Text -- Colossians 3:21 (NET)

3:21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become disheartened.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: Col 3:21

Provoke not ( mē erethizete ).

Present imperative of old verb from erethō , to excite. Only twice in N.T., here in bad sense, in good sense in 2Co 9:2 (to stimulate). Here it means to nag and as a habit (present tense).

Robertson: Col 3:21

That they be not discouraged ( hina mē athumōsin ).

Negative purpose (hina mē ) with the present subjunctive (continued discouragement) of athumeō , old verb, but only here in N.T., from athumos (dispirited, a privative, thumos , spirit or courage). One does not have to read Jane Eyre or Oliver Twist to know something of the sorrows of childhood as is witnessed by runaway children and even child suicides.

Vincent: Col 3:21

Provoke to anger ( ἐρεθίζετε )

Only here and 2Co 9:2, where it is used of stirring up to good works. To anger is added by A.V.

Vincent: Col 3:21

Be discouraged ( ἀθυμῶσιν )

Only here in the New Testament. Lose heart, or become dispirited.

Wesley: Col 3:21

Which may occasion their turning either desperate or stupid.

JFB: Col 3:21

(Eph 6:4.) It is a different Greek verb, therefore translate here, "irritate not." By perpetual fault-finding "children" are "discouraged" or "disheartened." A broken-down spirit is fatal to youth [BENGEL].

Clarke: Col 3:21

Fathers, provoke not - See the notes on Eph 6:4.

TSK: Col 3:21

Psa 103:13; Pro 3:12, Pro 4:1-4; Eph 6:4; 1Th 2:11; Heb 12:5-11

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Col 3:21

Fathers, provoke not ... - Notes, Eph 6:4.

Lest they be discouraged - Lest, by your continually finding fault with them, they should lose all courage, and despair of ever pleasing you. There is much sound sense and practical wisdom in this observation of the apostle. Children should not be flattered, but they should be encouraged. They should not be so praised as to make them vain and proud, but they should be commended when they do well. The desire of praise should not be the principle from which they should be taught to act, but they should feel that the approbation of parents is a desirable thing, and when they act so as to deserve that approbation, no injury is done them by their understanding it. He who always finds fault with a child; who is never satisfied with what he does; who scolds and frets and complains, let him do as he will, breaks his spirit, and soon destroys in the delicate texture of his soul all desire of doing well. The child in despair soon gives over every effort to please. He becomes sullen, morose, stupid, and indifferent to all the motives that can be presented to him, and becomes to a great extent indifferent as to what he does - since all that he does meets with the same reception from the parent.

Poole: Col 3:21

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger: and to moderate the parental authority, that they may exercise it Christianly, he allows not parents to do that which is in a direct tendency to irritate or move the passions of their children merely for their own pleasure, without a principal regard to God’ s glory, and their children’ s profit, Heb 12:10 . Indeed, he seems here more strictly to guard fathers against mal-administration of their power in this extreme than he doth elsewhere, when writing upon the same subject, Eph 6:4 , considering the original word he here puts the negative upon, to engage them to lay aside rigour in their government, (as well as unwarrantable indulgence), and that upon a very weighty reason, drawn from the end, viz.

lest they be discouraged lest some children, who might with a moderate hand be reduced to obedience, should be (as it were) dispirited, by the roughness of their father’ s discipline, and even pine away with grief, or grow desperate.

Gill: Col 3:21

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger,.... See Gill on Eph 6:4.

lest they be discouraged; or disheartened and dispirited; their spirits be broke through grief and trouble, and they become indolent, sluggish, and unfit for business; or, despairing of having any share in the affections of their parents, disregard their commands, instructions, and corrections, and grow obdurate, stubborn, and rebellious.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Col 3:21

¹ tn Or perhaps “Parents.” The plural οἱ πατέρες (Joi patere", “fathers”) can be used to refer to both the male and female parent (BDAG 786 s.v. πατήρ 1.a).

² tn Or “do not cause your children to become resentful” (L&N 88.168). BDAG 391 s.v. ἐρεθίζω states, “to cause someone to react in a way that suggests acceptance of a challenge, arouse, provoke mostly in bad sense irritate, embitter.”

Geneva Bible: Col 3:21

^{( 13 )} Fathers, provoke not your children [to anger], lest they be discouraged.

^{( 13 )} Of parents, that they are gentle towards their children.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Col 3:1-25

1 He shows where we should seek Christ.

5 He exhorts to mortification;

10 to put off the old man, and put on Christ;

12 exhorting to charity, humility, and other several duties.

MHCC: Col 3:18-25

The epistles most taken up in displaying the glory of the Divine grace, and magnifying the Lord Jesus, are the most particular in pressing the duties of the Christian life. We must never separate the privileges and duties of the gospel. Submission is the duty of wives. But it is submission, not to a severe lord or stern tyrant, but to her own husband, who is engaged to affectionate duty. And husbands must love their wives with tender and faithful affection. Dutiful children are the most likely to prosper. And parents must be tender, as well as children obedient. Servants are to do their duty, and obey their masters' commands, in all things consistent with duty to God their heavenly Master. They must be both just and diligent; without selfish designs, or hypocrisy and disguise. Those who fear God, will be just and faithful when from under their master's eye, because they know they are under the eye of God. And do all with diligence, not idly and slothfully; cheerfully, not discontented at the providence of God which put them in that relation. And for servants' encouragement, let them know, that in serving their masters according to the command of Christ, they serve Christ, and he will give them a glorious reward at last. But, on the other hand, he who doeth wrong, shall receive for the wrong which he hath done. God will punish the unjust, as well as reward the faithful servant; and the same if masters wrong their servants. For the righteous Judge of the earth will deal justly between master and servant. Both will stand upon a level at his tribunal. How happy would true religion make the world, if it every where prevailed, influenced every state of things, and every relation of life! But the profession of those persons who are regardless of duties, and give just cause for complaint to those they are connected with, deceives themselves, as well as brings reproach on the gospel.

Matthew Henry: Col 3:18-25

The apostle concludes the chapter with exhortations to relative duties, as before in the epistle to the Ephesians. The epistles which are most taken up in displaying the glory of divine grace, and magnifying the Lord Jesus, are the most particular and distinct in pressing the duties of the several relations. We must never separate the privileges and duties of the gospel religion.

I. He begins with the duties of wives and husbands (Col 3:18): Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Submission is the duty of wives, hupotassesthe . It is the same word which is used to express our duty to magistrates (Rom 13:1, Let every soul be subject to the higher powers ), and is expressed by subjection and reverence, Eph 5:24, Eph 5:33. The reason is that Adam was first formed, then Eve: and Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression, 1Ti 2:13, 1Ti 2:14. He was first in the creation and last in the transgression. The head of the woman is the man; and the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man; neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man, 1Co 11:3, 1Co 11:8, 1Co 11:9. It is agreeable to the order of nature and the reason of things, as well as the appointment and will of God. But then it is submission, not to a rigorous lord or absolute tyrant, who may do his will and is without restraints, but to a husband, and to her own husband, who stands in the nearest relation, and is under strict engagements to proper duty too. And this is fit in the Lord, it is becoming the relation, and what they are bound in duty to do, as an instance of obedience to the authority and law of Christ. On the other hand, husbands must love their wives, and not be bitter against them, Col 3:19. They must love them with tender and faithful affection, as Christ loved the church, and as their own bodies, and even as themselves (Eph 5:25, Eph 5:28, Eph 5:33), with a love peculiar to the nearest relation and the greatest comfort and blessing of life. And they must not be bitter against them, not use them unkindly, with harsh language or severe treatment, but be kind and obliging to them in all things; for the woman was made for the man, neither is the man without the woman, and the man also is by the woman, 1Co 11:9, 1Co 11:11, 1Co 11:12.

II. The duties of children and parents: Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord, Col 3:20. They must be willing to do all their lawful commands, and be at their direction and disposal; as those who have a natural right and are fitter to direct them than themselves. The apostle (Eph 6:2) requires them to honour as well as obey their parents; they must esteem them and think honourably of them, as the obedience of their lives must proceed from the esteem and opinion of their minds. And this is well-pleasing to God, or acceptable to him; for it is the first commandment with promise (Eph 6:2), with an explicit promise annexed to it, namely, That it shall be well with them, and they shall live long on the earth. Dutiful children are the most likely to prosper in the world and enjoy long life. And parents must be tender, as well as children obedient (Col 3:21): " Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Let not your authority over them be exercised with rigour and severity, but with kindness and gentleness, lest you raise their passions and discourage them in their duty, and by holding the reins too tight make them fly out with greater fierceness."The bad temper and example of imprudent parents often prove a great hindrance to their children and a stumbling-block in their way; see Eph 6:4. And it is by the tenderness of parents, and dutifulness of children, that God ordinarily furnishes his church with a seed to serve him, and propagates religion from age to age.

III. Servants and masters: Servants, obey your masters in all things according to the flesh, Col 3:22. Servants must do the duty of the relation in which they stand, and obey their master's commands in all things which are consistent with their duty to God their heavenly Master. Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers - not only when their master's eye is upon them, but when they are from under their master's eye. They must be both just and diligent. In singleness of heart, fearing God - without selfish designs, or hypocrisy and disguise, as those who fear God and stand in awe of him. Observe, The fear of God ruling in the heart will make people good in every relation. Servants who fear God will be just and faithful when they are from under their master's eye, because they know they are under the eye of God. See Gen 20:11, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place. Neh 5:15, But so did not I, because of the fear of God. "And whatsoever you do, do it heartily (Col 3:23), with diligence, not idly and slothfully:"or, "Do it cheerfully, not discontented at the providence of God which put you in that relation."- As to the Lord, and not as to men. It sanctifies a servant's work when it is done as unto God - with an eye to his glory and in obedience to his command, and not merely as unto men, or with regard to them only. Observe, We are really doing our duty to God when we are faithful in our duty to men. And, for servants' encouragement, let them know that a good and faithful servant is never the further from heaven for his being a servant: " Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ, Col 3:24. Serving your masters according to the command of Christ, you serve Christ, and he will be your paymaster: you will have a glorious reward at last. Though you are now servants, you will receive the inheritance of sons. But, on the other hand, He who does wrong will receive for the wrong which he has done, "Col 3:25. There is a righteous God, who, if servants wrong their masters, will reckon with them for it, though they may conceal it from their master's notice. And he will be sure to punish the unjust as well as reward the faithful servant: and so if masters wrong their servants. - And there is no respect of persons with him. The righteous Judge of the earth will be impartial, and carry it with an equal hand towards the master and servant; not swayed by any regard to men's outward circumstances and condition of life. The one and the other will stand upon a level at his tribunal.

It is probable that the apostle has a particular respect, in all these instances of duty, to the case mentioned 1 Cor. 7 of relations of a different religion, as a Christian and heathen, a Jewish convert and an uncircumcised Gentile, where there was room to doubt whether they were bound to fulfil the proper duties of their several relations to such persons. And, if it hold in such cases, it is much stronger upon Christians one towards another, and where both are of the same religion. And how happy would the gospel religion make the world, if it every where prevailed; and how much would it influence every state of things and every relation of life!

Barclay: Col 3:18-25

Here the ethical part of the letter becomes more and more practical. Paul turns to the working out of Christianity in the everyday relationships of life and living. Before we begin to study the passage in some detail, we must note two great general principles which lie behind it and determine all its demands.

(i) The Christian ethic is an ethic of reciprocal obligation. It is never an ethic on which all the duties are on one side. As Paul saw it, husbands have as great an obligation as wives; parents have just as binding a duty as children; masters have their responsibilities as much as slaves.

This was an entirely new thing. Let us take the cases one by one and look at them in the light of this new principle.

Under Jewish law a woman was a thing, the possession of her husband, just as much as his house or his flocks or his material goods. She had no legal rights whatever. For instance, under Jewish law, a husband could divorce his wife for any cause, while a wife had no rights whatever in the initiation of divorce; and the only grounds on which a divorce might be awarded her were if her husband developed leprosy, became an apostate or ravished a virgin. In Greek society a respectable woman lived a life of entire seclusion. She never appeared on the streets alone, not even to go marketing. She lived in the women's apartments and did not join her menfolk even for meals. From her there was demanded complete servitude and chastity; but her husband could go out as much as he chose and could enter into as many relationships outside marriage as he liked without incurring any stigma. Under both Jewish and Greek laws and custom all the privileges belonged to the husband and all the duties to the wife.

In the ancient world children were very much under the domination of their parents. The supreme example was the Roman Patria Potestas, the law of the father's power. Under it a parent could do anything he liked with his child. He could sell him into slavery; he could make him work like a labourer on his farm; he had even the right to condemn his child to death and to carry out the execution. All the privileges and rights belonged to the parent and all the duties to the child.

Most of all this was the case in slavery. The slave was a thing in the eyes of the law. There was no such thing as a code of working conditions. When the slave was past his work, he could be thrown out to die. He had not even the right to marry, and if he cohabited and there was a child, the child belonged to the master, just as the lambs of the flock belonged to the shepherd. Once again all the rights belonged to the master and all the duties to the slave.

The Christian ethic is one of mutual obligation, in which the rights and the obligations rest with every man. It is an ethic of mutual responsibility; and, therefore, it becomes an ethic where the thought of privilege and rights falls into the background and where the thought of duty and obligation becomes paramount. The whole direction of the Christian ethic is not to ask: "What do others owe to me?" but, "What do I owe to others?"

(ii) The really new thing about the Christian ethic of personal relationships is that all relationships are in the Lord. The whole of the Christian life is lived in Christ. In any home the tone of personal relationships must be dictated by the awareness that Jesus Christ is an unseen but ever-present guest. In any parent-child relationship the dominating thought must be the Fatherhood of God; and we must try to treat our children as God treats his sons and daughters. The thing which settles any master and servant relationship is that both are servants of the one Master, Jesus Christ. The new thing about personal relationships in Christianity is that Jesus Christ is introduced into them all.

Barclay: Col 3:18-25

Let us look briefly at each of these three spheres of human relationships.

(i) The wife is to be submissive to her husband; but the husband is to love his wife and to treat her with all kindness. The practical effect of the marriage laws and customs of ancient times was that the husband became an unquestioned dictator and the wife little more than a servant to bring up his children and to minister to his needs. The fundamental effect of this Christian teaching is that marriage becomes a partnership. It becomes something which is entered into not merely for the convenience of the husband, but in order that both husband and wife may find a new joy and a new completeness in each other. Any marriage in which everything is done for the convenience of one of the partners and where the other exists simply to gratify the needs and desires of the first, is not a Christian marriage.

