Growing in the truth of the gospel.
Introduction
It gives witness “to the finality, adequacy and all-sufficiency of the cosmic Christ—by whom and for whom all things were made, in whom they cohere, and with whom in God the life of the Christian and of the Church is hidden.” That truth will never go out of date.
But the situation facing the Colossians is also similar to ours today. They faced opponents who challenged and belittled the sufficiency of Christ and their hope.
When Christians do not understand their faith, they are likely to water down the gospel and accommodate it to cultural expectations.
When Christians have little confidence in their faith, they will be overly tentative in their claims and easily shaken by challenges.
When Christians do not live with a deep sense of gratitude for what God has done for them in Christ, they will become engulfed in anxieties and will be tempted to look for security in something other than Christ.
He is therefore writing to curb the insidious influence of a false “philosophy” and to confirm the Colossians’ faith (2:4–5). They are to take care that no one preys on them and lures them into deceit (2:8). The warning against questions of food and drink, festivals, and worship of angels and visions assumes that they are not doing these things (2:16, 18), since it prompts the opponents’ condemnation. Paul’s response is therefore a warning shot across the bow; but, more importantly, it is a booster shot designed to inject greater assurance.
Paul’s standard greeting (1-2)
To be in Christ means to be incorporated in him so that he encompasses the entire life of the believer. The recipients may be Colossians, but the only identity that matters to God is that they are Christians.
Paul’s thanks for the Colossians growth. (3-8)
Christians are not united solely by their mutual interest in personal salvation but are knit together in love. This love is a force within that seeks release by giving itself to others, not a vacuum that selfishly craves to be filled by what others can give to us. True disciples of Christ, inspired by love, intend every action to bring benefits to others.
Paul shows his own love for others by risking imprisonment as he seeks to spread the gospel and perfect others’ faith so that they might stand faultless before the Lord. We find a clear illustration of what Paul means by love from his letter to Philemon. He expects Philemon to ignore social conventions and economic self-interest and respond to his appeal for Onesimus on the basis of love (
The implication in Colossians is that Christians are also being transformed into the image of God and will know the resurrection from the dead. This hope encapsulates “the word of truth, the gospel”
The message of God’s love for all humankind and Jesus’ sacrificial death to redeem us by grace speaks in any language or culture. It speaks to the universal condition of every human being—male or female, slave or free, Jew or Gentile
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Many in our culture feel a sense of isolation and loneliness. Thus, many Christians may think they are all alone in their faith. But we are not alone, and we need to link up with and encourage one another in the faith. In Christ individuals are joined to others in a loving community with worldwide associations.