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The Book of Colossians

Introduction and notes on selected passages

May 6, 2017
Copyright © 2012, 2017, Ronald W. Leigh

A.  Studying Colossians

1.  On your own

Please participate in this study of Colossians by doing your own personal study.  Begin by reading Colossians through, preferably in one sitting.  Then read it through again in a different translation.  Each week carefully read the portion that will be discussed the following Sunday, making notes of your observations and questions.

Here is a list of several standard English translations.  They are considered "standard" in the sense that:

• First, they are translated by a committee rather than one individual.
• Second, they are careful (literal, or better literary) translations, not paraphrases.
• Third, they pay careful attention to the texts in the original languages.

The first three are new translations directly from original language texts.  The last three are revisions of previous English translations.

1. NIV — New International Version (Not the Today's New International Version)
    
2. NET — New English Translation (net.bible.org)
    
3. CSB — Christian Standard Bible (updated Holman Christian Standard Bible)
      Note: The CSB will be available in various editions during March - May, 2017
    
4. RSV — Revised Standard Version (a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901), or New Revised Standard Version
    
5. NASB — New American Standard Bible (a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901)
    
6. ESV — English Standard Version (a revision of the RSV of 1971)

The above translations are available online at such sites as:    biblegateway.com,  biblestudytools.com,  and biblehub.com.

2.  During class

Feel free to speak up with questions, comments, disagreements, related topics, or suggestions at any time.

Regarding related topics:  Integrating our faith is important, so related topics are often worth discussing.  However, they can turn into rabbit trails and become distractions.  We will have to decide together when to "get back on the subject."

3.  Bibliography and websites

B.  Organization of N. T., writer, recipients

1.  Organization of the New Testament

See the table, Organization and overview of the Bible in the paper "Your Bible."

2.  Writer

Both Paul and Timothy are mentioned in the first verse and the plural pronoun "we" is repeated in the first several verses.  However, both 1:23 and 4:18 read "I, Paul," and between those two verses the author uses mostly singular pronouns.  Thus, Paul is considered the writer of the book.  References to "chains" (4:3,18) and "fellow prisoner" (4:10) indicate Paul was writing from prison.  No further indications of the place or time of writing are given in the book itself.  However, Paul probably wrote to the Colossians around A.D. 60 during his first imprisonment in Rome (see Acts 23:11;  28:16, 30-31), the same time he wrote the letters to Philemon and to the church at Ephesus (Colossians 4:7-9; Ephesians 6:21-22).

3.  Recipients

The letter was written "to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse,"  a town in the southern part of the Roman province of Asia.  (Asia in the New Testament refers to the Roman province, which was in the western half of modern Turkey.)  Colossae lies in the region of Phrygia, on the Lycus River, very near the cities of Laodicea, and Hierapolis.

Before New Testament times, Colossae was along an important east-west trade route that went all the way from Rome to the Mesopotamian Valley.  Rome built new roads which bypassed Colossae and diminished its importance.

The Colossians had heard the gospel from Epaphras (1:7), perhaps while Paul ministered for over two years in Ephesus (Acts 19:10).  Epaphras was now in prison with Paul (Philemon 23).  The letter was probably delivered to Colosse by Tychicus and Onesimus (4:7-9; compare Ephesians 6:21-22).

According to the historian Eusebius, around A.D. 61 (not long after the probable date of Paul's letter to the Colossians) the cities of Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis were destroyed by an earthquake.  Colosse was never rebuilt and little remains of the original city today. The once important city is now merely a few ruins and fields.  Some present day pictures of the ruins are found at here.

C.  Relevance of warnings

Colossians contains warnings that are just as relevant today as when they were written.  These warnings appear in chapter 2, especially in verses 4, 8, 16, 18, and 20.  We will look at only one of these warnings to illustrate its current relevance.

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.  (Colossians 2:8)

Is there anything today that could be labeled "hollow and deceptive philosophy"?  Anything that is mere "human tradition"?  Or "basic principles of this world"?  Many worldviews and attitudes within our culture would fit these descriptions.  Again, however, we will focus on just one area – our culture's complete saturation with evolutionary thinking.

