Jan 26
11
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 1:26–31
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:26–31, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Colossians 1:3-8
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.” (Colossians 1:3–8, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
I’d like to begin this sermon by talking with you, very briefly, about the literary structure of Colossians. And yes, I know, preachers are supposed to begin their sermons with a “hook” — a story or a pithy statement that will grab the audience’s attention. And I’m also quite aware that the statement, “I’d like to begin this sermon by talking with you about the literary structure of Colossians”, will grab the attention of almost no one! Nevertheless, it’s what I think we should do—I hope you’ll stick with me.
I didn’t say much about the overarching structure of Colossians in the introductory sermon that I preached last Sunday. I wanted to leave those details for today. Understanding how a whole book is organized can help a reader to interpret its individual parts, and so it would be good for you to know that Colossians consists of four major parts.
First, in Colossians 1:1-2, there is an opening or greeting. We considered the greeting last Sunday: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father” (Colossians 1:1–2, ESV).
Secondly, Paul’s letter to the Colossians includes a thanksgiving section. This section runs from 1:3-23, and it begins with the words, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you…” (Colossians 1:3, ESV). We will begin to consider the thanksgiving portion of Paul’s letter today,
Thirdly, the body of this letter runs from 1:24-4:6. Here, Paul develops his main arguments. We should remember the occasion for Paul’s writing. False teaching threatened the church in Colossae. He addresses their false teaching very directly in 2:16-23, which is right in the middle of the body of the letter. So If we were to break the body of the letter into somewhat smaller pieces, we see that, from Colossians 1:24-2:15, Paul prepares to address the false teaching head-on. From 2:16-23, he addresses the false teaching head-on. And then from 3:1-4:6, Paul moves to what we would call application, and teaches the Christians how to think and live instead.
Fourthly, the closing or conclusion of the letter runs from Colossians 4:7-18.
So, the book of Colossians consists of four parts: A greeting (1:1-2), a thanksgiving section (1:3-23), a body (1:24-4:6), and a conclusion (4:7-18).
Today, we will begin to consider the thanksgiving section of this letter. Again, it runs from 1:3-23. If time were not a factor, a single sermon could be preached on this whole text, for it all hangs together. But time is a factor, and so I will be devoting at least four sermons to this section, for there are four easily identifiable parts.
Today, we will consider verses 3-8. Here we learn that Paul gave thanks to God in prayer for the genuine faith, hope, and love of the saints in Colossae, and the fruit that the gospel was bearing among them, and even in the whole world.
Lord willing, next Sunday we will consider verses 9-14, wherein we are exposed to the substance of Paul’s prayer. When Paul prayed for the saints in Colosse, he prayed that they would “be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will… so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit… increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” This passage concludes with a statement: “[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:9–14, ESV). What a marvelous text this is. I can’t wait to preach it.
The Sunday after next, we will consider verses 15-20. Here we find a poem or hymn concerning the Redeemer that God has provided, Christ the Lord. In verse 15, Paul calls him “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15, ESV). In verse 18, he says, “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (Colossians 1:18, ESV). This is a marveous text concerning Christ the Redeemer. It will help us to contemplate Jesus’ relationship to God, the first creation, and the new creation.
Finally, the Sunday after that, we will consider verses 21-23. Here, Paul brings it all home to the saints in Colosae, as he reminds them of all that Christ has done for them. “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister” (Colossians 1:21–23, ESV).
I wish to say two things about this thanksgiving section as a whole before turning our attention to the text that is open before us today. One, I believe that Paul was sincere when he said, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” He really prayed the prayer that he said he prayed for the Colossians. He trully marveled over Christ the Redeemer, the image of the invisible God, the first born of creation and the new creation. And he honestly rejoiced at the redemption that had come to the Colossians. Paul’s words are sincere. Two, please understand that by expressing these truths to the Colossians in the opening of his letter, Paul is already helping the them to reject the false teaching that has threatened them and to continue walking in Christ instead, rooted and built up in the faith, just as they had been taught (see Colossians 2:6-7). Here, Paul does not command the Colossians to give thanks to God in prayer, or to marvel over the permanence of Christ, the eternally begonnon Son of God, come in the flesh, or to rejoice over the redemption he has accomplished and applied to them. He does not command them to exult Christ and to rejoice in him, but he does compel them to do so as he leads by example, and we should be compelled to exult and rejoice in Christ as well. So, although Paul does not address the false teaching head on until 2:16, he offres help to those who were wavering in faith from the very start of his epistle.
