numbers, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1896), 326.
67 Ibid., 248.
68 Strong, Exhaustive, G1922.
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better be rendered as “by the knowledge,”69 suggesting that the increase in the “worthy walk” is the result of God’s grace, not the result of our efforts (cf. Acts 20:32). Vine expands this to describe “’an exact or full knowledge, discernment, recognition’. . . expressing a full ‘knowledge’ (that is) a greater participation by the ‘knower’ in the object ‘known,’ thus more powerfully influencing him.”70 Lightfoot wrote, “The simple instrumental dative represents the knowledge of God as the dew or the rain which nurtures the growth of the plant; not only showing the fruits of your faith before men (Matt 7:16), but yourselves growing meanwhile in moral stature (Eph 4:13).”71 The walk [peripateo] that Paul demands is a walk that additionally yields proof of ability, following as a companion, as involved in an occupation, according to Strong.72 This walk is a trek filled with grand sights, hardships, victories, and joy rather than a superficial trip to the mailbox to see what God has in store for the moment. It is submersion in God’s will and supporting grace. The language is powerful and motivating, intended to rally these Christians around the risen Savior who is both the object of their loyalty and service, and the ultimate source of their strength: joy now and to come.
Be Strengthened
strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness (1:11)
Paul concludes his list of requests for Christian growth, asking that the Colossians be
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69 Vincent, Studies, 465.
70 Vine, Dictionary, 348.
71 Lightfoot, Epistles, 139.
72 Strong, Exhaustive, G4043.
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“strengthened [dunamoo]73 with all might [dunamis].”74 This is the only NT use of dunamoo, to enable, although it is used in the Septuagint.75 The combination of dunamoo with dunamis (a miraculous power) emphasizes source of that power that follows, “His glorious power.” Lightfoot points out that kratos,76 the word Paul selected for power, in the “NT is applied solely to God.”77 “God’s revelation of Himself to us,” he continues, “however this revelation may be made, is the one source of all our highest strength.”78 Paul learned to not rely on his own strength. His conversion humbled him before his God, leaving this militant Pharisee, who robustly persecuted the Christians, helpless and in the care of the very Christians he sought to destroy (Acts 9:3-9). Paul struggled with an unspecified infirmity, praying twice to have this impediment removed, believing that his Apostolic performance would be enhanced. God again brought him to his knees, teaching that man’s strength is in submission to God (2 Cor 12:7-10). In submission, he went on to serve in spite of being “thrice beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep,” and much more, all without murmur (2 Cor 11:24-26). Paige observes that Paul had learned to “rely on a higher strength than his own . . . (and) prayed for the Colossians to have that same strength.”79
Ironside suggests that we might suppose that “all this manifestation of divine energy would result in producing some great outward display that would astonish and amaze an
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73 Ibid., G1412.
74 Ibid., G1411.
75 Vincent, Studies, 466.
76 Strong, Exhaustive, G2904.
77 Lightfoot, Epistles, 140.
78 Ibid.
79 Paige, Commentary, 79.
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unbelieving world.”80 But that was neither God’s intent or Paul’s prayer. Instead, he prayed that they would receive “strength unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness” (1:11). Jamieson, et al. brings patience into context: “so as to attain . . . (to patience) in the faith, in spite of trials of persecutors and seductions of false teachers.”81 The call is to be witnesses to His Gospel, not to reform the world. The Apostle was not satisfied with a mundane life of marginal effectiveness and self-satisfaction, either for himself or for his converts. He told the Galatians that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance . . . If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (excerpted Gal 5:22-25). He told the Ephesians that their walk must be “with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering . . .” (Eph 4:2a), calling for them to “walk worthy in their vocation” (Eph 4:1b) with hardships endured in “longsuffering with joyfulness” (1:11). He followed the lead of Moses, who told the Israelites that, “The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression . . .” (Num 14:18).
Vincent declared that Paul’s joyfulness included the construction, “in every good work being fruitful: with all power strengthened: with every joy giving thanks . . .(since) joyful suffering expresses itself in thanksgiving.”82 Ironside notes that joy in tribulation is “something that the natural man knows nothing of—joy in the time of trial; gladness in the time of hardship; songs in the night, though the darkness be overwhelming; praises to God of my salvation when nature shrinks and trembles.”83
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80 Ironside, Expository, 125.
81 Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008), 3:440.
82 Vincent, Studies, 466.
83 Ironside, Expository, 125.
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God’s power for the Christian is in patience that encompasses and develops endurance and constancy while waiting, with longsuffering, or fortitude and patience, with joyfulness, to the point of exceeding joyfulness. It is the power of the army of God, trained, equipped, and following divine orders as it moves in en-masse through battle to victory.
Significance: Colossians for Today’s Christian
Salvation: The Beginning
Paul’s wrote his epistle to the Christians at Colosse who were faithfully serving their Lord, secure in the knowledge of their salvation: “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse . . .”(1:2). Without this experience, this beginning, the journey toward Christian maturity is impossible. Drawing from Isaiah (Is 29:14), Matthew wrote, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving” (Matt 13:14).
