Colossians 3:20 – 4:18 Bible Teaching

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Colossians 3.20 to end
June 21st 2020
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So last week we covered

18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Paul continues at this point and says

20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

All right, let’s go back to verse 20. Last week we read about Paul’s advice to wives and then to husbands, and now he says:

20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

The word tekna in the Greek usually signifies those who are young but here it appears to describe those who were under the care and governance of their parents meaning those who were not of age.

“Children, obey . . .”

Hupakouo – listen, hear, hearken – therefore obey.

We note that this is NOT the word Paul used toward wives last week. That was
Hupotasso which means to put under, subdue, subject – as in rank. (And we talked all about this then).

Very different words and to children there is little ambiguity. And the command goes all the way back to the Old Testament and the fifth law written in stone:

Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Leviticus 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

Parents, for many years of a child’s life, serve in ways the Lord God serves over the human race.

They provide shelter, food, clothing and protection to their children, as God provides such for us; parents provide education and are responsible for disciplining the child and guiding them as they do not have the capacity to govern or care for themselves.

In return, they are to honor their parents. Interestingly, Christians are to honor God – in fact all people are to honor their creator – who too takes care of those who are his.

Honoring parents is good as it blesses the parent AND the child involved.

Here Paul adds: “For this is right.”

You could change that to, for this is righteous, this is appointed by God, it is right in terms of what children owe their parent, it is right because it is gracious and grateful, and it is right because it benefits all involved including society at large.

20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

In Ephesians Paul adds that this commandment is one that comes with a promise. What is the promise of which Paul speaks? We just read it:

God said through Moses that those who obey their parents their “days would be long upon the land.”

We don’t know if God does not protect children who do not honor their parents, if he throws a curse upon them, or it their lives are placed in jeopardy if they don’t or if they come out from under natural protection by being disobedient, all we can say is that this command to the Nation of Israel came with a promise.

21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

There tends to be something in some males (and therefore in some fathers) that seeks to poke at, criticize and harass others.

Anyone who has joined a fraternal organization experiences this hazing until the young male “proves” himself.

They ride them, test them, mock them when they fail. Cops and firemen do this to their newbies and fishermen do this to their greenhorns.

Unfortunately, some fathers do this to their children. If it gets carried away and not executed in love (which means it would never be done to harass) these things can lend to “provocations” and when they are relentless enough, such provocations might amount to a child becoming “discouraged, broken, angry and the like.

Sometime it can create a despair of the child ever pleasing the Dad and the child becomes altogether disinterested in ever trying – sometimes even purposeful in embarrassing the Dad.

The word discouraged means to lack courage. Dis-couraged. There is no desire to try to improve or be better because Dad is relentlessly on the childs back.

Children need ENcouragement. Discouragement can occur when they are ridden so hard for everything they say, do or attempt to do.

A boy tries to hammer a nail and misses and the father mocks or derides him. The boy tries again, and the father snatches the hammer from his hand to do it himself. The boy privately goes and tries to learn to drive a nail and he is criticized by the Father for his attempt and for just wasting nails. Even when the boy learns to drive nails such fathers will mocks him for the way he holds his hammer, or for something else.

These things can provoke the child to anger or dispondency – which leads to DIS-couragment instead of EN-couragement.

I’m not suggesting to praise children to make them proud and vain and egostitical, but to praise to encourage them in their efforts.

Paul says in Ephesians 5:4, saying “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Meaning, in the love and the way the Lord moves and directs us, apply this to your children, fathers.

And then he says:

22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:

In Paul’s day, this could have referred to actual slaves with literal masters or just employers and employees. I am pretty sure he is speaking of the former.

But the point of the advice is when you are in a subservient role, serve as if you are serving God, and not the one put in place over you or in charge.

We know that this not only means not “feigning allegiance and pretending to be a hard worker” but with a heart for God and what He would want from his child.

It is interesting that even in our engagements with others that our hearts are to be focused on Him, the Father of lights.

This would make us a good witness to our employers and cause them to appreciate hiring Christians – giving a good name to those who follow Jesus.

Paul adds to this idea in the next three verses and ultimately saying something rather sobering:

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

First, Paul commends them to the attitude that “whatever they do to do it heartily and as to the Lord and not to men” (ready) “KNOWING” – knowing – that of the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance BECAUSE “we serve the Lord Christ.”