Give Thanks To God In Prayer
Given the greatness and permanence of Christ over the original creation and over the new creation, and given the great things that Christ had done for the saints in Colossae — indeed, for all who are united to him by faith — it is no wonder that Paul begins with thanksgiving. In verse 3, he says, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” (Colossians 1:3, ESV).
After greeting the saints in Colossae, the first thing Paul does is gives thanks to God. This is, in fact, typical of Paul. If you were to go to the beginning of any one of his letters to the churches (except Galatians), you would find that he begins by blessing God and giving him thanks and praise (see Romans 1:8-; 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7; Ephesians 1:3-14; Philippians 1:3-7; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4).
Not only did Paul tell the truth when he said, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” (Colossians 1:3, ESV). But by beginning his letter with the words, “We always thank God”, Paul also set an example for the believer. Thankfulness, or gratitude, toward God is a vital part of the Christian life, and it is very powerful. When we give God thanks and praise, it shows that we are mindful of his goodness toward us. When we fail to give God thanks and praise, or worse yet, when we grumble and complain, it reveals that we are ignorant of his kindness toward us and filled with discontentment and covetousness, which is idolatry (see Colossians 3:5).
The Scriptures forbid grumbling, and for good reason. Grumbling dishonors God. Grumbling is very destructive to our souls and to those who hear us. 1 Peter 4:9: “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Philippians 2:14-15: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” (Philippians 2:14–15, ESV).
The Scriptures command thankfulness instead. We could go many places in Scripture to demonstrate this, but we need not leave Colossians. Look at 1:12. There, Paul prays that the believer would give “thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12, ESV). Now look at 2:6-7. There, Paul says, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7, ESV). Turn now to 3:17. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17, ESV). Finally, look at 4:2. “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2, ESV).
Dear brothers and sisters, I believe we should take these Scriptural warnings against grumbling, these exhortations to be thankful, and Paul’s good example to us, seriously. As Christians, redeemed by the blood of Jesus and reconciled to God the Father through him, we must be thankful. It is unbecoming of a child of God to grumble and complain and to be thankless. Can you imagine a prince—the son of a very great king—grumbling and complaining against his father? What a disturbing sight that would be! How much more should we, who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and adopted as sons and daughters of God Most High, put away all grumbling and live a life of gratitude before God and the watching world (see Philippians 2:14-15 above). Never should the Christian grumble or complain (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-14).
Now, I know that some of you will be tempted to take what I have just said to the extreme. You’ll think, so never are we permitted to bring our difficulties, disappointments, heartaches, and sufferings to God in prayer to lay them at his feet? Clearly, that is not what I mean. This kind of complaint is certainly permitted. In fact, David “complained” to the Lord like this. Psalm 55 says, “Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan” (Psalm 55:1–2, ESV). A little later in the same Psalm, he says, “Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me” (Psalm 55:17–18, ESV). I hope you are able to distinguish between this kind of complaint and the complaining that is always forbidden. If a child approaches their mother and complains of genuine hunger, thirst, or pain, it is not sinful, and the mother will surely show compassion. But when a child, being filled with discontentment, a sense of entitlement, and ingratitude, grumbles and complains against their mother because he wants this for dinner and not that, that is sinful and very displeasing to the mother. And so we must distinguish between two types of complaint. Never should the Christian grumble or complain against God from an ungrateful, discontent, and covetous heart (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-14). Instead, we are to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV).
In particular, we must follow Paul’s example and give thanks to God in prayer. The text says, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you…” (Colossians 1:3, ESV). Prayer is mentioned again in verse 9: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you… (Colossians 1:9, ESV). And in Colossians 4:2, Paul says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2, ESV).