(ii) The Christian ethic lays down the duty of the child to respect the parental relationship. But there is always a problem in the relationship of parent and child. If the parent is too easy-going, the child will grow up indisciplined and unfit to face life. But there is a contrary danger. The more conscientious a parent is, the more he is likely always to be correcting and rebuking the child. Simply because he wishes the child to do well, he is always on his top.

We remember, for instance, the tragic question of Mary Lamb, whose mind was ultimately unhinged: "Why is it that I never seem to be able to do anything to please my mother?" We remember the poignant statement of John Newton: "I know that my father loved me--but he did not seem to wish me to see it." There is a certain kind of constant criticism which is the product of misguided love.

The danger of all this is that the child may become discouraged. Bengel speaks of "the plague of youth, a broken spirit (Fractus animus pestis iuventutis)." It is one of the tragic facts of religious history that Luther's father was so stern to him that Luther all his days found it difficult to pray: "Our Father." The word father in his mind stood for nothing but severity. The duty of the parent is discipline, but it is also encouragement. Luther himself said, "Spare the rod and spoil the child. It is true. But beside the rod keep an apple to give him when he does well."

Sir Arnold Lunn, in Memory to Memory, quotes an incident about Field-Marshal Montgomery from a book by M. E. Clifton James. Montgomery was famous as a disciplinarian--but there was another side to him. Clifton James was his official "double" and was studying him during a rehearsal for D-Day. "Within a few yards of where I was standing, a very young soldier, still looking sea-sick from his voyage, came struggling along gamely trying to keep up with his comrades in front. I could imagine that, feeling as he did, his rifle and equipment must have been like a ton weight. His heavy boots dragged in the sand, but I could see that he was fighting hard to conceal his distress. Just when he got level with us he tripped up and fell flat on his face. Half sobbing, he heaved himself up and began to march off dazedly in the wrong direction. Monty went straight up to him and with a quick, friendly smile turned him round. 'This way, sonny. You're doing well--very well. But don't lose touch with the chap in front of you.' When the youngster realized who it was that had given him friendly help, his expression of dumb adoration was a study." It was just because Montgomery combined discipline and encouragement that a private in the Eighth Army felt himself as good as a colonel in any other army.

The better a parent is the more he must avoid the danger of discouraging his child, for he must give discipline and encouragement in equal parts.

Barclay: Col 3:18-25

(iii) Paul then turns to the greatest problem of all--the relationship between slave and master. It will be noted that this section is far longer than the other two; and its length may well be due to long talks which Paul had with the runaway slave, Onesimus, whom later he was to send back to his master Philemon.

Paul says things which must have amazed both sides.

He insists that the slave must be a conscientious workman. He is in effect saying that his Christianity must make him a better and more efficient slave. Christianity never in this world offers escape from hard work; it makes a man able to work still harder. Nor does it offer a man escape from difficult situations; it enables him to meet these situations better.

The slave must not be content with eye-service; he must not work only when the overseer's eye is upon him. He must not be the kind of servant, who, as C. F. D. Moule puts it, does not dust behind the ornaments or sweep below the wardrobe. He must remember that he will receive his inheritance. Here was an amazing thing. Under Roman law a slave could not possess any property whatsoever and here he is being promised nothing less than the inheritance of God. He must remember that the time will come when the balance is adjusted and evil-doing will find its punishment and faithful diligence its reward.

The master must treat the slave not like a thing, but like a person, with justice and with the equity which goes beyond justice.

How is it to be done? The answer is important, for in it there is the whole Christian doctrine of work.

The workman must do everything as if he was doing it for Christ. We do not work for pay or for ambition or to satisfy an earthly master; we work so that we can take every task and offer it to Christ. All work is done for God so that his world may go on and his men and women have the things they need for life and living.

The master must remember that he too has a Master--Christ in heaven. He is answerable to God, just as his workmen are answerable to him. No master can say, "This is my business and I will do what I like with it." He must say, "This is God's business. He has put me in charge of it. I am responsible to him." The Christian doctrine of work is that master and man alike are working for God, and that, therefore, the real rewards of work are not assessable in earthly coin, but will some day be given--or withheld--by God.

Constable: Col 3:18--4:2

C. The fundamental relationships 3:18-4:1

Paul next set forth certain principles to guide his readers in their most important interpersonal relationships. He did this to enable them to understand what behavior is consistent with union with Christ in these relationships. This is one of several "house-rule" lists in the New Testament (cf. Eph. 5:22-6:9; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 6:1-2; Titus 2:1-10; 1 Pet. 2:18-3:7).¹⁶⁰

". . . the earliest churches were all house churches' (see on 4:15), so that the model of the well-run household provided precedent for the well-run church . . ."¹⁶¹

The apostle grouped six classes of people in three pairs in the following verses. In each pair he first addressed the subordinate member and then the one in authority. Bear in mind that Paul was speaking to people who are in Christ in each case.

Constable: Col 3:20-21

2. Children and parents 3:20-21 (cf. Eph. 6:1-4)

3:20 Children are to obey (hypakoute) both parents. The Greek word for obey implies a readiness to listen to and carry out parental instructions. The Greek word for children (tekna) means youths in contrast to babes and toddlers. "All things" is the general principle and would cover 99% of the cases involved in a Christian home. However every Christian is primarily responsible to the Lord, of course. Consequently if the parent required the child to disobey God, the child should obey God rather than man (Acts 4:19; 5:29; Eph. 6:1). The reason children should please their parents by obeying them is that this behavior pleases the Lord (cf. Exod. 20:12).

3:21 While children must obey both parents, the father (pateron) has the primary responsibility for his children as head of the household. For this reason Paul addressed the fathers here. What is in view here is the habitual provoking of children by insensitive parents. Some provocation is necessary in disciplining, but ceaseless irritation causes children to become sullen, listless, and discouraged.

"Paul may have had in mind the regimen of don'ts' that loomed so large in the Colossian heresy."¹⁶⁵

College: Col 3:1-25

COLOSSIANS 3

VIII. SEEK THE THINGS ABOVE (3:1-4)

¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your ^a life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

^a 4 Some manuscripts our

Verses 1-4 pick up many of the ideas previously set forth in Colossians, and prepare for the same ideas to be repeated later. Here was the true Christian profession, contrasted to the heresy. The false teaching is left behind, at least in terms of specific reference, and Paul moves into the ethical section of the letter. He will speak of the true heart of devotion to God, rather than the empty system he had just criticized. As these four verses center in the believer's relation to Christ, so the ethical appeals will draw their power from the relation to Christ (3:11,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,23,24).

3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Pokorny´ points out that the entire paranetic section, through 4:6, shows the importance of their baptism, since obedience was the living out of the promise and divine transformation accomplished at that time. The death and resurrection motifs imply their baptism (2:12) and are indicated as well in verses 5 and 12. It is quite likely that the convert was given ethical instruction at baptism, and this would explain the proximity of baptismal allusions and ethical exhortation.

Here Christians had been raised. Verse 4 looks forward to the ultimate resurrection. But for the present the resurrection at baptism contained moral demands. "Become what you are" was Paul's meaning. "Above" was not important spatially, but rather as the dwelling place of Christ. "Let that life be lived out in your life" (cf. 3:12-16). "Things above" were eternal, compared to things that perish (2:22). As Christ was raised and ascended, so let his risen disciples put their hearts into ascent. On "the right hand of God" see Psalm 110:1; Mark 12:36 and parallels.

3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

This verse seems to repeat the previous one, but there is a Greek nuance the NIV misses by using "set" in both. In verse 1 the term means to "seek" while in verse 2 a different term indicates a mind set which determines actions. The Greek here is fronevw (phronço ), and the word is a favorite with Paul (cf. notes at Phil 1:7). Melick says verse 1 is moral and verse 2 is mental. Seek, and then become what you find. "Earthly things" may be a parting reference to the heresy, but also anticipates 3:5-10. Christian thoughts and minds were not to be trapped by the concerns and values of the fallen order, even though Christians must live in it.

3:3 For you died,

In verses 3 and 4 the motivation for the imperatives of verses 1 and 2 are more fully unfolded. Those who were raised in their baptisms had also died. The death theme is continued with "put to death" in verse 5. As "raised" in verse 1 called for further effort, so does "died."

and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Why did Paul choose "hidden" (from kruvptw , kryptô ) to describe their situation with Christ? Safety and security might be implied, as well as a source of strength and well-being. Bruce says the Christian has "a doubled rampart" - with Christ in God. It has also been suggested that "hidden" indicates that the source of the Christian's life is hidden from a world which does not know the Lord. Or it could be a play on some concept held by the heretics. Since the next verse speaks of appearing it may have implied that the full blessedness of the saints was not yet known.

3:4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

As Colossians began with hope in 1:5, so the doctrinal section ends with hope. Though this is the only explicit reference to the return of Christ in the letter, the concept is implied often (1:28; 3:6,24). At the appearance both Christ and his followers would appear in glory. This picture differs somewhat from other Pauline pictures of the return, but moral impact rather than architectural consistency was the aim of such texts. On the glory of believers see Philippians 3:20f; 1 Corinthians 15:42ff; 2 Corinthians 5:1f; 1 John 3:2. On Christ as life see Philippians 1:21; Galatians 2:20; and 1 John 5:12.

IX. THINGS TO PUT TO DEATH (3:5-11)

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ^{a 7} You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

^a 6 Some early manuscripts coming on those who are disobedient

"Put to death" (nekrwvsate , nekrôsate ) is another uncompromising imperative, as in verse 1, calling on the Christians to grow in their faith (cf. 1:6). The two negative lists in this paragraph each contains five items, with an elaboration on the fifth in each case. This grouping could reflect a custom of the day with such lists, though it was not the style Paul always used. These groupings may have assisted converts, instructed at baptism, to remember. Of the many virtue and vice lists in the New Testament, the ones most similar in form to this are in Ephesians and 1 Peter. The sins condemned were all pagan practices that Jews found particularly reprehensible.

3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:

Understanding Christ, which Paul has promoted throughout the previous part of this letter, was to produce the lifestyle which he will now set forth. This was no arbitrary list, giving the terms of a bargain with God, but was a reflection of God's nature as lived out by his people. Nor was it a compelled obedience, but a response of love to his love. "Put to death" referred to a point of action from which their style of life was to proceed. It also implied something of their lifestyles before they became Christ's followers. The death idea reflects earlier references in 2:11f, 20, and 3:3. "Earthly nature" (cf. the prohibition in 3:2) does not refer to anything characteristic of physical existence, but does refer to any immoral use of one's mind and body. The Greek mevlh . . . ejpiΙ th'" gh'" (melç...epi tçs gçs ), literally, is "members upon the earth," which the NIV interprets as "earthly nature," changing a physical description to a spiritual - and properly so.

sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires

The progress Paul has described has moved from knowledge ("set your hearts" in 3:1) to a disposition ("set your minds" in 3:2) to action ("put to death" here). The first four sins listed were sexual ones, which violated love for neighbor, and the fifth, greed, denied ultimate love for God. Sexual sins, in addition, violated the integrity of marriage and the family (cf. vv. 18-21). On sexual sins cf. Galatians 5:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Corinthians 5:6-11, 6:18f; Ephesians 5:5. "Sexual immorality" (porneiva , porneia ) refers to any unlawful sexual intercourse, though a primary application may have been to consorting with prostitutes. The Greek term is the root of the English "pornography." "Impurity" (ajkaqarsiva , akatharsia ) has the same general sense, but was a term of wider application (cf. Rom 1:24f). "Lust" or "passion" (pavqo", pathos ) would be the evil desire leading to sexual immorality (cf. Rom 1:26; 1 Thess 4:5). The word in other contexts could refer to legitimate desire, as in 1 Timothy 3:1 ("desires" in the NIV). "Evil desires" (ejpiqumiva , epithymia ) also renders a word that could be used in the good sense, though obviously not here. The meaning here is close to that of the previous word. In Paul's lists it is not always possible to discern nuances of difference between the terms used. The overall impact was the thing.

and greed, which is idolatry.

"Greed" (pleonexiva , pleonexia ) is identified as "idolatry." It was seen as a rival religion, and thus was as dangerous in its way as was the heresy. Idolatry was abhorrent to the Jew, and the use of the term as a modifier here stresses the heinousness of a sin often glossed over and unrecognized. Greed is the inordinate desire for what one does not have. It may involve jealousy because of what others possess. It focuses on this life, and is self-centered. Thus it denies genuine love (contrast v. 14). Unfortunately it is often made to appear respectable. Even the Graeco-Roman world repudiated greed. In the New Testament see Luke 12:15; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:10f; 6:10; and Ephesians 5:3. Lohse says greed seizes man's heart, leads him away from God, and imprisons him.

3:6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

This is Paul's first reference in Colossians to the negative side of God's final action (cf. Rom 1:18, 32; 1 Cor 5:13; 1 Thess 4:6). "Wrath" (ojrghv , orgç ) is commonly seen as God's final judgment, and vice catalogues often ended with a statement like this. But it is also possible that the term referred to the very nature of God's universe, in which disobedience to God would finally bring judgment on itself, because it was not the way God's universe "works." This, of course, must also involve the final judgment, since often the wicked go through this life seeming to be happy and without mishap.

"Wrath" is seldom used by Paul to describe God. Weed suggests a better translation would be "disaster" - a term avoiding some of the negative implications associated with the other. The language says that God, rich in mercy, must also be consistent with his nature. He could not act as if offenses to his very purity and being did not matter. If he did, what kind of a God would he be? The moral nature of the universe would be destroyed and chaos would result. "Wrath" does not show him a vindictive God eager to punish. It does show the seriousness of moral issues, and was a powerful motivator to turn to God. No one need experience God's wrath. One who failed to see its seriousness might treat morals lightly. Texts such as this warn against such unconcerned folly.

3:7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

This verse indicates that the Colossian church was largely Gentile, for the Jews found the behavior described in verse 6 abhorrent. Whereas other writings of Paul would stress the Holy Spirit as empowering the moral life, in Colossians it is the relationship to Christ - death, burial and resurrection. The method and result in Christian experience were the same, but Paul spoke as he did here because of his stress on Christ throughout the epistle.

Translations which have the longer version of verse 6 ("those who are disobedient" - see the NIV footnote) translate the opening of this verse "among whom" rather than "these ways." The basic truth is not changed.

