Wednesday in the Word

what the Bible means and how we know

Colossians

Who was Paul?

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Who was Paul? | WednesdayintheWord.com

Who is Paul in the New Testament?

Paul (Hebrew name: Saul) was an apostle of Jesus Christ and the author of most of the New Testament.

His Roman name is Paul and his Jewish name was Saul. When we first meet him in Scripture, he is referred to as Saul. Acts 13:9 describes the apostle as “Saul, who was also called Paul.”  From then on, Saul is referred to as Paul.

Paul was a Jew born in Tarsus in the Roman province of Cilicia (Acts 22:3).

Paul was a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 22:28).

We know nothing of his parents, but Paul’s sister and his sister’s son (Acts 23:16) are mentioned in Scripture.

He was from the tribe of Benjamin and trained as a Pharisee in Jerusalem under the ranking rabbi of the time Gamaliel (Phil 3:4-6; Acts 22:3).

Like all young Jewish men, he learned a trade: tent-making (Acts 18:3), a trade which was common in Tarsus.

With the support of the Sanhedrin, Paul persecuted Christians, imprisoning men and women alike (Acts 8:3; Acts 9:1-2; Acts 26:10-11; Galatians 1:13; 1 Timothy 1:13).

Paul was present at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58).

As Paul traveled from Jerusalem to Damascus to hunt down Jewish Christians (Acts 8:1-3), he met the risen Lord and converted to Christianity (Acts 9).

At Paul’s conversion, Jesus told Paul that Paul would be his messenger to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Acts 26:15-18; Galatians 1:11-16).

After his conversion Paul spent some time in Arabia, probably being taught by the Risen Lord Jesus (Gal 1:15-21).

Eventually Barnabas brought Paul to Antioch (Acts 11:19-29) to help with the newly formed church there.

Paul made three missionary journeys in which in converted many Gentiles and started many churches.

Paul was imprisoned twice in Rome. The first time he was released (approximately 63 AD). The second ended with his execution (approximately 66 AD).

Chronology of Paul

Paul’s Missionary Journeys (Map & Chart)

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Paul in Scripture

Act 13:9; Act 13:13; Act 13:16; Act 13:43; Act 13:45; Act 13:46; Act 13:50; Act 14:9; Act 14:11; Act 14:12; Act 14:14; Act 14:19; Act 15:2; Act 15:12; Act 15:22; Act 15:25; Act 15:35; Act 15:36; Act 15:38; Act 15:40; Act 16:1; Act 16:3; Act 16:9; Act 16:10; Act 16:14; Act 16:17; Act 16:18; Act 16:19; Act 16:25; Act 16:28; Act 16:29; Act 16:36; Act 16:37; Act 17:2; Act 17:4; Act 17:10; Act 17:13; Act 17:14; Act 17:15; Act 17:16; Act 17:22; Act 17:33; Act 18:1; Act 18:5; Act 18:8; Act 18:9; Act 18:12; Act 18:14; Act 18:18; Act 19:1; Act 19:4; Act 19:6; Act 19:11; Act 19:13; Act 19:15; Act 19:21; Act 19:26; Act 19:29; Act 19:30; Act 20:1; Act 20:7; Act 20:9; Act 20:10; Act 20:11; Act 20:13; Act 20:16; Act 20:37; Act 21:4; Act 21:11; Act 21:13; Act 21:18; Act 21:26; Act 21:29; Act 21:30; Act 21:32; Act 21:37; Act 21:39; Act 21:40; Act 22:25; Act 22:28; Act 22:29; Act 22:30; Act 23:1; Act 23:3; Act 23:5; Act 23:6; Act 23:10; Act 23:12; Act 23:14; Act 23:16; Act 23:17; Act 23:18; Act 23:20; Act 23:24; Act 23:31; Act 23:33; Act 24:1; Act 24:10; Act 24:24; Act 24:26; Act 24:27; Act 25:2; Act 25:3; Act 25:4; Act 25:6; Act 25:8; Act 25:9; Act 25:10; Act 25:14; Act 25:19; Act 25:21; Act 25:23; Act 26:1; Act 26:24; Act 26:25; Act 26:28; Act 26:29; Act 27:1; Act 27:3; Act 27:9; Act 27:11; Act 27:21; Act 27:24; Act 27:31; Act 27:33; Act 27:43; Act 28:3; Act 28:8; Act 28:15; Act 28:16; Act 28:25; Rom 1:1; 1Co 1:1; 1Co 1:12; 1Co 1:13; 1Co 3:4; 1Co 3:5; 1Co 3:22; 1Co 16:21; 2Co 1:1; 2Co 10:1; Gal 1:1; Gal 5:2; Eph 1:1; Eph 3:1; Php 1:1; Col 1:1; Col 1:23; Col 4:18; 1Th 1:1; 1Th 2:18; 2Th 1:1; 2Th 3:17; 1Ti 1:1; 2Ti 1:1; Tit 1:1; Phm 1:1; Phm 1:9; Phm 1:19; 2Pe 3:15.

