Tuesday August 15, 2023 Some material taken from "A Vision for the Church"
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother: To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters. Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace. You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has told us about your love in the Spirit. Colossians 1:1-8 CSB
A Familiar, Heartfelt Greeting
The book of Colossians was written by Paul, as he was imprisoned in Rome. It is believed that they are Paul’s words and Timothy transcribed for him. Colossians is an epistle - or a letter - to the church in Colossae. Paul was writing to warn them against some false teaching that was going on in the church. This dangerous teaching lessened Christ’s role and undermined what they had been taught about their new identity “in Christ.” Paul wrote to warn them and encourage them in their growth towards maturity in Christ.
He begins his letter wishing them grace and peace, telling them how thankful he is for his brothers and sisters in Christ. He starts with grace and peace because they are both essential to Christian life. He was reminding them that they were rooted in Christ and in Him they could stand against false teachers and the pressure of the culture around them.
Grace and Peace - We are Christians because of the free gift of God’s grace that we live in daily. Jesus is our source, and our salvation is rooted in it. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
Peace comes as a result of our salvation and God’s gift of grace, and it also comes from Jesus. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and His shed blood covering our sins, makes it possible for us to have peace because we are reconciled to God. He secured our salvation for us because we could not do it for ourselves.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.
Paul has thankfulness in his heart for the Christians in Colossae because of the fruit he had heard about in their lives - the overflowing of the faith they had in Christ, the love they showed others, and the hope they knew they had in heaven. He was encouraging them, but they also encouraged him, and others. They were new in their faith and identity in Christ, and this is the commitment Paul wanted them to stand firm in. He saw them doing good things, the right things, the right way and it made his heart thankful. He was thankful that the Gospel was bearing fruit all over the world, even though he was in prison.
The body of believers collectively is the church of Jesus Christ. The Church by definition is “The redeemed and gathered people of God commissioned to multiply the Kingdom of God throughout the world.” We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and together we are to multiply the Kingdom of God. We can encourage each other and be encouraged by others and the common work we are all engaged in together, but separate. The Kingdom of God is - “The already, but not yet, reign of God over all of life.”
Paul was caring for the church in Colossae just as we are to care for one another. When was the last time you thought about the work we are doing as the body of Christ? Give some thought to that and be encouraged and encourage others in the work they are doing.
You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace.
Paul opened this letter to them with a familiar, but heartfelt greeting of grace and peace. Paul had a heart full of love and concern for this church that he had not planted, nor visited in person. But the power of Christian love knows no limits. He cared deeply for them and was concerned for their well being. We should have the same care and concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ today.
“Grace is God’s unconditioned goodwill toward men and women which is decisively expressed in the saving work of Christ.” (Bruce)