3:8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these:

"Rid yourselves" is the image of putting off dirty or worn-out clothes. It may take its meaning from baptism, in which the candidate may have changed into some form of baptismal garment. Paul names five more vices, vices which could destroy social relations. As with the five in verse 6, here the last vice is elaborated. The first three were attitudinal, and the last two verbal. Of course they could interact in practice.

anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

"Anger" (ojrghv , orgç ) and "rage" (qumov" , thymos ) are very close in meaning, showing again that Paul aimed for total impact, rather than to distinguish between precise nuances. These attitudes would burst out in ways that would destroy relationships and deny love (v. 14). "Malice," a general term, may describe the attitude that would lead to slander and filthy language. "Slander" is, in the Greek, blasfhmiva (blasphçmia , blasphemy). The New Testament usually has it describing speech against God or his servants. Here it probably had the broader idea of "abuse," which was a common usage in the world of that day (cf. Titus 3:5). "Filthy language" is from a word (aijscrologiva , aischrologia ) found only here in the New Testament. Other translations render it "abusive" language, which perhaps catches the sense more accurately. It was not profanity in the commonly accepted sense. "Lying," in the next verse, was probably an illustration of Paul's meaning.

3:9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

Paul's emphases in these prohibitions would certainly be directed to his knowledge of the Colossian situation. Thus, lying would be a problem of the old life which may have crept into the church. So Paul says especially that they should not lie "to each other." The reference to taking off the old self is similar to "rid yourselves" of verse 8 and "putting off" of 2:11. It may also suggest the changing of clothes for baptism. Normally lying was associated with "filthy language" and perhaps with "slander" of the previous verse, but Pokorny´ suggests it sums the entire section from verse 3, since it was the opposite of preaching the truth, which was Christ. Or was Paul attempting to associate lying with teaching heresy? That, however, seems strained, as does Pokorny´'s view.

3:10 and have put on the new self,

The reason to avoid lying (and all the other vices?) is continued here with the positive statement. The "new self" was not just personal change, but was the new human situation made possible through Christ. Christians, emerging from baptism, came into a new world. It was a world of new knowledge and new behavior. When the old behavior threatened to return, it was a world of discipline and prayer to overcome.

which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

"Renewed in knowledge" echoes Paul's prayer of 1:9ff (see also 2:3). The knowledge was more than cognition. This whole paranetic section indicates it was lifestyle. Knowledge, then, involved grasp of God's purpose and conformation to it. And it was to be a continuing process. The renewal was in the image of the Creator. This could be in God's image, indicating a return to God's original place for man (cf. Gen 1:26f). In view of 1:16, however, Paul may have had Christ in mind here. The result would be the same with either interpretation.

3:11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

This is a marvelous statement of the universal sweep of the gospel (cf. Gal 3:28; 1 Cor 12:13). But why did Paul put it here? If any rifts in the Colossian church had been along these lines, he has nowhere else indicated it. Could these be areas where "natural" animosities would likely lead to the kinds of mistreatment Paul had just condemned? Or was he amplifying the contrast of "old" and "new" of verses 9 and 10? Formerly there had been racial, religious, cultural and social barriers. They were now no longer relevant, for the new reality was either Christian or non-Christian. Love and proper treatment were to extend across that barrier. So in Christ the old sinful life and the old human divisions were done away. Christ was all, and in all. That relation was to govern everything!

"Greek" probably means all Greek-speaking Gentiles. Here they were mentioned before Jews, since Paul was writing to a Gentile church. Circumcision and uncircumcision refer to the literal act, not the spiritual act of 2:11. Barbarians were Gentiles who did not speak Greek. Scythians were at the low end of the barbarian scale. Josephus said they were little better than wild beasts, and in Attic comedy they were ridiculed as being uncouth in speech and action. Slave and free were categories on Paul's mind because of the situation with Onesimus, the runaway slave (4:9 and the book of Philemon). Though their societal status stayed the same, all enjoyed the same spiritual status.

X. THINGS TO PUT ON (3:12-17)

¹² Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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.

3:12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

Paul now exhorts to positive characteristics, and lists five qualities, as he had previously given two lists of five vices each. "Therefore" grounds these exhortations in the "new world" created by God, and in all the powerful realities set forth throughout previous parts of this letter. These include God's choice of the Christians, a picture parallel to his choice of Israel. Christians were the new chosen race (cf. Rom 8:33; 1 Pet 2:9). "Holy" is the term found in 1:2,4 ("saints"). "Beloved" enhances the power of Paul's motivations.

clothe yourselves

Those who have rid themselves of vice now clothe themselves - again a possible reference to baptism. "Clothe" refers to a point of action, but obviously with continuing effects. The virtues noted were specific parts of the totally new way of thought and life. These qualities were to be present whether one was Greek, Jew, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free.

with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

"Compassion" (splavgcna oijktirmou' , splanchna oiktirmou ) is literally "inward parts" (cf. Rom 12:1; 2 Cor 1:3 for oiktirmos by itself). It can mean the whole inner person. It was not just a virtue, but was a part of one's character. "Kindness" (crhstovth" , chrçstotçs ) often describes God (cf. Rom 2:4; 1:22; Eph 2:7; Titus 3:4). God gave it to the totally undeserving, who were thus called to extend it to others, even to the undeserving. It was caring, the extending of blessings. "Humility" (tapeinofrosuvnh , tapeinophrosynç ) has been found in 2:18, 23, where the NIV translators have added "false" to indicate it was an undesirable trait in connection with the heresy. Here it was a virtue which was one quality that set Christians apart. In the Greek world at the time this quality was considered a weakness. "Gentleness" (prau?th" , prautçs ) involves considering others and even being willing to give up one's rights to help them (cf. 2 Cor 10:11; Gal 5:23, 6:1; Eph 4:2). Some translations render the word "meekness," which implies self-control and avoidance of excessive self-concern. "Patience" (makroqumiva , makrothymia , cf. Rom 2:4; 9:22) endures wrong and puts up with the frustration produced by others without becoming unduly and unwisely irritated. Cf. "bear with" in the next verse.

3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Bearing and forgiveness were functions of the attitudes specified in verse 12. The call to forgive echoes Jesus' teaching (see Matt 18:23; Luke 11:3) but draws further significance from his death and resurrection. The word carivzomai ( charizomai , "grant forgiveness") translated "forgive" and "forgave" is not the usual New Testament term, but stresses the grace (unmerited blessing) involved in Christ's sacrifice. See also Romans 8:32; 1 Corinthians 2:12; Galatians 3:18; Ephesians 4:32; Philippians 1:29, 2:9; and Colossians 2:13. "Grievances" suggests the idea of unremitted debts, and may indicate the presence of such feeling in the congregation. The aggrieved person was to take the initiative, as God took the initiative for man's sake. Did Paul have in mind any attitude toward the heretics, hoping that gracious overtures would lead them to repentance? We cannot say. It is clear here and throughout that forgiving was more than just a command given to Christians. It was woven into the very fabric of God's action in Christ. To refuse it would be to deny the very nature of Christianity.

3:14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Paul spoke of the supremacy of love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, and said all other commandments were summed up in love in Romans 13:9f. Here he elevates it above the virtues he had enumerated, as that which bound them in perfect unity. There are two views of his meaning. One is that love, like a belt, holds the other virtues together. The idea may be that if one is loving then the other virtues would be a part of that love. This would seem to agree with 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 and Romans 13:9f. The other view is that love binds the members of the church together so that they are led to perfect unity. Love would solve all problems of division among Christians. In either event the profound importance of love must be affirmed.

3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.

Those who love one another are at peace. On the peace of Christ cf. John 14:27; Ephesians 2:14; Philippians 4:7 and 2 Thessalonians 3:16. This was peace in community, not simply inner peace. "Rule" indicates control. Their relationships should be controlled by peace.

And be thankful.

"Thankful" (eujcavristo" , eucharistos ) picks up Paul's words in 1:12. The particular focus here would be gratitude for the forgiveness and new life from God described in the previous verse. This was intrinsic to the faith, and was to be the Christian's constant motivation.

3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

Paul instructs his readers to love each other (v. 14), to be at peace with each other (v. 15), and now to teach and admonish each other. This verse is a lovely picture of a harmonious community at worship. Teaching and admonishing had their ground in the Word of Christ. This was probably the message about Christ (see 1:15-20) and thus the message about redemption. One might also think of the teachings of Christ, but they do not seem to be the focus of this letter.

"In you" could be a personal indwelling, or could mean within the community. Throughout the epistle this word about Christ has been Paul's constant antidote to the heretical teaching. When the church was centered in that message, false doctrine could not gain a foothold.

as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom,

Teaching and admonition are activities of those who love one another, and who wish to help others grow in Christ. No view of the corporate activities of Christians can afford to neglect this. "Wisdom" could modify teaching and admonishing, as in the NIV, or it could modify "sing." The term would imply acting judiciously and in a manner that would be most effective. It can be understood as a call to the church to carefully examine and select its hymns so that they would be used wisely. On wisdom in Colossians see 1:9,28; 2:3,23; and 4:5.

The parallel to this text is Ephesians 5:19, which says "speak to one another." Although we cannot be certain, perhaps the early church employed antiphonal singing. There is a question as to whether the singing was the vehicle of teaching or whether it was a separate activity. We consider it to be the former, on the basis of the parallel with Ephesians 5:19. In addition to 1:15-20, other New Testament texts considered to be early Christian hymns are Philippians 2:5-11; Ephesians 5:14; 1 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Timothy 2:11-13.

and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs

Scholars agree it is virtually impossible to make nice distinctions between psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. "Psalms" is used, of course, of Old Testament psalms. The basic meaning is a song of praise. The Christians probably composed new songs of praise, modelled on the Old Testament psalms, appropriate to their faith in Christ (cf. 1 Cor 14:26). The verbal form of the word is found in 1 Corinthians 14:15 and James 5:13. "Hymns" (a transliteration of the Greek u{mno" , hymnos ) is also a term describing songs of praise. The only other New Testament usage is Ephesians 5:19, but the related verb form is found in Mark 14:26 and parallels, and in Acts 16:25. "Songs" (wj/dhv , ôdç ) is also a song praising God's acts, as in Revelation 5:9; 14:3; and 15:3. None of these terms implies anything about the activity itself beyond the actual singing.

"Spiritual" (pneumatikov" , pneumatikos ) may modify all three terms. Some consider this as Spirit-prompted singing. Others think it refers to the content of the songs, or to the gratitude to God which prompted the singing of them. Since Colossians says so little about the Holy Spirit, we incline to the latter view.

with gratitude in your hearts to God.

"Gratitude" translates the word cavri" (charis) usually rendered "grace." Since the term is used with the definite article, and since Paul was not speaking of the aesthetic value of the singing, but of its teaching role, "gratitude" seems an appropriate translation. It also parallels the references to thankfulness in verses 15 and 17.

3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

In a sense this verse climaxes the main paranetic section of Colossians and sums up what Paul had been saying. It is appropriate that such a statement climax the depiction of Christ Paul has been making throughout. Next Paul will give the household rules (3:18-4:1) which stand as a separate unit. This will be followed by a personal request (4:2-4), a brief exhortation (4:5,6) and closing greetings and instructions (4:7-18).

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This universal statement directed readers in a life perspective. Those who pursued it did not need to be given specific rules for every possible circumstance. "In the name" can indicate all Jesus was, all he taught, and the acknowledgment of his role as savior. "Thanks" (cf. 1:12; 3:15) could be an additional note, but we think it more likely the words and deeds were to be spurred by gratitude for Christ's love. The whole expression may be drawn from the baptismal procedure, as has so much of the language of the preceding verses (cf. Rom 10:9,13; 1 Cor 1:2,10,31; Eph 4:5; 5:20; 1 Thess 1:12; 3:6; 2 Tim 2:19; 1 John 2:12; 3:23; 5:13). Baptism has been central in Paul's thought throughout as he has penned this letter, since it was a decisive act in an individual's commitment to Christ.

XI. RULES FOR THE CHRISTIAN HOUSEHOLD (3:18-4:1)

A. HUSBANDS AND WIVES (3:18-19)

¹⁸ Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

This section and others like it in the New Testament have been called "house tables," or "rules for the household." See similar material in Ephesians 5:22-6:9; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 6:1f; Titus 2:1-10; 1 Peter 2:18-3:7; and outside the New Testament in Didache 4:9-11; Epistle of Barnabas 19:5-7; First Clement 1:3; 2:6-9; Ignatius to Polycarp 4:1-6:2; and Polycarp to the Philippians 4:2--6:1. The different style of this material is obvious even to the casual reader. The relationships occur in pairs, with the subordinate member listed first, and the relations move from the closest to the most remote. It was generally assumed that Christians would obey the exhortations to both parties, so that there was a symbiotic relationship. Paul does not say here, for example, what the Christian wife of a non-Christian husband ought to do if he mistreated her. Here her submission is met by his love, and vice versa.

The normal form of these admonitions first lists the member addressed, then gives the imperative, and finally (usually) gives a motivation. Some of these same instructions could be found in non-Christian ethical instructions, but in them the motivation would differ. Note how often these verses refer to the Lord (Master) - 18,20,22,23,24 (twice) and 4:1. These relations give specific form to "all in the name of the Lord Jesus" of verse 17.

There has been much discussion, but no consensus, about the origin of these housetables. Were they adapted and modified by Christians from some non-Christian background? That sort of adaptation was done by Hellenistic Jews in their synagogues. If so, what was the background? Might they have been part of the instruction given new converts before or following baptism? If so, it seems strange that certain New Testament books (Romans, 1 Corinthians, 1, 2 Thessalonians, James, and John's writings) omit them. It does seem significant, though, that these instructions take similar form in various New Testament writings, implying they may have been somewhat "fixed" in many churches. The questions posed here have still not been answered definitively.

Were these standards only relevant to the cultural situation of the day, or were they of eternal validity? Often personal agendas determine how individuals answer this question. If one takes all Paul's writings into account, it is clear he had a hierarchical view of relationships, especially husband and wife (see 1 Cor 11:3,7-9; Eph 5:23ff). He placed his instructions in the context of relation to the Lord (see 1 Cor 11:2-16 and Eph 5:22-33). He also said in Christ there was neither male nor female (Gal 3:28) which, though indicating equal access to salvation, no more abrogates the nature of that interrelationship than it says slaves were no longer slaves. If one begins to eliminate Paul's words on a cultural basis, it would be difficult to know where to stop the process. Further the rightness or wrongness of a matter cannot be determined by whether or not it was culturally "correct." Behind such an argument is the supposition that the view of culture held by the person making the argument is the correct one.

Since much of a person's life was lived in the household, it was important that Christianity offer instructions aimed directly at those relationships.