Prayer. Brothers and sisters, are you steadfast in prayer? Prayer is one of the most basic elements of the Christian life. What does it mean to walk with or in Christ? Among other things, it involves regular prayer. Paul did “not cease to pray for” the Colossians (Colossians 1:9, ESV). And elsewhere he delivers this command: “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, ESV). This does not mean that we never rise from prayer to do other things. What it means is that our walk with Christ is marked by regular prayer. We ought to be like the Prophet Daniel, whose custom it was to pray to the Lord three times a day (see Daniel 10-11), or like the Psalmist, David, who brought his holy complaint to the Lord in prayer morning, noon, and night (Psalm 55:17).
Do not be prayerless, brothers and sisters. Jesus Christ lived, died, rose again, and ascended to reconcile us to God. In Christ, we have access to God in his heavenly temple and may approach him, even with boldness (see Hebrews 4:16). When we approach him through Jesus Christ, our mediator, we are invited to call him Father. And when we call him by this name, we are reminded of his love for us (see John 3:16), that he is for us and not against us (see Luke 11:9-13), and that he is ready and able to help us in our need (Matthew 6:6-14). Friends, in the Christian life, do not skip the basics. And when it comes to walking with Jesus in this world, nothing is more fundamental than this: “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2, ESV).
Give Thanks In Prayer For The Gift Of Faith, Hope, And Love
I’ve drawn your attention to the fact that Paul begins and ends this passage by mentioning prayer (see Colossians 1:3 & 9). Next, Paul reveals what it is that moved him to give thanks to God in prayer, namely, the faith, hope, and especially, the love, of the saints in Colosae.
Paul expresses his thankfulness to God for the faith, hope, and love of the Colossians in verses 4-5, in the words, “since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven (Colossians 1:3–5, ESV). Paul then returns to the topic of love near the end of the passage. In verses 7-8, he speaks of Epaphras when he says, “He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit” (Colossians 1:7–8, ESV). Perhaps you are beginning to see that this passage has a chiastic structure to it. This means that the second half of the text mirrors the first half, and that it all turns on a central point—we will get to the central point eventually.
What was it that moved Paul to give thanks to God in prayer? Was it a report that the saints at Colossae were all healthy? Was it a report that they were wealthy? Was it a report that they were physically safe and free from the trials and tribulations of life? No, Paul was moved to give thanks to God when he heard of the Colossians’ sincere faith in Christ, their unshakable hope in him, and the genuine love that they had for all the saints.
As you may know, this triad of theological virtures—faith, hope, and love— appears elsewhere in Paul. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul says, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, ESV). As you can see, there is an order to these virtues. Faith brings hope, and hope produces love. When Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 13:13, that the greatest of these virtues is love, he does not mean that it is the most foundational of the three virtues, but that it is the highest virture—it is the best and highest fruit produced by the other two. Again, faith produces hope, and hope produces love.
You say, but pastor, the order is different in Colossians 1:4-5. Here, faith is mentioned first, love is mentioned second, and hope is listed third. True! But here Paul is actually even more clear about the progression: faith produces hope, and hope produces love. Look at the text again. Paul gave thanks to God in prayer for the Colosians because he heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and of the love they had for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for them in heaven. The word “because” is importinat. It indicates that it was because of the hope that was laid up for the Colossians in heaven, that they had love for all the saints. Although these the virtues are listed in a different order, the teaching is the same. Faith brings hope, and hope inspires love for the brethren.
Let us briefly consider these three theological virtues and their relation to one another.
What is faith? Of course, we are not talking about generic faith here, but Christian faith, that is to say, saving faith. To have true, saving faith, one must, first of all, know and believe a message—the teaching found in the Word of Truth, the gospel. More than this, to have true saving faith, one must trust in a peron—the Savior offered to us in the gospel, Christ Jesus the Lord. Paul thanked God in his prayer when he heard the report from Epaphrus that the Colossians had turned from their sins, believe in the message of the gospel, and had placed their faith or trust in Christ Jesus.