However, it is not just our culture.  Some so-called evangelicals have been "taken captive."  For example, the website biologos.org

… invites the church and the world to see the harmony between science and biblical faith as we present an evolutionary understanding of God's creation.  (biologos.org)

In 2010, Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke (one of the translators of both the NASB and the NIV) posted a video on the BioLogos website in which he claimed that, if evangelicals fail to accept evolution, they will become a "cult"  (reported by Terry Mortensen in Searching for Adam, Master Books, 2016, p. 7).  And in his Genesis: A Commentary, Waltke says that

Contemporary scientists almost unanimously discount the possibility of creation in one week, and we cannot summarily discount the evidence of the earth sciences. General revelation in creation, as well as the special revelation of Scripture, is also the voice of God. We live in a "universe," and all truth speaks with one voice.  (Bruce Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, Zondervan, 2001, p. 77)

Regarding the first sentence above — Is science really our guide to the interpretation of scripture?  One needs only to review the history of science, or consider the limitations of science, to realize that science has no authority to speak on the capabilities of God.

Regarding the second sentence above — While it is certainly the case that all truth is God's truth, it is folly to merely accept any scientific conclusion uncritically.  Again, one needs only to review the history of science, or consider the limitations of science, to recognize the absurdity of assuming that all that represents itself as science is really legitimate and high quality science.  See the paper Integrating Science and Theology.

Regarding the subject of evolution — If everyone would learn to make the important distinction between microevolution and macroevolution the whole discussion would be greatly simplified.  By "microevolution" we mean development below the "order" or "family" level of the biological taxonomy, corresponding to the biblical "kinds."  By "macroevolution" we mean development from the simplest life forms all the way up to man.  On the one hand, there is absolutely no evidence for macroevolution.  On the other hand, there is lots of evidence for microevolution, which those who don't observe the micro/macro distinction always wrongly apply to macro-evolution.

Furthermore, the solution is not merely to try to add God to the picture and talk about theistic evolution.  Theistic evolution is now official Roman Catholic dogma.  And, as mentioned above, it is being pushed by so-called evangelicals on such websites as BioLogos.org.  There is no need to integrate our theology with macroevolution because macroevolution is very poor science to begin with!  In fact, it is a huge bandwagon that is better characterized as "storytelling" rather than as "science."

Karl Barth was a pastor and theologian in Switzerland and Germany and became the father of neo-orthodoxy.  It will be tragic if evangelicals make the same mistake that Karl Barth made in the early 1900s.  During the 1800s, higher criticism (historical-, source-, and form-criticism) had cast doubt on the reliability of scripture.  Instead of fighting higher criticism, Barth, following the lead of Kierkegaard (existentialist), accepted it.  However, he said we should have faith anyhow!  Of course, such faith is merely faith in faith, rather than faith in the historical Christ.  What is happening now, with the suggestion that we accept theistic evolution, is a definite step in that same direction, again casting doubt on the reliability of scripture.  Have we forgotten what happened only a century ago?  (Neo-orthodoxy is seldom discussed in evangelical circles today.)

This all shows the relevance of Colossians 2:8 and the importance of using anything, even stones, in order to remember (Joshua 4:1-9).

D.  Outline of Colossians

E.  Occasion and purpose

The church at Colosse may have been planted by Epaphras (mentioned in 1:7 and 4:12-13).  It is possible that Paul never visited this church and did not have personal acquaintance with many of its members (see 2:1).  However, Paul certainly came close to Colosse on his third missionary journey (Acts 18:23 - 21:16).  At the beginning of this journey Paul may have been in Colossee (Acts 18:23).  In addition, on this same journey Paul stayed two or three years in Ephesus (Acts 19:8, 10; 20:31) and it was possible that during this time he and/or his co-worker Epaphras planted the church in Colosse.

Several years later, while Paul was in prison in Rome, he heard a good report about the Colossian believers (1:4,8-9).  He states that his "purpose" (2:2) is that they be encouraged, united, and gain insight, and this may refer to his overall goal in ministry on their behalf rather than narrowly to his purpose in writing this letter.  Nevertheless, the general tenure of the letter indicates a very similar purpose – encouragement, exhortation to pure and confident living, with supporting instruction on the nature and work of Christ.  That instruction about Christ involves an emphasis on the deity and supremacy of Christ.  This emphasis, together with the warnings regarding ill founded philosophy, worship of angels, and legalistic practices (2:6-23) constitutes a second purpose for writing.

