Chapter 51
Colossians
“Christ is All”
Three words are found in Colossians 3:11 that need to be emblazoned upon the hearts of all who would seek to understand, interpret, and proclaim the message of Holy Scripture. Those three, simple, one-syllable words are ― “Christ is all!”
These
three words are the essence and substance of all true Christianity. Christ is
the foundation of all true doctrine and motive for all godliness. Christ
is the message of all true preaching and the object of all true worship. In what
sense does the Holy Spirit mean for us to understand that “Christ is all”?
How far are we to take those words? ― In all
things concerning our souls, eternity, the will of God, the knowledge of God,
and the glory of God “Christ is all.” The book of Colossians is all
about Christ, our all-glorious Savior.
This letter to
the church at Colosse was written while Paul was a prisoner at
We do not know who first brought the
gospel to the city of
After he had
sown the seed of the gospel, Satan sowed his tares among the wheat. As it is
now, so it was then. — Wherever Paul preached the gospel of God’s free and
sovereign grace in Christ, work mongers came behind him preaching
freewill/works religion.
Epaphras’ Concern
When, Epaphras (called Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25 and
4:18), the pastor of the church, came to visit Paul in Rome, he told Paul of
the faithfulness of God’s saints at Colosse and of his concern for their souls
because of the heretics who sought to corrupt the gospel and turn the hearts of
the saints away from Christ.
They came in the
name of Christ, pretending to be the servants of Christ, but they were in
reality the messengers of Satan. Judaizers tried to mix law and grace, mingling
Moses and Christ, teaching that works must play some part in salvation. Others
sought to corrupt the gospel by mixing vain philosophy with the revelation of
God, teaching for doctrine the commandments, superstitions, and reasonings of
men. Some even taught the veneration (worship) of angels and saints, and taught
for mortification the punishing of the body! Still others crept in among God’s
saints teaching the proud Gnostic notion that salvation is to be attained by
knowledge, teaching that men arrived at Christ by knowledge. They all preached
righteousness. They all called it the righteousness of Christ; but the message
they preached was the righteousness of man, a righteousness that was ultimately
gained by something man must do, experience, feel, or know. It was not that
righteousness sinners have by faith alone.
Paul, inspired
by God the Holy Spirit, wrote this epistle to confirm God’s elect in the gospel
of Christ, to warn them of the heresies by which Satan’s messengers sought to
pervert the gospel, and to urge them to “continue in the faith grounded and
settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel” (1:23).
An Encouraging Salutation
This letter, like most of Paul’s epistles, opens with a
gracious, encouraging salutation (1:1-8).
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God.” — Paul refers to
himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ,” not “the apostle of Jesus
Christ.” Paul was one voice among many; and he looked upon himself that way. In
the beginning of this gospel age there were twelve apostles. Paul was the apostle
born out of season, the one God had chosen to take Judas’ place. The apostles
were men chosen by Christ. They saw the Lord personally. They had infallible
knowledge of the gospel as they wrote the words of Holy Scripture, being
inspired by the Holy Spirit. They were gifted to work miracles for the
confirmation of their doctrine. When the last of the apostles went to glory,
the apostolic age and the apostolic gifts, by which the apostles were
identified as God’s inspired messengers, ended. This was all done “by the
will of God.” There are no apostles in the church today. There are many
preachers sent as messengers of God to his people, but there are no apostles.
“And Timothy, our brother.” ― Though Timothy
was not an apostle Paul included him in this salutation, because God’s servants
are all brethren, fellow-laborers, and workers together in his vineyard.
Commenting on this verse, Pastor Henry Mahan wrote, “The highest
office-bearer in the church recognizes even the least as being a brother and
worthy of respect and recognition. In Christ we are one, and he that is
greatest is but a servant.” God’s servants are not
rivals, but fellow laborers in the Master’s vineyard. There is no such thing as
“Big Me” and “Little You” in the
“To the saints and
faithful brethren in Christ.” — All believers are saints (sanctified men
and women). All believers are faithful. And all believers are brethren. We are
sanctified by God the Father in election, God the Son in redemption, and God
the Holy Spirit in the new birth. We are brethren because we have the same
Father, because we are in one body and family, and because we have one elder
brother, Christ Jesus. All who are born of God are “in Christ.” We are
saints, we are brethren, and we are faithful only because we are “in Christ.”
