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COLOSSIANS - Christ in you, the hope of glory!
Studies in the Letter of Paul to the Colossians
Part 1 - The Foundations of Christian Faith (Colossians 1:1-29)
2. The prayer of thanksgiving of Paul and his co-workers for the church in Colosse (Colossians 1:3-8)
The group surrounding Paul gave thanks to the Father of Jesus Christ for three main things in the church at Colosse: for their faith in Jesus Christ, for their burning love in the Holy Spirit, and finally, for their certain Hope of eternal life.
The Right Faith
Faith in a crucified Jewish man was hazardous business in the Roman Empire, for, according to Roman law, crucifixion was only intended for foreign criminals or runaway slaves. Therefore, their faith in the crucified Lamb of God, as well as their justification from all their sins on the basis of His death of proxy, amounted to a provocative miracle of the grace of God. The multi-cultured Hellenic society had little idea of the holiness of God or of His merciful love. They also did not possess knowledge of the judicial demand for capital punishment, required for each and every sinner, or of the possibility of propitiatory sacrifice through the sinless Jesus. The power of the grace of God, however, had begun planting exactly this faith in the hearts and minds of Greeks and Romans. Therefore, Paul and his prayer fellowship thanked the Father of Jesus Christ for the breakthrough of this merciful and gracious recognition.
True Love
When love was spoken of in the Hellenic-Greek World, the first thought was of “eros”, an emotional and sexually oriented love, or one wrote in the sense of “phile”, an honour for persons of high-standing. There was, in addition, the love of wisdom, or philosophy. Few there were who had knowledge of “agape”, designating a selfless, sacrificial love. When wanting to speak of the love of God, the love of Christ, or the love toward enemies, one was forced to choose the term agape, for only this word could describe the depth and holiness of this love.
The prayer group surrounding Paul was impressed with the sacrificial and selfless love of the Colossians. Those praying knew that this virtue did not arise within the new believers of itself, but that it was a gift of heaven, just as Paul wrote to the Romans: “because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5b). This gift of God in the followers of Christ demands our ardent gratitude, for through this love egoists are made compassionate, the over-sensitive learn to bear with others, and those who are well-off come to truly help those who are needy – in deed and not just with words! The church in Colosse had been activated through the dynamic potential of the Holy Spirit.
People long for a large and gracious spiritual family, in which a person can feel at home, where clean air is prevalent, and joy over the love of God pervades. It is here that no lies or hypocritical friendliness can have their place, but rather, where true, unfeigned love dwells. All of this is dependent upon true faith in Jesus, the Saviour and Lord, through whom the fruit of His Spirit can ripen.
For all the Saints
That which specially marked the thankfulness of Paul and his prayer fellowship was their mention of the love the Colossians had for all the saints. In every church there are spiritually mature and spiritually weak personalities. Everyone wants contact with the first group, for those in the second group get easily forgotten or shunned. Whoever tries to make contact with them can often reckon with reproof or biting words. In Colosse, however, the popular, as well as the unpopular, were afforded the same respect and all were treated alike. Those first in the assembly wanted to appear as the least, for they were being encouraged and cared for. Those in leadership did not exalt themselves above the poor and lowly, and the simple-minded did not feel excluded, for they, too, had a voice in the church. The poor were not despised and the rich assisted without much being said.
The words “all the saints” extend far beyond the location of the church in Colosse. This term encompassed the Jewish Christians suffering hunger in Jerusalem, as well as those being persecuted in all sorts of fanatical villages and towns throughout the empire. The Colossians had open ears and sacrificially prepared hearts for the distress of Christ´s followers in the Mediterranean region. They helped mission teams through their prayers and donations and overlooked neither the orphans of deceased Christians nor their widows. Jesus and His apostles, with their great love and service, had become role models for them to follow. Beyond that, all practiced loving their enemies and forgiving those who were ruthless and unfeeling. They did not become bitter when they were mobbed for the sake of their faith, or when they were despised or fired. The love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit had changed and filled their lives.
Prayer: Father, we thank You from our hearts that You continuously allow true faith in Jesus Christ to grow, both here, with us, and in far-away countries. This faith is resulting in sincere and sacrificial love being poured out on both saints and enemies alike. Strengthen our faith and free us from our egotism. Give us a burning love for Christian brothers and sisters suffering trials and persecution. Amen.
Question 13: Where does it say that the love of God has been poured out in our hearts? Is this witness also being reflected in you?