3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

The wife's submission is here treated as a status she chose because of her relation to the Lord. "Submit" (uJpotavssesqe , hupotassesthe ) in Greek is in middle voice, i.e., "submit yourself" - choose to do so. Paul's words give no comfort to the chauvinist, since "love" in the following verse tempers and conditions submission. It would be no burden to submit to love. The same complementary relationship between love and submission is seen in Ephesians 5:22-33, and in 1 Corinthians 7:3f, Paul also speaks of the "rights" of both partners. Thus nothing demeaning to the wife can be deduced from Paul's language here. Nor is there any indication of a natural inferiority of the wife to her husband. After all everyone must submit to someone, if only to God.

3:19 Husbands, love your wives

The counterpoint to the submission of the wife is the love of the husband. "Love" translates the term found in verse 14, and is the same word (agapç ) the New Testament uses of God's love for man. This word was not found in any secular list of household duties. No motivation clause is found here because love in Christian terms carried its motivation within itself; love was "absolutely valid."

and do not be harsh with them.

The prohibition of harshness is literally "don't be embittered" (mhΙ pikraivnesqe , mç pikrainesthe ). This would call for patience with faults, and also for a refusal to vent on the wife bitterness generated by outside circumstances. Weed points out that Paul's words are in contrast to Jewish and pagan ethics which gave husbands all the rights and wives all the duties.

B. CHILDREN AND FATHERS (3:20-21)

²⁰ Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

²¹ Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Children are addressed as being responsible, contrary to pagan ethics. Further they are asked to obey, rather than the fathers being asked to enforce obedience. "Obey" (uJpakouvw , hypakouô ) is a stronger term than "submit" in verse 18, and "everything" adds further strength. We are not told if the children had become Christians, but as part of a Christian household they were to respect its rules. The verse ends, in Greek, with "in the Lord," probably meaning "in the Christian sphere." The Jewish background for these words is found in Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16. Again it is assumed the fathers act as Christians should (v. 21, Eph 6:4). Paul does not discuss cases of unreasonable parents or rebellious children.

3:21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

We presume fathers are addressed because of their special responsibility, but one would suppose these instructions would apply to both parents, since verse 20 indicates obedience to both parents. In the Roman culture the father's parental authority was unlimited, so that this teaching would considerably temper any extremes. As O'Brien says, the idea here is responsibility to children, not authority over them. The word translated "embittered" (from ejreqivzw , erethizô ) is found elsewhere in the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 9:2 ("stirred," NIV). Some translations have "provoke" here. The word may refer to nagging or belittling of the children. If they were constantly criticized, they might feel it was impossible to become worthwhile persons. A sense of failure inbred into children could poison their entire lifetimes. The opposite term from "discouraged" (ajqumevw , athymeô ) means "take heart," and refers to the "undergirding presence of God" in Acts 27:22,25 and 36.

C. SLAVES AND MASTERS (3:22-4:1)

²² 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. ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵ Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

¹ Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

3:22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything;

The instructions to slaves are as lengthy as those to all other groups combined. This may indicate a large number of slaves in the church, or that problems with slaves were a particularly challenging case for Christian ethics. The case of Onesimus was on Paul's mind, and though the issues discussed in Philemon are not those noted here, they may have been relevant to Onesimus before his escape (cf. the book of Philemon). We are given an interesting look at the attitudes of some slaves. Paul's words indicate a radical change of heart from what was otherwise the case in society.

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.

"Earthly masters" is a reminder that the slave owner's sovereignty over his slaves was not absolute. There was a higher authority governing the relationship. "Obey in everything" is the same language as that used in verse 20. "Their eye is upon you" could imply they would work only when watched, or that they were trying to attract attention. The Greek is literally "eye service" (ojfqalmodouliva , ophthalmodoulia ), and the first known usages are here and in Ephesians 6:6. "Sincerity" indicates undivided loyalty (the NRSV has "wholeheartedly"). What higher motivation could be given than "reverence for the Lord" (literally, "fearing")? In a sense, then, a slave's daily service was worship.

3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

This verse is similar to verse 17. A slave who worked as "for the Lord" need never suffer anxiety over failure to serve his owner (assuming the owner were reasonable, and not a tyrant.) "Working for the Lord" expands on "reverence for the Lord."

3:24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

This verse strengthens the motivation of the slave. For the third consecutive verse relation to the Lord is noted. Under Roman law slaves could not inherit, so Paul's "inheritance" would be a particularly striking statement. Not only inheritance, but what an inheritance (cf. 1:5,12,27; 3:1-4)! The word translated "reward" (ajntapovdosi" , antapodosis ) is only here in the New Testament. "Serving" could also be translated as an imperative; i.e., "you serve." The word douleuvw (douleuô ) is the verbal form of the usual word for slave ( doulos ). They were, finally, slaves of Christ, which determined their earthly demeanor.

In the other relationships of verses 18-21 a reciprocity is supposed. Here the case may be different. Ought not the slave to obey, whatever the treatment given by the master? 1 Peter 2:18ff indicates they should.

It is also intriguing to imagine the situation in the church if a slave was an overseer/elder. Then in that sphere he would be concerned, as a shepherd, for the spiritual health of his Christian master. Yet in everyday life he would still have the obligation Paul describes here. This could be a delicate situation for both slave and master.

3:25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

This is the other side of the inheritance pictured in verse 24. The principle stated was universal and inescapable (cf. Gal 6:7f). Though in the broader sense all were under this principle, the question here is whether Paul spoke to slaves, to masters, or to both. Those who think it was slaves point out that masters are not specifically addressed till the next verse, and that the word for "do wrong" (ajdikevw , adikeô , "act unjustly") is used of Onesimus in Philemon 18. On the other hand are those who say masters could wrong their slaves, but not vice versa. Those arguing for masters note that the word translated "favoritism" is applied to masters in Ephesians 6:9.

Whatever the primary sense, neither group would receive special consideration. If there were "favoritism" in this life, there would be none in God's judgment. Those who treated others wrongly should fear, and those wrongly treated should take heart.

4:1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

The implication of "earthly masters" in 3:22 is now made specific. Christian masters were themselves slaves under the heavenly master, and were called upon to serve the Lord as their slaves were to serve them. Though slavery in the first Christian century is often pictured as harsh and repressing, both pagan and Jewish moralists laid down principles for humane treatment. Thus "right" and "fair" would be understood even outside Christian circles. The difference with Christians was the motivation.

Christianity, at this point, was not fomenting major social revolution. Slavery was accepted as a given. It has been said that when Christian principles were thoroughly understood and accepted in society, slavery became more difficult, and eventually impossible.

Christians may ask if these principles apply to the relation of employer and employee. Though the question has difficult nuances, it is hard to see how either a Christian employer or employee could ignore the mandates given here, since they are anchored in a relation with the Lord.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

Introduction / Outline

Robertson: Colossians (Book Introduction)

The Epistle to the Colossians

From Rome a.d. 63

By Way of Introduction

Genuineness

The author claims to be Paul (Col_1:1) and there is no real doubt about it in spite of Baur’s denial of the Pauline authorship which did not suit his Tendenz theory of the New Testament books. There is every mark of Paul’s style and power in the little Epistle and there is no evidence that any one else took Paul’s name to palm off this striking and vigorous polemic.

The Date

Clearly it was sent at the same time with the Epistle to Philemon and the one to the Ephesians since Tychicus the bearer of the letter to Ephesus (Eph_6:21.) and the one to Colossae (Col_4:7.) was a companion of Onesimus (Col_4:9) the bearer of that to Philemon (Phm_1:10-12). If Paul is a prisoner (Col_4:3; Eph_6:20; Phm_1:9) in Rome, as most scholars hold, and not in Ephesus as Deissmann and Duncan argue, the probable date would be a.d. 63. I still believe that Paul is in Rome when he sends out these epistles. If so, the time would be after the arrival in Rome from Jerusalem as told in Acts 28 and before the burning of Rome by Nero in a.d. 64. If Philippians was already sent, a.d. 63 marks the last probable year for the writing of this group of letters.

The Occasion

The Epistle itself gives it as being due to the arrival of Epaphras from Colossae (Col_1:7-9; Col_4:12.). He is probably one of Paul’s converts while in Ephesus who in behalf of Paul (Col_1:7) evangelized the Lycus Valley (Colossae, Hierapolis, Laodicea) where Paul had never been himself (Col_2:1; Col_4:13-16). Since Paul’s departure for Rome, the " grievous wolves" whom he foresaw in Miletus (Act_20:29.) had descended upon these churches and were playing havoc with many and leading them astray much as new cults today mislead the unwary. These men were later called Gnostics (see Ignatius) and had a subtle appeal that was not easy to withstand. The air was full of the mystery cults like the Eleusinian mysteries, Mithraism, the vogue of Isis, what not. These new teachers professed new thought with a world-view that sought to explain everything on the assumption that matter was essentially evil and that the good God could only touch evil matter by means of a series of aeons or emanations so far removed from him as to prevent contamination by God and yet with enough power to create evil matter. This jejune theory satisfied many just as today some are content to deny the existence of sin, disease, death in spite of the evidence of the senses to the contrary. In his perplexity Epaphras journeyed all the way to Rome to obtain Paul’s help.

Purpose of the Epistle

Epaphras did not come in vain, for Paul was tremendously stirred by the peril to Christianity from the Gnostics ( hoi gnōstikoi , the knowing ones). He had won his fight for freedom in Christ against the Judaizers who tried to fasten Jewish sacramentarianism upon spiritual Christianity. Now there is an equal danger of the dissipation of vital Christianity in philosophic speculation. In particular, the peril was keen concerning the Person of Christ when the Gnostics embraced Christianity and applied their theory of the universe to him. They split into factions on the subject of Christ. The Docetic (from dokeō , to seem) Gnostics held that Jesus did not have a real human body, but only a phantom body. He was, in fact, an aeon and had no real humanity. The Cerinthian (followers of Cerinthus) Gnostics admitted the humanity of the man Jesus, but claimed that the Christ was an aeon that came on Jesus at his baptism in the form of a dove and left him on the Cross so that only the man Jesus died. At once this heresy sharpened the issue concerning the Person of Christ already set forth in Phi_2:5-11. Paul met the issue squarely and powerfully portrayed his full-length portrait of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Son of Man (both deity and humanity) in opposition to both types of Gnostics. So then Colossians seems written expressly for our own day when so many are trying to rob Jesus Christ of his deity. The Gnostics took varying views of moral issues also as men do now. There were the ascetics with rigorous rules and the licentious element that let down all the bars for the flesh while the spirit communed with God. One cannot understand Colossians without some knowledge of Gnosticism such as may be obtained in such books as Angus’s The Mystery-Religions and Christianity , Glover’s The Conflict of Religion in the Early Roman Empire , Kennedy’s St. Paul and the Mystery-Religions , Lightfoot’s Commentary on Colossians .

JFB: Colossians (Book Introduction)

The GENUINENESS of this Epistle is attested by JUSTIN MARTYR [Dialogue with Trypho, p. 311, B.], who quotes "the first-born of every creature," in reference to Christ, from Col 1:15. THEOPHILUS OF ANTIOCH [To Autolychus, 2, p. 100]. IRENÆUS [Against Heresies, 3.14.1], quotes expressly from this "Epistle to the Colossians" (Col 4:14). CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA [Miscellanies, 1. p. 325], quotes Col 1:28; also elsewhere he quotes Col 1:9-11, Col 1:28; Col 2:2, &c.; Col 2:8; Col 3:12, Col 3:14; Col 4:2-3, &c. TERTULLIAN [The Prescription against Heretics, 7], quotes Col 2:8; [On the Resurrection of the Flesh, 23], and quotes Col 2:12, Col 2:20; Col 3:1-2. ORIGEN [Against Celsus, 5.8], quotes Col 2:18-19.

Colosse (or, as it is spelt in the best manuscripts, "Colassæ") was a city of Phrygia, on the river Lycus, a branch of the Meander. The Church there was mainly composed of Gentiles (compare Col 2:13). ALFORD infers from Col 2:1 (see on Col 2:1), that Paul had not seen its members, and therefore could not have been its founder, as THEODORET thought. Col 1:7-8 suggests the probability that Epaphras was the first founder of the Church there. The date of its foundation must have been subsequent to Paul's visitation, "strengthening in order" all the churches of Galatia and Phrygia (Act 18:24); for otherwise we must have visited the Colossians, which Col 2:1 implies he had not. Had Paul been their father in the faith, he would doubtless have alluded to the fact, as in 1Co 3:6, 1Co 3:10; 1Co 4:15; 1Th 1:5; 1Th 2:1. It is only in the Epistles, Romans and Ephesians, and this Epistle, such allusions are wanting; in that to the Romans, because, as in this Church of Colosse, he had not been the instrument of their conversion; in that to the Ephesians, owing to the general nature of the Epistle. Probably during the "two years" of Paul's stay at Ephesus, when "all which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus" (Act 19:10, Act 19:26), Epaphras, Philemon, Archippus, Apphia and the other natives of Colosse, becoming converted at Ephesus, were subsequently the first sowers of the Gospel seed in their own city. This will account for their personal acquaintance with, and attachment to, Paul and his fellow ministers, and for his loving language as to them, and their counter salutations to him. So also with respect to "them at Laodicea," (Col 2:1).

The OBJECT of the Epistle is to counteract Jewish false teaching, by setting before the Colossians their true standing in Christ alone (exclusive of all other heavenly beings), the majesty of His person, and the completeness of the redemption wrought by Him; hence they ought to be conformed to their risen Lord, and to exhibit that conformity in all the relations of ordinary life Col 2:16, "new moon, sabbath days," shows that the false teaching opposed in this Epistle is that of Judaizing Christians. These mixed up with pure Christianity Oriental theosophy and angel-worship, and the asceticism of certain sections of the Jews, especially the Essenes. Compare JOSEPHUS [Wars of the Jews, 2.8,13]. These theosophists promised to their followers a deeper insight into the world of spirits, and a nearer approach to heavenly purity and intelligence, than the simple Gospel affords. CONYBEARE and HOWSON think that some Alexandrian Jew had appeared at Colosse, imbued with the Greek philosophy of PHILO'S school, combining with it the Rabbinical theosophy and angelology which afterwards was embodied in the Cabbala. Compare JOSEPHUS [Antiquities, 12.3,4], from which we know that Alexander the Great had garrisoned the towns of Lydia and Phrygia with two thousand Mesopotamian and Babylonian Jews in the time of a threatened revolt. The Phrygians themselves had a mystic tendency in their worship of Cybele, which inclined them to receive the more readily the incipient Gnosticism of Judaizers, which afterward developed itself into the strangest heresies. In the Pastoral Epistles, the evil is spoken of as having reached a more deadly phase (1Ti 4:1-3; 1Ti 6:5), whereas he brings no charge of immorality in this Epistle: a proof of its being much earlier in date.