“Grace be unto you and peace.”
— Believers seek that which is best for one another and truly wish one another
well. We cannot desire anything better for anyone than this: “Grace be unto you, and peace.” Grace saves us. Peace makes us
know that we are saved. Grace is the root of every blessing. Peace is the
flower that makes life sweet and fragrant. “Grace be
unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”— There
is no grace for anyone and no peace except that which is freely bestowed upon
needy sinners by God the Father through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“We give thanks to God.” — Because grace, peace, faith
and love, and all things pertaining to salvation are the gifts of God, he alone
is to be thanked and praised for them. It is right for us to recognize and
commend these things in our brothers and sisters in Christ; but thanks and
praise goes to our God alone (Ps. 103:1-5; John
Faith, hope, and love always go hand in hand. Where one is
found, the other two are always present. All are the gifts of God’s grace.
Faith is that gift of grace that unites us to Christ and gives us peace with
God. Love is that gift of grace that unites us to one another and gives us
peace. Hope is that gift of grace that unites us to eternity and gives us
peace.
“Whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.” ― We do not know the grace of God in truth unless it brings forth fruit in us. We may know it in our heads, but we do not it in truth, we do not really know it at all if it does not affect our lives, and bring forth faith, love, and hope: — faith, which lifts us above the world; ― love, which preserves us from selfishness; ― and hope, which keeps us up under all trials.
“Dear Fellowservant”
In verses 7 and 8 the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to commend
to this church their beloved pastor, thereby encouraging them to highly esteem
him and hear him. ― “As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear
fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared
unto us your love in the Spirit.” Epaphras was Paul’s fellow-servant. He
was a faithful minister of Christ. And he loved and spoke well of those people
whose souls he served.
How I rejoiced to read of
Epaphras speaking well of God’s people and of Paul speaking well of Epaphras!
Many these days seem to think godliness requires them to pick holes in the
armor of others, point out their faults, and castigate them for their failures.
Grace teaches men, who experience it, better. Grace teaches us to honor our
brethren, cover their faults, extol their virtues, forgive their offenses, and
help them (lift them up) when they fall.
Paul made it his
business to remind the saints at Colosse what a great blessing of God they had
in their faithful pastor and promoted his honor in their eyes. Every preacher
ought to follow his example when speaking of other faithful pastors (
Fit for Heaven
In verses 9-14 the apostle Paul
declares that the Lord our God has, by the almighty, effectual operation of his
grace, made us fit for heaven. Here (1:9-11) Paul tells these saints, “Since
the day Bro. Epaphras came here and told me about you and God’s grace in you, I
have not ceased to give thanks to God for you and have not ceased to pray for
God’s grace ever to be upon you and work in you.”
“That you may
be filled with the knowledge of his will” — His revealed will, his purposed
will, his providential will, his redemptive will. Paul prayed not only that
they might have a knowledge of these, but that they
might be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding.”
“That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.”
— This is talking about our conduct and behavior in the church, in our homes,
on the job, and on the street. Let us seek to live, and walk, and talk as those
who are in Christ, seeking to please and glorify God.
“Being fruitful in every good work.” — Believers are
trees of righteousness, planted by the Lord to bear the fruit of the Spirit and
to walk in good works in the
“Increasing in the knowledge of God.” — We honor God
by believing him and by living for him as we grow in the knowledge of him. We
cannot grow in grace if we do not grow in knowledge of Christ. And we cannot
grow in the knowledge of Christ without growing in grace (2 Pet.
“Strengthened
with all might according to the glorious power.” — We do not and cannot attain these things or do these
things by our own strength and power, but by his (2 Cor. 12:9).
We read in verse 12 that
our great God has made all who trust his Son “meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light.” Pastor Epaphras spoke to Paul in
glowing terms of the Colossian saints, of their faith and hope in Christ, and
their love for Christ, his gospel, and his people. The Lord our God has, by his
almighty, free, saving grace in Christ, qualified us, has made us fit, to enter
into and possess heaven itself, the bright and glorious inheritance of the
saints. By nature we are fit for hell. Grace has made us fit for heaven in
Christ, by his blood atonement and perfect righteousness (1 Cor.