Them’s is some pretty powerful words – “that whatever we do,” Paul says, “do it heartily as unto the Lord.”

Many Christians – myself included – allow themselves to see their lives as dedicated to God and not to men and their causes but what Paul says here seems to suggest that when we are serving men we are in fact serving the Lord – no matter what the event.

So, when we are picking weeds for a neighbor or doing our job for pay or whatever it might be, the point is not the weeds, not the job, not the thing, but the Lord.

This attitude really brings home the fact that we are His, we are His servants, we are ALWAYS in his employ and therefore we are ALWAYS representing him.

This fact, in and of itself can be sobering (if you receive it as having application to yourself as a follower of Christ).

But then Paul drops something even more sobering in verse 25 when he says:

“But . . . he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

What?

What about “Saved by grace through faith?” Absolutely.

“BUT. . . he who does wrong will receive for the wrong which he has done and there is no respect of persons.”

In the age of fulfillment when hell has been cast into the lake of fire how will every person receive for that which they have done?

I am of the personal opinion, based on what I know about scripture, “that to receive for the wrong which we have done,” is meted out not through punishment, but loss of reward.

What reward? From what I can tell it will be loss in the resurrection. I say this because the resurrection is gifted to every person based on with will and wants of God.

Some suggest that the reception for what we have done wrong will be meted out through eternal hell, some through stripes, some suggest it will be meted out via the mansion given, some via the kingdom inherited and the ability to have children there, but I suggest that having had victory over all things, making it clear that all then go to a heavenly realm at death, that all people, receiving a resurrected body before entering that realm, will in this reception get or receive for the good and for the bad that they have done.

And perhaps it is in and through our resurrected bodies that each individual is gifted or limited in “afterlife things” – especially in the proximity they have to God – with the ultimate resurrected body or perhaps bodies (like Jesus) being capable of sitting next to God himself.

I have a number of reasons for believing this which I won’t go into here, but this makes great sense to me relative to the content and context of scripture.

What is remarkable is that Paul is writing this to believers, and he reminds them that even if they do wrong, God is not a respecter of persons – any persons, apparently, – including those who are His by faith.

That is sobering in and of itself, but the real sobering thing is Paul tells then then that if they do wrong the WILL receive for that wrong as there is (presumably with God) no respect of persons.

This affirms the starkness of Romans 2:11 which says:

“For there is no respect of persons with God.” Period.

If that period is secure, then that means that we, as Christians, cannot fool ourselves into thinking that we are special in His eyes relative to his treatment of us.

That’s the key – His treatment of us – he does NOT respect any person – and this is repeated over and over again in scripture.

This is how He is a fair and equitable judge. We can’t charm him or gain his favor by this external feature or by that flattery. We have not merited his preference and get him to overlook evil because we are of faith.

Our sins are forgiven, yes, but if we do wrong it seems the price of such behavior will be included in the calculation of our afterlife rewards – which I conclude are centered in the resurrected body God chooses.

And at this point we come to chapter four which begins with a continuation of the theme he was on in chapter three.

So, let’s read the contents of chapter four and see where we land.

Colossians 4:1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Okay, let’s go back to verse 1 where Paul continues on now, having talked about servants, now speaks to masters – and I think this verse should have been included into chapter three in my estimation.

But whatever. Verse 1

“Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.”

Be fair, masters. Give people their fair due.

Paul is probably referring to slaves here and their masters (as slaves were in control of their masters).

Taking that very normal situation in hand, slavery, Paul is trying to deal with the reality of it by appealing to Christian masters conscious and telling them to deal justly with those whom them stood over and had control over in terms of time and labor – and sometimes even life.

His argument is that as Christians they too had a master who they trusted and hoped would be fair to them, and that they ought to mirror the same thing in the lives of those who were in their power.

It troubles some that in early Christianity slavery continued. To me this proves that Christianity is not so much about rectifying this world as it is rectifying the hearts of those who receive Christ by faith.

Because slaves had no recourse with the Laws of the land, they were dependent on the equity and kindness of their masters.

Paul makes it clear in his writing that in Christ there was no difference between male and female bond or free.

In fact, Acts 17:26 says that all are of the same blood, and 1st Timothy 6:2 and Philemon 1:16 says that we were all redeemed by the same Savior.

