Commentary On The Epistle To The Colossians
By the Rev. Horace M. Patton
Colossians 1:3-14
Thanksgiving and Prayer
Following Paul’s greeting to the faithful followers of Christ, he tells them of his prayer for them—that God, our Father, would be kind to them and bless them with peace. This was the peace Jesus had given to His disciples shortly before His crucifixion. It is the peace of God which the world could not give not take away (Jn 14:27). Other references to God’s peace are: Rom. 5:1; Phil. 4:6,7; Rom. 15:33.
The Bible has often been called the Christian’s prayer book, for in it we find instructions on how to pray. Here we have an example of prayer by the Apostle Paul. He was the most effective cross-cultural ambassador in human history; he spent much time in prayer.
Paul began by thanking God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many ways to address God in prayer, but none is greater than this. Our access to God is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became man that He might open the door to heaven by His death, His resurrection, and ascension to His Father. “There is no other name given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5, 6). No other person, saint or sinner, can open the heavenly door except Jesus, our great High Priest.
And why did Paul give thanks? Because of the Colossian believers’ faith in Christ Jesus and the love they had for all the saints! Those two qualities sprang from the hope they had through the gospel.
Our Lord Jesus has gone before us to His heavenly kingdom and is preparing a place for us where we can rejoice with the rest of the believers throughout all eternity. This place is imperishable; it has no limits of time and space. The glory of the Lord will be the fulness of our joy. This is the hope the true gospel of Christ gives to every believer.
Paul is rejoicing because the gospel has given this hope to the Colossians and it is spreading all over the world, bringing peace, love and hope to all mankind. The Colossians had rightly accepted the truth of the gospel as it had been preached to them by Epaphras. Paul acknowledges Epaphras as a faithful fellow servant of the gospel. He, who brought the gospel to them, now brings a full report to Paul while he is in prison.
Because of the Colossians’ response to the gospel, Paul says he has not stopped praying for them. We, too, need to intercede, asking God to fill us with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
In our day when there seems to be many voices telling us what to believe, we should be praying to know and understand God’s will. If we do this, we will grow stronger in our ability to “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that [we] may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified [us] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” ( See vs 10-14.)
Top of page >
Chapter 1:1-2 >
Chapter 1:15-17 >
|
