Colossians 3, Following Christ in Community

Paul has warned the Colossians away from heresy which focuses on legalistic regulations.  We are instead to focus on the Messiah, Jesus.

Colossians 3: 1-4, Focus on the things of Christ

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Christianity is (as they say) "a relationship, not a religion."  Citizenship in the kingdom of Christ includes concentrating (meditating, setting our hearts) on His world and His work. As Jesus suggested praying, we are to seek "Your kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven."

Colossians 3: 5-11, New life

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

In verse 6 (according to the NIV footnotes) some early manuscripts have "the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient."

I have always found it refreshing that Paul has no problem saying, "You used to be that way... but...." It is not who we were that matters, but who we are becoming. Paul wants to emphasize the new life.  The last few verses in this passage echo Galatians 3: 28-29.

Colossians 3: 12-15, Clothed with compassion and gentleness

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Christians are a people within community.  So we must practice living out that community within the (silly, frustrating, irritating) body of believers called "the Church"!

Colossians 3: 16-17, Rich joy, rich singing

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Paul suggests that following the teachings of the Messiah (including the salvation he offers) leads to praise, gratitude, singing.  Everything should be done to honor him!

Colossians 3: 18-25, Submission to others for the coming kingdom

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

Paul has here a series of short instructions on submission, similar to that found in Ephesians 5: 21-6:9.  (The passage is Ephesians is lengthier.)

Colossians 2, The Riches of the Messiah

Paul has described the spread of the "Good News" about the Jewish Messiah, reaching out to the Gentiles, an event that includes Paul as minister to the Gentiles.

Colossians 2: 1-3, In Christ all treasures!

I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

The town of Laodicea, like Colossae, was in Phrygia, in inland Turkey.  Paul communicates his concern and ministry for the people of the region, promoting the riches of the Jewish Messiah.  

It is likely that Paul's letter went first to Colossae and then on to nearby communities.

Colossians 2: 4-5, Don't be deceived.

I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

Paul is concerned that others will dismiss the Messiah, presenting a gospel of legalism or a return to Pharisaical Judaism (out of which Paul himself has come.) 

This is the first hint in this letter that Paul is concerned about popular teachings that might deceive the Colossians.

Colossians 2: 6-10, In Christ all treasures!

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Paul confronts popular philosophies (presumably Greek philosophies) that are attractive yet shallow. In contrast to speculations about the divine, Paul argues that Christ was (is) the visible manifestation of God and represents all that we need.

Colossians 2: 11-15, Resurrected to new life

In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

It is not clear if the Colossian men were physically circumcised, but Paul argues that their hearts have been circumcised, following in Christ's death are resurrections.  He makes a clear salvation promise in this paragraph, laying out the forgiveness provided to Christians by the Cross.

Colossians 2: 16-19, Focus on Jesus, not the shadows

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Some philosophers might preach a religion of spiritual ecstasy and mysticism. Dealers in false religions often emphasize certain ritual practices, controlling what one eats, what religious holidays one follows, and so on.  Paul will have none of this legalism.  (Neither should we.)

Colossians 2: 20-23, Jesus, not Rules

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?  These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Legalism and asceticism look spiritual.  People want spirituality to be hard, to be painful and so are impressed by ascetics who display their sufferings.  Jesus was not impressed and neither is Paul. Christians should see through this! Instead of focusing on rules, we should focus on the personal Christ!

This focus on the Messiah will continue in the next chapter.

Colossians 1, A Spreading Gospel

After the letter to the Philippians in the New Testament is Paul's letter to the Colossians.

The city of Colossae was in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), in the region of Phrygia, inland from Ephesus.  There were residents of Phrygia at Pentecost (Acts 2: 5-12) and Paul traveled through Phrygia in Acts 16 (see Acts 16:6) on Paul's second missionary journey, enroute to Greece.

While in prison (probably in Rome?) Paul wrote a letter to the church in Colossae. This letter has some strong similarities with his letter to Ephesus.

Colossians 1: 1-2, Grace and peace

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

This is a fairly standard greeting for that time, describing the writer(s) and the intended recipients.

Colossians 1: 3-8, The good news spreads

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. 

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Presumably Paul has not yet met the people of this church but instead has heard of their growth and development, as the gospel ("good news") spreads throughout the Mediterranean.  Epaphras is presumably the first person who took the good news of the Messiah to Colossae.  It is possible that Epaphras was a resident of Colossae who met Paul elsewhere, maybe in Ephesus, and took the gospel back to Colossae.

Colossians 1: 9-14, Our prayer for you

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may 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 you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you 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.

Paul's prayer here is similar to that in his letter to the Ephesians.  The prayer rambles, one long sentence asking that those in Colossae have wisdom, knowledge, patience, joy... as they come to better understand their rescued state and begin to live out their new citizenship.

Colossians 1: 15-19, Messiah-God

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

At the end of Paul's prayer for the Colossians he goes on to describe the Messiah, the Son, as the "image of God", the leader over creation, indeed the one by which Creation occurred.  These are strong statements; the Messiah is eternal, without beginning or end, God-in-human-form, Creator.

