Colossians 1:24 – 2:3 Bible Teaching

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(week seven of the lock-down)

So we left off with Paul writing at verse 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 we wrapped out time up together discussing the idea of once saved always saved.

But Paul said more in that verse – which we didn’t cover – so let’s read what he added there, saying:

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”

To our biblical literalist friends, is this true?

Of course not. So it was either a typical Hebrew exaggeration, which are all through the scripture, or perhaps, it may mean, that the Gospel was announced in the world to every creature, sort of like a King over an empire announces a decree that “on this day forward” all citizens of the Kingdom will be seen as his children, whether the news of this goes out to everyone in the kingdom is irrelevant – it was decreed.

OR . . . perhaps every known land to Paul had received the Gospel and so he was under the impression that what he said was true,

In other words, there are a lot of ways to interpret what Paul says here but the one way which would be improper would be that it was preached throughout the whole world. The only exception to this would be that perhaps the Holy Spirit had actually taken it to every creature in the whole world . . . but to me that’s a stretch. And he adds:

“Whereof I Paul am made a minister.”

This is a similar train of thought that Paul expresses in Ephesians, where he also mentions his role in making the Gospel known.

So let’s continue to read out text for today, picking it up at verse 24 where Paul sort of elaborates on his work in this effort to bring the mystery of the Gospel forth through affliction to the Gentiles. And so he says:

Colossians 1.24-2.7
Taped 5/5/2020
Aired May 10th 2020
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:
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;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
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:
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
29 Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Back to verse 24 – which is a mouthful. He has admitted to being a minister of the Gospel and then adds:

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:

It’s a mouthful in the King James, so let me reword it by borrowing from the RSV, which says:

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,”

Look out. Do you hear what Paul is saying here? Let me read it again:

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,”

That is a super bold statement folks, made by the apostle Paul and what he says is that he, in his afflictions is completing what was lacking in Christ suffering for the sake of His body or church.

Is he saying that Christ’s afflictions were not complete for the sake of the church? And that his afflictions were helping make up what was lacking? He is! But what is he referring to?

First of all, he is not referring to the suffering for the sins of the world. That was done by Christ alone. So let’s get this straight.

But relative to the Church or body of Christ, Paul is saying that his afflictions fill in something that were not present in the earthly ministry of Christ.

We recall that Jesus did not come to any but the house of Israel. And that they were a handful in his attempts to reach them with the Good News. So much so that they killed him, right?

But the Gospel and the affliction of sharing it with the rest of the world (so to speak – meaning the Gentiles) was laid on Paul as the Apostle to the Gentiles.

This was an affliction that was lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the church – and not due to any inability or failure, but by design.

So Paul’s trials at Rome fell upon him because he had maintained that the wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles was broken down and that the gospel was to be preached indiscriminately to all mankind. This would not do.

But in this statement we see that Christ had his part in the establishment of the Church through suffering, his original twelve played their part through suffering, that Paul had his part in bringing the news to the Gentile world, and from this I submit that every believer ever since has their own personal afflictions placed upon them for the same.

Just as Paul suffered the same types of sufferings in being reproached, losing family and friends, being persecuted, and losing your life for the cause, so has every Christian who walk in the footsteps of our Lord.

Paul adds at verse 25:

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;

The word translated dispensation here is oikonomea – which refers to the economy which (listen to what he says) “which is given to me for you.”

In other words, Paul was given an economy or dispensation or administration by God to oversee and run, and he says it was given to him for them.

What and when was it? It was then, and his advice and leadership and ways were particularly applicable to them/then. So are his letters.

This specific economy was important because the Gospel was prophesied to go to the Gentiles before the wrapping up of that age.

But the dispensation that was given to Paul had a purpose and an end – and after he did his work and the Bride was taken, the age was placed in the hands of the Holy Spirit, who would take the Gospel out to individuals from that day forward, and reign over all of us.

Paul here says that God made this arrangement, that is, he designed that the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and, in accordance with that arrangement, Paul was called me to be a minister to fully preach it. And at verse 26 Paul says something important)

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

The great doctrine that salvation was to be proclaimed to all mankind, Paul says, had been concealed for many generations and ages and he calls it a mystery or a hidden truth.

Then Paul adds:

“But now is made manifest to his saints.”

It was communicated (first to the apostles) who were appointed to proclaim it and through them all who believed, all who were the saints.

Paul says that he regarded himself as specially called to make this truth known, as far as possible, to mankind. (verse 27)

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:

To whom God would make known (meaning to whom God willed to reveal)

“what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles.”

And then Paul adds, “Which IS . . . Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

In other words, Paul says, God revealed what is the riches / of the Glory / of this mystery / among the Gentiles”

WHICH IS . . . what is the riches of the glkory of his mystery among the Gentiles?

“Christ in the Gentiles, “Christ in you,” the Hope of Glory!”

Prior to Peter taking the Gospel to Cornelius and his family, Christ was not in them. He, the Hope of Glory, was in the Jews alone who believed.