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3 Accounts of Paul’s conversion

  • Acts 9:1-18 – as it occurred
  • Acts 22:6-16 – reviewed before the mob at Jerusalem
  • Acts 26:12-19 – reviewed before King Agrippa
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Paul’s recorded sermons

  • Acts 13:16-41 – First recorded sermon at Antioch in Pisidia
  • Acts 17:22-34 – Sermon at Mars Hill in Athens, Greece
  • Acts 20:13-28 – Address to Ephesian Elders at Miletus
  • Acts 21:37-22:29 – Stairway address in Jerusalem
  • Acts 24:1-23 – Defense before Felix at Caesarea
  • Acts 24:24-27 – Address before Felix & Drusilla at Caesarea
  • Acts 26:1-28 – Address before Felix, King Agrippa & Bernice at Caesarea
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Sufferings of Paul

Soon after his conversion, the Lord told Paul he would suffer for the sake of the gospel (Acts 9:15-16).

  • Paul’s record of his sufferings: 1Cor 15:30-32; 2Cor 4:7-18; 2Cor 6:3-10; 2Cor 11:23-28; 2Cor 12:5-10; Gal 5:11; Gal 6:7; 2Tim 3:10-11;
  • Jewish opposition to Paul: Acts 9:23; Acts 9:29; Acts 13:50; Acts 14:5; Acts 14:19; Acts 17:5; Acts 17:13; Acts 18:12; Acts 21:31; Acts 23:12-13; Acts 25:3.
  • Gentile opposition to Paul: Acts 14:1; Acts 18:9 Acts 19:23; Acts 16:9; Acts 18:13; Acts 19:23

Sufferings recorded in Acts

  • Acts 9:23 – His life was threatened in Damascus.
  • Acts 9:29 – life threatened in Jerusalem
  • Acts 13:50 – persecuted and run out of Antioch in Pisida
  • Acts 14:5 – faced stoning at Iconium
  • Acts 14:19 – stoned and left for dead in Lystra
  • Acts 16:23 – beaten with rods and imprisoned at Philippi
  • Acts 17:5-10 – life threatened in Thessalonica
  • Acts 17:13-14 – forced out of Berea
  • Acts 17:18 – mocked in Athens
  • Acts 18:12 – taken before the judgment seat in Corinth
  • Acts 19:23-41 – opposed by silversmiths in Ephesus
  • Acts 20:3 – Jews plot against him in Greece
  • Acts 21:27-30 – mob in Jerusalem seeks to kill him
  • Acts 22:24-29 – arrested by the Romans and barely escapes being scourged
  • Acts 23:7-11 – rescued from the mob
  • Acts 23:12-22 – plot to assassinate him
  • Acts 23:33-27:2 – imprisonment in Caesarea
  • Acts 27:39-28:1 – shipwreck on Melita
  • Acts 28:3-5 – suffered a snake bite
  • Acts 28:16 – First Roman imprisonment begins
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Paul’s visits to Jerusalem

  1. First visit – After he left Damascus and stayed with Peter 15 days (Acts 9:26-30: Galatians 1:18-20).
  2. Second visit – To bring famine relief to Jerusalem (Acts 11:27-30; Galatians 2:1-10).
  3. Third visit – To attend the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1-29; Galatians 2:1-10).
  4. Fourth visit – at the end of his second missionary journey (Acts 18:22).
  5. Fifth visit – His final visit resulted in his arrest and put in prison in Caesara (Acts 12:15 to Acts 23:35).
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Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Paul