Colossians 1: 21-23, Alienation, Reconciliation

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

The "good news" has, at its roots, a recognition of human selfishness and capacity for evil, followed by an excited declaration of "reconciliation" with God.  It is not just a declaration of human hope and right actions, but of salvation from evil and darkness.

Colossians 1: 24-29, Commissioned to present Christ

Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.  

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness-- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

The devout Jew, Paul, has been appointed ("commissioned") by God, to reach out to the Gentiles, helping lead them into citizenship in the growing empire of the Messiah ("Christ").

Paul continues to describe this citizenship in the next chapter of this letter.

Paul's Letter to the Colossians

After the letter to the Philippians in the New Testament is Paul's letter to the Colossians.

The city of Colossae was in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), in the region of Phrygia, inland from Ephesus.  There were residents of Phrygia at Pentecost (Acts 2: 5-12) and Paul traveled through Phrygia in Acts 16 (see Acts 16:6) on Paul's second missionary journey, enroute to Greece.

While in prison (probably in Rome?) Paul wrote a letter to the church in Colossae.

The Colossians letter is concerned with a high view of the work of Jesus and with various heresies and philosophies floating around the Gentile churches.

Paul's letter to the Colossians has a lot in common with his letter to the Ephesians. Some (Bob Utley, for example) have suggested that Colossians was written before Ephesians and that Ephesians expands on the themes in the book of Colossians. In both books, Paul lays out a high view of Christ as eternal Creator.  In both he describes his prayer for the readers, emphasizing their growth in understanding their position in Christ.  In both he has a short set of instructions on relationships. There are enough parallels that one can set out a careful list of parallels between the two letters; see here.  A more general exposition on these parallels between the two letters is here.

As for resources for the book of Colossians, I like the material at OverviewBible -- here is their link on Colossians. There is, of course, a nice summary at the Bible Project, including a a 9 minute video that I recommend as a nice easy introduction.

At the end of Colossians, Paul explains that Tychichus and Onesimus are carrying the letter to Colossae.  It turns out that Onesimus is carrying another letter, one written to his former slave-owner, Philemon.  In that letter, Paul urges Philemon to free Onesimus. I wonder what Onesimus thought as he carried both letters....  Paul clearly has a high view of Onesimus, and the very fact that we have both letters preserved in the New Testament is evidence that the faithfulness of Onesimus was honored.

The Trinity

Christians supposedly believe in "the Trinity", a popular but confusing doctrine that gives the impression that Christians believe in three gods. It is my conviction that Christians in the United States place far too much emphasis on minor doctrinal differences and are far too willing to forget their main mission (and love) in order to "take a stand" on confusing topics.  (See, for example, this blogpost that raises concerns about "complementarians" and the Trinity and this Wikipedia article for a history of some of the past viewpoints and disagreements!)

The theological concept of the "Trinity" of God dates to the second century and is an attempt to understand the way God is represented in creation, in Jesus and in the Holy Spirit. The concept is not explicit in the Scriptures, but various pieces of it are implied in certain passages.

That there is only one God, not three, is clear throughout Scripture. The Old Testament "Shema Israel" passage, in Deuteronomy 6:4, makes that a basic principle of the faith of Israel.

In John 1: 1-4, we are introduced to the Word (Logos) of God, the creative mind of God, with God from the beginning of creation, finally made flesh (John 1:14) in the appearance of Jesus.

In Hebrews 1: 1-3, Jesus is similarly described as the one through whom the universe was made. Furthermore, he is the "exact representation" of God. I cannot read those passages without reading the claim that Jesus is God, in some human representation of him.

In John 14: 16-17, Jesus promises to send "a Comforter" who will live within his followers and we see this Comforter appear at Pentecost in Acts 2.  The early church seemed to view the Holy Spirit as the presence of God (or Jesus) internally guiding the believer and Paul seems to explicitly identify the Holy Spirit with Jesus (eg. II Corinthians 3:17.)

There is a popular explanation of the Trinity in a diagram (see below.) The diagram makes no sense to me, as it violates our understanding of "is" or "equal."  As a mathematician, if God=Son and God=Father then Father=Son by the transitive property of equality!  Apparently the word "is" here means something different than the way I typically use it.  I am uncomfortable with an argument that relies (to quote an American president) "on what the meaning of the word 'is' is."

That people consider this important is clear.  But it is not important that a Christian sort this out. If the Bible only provides a sketch of the complexity of God, I see no obligation to take that sketch and create an intricate (and flawed) systematic theology. Nor am I obligated to endorse someone else's detailed (and flawed) theology.

The website GotQuestions.org attempts to lay out the Biblical theology for the Trinity.  There is some good material these, including a number of related Old Testament passages.  But I appreciate most that the site wisely ends with this paragraph:

"The doctrine of the Trinity has been a divisive issue throughout the entire history of the Christian church. While the core aspects of the Trinity are clearly presented in God’s Word, some of the side issues are not as explicitly clear. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God—but there is only one God. That is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. Beyond that, the issues are, to a certain extent, debatable and non-essential. Rather than attempting to fully define the Trinity with our finite human minds, we would be better served by focusing on the fact of God's greatness and His infinitely higher nature. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34)."