Once Peter unlocked that door, the Gospel was to go to all. This was the mystery that was hidden in the ages past, that Christ would be in the Gentiles, which Paul says could be described as,
“the Hope of Glory!”

So Paul took this now revealed mystery out to the Gentile world, and by faith they too could have Christ in them, the Hope of Glory.

I like this added statement to Christ in us – the Hope of Glory.

In this we see that Christ in us or among us (as some Greek Scholars suggest) brings “a hope of glory” to those who receive it.

Note that there is no such real hope in humanbeings without Him in us. But with Him present we all have a hope, which is an expectation, of entering into a glorious eternity, with a glorified resurrected body, illuminated by the Glory of the Father and the Son.

No Christ, no hope of glory. So until the Gentiles were able to receive this mystery, they had no hope of a glorious future. Now we do.

Note that Paul does not call having Christ Glory but the hope of Glory, which again, is better described as an expectation of glory. Not received – yet, but in Him expected. And then he adds:

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

Our word “warn” is usually associated with danger but the Greek term here means “to put in mind; to admonish; to exhort.”

So Paul is saying that they preach, putting in the mind of every man and teaching every man in all wisdom . . .

This was his life’s work – to share the Good news, to preach, and to get the principles of Christ into the minds and hearts of all who would hear through the wisdom of God (and he had a purpose in doing this, saying)

“that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:”

The meaning of this seems to be that every man that they preached the Gospel to would receive it perfectly (completely), and without fault or without missing anything that was essential to understanding it.

That is one way to read the passage.

The other way to read this, which is the preferred way among scholars is that it was Paul’s ambition to share the Gospel with such wisdom that every man or woman who heard it would not linger around as babes in Christ (Hebrews 5:14) but would become mature and ripened Christians (Colossians 4:22), full-grown man in Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

And the last passage for chapter 1 of Colossians:

29 Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

And here Paul admits that this working of the hope of Glory toward the perfect man was also in him, meaning God was in him, who worked mightily.

Chapter 2 is merely a continuation of all that Paul has written as it begins with a “For . . .”

Colossians 2:1 “For” I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

So back to verse 1 of chapter 2

1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; (verse 2)

2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

In other words, there are many who I have never met in Colosse and Laodicea and I have great concern for them, conflict that

Their hearts might be comforted
Being knit together in love
And unto all riches of the FULL ASSURANCE of understanding
To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God
And of the father and of Christ.

Certainly those believers were being exposed to trials and difficulties, and these were believers that Paul had never met.

So he wants to reach out to them and express his desires for them, which we must named, that:

Their hearts might be comforted
Being knit together in love
And unto all riches of the FULL ASSURANCE of understanding
To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God
And of the father and of Christ.

This was Paul’s hope. But I have to pause here because we just read a fantastic support for what is deemed the Trinity. And I would not be fair if we didn’t address it.

Its when Paul says:

Their hearts might be comforted
Being knit together in love
And unto all riches of the FULL ASSURANCE of understanding
To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God
And of the father and of Christ.

See, the doctrine of the Trinity maintains that God is the One being who is manifest in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

This is one of the few passages in the New Testament that actually supports or endorses this part of the definition of the Trinity, that there is one being (God) who is in three separate persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who therefore make up the One God.

This passage stands (as it reads in Elglish) in apparent conflict with 1st Corinthians 8:6 which says

“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”

Whereas here Paul writes:

To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God And of the father and of Christ.

So, I had to do some digging, and of course I discovered that there are some textual variants on the passage depending on the source.

For instance, the Majority text passages read:

Colossians 2:2 (RSV) that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, of Christ,

And the literal translation passages read:

Colossians 2:2 (YLT) that their hearts may be comforted, being united in love, and to all riches of the full assurance of the understanding, to the full knowledge of the secret of the God and Father, and of the Christ,

And then the King James reads

2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

The New King James Version (NKJV) which, of course, follows the same Greek text as the King James Version (KJV), translates this text as follows:

“ . . . to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

The pronoun whom, which in the NKJV has “the Father and of Christ” as its antecedent, is singular. This would, of course, indicate the singularity of the Father and Christ.

We note that the Father and Son are not singular in nature so therefore the singularity must be in being.

But the phrase translated “both of the Father and the Son” is found in the Byzantine text, which represents more recent Greek manuscripts and this phase is not found in the earlier manuscripts.

For that reason, many English translations render the latter part of Colossians 2:2 something like these:
that they may know the mystery of God, even Christ, (Col. 2:2 ASV)

OR

the certain knowledge of the secret of God, even Christ, (Col. 2:2 BBE)

OR

the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,
(Col. 2:2 ESV)

Having said all of this we are left with a few versions of the make up of God and I want to share them with you because most people are not certain of the distinctions. So there is

The Modalist or Oneness view, which says
GOD is the Father
(who is fully present in the Son)
(and fully present in the Holy Spirit)

The Trinitarian View which says
There is one Being – GOD
Who is made up of, or consists of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Sabellianist view which says that
God the Father, became
the Son, who became
the Holy Spirit.