In verses 13 and 14 he
tells us that this fitness for heaven is altogether the work of God’s free grace
in Christ. ― “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and
hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”
What a Great Savior
Having
barely declared what Christ did for us at Calvary, Paul was inspired by the
Holy Spirit to extol, magnify, honor, and praise him as our all-glorious Savior
and Lord (1:15-29). Several years ago one of our deacons read these fifteen
verses in my office one night before we had prayer together. As soon as he
finished reading them, another of our deacons quietly exclaimed, “What a great
Savior!” That is as good a summary of the passage as I have ever seen or heard.
Here Paul is showing us what a great Savior our Lord Jesus Christ is.
Throughout the chapter, he plays a symphony on just one string—”HE!”
Christ is exactly what God
is, for he is God. And he is that One, the only One in whom God is seen and
known. He is “the image of the invisible God” (
He is the firstborn of
every creature (
He is the Head of the
Church, the beginning of all things, the firstborn from the dead, the upholder of all things, that he might have the pre-eminence.
― “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence”
(
Christ is Fulness (1:19)
― “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell:”
All divine fulness (Col. 2:9), all mediatoral fulness, all covenant fulness,
all saving fulness, all everlasting fulness, undiminishable fulness!
He is Reconciliation (
Christ is our hope of glory
(
Complete in
Christ
In chapter 1 Paul shows us that Christ is a complete Savior. In chapter 2 he shows us that every believer is complete in him. Many had crept into the church who denied the gospel of Christ and, with great subtlety, endeavored to turn the people of God away from “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3). In Colossians 2:1-15 Paul communicates his concern to the Colossians and instructs them to be steadfast in the faith of Christ.
The instruction Paul gives in these verses is just as applicable to the church today as it was to the saints at Colosse. Many today would turn us away from the simplicity that is in Christ. They tell us that we must have more than Christ, do more than simply trust Christ, experience more than the grace of God in Christ, and seek more than the fulness that is in Christ. Any doctrine that turns you away from Christ, any doctrine that turns your eyes away from Christ, is not of God. I admonish you to flee from such doctrine as you would flee the plague. That doctrine that turns you away from Christ will land your soul in hell!
“In
him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:3). ―
God has put all the riches of grace and glory, all the treasures of divine
wisdom and spiritual knowledge in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Do
not look for God's mercy, grace, and righteousness anywhere but in Christ. All
the knowledge of God and everything pertaining to salvation is in Christ (1
John
“And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words” (2:4). ― Satan tries to sow seeds of error wherever the gospel of Christ is preached. His messengers do not openly deny Christ and salvation by grace. They mix the work of Christ with the works of men. They mix law and grace. And if Satan can get you to look to yourself and trust your own works, experiences, feelings, or emotions even partially he has ruined your soul altogether (Gal. 5:2, 4).
Though Paul was absent from them physically, his heart was with the people of God. Their orderly manner of life, orderly worship, and steadfastness in the faith of Christ caused him great joy (2:5). These men and women had not yet been moved away from the hope of the gospel. And Paul was very concerned to do what he could to promote their continued steadfastness. His instructions are very simple and clear and vital to the interests of our souls.
“As” and “So”
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him” (2:6). ― How did you first receive Christ? You received him by faith alone, without any works whatsoever of your own. You had no experiences upon which to lean, no works, no feelings, no resolutions. You had nothing to bring to Christ but your sin. You received Christ alone as the sum and substance of all truth, the fulfillment of all promises, the fountain of all grace, the singular object of faith and love, and the only foundation of your hope before God. You trusted his blood alone for atonement, his righteousness alone for acceptance, and his intercession alone for salvation. In exactly the same manner as you first received Christ, now walk in him.
Continue living by the same faith, as a sinner trusting Christ alone for all things. If you get above this, you will forsake Christ altogether. We do not begin with Christ and then go on to perfection in the strength of the flesh. The true believer begins by faith, lives by faith, and dies by faith, trusting Christ, only Christ, and nothing but Christ, all the way from the gates of hell to his entrance into glory.
If we would live in faith, constantly trusting Christ, we must be “rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (2:7). Like a tree, deeply rooted in the ground, faith takes hold of Christ, draws all strength, nourishment, and life from him, and bears fruit by the constant supply of his grace. As a building is built upon and shaped according to its foundation, the believer is built upon Christ alone, and his life is molded to Christ. Child of God, see to it that you abound in this faith. Never forsake it. Never weary of it. Never look for any other source of comfort, strength, hope, or assurance than faith in Christ. Trusting Christ alone, you have abundant reason for thanksgiving before God. But there are many who would turn you away from the simplicity of the faith.
