Colossians 2:1-7
- David Fairchild
- Jul 17, 2005
- Series: Colossians
INTRODUCTION
There are times when you read portions of God’s word and have skipped the surface and the text doesn’t really leave a lasting impression on you or seem as if it has the depth to profoundly impact and effect your life, so off you go to well worn verses that are more comfortable. I have a sneaking suspicion that if we were honest with one another, this particular passage this morning would probably fit within that “sure it’s God’s word, but I don’t have it memorized” category.
To be honest, I suppose I would need to confess that as I read through this passage months ago, I didn’t highlight and underline this portion with great fervor because I thought it had some good stuff in it, but I sort of missed the whole personal point Paul was making. I hope that this isn’t the case after we dive deeper into this passage and attempt to unpack its wealth of Christ exalting instruction for you and I.
This particular portion of Colossians is Paul’s continued personal commentary on his ministry and the focus and goal of his ministry which he started back at the end of verse 23 of the last chapter.
Here is what struck me with such full force as I looked into this passage more- this is the Apostle Paul writing down his desires and goals for this church 2,000 years ago. Oddly enough, his goals and instruction come fresh to us all these years later. We have an opportunity to go to the Apostle who planted so many churches and wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, to ask him what he would want from Kaleo of San Diego.
Can you imagine Paul walking in the morning to bring you instruction on how to most glorify God in our church by living in such a way as to exalt Christ in all we do? To get at the heart of what Paul desires from the church at Colossae is to get at the heart of what God wants from our church in our time.
I know it isn’t a sexy thing to speak positively about “church” because that word is so packed in our time with layers upon layers of meaning that needs to be sifted through. Let me just say that when we say “church” we don’t mean the sinful self-righteous establishment that cares more about its building that it does the people in it, or the “church” that is a social club for religious hypocrites, nor do we mean the “church” that abuses its power by seeking to conform its attendees into a sectarian sub-culture that stays safe from the sinners of the world. When I say “church” I mean that living organism, which is the body of Christ, comprised of Christ followers who love and follow him and are called into community together to worship Jesus with their whole life.
Paul loves this kind of “church” because this is the kind of church he is guiding the Colossians to become and this is the kind of church that Paul beckons us to.
This passage also speaks to anyone who would desire to enter the ministry, because without that love for the church, all of the great speaking ability, great musical talent, great courage and personal holiness, we are no help to the body of Christ, the church. As a matter of fact, every person here this morning is called to this if they are Christians and love the church (which every Christian should).
Let’s hear Paul lay out for Kaleo God’s agenda for us. He gives us five things that he was struggling for.
STUDY
Colossians 2:1-7
Verse 1- For I want you to know how great a struggle (Greek: agÅn- which means physical striving in a contest, perhaps to wrestle) I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,
Jesus loved the church so much that He gave His life for it. Paul told the Ephesian elders to “shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own Blood” (Acts 2:28). In Ephesians 5:25, Paul told the husbands to love their wives “just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”
Paul had a deep love for Christ’s bride, and he honored her and revered her and gave his life in service to her. Paul loved the church because he loved Christ. It was his love for Christ and Christ’s church that drove Paul to endure the physical, spiritual, and emotional suffering he experienced constantly.
STRONG HEARTED
Verse 2a- that their hearts may be encouraged (Greek: parakaleÅ- means to call alongside),
Paul sees that they need strengthening and comforting because they are beginning to endure false teaching that has a tendency to weaken and disrupt our faith.
When Paul says that his desire is to strengthen their hearts, he wasn’t referring to just emotions. The writers of the Bible understood the word kardia to mean more than what it means to us today. The word usually means the inner center of a person’s life. It involves the mind and our will/volition as the central cause of our activity. It means our thinking faculty.
The emotions respond to what goes on in the heart, to what the mind perceives. The way to control the emotions is through the mind. When our mind is filled with biblical truth, the emotions respond properly. For that reason the Bible counsels to “watch over our heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
We are to guide and protect our hearts so that they may follow the ways pleasing to God.
The Spirit works through our hearts and strengthens those who yield their lives to His control. True inner strength comes only from being filled with the Spirit of God.
Strong hearts result in a powerful Christian life. When believers are strengthened by the Spirit, Christ will dwell in their hearts, they will be rooted and grounded in love, they will know the love of Christ and be filled with the fullness of God.
A strong mind is balanced by fervent love…
UNITED IN LOVE
Verse 2b-having been knit together (Greek: sumbibazÅ) in love,
Christianity is not mindless enthusiasm, but neither is it lifeless intellectual orthodoxy.
Paul wants them to be “knit together,” which means to unite, or bring together. Paul continues to define how they may be encouraged by strong hearts as someone filled with love.