What is hope? Hope has to do with expectations, doesn’t it? When we hope for something, we look forward to something and expect to receive it in due time. Of course, Paul is not here rejoicing over generic, temporary, or feeting hope in the Colossians, but Christian hope—a hope that is unshakable and everlasting. A hope that remains even in the face of trials and tribulations, sickness, and even death. Ultimatly, the Christian sets their hope, not on the world or the things of this world, but on everlasting life in glory.
To prove that this is the expectation that Paul has in mind when he mentions hope, we may go to Acts 23:6, where Paul speaks of the “hope of the resurrection.” In Titus 1:2, he speaks of “the hope of eternal life.” In 2 Timothy 1:1 he alludes to hope when he speaks of the “promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus.” And in Hebrews 9:15, he alludes to hope again, when he speaks of the “eternal inheritance” that is promised to us in the Covenant of Grace. Unregenerate and faithless men and women hope to receive pleasant things in this life, but Christain hope is different. The Christain expects to receive good things after death, in heaven, and at the ressurection on the last day. The word “hope” appears twice more in Colossians. In 1:23, Paul speaks of the hope of the gospel. So then, this hope that Paul refers to is the hope that Gospel brings. And in 1:27, Paul speaks of the hope of glory, that is to say, the expectation that the Christian has that he or she will one day enter into the estate of glory.
May favorite text about Christain hope is 1 Peter 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3–5, ESV). Clearly, this is the hope that Paul was thinking about when he gave thanks to God for the hope laid up for the Colossians in heaven. Our hope is in heaven because Jesus Christ our Savior is in heaven! Our hope is there, because his glorified body is there, and we know that our bodies will be made like his when he returns (see Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthains 15:20-23).
What is the relationship between faith and hope? Realy, it is not difficult to see. If we truly believe the good news that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV); if we truly believe the word of truth, that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:20–21, ESV); If we truly trust in Jesus, as he is offered to us in the gospel, then it will certainly produce within us the living and unshakable hope that has been described.
What, then, is love? To love someone is to hold them in high regard. It is to have affection and concern for them. Yes, love is felt, but it is also displayed. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7, ESV). Christian love is sacrificial. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13, NKJV). The one who loves thinks, not of oneself, but of others and seeks their good. God is love. Christ loved his church, by laying down his life for her (see Ephesians 5:25). And Christians are called to love as we have been loved (see 1 John 4:19–21).
It is no wonder that Paul rejoiced when he heard of the Colossians love for the saints, for love is the highest Christian virtue. It is the greatest evidence that a person’s faith is sincere and that they have been inwardly renewed. As Christ himself said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, ESV).
It is not difficult to see how faith produces hope. But what is the connection between hope and love? Remember, Paul says that the Colossians loved the brethren, because of the hope laid up for them in heaven. How does hope produce love?
The connection between hope and love isn’t as obvious, at least not to me. I began to make progress on this question when I imagined what it would be like to not have hope in Christ laid up for me in heaven. As I imagined not being shown love, mercy, and grace by God and Christ, not hoping in Christ’s death, ressurection, and ascension, not being renewed inwardly by the same Spirit and power that raised Christ from the dead, not believing in the return of Christ from heaven, the bodily resurrection and judgemnet on the last day, and rewards in heaven. By imagining what it would be like to live in this world withough Christian hope, I began to recognize that the ability and motivation to die to self and to live for the good of others, would disappear.
The power to love others and Christ has loved us comes from the risen and ascended Christ who has poured out the Spirit from on high. This is what Paul alludes to in verse 8 when he mentioned the Colossians’ love in the Spirit. They loved one another because Christ had loved them, and had regenerated them by his Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, we cannot love others with the love of God. As John says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7–8, ESV).
Our hope in heaven is also a motivation to love. Those who have their hope set on the things of this world will also love the things of the world supreemly—money, health, food and drink, land and homes. And those who love the things of the world supreemly will find it impossible to love others. They might feel fondness for others, but they will not sacrifice for others, for they will not be willing to let go of their supreme treasure. As Christ says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, ESV). But if our hope set on Christ in heaven, then we will not find it difficult to sacrifice the things of this world—money, health and safty, food and drink, comfort and convenience—for the good of others. This is what it means to store up treasures in heaven, and this we will happily do, if our hope is woith Christ in heaven.
