From Sinners to Saints, Colossians 1:1-14

Introduction to Colossians

Paul wrote this letter while in prison in Rome. The city of Colossae was a part of a triad of cities in what is now known as Turkey. It was a great city before the time of the Romans. Under Roman rule the roads and trade routes were changed causing it to lost its influence. Today, the location of Colossae is largely unoccupied. At the time fo Paul’s letter, the city was a predominantly Gentile population, but there was a fairly large Jewish community as a result of the city’s former prominence.

Though Paul is writing to the church in Colossae, the church is not a direct result of his ministry. Epaphras is credited with starting churches in Colossae, Hieropolis, and Laodicea. It’s likely that he was converted under the ministry of Paul in Ephesus, and then took the gospel back to his homeland. As it says in the book of Acts that through Paul’s missionary effort “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord.”

Paul writes the letter as a warning or preventative letter. From the content of the letter it’s apparent that false teaching or heresy was present in and around the Colossian Christians.

There are pagan and Jewish elements to the heresy of Colossae that aimed to pull the believers back into their former way of life. The pagan or Greek aspects of the heresy claim that you need a sort of secret knowledge in addition to Jesus. Some false teachers claim visions as the basis for superior knowledge. Greeks thought that all matter or physical things were evil. As a result, a good God could not have created a world filled with evil. Instead, there must be a descending series of beings that emanated from the divine. These lesser gods were also able to create, and the one who made the world as we know must be far removed from the one who is truly God. In this type of philosophy Jesus is simply one of the higher beings, one of the good ones, like an angel. And the view of Jesus as a good being or angel was in contrast to the lower or bad beings like the demons.

The Colossians heresy denied the deity of Christ and the sufficiency of Christ in salvation. In addition to embracing gnostic or pagan philosophy, the false teachers were also promoting certain practices of Jewish ceremonialism. Again, this teaching denied the sufficiency of Christ and taught the necessity of works, including circumcision, for salvation. The ceremonial requirements included asceticism with the rigid and harsh treatment of the body, along with the continuation of the Jewish dietary laws and the observation of the holy days and festivals.

The central theme of the book of Colossians is that Jesus is greater than Everything.

Jesus > Everything.

According to the book of Colossians Jesus is sufficient, central, supreme, and pre-eminent.

Through our study we will see that Jesus is greater than and rules over all things in creation and in heaven, He is greater than and over all things visible and invisible… and He is greater than and exercises authority over all thrones and dominions- physical and spiritual.

Because Jesus is greater… We will see that the work of Christ through the cross and resurrection is sufficient for our salvation. This means that we don’t need anything or anyone else because He is God, and He died for our sins as a sacrifice so that we might be forgiven.

Because Jesus is greater… we will see that Jesus changes how we live. After we are saved we are called to set our minds on things above, to put to death our sin, to clothe ourselves in the righteousness of Christ, and to do everything as if we are doing it for the Lord. We are called to live in a way that demonstrates that Jesus > everything in our personal lives.

Paul teaches us that God uses us as a witness to the world when we live in a manner worthy of the calling of Christ. He uses our prayer, actions, and words to demonstrate and share the gospel with the watching world around us.

It’s my hope that through our time in this book we will gain a deeper understanding of the truth that Jesus is greater than everything; and develop a practical grasp of what it looks like to live with Christ at the center of your entire life.

I am also praying that as we work through this book, that God will continue to grow us and unify us around the truth that Jesus > everything as a church family.

Let’s read through Colossians 1:1-14, and then we walk through the passage together.

Colossians 1:1–14 (ESV)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 We 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, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 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, 10 so 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; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:1-2

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Paul establishes his authority as an apostle, this means that he is not coming to them on his own. Instead, he is coming to them by the will of God sent by Christ. Paul uses the phrase, “grace to you and peace from God our Father” to frame the authority of his message. He uses this kind of language in all 13 of his NT letters. And as those who are in Christ would know, grace and peace can only come from the Father, just like his authority and message come from the Lord.

The letter has been written to “the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae.”

Paul is not writing to two separate groups. He uses these terms to define and describe his intended audience.

Early in his ministry Paul addressed his letters to the “church.” In his later ministry Paul sends his letters to the “saints.” He has not changed who he is writing his letters too, nor is he denoting that one group is more set apart than another. No, Paul has simply changed the words he uses to give clarity and definition to who we are as Christians. You can see in verse 4 that Paul uses the word “saints” again to refer to those who saved, the church.