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary: Paul the Apostle

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary: Paul

Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Paul

Fausset Bible Dictionary: Paul

Holman Bible Dictionary: Paul

Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible: Paul the Apostle

Kitto’s Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature: Paul

Morrish Bible Dictionary: Paul

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Paul, the Apostle

McClintock and Strong: Paul

The Nuttall Encyclopedia: Paul

The Jewish Encyclopedia:

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10 Colossians 4:2-18 Continue in Prayer

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10 Colossians 4:2-18 Continue in Prayer | WednesdayintheWord.com

It’s easy to approach a verse like Colossians 4:2 with a particular theology of how prayer works and leave with that theology reinforced.  Since Paul is not specific about what he’s asking them to do, Bible students fill in the gaps with their own theology.  The challenge is let the overall context and theme of this letter inform our understanding of 4:2.

Review

Paul is writing to a church on the verge of believing a legalistic gospel.  This legalistic gospel claims we must practice certain practices to maintain our favor with God.

In Colossians 1, Paul encouraged the Colossians to flee from these “teachings of men” and to remain true to the apostolic gospel: namely that we are saved by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.  He began his main point in Colossians 2:

I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. – Colossians 2:4

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, – Colossians 2:6

In Colossians 3, through a series of exhortations he gave examples of  how belief makes a difference in our lives.  Colossians 4 is Paul’s conclusion.

Primer on prayer

The Parable of the widow and the unjust judge asks the question will we pray?  Or will we give up?

1And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.  2He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.  3And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’  4For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,  5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”  6And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.  7And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?  8I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”  – Luke 18:1-8

This parable is often misunderstood as saying: if I really want something from God, I need to keep going back until I wear him out.  Rather the point is:  If it made sense for the widow to keep turning to an unjust judge, how much more sense does it make for God’s people to keep seeking Him knowing that He is just and good and loving? Of course the Lord won’t turn away from the cries of His chosen ones.  Thus we ought to keep praying and not lose heart.

In a similar close in 1 Thessalonians, the emphasis is rejoice, pray and give thanks in every kind of circumstance, knowing that God has a plan and a purpose for them.

15See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.  16Rejoice always,  17pray without ceasing,  18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1Thessalonians 5:15-18

The admonition then is not go through the motions of prayer as much as you can and as often as you can. The admonition is to rejoice, pray and be grateful in all kinds of situations: the highs and lows; the tragedies and the triumphs.

Passage

Paul is writing to people on the verge of turning to a false gospel.  Throughout the letter he has been encouraging them to remain faithful and cling to the truth.  We would expect his summary to reflect that theme.

2Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.  3At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—  4that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.  5Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.  6Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.  – Colossians 4:2-6

  • The admonition in 4:2 is to continue to trust and turn to God in the sense of persevere (not in the sense of spend 10 hours instead of 1 hour).
  • “Being watchful” in the sense of stay awake because you know the thief is coming in the night (Luke 12:35-40).  Don’t get distracted by the cares of this world.
  • Prayer is not something we do to entice or manipulate God into acting.  That kind of thinking is appealing to us because we want to be in control.
  • We ought to pour out our hearts to God in prayer with an attitude of humble acceptance of His answer whatever it is.
  • Walk in wisdom (4:5) as opposed to folly. Likewise, speak with an understanding of grace (4:6)  Live your life with a clear understanding of the hope of the gospel and resist the temptation to fit in.

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

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Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

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09 Colossians 3:18-4:1 Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

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09 Colossians 3:18-4:1 Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ | WednesdayintheWord.com

Review

Paul is writing to a church on the verge of believing a legalistic gospel which claims you must practice certain practices to maintain your favor with God.  Paul has been encouraging them to remain true to the gospel taught by Jesus: namely that you are saved by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.

In this series of exhortations, Paul explains how belief in the gospel changes how you act in three pairs of relationships: wives/husbands, children/parents and slaves/masters.

