Gospel Matters

A Commentary on Colossians 1

Colin Wong, Guest Writer




Image source: mbcc.us

Introduction

Imagine for a moment a well-known reputable Bible teacher coming to Hosanna EFC, and preaching things that seem to contradict what we already know of the Christian faith. This results in confusion. It calls for clarification as to what the Bible actually teaches and what the Christian faith is really about.

There was a church in the first century A.D. that was facing this kind of issue. It was the church in a place called Colosse. False teachings were penetrating the church, and it was causing confusion among the Christians there. Because of that, the apostle Paul had to write to them in order to clarify and explain precisely what the Bible and the Christian faith teaches, and to refute the errors of the false teachings. This gives us the Book of Colossians.

The precise nature of the false teaching in the Colossian church is not given to us clearly. But from the Book of Colossians itself, we can intelligently conclude that the nature of these false teachings seem to be a blend that borrows from Jewish traditional teachings, and also native superstitious beliefs.

The Jewish elements include the teaching of the need to be circumcised (2:11; 3:11), to strictly observe the code of the Law (2:14-15), and to religiously observe special seasons such as the Sabbath (2:16). Native beliefs include the practice of asceticism – severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgences for religious reasons (2:23).

Colossians 1 can be viewed in three sections – (i) The Gospel Fruit (1:1-14), (ii) The Gospel Message (1:15-23) and (iii) The Gospel Servant (1:24-29).

The Gospel Fruit (1:1-14)

In 1:1-14, we see Paul giving thanks to God as he prays for the Colossian church. Paul gave thanks for the faith and love of the church, formed on the basis of the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From giving thanks, we see Paul continuing to pray for the Colossian church. He prays that they will be able to have an understanding of God’s purposes, so that they may live the kind of life God desires of them with endurance, bearing fruit and continuing to grow.

Notice that the things Paul gave thanks for, and prayed for, have got to do with godly Christian character. It is a matter of our being before it is a matter of our doing. This is particularly significant in our time where we have plenty of people with competencies, but we lack people with character. As such, one important truth that we learn is that the hallmark of a Christ-centred church is faith, love and obedience.

E.M. Bounds says, “God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.” And by better men, we mean people of better character. God desires to work through His people to bless our community, our nation, and the world. But are we ready for such a role if we lack the character to put it into effect? We, the church, can only be God’s tool to impact the world and work out His purposes if we live out godly character through our focus on faith, love and obedience.

The Gospel Message (1:15-23)

In 1:15-23, we see Paul presenting the amazing person and work of Jesus Christ. We learn from these verses a few things about who Jesus really is and the work that He has accomplished:

i.         He is God who exists eternally

ii.      He is Creator and Sustainer of all creation

iii.   He is the preeminent and supreme Being

iv.    He is the Head of the church

v.       He reconciled humanity to God on the basis of His death on the cross

The Greek word for ‘firstborn’ is prototokos, which is used in the context of rank. Therefore, when Jesus is described as the ‘firstborn over all creation,’ it means that He is highest in the order of all things. In the same way, Jesus being ‘the firstborn from among the dead’ describes how He is the first to be permanently raised from the dead, thereby being the first of a new kind of life in which all who believe in Him will share.

From these descriptions of the person and work of Jesus, we learn that the core of the gospel message is the person, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

David Gooding has this to say about Jesus Christ:

“In this, Christ is unique. Of all the great leaders of religions, He is the only one who will come alongside us, claiming to be our creator incarnate, come to deal with the problem of the guilt of our sin by means of His sacrifice on Calvary so that we may receive forgiveness and peace with God.

“To ask why we must think that Christ is the only way to God is to miss the point completely. For Christ does not, in that sense, compete with anyone for the simple reason that no one else claims to deal with this fundamental problem. He is the only one in the running. How can it be narrow-minded or arrogant to accept from Christ what no one else offers?”

Jesus Christ is the only way, not only because He is the true God, but also because He alone addresses our problem of sin completely. Our issue is much deeper than moral good and bad, but that we are separated from God because of sin and rebellion against God (1:21; Rom 5:10, Eph 4:18). Jesus mends that separation and reconciles us back to God, by satisfying God’s judgement against sin and offering forgiveness on the cross.

Jesus Christ is at the very core of the Christian faith, and He is supreme over all. If you have not surrendered your life to God through Jesus Christ, the question you must answer for yourself is this: Will you accept from Jesus Christ what no one else can offer, and give your life to Him in order to live consistent with the salvation He offers?

“Salvation is not a reward for the righteous,” said Steven Lawson, “but a gift for the guilty.”

It is a gift that we receive by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). Even as people redeemed by Christ, we must be careful not to fall back into the trap of performing our moral duties thinking that God will respond better and bless us more. God’s favour on us is by grace through faith in Jesus, not because of any personal efforts of ours.

The Gospel Servant (1:24-29)

In 1:24-29, we see the apostle Paul explaining His labour for our Lord Jesus Christ and for His church.

Paul’s mission is described for us:

i.         1:25-27 – Paul’s mission was to present the Word of God in its fullness and proclaim the ‘mystery’ of God that is now disclosed. By calling it a mystery, Paul does not mean to make people confused or puzzled. He means to tell us something that we would not know unless God reveals it to us.