Beware
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (2:8). ― Do not allow anyone to turn you away from Christ by a show of intellectualism, philosophy, and human reason. Our faith must be ruled by the Word of God alone. We build our doctrine only upon “thus saith the Lord.” Let no one impose upon you the traditions of men, no matter how impressive and popular they are. There is no place for human tradition in the worship of the living God. Exactly in proportion as we receive the traditions of men, we depart from the worship of God.
And we must never allow anyone to bring us back under the “rudiments of the world,” Mosaic ordinances. The rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law: Circumcision, abstaining from certain meats, sabbath observance, and all such things were altogether typical. Christ has fulfilled them all. Any observance of such things today is sinful. All true worship is spiritual. God is not worshipped where dead men and women observe dead, carnal ordinances. There is absolutely no need for men to observe these things, seek any other foundation of hope before God, or look anywhere else for acceptance with God. Christ is all we need.
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (2:9). ― All that God is is in Christ, for he is himself God. All that God requires of sinners is in Christ. All that God gives to men and women is in Christ. And all that we can need, or desire, for time and eternity, is in Christ. All grace, all mercy, all love, all peace, all wisdom, all righteousness, all redemption, all sanctification, all salvation, all life is in Christ alone. And it is all in him in all fulness. You cannot add anything to his fulness.
“And
are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (
In Him
What does it mean to be in Christ? Many answers are given to that question in the Word of God. We who believe are in Christ by God's elective purpose. We are in the heart of our Savior's love, in the hand of his protective power, and in the eye of his constant care. Here Paul tells us what it is to be in Christ experimentally.
To be in Christ is to be born again, by
God's sovereign grace (
To be in Christ is to trust him (
To be in Christ is to be the object and
recipient of God's immutable, saving grace in him (
He quickened us, gave us life, and raised us up, together with Christ. That means two things: (1.) When Christ arose from the dead, we rose in him representatively. And (2.) In the new birth we were raised from spiritual death to spiritual life by the power of Christ, our risen Savior.
God has freely and completely forgiven us of all sin through the merits of Christ's righteousness and shed blood. All our sins, past, present and future, sins of youth and old age, sins of omission and sins of commission, sins of deed and sins of heart, all are freely and eternally forgiven by God through the merits of Christ our Substitute.
And God's forgiveness of our sins is a
just and righteous forgiveness. He does not simply ignore or excuse our sins.
He removed our sins from us entirely by punishing them to the full extent of
his own justice in Christ (Rom.
Are you, or are you not in Christ? If you
knew the value of your soul, if you knew the riches of his grace, if you knew
the love of Christ, you would give no rest to your eyes until you found
yourself to be in Christ. God help you to seek him. If you seek him with all
your heart, you will find him. If you are in Christ, it is all because of God's
free grace toward you. And if you are in Christ, “Ye are complete in him.”
Complete in
Him
What does it mean to be complete in Christ? The word “complete” means “entire, finished, made full, perfect.” Essentially, it is the same word used in verse 9, where Paul says, “In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” As all the fulness of the eternal God is Christ's, all the fulness of Christ as the Mediator for sinners is ours in him. This is astonishing grace indeed.
If I am complete in Christ, I have in
Christ all that God requires of man (1 Cor.
If I am in Christ, I possess all that God can or will bestow upon man (Eph. 1:3). God is the Author and Giver of all blessings. He alone can bless. If he blesses not, none can bless. But if he blesses, we are blessed indeed. And Paul tells us plainly that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. Nothing good, nothing of real spiritual value, nothing we require is omitted. All the fulness of grace, all the blessings of the covenant, all the sure mercies of God, all things pertaining to life and godliness in this world and in the world to come have been bestowed upon all who trust the Son of God.
This is what it means to be complete in
Christ. In him we have been given justification, sanctification, peace, pardon,
eternal life, and title deed to heaven. And all these blessings were given to
us irrevocably by the gift of God’s sovereign grace in Christ before the world
began (Eph. 1:3). We are members of Christ. He is our Head and Representative.
We are members of his body and partakers of him. We are blessed in him, through
him, and for his sake. And Christ himself is the Substance of all blessing and
blessedness. He received the blessings of grace in our name in the covenant of
grace. All the blessings bestowed upon us are dependent upon Christ's
obedience, not ours. And we already possess every blessing of grace in Christ
(Rom.
