Colossians 4.3c-The Communication of the Gospel was the Reason for Paul's Imprisonment
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday February 26, 2017
Colossians: Colossians 4:3c-The Communication of the Gospel was the Reason for Paul’s Imprisonment
Lesson # 107
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned. (NASB95)
“For which I have also been imprisoned” is composed of the following: (1) preposition dia (διά), “for” (2) relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “which” (3) conjunction kai (καί), “also” (4) verb deō (δέω), “I have been imprisoned.”
The relative pronoun hos means “which” and is referring to the noun mustērion since they agree in gender (neuter) and number (singular).
This word is the object of the preposition dia which means “for, because of” since it is functioning as a marker of cause indicating that this mystery was the reason for Paul’s imprisonment in Rome.
The conjunction kai means “in fact, indeed” since the word is an emphatic marker emphasizing this assertion by Paul that he was imprisoned because of communicating the mystery which is concerning the one and only Christ.
The verb deō means “to imprison” since it pertains to causing someone to be under authority of someone or something else and means “to confine someone by various kinds of restraints.”
Colossians 4:2 Each of you must continue to make it your habit of being dedicated to persevering in prayer while continuing to exist in a state of being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. 3 Also, each of you at the same time continue to make it your habit of occupying yourselves with prayer on behalf of each one of us. Specifically, that the Father would make possible for each of us an opportunity for our unique message, namely, to communicate the mystery, which is concerning the one and only Christ because of which, I am in fact imprisoned. (Author’s translation)
In Colossians 4:3, Paul issues another implicit command which is also couched in a temporal clause and required that the Colossian Christian community continue making it their habit of occupying themselves with prayer on behalf of Paul and each of his companions in Rome.
Therefore, Paul wants the Colossians to continue being dedicated to persevering in prayer while continuing to make it their habit of interceding in prayer for him and each of his companions in Rome.
His companions would include not only Timothy but also Aristarchus, Barnabas’s cousin Mark, Jesus who is also called Justus, Epaphras their pastor, and Luke according to his statements in Colossians 4:10-14.
Then, Paul identifies for the Colossians the content of the intercessory prayer that he wants them to offer up to the Father for him and his companions in Rome.
They were to pray that the Father would make possible for each of them an opportunity for their unique gospel message (cf. Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12).
Paul specifies for the Colossians what he means by an opportunity for their unique gospel message by asserting that he and his companions wanted an opportunity to communicate the mystery which he identifies as the one and only Christ.
This “mystery” describes Jesus Christ in relation to the unsaved or unregenerate.
Jesus Christ is a mystery to the unsaved who are not initiated into the Christian way of life, which is accomplished by being declared justified by the Father through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
Therefore, in Colossians 4:3, Paul wants the Colossians to intercede in prayer for him and each of his companions in Rome.
In Colossians 4:3, Paul wants the Colossians to intercede in prayer for him by requesting that the Father would make possible an opportunity for each of them to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to the unsaved in Rome.
Lastly, in Colossians 4:3, Paul emphatically asserts that the gospel of Jesus Christ or the mystery which is about the one and only Christ was the reason for his imprisonment in Rome when he wrote this epistle to the Colossians.
Paul had two Roman imprisonments: (1) A.D. 60-62: Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon (2) A.D. 68: 2 Timothy, Hebrews.
The apostle Paul wrote Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon during his first Roman imprisonment while he was awaiting his appeal before Caesar and he was actually permitted to have his own rented quarters in Rome with a Roman soldier guarding him (See Acts 28).
The city of Rome is favored by many expositors as the place of origin for Paul’s epistle to Philemon and Colossians.
Paul’s request for intercessory prayer from the Colossian Christian community in Colossians 4:3 does not mean that he wanted to be released from his imprisonment since he teaches in 2 Timothy 2:9 that the Word of God is not imprisoned.
Also, in Philippians 1:12-18 he reveals Rome was evangelized while he was under house arrest in this city.
This passage describes Paul’s circumstances during his first Roman imprisonment.
2 Timothy 2:9 describes his circumstances during his second Roman imprisonment.
Philippians 1:12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will, 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel, 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice 19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Author’s translation)
Second Timothy 2:8 Continue making it your habit of remembering Jesus who is the Christ as risen from the dead ones, David’s biological descendant in accordance with my gospel 9 because of which, I am presently suffering hardship to the point of imprisonment as a criminal. But in fact, the Word originating from God is never imprisoned. (Author’s translation)
The Word of God in 2 Timothy 2:9 is of course speaking of the gospel since Paul has just finished saying that he was suffering hardship to the point of imprisonment as a criminal because of the gospel.
The Roman authorities could arrest and execute him but they will never stop the gospel from being proclaimed.
By describing the gospel as the Word of God, Paul is emphasizing the divine origin of the gospel.
Therefore, by waging war on the gospel of Jesus Christ, Nero’s Rome would be waging war against God and this is a war they could never win.
In fact, in the end Rome was conquered by the gospel since Constantine decreed Christianity to be the religion of Rome in A.D. 313.
Though Paul was imprisoned, he was still able to write letters which is witnessed by the fact that Timothy received this epistle from him.
Thus, Paul could write letters to churches if he could write to Timothy.
Thus, he was communicating in these letters the gospel to the churches.
His imprisonment thus did not imprison the communication of the gospel.
Furthermore, Timothy continued to communicate the gospel in Ephesus.
There were also other teachers of the gospel and evangelists throughout the various provinces of the Roman Empire who were continuing to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ despite the apostle Paul being imprisoned in Rome.
Thus, Paul is encouraging Timothy here in Second Timothy with the fact that his imprisonment is not hindering the communication of the gospel (cf. Philippians 1:12-18).
Also, one must remember that the Word of God is omnipotent.
The gospel is omnipotent since it is the Word originating from the Triune God.
Rome was powerful and Nero was a powerful tyrant but they were no match for the omnipotence of the gospel.
The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes whether Jew or Gentile (Romans 1:16).
It has the power to transform sinners into the image of Jesus Christ.
Rome had the power to execute criminals of the state and wage war so as to conquer nations and various ethnic groups but they were no match for the omnipotence of the gospel.
Therefore, Timothy should be encouraged that the gospel he proclaims is infinitely more powerful than the power of Rome or Nero.
Nero’s Rome could end the biological life of Paul but his faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ gave him eternal life.
Therefore, though he might die physically at the hands of Nero’s Rome, he would continue to live forever in the presence of Jesus Christ (John 11:25-26; 2 Corinthians 5:8).
In fact, at His Second Advent, which ends Daniel’s seventieth week, Jesus Christ will violently bring an end to the final stage of the Roman Empire which will be under the Antichrist who will be a dictator who will emerge out of Rome according to Daniel chapters seven and nine.