The ‘mystery’ now revealed is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v.27). We can have forgiveness through the grace of God and the saving work of Jesus Christ. Previously, the Jews thought that only they were God’s people. Even if the Gentiles believed in God, they were still not God’s covenant people in the sense that Jews were. But now, Jewish and Gentile believers are united in one body, the church, and as God’s people, they share equally in God’s blessings. 

ii.      1:28 – Paul’s mission was also to proclaim and teach about Jesus Christ so that people will be fully matured in Christ.

Besides Paul’s mission, we also see the attitude employed by Paul in carrying out his mission:

i.         1:24 – Paul rejoices in his suffering for the Gospel, because he knew that God worked through that suffering to produce a harvest of believers.

ii.      1:24 – Paul identifies with Christ in his suffering. This reminds us of the need for Christians who do not just count the benefits of being a disciple, but also the cost of being a disciple. The Gospel calls us to sacrificial living – denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Christ – through which God will work everything for good according to His purposes and for His glory.

iii.   1:25 – Paul serves with a sense of responsibility. Paul states that he is a servant of Christ and of the church by the commission of God. It was not a matter of personal preference or ambition, but a matter of God’s call.

iv.    1:29 – Paul serves with the energy of Christ. Resilient and sustainable spiritual resolve needs to be driven by the power of the indwelling Spirit of Jesus.

From Paul’s example, we learn that we are to be servants of the Gospel, and natural proclaimers of that same Gospel through the whole of our lives.

If we have experienced the life-changing power of the Gospel, it will overflow through us to impact others as well. The New Testament teaches about sharing the Gospel in a way that involves a whole range of activities that explicitly promote Christ to the world and draw others to Him.

So while not all Christians are called and gifted to become evangelists, we are all called to proclaim the Gospel through a wide range of activities in the whole of our lives – godly lives, prayer, financial partnership, deeds of love, social engagement, public worship, daily conversations, direct verbal proclamation of the Gospel, etc.

Words and verbal sharing play a crucial role in articulating and explaining the Gospel, but lives that naturally proclaim the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ are just as important. That’s why, as servants of the Gospel, it is important for us to see the whole of our lives as significant for proclaiming the Gospel to the world.

We should not be burdened by certain self-imposed expectations regarding sharing the Gospel. Instead, we should be liberated to become natural servants and proclaimers of the Gospel, doing so out of the overflow of the life-changing power of the Gospel manifested in our lives.

Conclusion

From Colossians 1, we learn that the Gospel-centred life involves:

i.         The PERSON of the Gospel, where Jesus Christ is to be the centre of our lives, and the reason for our being

ii.      The PRODUCE of the Gospel, where we are to live out godly Christian character through faith, love and obedience

iii.   The PROCLAMATION of the Gospel, where we are to be natural servants and proclaimers of the Gospel

To round things up, here is an excerpt from Ravi Zacharias’ book, Can Man Live Without God (Word Publ., Dallas: 1994, pp.101-102):

There is a magnificent story in Marie Chapian’s book Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy. The book told of the sufferings of the true church in Yugoslavia where so much wrong has been perpetrated by the politicised ecclesiastical hierarchy. That which has gone on in the name of Christ for the enriching and empowering of corrupt church officials has been a terrible affront to decency.

One day an evangelist by the name of Jakov arrived in a certain village. He commiserated with an elderly man named Cimmerman on the tragedies he had experienced and talked to him of the love of Christ. Cimmerman abruptly interrupted Jakov and told him that he wished to have nothing to do with Christianity.

He reminded Jakov of the dreadful history of the church in his town, a history replete with plundering, exploiting and indeed with killing innocent people.

“My own nephew was killed by them,” he said and angrily rebuffed any effort on Jakov’s part to talk about Christ.

“They wear those elaborate coats and caps and crosses,” he said, “signifying a heavenly commission, but their evil designs and lives I cannot ignore.”

Jakov, looking for an occasion to get Cimmerman to change his line of thinking, said, “Cimmerman, can I ask you a question? Suppose I were to steal your coat, put it on, and break into a bank. Suppose further that the police sighted me running in the distance but could not catch up with me. One clue, however, put them onto your track; they recognised your coat. What would you say to them if they came to your house and accused you of breaking into the bank?”

“I would deny it,” said Cimmerman.

“‘Ah, but we saw your coat,’ they would say,” retorted Jakov. This analogy quite annoyed Cimmerman, who ordered Jakov to leave his home.

Jakov continued to return to the village periodically just to befriend Cimmerman, encourage him, and share the love of Christ, with him. Finally one day Cimmerman asked, “How does one become a Christian?” and Jakov taught him the simple steps of repentance for sin and of trust in the work of Jesus Christ and gently pointed him to the Shepherd of his soul.

Cimmerman bent his knee on the soil with his head bowed and surrendered his life to Christ. As he rose to his feet, wiping his tears, he embraced Jakov and said, “Thank you for being in my life.”

And then he pointed to the heavens and whispered, “You wear His coat very well.”

May we be Christians who “wear the coat of Jesus well” – by rooting ourselves in the person of Jesus Christ, bearing the produce of the fruit of godly Christian character, and living out natural proclamation of the Gospel.