THE KNOWLEDGE TO LIVE A LIFE PLEASING TO THE LORD

Scripture

Colossians 1:9–14 KJV 1900

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

There is a story told of an old man who owned a little narrow lot with a poor miserable cabin on it. Lots in his neighborhood had been selling for fabulous prices and he felt that some day his place would make his fortune. By and by a millionaire came along and seeing the possibilities of that block, said, “I want the whole thing.”He sent his agent to buy the whole block; when he came to the old man, he said, “What is the price of your place?” As the old man had waited long for this opportunity, he priced it at what he thought was a tremendously big figure. “Very well,” said the agent, “I will take it.”“When do you want it?” the old man asked.“In about two weeks I will be around with the deed and you can be ready to sign it. Here is a thousand dollars to bind the sale,” replied the agent.The old man was simply delighted and thought, “Well, if somebody has bought this place who is able to pay all that money, I ought to fix it up a bit.” And so he bought some paint and went to work painting the old cabin. He bought some glass to replace the broken panes, and for two weeks he worked on the cabin. When this millionaire purchaser and his agent brought the papers for him to sign, he was so nervous about it he could hardly hold the pen. He was surprised that the purchaser did not say anything about the shack and so he said, “You see how beautifully I have painted it up and have put in some new windows. It is going to make a nice place. I hope you will be very comfortable in it.”“Oh,” said the millionaire, “but I didn’t buy this place for what is on it, but for what I am going to put on it.”That is how God justifies the ungodly. It is not because of what He finds in men, but He saves them for what He is going to put in them, for what He is going to do for them. When they put their trust in Him, they get everlasting life, they are justified, and all their sins are forgiven. Then God proceeds to make them fit for His own blessed presence, and when we get home to heaven, we will give Him all the glory.

Three purposes seem to have been in Paul’s mind as he wrote Colossians. First, he sought to show the deity and supremacy of Christ in the face of the Colossians heresy (1:18, 2:9). Second, he wanted to lead believers into spiritual maturity (1:28; 2:6-7). Third, he wanted to inform them about his state of affairs and elicited their prayers on his behalf (4:2-8).

Colossians is one of four so-call Prison Letters, along with Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon.

Paul and his team participated in regular prayer times (v. 3), to the extent that they “never stopped praying” and “continually asked God” to intervene in the Colossian church (v. 9). From the moment Epaphras gave his report and the team “heard” of the situation at Colossae, Paul and his associates interceded for their needs.

As verse 9 conveys, Paul’s central petition is that God would grant the Colossians “knowledge of his will.” Note how strongly Paul expresses this: He asks not merely that God will give the believers a bit of wisdom, but that he will “fill them to overflowing” with profound understanding of the divine will for their lives. Note also that God, not church tradition, was to be the source of this knowledge. Too often our views are forged more strongly by the latest popular preacher than by the Word of God. The idea of fullness occurs often in this letter (1:19, 24–25; 2:2–3, 9–10; 4:12) and probably stems in part from a false claim of the heretics that their teaching brought true “fullness.” Here the point is full knowledge, a robust doctrinal understanding that can enable one to realize God’s “will” in daily conduct. The heretics had their own gnosis, but it was a false “knowledge” based on speculation and lies rather than on the truths of God.

The instrument of this God-centered knowledge is “all wisdom and understanding.” The adjective “spiritual,” certainly a reference to the Holy Spirit, is rightly translated in the NIV “that the Spirit gives,” referring back to 1:8 (“in the Spirit”). Once again it is the Spirit who endows the believer with the “wisdom” and “understanding” necessary to discern God’s truth and live accordingly. Descriptions of the Spirit imparting these aspects of mental and spiritual acumen are found often in the Old Testament (e.g., Exod 31:3; 35:31 [of the craftsmen building the tabernacle]; Deut 34:9 [Joshua filled with the “spirit of wisdom”]), and most notably in Isa 11:2, where the “Spirit of wisdom and understanding” will rest on the “shoot of Jesse,” the messianic “Branch”). In both Testaments, the possession or exercise of wisdom equates to living in God’s world on the basis of God’s will—turning knowledge into practice and doing it God’s way. All those in ministry today should seek the Spirit-imparted wisdom to guide their people in a quest for understanding and living out the deep truths of the Word.

