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Colossians 1 - Meyer FB - Through The Bible Day by Day - Bible Commentary

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Colossians 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,

2 to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

5 for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

6 which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

7 as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;

8 who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

10 that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12 giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

The Supremacy of Christ

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16 for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

20 and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22 in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

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 which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

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 labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

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Colossians 1

the Gospel Bearing Fruit

Col 1:1-8

The saints are men of faith, for their holiness is derived from Christ, but they are also faithful men, and will not betray their trust. Grace is the Greek and peace the Hebrew greeting. We can do a great deal with those whom we desire to correct or instruct, if we begin by commending all that is worthy of being praised. Thus the Apostle rejoices in the evidences of the trinity of Christian graces-Faith, Hope, and Love. His prayer-book was filled with intercession. One marvels at the accomplishment of this extraordinary man, who, in addition to his travels, labors, writings, and toil for his daily bread, had time for such abundant prayerfulness.
There is a note of triumph in his reference to the reception given to the gospel in all the world. The handful of corn on the top of the mountains was already beginning to shake like Lebanon. It seemed as though victory was assured; and if only the Church had possessed more men like him, the world would have been saved some sad experiences. Note the unaffected humility of the Apostle in classing Epaphras with himself as his beloved fellow-servant in the household of God.

Our Wondrous Privileges in Christ

Col 1:9-20

Here is a paragraph which may fitly form part of our daily intercession for ourselves and others. We all need a quicker insight into God’s will, and this is only acquired through the wisdom and understanding communicated by the Holy Spirit to our spirits. But that understanding is conditioned, as in Col 1:10, by a daily behavior which pleases God and bears fruit in every good work. It is as we slowly climb the ascent of consistent living that the landscape of God’s nature expands around us. As character and knowledge grow, so will our spiritual strength; but notice that frequently such strength is needed not so much for great exploits, as for the patient bearing of the Cross, Col 1:11.
In view of the fact that we are being qualified for an inheritance in light, there should be a song of perennial thanksgiving proceeding from us. What a wonder that the sons of ignorance and night can dwell in the Eternal Light, through the Eternal Love! It is not enough to receive the forgiveness of sins, we must be conformed to the image of the Son, who is Himself the image of the Father, Col 1:15. Notice the pre-eminence of Jesus-in creation, Col 1:16; in the Church, Col 1:18; in resurrection, Col 1:18; and in the great enterprise of reconciliation and restoration, Col 1:20. Let Him be pre-eminent for us also!

Laboring to Perfect the Church

Col 1:21-29

How wonderful is God! His scheme of grace embraces the world of men, but He can concentrate on individual souls as unworthy as ours. You… hath He reconciled. And He will never abandon His work until we arrive in His presence-chamber without spot or blemish or any such thing. But, of course, the putting forth of His power on our behalf is conditioned on our steadfast faith.
Paul drank deeply of the Master’s cup. It seemed as if Jesus had trusted him with participation in the sorrows of Gethsemane and Calvary. And he was thus fitted for the stewardship of two great secrets, which it was his joy to unfold. In Eph 3:1-21 he says that he was commissioned to show the Gentiles that they might become fellow-heirs; but here, Col 1:27, that they might experience the indwelling of Christ. Those who are conscious of that indwelling know its riches of power and joy and victory. Their hope of glory is dimmed by no fear, because they have the Christ; in their hearts, and, therefore, heaven in their hearts, so it follows naturally that their hearts will one day be with Christ in heaven. Christ in us is the hope of glory. Note the individual interest which the true pastor takes in his flock, as shown in the repeated use of every man.


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Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Published by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Cambridge Univ. Press & BFBS
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