Growth: Be Equipped
Paul could well have brought this prayer before the Lord today on behalf of the Gentile church in the United States, in Tennessee, in my own town. Christianity faces increasing hostility from non-Christians in America as 240 years of Judeo-Christian values are being replaced by relativistic assumptions as their usefulness and authority are discarded as outdated and irrelevant. The autonomy of the church is under attack. Constitutional protection is being reinterpreted in a reversal of the intention of the founding fathers and historical application.
The Christian today needs a revitalized and reinforced toolbox of foundational values and empowerment to move forward in God’s personal call for worship and witnessing and the corporate mandate for the church. Christianity, as in the first century, is again requiring an intentional declaration with consequences as passivity and spectatorship loose their social appeal.
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Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:9-11 includes those tools that will assure that the will of God prevails through each Christian in contemporary society in the face of world-wide persecution as it approaches the Christian in America. He prays for a back-to-basics approach for the Christian-on-the-street, not the leadership alone, but for every Christian in every walk of life. Prayer, and the power requested for submissive Christians, is as effective today as it was for the Colossians in the first century.
Relationship: Walk Worthy
For Paul, the basic equipment for the Christian (be filled, walk worthy and pleasing, be strengthened), is not for a defensive stand, but to mount the offense that began in the First Century (Matt 28:19) and continues today. He sees these as a cycle of growth that is pleasing to God. This is not done on our own strength, but through the dunamoo of the power of God, resulting in patience and longsuffering, both with joy. This is achieved, not only by observing the words of Paul, but the methods of Paul: he prayed and he witnessed, both constantly. Emulating Paul by “praying always, we tap into the kratos of the Creator of the universe: “Prayer is the divine telephone of communication. It lines us up to Christ, and helps us to be sensitive to His Spirit and the needs of others. God gives us a complete understanding, in His own time, what he wants us to do with our lives.”84
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72 Richard Krejcir, 2008. “Into Thy Word: Colossians 1:9-14.” Accessed 15 May 2017, npn., http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=50857& columnid=3803. Into Thy Word Ministries.
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Conclusion
Paul was converted from the physically militant zealous Pharisee who sought out and executed Christians, to a Christian militant, with a significant difference: his allegiance and zeal were transferred from his perception of the law of Moses to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, his Savior; his methodology and teachings emulated his Master. His physical and political arsenals were replaced with the far more powerful and effective Word of God. The Christian life is not static, not fixed at salvation: Paul joins Luke: I want you first and foremost, to emulate Jesus; to increase in “wisdom, and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Christ, Paul concludes, is supreme, complete, and sufficient in every way (2 Cor 12:9). Paul called for a developing relationship with the Lord of Lords: He who “strengthened with all might [dunamoo en pas dunamis]”, bringing Paul forth as new creature in Him, and every Christian since (2 Cor 5:17), pleasing in worship and powerful in service. The power of Acts 2 may be manifested somewhat differently today, but the Source of that power is no less than it was on the day of creation, with Moses and the children as they faced the might of Egypt, with Joshua and the children as they surrounded Jericho, or on the day that He saved my soul from eternal damnation (Heb 13:8). The command has never changed from Adam to this moment: follow me, obey me, have fellowship with me (John 14:6): walk worthy of Me (1:10). The result will never change: obedience leads to an eternity with Him; “my way,” any way but His way, leads to eternal damnation (Rom 6:23).
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Bibliography
Arce, Renchi. “Exegetical Study of Collossians [sic.] 1:9-11.” (2001). Accessed 15 May 2017. https://www.academia.edu/200183/Exegetical_Study_of_Colossians_1_9-11. Academemia.edu.
Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.
Constable, Thomas L. “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.
Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Philippians and Exposition of Colossians and Philemon. n.d. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979.
Ironside, H. A. An Ironside Expository Commentary: Philippians and Colossians. 1920. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic and Professional, 2007.
Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments. Vol. 3. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008.
Kaiser, Walter C., and Moises Silva. An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics; the Search for Meaning. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.
________. “Hermeneutics and the Theological Task.” Trinity Journal 12.1 (Spring 1991): 3-14. Accessed 17 May 2017. http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/.
Krejcir, Richard. 2008. “Into Thy Word: Colossians 1:9-14.” Accessed 15 May 2017. http://www.intothyword.org/
apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=50857&columnid=3803. Into Thy Word Ministries.
Lenski, Richard C. H. The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1964.
Lightfoot, J. B. Saint Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon. 1892. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1959.
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Paige, Lucius R. A Commentary on the New Testament: From the Epistle to the Galatians to the Epistle of Jude. Vol. 6. Boston: Universalist Publishing House, 1869.
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Vincent, Marvin R. Word Studies in the New Testament: The Epistles of Paul. Vol. 3. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishing, 2009.
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APPENDIX
OUTLINE
I. Context
A. General Considerations
1. Authorship
2. Date and Place of Writing
3. Destination
4. Occasion
5. Purpose
B. The Geo-Historical Context: The Lycus Valley ca. AD 40-70
C. The Text in Context: Paul’s Epistle to the Christians at Colosse
D. Paul’s Prayer in 1:9-14
II. Meaning
A. Be Filled (1:9)
B. Walk Worthy and Pleasing (1:10)
C. Be Strengthened (1:11)
III. Significance: Colossians for Today’s Christian
A. Salvation: The Beginning
B. Growth: Be Equipped
C. Relationship: Walk Worthy
IV. Conclusion