I think most of Warren Wiersbe's "Be" commentaries are about the same size. So a commentary on Isaiah, which has sixty-six chapters, discusses large portions at a time.
The book of Colossians just has four chapters. So Be Complete (Colossians): Become the Whole Person God Intends You to Be covers just a few verses of Colossians in each of its twelve chapters.
Since Colossians is so densely packed, and the ESV Study Bible had a lot of notes on it as we, plus Wiersbe's book had more detail, I decided to slow down my usual pace of reading and take time to soak in what was written.
Wiersbe calls Colossians "one of the most profound letters Paul ever wrote."
The church in Colossae was not one that Paul started; in fact, he had never been to that city. But Paul had been in nearby Ephesus for three years, from which the Bible says "'all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks'" ' (Acts 19:10). This would include people in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis." A Colossian named Epaphras seems to have heard Paul preach in Ephesus and then brought the gospel back to Colossae.
At the time Colossians was written, Paul was in prison. Epaphras was with him and evidently shared that a dangerous teaching was making the rounds in Colossae. So Paul wrote to help these believers. Wiersbe believed the false teaching was Gnosticism; the ESV Study Bible notes say that "an improved understanding of Gnosticism" due to more information having been discovered about it has led scholars to think Gnosticism was not the problem, but they don't know exactly what false teaching was being promoted. Nevertheless, there's much we can learn from Colossians even without knowing exactly what teaching was being combated.
Paul begins the book with greetings and thankfulness for the Colossians faith. Then he shares what he prays for them, one of my favorite prayers in the Bible:
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, 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; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
I have prayed this often for myself and loved ones.
Paul then writes about the preeminence of Christ, "the image of the invisible God," the one who created everything and holds it all together, the head of the church. "In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross" (1:19-20).
And, amazingly, "you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him" (1:21-22).
Paul says his stewardship was "to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (1:25-29). In the Bible, a mystery wasn't something to figure out from clues: it was something that was not previously revealed but now is.
Paul warns them to "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit" or "delude(s) you with plausible arguments" (2:8, 4).
Paul goes on to exalt Christ as the one "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). As we received Him, we're to "walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving (2:6-7).
After sharing the gospel, Paul gives practical instruction for how the gospel affects our lives, families, and workplaces. There are certain behaviors we're to put off, others we're to put on. We're to "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (3:1-2).
Paul wraps up his teaching by encouraging believers to pray, give thanks, and "Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person" (4:5-6).
I can get so caught up in the affairs of this life, I need the reminder to "set my mind on things above" and exalt Christ above all.
A few more quotes from the book that stood out to me:
The gospel message does not center in a philosophy, a doctrine, or a religious system. It centers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (p. 30, Kindle version).
Uniformity is the result of compulsion from the outside; unity is the result of compassion from the inside (p. 37).
Satan is so deceptive! He likes to borrow Christian vocabulary, but he does not use the Christian dictionary (p. 43).
The false teachers in Colossae, like the false teachers of our own day, would not deny the importance of Jesus Christ. They would simply dethrone Him, giving Him prominence but not preeminence. In their philosophy, Jesus Christ was but one of many "emanations" that proceeded from God and through which men could reach God. It was this claim that Paul refuted in this section (p. 57).
In the New Testament, saints are not dead people who during their lives performed miracles and never sinned. New Testament saints were living people who had trusted Jesus Christ. Paul wrote this letter to living saints (Col. 1:2), (p. 73).
Prayer is not our trying to change God's mind. It is learning what is the mind of God and asking accordingly (1 John 5:14-15) (p. 81).
It does little good if Christians declare and defend the truth, but fail to demonstrate it in their lives (p. 113).
Paul did not ask for the prison doors to be opened, but that doors of ministry might be opened (1 Cor. 16: 9; Acts 14: 27). It was more important to Paul that he be a faithful minister than a free man. It is worth noting that in all of Paul's prison prayers, his concern was not for personal safety or material help, but for spiritual character and blessing (p. 154).
I like how Wiersbe closed hos commentary on Colossians:
As we come to the close of our study of this remarkable letter, we must remind ourselves that we are complete in Jesus Christ. We should beware of any teaching that claims to give us "something more" than we already have in Christ. All of God's fullness is in Him, and He has perfectly equipped us for the life that God wants us to live. We do not live and grow by addition, but by appropriation (p. 173).
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