Sometimes, in other letters, Paul and Peter refer explicitly to "false teachers" (for example, 2 Peter 2:1, compare 2 Timothy 4:3-4).  And sometimes specific individuals are named (such as Hymenaeus and Alexander in 1 Timothy 1:20).  While we do not find such phrases or named individuals in Colossians, there is certainly a strong warning against false teaching found in such phrases as the following:

• …so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments (2:4)
• See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy (2:8)
• …do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink …(2:16)
• Do not let anyone … disqualify you … (2:18)
• … why … do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?  (2:20-21)

One would guess that the possibility of the Colossians being deceived, taken captive, judged, or disqualified would strongly motivate Paul to include the warnings found in chapter 2.

What we are here calling the second purpose is taken by many commentators as the primary purpose, even the sole purpose, for the writing of this letter.  It is referred to as "the Colossian heresy" or "incipient Gnosticism."  However, it seems ill advised to dogmatically state that the letter's main purpose was to combat incipient Gnosticism for three reasons.  First, explicit references to aspects of Gnosticism are limited to chapter 2.  Second, the letter does not seem to be organized around the threat of Gnosticism as much as it is around the ideas of growth and consistent Christian living.  Third, the exact nature of Gnosticism and the degree of its threat to the Colossian church are difficult to describe with any certainty, either from this letter, other parts of the New Testament, or non-biblical sources.

Miscellaneous note:  Regarding the "letter from Laodicea" (4:16) -- "It is probable that the Laodicean letter referred to here is now lost, although some believe it is the one known to us as 'Ephesians'." (from J. Ithel Jones' commentary)

F.  The Colossian Heresy

The book of Colossians (especially the last half of the first chapter and all of the second) contains an emphasis on certain unique topics, along with various warnings.  This makes most Bible scholars conclude that Paul was responding to some particular heresy prevalent in the region of Phrygia.  Since we do not have explicit information on the nature of this heresy, we cannot be dogmatic.  However, similar to a situation in which you hear only one side of a phone conversation, you can build up a fairly general idea of what is being said on the other end.

1.  From the scholars

J. B. Lightfoot, in the commentary mentioned above, devotes over one hundred pages to the nature of this heresy.  He concludes that the Colossian heresy was nearly identical to the teachings of the Essenes, which can be summarized as Gnostic Judaism with Oriental influences.  Since most scholars suggest that the Colossian church was composed primarily of Gentiles (1:27), it is possible to argue that a more accurate description might be Judaistic Gnosticism.

What is Gnosticism?  Gnosticism was based on an Eastern moral dualism (spirit is good, matter is evil).  Since an ultimate spirit (good) could not directly create matter (evil), this dualism required a chain of intermediate beings, that is, emanations (demigods or angels).  Therefore, if the God of the Jews was the ultimate God he could not have created the world.  Instead he would have created lesser gods, who in turn also created lesser gods who finally created the world.  This is where the Gnostics would place Christ, somewhere along this chain of descending gods.  Thus Christ was neither fully God nor was was he fully man, having only a phantom body.  This, of course, was contrary to the clear New Testament teaching that Jesus Christ was and is the God-man – fully God and fully man.

For the Gnostic, salvation was an escape from evil.  It required secret knowledge (available only to the initiated) in order to attain enlightenment and freedom from the physical.  Other oriental elements included mysticism and meditation.

Here is Tenney's description of the Colossian heresy.

The heresy of Colosse which evoked this epistle was a local development which arose because of the peculiar situation of the city. Colosse was on the trade route from the East, along which oriental religions as well as oriental merchandise were transported to Rome. The Colossians were Phrygian Gentiles (1:27), whose religious antecedents were highly emotional and mystical. They were seeking to attain the fullness of God, and when teachers came among them with a philosophy that promised a mystic knowledge of God, they were entranced by it. Among its tenets were voluntary humiliation, probably by ascetic practices (2:18, 20, 21), the worship of angels, who may have been reputed intermediaries between God and man (2:18), abstinence from certain foods and drinks, and the observance of feasts and ceremonial days (2:16). It is quite likely that in these teachings there was also a strain of Jewish legalism, brought in from contacts with the Jewish population of Asia Minor. Paul's references to ceremonialism (2:11) and to the fact that the ceremonies and feasts were a shadow of things to come (2:17) sound more like Judaism than heathenism. The Colossian heresy, then was of the same order as the Galatian heresy, except that it centered about the person of Christ rather than about salvation by grace versus salvation by works.  (Merrill Tenney, New Testament Survey, Eerdmans, 1961, p. 321)

And here is Ashby's description.