The goal of such knowledge is to “live a life (Greek: ‘walk’) worthy of the Lord” (1:10). Effective Bible study is always practical; the purpose of biblical understanding is to change lives and enable people to discern God’s will for their daily conduct. To “walk worthy of the Lord” refers to a lifestyle that reflects God in every way, that asks in every decision “What would God have me do?” The Lord of the universe decides what counts as righteous behavior, and we are to make Christ the Lord of our life in the small things as well as the consequential.The purpose is to “please him in every way,” a restatement of “walk worthily” that adds the nuance of bringing God pleasure by living according to his will. A basic question at every stage of life should be “Whom do I seek to please—myself, my friends, or God?” The idea of pleasing God appears frequently in the letters of Paul (Rom 8:8; 12:1–2; 1 Cor 7:32; 1 Thess 2:4, 15), who here adds “in every way” to stress the all-encompassing nature of this quest: It is wide-sweeping, demanding absolute obedience in every area of life.

Paul uses four participial clauses to define how this God-oriented lifestyle works. The first two reiterate verse 6, which pointed out that the gospel was “bearing fruit and growing” around the world. Paul now applies that image to the spiritual growth of individual believers.

1. The God-pleasing life is one of “bearing fruit in every good work.” Fruitfulness in the New Testament means both winning souls for the Lord and growing spiritually, as evidenced by manifesting the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22–23). This is a subset under the second category, with the fruit being good works. God had done his work among the believers, producing a wonderful fruit-harvest of souls in Colossae; now they are to produce a similar harvest of good works for God. Paul may have had in mind the harvest parables of Jesus, especially that of the Sower and the thirty-, sixty-, and one-hundredfold yield of the “good soil” (Mark 4:8). As stated in Hebrews 10:24, we as Christians are to “consider how we may spur one another toward love and good deeds”—to exemplify in explicit acts of kindness the same love that typified the Colossians in verse 4.2. To please God Christians also need to be “growing in the knowledge of God.” This means getting to know God in a deeper, more intimate way. Knowing God was a lifelong pursuit for Paul, initially as a rabbi-in-training and much more after his Damascus road experience. In Philippians 3:10 he expresses that “to know [Christ]” is the starting point for all Christian understanding; he is referring not to mere academic knowledge but to a life-altering, personal coming-to-understanding that infuses every area of our life. Everything Paul did contributed to his process of coming to know the Triune Godhead, and he was never satisfied—continuously seeking growth in this area throughout his life.3. Paul realized that he could live a “worthy” life only by being “strengthened with all power according to his glorious might.” Note the terms he uses here—“strength,” “power,” and “might.” Clearly Paul realized the utter inadequacy for believers of trying to grow in Christ through our own meager efforts. All three terms refer to God’s “mighty power” that alone can “strengthen” us. This echoes Isaiah 40:31: “Those who wait upon the LORD will gain a new strength.” Isaiah 40:30 had just cited the great athletes/soldiers of the prophet’s day: These “youths” would grow “weary” and “stumble” despite their impressive strength (think of the game-losing fumble or the ninth-inning strikeout). Yet whenever we’re ready to collapse in our own weakness and despair, we can turn to the Lord and receive not a renewal of our own strength but an influx of God’s inexhaustible power that will enable us to “soar on wings like eagles”!This is the point in 1:11 as well. Almighty God pours his strength into us “with all power”—with the omnipotence that infuses us with his limitless endurance even in our utter exhaustion (as Peter expresses in 1 Pet 1:5, we are in our exigency “kept by the power of God”). The basis for the outworking of this divine power made available in our lives is “his glorious might.” The Greek word for “glorious” could be read either as a noun, referring to the mighty strength provided by the Shekinah glory of God (i.e., the Glory “dwelling” in our midst), or as an adjective, portraying God’s might as majestic and marvelous. Both options are viable, but I think “glorious might” fits the context slightly better.The purpose of this infusion of divine strength is “that you may have great endurance and patience.” The Greek term for “great” is pas, “all,” which leads to the translation “all the endurance and patience you need” (NLT). Combined with the previous statement, this reading provides assurance that God empowers us with an incredible ability to persevere through all the difficulties of life. The terms “endurance” and “patience” are near synonyms. The first connotes perseverance amid trying circumstances, while the second conveys the attitude of “longsuffering” that enables us to endure patiently. “Patience” is in this sense the attitude, “endurance” the resultant “action.”4. The result of these three—bearing fruit, growing, and being strengthened—is “joyous thanksgiving” poured out “to the Father.” The phrase “with joy” could hark back to 1:11, “enduring with joy,” or to verse 12, “joyful thanks.” Both readings make sense, but the first three clauses each contain a verb-phrase (“bearing fruit in every good work,” “growing in knowledge,” and “strengthened with all power”), and it is likely that this one does as well: “giving thanks with joy.” Paul in verse 3 expresses his gratitude to God for the church in Colossae, and his elaboration extends that thanksgiving to all the difficulties of life that must be “endured.” Hebrews 12:11 concedes that “no discipline (affliction) seems pleasant at the time, but painful.” Yet we as Christians are called to rejoice even in the midst of trials (Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 1:6), not because of our suffering but because of the great God who stands beside and watches over us. In the short term there is pain, but in the long run we know that “God works all things for the good” (Rom 8:28) and that the Spirit is interceding for us with “deeper groanings” than we are lifting up to God (Rom 8:26). With that knowledge we rejoice in thanksgiving.