Passage

3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.  19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.  20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.  21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.  22Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.  23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,  24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.  25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.  4:1Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.  – Colossians 3:16-4:1
  • Colossians 3:17 is the context for 3:18 through 4:1.  How should we speak and act? We are do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.
  • “in the name of” generally means to act in the place of another.  When a policeman knocks on a door and says “open up in the name of the law”, he is asking you to respond to him as a representative of the law. He is acting as an officer of the law, not a public citizen.  He is acting in the name of the law.
  • Paul gives three pairs of relationships where one side has a measure of authority over the other.  In each case he calls upon us to realize we are under the mastery of God.  Whether we are the one with a measure of authority or the one called to submit, we are to act in the name of the Lord.
3:18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. – Colossians 3:18-19
  • Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”  – Genesis 2:18
  • Husband headship is the biblical concept that God assigned the husband responsibility for the marriage and resulting family.
  • Being a Helper is recognizing who is responsible and granting him the freedom to follow his conscience.
  • We are all equally sinful, equally saved and equally gifted.  But we have different roles to play in the body of Christ.
  • Love is a decision to look out for what’s best for someone else.
3:20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. – Colossians 3:20-21
  • The natural tendency is for children to deal with their parents with the goal of getting away with as much as they can.
  • Instead children need to recognize that God gave their parents a responsibility for their welfare and they need to grant their parents the freedom to exercise it.
  • Parents ought to exercise their responsibility knowing they are obligated before God to seek what is best for their children.
3:22Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.  23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,  24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.  25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.  4:1Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. – Colossians 3:22-4:1
  • Paul neither condones nor condemns slavery.  Rather he recognizes it as a fact of their lives and explains how to respond in that situation.
  • Despite the fact that there was no cultural expectation for the master/slave relationship to be characterized by respect or love, Paul says God obligates them to act with respect and love.
  • There is a judgment coming that will ask the bigger question of: Did I seek to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is no partiality in that judgment.

Summary

The overarching theme in this section is to live all our relationships as bond servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing ultimately we serve him.  The challenge is to resist the tendency to “win.”  Instead we are to recognize God has a higher prior claim on our lives and seek to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ — in whatever situation we find ourselves.

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

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Previous: 08 Colossians 3:8-17 Real Gospel Change

Series: Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right

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Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

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08 Colossians 3:8-17 Real Gospel Change

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08 Colossians 3:8-17 Real Gospel Change | WednesdayintheWord.com

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector from Luke 18 captures the main point of Colossians 3:8-17.

18:9  He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:  10″Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’  13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  –Luke 18:9-14
  • The Pharisee stands by himself to keep himself clean.  The tax collector stands by himself because he considers himself unworthy to approach the temple.
  • The Pharisee prayers the prayer of the “religiously superior.” By contrast the tax collector begs for his sins to be covered.
  • The Pharisee counts on his ability to keep the law while the tax collector counts on the mercy of God.
  • The Pharisee went home as empty as he came. The tax collector went home justified.
  • Paul sounds the same warning in Colossians 3:  Don’t trust in your law-keeping; trust in the blood of Christ and the hope of the gospel. Then you’ll see real change.

Review

The Colossians have been listening to false teachers who insist keeping a set of rituals is required to be pleasing to God. In response, Paul has mounted a 2-prong attack:

  1. He explains that teaching is wrong because rules and rituals only curb outward behavior.  They do nothing to change our guilt and sin.
  2. He insists that the cross of Christ is the only real solution to guilt and sin, because Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin, justifying us and reconciling us with God.

In addition, Paul argues that the gospel changes my lifestyle because the gospel gives me: 1) the right goal, 2) the right perspective and 3) the power to change through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Passage

3:5Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  6On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices  10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  11Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.  12Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,  13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  – Colossians 3:5-17
  • The first list in 3:5 deals with desire. This second list in 3:8 deals with the way we relate to each other, particularly the things we say.
  • The list in 3:5 concerns loving God with all my heart.  The list in 3:8 concerns loving my neighbor as myself.
  • Outward behavior changes as a results of the produced inside us by the work of the Holy Spirit.
  • What is it that is new about the new man?  A new true knowledge, a new understanding.
  • When it comes to salvation, all of us start with the same problem (sin) and all of us need the same solution (grace through the blood of Jesus).
  • God’s love is an active reaching out to do good for us, not warm fuzzy feelings.  We are called to show that same kind of self-sacrificing love to others.
  • When you are faced with a choice on how to act and how to treat someone, let the peace of Christ cast the deciding vote.
  • Let the word of Christ inform everything you do.
For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Next: 09 Colossians 3:18-4:1 Do All in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

Previous: 07 Colossians 3:1-7 Set your mind on the things above

Series: Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right

Study: Colossians Resources

Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

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07 Colossians 3:1-7 Set your mind on the things above

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07 Colossians 3:1-7 Set your mind on the things above | WednesdayintheWord.com

Colossians 3:1-7 underscores the importance of good Bible study methodology.  One of the most common mistakes in interpreting the Bible is riffing on a particular word or phrase at the expense of context.  One of my mentors explained it with this analogy I call “think twice.”

