Colossenses 1
Handley Moule · Citado em PreceptAustin
Colossenses 1:1
Moule - The will of God is regarded as the means of the Apostle’s consecration, because with God to will implies the provision of the means of fulfilment. See Galatians 1:1 for the deep certainty of a direct Divine commission which underlay such a phrase in St Paul’s mind. He knew himself to be “a vessel of choice, to bear the name” (Acts 9:15) of his Lord. (Colossians 1 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
Colossenses 1:2
Moule writes that saints are "Holy ones; men separated from sin to God. The word takes the man, or the community, on profession; as being what they ought to be. This is not to lower the native meaning of the word, but to use a well-understood hypothesis in the application of it. A saint is not merely a professing follower of Christ, but a professing follower assumed to be what he professes. He who is not this is in name only and not in deed a saint, faithful, a child of God, and the like. (The Epistle to the Philippians) Matthew
Colossenses 1:2
Moule - “Grace” is all the free and loving favour of God in its spiritual efficacy; “Peace” is specially the complacency of reconciliation with which He regards His people, but so as to imply also its results in them; repose, serenity of soul; happiness in its largest sense. (Colossians 1 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) Here is one of the most accurate and practical definitions of grace I have ever heard... Grace (5485)(charis [word study]) is is God's unmerited favor and supernatural enablement and empowerment for salvation and for daily sanctification. Grace is everything for nothing to those who don't deserve anything. Grace is what every man needs, what none can earn and what God Alone can and does freely give (see Ro 8:32-note where "freely give" is charizomai [word study] from charis = a grace gift!). Grace addresses man's sin, while mercy addresses man's misery. The gift of grace makes men fit for salvation, miraculously making separated strangers into God's beloved sons (1Th 1:4-note, 1Jn 3:1-note, 1Jn 3:2-note, 1Jn 3:3-note). One of the most familiar short definitions of grace is God's unmerited favor. Unfortunately, the practical, everyday, working definition of grace in the lives of many believers goes little beyond this basic simple definition. Many believers fall woefully short of experiencing the riches of God's grace in their everyday life as C H
Colossenses 1:2
Moule - "To St Paul, God is the Pater Noster (Latin for "Our Father") of Christians, in the inner sense of their union by faith with His Son." The phrase and peace is found 25x in the NT - Rom 1:7; 2:10; 8:6; 14:17; 15:13; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; 13:11; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; 2:17; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1Th 1:1; 2Th 1:2; 1Ti 1:2; 2Ti 1:2; 2:22; Titus 1:4; Philemon 1:3; 1 Pet 1:2; 2 Pet 1:2; 2 John 1:3; Jude 1:2; Rev 1:4 Peace (1515)(eirene) (or here) is derived from the verb "eiro" which means to "join together". Peace is not just the absence of strife. It describes the situation where two things come together and there is nothing in between to cause friction. There is no longer a barrier between the two. Peace means to set at one again or join together that which is separated. Our Lord made peace through the blood of the Cross in the sense that through His atonement (the work Christ did in His life and death to earn our salvation) He binds together again, those who by reason of their standing in the First Adam had been separated from God and who now through faith in Christ are bound again to God in their new standing in the Last Adam (justification) (1 Cor 15:22). In Col 1:20-note Paul says by grace through faith sinners and enemies of God now permanently possess "peace with God" where the Greek word for “with” is pros which means “facing.” In other words, the justified sinner has peace facing or face to face (Coram Deo) with God and because of Jesus' precious, perfect shed blood (1 Pe 1:18-note), he is able to stand in God's presence (Ro 5:2-note, 1Pet 5:12-note), guiltless and with no condemnation and righteous in a righteousness which God accepts, that is the righteousness of Christ (1 Cor 1:30). Thus the picture inherent in the Paul's greeting is that of binding or joining together what is broken or divided setting the divided parts at one again. Webster defines peace as a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, harmony in personal relations, a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity and who are now in a state of repose not a state of strife or turmoil. Peace is defined by Cremer as "a state of untroubled, undisturbed well being.” Alexander
Colossenses 1:3
Moule - Thanksgiving is the instinct of the life of grace.—These thanksgivings recognize God as the whole Cause of all goodness in His saints. (Colossians 1 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) Give thanks (2168) (eucharisteo [word study] from eú = well, good + charizomai [word study] = to grant, give) means to show oneself grateful, to be thankful, to give thanks. Note present tense (continuous action) for thanksgiving and for praying. Paul "sets the bar high"! As discussed below this is the equivalent of praying without ceasing (1Thes 5:17) combined with giving thanks in everything (1Thes 5:18). This whole section is one sentence in Greek, with a minor break at the end of verse 6
Colossenses 1:4
Moule - He refers to the information given by Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), probably quite recently. (Colossians 1 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Faith (4102)(pistis) is synonymous with trust or belief and is the conviction of the truth of anything, but in Scripture usually speaks of belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it. Notice that Paul is not thankful for their faith in faith but their faith in Jesus. True (saving) faith always has an object (Jesus). Remember that the demons believe that God is one but they are not saved (James 2:19-note) but they lack Spirit inspired and enabled works that prove their faith is saving faith! Faith is like an anchor on boat, See it’s not the anchor itself that holds the boat, it’s what the anchor is hooked up to that holds the boat. As John Eadie observes the Colossian saint's "faith rested in Christ Jesus, fixed and immoveable, fully satisfied in Him as a Divine Saviour. [Ephesians 1:1.] (Colossians 1 Commentary) Paul wrote that ";Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ." (Ro 10:17-note). Our Christian lives begin with saving faith; but then in the process of sanctification we must learn to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2Cor 5:7) and work by faith (1Th 1:3-note). It is faith that gives power to prayer (Lk 17:5,6). Faith is a shield each believer needs to take up for with it alone we are made "able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16-note; see sermon Eph 6:16). THOUGHT: Do the Scriptures above describe the quality of your faith? Have others heard about your faith in Christ Jesus that leads to an unconditional, sacrificial love even for the saints that aren't particularly easy to be around? Vine says that faith (pistis) "primarily denotes firm persuasion, and so signifies trust. It is always used in the New Testament of faith in God or in Christ, or in things spiritual. There are three Faith in Christ (Eph 1:15-note is a closely related passage) - Lightfoot feels that the "in" "probably indicates “the sphere in which their faith moves rather than the object to which it is directed." This faith rests upon Christ. (Colossians 1 - The Expositor's Greek Testament) Keathley - A depositor’s money is not safe in proportion to the depositor’s faith in the bank in which the money is deposited. It is safe in proportion to the bank’s solvency. So, the Christian is not a Christian because he possesses faith, but because he possesses faith in Christ. It is not simply faith that matters; it is faith and its object. But it is important to also note that their faith is defined as “in Christ.” “In” is the Greek preposition en, which may point to the object of their faith,51 but it most likely points to the sphere in which their faith lived or resided and acted since it is not at all certain that en with pistis (faith) refers to the object.52 This may be a matter of splitting hairs since one’s faith cannot reside in Christ if He is not also the object of that faith. But a faith that resides in Christ would stress not only the past initial act of trust in Christ, but also the present focus of the faith of one who seeks to live by virtue of who and what Christ means to believers. Regardless, the issue is not just the presence of faith, but of a faith that resides in Christ. “It gives the thought of reliance going forth to Christ, and reposing on Christ, so as to sink as it were into Him, and find fixture in Him; as the anchor sinks to the floor of the sea, and then into it, that it may be held in it.” (Moule) The apostle will deal with this concept in more detail in Col 2:6-10. (Paul’s Gratitude for the Colossians Col. 1:3-8) Gregg Allen - I read a story the other day that seems very much worth sharing at this point. Many years ago, the great New Testament scholar and defender of the evangelical faith, Dr. J. Gresham Machen, was much in the public eye. In the early part of the last century, as a professor in Princeton Seminary, he stood almost alone within the Presbyterian Church in defending the full authority of the Bible, and the truthfulness of the gospel message it proclaimed. He was a great man of God, and had become quite controversial because of his bold stand. As it happened, during the height of the controversy, he was speaking one day at the Chicago Divinity School chapel -- which was crowded to the doors with listeners and reporters. An eyewitness said that he had held the crowd spellbound throughout his message, as he shared the Bible's teaching of the sinfulness of man, the grace of God, and the need for men and woman to be saved through faith in Christ. Near the end of his message, a female reporter spoke up. She asked, "Dr. Machen, you don't seem to think very much of man. What reason do you have for so belittling him?". And Machen simply replied that he was simply repeating what the Bible said. The woman then shot back with a question that, in one form or another, you and I hear all the time in our own day; "But really Dr. Machen; It doesn't make any difference what anyone believes, does it? Just so long as he believes something?" Dr. Machen could have passed that question off; but he didn't. It was too important to not be answered. It was said that he leaned over the lectern, looked the reporter directly in the eye -- with news people all around him, and yet as if speaking directly to her -- and boldly quoted the words of John 3:36; "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Dr. Machen was asserting that it makes all the difference in the world what someone believes about Christ; and apparently, he was asked no further questions. (God's Grace in a Greeting) THE GREAT CHRISTIAN TRIAD FAITH, LOVE, HOPE Faith, love and hope are also mentioned here in Colossians 1:4-5 and in the following verses -- 1Co 13:13; 1Th 1:3; 5:8; Ro 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Gal 5:5, 6; Eph 4:2, 3, 4, 5; Heb 6:10, 11, 12; 10:22, 23, 24; 1Pe 1:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,21, 22.
Colossenses 1:4
Moule - Divine faith, in true and full exercise, issues by its nature in a life and work of love towards men, regarded as either actual (as here) or potential brethren of Him who is faith’s goal and rest. (Colossians 1 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) And remember that Loving God is seen in how we love our neighbor! Brian Bell - What Is Love? It is silence when your words would hurt. It is patience when your neighbors curt. It is deafness when a scandal flows. It is thoughtfulness for other’s woes. It is promptness when stern duty calls. It is courage when misfortune falls. (Colossians 1) Keathley - Paul also thanks God for the love of the Colossians, a love that was being expressed toward all the saints, to believers in Christ. Here the focus is certainly on the present outworking of an active faith that resides in Christ and all that He means to believers. It is the fruit and evidence of fellowship with the Lord Jesus through an active faith in His blessed life (John 15:1-9; 1 John 3:14, 23). A faith that resides in Christ and a love for others are twins that should walk together in life. It is also important to note that “…such love was directed toward all the saints, not to those of the same social class or intellectual stratum. It is to all the saints without exception that true Christian love is shown. The communion of saints means, not a series of loosely related cliques, but an all-embracing and self-abnegating fellowship.” (Paul’s Gratitude for the Colossians Col. 1:3-8) The love (26) (agape [word study]) of one for another is evidence of a person’s genuine faith in Christ Jesus. Genuine vertical relationship will be manifest in our loving horizontal relationships of saints, some of whom are not very lovable! This love is not a mere impulse from the feelings, does not always run with one's natural inclinations, does not manifest itself only to those in whom a certain affinity is realized, is the considered denial of self in the interests of others and seeks opportunity to do good to "all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith." (Gal 6:10-note).
Colossenses 1:4
Moule comments on All the saints - Doubtless not at Colossae only, but everywhere. It was one of the earliest glories of the Gospel, illustrated everywhere in the NT, to bind together in love a world-wide family. (Colossians 1 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) Spurgeon describes this love for all the saints - "The true believer loves the persecuted, the misrepresented, and despised people of God for Christ's sake. He loves them all even though he may think some of them to be mistaken in minor matters. He has love to the babes in grace as well as to the grown saints and love even to those saints whose infirmities are more manifest than their virtues. He loves them not for their station or for their natural amiability but because Jesus loves them and because they love Jesus.
Colossenses 1:5
Moule puts it, that "hope is the certainty that, in spite of the world's ways, God's way of love has the last word."...The Christian hope is that God's way is the best way and that the only real peace, the only real joy, the only true and lasting reward are to be found in it. Loyalty to Christ may bring trouble here--but that is not the last word. The world may laugh contemptuously at the folly of the way of love--but the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of man. The Christian hope is the confidence that it is better to stake one's life on God than to believe the world. (Colossians 1 - William Barclay's Daily Study Bible) See Related Posts... Christ Jesus Our Hope Are You Looking for the Blessed Hope? The Blessed Hope: Part 1 The Blessed Hope: Part 2 Maranatha A Maranatha Mindset Thoughts on a "Maranatha Mindset" Laid up (606) (apokeimai from apó = from, away + keímai = to lie, to be laid up, to set away) means to put something away for safekeeping, to store away in a place for preservation (secular usage referred to money laid up or hidden). In the present verse laid up speaks of the the totality of glorious, eternal, blessing that awaits each believer in the life to come.
Colossenses 1:5
Moule adds that "The hope is “laid up” there, because He who is its Essence (1 Timothy 1:1; cp. below Colossians 1:27) is there, “sitting at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1); and our final enjoyment of it, whatever the details of locality may prove to be, whatever e.g. be the destiny of this earth with regard to the abode of the Blessed, will take place under the full manifestation of His presence in heavenly glory. See our Lord’s own words, Matthew 6:20-21; Luke 12:34; Luke 18:22; John 14:3; John 17:24. (Colossians 1 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) C H Spurgeon in a sermon on hope says that "Our hope ... is special, because it is a hope which is laid up for us in heaven, a hope therefore which the worldlings cares not one whit about. He hopes that tomorrow may be as this day and yet more abundant, but he cares nothing for the land where time has ceased to flow. He hopes for riches or he hopes for fame; he hopes for long life and prosperity; he hopes for pleasure and domestic peace; the whole range of his hope is within the compass of his eye. But our hope has passed beyond the sphere of sight, according to the word of the apostle, "What a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." Ours is a hope which demands nothing of time or earth but seeks its all in the world to come...Cultivate, then, your hope, dearly beloved. Make it to shine so plainly in you that your minister may hear of your hopefulness and joy; cause observers to take note of it because you speak of heaven and act as though you really expected to go there. Make the world know that you have a hope of heaven. Make worldlings feel that you are a believer in eternal glory and that you hope to be where Jesus is. Often surprise them as they see what they call your simplicity, but what is in truth only your sincerity, while you treat as matter of fact the hope laid up for you in heaven. The Lord grant it for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." In Spurgeon's exposition he writes "As we read these words (Col 1:1-14), we cannot help noticing how positively the apostle speaks. There are no “hope so’s,” “trust so’s,” and “ifs,” and “buts”; but it, is all, “it is so,” and “it is so.” And, beloved brethren, concerning eternal matters, nothing but certainties will suffice for us. Allow uncertainties about your estates if you will, but we must have positive assurance concerning eternal things; and nothing short of this ought to content our spirits. Can we all say, as we listen to these words, “God hath delivered us from the power of darkness; he hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”?"