The underlying impetus for our thanksgiving and patience in the vicissitudes of life is our knowledge of all God has done for us. Paul in this section cites the doctrine of salvation to demonstrate God’s powerful work in the believer, beginning with the salvation experience and its results. It is clear that the basis for God’s “qualifying” the saints is the blood of Christ that atones for our sins and leads to forgiveness and justification. Paul makes this evident several times in Colossians (1:20, 22; 2:10–12, 13–14). There is an interesting interplay between “we” in verses 9 and 13 and “you” in verses 10–12. The “you” refers to the inclusion of the Gentiles in Colossae among God’s people, while the “we” is the combined church, consisting of both Jews and Gentiles, emphasizing that all of humanity is the focus of Christ’s redemptive act.The purpose of Jesus’ redemptive work is that his followers may “share in the inheritance of the saints.” This echoes Genesis 13:14–17 and the promise to Abraham that he and his progeny will inherit the promised land, a promise reiterated to Israel in Deuteronomy 32:9 and Joshua 19:9. This is part of the new-exodus motif in the New Testament, the notion that the church as the new Israel will fulfill God’s promise to the people of Israel that they will one day “share” an “inheritance.” This inheritance will be realized “in the kingdom of light” (Greek: “in the light”). The idea of a “promised land” as the earthly inheritance of God’s people segues in the New Testament into a heavenly inheritance of “the kingdom of light”—eternal life in heaven. Believers no longer belong to the world but are already now “children of light” (John 12:36; 1 Thess 5:5).Light/darkness dualism is present in 1:12–13; Paul adds that Christ has “rescued us from the dominion of darkness” (v. 13) and qualified us to inherit “the kingdom of light” (v. 12). There is an A-B-A pattern in these two verses, as the kingdom of light in verse 12 is reiterated as “the kingdom of his beloved Son” in verse 13. Note the language of “delivered … transferred” (NIV: “rescued … brought into”). Once again this alludes to the Israelites in the exodus, who were delivered from the Egyptians, “redeemed” (see my comments on v. 14, below) from slavery, and “brought into” the promised land and freedom (Exod 6:6; 14:30; Deut 7:8).We as saints have been “rescued” from “the dominion of darkness,” with sin pictured as a dark realm under the rule of “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), Satan. Darkness has taken control of the world of unbelievers, and its tyrannical rule has destroyed countless lives. There is no hope apart from Christ, who died on the cross in order to deliver those in darkness, redeem them from their sins, and transfer them into “the kingdom of light” (1:12).The light/darkness dualism as a metaphor for salvation was common in both Judaism and the early church (it is a major theme in the Gospel of John), and Paul here pictures two kingdoms at war with each other for the souls of humanity (see Rom 6 for a similar portrayal). In the “armor of God” passage in Ephesians 6:10–17 Paul portrays the struggle of the believer as a fight “against the powers of darkness and against the spiritual forces of evil” (Eph 6:12).The new believers are transferred into a new realm, “the kingdom of his beloved Son.” This is the domain of “light” from 1:12, and now we see that it belongs to the Son of God, whose sacrificial death has made it possible for us to inhabit this eternal kingdom. Since the Son is