Guess what that makes all Christians? Brothers and sisters of the same God. And this places Masters and slaves in the same boat, rowing the same direction under the call of the same Lord and Master.

Women and men too. Jew and Gentile.

This is the model of being a Christian and therefore it is the model for fixing the world. No other model because all other models will ultimately fail.

Therefore, it is my belief that Christians do not promote and share other models to be included in the faith, because those models will ultimately undermine the equity among people of the faith.

At this point now Paul adds

2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

Which we understand, as lead of the Spirit. At verse 3 Paul begins his wind-down of the letter, and he does this by moving from the focus being on them to including himself back into the letter, saying:

3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

In other words, with all the supplications which you offer for other persons or perhaps at the same time as you are praying for them, pray for us.

That . . .

“That God would open unto us a door of utterance,” meaning that God would
help them preach the Gospel, or open a door for them to speak (utter) the Gospel to others. And/or “to speak the mystery of Christ,” called the “mystery of the Gospel” in Ephesians 6:19, and Paul adds

“For which I am also in bonds.”

For which he too was a prisoner at Rome.
(verse 4)

4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

That I may make it manifest, that I might make it known, that I may speak it forth to all who are willing to hear. At verse 5 and 6 Paul returns to addressing the believers there and says

5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside the faith – who are not professing Christians. And he adds:

“redeeming the time.”

Which means making opportunities of things around us, fixing them, making them better.

We talked about this in our study of Ephesians 5, but in the life of a Christian there is the notion that “once saved,” we spend the rest of our lives redeeming the time spent (and lost) on superfluous and evil things and focusing on sharing Jesus and making things better.

In harmony with that, with our engagements with those who are without or outside the faith, he adds

6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

I love this passage.

“Let your speech, your conversation.”

In the previous verse Paul said that our conduct towards those who are not professing Christians should be wise and prudent; here he speaks to our conversation. “Be always with grace.”

Filled with kindness, generosity, which shows that God is in us, operating, and not ourselves.

Some suggest courteous, thoughtful, and agreeable rather than disagreeable.

Its sound advice and applicable to our day and age. Paul adds, “seasoned with salt.”

Interestingly, to the Greeks, salt was synonymous with “wit.” I could be that Paul was suggesting that the Christians not walk about as dullards but instead show life in and through their conversations with others.

Aren’t we “more alive” in Spirit and with the Spirit of God than the walking dead? We ought to be. So, engage. Be lively. Add flavor to the conversations that you have with people you meet. Again, communication is one of the most intimate ways human beings have of engaging with each other.

Let your communication be “seasoned with salt,” making each conversation similar to a plate of food rightly seasoned with the same.

More flavorful. Who wants a conversation with someone that is flat, tasteless, without any purpose – especially one that is morose and dead.
This advice goes hand in hand with redeeming the time. Season your conversation – make everything better.

“That ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

Now we naturally think that this is relative to the faith as Peter said in 1st Peter 3:15

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

But Paul could have also meant to be able to be conversant in every way, as a means to show life within us as possessors of the Holy Spirit.

I was going to end here and spend time amplifying some of the passages what we have already covered and leave what remains for next week, but at this point Paul begins to officially wrap the epistle up – and the content isn’t that pressing so and I am going to do the same, making way for our study of 1st Thessalonians next week.

So, let’s read each closing remark here, cover it, and move on to the end. Verse 7-9:

7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:
8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;
9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.

So, verse seven:

7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:

This exact benediction is found in Ephesians 6:21 which we have covered but suffice it to say, Paul is telling the believers at Colosse that both Tychicus and Onesimus, who he describes here as faithful brothers and fellowservants, would inform them of his affairs in Rome.

Tychicus was of the province in Asia Minor of which Ephesus was the capital from where he probably came.

He is also mentioned in 2nd Timothy 4:12. Paul also proposed to send him to Crete to succeed Titus according to Titus 3:12.

Paul had a great deal of confidence in him. We know nothing of his conversion or how he got to Rome.

The Greeks speak of him as one of the seventy disciples, and make him bishop of Colophon, in the province of Asia.

And speaking of him we read:

8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;
(And verse 9)

9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.

Onesimus, who was a servant formerly of Philemon, was an inhabitant of Colosse. (We will read about him in our study of Philemon).

I say this because Paul says that he “is one of you,” in this epistle.