And there is how I see God, which may be shared by others – but it is NOT modalist, not trinitarian and not sabellianist.

I suggest that God is one, the Father, who is described as a consuming fire and Spirit in scripture.

I suggest that He speaks without a mouth and His actual Words became flesh in the Man Jesus of Nazareth, and those very Words, God with us, guided the Man Jesus through mortality, and once he overcame sin and death and the grave, the resurrected Christ became God in resurrected flesh.

I also suggest that God, the Father, has a spirit similar to His words, and he sent that Spirit to move people to truth once Jesus ascended.

In this I admit to three manifestations of God to the world – Father Son and Holy Spirit – and that they are all Him from the beginning but in our lives, in time and space, they operate differently upon and in us.

Once the Son overcame sin and death, the One God became two – with the One, the Father, now having an only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And Paul adds:

3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Since the immediate antecedent is Christ in verse 2 then it seems to me that the in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge speak of Him who is full of wisdom and knowledge.

4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

And this I say unless anyone should beguile you with enticing words.

To me it seems this reference speaks to the fact that there were false teachers trying to slip in and move people away from the knowledge believers had of Christ Jesus.

They did this through “enticing words,”
artful words, smooth and plausible arguments, such as were employed by the Greek sophists and rhetoricians.

These were enemies of the cross, who often denied that Christ was God with us, or came up with other ways of demeaning his person to believers.

Paul says he writes these things to protect them from such then adds at verse 5:

5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

Pretty self-explanatory but now he adds:

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Having received Jesus Christ by faith as your Savior.

It is one thing to know of Him, it is another to hear or be offered His message and Gospel by the Spirit, but it is an altogether different matter to have received him as the Lord of your life.

Huge differences, really.

I knew of Jesus as a Latter-day Saint, I knew what he taught and was told to try and immolate his example.

All fine and good. But I did not receive Him as the Lord of my life by faith through the Spirit.

That was missing entirely from my being.
And that is the key to being a Christian, born from above – Christians let Jesus be Lord of their lives. They receive Him into the throne room of their heart and let him take control.

Paul here, speaking to the believers at Colosse, says since they have received Jesus Christ the Lord, “so walk ye in Him.”

Now, Paul in all probability is speaking to the instructions that they had been given of Jesus Christ too – which in all probability he himself gave to some of them.

And this is a personal reference to his teachings on and about him to them. But until He is received by the Spirit internally all the teachings in the world stand as mere religion.

So, I am assuming that Paul is also referring to real conversion to Jesus Christ as Lord which is by the Spirit. I say this not only because its true but verses 6 and 7 lay this out – let me read them again:

6 As ye have therefore 1) received Christ Jesus the Lord, 2) so walk ye in him, 3 HOW?) Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

So we have an order there of conversion. First receive him (in my opinion by faith through the Spirit – receive Him) then Walk in him (How?) by being “rooted and built up in Him” and established in the faith” as they have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

We have received Jesus by faith through the Spirit – we have received, like the seeds that are planted in the parable of the Sower with great joy – the fact that Jesus is the Lord and Savior of the world.

That is of primary importance because until that time all the lessons and learning are external and do not effectively work on the heart.

So lessons about him, and teachings are important, but the primary act must be, before we can truly grow in him is to receive him spiritually in our hearts, by faith, through the spirit, having been born from above.

Once that has occurred, Paul instructs those believers to walk in him.

Allow him to reign over and rule our lives – as if he was driving the car called our existence.

This is learned, a minute to minute experience, and sometimes we change seats with him a thousand times a day.

The goal is to have Jesus start and end our days at the wheel. Taking us where we are to go, doing u-turns when appropriate, putting on the brakes when our flesh says go. All the comparisons but the point remains – once we believe, we are to walk in Him as walk in scripture is a symbol for the type of life we live.

Frankly the word So here in these verses was added, and the passage really says, as you have received him, walk.

How does Paul articulate the walk? He adds

7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

I am talking to choir here, those of you who actually tune in to listen to me online. I mean, its pretty obvious you have to want to know more about God to do tune in and listen to me talk for over an hour directly from scripture. The fact remains that you are doing what Paul is telling these believers at Colosse to do – rooting yourselves in Him which comes by knowing and studying Him and His word.

Just as a plant gains stability and strength by driving its roots deeper and wider into the earth so does human faith drive deeper into Him as we tap into His Word.

In and through this we are doing what Paul says next:

“establishing ourselves in the faith,” and then he adds, “as you have been taught.”

Obviously we have received him, like the seed sown, but the seed must take root on soil that will allow for depth – and those roots drive down through the hearing and or reading and learning of the Word.
Don’t ever give up on learning the Word, in it you are establishing yourself as much as a tree establishes itself over the years through its root system.

And Paul end with, “Abounding therein with thanksgiving,” meaning, be humbly grateful for all you learn about our Lord, God and Savior – for there is NOTHING more valuable on earth than Him and a knowledge of Him. Nothing.

Let’s pray.

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