This is the glorious heritage of the sons of God. “Ye are complete in him!” There is nothing lacking. Everything God can or will give to man he has from eternity given to all who are in Christ. And every blessing of grace in Christ is secure to all God's elect forever.
If I am in Christ, I am complete in him.
That means I have in Christ all that I need to carry me through this world and
bring me safe to heaven (Isa. 40:29; 2 Pet. 2:9). I do not know what lies
ahead, what forces of darkness lie in wait for me, what trials or temptations
shall meet me. But our great God and Savior declares,
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” No matter what I need of earthly
good, my God shall supply my need (Phil.
Fail him, I often do. Fail me, he never shall. He will lift me up when I fall. He will pray for me when I am tempted. He will plead for me when I sin. He will preserve me and keep me to the end and bring me safe to heaven. If left to myself, I know, I would forsake him. But, blessed be his name, Christ will not leave me to myself (Jer. 32:38-40).
Being complete in Christ, I shall have all that I need to satisfy my heart in the world to come. “The desire of the righteous shall be granted” (Pro.10:24). Child Of God, what do you desire? Do you desire to be free from all sin? It shall be granted. Do you desire to be perfectly obedient to Christ? It shall be granted. Do you desire to know, love, and worship Christ perfectly? It shall be granted. Do you desire to be like Christ entirely? It shall be granted. Do you desire to be free of all fear? It shall be granted. Do you desire to be free of all trouble? It shall be granted. Do you desire to see the glory of God your Savior? It shall be granted. Do you desire to glorify your beloved Lord? It shall be granted. Whatever it is that your renewed, sanctified heart desires, it shall be granted to you in heaven's eternal glory. If even one small desire were left unfulfilled, you would not be complete in Christ; but “ye are complete in him.”
Practical
Results
What are the practical results of our being complete in Christ? Are you in Christ, united to him by a living union of faith? If you are, you are complete in him. Before God, in the sight of God, you are complete, perfect, fu11, and entire. You lack nothing. Let no man set as judge over you, beguile you with false doctrine, bring you into bondage, move you from your steadfastness, or turn your eyes away from Christ.
If we are complete in Christ, we are
entirely free in him (Col. 2:16-23). We are entirely free from the curse of
God's holy law (
If we are complete in Christ, we should be steadfast in him (2:8-9). Though others are carried about with every wind of doctrine, seeking new, deeper, more emotional experiences, we are content to seek the old paths and walk in them (Jer. 6:16). Nothing is more exciting to our hearts than that which is most substantial. Only those who have no sure foundation for their souls need to be constantly seeking some new experience.
Being complete
in Christ, we have a settled assurance of our acceptance and eternal salvation
in him. Our assurance before God is not based in any way upon anything done,
felt, or experienced by us. We delight in times of reviving, in the sweet
manifestations of Christ to our hearts, those blessed times of spiritual
communion with our God. We delight in those times when the Spirit of God comes
upon us and enables us to worship and serve him with exceptional liberty. There
is no experience on earth so delightful to my heart as
that of being enabled to preach the gospel with the power of the Spirit, or
worship God in the Spirit. But our hope and assurance rests in none of these
things. Our assurance is Christ alone (2 Tim.
Hearts Set
All believers are one with Christ; “and ye are complete in him.” He is our hope. We are dead, buried, and risen with him. Therefore, Paul admonishes us to put off the old and to put on the new (1:27; 2:10, 12; 3:1-11), setting our hearts upon those great, glorious things above, which he has been declaring to us in chapters 1 and 2, realizing that “Christ is all and in all.”
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (3:1-4).
As was his
custom, Paul concludes the book of Colossians (chapters 3 and 4) by giving us
very practical applications of gospel doctrine. Our union with Christ demands
that we set our hearts on him, devoting ourselves to his honor in our daily
lives (3:1-8;
Let no one imagine that God’s boundless, free grace in Christ leads to licentiousness. It is the love and grace of God that we have experienced that constrains us both to love and serve one another and to love, serve, and honor him. That is precisely Paul’s argument. Because “Christ is all and in all,” we are inspired and motivated to these things to the glory of God our Savior.
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and
beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man
have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And
above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And
let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which
also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:12-17).