The term “saints” refers to the separation or holiness that God expects from His people, and it includes the truth that righteousness is imputed to those who believe because of what Christ has done on our behalf.

The term “faithful” affirms their consistency of faith and hope in the face of false teaching and world of temptation and distraction.

Paul refers to them as saints because their status and relationship with God has changed.

Saints are sinners saved by grace

As Paul writes in verses 3-8,

3 We 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, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

The protestant reformation was a religious and political movement in Europe that began in the early 1500’s. The reformation was a protest of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and from this movement the protestant denominations were born. One of the primary doctrines under protest in the reformation is regarding salvation. The catholic church teaches that faith is necessary for salvation, but that faith alone isn’t enough to be justified before God. The Catholic Church teaches that justification is accomplished through the sacraments. For instance, they teach that you receive justifying grace at baptism, then after you sin you require justification again through the sacrament of penance. According to the Catholic council of Trent, penance is a “second plank” of justification for those who have made a shipwreck of their souls.

Ultimately the catholic church teaches that a person is not really righteous before God until he or she is actually righteous on the inside. This means that they believe and teach that a person is not justified until he or she is sanctified.

It was at the council of Trent that the catholic church determined that the doctrine of salvation by faith alone was “anathema”, which means that it is banned and cursed and unacceptable as a belief inside the church. Those that hold to teachings declared anathema are customarily excommunicated unless they recant and pursue penance.

Side note- We don’t believe in sacraments, because that word means that the act is accomplishing something for us. We believe in ordinances like Baptism and the Lord’s supper because we believe that Christ has accomplished everything for us… the ordinances…

The protestant reformation is the movement born out of protest. And the protest was over the foundational teachings of the gospel. In particular over what the Bible teaches about justification… Luther, Calvin, Melanchthon, Zwingly, Knox, and many others are known as the reformers who protested the catholic teaching on justification and championed the truth of the gospel as revealed in the Bible. Their basis was rooted in passages like this one, and books like this one.

The reformers distinguished their teaching of the gospel and salvation from the Roman Catholic Church with the what became known as the Five Solas.

The reformers claimed that Christians are saved on Scripture alone, in Christ alone, by faith alone, through grace alone, and for the glory of God alone.

The word Sola means “alone” in Latin. The reason they used the word “alone” to accompany their declarations was because the catholic church had added to each one of them. They added to scripture, Christ, faith, and grace… and in doing so had take away from the glory of God and given a portion of it to men and the church.

“The five solas form the nucleus of the evangelical faith. They not only capture the gospel of Jesus Christ and explain how that gospel takes root in the sinner, but they also define where the authority of that gospel resides and to what end that gospel is preached and proclaimed.”

Why bring all that up? Well, for one it’s important that we know what the truth of the gospel is, and we need to know where it’s being distorted. Another reason I bring this up, because the Colossians faced false teaching and significant misunderstandings of the gospel. And, Paul addresses those false teachings by first grounding the Colossians in the truth of the gospel, and second by speaking to the issues themselves. Even in the early portion of his letter, as he gives thanks to God for them, he does so rooted in the truth of who the church is and how God saves.

For instance, Paul prays with thanksgiving because they are saved by their faith in Christ, and they are saved because they heard the word, or the gospel, proclaimed. And, as he says in verse 6, their salvation is the result of the grace of God as they heard and understood the truth.

Paul is thankful for their salvation, but he only knows of their salvation because of what he has heard… he is thankful for the grace of God in their lives that he has heard about in their faithfulness, hope, and love. It is important to note that apart from the grace of God, there would be no salvation.

As sinners we are not capable of discerning the mind and will of God. But, by the grace of God he gives us understanding to the truth of the gospel, and that brings faith in Jesus, repentance of sin, and forgiveness of sins. When God’s grace brings understanding, it comes with evidence and testimony of faith in Jesus Christ and a love for Christ and His church.

Paul had heard of the change that had happened in their lives. They were no longer who they once were. They had been transformed by the power of the gospel when they heard the gospel. They were not saved by their faith, plus something else. They were not saved by the grace of God plus something else… They were not saved by hearing the Word plus something else… They were saved by God, and not by anything they have done in the process.

But, Paul not only prays with thanksgiving for their salvation, he also prays for them as they live and grow in the Lord.