The PLACE from which it was written seems to have been Rome, during his first imprisonment there (Act 28:17-31). In my Introduction to the Epistle to the Ephesians, it was shown that the three Epistles, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, were sent at the same time, namely, during the freer portion of his imprisonment, before the death of Burrus. Col 4:3-4; Eph 6:19-20, imply greater freedom than he had while writing to the Philippians, after the promotion of Tigellinus to be Prætorian Prefect. See Introduction to Philippians.

This Epistle, though carried by the same bearer, Tychicus, who bore that to the Ephesians, was written previously to that Epistle; for many phrases similar in both appear in the more expanded form in the Epistle to the Ephesians (compare also Note, see on Eph 6:21). The Epistle to the Laodiceans (Col 4:16) was written before that to the Colossians, but probably was sent by him to Laodicea at the same time with that to the Church at Colosse.

The STYLE is peculiar: many Greek phrases occur here, found nowhere else. Compare Col 2:8, "spoil you"; "making a show of them openly" (Col 2:15); "beguile of your reward," and "intruding" (Col 2:18); "will-worship"; "satisfying" (Col 2:23); "filthy communication" (Col 3:8); "rule" (Col 3:15); "comfort" (Col 4:11). The loftiness and artificial elaboration of style correspond to the majestic nature of his theme, the majesty of Christ's person and office, in contrast to the beggarly system of the Judaizers, the discussion of which was forced on him by the controversy. Hence arises his use of unusual phraseology. On the other hand, in the Epistle of the Ephesians, subsequently written, in which he was not so hampered by the exigencies of controversy, he dilates on the same glorious truths, so congenial to him, more at large, freely and uncontroversially, in the fuller outpouring of his spirit, with less of the elaborate and antithetical language of system, such as was needed in cautioning the Colossians against the particular errors threatening them. Hence arises the striking similarity of many of the phrases in the two Epistles written about the same time, and generally in the same vein of spiritual thought; while the peculiar phrases of the Epistle to the Colossians are such as are natural, considering the controversial purpose of that Epistle.

JFB: Colossians (Outline)

• ADDRESS: INTRODUCTION: CONFIRMING EPAPHRAS' TEACHING: THE GLORIES OF CHRIST: THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER FOR THE COLOSSIANS: HIS OWN MINISTRY OF THE MYSTERY. (Col. 1:1-29)
• HIS STRIVINGS IN PRAYER FOR THEIR STEADFASTNESS IN CHRIST; FROM WHOM HE WARNS THEM NOT TO BE LED AWAY BY FALSE WISDOM. (Col. 2:1-23)
• EXHORTATIONS TO HEAVENLY AIMS, AS OPPOSED TO EARTHLY, ON THE GROUND OF UNION TO THE RISEN SAVIOUR; TO MORTIFY AND PUT OFF THE OLD MAN, AND TO PUT ON THE NEW; IN CHARITY, HUMILITY, WORDS OF EDIFICATION, THANKFULNESS; RELATIVE DUTIES. (Col. 3:1-25)
• EXHORTATIONS CONTINUED. TO PRAYER: WISDOM IN RELATION TO THE UNCONVERTED: AS TO THE BEARERS OF THE EPISTLE, TYCHICUS AND ONESIMUS: CLOSING SALUTATIONS. (Col. 4:1-18)

TSK: Colossians (Book Introduction)

Colosse was a large and populous city of Phrygia Pacatiana, in Asia Minor, seated on an eminence to the south of the river Meander. It is supposed to have occupied a site now covered with ruins, near the village of Konous or Khonas, and about twenty miles nw of Degnizlu. By whom, or at what time, the church at Colosse was founded is wholly uncertain; but it would appear from the apostle’s declaration, Col 2:1, that he was not the honoured instrument. It appears from the tenor of this epistle to have been, upon the whole, in a very flourishing state; but some difficulties having arisen among them, they sent Epaphras to Rome, where the apostle was now imprisoned (Col 4:3) to acquaint him with the state of their affairs. It is remarkable for a peculiar pathos and ardour, which is generally ascribed to the extraordinary divine consolations enjoyed by the apostle during his sufferings for the sake of Christ. Whoever, says Michaelis, would understand the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, must read them together. The one is in most places a commentary on the other; the meaning of single passages in one epistle, which, if considered alone, might be variously interpreted, being determined by the parallel passages in the other epistle.

TSK: Colossians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

Col 3:1, He shows where we should seek Christ; Col 3:5, He exhorts to mortification; Col 3:10, to put off the old man, and put on Christ; Col 3:12, exhorting to charity, humility, and other several duties.

Poole: Colossians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

CHAPTER 3

MHCC: Colossians (Book Introduction)

This epistle was sent because of some difficulties which arose among the Colossians, probably from false teachers, in consequence of which they sent to the apostle. The scope of the epistle is to show, that all hope of man's redemption is founded on Christ, in whom alone are all complete fulness, perfections, and sufficiency. The Colossians are cautioned against the devices of judaizing teachers, and also against the notions of carnal wisdom, and human inventions and traditions, as not consistent with full reliance on Christ. In the first two chapters the apostle tells them what they must believe, and in the two last what they must do; the doctrine of faith, and the precepts of life for salvation.

MHCC: Colossians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

(Col 3:1-4) The Colossians exhorted to be heavenly-minded.

(Col 3:5-11) To mortify all corrupt affections.

(Col 3:12-17) To live in mutual love, forbearance, and forgiveness.

(Col 3:18-25) And to practise the duties of wives and husbands, children, parents, and servants.

Matthew Henry: Colossians (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians

Colosse was a considerable city of Phrygia, and probably not far from Laodicea and Hierapolis; we find these mentioned together, Col 4:13. It is now buried in ruins, and the memory of it chiefly preserved in this epistle. The design of the epistle is to warn them of the danger of the Jewish zealots, who pressed the necessity of observing the ceremonial law; and to fortify them against the mixture of the Gentile philosophy with their Christian principles. He professes a great satisfaction in their stedfastness and constancy, and encourages them to perseverance. It was written about the same time with the epistles to the Ephesians and Philippians, a.d. 62, and in the same place, while he was now a prisoner at Rome. He was not idle in his confinement, and the word of God was not bound.

This epistle, like that to the Romans, was written to those he had never seen, nor had any personal acquaintance with. The church planted at Colosse was not by Paul's ministry, but by the ministry of Epaphras or Epaphroditus, an evangelist, one whom he delegated to preach the gospel among the Gentiles; and yet, I. There was a flourishing church at Colosse, and one which was eminent and famous among the churches. One would have thought none would have come to be flourishing churches but those which Paul himself had planted; but here was a flourishing church planted by Epaphras. God is sometimes pleased to make use of the ministry of those who are of less note, and lower gifts, for doing great service to his church. God uses what hands he pleases, and is not tied to those of note, that the excellence of the power may appear to be of God and not of men, 2Co 4:7. II. Though Paul had not the planting of this church, yet he did not therefore neglect it; nor, in writing his epistles, does he make any difference between that and other churches. The Colossians, who were converted by the ministry of Epaphras, were as dear to him, and he was as much concerned for their welfare, as the Philippians, or any others who were converted by his ministry. Thus he put an honour upon an inferior minister, and teaches us not to be selfish, nor think all that honour lost which goes beside ourselves. We learn, in his example, not to think it a disparagement to us to water what others have planted, or build upon the foundation which others have laid: as he himself, as a wise master-builder, laid the foundation, and another built thereon, 1Co 3:10.

Matthew Henry: Colossians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

I. The apostle exhorts us to set our hearts upon heaven and take them off from this world (Col 3:1-4). II. He exhorts to the mortification of sin, in the various instances of it (Col 3:5-11). III. He earnestly presses to mutual love and compassion (Col 3:12-17). And concludes with exhortations to relative duties, of wives and husbands, parents and children, masters and servants (Col 3:18-25).

Barclay: Colossians (Book Introduction)

A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF PAUL

The Letters Of Paul

There is no more interesting body of documents in the New Testament than the letters of Paul. That is because of all forms of literature a letter is most personal. Demetrius, one of the old Greek literary critics, once wrote, "Every one reveals his own soul in his letters. In every other form of composition it is possible to discern the writercharacter, but in none so clearly as the epistolary." (Demetrius, On Style, 227). It is just because he left us so many letters that we feel we know Paul so well. In them he opened his mind and heart to the folk he loved so much; and in them, to this day, we can see that great mind grappling with the problems of the early church, and feel that great heart throbbing with love for men, even when they were misguided and mistaken.

The Difficulty Of Letters

At the same time, there is often nothing so difficult to understand as a letter. Demetrius (On Style, 223) quotes a saying of Artemon, who edited the letters of Aristotle. Artemon said that a letter ought to be written in the same manner as a dialogue, because it was one of the two sides of a dialogue. In other words, to read a letter is like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. So when we read the letters of Paul we are often in a difficulty. We do not possess the letter which he was answering; we do not fully know the circumstances with which he was dealing; it is only from the letter itself that we can deduce the situation which prompted it. Before we can hope to understand fully any letter Paul wrote, we must try to reconstruct the situation which produced it.

The Ancient Letters

It is a great pity that Paulletters were ever called epistles. They are in the most literal sense letters. One of the great lights shed on the interpretation of the New Testament has been the discovery and the publication of the papyri. In the ancient world, papyrus was the substance on which most documents were written. It was composed of strips of the pith of a certain bulrush that grew on the banks of the Nile. These strips were laid one on top of the other to form a substance very like brown paper. The sands of the Egyptian desert were ideal for preservation, for papyrus, although very brittle, will last forever so long as moisture does not get at it. As a result, from the Egyptian rubbish heaps, archaeologists have rescued hundreds of documents, marriage contracts, legal agreements, government forms, and, most interesting of all, private letters. When we read these private letters we find that there was a pattern to which nearly all conformed; and we find that Paulletters reproduce exactly that pattern. Here is one of these ancient letters. It is from a soldier, called Apion, to his father Epimachus. He is writing from Misenum to tell his father that he has arrived safely after a stormy passage.

"Apion sends heartiest greetings to his father and lord Epimachus.

I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are

going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my brother.

I thank my Lord Serapis [his god] that he kept me safe when I was

in peril on the sea. As soon as I got to Misenum I got my journey

money from Caesar--three gold pieces. And things are going fine

with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a line, first to let

me know how you are, and then about my brothers, and thirdly, that

I may kiss your hand, because you brought me up well, and because

of that I hope, God willing, soon to be promoted. Give Capito my

heartiest greetings, and my brothers and Serenilla and my friends.

I sent you a little picture of myself painted by Euctemon. My

military name is Antonius Maximus. I pray for your good health.

Serenus sends good wishes, Agathos Daimonboy, and Turbo,

Galloniuson." (G. Milligan, Selections from the Greek Papyri,

36.)

Little did Apion think that we would be reading his letter to his father 1800 years after he had written it. It shows how little human nature changes. The lad is hoping for promotion quickly. Who would Serenilla be but the girl he left behind him? He sends the ancient equivalent of a photograph to the folk at home. Now that letter falls into certain sections. (i) There is a greeting. (ii) There is a prayer for the health of the recipients. (iii) There is a thanksgiving to the gods. (iv) There are the special contents. (v) Finally, there are the special salutations and the personal greetings. Practically every one of Paulletters shows exactly the same sections, as we now demonstrate.

(i) The Greeting: Rom_1:1 ; 1Co_1:1 ; 2Co_1:1 ; Gal_1:1 ; Eph_1:1 ; Phi_1:1 ; Col_1:1-2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:1 .

(ii) The Prayer: in every case Paul prays for the grace of God on the people to whom he writes: Rom_1:7 ; 1Co_1:3 ; 2Co_1:2 ; Gal_1:3 ; Eph_1:2 ; Phi_1:3 ; Col_1:2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:2 .

(iii) The Thanksgiving: Rom_1:8 ; 1Co_1:4 ; 2Co_1:3 ; Eph_1:3 ; Phi_1:3 ; 1Th_1:3 ; 2Th_1:3 .

(iv) The Special Contents: the main body of the letters.

(v) Special Salutations and Personal Greetings: Rom 16 ; 1Co_16:19 ; 2Co_13:13 ; Phi_4:21-22 ; Col_4:12-15 ; 1Th_5:26 .

When Paul wrote letters, he wrote them on the pattern which everyone used. Deissmann says of them, "They differ from the messages of the homely papyrus leaves of Egypt, not as letters but only as the letters of Paul." When we read Paulletters we are not reading things which were meant to be academic exercises and theological treatises, but human documents written by a friend to his friends.

The Immediate Situation

With a very few exceptions, all Paulletters were written to meet an immediate situation and not treatises which he sat down to write in the peace and silence of his study. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. He was not in the least thinking of us when he wrote, but solely of the people to whom he was writing. Deissmann writes, "Paul had no thought of adding a few fresh compositions to the already extant Jewish epistles; still less of enriching the sacred literature of his nation.... He had no presentiment of the place his words would occupy in universal history; not so much that they would be in existence in the next generation, far less that one day people would look at them as Holy Scripture." We must always remember that a thing need not be transient because it was written to meet an immediate situation. All the great love songs of the world were written for one person, but they live on for the whole of mankind. It is just because Paulletters were written to meet a threatening danger or a clamant need that they still throb with life. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.

The Spoken Word

One other thing we must note about these letters. Paul did what most people did in his day. He did not normally pen his own letters but dictated them to a secretary, and then added Ws own authenticating signature. (We actually know the name of one of the people who did the writing for him. In Rom_16:22 Tertius, the secretary, slips in his own greeting before the letter draws to an end). In 1Co_16:21 Paul says, "This is my own signature, my autograph, so that you can be sure this letter comes from me." (compare Col_4:18 ; 2Th_3:17 .)

This explains a great deal. Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, because his sentences begin and never finish; his grammar breaks down and the construction becomes involved. We must not think of him sitting quietly at a desk, carefully polishing each sentence as he writes. We must think of him striding up and down some little room, pouring out a torrent of words, while his secretary races to get them down. When Paul composed his letters, he had in his mindeye a vision of the folk to whom he was writing, and he was pouring out his heart to them in words that fell over each other in his eagerness to help.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

The Towns Of The Lycus Valley

About one hundred miles from Ephesus, in the valley of the River Lycus, near where it joins the Maeander, there once stood three important cities--Laodicaea, Hierapolis and Colosse. Originally they had been Phrygian cities but now they were part of the Roman province of Asia. They stood almost within sight of each other. Hierapolis and Laodicaea stood on either side of the valley with the River Lycus flowing between, only six miles apart and in full view of each other; Colosse straddled the river twelve miles farther up.