It is difficult to identify the heresy in the absence of precise formulation, but certain ideas are refuted. References to circumcision, food regulations, the Sabbath and other legal enactments indicate that fundamentally it was Jewish, but not the Judaism which had troubled the Galatians. This was a syncretistic doctrine, fused with some elementary form of gnosticism, not surprising in a country where cosmological speculations and mysterious theosophy so readily found a home and where Jewish orthodoxy was suspect. Gnosticism, later to develop into a variety of forms, was a false intellectualism strongly tinged with mysticism. One of its fundamental tenets was the inherent evil of matter, thus denying any direct agency of God in the work of creation, and interposing a whole series of emanations and intermediary powers who must be placated and worshipped, and also destroying any true belief in the Incarnation. The material body, they taught, was evil, man's prison, and the way of release was by superior knowledge (gnosis) granted to the initiated, leading to perfection (teleiosis).  (Ernest G. Ashby, "The Letter to the Colossians" in A New Testament Commentary, ed. by G. C. D. Howley, Zondervan, 1969, p. 481-2)

Also see the excellent summaries of the Colossian heresy in the introductions to Colossians and 1 John in the NIV Study Bible.

Summary – Elements in the Colossian heresy:

2.  From the text itself

Below we look at the passages that are warnings and are unique to Colossians.  This will allow us to arrive at our own understanding of the Colossian heresy.

Here is Everett Harrison's summary of Paul's answer.

Paul's answer is compounded of exposure of the weakness of the position of the errorists and exposition of the superiority and finality of the Christian faith, centering in its Christology. Having created all things and holding them in his control, Christ reconciled all things by his death (1:15-20), and by that death defeated all hostile principalities and powers (2:15). The help of good angels need not be sought; the hurt of evil angels need not be feared. At Colossae the great mistake had been a failure to hold fast the Head (2:19). Christ is pre-eminent (1:18). Having him, believers have attained to fullness (2:10). They have no need of some special enlightenment, for in him are the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:3). Nor do they need ascetic discipline that imposes undue severity on the body. What they need, rather, is to put to death their sinful tendencies and put on Christ (3:5-17).  (Everett Harrison, Introduction to the New Testament, Eerdmans, 1964, p. 304)

Also see the paper Spirituality, not Mysticism.

G.  List of statements about Jesus in Colossians

The book of Colossians makes the following direct or indirect statements about Jesus Christ.

1. Christ has an apostle named Paul (1:1), as well as other faithful servants, Tychicus (4:7) and Epaphras (4:12).
2. Christ has holy and faithful brothers who are "in" him, residing in Colossae (1:2).
3. Christ is Lord (1:3).
4. Christ has God as his Father (1:3).
5. Believers have faith in Christ (1:4).
6. Believers should live a life worthy of the Lord (1:10).
7. The Son has a kingdom which is contrasted with darkness (1:13).
8. The Father loves the Son (1:13).
9. In the Son we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (1:14).
10. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (1:15).
11. All things were created by the Son, and for the Son (1:16).
12. The Son is before all things, and in him all things hold together (1:17).
13. The Son is the head of the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy (1:18).
14. God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son (1:19).
15. God was pleased, through the Son, to reconcile to himself all things, by making peace through the Son's blood shed on the cross (1:20).
16. God has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight (1:22)
17. Being an apostle involves suffering "Christ's afflictions" for the sake of the church (1:24).
18. The mystery, formerly hidden but now revealed, is Christ in you, the hope of glory (1:27).
19. Christ is proclaimed and taught so that everyone may be presented perfect in Christ (1:28).
20. Christ's energy powerfully worked in the apostle (1:29).
21. Christ is the mystery of God and knowing this mystery is the purpose of the apostle's ministry (2:2).
22. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:3).
23. Faith in Christ can be firm (2:5).
24. Christ was received as Lord, and believers should continue to live in him and be rooted and built up in him (2:6-7).
25. The believers' philosophy should depend on Christ rather than human thinking (2:8).
26. In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (2:9).
27. Believers have been given fullness in Christ (2:10).
28. Christ is the head over every power and authority (2:10).
29. Believers have a spiritual circumcised (the putting off of the sinful nature) done by Christ (2:11).
30. Believers have been buried with Christ in baptism and have also been raised with Christ (2:12).
31. God made believers, who were dead in sin, alive with Christ and forgave them all their sins (2:13).
32. The written regulations, which condemned people, has been taken it away for believers, being nailing to the cross of Christ (2:14).
33. God disarmed and triumphed over the powers and authorities by the cross of Christ (2:15).
34. The old religious regulations were a mere shadow compared to the reality which is found in Christ (2:16-17)
35. Christ, as the head of the church, is the source from which the whole body grows (2:19).
36. Believers have died with Christ to the basic principles of this world (2:20).
37. Believers have been raised with Christ (3:1).
38. Christ is seated at the right hand of God (3:1).
39. The believer's life is hidden with Christ in God (3:3).
40. Christ is the believer's life, and when Christ appears believers will also appear with him in glory (3:4).
41. Christ is all, and is in all, so identity with Christ trumps identity with any human group (3:11).
42. The Lord forgives believers and believers should forgive others as the Lord forgave them (3:13).
43. Christ gives peace, and that peace should rule in the believer's heart (3:15).
44. Believers should have the word of Christ dwelling in them as they minister to one another (3:16).
45. Believers should do everything in the name of Jesus (3:17).
46. Believers should give thanks to the Father through Jesus (3:17).
47. It is fitting in the Lord for wives to submit to their husbands (3:18).
48. It pleases the Lord when children obey their parents (3:20).
49. Reverence for the Lord leads slaves to obey their masters, remembering that they are really working for the Lord (3:22-23).
50. Slaves serving the Lord will receive an inheritance from him (3:24).
51. Masters will treat their slaves well knowing that the Lord is their Master in heaven (4:1).
52. The apostle is in chains for proclaiming the mystery of Christ (4:3).
53. The apostle asks for prayer that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ clearly (4:3-4).
54. Archippus was given work to do in the Lord. (4:17).

What a resume this would make!

Even though the book of Colossians includes a wealth of teachings about Jesus Christ (54 statements in only 95 verses), it does not include the doctrine of the virgin birth, nor the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement.  But, of course, in any topical study, we need to integrate the teachings from the entire Bible.

H.  Selected passages

NOTE:  The New Testament, in many passages, teaches that salvation is positional.  Understanding the difference between the positional and the practical helps clarify many doctrines and questions regarding Christian living.  See the paper The Positional Aspect of Salvation.

— Chapter 1 —

Colossians 1:15, 18 — "firstborn"

What does the word "firstborn" mean?  This issue is discussed in the paper "'Father' and 'Son' in the Trinity: Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," particularly in these three sections:

• The meaning of 'son'
• The meaning of monogenēs
• In what sense was Christ the 'firstborn'?

Colossians 1:20 — universal reconciliation?

This verse says that God was pleased to "reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven."  Does this mean that every human being is saved?  Comparing this verse with 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 we see that there are two distinct aspects to reconciliation.  God is reconciled to all things through the death of Christ, but each person must heed the message to repent and be reconciled to God individually.  This is parallel to the fact that Christ died for all men (1 John 2:2), yet not all men will be saved (Matthew 7:13-14).  (The "Chair Sermon" illustrates this well when it shows God turning away from the man because of his sin, then turning back toward the man because of the death of Christ, leaving the need for the man to turn back to God.)

Colossians 1:24 — something lacking in Christ's sufferings?

Here are three translations of what Paul tells the Colossians.

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.  (Colossians 1:24, NIV)

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions.  (Colossians 1:24 NASB)

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, …  (Colossians 1:24 RSV)

Does this verse imply that there is something lacking in Christ's sufferings?  We must ask the question, Where is the lack?  Is the lack in Christ's suffering?  Or is the lack in Paul's suffering?

Notice that at the beginning of the verse Paul is referring to his sufferings for the Colossians, and he ends the verse mentioning the same purpose, namely, for the sake of the church.  Certainly, in the middle of the verse Paul must be referring to filling up his sufferings, not Christ's.  As Hebrews 10:12-14 clearly indicates, there is nothing lacking in Christ's suffering.  Gerrit Verkuyl's New Testament translation (part of the Berkeley Version) renders this verse in a way that makes it more obvious that the lack is with Paul, not with Christ:

I am now glad amid my sufferings for you, and am making up in my own physique on behalf of His body, which is the church, what I am still lacking of Christ's afflictions.  (Colossians 1:24, Berkeley Version)

— Chapter 2 —

Colossians 2:6-15

¹Translation philosophy of the New American Standard Bible (in brief):  "When it was felt that the word-for-word literalness was unacceptable to the modern reader, a change was made in the direction of a more current English idiom."  (from New American Standard Bible Principles of Translation)

²Translation philosophy of the New Living Translation (in brief):  This translation was done by "ninety evangelical scholars from various theological backgrounds and denominations."  Their goal was to "create a text that would make the same impact in the life of modern readers that the original text had for the original readers … accomplished by translating entire thoughts (rather than just words) into natural, everyday English."  (from A Note to Readers)

Colossians 2:9 — lives in bodily form

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form …  (Colossians 2:9)

This verb, "lives," or "dwells" (κατοικει, katoikei), is in the present tense.  When Paul wrote this, decades after Christ's resurrection and ascention, he said that in Christ the fullness of deity "lives" in bodily form (rather then "lived").  At that time Christ still had his body and, no doubt, still has it today.