Review

A false teaching had crept into the Colossian church.  In chapter 1, Paul expressed gratitude for the evidence of faith in the Colossian church.  He prayed that they would grow in spiritual wisdom —  specifically, that they would fully understand that the way to know God is through Jesus Christ and only through Jesus Christ.

Then in 2:4 he begin his main point which can be summarized by:  “Col 2:6  Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.”  He urged them to continue believing the gospel that saved them.

In 2:16-23, Paul argues that faith in Christ is fundamentally incompatible with their rituals for two reasons:

  1. Religions rituals hold out the promise of being the way to please God but in fact they are not, because they do nothing to change who I am on the inside.  They only change my outward behavior.
  2. Christ is the real solution to the problem of my guilt and sin, because his death on the cross solves both the problem of my guilt and my slavery to sin.

Context

  • “seek the things that are above” in contrast to  “being deluded with plausible arguments” (2:4)
  • “set your minds on the things above” in contrast to “being taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit” (2:8)
  • “put to death what is earthly in you” in contrast to “submitting to regulations ” (2:20) and “human precepts and teachings” (2:22)
  • This letter is NOT a letter to Christians teaching them how to find power over sin.
  • This a letter to people who are torn between conflicting ideas about what the gospel involves.

Passage

1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  4When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  – Colossians 3:1-4

  • Like a seed buried in the ground has died in a sense and is waiting to bloom into full maturity, believers have metaphorically died and been raised with Christ. Paul urges us focus on and embrace that truth.  Don’t focus on the things of this world (like rituals, rules and regulations), focus on the hope of the gospel and the glory to come.

5Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  6On account of these the wrath of God is coming.  7In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.  8But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.  9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. – Colossians 3:5-10

  • Understanding the gospel gives me a hierarchy of values and desires find their place in God’s scheme of things.  There are times and places when the fulfillment of my desires is right and appropriate.  There are times and places when fulfilling my desires is sinful. Sexuality is the case in point.
  • God intended sexuality for marriage;  He intended it to be a way of communicating a permanent, secure, self-sacrificing commitment between a man and a woman; He intended it for the raising of children; and He intended it for intimacy and the commitment of making 2 lives into 1.
  • When I use my sexuality in ways God did not intend, I am lying.  I using the language of sexuality to mean something that it does not mean.
  • “covetousness which is idolatry” (3:5) = covetousness is a lie that says God is not enough.  It says the hope God is offering is not enough.  I must have this other thing.
  • The point of Christianity is NOT how do I make this world work now or make this world a better place.
  • The point is where am I going to spend eternity and how do I know?

Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.

Next: 08 Colossians 3:8-17 Real Gospel Change

Previous: 06 Colossians 2:16-23 Passing Judgment

Series: Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right

Study: Colossians Resources

Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

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06 Colossians 2:16-23 Passing Judgment

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06 Colossians 2:16-23 Passing Judgment | WednesdayintheWord.com

The story of the woman and the pharisee from the gospel of Luke illustrates the essential point of Colossians 2:16-23.

7:36  One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.  37And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,  38and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.  39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”  40And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”  41″A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  42When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”  43Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”  44Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.  46You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.  47Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven–for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”  48And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  49Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” – Luke 7:36-50
  • Contrast the Pharisee with the woman. She was most likely a prostitute, a woman with no social standing and most likely no education. He was one of the scholarly community leaders, steeped in the knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures. She was a public law-breaker while the Pharisee kept the Old Testament law with exacting precision.
  • Yet, she counted on the mercy and work of Jesus for her salvation and wept at his feet knowing her own unworthiness. The Pharisee counted on his ability to keep the rules. He sat at the other end of the table impressing Jesus with his disciplinary practices.
  • The woman left forgiven.  The Pharisee did not.
  • In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul makes the same contrast: setting faith in Christ in opposition to a set of religious disciplines.