equated with the Father, the deity of Christ is part of the thrust of this passage (the same point is made in Paul’s sister letter in Eph 5:5). As in Colossians 1:15–20, Christ’s exalted status and divine authority make him Judge over the church. He reigns over the “dominion of darkness,” of which the false teachers are a part. This emphasis on his exalted status prepares for the christological hymn of verses 15–20 and provides the material and impetus for combating the false teachers in 2:6–23. The title “beloved Son” stems from God’s affirmation of Jesus at his baptism: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).There is a definite inaugurated aspect to this kingdom, meaning that it is already present in the life of every Christian who becomes a citizen of heaven (Phil 3:20), even though it will not be fully realized until the eternal kingdom has arrived. There may also be an allusion here to David’s covenant of 2 Samuel 7:11–16, where God promised his servant an eternal kingdom, saying, “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son.… My love will never be taken away from him.” This covenant promise could be fulfilled only in the Davidic Messiah, as David’s descendants threw away their birthright due to sin.The new-exodus imagery is completed with the note that in Christ “we have redemption” (1:14), with the present-tense verb stressing the continuous power of his redemptive act to change lives. The idea of God “redeeming” his people finds continuous emphasis in the exodus accounts (see passages above) and in Isaiah (Isa 43:1; 48:20; 51:11; 52:9). In the New Testament Christ’s sacrificial death is portrayed as a “ransom” payment that “frees” people from the power of sin and makes them children of God.Paul specifies the result of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross: the “forgiveness of sins.” In the Greco-Roman world “redemption” referred to a “ransom” payment that freed people from bondage/slavery, and here Paul is discussing bondage to the enslaving power of sin (as in “domain of darkness,” 1:13). This imagery presents conversion as a kind of “independence day” made possible by the cross. Paul depicts sin in Romans 6 as an invading army from the realm of darkness that seeks to conquer us and become our “master” (Rom 6:14). The believer must unite with Christ in his death (Rom 6:5) and “die to sin” (Rom 6:11); the redemptive work of Christ thereby liberates the enslaved sinner and leads to forgiveness of sins. Paul will restate this in 2:13, 20 as a correction to the false teachers’ ascetic religion; not religious ritual but Christ’s life-producing death on the cross results in forgiveness. This passage sets the stage for the incredible hymn to Christ, the exalted Creator God.

Closing

We can learn from Noah's Ark

One : Don't miss the boat.

Two : Remember that we are all in the same boat.

Three : Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

Four : Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Five : When you're stressed, float a while.

Six : No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting

First, Paul is pointing to the goal.

• Goals are set so we have a direction to work towards

• It’s Not where we are today but where we are working to be.

• It’s a work in progress

Second, we need to remember that we can’t bear fruit without Christ.

• The key isn’t to work harder . . . but to draw closer.

• Before we can live a life that is pleasing to God,

• We have to accept the salvation that He has to offer.

• That’s the first step.