Unity of Christ’s church was Jesus prayer in John 17:
John 17:20-23 "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
The unity of the church is the final apologetic to the watching world.
John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
We cannot expect the world to believe that the Father sent the Son, the Jesus’ claims are true, and that Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of the oneness of true Christians.
Paul wanted Christians to display their unity in practice. This kind of humble, practical love is the “perfect bond of unity.” Love is always lined with humility because only humble people can love. Listen to the instructions to the Philippians:
Philippians 2:2-4 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Humility is the key that opens the door of love and unity. Christ’s offering of Himself is the supreme example of love: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).
Loving someone is not defined by having warm feelings toward them, but by meeting their needs. When was the last time to made a sacrifice for someone? That was the last time you loved him or her. Love is first action, then the emotions follow. A strengthened heart is a heart that has learned to love.
CONFIDENT IN UNDERSTANDING
Verses 2c-5- and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.
Paul desires that they Colossians experience all the wealth that comes form full assurance. Without that assurance, believers cannot enjoy all the blessings that are theirs in Christ.
“Understanding” (Greek: sunesis), refers to applying biblical principles to everyday life. It is the exclusive property of Christians. When we experience spiritual truth by living it, it become truly understood and leads to assurance of his or her salvation. The bible teaches that knowing the truth and acting on it leads to “full assurance of understanding.” People often express doubts about their salvation, even though they have read books to give them assurance. Their primary problem is not a lack of knowledge, but a failure to apply the truths they already know. Truth finds solid footing in a strong heart and works itself out in love of fellow believers which results in deep conviction. That is the basis for assurance.
In light of the heresy that was creeping into the Colossians church, Paul stresses the need for the Colossians’ understanding to include “a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
At the heart of this understanding they need to have a settled conviction about Christ’s deity and sufficiency. In “Christ Himself” the hidden God reveals himself to mankind. In that sense, He is “God’s mystery.”
Jesus is the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He alone is sufficient. Because Christ is sufficient, there is no need for the writings of any cult, philosophy, or psychology to supplement the Bible. He is the source of all true spiritual knowledge.
That knowledge is also crucial to assurance because doubts about Christ’s sufficiency bring doubts about His ability to do what he promised.
Paul says in verse 4 that the reason for his concern about knowing Christ is “in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument.” The basic attack of all false systems throughout history has been to deny either Christ’s deity or his humanity. Believers who have a settled conviction about Christ’s deity and sufficiency are able to withstand the onslaughts of false teachers.
Paul sees that they are standing firm and rejoices with them. Even though he is “absent in body” due to his imprisonment in Rome, Paul says that he was with them “in spirit.” Their “good discipline” and the “stability” of their “faith in Christ” caused him to rejoice.
When Paul says “good discipline” which is taxis in the Greek he is using a military term which refers to a line of soldiers drawn up for battle. “Stability” in the Greek is stereÅma refers to the solidity of a formation of soldiers. Taken together, they express Paul’s joy that individually and collectively the Colossians were standing firm against the attacks of false teaching. His goal for them is that they remain settled and fortified in their present and true understanding, not yielding to doubt.
WALKING IN CHRIST
Verses 6-7a- Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed,
Paul finishes by building his conclusion with “therefore.” He is saying “about what I just said.” The Colossians have received Christ Jesus the Lord, they have settled convictions about his sufficiency and supremacy, and are standing firm against false teachers, so they must continue to “walk in Him.” This term is familiar in the Bible. It refers to daily conduct. In this context it means to continue believing the truth about Christ, and not allowing it to waver, and demonstrating it in their living with Him. It is a lifestyle patterned after His.
Paul says that like a tree with deep roots in rich soil, believers have been “firmly rooted” in Christ. That eternal planting took place at salvation. Christ then becomes the source of our spiritual nourishment, growth, and fruit. As we walk in Christ, we are “now being built up in Him.” It is a process of being more and more like Jesus. Being firmly rooted in Christ and growing in Him results in being “established” in our “faith.” This means that it is God who will establish believers. Having such a firm foundation for faith based on walking in Christ is necessary for a healthy life in Him.
OVERFLOWING WITH GRATITUDE
Verse 7b- and overflowing with gratitude.
This last goal for Paul, to “overflow with gratitude” is in response to the others mentioned. Believers who are firmly rooted in Christ, being built up in Him and established in their faith, will overflow with gratitude to God.
Praise completes the circle in which the blessings that flow to us from God return to Him in praise. By taking in the truth of the Word, believers get a strong mind. By living out those truths, they receive full assurance that Christ is who He claimed to be. Assured of that, they can walk in Him. As they walk in Him, they will grow in Him and become established in their faith. AS a result, they will give praise to God for all He has done.
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