Review

In chapter 1 which is Paul’s introduction to the letter, he expressed his gratitude for the evidence of faith in the Colossian church and he prayed that they would grow in spiritual wisdom. Specifically, that they would fully understand that the way to know God is through Jesus Christ and only through Jesus Christ.

Then in 2:4 he begin his main point: Col 2:4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments; and Col 2:6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,

He urged them to continue believing the gospel that saved them. They came to faith by believing that they are saved by grace through faith in the blood of Christ and he urged them not to turn away from that.

Overview

The Colossians have started to listen to what Paul has called the “teachings and commandments of men”. We don’t know exactly what those issues are but we get our first solid clues in this section:

  • Col 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
  • Col 2:18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
  • Col 2:21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch”

The theology which Paul sees as in opposition to the gospel emphasizes participation in a some set of religious practices. He argues that faith in Christ is fundamentally incompatible with their rituals for two reasons:

  1. Religions rituals hold out the promise of being the way to please God because they curb my outward behavior.  But in fact they offer an empty promise because they do nothing to solve the problem of my guilt and sin. (Remember the woaman and the pharisee from Luke 7.)
  2. The cross of Christ is the only real solution to the problem of my guilt and sin.

Passage

2:16  Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19  and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. 20If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations–  21″Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch”  22(referring to things that all perish as they are used)–according to human precepts and teachings?  23These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. – Colossians 2:16-23
  • vs 17: “the substance belongs to Christ” – Christ is the body which casts a shadow on the ground. The shadow we see on the ground is not the real person.  The person is the reality; the shadow is a reflection of the reality.
  • This self-deceived, self-deluded person described in 2:18-19 is convinced he knows what the religious life should look like but in fact this person is abandoned the gospel Jesus taught (not holding fast to the head).
  • The false teachers are worldly in the sense that their teachings and practices are focused on the here and now, the things of this world.  Yet saving faith is not to be found in the practices of this world.  (Think again to the woman and the pharisee in Luke 7.)
  • Limiting what you eat or practicing specific rituals as an effort to prove yourself a spiritual person or show yourself worthy to God is foolishness. It misses what Christ came to do for you.
For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

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Series: Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right

Study: Colossians Resources

Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

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05 Colossians 2:4-15 The Work of our Hands

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05 Colossians 2:4-15 The Work of our Hands | WednesdayintheWord.com

Review

Colossians 1:1-12 – Paul prays that they would be filled the wisdom and spiritual knowledge such that the hope of the gospel would change their lives now.

Colossians 1:13-23 – Paul argues that Jesus Christ is absolutely central to the gospel.  Essentially, Paul claims you cannot seek God and avoid Christ.

Colossians 1:24-2:3 – Paul reminds them that he suffers to make the word of God fully known and to present every believer mature in Christ he urges them to hold fast to the gospel they first believed.

In 2:4 then he starts main point of this letter: He is writing to warn them because he’s heard they are being deceived by a false gospel.

Passage

2:4  I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.  5For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.  6Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,  7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. – Colossians 2:4-7

Key Phrases:

  •  “let no one delude you with persuasive argument” (2:4)
  • “as you have received Christ (2:6)”
  • “just as you were taught (vs 7)”
  • “walk” (2:6) in Paul’s usage typically refers to living your life in such a way that it is clear what governs you.

The emphasis is on remaining true to the original gospel proclaimed by Jesus through the apostles to you.

The Spirit produces understanding, understanding produces hope and hope produces gratitude.  To reach the end of that chain is understand the gospel, hold fast to the gospel you first believed.

8See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,  10and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. – Colossians 2:8-10

Key Phrases:

  • “takes you captive” (2:8) – the image is like pirates raiding and looting and collecting spoils.
  • “through philosophy and empty deception” (2:8) – to understand this phrase consider its opposite: Scripture. Why does does “philosophy and empty deception” sound so wise? It reaches a conclusion that I want to be true.
  • “to the elementary principles of the world” (2:8) – the basic building blocks of life, the initial starting point; like elementary school is the starting point of education.
  • “in him the whole fullness of deity dwells” (2:9) – Everything you need to know about God is found in Christ; restatement of Colossians 1:13-23
  • “and you have been filled in him” (2:10) – the full solution to our biggest problem is found in Christ and no where else.

Why does does “philosophy and empty deception” sound so wise? It reaches a conclusion that I want to be true.