At the incarnation, the second person of the Trinity assumed humanity, and is forever the God-man. (note on Colossians 2:9 from the NET Bible, net.bible.org)

Colossians 2:11 — What is the flesh, or sin nature, and does the believer still have it?

In Colossians 2:11 and 13, the NIV, NASB, and NRSV use "flesh," while the NLT and older versions of the NIV use "sin nature."  What is this flesh / sin nature?

• Is it merely an influence?
• Is it merely a habit?
• Is it a tendency?

Rather, it is a disposition, or character trait, that can be described as slavery to evil desires.  The Greek word for flesh (σαρξ, sarx) appears frequently in the New Testament, often referring to the physical flesh.  But it is also used figuratively for that invisible, internal sin nature, as in most of the following passages.

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. …  (John 8:34)

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey— whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?  (Romans 6:16, see all of chapter 6)

For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.(Romans 7:5)

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.  (Romans 7:14)

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.  (Romans 7:25)

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. (Romans 8:3-7)

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, …  (Romans 8:12-13)

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  (Romans 13:14)

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-25)

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  (Galatians 6:8)

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.  (Ephesians 2:3)

… by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.  (2 Peter 2:18)

For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.  (1 John 2:16)

Some interpret the phrases in Colossians 2:11 "putting off of the sinful nature" (NIV), or "the removal of the body of the flesh" (NASB), to mean that the believer no longer has a sin nature.  (This view appears to be encouraged by the wording in the NLT.)  However, the above passages would make little sense if the sin nature has been removed from the believer (see especially Romans 7:25 and 8:12-13).  Also, there would be no need to exhort believers to put any activities to death (Colossians 3:5) or to be holy (1 Peter 1:14-15).

Here is Leon Morris' summary statement about "flesh":

… by definition, the flesh is the earthly part of man. It has its 'lusts' and its 'desires' (Eph 2:3). If men concentrate on these they may be said to 'set their minds on the things of the flesh' (Rom 8:5). And to set the mind on the flesh 'is death' (Rom 8:6). This is explained as 'enmity against God' (Rom 8:7). The man whose horizon is limited by the flesh is by that very fact opposed to God. He lives 'according to the flesh' (Rom 8:13), that flesh that 'lusteth against the spirit (Gal 5:17, AV…). For a dreadful list of 'the works of the flesh', see Gal. 5:19-21. The flesh in this sense denotes the whole personality of man as organized in the wrong direction, as directed to earthly pursuits rather than the service of God.  (Leon Morris, article on "Flesh," New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed., InterVarsity Press, 1996)

Colossians 2:13 — Are a Christian's future sins already forgiven?

Colossians 2:13 says "He forgave us all our sins …".  Does "all" include only all our past sins, or our future sins as well?  See Has God Forgiven the Believer's Future Sins? in the paper "The Positional Aspect of Salvation."

Colossians 2:16

This verse says "do not let anyone judge you …" which bring up the subject of Christian liberty.  See Romans 14;  1 Corinthians 8; 10:23-33; John 7:24.

Colossians 2:16-23

— Chapter 3 —

Colossians 3:1 — Christ … seated at the right hand of God

This phrase, "seated at the right hand of God," besides appearing at the beginning of Colossians chapter 3 appears frequently in other New Testament passages.  Here are just a few:

Matthew 22:41-46 — While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" "The son of David," they replied. He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."' If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.  (Jesus is quoting Psalm 110:1)

Luke 22:66-71 — At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. "If you are the Messiah," they said, "tell us." Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied, "You say that I am." Then they said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips."  (compare Mark 14:55-65)

Romans 8:34 — Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  (compare Ephesians 1:18-23)

Hebrews 1:3 — The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  (compare 8:1; 10:12; 12:2)

Acts 2:32-33 — God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Acts 7:54-58 — When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.

Colossians 3:1-17 — Position and Practice

In this passage Paul makes a point found many places in scripture: that the believer should live according to his new nature – his practice should follow his position.  He also contrasts the believer's present position and practice with his former position and practice.

You will find further discussion of position/practice in the paper, The Positional Aspect of Salvation.  See especially the section on The Effect of Sin on Position.

Colossians 3:9b-10 — "old self," "new self"

These verses refer to the old self (sometimes translated old man or old nature) and the new self (sometimes translated new man or new nature).  The Greek word behind these different translations is ανθρωπος (anthrōpos) which simply refers to a man, a human, a person, or to mankind in general, in each case including both male and female.

Paul uses the same language in Romans 6:6 and Ephesians 4:22-24 where he consistently speaks of the old and new self in relation to the believers former and present walk (pattern of life).

A few thoughts about the image of God in humans

Our original creation in God's image included two aspects.  First, God made us like himself by making us as persons (with mind, emotions, and will).  This is our essential human nature and it gave us the capacity to fellowship with God.  Second, God made us like himself by making us good (although untested).  This gave us the right to fellowship with God.  Then the fall, along with our personal sin, cancelled our right to fellowship with a holy God.  But we did not loose our essential humanness.  Salvation renews the full image of God in the sense that it gives us the right to fellowship once again with God.  This is justification, which takes place only because of God's grace and is based on Christ's righteousness being imputed (assigned or credited) to us who exercise faith in Christ (Romans 4:5-6, 24;  Galatians 2:16;  Ephesians 2:8).  And this position of being justified should lead to our putting on the new self, that is, puting on the pattern of righteous acts that are like God's righteousness, as Paul says,

put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:24)

The following chart is, or course, an oversimplification.  Nevertheless, consider these four phases in the story of mankind.

Pity those who never accept Christ and thus never enter phases 3 or 4.

For further discussion of the image of God in man, see the paper The "Imago Dei".

The danger in dividing the person and shifting blame

It is not uncommon, as we did above, to speak of each individual person as having several aspects, including mind, emotions, and will.  When we use this sort of language we are distinguishing between certain types of inner activities – mental, emotional, and volitional – which can be helpful.  But the danger is that we can go further and personify these aspects and thus promote them even to the point where they become separate from the individual.  We do this, for example, when we say "my emotions wanted" to do a certain thing, but "I decided" to do something else.  Here I have divided the person to the degree that I can assign blame to my emotions instead of to myself.  This is a dangerous self-deception.  But I am truly an individual – I cannot be divided so as to shift guilt away from myself.  The real question is not, What do my emotions want? but What do I want?

Of course, it would also be possible to misuse Paul' reference to different aspects of the person, the old self and the new self.  Here also, the focus must remain on the individual, not on some aspect of the individual.  After all, I am the one that takes off the old self and puts on the new self (Colossians 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:22-24).  Thus the old self and new self are best understood, not as separate entities within me, but as different patterns of my own activity.

Colossians 3:10 — "knowledge in the image of its Creator" ?

If we read this passage assuming that the prepositional phrase "in the image of its Creator" modifies "knowledge," we have to wonder what kind of knowledge this is.  However, if we look a little closer we see that there are actually two prepositional phrases here:

• "in knowledge"
• "in the image of its Creator" (other translations use the prepositions "after" or "according to" rather than "in")

And the second phrase does not modify "knowledge."  Rather, both of these prepositional phrases modify "renewed."  This can be seen easily in Randy Leedy's grammatical diagram of verses 9b and 10 shown below.  (Leedy's diagrams of the entire Greek New Testament are available in the BibleWorks software.)  I have added the English in blue above the Greek.

Thus, the new man is being renewed in two different ways.

• "in knowledge" (compare 1:9-10;  2:2-3).
• "in the image of its Creator."  This may be what Peter had in mind when he said that believers "participate in" (or "partake of") the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Colossians 3:11 — The Scythians

Scythia was a large empire with a highly developed culture located north and east of the Black Sea (north of Turkey).  Their elaborate burial customs for a man could include the sacrifice of his wife, servants, and horses.  The Sythians had a long history of warfare, reportedly very cruel and barbaric.  Their warriors possessed a high level of horsemanship and were known to the Greeks as ruthless and savage fighters, but their dominance had waned by the first century AD.

Colossians 3:16 — Regarding church music

Colossians 3:16 needs to be compared with 1 Corinthians 14:15 and Ephesians 5:19-20.  All three passages stress the content of the song as the most important part of the music.  What is the purpose of music in the church?

Here are two articles for you to consider.