In Philemon Paul speaks of Onesemus as a slave. But some wonder if he was actually a slave if he was one of the believers that lived in Colosse.

From this there is reason to believe that he was a servant and not a proper slave to Philemon – but again, we will see when we get to that book.

Whatever the case, Paul says that they (Tyichus and Onesemus) would “make known unto you all things which are done here.”
(and from verse 10 to 15 Paul mentions seven proper noun names) Ready?
.
10 Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)
11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.
14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.
15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

So back to ten:

10 Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)

Aristarchus was of Thessalonica, and is mentioned in Acts 19:29; 20:4, as Paul’s companion in his travels. He was also:

imprisoned with Paul in Rome.
Seized with Gaius at Ephesus and treated with violence
Stay faithful to Paul in all
Tradition says that he was bishop of Assamea in Syria, and was beheaded with Paul at Rome, under Nero.”

Marcus, Barnabas sister’s son, had a history with Paul which caused a division between he and Barnabas. Also known as John Mark and we covered that disagreement in Acts 15 which John Mark caused.

It seems that they were reconciled here.

11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.

“And Jesus which is called Justus.” Jesus a Hebrew name, Justus, Roman, as it was common to adopt the common name used for you depending on where you were. We know nothing more of him.

Epaphras, mentioned in chapter 1 verse 7 and also in Philemon as a fellow-servant and prisoner. (verse 13)

13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.

All of these locations were close to each other and Epaphras had a great zeal or love for them.

14 Luke, the beloved physician, (whom we know) and Demas, greet you.

Of course Luke, the beloved physician is mentioned as the travelling companion of Paul in Act 16:10 (which he wrote), and appears to have accompanied him afterwards until his imprisonment at Rome. (according to 2nd Timothy 4:11).

It is evident that he was not by birth a Jew but was probably a proselyte. He is supposed to have been a native of Cyrene, and to have died in Achaia, soon after the martyrdom of Paul, at the advanced age of eighty-four.

Here, Paul calls him a physician; and in his Gospel, and in the Acts, there are incidental evidences that he was acquainted with the science of medicine, which is interesting for those souls that reject medical arts as believers.

And Demas. Demas is mentioned in two other places, (Philemon 1:24, and 2nd Timothy 4:10).

Once faithful, when troubles grew, Demas abandoned Paul in Rome and went to Thessalonica. Paul wrote that he did this for “love of this present world,” and Paul in 2nd Timothy calls his departure one of this greatest trials. (verse 15)

15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house. (and of whom we know nothing more)

Last three verses

16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
17 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Written from Rome to Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.

Verse 16
16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

As we know, Laodicea was near to Colosse, and the church there was evidently exposed to the same dangers from philosophy and false teachers (as that at Colosse).

In 1st Thessalonians 5:27, Paul also charges those to whom that epistle was addressed to see that it be “read unto all the holy brethren,” so it is evident that the apostles designed that the letters which they addressed to the churches should be read also by others.

Of course, Laodicea was the seat of one of the “Seven churches” of Asia, (Revelation 3:14;) which was also called a city of Phrygia.

Under the Romans, it became a flourishing commercial city. It was often damaged by earthquakes, but was restored by the Roman emperors.

Paul adds:

And that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea (A topic we covered in our introduction to this epistle) (verse 17)

17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.”

Archippus is mentioned also in Philemon 1:2. He is not elsewhere referred to in the New Testament, and nothing further is known of him.

Some suggest that he was lacking in his duties, others suggest that Paul was inspired to tell him to be especially careful of the ministry given him. You decide. And then the last verse of the Epistle:

18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Written from Rome to Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.

The preceding part of the epistle was written by a scribe, from the mouth of the apostle: this, and what follows, was written by the hand of St. Paul himself.

We find a similar act in 1st Corinthians 16:21 and in 2nd Thessalonians 3:17.

This may have been the way Paul helped to authenticate his letters to the churches.

He reminds them to “remember his imprisonment” and adds:

Grace be with you.

Meaning, may you still possess the favor and blessing of God. “Amen” is omitted by the most ancient manuscripts and the last subscriptions, as usual, are various and uncertain:-

The common GREEK text has, “To the Colossians, written from Rome by Tychicus and Onesimus.”

The Ethiopic reads, “To the Colossians.”
But there is no subscription at all in the Latin Vulgate.

Next week: 1st Thessalonians!

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