2:11In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,  12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.  13And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  15He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. – Colossians 2:11-15
  • The overall idea in 2:11-15 is that Christ’s death on the cross legally frees us from guilt and makes us spiritually alive.  We are dead in our sins, guilty and cut off from God.
  • What is the solution? Nothing made with human hands. Jesus’ literal physical death and resurrection is the solution to my problem of spiritual death.

Conclusion

Having been saved by grace through faith, the Colossians are now tempted to go back to a system of rituals, rules and regulations (works done with human hands).

The Old Testament Prophet Haggai faced a similar situation.  The Jews who returned to Jerusalem are rebuilding the temple.  They are tempted to think their obedience guarantees God’s blessings.  God speaks to Haggai to correct that theology.

2:11  “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law:  12’If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'” The priests answered and said, “No.”  13Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.”  14Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. – Haggai 2:11-14
  • Disease (not health) is contagious.  Dirt (not cleanliness) spreads. “So it is with this people.”  We are dirty and there only one thing we can touch to get clean.
  • As Jesus is hurrying to heal a sick child (Mark 5:21-35), there is a woman in the crowd stricken with a disease that makes her bleed continuously.  Her illness not only made her anemic and sick, it made her an unclean, outcast who was prohibited from taking part in the life of the community.  In desperation, she touches the hem of Jesus’ robe.
  • What should happen? Dirt should win; disease is contagious.  Yet, in this case, health wins.  She is healed and Jesus tells her that her faith has saved her (Mark 5:34).
  • Performing an external ritual with human hands does not change my sinful heart.  The only way to be made clean is through the blood of Christ.  “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. “
For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Next: 06 Colossians 2:16-23 Passing Judgment

Previous: 04 Colossians 1:24-2:3 Riches of Assurance

Series: Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right

Study: Colossians Resources

Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

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04 Colossians 1:24-2:3 Riches of Assurance

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04 Colossians 1:24-2:3 Riches of Assurance | WednesdayintheWord.com

Paul is laboring to nurture a strong mature faith among his readers. He struggles to make the truth of the gospel crystal clear so that our understanding reaches settled conviction and full assurance such we have the courage to follow Jesus no matter what.

Review

Paul has prayed that his readers would grow in spiritual wisdom and understanding such that they would be grateful in the midst of hardships.  Specifically what they need to understand is that Jesus is the visible representation of the invisible God to all of creation.  He concludes that they stand to benefit from the work of Christ ONLY if they persevere in genuine faith. Choosing to follow Jesus is a choice to forsake other philosophies and other worldviews.

Passage

1:24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,  26the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.  27To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  28Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.  29For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. 2:1For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,  2that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. – Colossians 1:24-2:3

Paul’s Sufferings

Paul was arrested for preaching that the Gentiles can also be saved through Christ (Acts 22).  He is urging them to remember what’s at stake in the gospel and hoping his suffering will not be in vain because they have turned away.  What has he suffered?

2Cor 11:24  Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.  25Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;  26on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;  27in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.  – 2 Corinthians 11:24-28

Paul “fills up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” in the sense that he carries on the work that Christ began.

Matt 5:11  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  – Matthew 5:11-12
Matt 10:22  and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24″A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  – Matthew 10:22-24

Specifically Paul suffers because he preached that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs of the gospel.

Paul sees his job as not “reach, preach and leave”. He sees his job as to present every person complete in Christ, such all his hearers embrace the gospel such that they persevere to the end.

Conclusion

Ultimately the challenge of this passage is not how have you suffered for Christ.  Rather it is have you fully understood the hope of the gospel?

  • Col 1:9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
  • Col 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
  • Col 1:25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
  • Col 1:28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
  • Col 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,
  • Col 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

SoundTheology
Peanuts Cartoon by Charles M Schulz

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Previous: 03 Colossians 1:13-23 You can not seek God and avoid Christ

Series: Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right

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Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

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03 Colossians 1:13-23 You cannot seek God and avoid Christ

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03 Colossians 1:13-23 You cannot seek God and avoid Christ | WednesdayintheWord.com

In December 2015, Dr. Larycia Hawkins a tenured professor at Wheaton college began wearing the traditional Islamic headscarf. She explained her actions in a Facebook post:

“I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.” – see Christianity Today: Wheaton College Suspends Hijab-Wearing Professor After ‘Same God’ Comment and Joint Statement by Wheaton College and Dr. Larycia Hawkins Announcing a Resolution.