Colossians 1:9-10

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, 10 so 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;

Paul prays this way for them, because not only are saints sinners saved by grace. Saints are called to live in and by the grace of God.

Saints are called to live in the grace of God

As believers in Christ, our understanding of God’s grace grows each day. And everyday we are reminded through our sins that we need Jesus Christ. We are reminded in God’s word that our growth in faith is the result of he knowledge of God’s will.

God’s will is understood through His Word.

If we come to faith in Christ by grace as we understand Scripture, why would we think that we could grow in our faith through experiences and relationships apart from the Word. It’s a regular temptation to grow in your faith apart from the Word, but our experiences are tainted with sin and so are the people we building relationships with.

Christ is the sinless sacrifice that has saved us. He has given us His word for the purpose of understanding his grace, salvation, and his glory. And we are called to live our lives in a manner that is worthy of the Lord, and we cannot do that without knowing and understanding God’s will in His Word.

Living worthy of the gospel means that you live according to your new identity in Christ.

As a sinner, saved by the grace of God, you are called to live worthy.

Living worthy means that your life matches up with the statement: Jesus > Everything

Living worthy means living to please to the Lord, and pleasing the Lord happens with the help and power of the Holy Spirit- the fruit that a live that pleases the Lord bears, is the good work- or faithful living… and a continued increase in the knowledge of the Lord- which is the Word.

Paul continues in his prayer for sinners to live in the grace of God, and prays for their continued strength for rest of their lives.

Colossians 1:11-14 continues,

11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Saints are sinners saved by the grace of God

Saints are called to live in the grace of God

And saints persevere to the end by the grace of God.

Saints persevere to the end by grace of God

God gives us grace for salvation. God gives us grace to live a life that is worthy of his name. God in his graciousness strengthens us for every step in the journey, and when God saves you He saves you all the way to the end.

You cannot undo the work of God’s grace and lose your salvation.

The work of salvation is eternal, and those who are saved persevere in their faith and their faithfulness until the end. This doesn’t mean there won’t be times of struggle.

Saints aren’t perfect, but they do persevere and live a life marked by faith and repentance

God saves us for a purpose, and He promises to be with us until the end.

God desires for our lives to bring glory, fame, and renown to His name.

God is committed to the work that He has done, and to perfecting that work until the end.

He is committed to that end and because of that he gives us strength, endurance, patience, and joy. His goal is for our lives to bring glory to him as we live thankful to Him because of the redemption we have in Christ!

God’s grace has transferred us through faith in Christ from the kingdom of sin and darkness to the kingdom of light and life, to the kingdom and rule of Jesus Christ His Son.

We have been redeemed apart from our own works! What an inconceivable joy we have at the forgiveness of our sins through the death of Jesus Christ! God’s grace has saved us, and we live today under His grace and by His grace.

As we close I have A few questions for you to consider:

Are you a sinner or a saint?

I know that you have heard the phrase, we are all just sinners saved by grace… but the truth is there are some who are sinners who have not been saved by the grace of God. God’s Word makes a distinction between sinners and saints…

There’s no cause for pride for those who are saved, because salvation is a gift of God’s grace. As Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1–10 (ESV), “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Will you repent or resist?

The life a believer is marked by faith and repentance. We are saved by repentance and faith, and as such we continue to live by faith and turn from our sin to obey the Lord.

Do you have sin in your life that you are holding on to? Are you resisting the tug of the Holy Spirit to confess your sin and repent from what has a hold on you? This isn’t just for someone who is lost, this is also fro those who are saved… unless you’re not.

Saints will persevere to the end, and we must be incredible careful when it comes to judgments on one another’s salvation. Not all sins deserve a public display of discipline from other Christians, but in the instructions on public discipline we see that a lack of repentance is eventually viewed as a lack of salvation.

So, don’t resist, don’t sit in your sin. Don’t justify your sin, don’t harbor it or defend it. Don’t continue to tell yourself that its ok… repent and walk in faith as one Paul calls a saint.

Paul had heard of the Colossians faith and faithfulness, what could someone say about your faith?

This also applies to the church as a whole.

What have they heard? Have they heard of what we have done for ourselves? Have they heard of the great things we are doing and planning?

Or, have they heard of the great thing that God has done? And what great thing is that? Your salvation, my salvation, our salvation!

Jesus > Everything

So, what needs to change for your life to match up with that statement?