Colossians 3:18 — "Wives, submit to your husbands"

This biblical teaching of submission can easily be misused if a husband pulls it out of context and attempts to apply it with an attitude of superiority or absolute control.  Here is the context husbands need to keep in mind.

1. Husband and wife become one flesh (Genesis 2:24;  Ephesians 5:31).  No hint of superiority or absolute control here.
2. There is supposed to be an overall attitude of humility, mutual caring, respect, and submission within the body of Christ (Ephesians 5:21, see also Hebrews 12:14;  Romans 12:16;  1 Peter 3:8;  5:5;  Ephesians 4:2-3;  Philippians 2:3-4).
3. Husbands should treat their wives with consideration and respect  (1 Peter 3:7).
4. Christian leaders (unlike worldly leaders) are not to lord it over those "under" them  (Matthew 20:25-26).
5. When both husband and wife are believers, and both are seeking the Lord's leading, they have the perfect foundation for harmony.  The principal submission for the wife is a submission to the Lord.  Her submission to her husband takes place in that context.  Notice the exact wording:
   • Colossians 3:18 — submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord
   • Ephesians 5:22 — submit to your husbands as to the Lord
   But, of course, the husband is also supposed to submit to the Lord.  How can there be any serious or lasting disharmony when both are submitted to the Lord and following his leading?
6. The husband is supposed to love his wife "just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"  (Ephesians 5:25).  Does this sound bossy or inconsiderate?

Other examples of biblical submission include:

1. Jesus submitted to the Father (John 4:34;  6:38), yet Jesus and the Father are one (John 10:30:  17:22).
2. Jesus was in every good sense the lord over his disciples, yet he washed the disciples' feet (John 13:12-14).  What an example for husbands!
3. Children should obey their parents (Colossians 3:20), yet fathers should not embitter or discourage their children (Colossians 3:21).
4. Elders have legitimate authority over believers in a local church (Hebrews 13:17), yet elders are not to lord it over them (1 Peter 5:1-3).

J. I. Jones adds some perspective to this topic with the following comments:

If by modern standards Paul seems to fail to treat the wife on an equality with the husband, two facts must be borne in mind. In some of the churches of the time there was clearly a tendency for the women to neglect their household duties and to seek an unnatural emancipation. Cf. the various references in the Pastoral Epistles. Also the general attitude in Paul's day was to assume that all the rights were the man's. The really significant thing here is that the apostle insists that there are obligations on both sides.  (J. Ithel Jones, commentary on Colossians 3:18 - 4:1 in The New Bible Commentary, 2nd ed., edited by F. Davidson, Eerdmans, 1954)

Things to consider about these "submission" commands:

• Note who is being addressed.  The wife is told to submit; the husband in not told to make his wife submit.
• How frequently should a husband have to make a decision with which his wife disagrees.  If there is mutual respect, if both are "quick to hear," and if both seek the Lord's will, it should occur very infrequently.
• Does Colossians 3:18 apply to single adult women?  In other words, are all women to submit to all men?  Some churches have required this, but this seems to be an example of "going beyond the evidence."
• Are there ever any situations in which a wife should refuse to submit to her husband?  (The same question could be asked regarding a child and his parents, or a citizen and his government.)  See Acts 4:19;  5:29.

Colossians 3:18 - 4:1 — Household relationships in Colossians / Ephesians

Also, compare Paul's instructions to Titus regarding men, women, and slaves.

And Paul has additional instructions for slaves:

All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.  (1Timothy 6:1-2)

— Chapter 4 —

Colossians 4:10 — Welcome Mark

It is commonly assumed that this Mark is the John Mark who also associated with Peter, ministered with Paul and Barnabas, and wrote the second gospel.  (The word translated cousin here can also be translated nephew.)

When Paul and Barnabas started on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:2-5) Mark joined them.  But he left them early, at Pamphylia (Acts 13:13).  When Barnabas wanted to take Mark on their next missionary journey, Paul refused.  Thus Barnabas took Mark with him, and Paul took Silas (Acts 15:36-40).  This passage in Colossians shows that Paul and Mark were reconciled to the point that Paul was able to tell the Colossians to welcome him.  Later, Paul valued Mark enough to ask for his help in his ministry (2 Timothy 4:11).

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Appendix 1 — Text (NIV)

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Appendix 2 — Respaced text (NASB)

One way to analyze the text is to respace it in order to identify small units of thought and various connections between them.  Colossians 1:9 - 3:17 is illustrated below.