Not surprisingly, her explanation sparked some debate in the Christian community.  While I can’t pretend to settle that debate, I think Colossians 1:13-23 speaks to the questions her explanation raised.

In this section, Paul argues that Jesus Christ is absolutely central to the gospel.  Essentially, Paul claims you can not seek God and avoid Christ.

Review

The Colossian church was in danger of believing a false gospel and Paul is writing to correct them.

In Paul’s opening prayer, he emphasized the life-changing hope believers have in the gospel. Continuing that theme, Paul claims that we have this hope only because of Jesus Christ.  All that we can know of God is know through Jesus and all of creation falls under Jesus’ authority.

We ought to take Paul’s claims seriously because idolatry is not just worshiping a false God; idolatry is also worshiping a false idea of the true God (Exodus 32).

Passage

1:11  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light 13He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,  14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. – Colossians 1:11-15
  • “image of the invisible God” – When I look at the visible man Jesus, I can see and learn what I need to know about the invisible God.
  • Compare with John 14:8-10 
  • “firstborn of all creation” – The first-born had the authority to speak for the father in the father’s absence.  In all of creation idea there is no one higher than Jesus.
1:16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.  17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,  20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.  21And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,  22he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,  23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. – Colossians 1:16-23
  • Jesus Christ has priority in every way. Everything in creation — every throne, every power, every authority both visible and invisible — falls under the authority given to Jesus.
  • Jesus is the visible manifestation of everything I need to know about God. You cannot seek God and avoid Christ.
  • The Colossians were trying to define the gospel without Christ. But, you can not seek God and avoid Christ.
  • Search creation high and low for the meaning of life and you will find it only in Jesus.  All this reconciliation and life-changing hope is yours IF you continue believing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

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Previous: 02 Colossians 1:3-12 Life Changing Hope

Series: Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right

Study: Colossians Resources

Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

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02 Colossians 1:3-12 Life-Changing Hope

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02 Colossians 1:3-12 Life-Changing Hope | WednesdayintheWord.com

Review

Paul wrote this letter late in his life from a Roman prison the church at Colossae.  He never visited this church, but he has heard from Epaphras that the Colossians were on the verge of believing a false gospel.  In Colossians 1:3-12, Paul introduces one of the main themes of the letter: hope.

Passage

1:3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,  4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,  5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,  6which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing–as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,  7just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf   8and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. – Colossians 1:3-8

Paul starts by focusing their attention on what God has done for them.  Paul is thankful for what God has done in the Colossian church to bring about their faith and salvation through Jesus Christ which has resulted in their faith and love of their fellow believers. What has transformed their thinking and who they identify as their people is the hope which results from understanding and believing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Life-changing Hope

What I hope for ought to change the way I live my life now. For example, imagine I told you that right now something wonderful was waiting for you at home.  Let’s say it’s a lottery ticket worth millions of dollars that will allow you the resources to pay for some desperately needed medical treatment, quit a job of drudgery and pursue your dreams and pay off all your college loans?  The ticket to solve all your problems is there right now, waiting for you right now.  You’ll receive it as soon as your drive home.

All of a sudden your experience here would be transformed. Life would look a whole letter better. Your spirits would be lifted, your outlook on today would change and problems that seemed so large and overwhelming would be trivial.  That hope would change you from this moment forward even though you don’t have the tangible object now.

This is how the hope of the gospel changes us.

Paul prays that they would be filled the wisdom and spiritual knowledge such that the hope of the gospel would change their lives now.

1:9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  11May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,  12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. – Colossians 1:9-12
  • There is a sense in which Paul wants God to bring all believers to a mature faith.  However, this group is starting to embrace ideas counter to the gospel.  He is praying this in contrast to what he fears is happening among them.
  • What Paul wants for them is what we ought to want for ourselves.
  • He wants more than anything for God to strengthen their faith, to give them understanding, to teach them what’s truly important and give them the strength to persevere in life; to understand and be grateful for what God is doing now and joyously look forward to the hope before them.
For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Next: 03 Colossians 1:13-23 You can not seek God and avoid Christ

Previous: 01 Introduction to Colossians 1:1-2

Series: Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right

Study: Colossians Resources

Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

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