Passover Week, Holy Week

The Passover Week in Jerusalem, somewhere between 30 and 33 C.E., is the week in which Jesus enters Jerusalem in glory, adored by the crowds, riding on a donkey, spends time with his disciples in and around the temple, and then is crucified on Friday, just before the Jewish sabbath.  Then, on the first day of the week, Jesus is seen alive in parts of Jerusalem, his tomb now empty.

The week begins in Matthew 21 and includes numerous teachings by Jesus about the coming kingdom of heaven and the end times.

Historically, Christians celebrate the Friday crucifixion as "Good Friday" and the Sunday resurrection as Easter Sunday.  The celebrations of these days date back to probably the third century, if not earlier.

The last supper was apparently on Thursday, now celebrated as Maundy Thursday. Matthew 26:17 has the last supper occurring on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

I've found a variety of interesting internet resources on the Passover Week.   As always, Wikipedia is a good source.  There is a Wikipedia article on the "Holy Week".

The Passover feast dates back to Exodus 12, when the tribe of Israel was expelled from Egypt.  On that night (the 14th day of the month Nisan) the Jews sacrificed a lamb and spread its blood over their doorposts so that the Angel of Death would "pass over" their homes and spare them, while killing the first born son of the Egyptians.

A Catholic view of Passover is here.  Another Christian view is here.  A Jewish explanation can be found here and a Messianic Judaism view here or here.

Was Jesus, in the Last Supper, really celebrating the Passover Seder? A fairly detailed analysis of this question appears in this Biblical Archealogy article.

Tomorrow we return to Matthew's account of the Passover Week, crucifixion and resurrection.

Dreamers (A Plea to my Christian Brothers & Sisters)

At the end of the Exodus, the twelve tribes of Israel moved into their "Promised Land". Yet that new land was filled with strife and struggles.  The books of Joshua and Judges describe the pagan nations that routinely fought wars with Israel and tried to conquer it.

One of these evil pagan nations was Moab.

In the middle of the history of Israel, in the time of the Judges, a pagan woman, a Moabite refugee, enters the small Judean town of Bethlehem. In Bethlehem she is welcomed and protected. And in the sovereign plan of God, she has a son, (a "Redeemer") and her great-grandchild is David, a future king. In her lineage is the Messiah, the Son of David.

The line of Jesus goes back to this Moabite refugee that Bethlehem welcomed.

The book of Ruth is intended to represent God's sovereign plans, the ways that He works out, over a long period of time, his redemptive work. The short book of Ruth is a beautiful work. Read through it slowly!  Read it as a romance, if you will, between Ruth and Boaz ... and between God and the widow and orphan.

Do not miss an undercurrent theme in the book of Ruth -- indeed, throughout the Old Testament -- the emphatic instructions that the people of Israel were to welcome the alien and the stranger. God worked through the "alien and stranger" and in the Old Testament there are two, three dozen explicit instructions to welcome, protect and shield the alien!

And so, to my Christian friends, a plea –

   IF you have looked at the heartbeat of a fetus and -- knowing that it had a beating heart and felt pain -- if in love for the vulnerable fetus, you have taken a stand for the unborn,
   IF you are aware of those sweet children who are born with an extra copy of chromosome 21 and if you have then acted in love for those with Downs Syndrome (some of you even have started calling it Ups Syndrome!)

THEN, as your brother in Christ, seeking to speak in the Holy Spirit, I plea with you, I beg, that you consider the plight of the "undocumented aliens" and those "dreamers" around you who love this country, their home!

They are in your block.  They live near you and go to your church.

My wife and I are currenlty involved in a Christian ministry that includes at least three students who have publicly identified themselves as DACA recipients.  These friends are anxious and frightened. Last year they studied hard, hoping to graduate and start a career. Now they are afraid that in six months they will be deported to a country they do not know.

Please, walk down the block, cry with them and pray with them! And then (as you would for the unborn and those with Downs) take a stand for the Immigrant. Reach out to your congressional representative and ask that our country find a way to legally welcome these people who love the USA and who are doing so much for our beautiful country!

And IF you are sympathetic with the unborn and IF you are sympathetic with those with Downs but can still turn your back on the Dreamers – if you as a Christian, but can ignore two dozen Old Testament passages on the immigrant  – if you can find words like "Obama" or "America" or "Muslim extremist" to ignore that scared neighbor down the block – then your conscience has been seared.  I pray, in Jesus name, that you RESET your conscience – that you put Jesus above your job and your country – and I beg that you weep with the dreamers and then act to protect them.  If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, if your Master is concerned about the unborn and the child with Downs, then please prayerfully, slowly, read through the last half of Matthew 25, read the book of Ruth, read through the more than two dozen Old Testament commands, and see your dreamer neighbor as God does!

Republican, Democrat or Independent, this issue is above American politics. It is an issue for Christians, residents of a different country (Hebrews 11:13-16.)  Please, act as a citizen of that eternal kingdom!