Paul is right: faith in Christ produces hope, and it is our hope rooted in Christ in heaven that enables us to love others as Christ has loved us. Epaphras, a minster of the church of Colossae, told Paul about the Colossians’ faith, hope, and love, and this moved Paul to give thanks to God in prayer.
Give Thanks In Prayer For The Gift Of The Word Of Truth, The Gospel, And The Fruit It Produces
This leads us to our third and final observation. Paul gave thanks to God in prayer for the faith, hope, and love present within the saints in Colossae. But the question remains: how did these people come to place their faith in Christ, and thus, have hope laid up for them in heaven, and thus, bear the fruit of the love of the Spirit for the brethren on earth? Answer: they came to have it because the word of truth, the gospel of Jesus Christ, was preached to them.
In verse 5-7 we read, “Of this [hope] you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf” (Colossians 1:5–7, ESV)
It’s here in verses 5-7 that we come to the center of Paul’s chiasm. The saints in Colossae had faith, hope, and love in Christ, because the word of truth, the gospel, was preached to them. Paul then draws their attention to the fact that the gospel is bearing fruit and increasing in the whole world (this is the center of our text). Finally, he returns to the fact that the truth was proclaimed to the saints in Colossae, and was bearing fruit amongst them too.
This central portion of our text is intended to do at least five things:
One, it is meant to remind the Colossians, and we with them, of how blessed we are to have heard the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not everyone hears the truth of the gospel, but these Colosians did, and we have, and we should give thanks to God.
Two, it is meant to remind the Colossians, and we with them, of how blessed we are to have received the truth of the gospel. Faith is a gift from God. It is something that the Spirit of God must enable us to do (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
Three, this central statement emphasizes the fruitfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What does the gospel of Jesus Christ produce within those who, by God’s grace, receive it by faith? The gospel brings hope, and it produces love. Contrast this with the fruit produced by the false teaching: bondage, pride, and division among the brethren.
Fourth, in this central statement, Paul reminds the Colossians that the gospel of Jesus Christ is also bearing fruit and increasing in all the world. The language that is used here echoes Genesis 1:26-31. After God created the heavens and earth, and after he made man in his image, he commanded Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth”. This they were to do through procreation. As you know, the first creation was ruined by sin. But a major theme in Colossians will be that, through Jesus Christ, and new creation has begun. And how will this new creation—heaven, and the new heavens and earth—be filled? Not merely through procreation, but through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul uses the language of Genesis 1:26-31 when he says, is bearing fruit and increasing in the whole world. And so it was, as the gospel of Jesus the Messiah spread amongst the Gentile nations.
Fifth, when Paul gave thanks for these things, he was not only giving authentic thanks, but was also urging the Colossians, and we with them, to not despise the truth of the gospel that came to them and was bearing fruit among them, but to return to the truth of the gospel and to remain, and to give thanks to God as well. Some in Colossae were tempted to despise the gospel and to demean Christ. When Paul gave thanks to God in prayer for the faith, hope, and love that came to the Colossians through the word of truth, the gospel that Epaphras had preached to them at first, he was hoping to have an influence on them and to lead them to do the same.
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters, I hope and pray that you would be moved to put away all grumbling and to give thanks to God in prayer. Particularly, I hope and pray that you would be thankful for the faith in Christ that has been granted to you, the living hope that it brings, and the love it produces within you for God, Christ, and the brethren. Lastly, I hope and pray that you would give thanks to God for the word of truth that has come to you—the gospel—for apart from the word of God, there can be no faith, for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17, ESV). Lastly, I hope and pray that we would be committed to proclaiming this precious and powerful gospel to the ends of the earth, seeing the wonderful fruit that it bears.
The Literary Structure Of Colossians 1:3-9
A We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
B since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you
have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.
C Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
D which has come to you,
E> as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—
D’ as it also does among you,
C’ since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,
just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.
B’ He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to
us your love in the Spirit.
A’ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking…”