The Lycus Valley had two remarkable characteristics.

(i) It was notorious for earthquakes. Strabo describes it by the curious adjective euseistos, which in English means good for earthquakes. More than once Laodicaea had been destroyed by an earthquake, but she was a city so rich and so independent that she had risen from the ruins without the financial help which the Roman government had offered. As the John who wrote the Revelation was to say of her, in her own eyes she was rich and had need of nothing (Rev_3:17 ).

(ii) The waters of the River Lycus and of its tributaries were impregnated with chalk. This chalk gathered and all over the countryside built up the most amazing natural formations. Lightfoot writes in description of that area: "Ancient monuments are buried; fertile land is overlaid; rivers beds choked up and streams diverted; fantastic grottoes and cascades and archways of stone are formed, by this strange, capricious power, at once destructive and creative, working silently throughout the ages. Fatal to vegetation, these incrustations spread like a stony shroud over the ground. Gleaming like glaciers on the hillside, they attract the eye of the traveller at a distance of twenty miles, and form a singularly striking feature in scenery of more than common beauty and impressiveness."

A Wealthy Area

In spite of these things this was a wealthy area and famous for two closely allied trades. Volcanic ground is always fertile; and what was not covered by the chalky incrustations was magnificent pasture land. On these pastures there were great flocks of sheep and the area was perhaps the greatest centre of the woollen industry in the world. Laodicaea was specially famous for the production of garments of the finest quality. The allied trade was dyeing. There was some quality in those chalky waters which made them specially suitable for dyeing cloth, and Colosse was so famous for this trade that a certain dye was called by its name.

So, then, these three cities stood in a district of considerable geographical interest and of great commercial prosperity.

The Unimportant City

Originally the three cities had been of equal importance, but, as the years went on, their ways parted. Laodicaea became the political centre of the district and the financial headquarters of the whole area, a city of splendid prosperity. Hierapolis became a great trade-centre and a notable spa. In that volcanic area there were many chasms in the ground from which came hot vapours and springs, famous for their medicinal quality; and people came in their thousands to Hierapolis to bathe and to drink the waters.

Colosse at one time was as great as the other two. Behind her rose the Cadmus range of mountains and she commanded the roads to the mountain passes. Both Xerxes and Cyrus had halted there with their invading armies, and Herodotus had called her "a great city of Phrygia." But for some reason the glory departed. How great that departure was can be seen from the fact that Hierapolis and Laodicaea are both to this day clearly discernible because the ruins of some great buildings still stand; but there is not a stone to show where Colosse stood and her site can only be guessed at. Even when Paul wrote Colosse was a small town; and Lightfoot says that she was the most unimportant town to which Paul ever wrote a letter.

The fact remains that in this town of Colosse there had arisen a heresy which, if it had been allowed to develop unchecked, might well have been the ruination of the Christian faith.

The Jews In Phrygia

One other fact must be added to complete the picture. These three cities stood in an area in which there were many Jews. Many years before, Antiochus the Great had transported two thousand Jewish families from Babylon and Mesopotamia into the regions of Lydia and Phrygia. These Jews had prospered and, as always happens in such a case, more of their fellow-countrymen had come into the area to share their prosperity. So many came that the stricter Jews of Palestine lamented the number of Jews who left the rigours of their ancestral land for "the wines and baths of Phrygia."

The number of Jews who resided there can be seen from the following historical incident. Laodicaea, as we have seen, was the administrative centre of the district. In the year 62 B.C., Flaccus was the Roman governor resident there. He sought to put a stop to the practice of the Jews of sending money out of the province to pay the Temple tax. He did so by placing an embargo on the export of currency; and in his own part of the province alone he seized as contraband no less than twenty pounds of gold which was meant for the Temple at Jerusalem. That amount of gold would represent the Temple tax of no fewer than 11,000 people. Since women and children were exempt from the tax and since many Jews would successfully evade the capture of their money, we may well put the Jewish population as high as almost 50,000.

The Church At Colosse

The Christian Church at Colosse was one which Paul had not himself founded and which he had never visited. He classes the Colossians and the Laodicaeans with those who had never seen his face in the flesh (Col_2:1 ). But no doubt the founding of the Church sprang from his directing. During his three years in Ephesus the whole province of Asia was evangelized, so that all its inhabitants, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord (Act_19:10 ). Colosse was about one hundred miles from Ephesus and it was no doubt in that campaign of expansion that the Colossian Church was founded. We do not know who its founder was; but it may well have been Epaphras, who is described as Paulfellow-servant and the faithful minister of the Colossian Church and who is later connected also with Hierapolis and Laodicaea (Col_1:7 ; Col_4:12-13 ). If Epaphras was not the founder of the Christian Church there, he was certainly the minister in charge of the area.

A Gentile Church

It is clear that the Colossian Church was mainly Gentile. The phrase estranged and hostile in mind (Col_1:21 ) is the kind of phrase which Paul regularly uses of those who had once been strangers to the covenant of promise. In Col_1:27 he speaks of making known the mystery of Christ among the Gentiles, when the reference is clearly to the Colossians themselves. In Col_3:5-7 he gives a list of their sins before they became Christians, and these are characteristically Gentile sins. We may confidently conclude that the membership of the Church at Colosse was largely composed of Gentiles.

The Threat To The Church

It must have been Epaphras who brought to Paul, in prison in Rome, news of the situation which was developing in Colosse. Much of the news that he brought was good. Paul is grateful for news of their faith in Christ and their love of the saints (Col_1:4 ). He rejoices at the Christian fruit which they are producing (Col_1:6 ). Epaphras has brought him news of their love in the Spirit (Col_1:8 ). He is glad when he hears of their order and steadfastness in the faith (Col_2:5 ). There was trouble at Colosse certainly; but it had not yet become an epidemic. Paul believed that prevention was better than cure; and in this letter he is grasping this evil before it has time to spread.

The Heresy At Colosse

What the heresy was which was threatening the life of the Church at Colosse no one can tell for sure. "The Colossian Heresy" is one of the great problems of New Testament scholarship. All we can do is to go to the letter itself, list the characteristics we find indicated there and then see if we can find any general heretical tendency to fit the list.

(i) It was clearly a heresy which attacked the total adequacy and the unique supremacy of Christ. No Pauline letter has such a lofty view of Jesus Christ or such insistence on his completeness and finality. Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God; in him all fullness dwells (Col_1:15 , Col_1:19 ). In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge (Col_2:2 ). In him dwells the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form (Col_2:9 ).

(ii) Paul goes out of his way to stress the part that Christ played in creation. By him all things were created (Col_1:16 ); in him all things cohere (Col_1:17 ). The Son was the Fatherinstrument in the creation of the universe.

(iii) At the same time he goes out of his way to stress the real humanity of Christ. It was in the body of his flesh that he did his redeeming work (Col_1:22 ). The fullness of the Godhead dwells in him somatikos (G4984), in bodily form (Col_2:9 ). For all his deity Jesus Christ was truly human flesh and blood.

(iv) There seems to have been an astrological element in this heresy. In Col_2:8 , as the King James Version has it, he says that they were walking after the rudiments of this world, and in Col_2:20 that they ought to be dead to the rudiments of this world. The word translated rudiments is stoicheia (G4747), which has two meanings.

(a) Its basic meaning is a row of things; it can, for instance, be used for a file of soldiers. But one of its commonest meanings is the A B C, the letters of the alphabet, set out, as it were, in a row. From that it develops the meaning of the elements of any subject, the rudiments. It is in that sense that the King James Version takes it; and, if that is the correct sense, Paul means that the Colossians are slipping back to an elementary kind of Christianity when they ought to be going on to maturity.

(b) We think that the second meaning is more likely. Stoicheia (G4747) can mean the elemental spirits of the world, and especially the spirits of the stars and planets. The ancient world was dominated by thought of the influence of the stars; and even the greatest and the wisest men would not act without consulting them. It believed that all things were in the grip of an iron fatalism settled by the stars; and the science of astrology professed to provide men with the secret knowledge which would rid them of their slavery to the elemental spirits. It is most likely that the Colossian false teachers were teaching that it needed something more than Jesus Christ to rid men of their subjection to these elemental spirits.

(v) This heresy made much of the powers of demonic spirits. There are frequent references to principalities or authorities, which are Paulnames for these spirits (Col_1:16 ; Col_2:10 ; Col_2:15 ). The ancient world believed implicitly in demonic powers. The air was full of them. Every natural force--the wind, the thunder, the lightning, the rain--had its demonic superintendent. Every place, every tree, every river, every lake had its spirit. They were in one sense intermediaries to God and in another sense barriers to him, for the vast majority of them were hostile to men. The ancient world lived in a demon-haunted universe. The Colossian false teachers were clearly saying that something more than Jesus Christ was needed to defeat the power of the demons.

(vi) There was clearly what we might call a philosophical element in this heresy. The heretics are out to spoil men with philosophy and empty deceit (Col_2:8 ). Clearly the Colossian heretics were saying that the simplicities of the gospel needed a far more elaborate and recondite knowledge added to them.

(vii) There was a tendency in this heresy to insist on the observance of special days and rituals--festivals, new moons and sabbaths (Col_2:16 ).

(viii) Clearly there was a would-be ascetic element in this heresy. It laid down laws about food and drink (Col_2:16 ). Its slogans were: "Touch not; taste not; handle not" (Col_2:21 ). It was a heresy which was out to limit Christian freedom by insistence on all kinds of legalistic ordinances.

(ix) Equally this heresy had at least sometimes an antinomian streak in it. It tended to make men careless of the chastity which the Christian should have and to make him think lightly of the bodily sins (Col_3:5-8 ).

(x) Apparently this heresy gave at least some place to the worship of angels (Col_2:18 ). Beside the demons it introduced angelic intermediaries between man and God.

(xi) Lastly, there seems to have been in this heresy something which can only be called spiritual and intellectual snobbery. In Col_1:28 Paul lays down his aim; it is to warn every man; to teach every man in all wisdom; and to present every man mature in Jesus Christ. We see how the phrase every man is reiterated and how the aim is to make him mature in all wisdom. The clear implication is that the heretics limited the gospel to some chosen few and introduced a spiritual and intellectual aristocracy into the wide welcome of the Christian faith.

The Gnostic Heresy

Was there then any general heretical tendency of thought which would include all this? There was what was called Gnosticism. Gnosticism began with two basic assumptions about matter. First, it believed that spirit alone was good and that matter was essentially evil. Second, it believed that matter was eternal; and that the universe was not created out of nothing--which is orthodox belief--but out of this flawed matter. Now this basic belief had certain inevitable consequences.

(i) It had an effect on the doctrine of creation. If God was spirit, then he was altogether good and could not possibly work with this evil matter. Therefore God was not the creator of the world. He put out a series of emanations, each of which was a little more distant from God until at the end of the series there was an emanation so distant that it could handle matter; and it was this emanation which created the world. The Gnostics went further. Since each emanation was more distant from God. It was also more ignorant of him. As the series went on that ignorance turned to hostility. So the emanations most distant from God were at once ignorant of him and hostile to him. It followed that he who created the world was at once completely ignorant of, and utterly hostile to, the true God. It was to meet that Gnostic doctrine of creation that Paul insisted that the agent of God in creation was not some ignorant and hostile power, but the Son who perfectly knew and loved the Father.

(ii) It had its effect on the doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ. If matter was altogether evil and if Jesus was the Son of God, then Jesus could not have had a flesh and blood body--so the Gnostic argued. He must have been a kind of spiritual phantom. So the Gnostic romances say that when Jesus walked, he left no footprints on the ground. This, of course, completely removed Jesus from humanity and made it impossible for him to be the Saviour of men. It was to meet this Gnostic doctrine that Paul insisted on the flesh and blood body of Jesus and insisted that Jesus saved men in the body of his flesh.

(iii) It had its effect on the ethical approach to life. If matter was evil, then it followed that our bodies were evil. If our bodies were evil, one of two consequences followed. (a) We must starve and beat and deny the body; we must practise a rigid asceticism in which the body was kept under, and in which its every need and desire were refused. (b) It was possible to take precisely the opposite point of view. If the body was evil, it did not matter what a man did with it; spirit was all that mattered. Therefore a man could sate the bodydesires and it would make no difference.

Gnosticism could, therefore, issue in asceticism, with all kinds of laws and restrictions; or, it could issue in anti-nomianism, in which any immorality was justified. And we can see precisely both these tendencies at work in the false teachers at Colosse.

(iv) One thing followed from all this--Gnosticism was a highly intellectual way of life and thought. There was this long series of emanations between a man and God; man must fight his way up a long ladder to get to God. In order to do that he would need all kinds of secret knowledge and esoteric learning and hidden passwords. If he was to practise a rigid asceticism, he would need to know the rules; and so rigid would his asceticism be that it would be impossible for him to embark on the ordinary activities of life. The Gnostics were, therefore, quite clear that the higher reaches of religion were open only to the chosen few. This conviction of the necessity of belonging to an intellectual religious aristocracy precisely suits the situation at Colosse.

(v) There remains one thing to fit into this picture. It is quite obvious that there was a Jewish element in the false teaching threatening the Church at Colosse. The festivals and the new moons and the sabbaths were characteristically Jewish; the laws about food and drink were essentially Jewish levitical laws. Where then did the Jews come in? It is a strange thing that many Jews were sympathetic to Gnosticism. They knew all about angels and demons and spirits. But, above all, they said, "We know quite well that it takes special knowledge to reach God. We know quite well that Jesus and his gospel are far too simple--and that special knowledge is to be found nowhere else than in the Jewish law. It is our ritual and ceremonial law which is indeed the special knowledge which enables a man to reach God." The result was that there was not infrequently a strange alliance between Gnosticism and Judaism; and it is just such an alliance that we find in Colosse, where, as we have seen, there were many Jews.

It is clear that the false teachers of Colosse were tinged with Gnostic heresy. They were trying to turn Christianity into a philosophy and a theosophy, and, if they had been successful,. the Christian faith would have been destroyed.

The Authorship Of The Letter

One question remains. Many scholars do not believe that Paul wrote this letter at all. They have three reasons.

(i) They say that in Colossians there are many words and phrases which do not appear in any other of Paulletters. That is perfectly true. But it does not prove anything. We cannot demand that a man should always write in the same way and with the same vocabulary. In Colossians we may well believe that Paul had new things to say and found new ways to say them.

(ii) They say that the development of Gnostic thought was, in fact, much later than the time of Paul so that, if the Colossian heresy was connected with Gnosticism, the letter is necessarily later than Paul. It is true that the great written Gnostic systems are later. But the idea of two worlds and the idea of the evil of matter are deeply woven into both Jewish and Greek thought. There is nothing in Colossians which cannot be explained by long-standing Gnostic tendencies in ancient thought, although it is true that the systematization of Gnosticism came later.

(iii) They say that the view of Christ in Colossians is far in advance of any of the letters certainly written by Paul. There are two answers to that.

First, Paul speaks of the unsearchable riches of Christ. In Colosse a new situation met him and out of these unsearchable riches he drew new answers to meet it. It is true that the Christology of Colossians is an advance on anything in the earlier letters of Paul; but that is far from saying that Paul did not write it, unless we are willing to argue that his thought remained for ever static. It is true to say that a man thinks out the implications of his faith only as circumstances compel him to do so; and in face of a new set of circumstances Paul thought out new implications of Christ.

Second, the germ of all Paulthought about Christ in Colossians does, in fact, exist in one of his earlier letters. In 1Co_8:6 he writes of one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things and through whom we exist. In that phrase is the essence of all he says in Colossians. The seed was there in his mind, ready to blossom when a new climate and new circumstances called it into growth.

We need not hesitate to accept Colossians as a letter written by Paul.

The Great Letter

It remains a strange and wonderful fact that Paul wrote the letter which contains the highest reach of his thought to so unimportant a town as Colosse then was. But in doing so he checked a tendency, which, had it been allowed to develop, would have wrecked Asian Christianity and might well have done irreparable damage to the faith of the whole Church.

FURTHER READINGS

Colossians

T. K. Abbott, Ephesians and Colossians (ICC; G)

J. B. Lightfoot, St. PaulEpistles to the Colossians and Philemon (MmC; G)

C. F. D. Moule, The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians and to Philemon (CGT; G)

E. F. Scott, The Epistles to Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians (MC; E)

Abbreviations

CGT: Cambridge Greek Testament

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC: Moffatt Commentary

MmC: Macmillan Commentary

TC: Tyndale Commentary

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

Barclay: Colossians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

The Risen Life (Col_3:1-4)

Christ Our Life (Col_3:1-4 Continued)

The Things Which Lie Behind (Col_3:5-9)

The Things Which Must Be Left Behind (Col_3:5-9 Continued)

The Universality Of Christianity (Col_3:9-13)

The Garments Of Christian Grace (Col_3:9-13 Continued)

The Perfect Bond (Col_3:14-17)

The Personal Relationships Of The Christian (Col_3:18-25; Col_4:1)

The Mutual Obligation (Col_3:18-25; Col_4:1 Continued)

The Christian Workman And The Christian Master (Col_3:18-25; Col_4:1 Continued)

Constable: Colossians (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Historical background

The city of Colosse lay in the beautiful Lycus Valley about 100 miles east of Ephesus. It had been an important town during the Persian War of the fifth century B.C. Since then new trade routes had carried most traffic to its neighboring towns of Laodicea and Hierapolis and had left Colosse only a country village.¹ The inhabitants were mainly Greek colonists and native Phrygians when Paul wrote this epistle, though there were many Jews living in the area as well. Antiochus the Great (223-187 B.C.) had relocated hundreds of Jewish families from Mesopotamia to this region.

"Without doubt Colossae was the least important church to which any epistle of St Paul is addressed."²

Churches had taken root in Colosse, Laodicea (4:16), and probably Hierapolis (4:13). Paul had not visited the Lycus Valley when he wrote this epistle (1:4; 2:1), but he had learned of the spread of the gospel there through Epaphras (1:8) and probably others.³

Epaphras seems to have been the founder or one of the founders of the Colossian church (1:7; 4:12-13). He was a Colossian and had instructed the Christians there (1:7) and probably in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Perhaps Paul led him to Christ, maybe at Ephesus (cf. Acts 19:10).

Epaphras may have traveled to Rome to meet with Paul to secure his help in combating the influence of false teachers that were preaching in Colosse. Archippus may have stood in for Epaphras during his absence (4:17; Phile. 2).

The only information available to help us reconstruct the heresy threatening the church comes from indirect allusions and the emphases in this epistle. We conclude that the false teachers were not giving the person and work of Christ proper interpretation or emphasis. They were distorting and minimizing these doctrines. The false teaching also contained a philosophic appeal, whether Oriental or Hellenistic we cannot be sure (2:8). Notwithstanding there was an emphasis on higher knowledge of the cosmic order. There were also elements of Judaistic ritualism and traditionalism present (2:8, 11, 16; 3:11). However, contrary to orthodox Judaism, the false teachers were encouraging the veneration of angels who they believed controlled the operations of nature to some degree (2:18-19). There was an emphasis on ascetic self-denial (2:20-23) and apparently the idea that only those with full knowledge of the truth as taught by the false teachers could understand and experience spiritual maturity (1:20, 28; 3:11). These emphases later developed into Gnosticism, though in Colosse the Jewish emphasis was more prominent than in later Greek Gnosticism.⁴ It is easy to see how such a cult could develop and gain adherents in the Greek-Jewish culture of the Lycus Valley.

". . . given . . . various factors . . ., including the probable origin of the Colossian church from within synagogue circles, the likely presence of Israelite sectarianism within the diaspora, the lack of other evidence of Jewish syncretism in Asia Minor, and the readiness of some Jews to promote their distinctive religious practices in self-confident apology . . ., we need look no further than one or more of the Jewish synagogues in Colossae for the source of whatever influences were thought to threaten the young church there."⁵

The primary purpose of the letter was clearly to combat this false teaching. The two main problems were the doctrine of Christ and how this doctrine affects Christian living. The primary Christological passages (1:14-23; 2:9-15) present Christ as absolutely preeminent and perfectly adequate for the Christian. The Christian life, Paul explained, flows naturally out of this revelation. The Christian life is really the life of the indwelling Christ that God manifests through the believer.

Paul probably wrote this epistle from Rome toward the middle or end of his first house arrest there between 60 and 62 A.D. He experienced confinement though he enjoyed considerable liberty there for about two years. Many of Paul's fellow workers were with him when he composed this epistle (4:7-14). This view of the letter's origin generally fits the facts better than the Caesarean and Ephesian theories of origin.

There are many similarities between Ephesians and Colossians. The major distinction between them is that in Ephesians the emphasis is on the church as the body of Christ. In Colossians the emphasis is on Christ as the head of the body. Stylistically Colossians is somewhat tense and abrupt whereas Ephesians is more diffuse and flowing. Colossians tends to be more specific, concrete, and elliptical while Ephesians is more abstract, didactic, and general. The mood of Colossians is argumentative and polemical, but that of Ephesians is calm and irenic. The former is a letter of discussion; the latter is a letter of reflection.⁶ Paul evidently wrote both letters about the same time. These two epistles, along with Philippians and Philemon, constitute the Prison Epistles of Paul.⁷

Purpose

Three purposes emerge from the contents of the epistle. Paul wanted to express his personal interest in this church, which he had evidently not visited. He wrote to warn the Colossians of the danger of returning to their former beliefs and practices. He also refuted the false teaching that was threatening this congregation. The outstanding Christian doctrine that this letter deals with is Christology. Paul's great purpose was to set forth the absolute supremacy and sole sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

"The church today desperately needs the message of Colossians. We live in a day when religious toleration is interpreted to mean one religion is just as good as another.' Some people try to take the best from various religious systems and manufacture their own private religion. To many people, Jesus Christ is only one of several great religious teachers, with no more authority than they. He may be prominent, but He is definitely not preeminent.

"This is an age of syncretism.' People are trying to harmonize and unite many different schools of thought and come up with a superior religion. Our evangelical churches are in danger of diluting the faith in their loving attempt to understand the beliefs of others. Mysticism, legalism, Eastern religions, asceticism, and man-made philosophies are secretly creeping into churches. They are not denying Christ, but they are dethroning Him and robbing Him of His rightful place of preeminence."⁸

Message⁹

The whole message of this epistle finds expression in 2:9-10a. The two declarations in this sentence are the great revelations of the Colossian letter.

The fullness of the godhead is in Christ. This is an eternal fact that is always true. The Greek word translated "deity" (theotetos) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It does not mean divinity. Divinity is an attribute of God. Deity is the essence of God. It is not enough to say Jesus Christ was divine. In a sense every person is divine. Jesus Christ was deity. He alone possesses the unique nature of God. In Him the fullness of essential deity dwells in bodily manifestation. The Apostle Paul expounded Christ's fullness in three respects in this epistle.

In relation to creation He is the originator and sustainer of all things (1:16-17). This includes all life.

In relation to redemption He is the first-born from the dead (1:18). Resurrection presupposes death. Death is due to sin. Between creation and resurrection there was sin and death. In resurrection Christ was victor over sin, death, and the grave. He is the master of death.

In relation to reconciliation Christ is the maker of peace (1:19-20). The result of Christ's victory over death is peace. He is the reconciler of all things that sin has separated. His reconciliation affects both people and the created world. In Christ we see all the fullness of deity: creating, rising triumphantly out of death, and reconciling to the farthest reaches of the universe. That is the Christ of Christianity.

The second declaration is that in Christ God makes us full (2:10a). Not only is the fullness of the godhead in Christ, but the filling of the saints is in Christ too. Paul explained what this means.

First, it means God restores us to our true place in creation in Christ. We can regain the scepter and the crown as kings of the earth under God's authority. God has sent us out into all the cosmos to make Christ known. Unfortunately we do not always realize our position. We choose instead to grovel among the world's garbage heaps. Nevertheless in this sense God makes us full in Christ. We come into a new relationship to all creation through Christ. God restores us to our divinely intended position in creation in Him. We are His trophies.

Second, God restores us to our true relation to Himself through Christ's resurrection. God communicates His very life to us so that we take our rightful place as subject to God. God does not break our will. He captures our will by the indwelling grace of Christ's life. God makes us full in this sense too. We are His instruments.

Third, God restores us to true fellowship with Himself in Christ. We not only receive from God, but we can also give to God in service. Thus our fellowship is reciprocal. We are His partners.

We experience fullness in Christ for in Him God restores us to our true place in creation, to our true relation to Himself, and to our true fellowship with Himself. This restoration enables us to cooperate with God in His purposes. We become not only trophies of His grace but His instruments and even His partners in our generation. In view of this revelation Paul made a threefold appeal.

The first appeal is a warning against a false philosophy (2:8). Paul described this false philosophy in two ways.

It is the tradition of men, which is essentially speculation. In this context Paul meant human guessing that leaves God out of His universe.

It is also the rudiments of the world. This philosophy is rudimentary because it tries to explain everything within the limits of the material. The material part of life is rudimentary.

We correct this false philosophy by recognizing that Jesus Christ is the solution to the problem of the universe. When we realize that Jesus Christ is the first-born (first in rank and sovereignty, not in temporal sequence) then we gain a true view of the universe. He is the great cohesive agent in the universe.

Paul's second warning is against false mediation (2:16-18).

Paul pointed out that ceremonies such as observing certain kinds of foods and festivals are only shadows. We should not think that observing these ceremonies will improve our relationship to God. We have Jesus Christ who is the substance to which these ceremonies pointed.

Another type of false mediation involves the worship of angels. We should have nothing to do with this practice because we have direct access to Jesus Christ. He is the Creator and Master of all creatures including the angels.

To summarize, we should not allow religious ceremonies or created mediators to come between ourselves and Christ.

Paul's third warning is against false confidences (2:20-23).

Our enemy may tempt us to have confidence in the opinions of others. When false teachers say, "Do not touch this or taste that or handle something," we may think those statements are authoritative. Paul urges us not to follow such opinions but to get our direction from the Lord Jesus.

Our enemy may tempt us to put confidence in ascetic practices of abstention and self-affliction. Paul tells us to forget these things and to set our thinking on the things of Christ rather than on ourselves.

When we have a true view of Jesus Christ He will be the focus of our thinking. That view will deliver us from the domination of the flesh. We need to base our confidence on God's Word rather than on human traditions that do not reflect scriptural revelation accurately.

The matter of supreme importance to the church is her doctrine of Christ. Our Christian life and service will flow out of our doctrine of Christ. We are what we think. "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." Not only must Christ occupy the central place in our lives, but our understanding of Christ must be accurate. We can avoid all the errors Paul warned against in this epistle by keeping a proper view of Christ.

Constable: Colossians (Outline)

Outline

I. Introduction 1:1-14

A. Salutation 1:1-2

B. Thanksgiving 1:3-8

C. Prayer 1:9-14

II. Explanation of the person and work of Christ 1:15-29

A. The preeminent person of Christ 1:15-20

1. In relation to God the Father 1:15a

2. In relation to all creation 1:15b-17

3. In relation to the church 1:18-20

B. The reconciling work of Christ 1:21-29

1. As experienced by the Colossians 1:21-23

2. As ministered by Paul 1:24-29

III. Warnings against the philosophies of men ch. 2

A. Exhortation to persevere in the truth 2:1-7

1. Paul's concern 2:1-5

2. Paul's exhortation 2:6-7

B. The true doctrine of Christ 2:8-15

C. The false doctrines of men 2:16-23

IV. Exhortations to practical Christian living 3:1-4:6

A. The basic principle 3:1-4

B. The proper method 3:5-17

1. Things to put off 3:5-11

2. Things to put on 3:12-17

C. The fundamental relationships 3:18-4:1

1. Wives and husbands 3:18-19

2. Children and parents 3:20-21

3. Slaves and masters 3:22-4:1

D. The essential practice 4:2-6

V. Conclusion 4:7-18

A. The bearers of this epistle 4:7-9

B. Greetings from Paul's companions 4:10-14

C. Greetings to others 4:15-17

D. Paul's personal conclusion 4:18

Constable: Colossians

Colossians

Bibliography

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_____. Talking to God: What the Bible Teaches about Prayer. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1995.

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Dillow, Joseph C. The Reign of the Servant Kings. Miami Springs, Fl.: Schoettle Publishing Co., 1992.

Dunn, James D. G. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New International Greek Testament Commentary series. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., and Carlisle, England: Paternoster Press, 1996.

Eadie, John. Commentary on the Epistle to the Colossians. Classic Commentary Library series. N.c.: Richard Griffin and Co., 1856; reprint ed., Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1957.

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_____. "Colossians 1:15-20: Pre-Pauline or Pauline?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 26:2 (June 1983):167-79.

_____. "Cosmic Christology and Col 1:15-20." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 37:2 (June 1994):235-46.

_____. "Recent Research on Col 1:15-20 (1980-1990)." Grace Theological Journal 12:1 (1992):51-67.

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_____. Working With God: Scriptural Studies in Intercession. New York: Carlton Press, 1987.

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_____. "The Doctrine of Christ in Colossians." Bibliotheca Sacra 149:594 (April-June 1992):180-92.

_____. "The Doctrine of Salvation in Colossians." Biblitheca Sacra 151:603 (July-September 1994):325-38.

_____. "Heresies in the Colossian Church." Bibliotheca Sacra 149:593 (January-March 1992):45-59.

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: Colossians (Book Introduction)

THE

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO THE COLOSSIANS.

INTRODUCTION.

Colosse was a city of Phrygia, near Laodicea. It does not appear that St. Paul had preached there himself, (see Chap. ii. 1.) but that the Colossians were converted by Epaphras, a disciple of the apostles. However, as St. Paul was the great apostle of the Gentiles, he wrote this epistle to the Colossians when he was in prison, and about the same time that he wrote to the Ephesians and Philippians. The exhortations and doctrine it contains, are similar to those which are set forth in his epistle to the Ephesians. St. John Chrysostom takes notice, that the epistles he wrote in prison seem even more spiritual than the rest: the chief design of which was to hinder them from being seduced by false teachers. (Challoner; Witham) --- The Colossians were first instructed in the faith by Epaphras, who is considered their first bishop. He was a prisoner, at Rome, with St. Paul, when this epistle was written. The intent of it was to disabuse the Colossians of worshipping the Angels; for Cerinthus and others, had taught them to look upon Angels as superior to Christ, whom they looked upon as a mere man; to observe the law of Moses, with all its legal rites and ceremonies. He begins his epistle by insisting chiefly on the exalted state of Christ, saying that he is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature, by whom all things visible and invisible were created, whether thrones, principalities, or powers, and that in him the divinity essentially exists. From this he proves the inutility of the ceremonies of the law, &c. (Fleury and Calmet) and takes great pains to prevent their relapsing either into paganism or Judaism. (Bible de Vence)

====================

Gill: Colossians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS

The Colossians, to whom this epistle is written, were not the Rhodians, by some called Colossians, from Colossus, the large statue of the sun, which stood in the island of Rhodes, and was one of the seven wonders of the world; but the inhabitants of Colosse, a city of the greater Phrygia, in the lesser Asia, near to which stood the cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis, mentioned in this epistle. Pliny ^a speaks of it as one of the chief towns in Phrygia, and ^b Herodotus calls it the great city of Phrygia; it is said to have perished a very little time after the writing of this epistle, with the above cities, by an earthquake, in the year of Christ 66, and in the tenth of Nero ^c; though it was afterwards rebuilt; for Theophylact says, that in his time it was called Chonae. When the Gospel was brought hither, and by whom, is not known, nor who was the founder of the church in this place; for the Apostle Paul was not, since his face had never been seen by them, Col 2:1, though it is said that Epaphras, the same name with Epaphroditus, was fixed by him pastor of this church; and others say Philemon was set over it by him. The occasion of this epistle was this, Epaphras, who had preached the Gospel to the Colossians, and very likely was the first that did, came to Rome, where the Apostle Paul was a prisoner, and gave him an account of them, how they had heard and received the Gospel, and of their faith Christ, and love to the saints; and also declared to him in what danger they were through some false teachers that had got among them, who were for introducing the philosophy of the Gentiles, the ceremonies of the law of Moses, and some pernicious tenets of the followers of Simon Magus, and the Gnostics; upon which the apostle writes this epistle to them, to confirm them in the faith of the Gospel Epaphras had preached unto them, and which was the same he himself preached; and to warn them against those bad men, and their principles; and to exhort them to a discharge of their duty to God, and men, and one another. It was written by the apostle, when in bonds at Rome, as many passages in it show, and about the same time with those to the Philippians and Ephesians; and the epistle to the latter greatly agrees with this, both as to subject and style. Dr. Lightfoot places it in the year of Christ 60, in the second of the apostle's imprisonment, and in the sixth of Nero's reign.

Gill: Colossians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS 3

This chapter contains exhortations to several duties, some more general, which relate to all Christians, and others more particular, which belong to saints in such and such a state of life. The apostle begins with an exhortation to seek things heavenly, and not earthly, and to set the affections on the one, and not on the other: the arguments used to enforce it are taken from the saints being risen with Christ; from Christ being in heaven at the Father's right hand; from their being dead to sin, the law, and the world; from their having life in Christ safe and secure; yea, from Christ being their life, and their appearance with him in glory, Col 3:1. And next he proceeds to an exhortation to the mortification of sin, and the deeds of it, which he urges from the wrath of God coming upon men for these things, and from the consideration of their former state and condition, expressed by walking and living in them, Col 3:5, and by a metaphor taken from the putting off and on of garments, he exhorts to the putting off of the old man, with his deeds, several of which are mentioned, Col 3:8, and to the putting on of the new man, and to the exercise of various graces, as mercy, meekness, forbearance, forgiveness, charity, and peace, Col 3:10. And then he proceeds to exhort to such duties as relate to the word and worship of God; as that the word of Christ should have an abiding place in them, and that they should teach and instruct one another by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and do all they did in a religious way, in the name of Christ, with thankfulness to God by him, Col 3:16. And closes the chapter with the duties of wives to their husbands, and of husbands to their wives, and of children to their parents, and of parents to their children, and of servants to their masters, Col 3:18.

College: Colossians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION

THE CITY

Colosse had been a thriving and important city several centuries before Christ, but by the time this letter was written its importance had diminished considerably, and it was overshadowed by its neighbors Hierapolis and Laodicea, both short distances to the west. Colosse was approximately 100 miles east of Ephesus, located in the Lycus valley in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). It was located on a major trade route moving inland from the coast.

A severe earthquake had shaken Laodicea either in 60 or 64 AD, and it is supposed Colosse, being near, would also have suffered. This may have been one cause of a decline in population.

The primary economic significance of the city was due to textiles, and a highly prized wool came from the area. The site of the city was rediscovered in 1835, but it has not been excavated. The city is mentioned in the New Testament only in Paul's letter.

THE CHURCH

Paul would have been in the general vicinity of Colosse during his Ephesian ministry (Acts 19) but there is no reference in Acts to a visit there, though Ephesus did become a mission center (Acts 19:10). In Colossians 1:4 Paul states that he had heard of the faith of the Colossians, and in 2:1 he speaks of those who had not met him personally. These notes, and the references to Epaphras in 1:7f and 4:12f, have led to the conclusion that Paul had not personally visited the city (though he anticipated doing so - Phlm 22), and that Epaphras was the evangelist who founded the church (1:7f). Epaphras may also have founded the congregations in Hierapolis and Laodicea (Col 4:13,16).

Several Christians from Colosse are named by Paul, including Nympha, Archippus (Col 4:15,17), Philemon, Apphia (Phlm 1f), and, of course, Epaphras. Epaphras had gone to visit Paul and is designated in Philemon 23 as Paul's "fellow prisoner" (see the notes there). The text of Colossians indicates the membership was primarily Gentiles, though the "heresy" which Paul opposed contains Jewish elements (see 2:16f and the discussion there).

OCCASION

Personal information is generally shared in letters like Colossians. This would be especially important because there would be concern over Paul's condition as a prisoner. The most likely theory is that Epaphras traveled to see Paul, primarily because of concern over certain teachings that were troubling the church and seemed to seriously diminish the significance of Christ. For some reason (imprisonment - Phlm 1:23?) Epaphras was unable to carry Paul's letter back to Colosse, so that task was entrusted to Tychicus, who also carried a letter to Philemon, and who was accompanied by Onesimus, a runaway slave (Col 4:7-9; Phlm 1:12,17).

But the troublesome teaching is the chief burden of the letter. Paul describes this heresy in 2:8,16-23, and in the rest of the book he attacks it, either frontally or in more subtle ways. The nature of the heresy has been a continuing puzzlement to scholars, and many theoretical explanations have been offered. It seems to have involved Jewish elements (2:16f), angelic worship (2:18), and extreme asceticism (2:20-23). But attempts at more precise definition have had to recognize ambiguities in the text, problems with seeing a coherent relation of the elements of the false teaching, the incompleteness of Paul's description (remembering he had to rely on the reports of others), and finding any known teaching from the period that embodied all these elements. See the discussion in the commentary proper.

The effect of this teaching was to lessen the significance of Christ's saving work. If the tenets of the heresy provided the path to salvation, then Christ's sacrifice was not as important. The heresy seems to have imported another form of works salvation, much as the circumcision party in the church attempted to do. Paul attacks the error by a powerful affirmation of Christ's identity (1:15-20) and his role in salvation. His thesis was that an understanding of Christ and life in him would completely refute the heresy. In addition to the magnificent texts in 1:15-20 and 2:9-15 he constantly makes references to benefits which the heretics sought after, but which only Christ truly gave. These included such things as wisdom, knowledge, and fullness (cf. 1:9). Note also the references to the mystery (1:26; 2:2). Even the ethical appeals from 3:1-4:6 powerfully emphasize the relation of the ethical life to Christ (note the references listed before 3:1).

PAUL'S LOCALE

The commonly accepted tradition holds that Paul wrote Colossians and Philemon from the Roman imprisonment described in Acts 28. The apostle does not name the city from which he writes, but numerous factors support Rome. Luke (Col 4:14) and Aristarchus (Colossians 4:10) were with him there, and were in Rome according to Acts 27:2 (the "we" implies Luke). Acts indicates Paul's Roman imprisonment was not unduly restrictive (Acts 28:30f) and this fits the relatively unfettered activities described in Colossians 4:7-15. Onesimus was with Paul (Col 4:9; cf. Phlm) and it is quite possible he had migrated to Rome to lose himself in the urban populace. If we accept the Roman hypothesis, Colossians would be dated in the early 60s.

Due to the perceived presence of problems with a Roman origin, however, other locales have been suggested. One is Caesarea, since that is the only other Pauline imprisonment documented in Acts. This theory has not gained any significant following, since the circumstances described in Acts do not fit those depicted in Colossians and Philemon, especially Paul's expectation to visit Colosse (Phlm 1:22). From Caesarea Paul expected only to go to Rome, and before his appeal to Caesar he was kept in continual uncertainty.

A more likely case has been formed for Ephesus. It was relatively close to Colosse and could thus conveniently explain Paul's travel plans (i.e., an eventual trip to Rome after a detour to Colosse). Paul did encounter some problems in Ephesus (1 Cor 4:9-13; 2 Cor 4:8-12; 6:4f; 11:23-25; and perhaps 1 Cor 15:32). They might have included prison, but Acts gives no evidence of it, and details are uncertain enough to disallow any definite conclusion. Since Luke details Paul's problems so carefully, it seems strange he would not mention an Ephesian imprisonment had there been one. Further, Acts has no indication Luke was even in Ephesus. He was left in Philippi on Paul's second tour, and did not resume the apostle's company till the third tour (Acts 16:16,40; 20:5). If Colossians was written from Ephesus, it would be dated in the early to mid 50s.

The case for Ephesus depends, in part, on certain perceived weaknesses in the Roman view. One is the divergence between Paul's announced intent to go to Spain (Rom 15:28) and his desire to return to Colosse (Phlm 1:22). In our comments on Philemon 22 we have argued that a change of plans by Paul is a reasonable supposition. Another objection is the distance from Rome to Colosse, well over 1000 miles. If Paul expected Onesimus to be returned to him (see notes on Philemon) that seems a long distance for him to be sent only to retrace his steps. However, the Roman road system was good, and Paul's honor demanded that he send Onesimus and give Philemon the option of voluntary response, whatever the distance. We do not think Paul could have written as he did to Philemon and not have sent Onesimus.

A third argument has to do with Paul's request for lodging with Philemon ( v. 22). Would he have made such a request when so many miles and days away? But once we accept Paul's intent to visit Colosse (perhaps to deal with the heresy) and consider his graciousness in dealing with Philemon, the request seems reasonable enough.

A fair case can be made for Ephesus, but we hold that the case for Rome is the stronger alternative.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

BIBLIOGRAPHY

COLOSSIANS

Bruce, F.F. The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984.

Lohse, Eduard. Colossians and Philemon . Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971.

Melick, Richard. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon . Nashville: Broadman, 1991.

O'Brien, Peter. Colossians, Philemon . Waco: Word Books, 1982.

Patzia, Arthur. Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon . Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1984.

Pokorn΄y, Petr. Colossians, A Commentary . Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991.

Weed, Michael. The Letters of Paul to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon . Austin: Sweet, 1971.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

College: Colossians (Outline)

OUTLINE

SALUTATION - 1:1-2

I. THANKSGIVING - 1:3-8

II. PAUL'S PRAYER FOR THE COLOSSIANS - 1:9-14

III. THE HYMN ABOUT CHRIST - 1:15-20

IV. THE HYMN APPLIED - 1:21-23

V. PAUL'S MINISTRY TO THE CHURCHES AND TO THE COLOSSIANS - 1:24-2:5

A. Paul's Labors in God's Power - 1:24-29

B. Warning Against Being Deceived - 2:1-5

VI. RECEIVING CHRIST AS LORD - 2:6-15

A. Continue in Christ: Don't Be Deceived! - 2:6-8

B. "In Christ" - 2:9-12

C. Death to Life - 2:13-15

VII. WARNINGS AGAINST THE HERESY - 2:16-23

A. Don't Lose the Prize! - 2:16-19

B. Shun Worldly Rules! - 2:20-23

VIII. SEEK THE THINGS ABOVE - 3:1-4

IX. THINGS TO PUT TO DEATH - 3:5-11

X. THINGS TO PUT ON - 3:12-17

XI. RULES FOR THE CHRISTIAN HOUSEHOLD - 3:18-4:1

A. Husbands and Wives - 3:18-19

B. Children and Fathers - 3:20-21

C. Slaves and Masters - 3:22-4:1

XII. FINAL EXHORTATIONS TO PRAYER AND PROPER BEHAVIOR - 4:2-6

XIII. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS AND GREETINGS - 4:7-18

A. Tychicus and Onesimus - 4:7-9

B. Greetings - 4:10-15

C. Concluding Instructions - 4:16-18

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV