Old Testament Reading: Proverbs 2

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed; none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life. So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.” (Proverbs 2, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Colossians 2:1-7

“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 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 2:1–7, 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

When studying a book of the Bible, it is very helpful to know something about the structure of the book and to identify its central point or purpose. These big picture observations help us as we seek to interpret the individual words, phrases, and passages of the book we are studying.

A few times now, I have reminded you that Paul wrote this epistle to combat false teaching in the church of Colossae. What did these false teachers teach? Well, given what Paul says in Colossians 2:8-23, we can see that some within the church were diminishing the sufficiency of Christ and his work and were introducing worldly philosophies and imposing manmade traditions on the people of God. These false teachers were not urging the people to abide in Christ, or to grow deeper in their understanding of Christ and his work, or to walk more faithfully with Christ. No, they were adding to Christ in such a way that Christ was diminished, and the people of God were distracted from a close walk with him.

When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he had two major tasks to accomplish, therefore.

On the one hand, he had to demonstrate that Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient Savior. In him, we have all that we need. He is able to fully reconcile us to God and to present us before him, “holy and blameless and above reproach” (Colossians 1:22, ESV). If you have been with us from the beginning of this sermon series through Colossians, you will probably be thinking, Paul has already accomplished this task! And I would agree with you. Though Paul will continue to present Christ as an all-sufficient Savior in this epistle, he has already done so. In the thanksgiving portion of his letter, which runs from 1:3-23, he says things like this: “He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation… And he [Christ] is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:15, 18–20, ESV). 

As I have said, Paul will continue to present Jesus Christ and his work as all-sufficient throughout this letter, but here, beginning with Colossians 2:1, Paul goes to work on the second necessary task. Here, he begins to set his sights on the false teaching itself to destroy it. In brief, he will demonstrate that the man-made traditions, earthly ceremonies, and philosophical speculations that these false teachers had attempted to add to Christ and impose on the Christians in Colossae were empty, deceptive, and ultimately powerless (see Colossians 2:8, 23). More than this, these false teachings were destructive because they turned men away from Christ, the source of all wisdom, truth, and power to save. These false teachers were not adding something of value to Christ and his gospel; to the contrary, they were distracting from Christ and undermining him—these impostors were doing great damage to the gospel of Jesus Christ and needed to be opposed. Paul begins to oppose them here in 2:1 and will do so throughout chapter two of his epistle. He begins by expressing his great concern for them. 

Paul’s Particular Struggle For The Colossians

In Colossians 1:24-29, Paul the Apostle spoke in general terms of his stewardship, sufferings, and struggle to proclaim Christ. Here in 2:1, Paul turns his attention to the Colossians in particular, and expresses his great love and concern for them in these words: “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face…” (Colossians 2:1, ESV).

The Apostle Paul was, no doubt, well known to the Colossians (I’m sure that they had heard of his conversion, his struggles as an Apostle, and his teachings), but he was not personally known by them, for the Colossians had never met Paul face to face. Here in verses 1, Paul mentions another church he had never met face to face, namely, the church in the neighboring town of Laodicea. And finally, he mentions all who had not seen him face to face. 

Who, then, had preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to these people if not Paul? A man named Epaphras preached the gospel to them at first. This we learned in Colossians 1:6-7. There, Paul says that the gospel had come to the Colossians and was bearing fruit among them, and that they learned it from Epaphras. Paul calls him a beloved fellow servant and a faithful minister of Christ on their behalf. Paul mentions this man, Epaphras, again near the end of his letter. “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis” (Colossians 4:12–13, ESV). 

In the introductory sermon to this series, I told you that Paul was not personally responsible for preaching the gospel in this region or for planting the churches in the neighboring cities of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. Epaphras was the one who brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. And please notice how Epaphras is described. Paul calls him “a fellow servant” and a “faithful minister of Christ.” He describes him as a minister who struggled on their behalf in prayer, his objective being that the saints would “stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God”. I hope you are thinking, this sounds familiar. Didn’t Paul describe himself in the same terms—as a prayerful and hard-working servant of Jesus Christ and the church? Didn’t he say that he preached Christ, his objective being to “present everyone mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28, ESV)? 

These observations are not insignificant, for at least three reasons. One, when Paul commended Epaphras and described him and his ministry using the same terms that he used to describe himself and his own, he validated Epaphras’ ministry and message before the Colossians. Two, when Paul described himself and Epaphras as stewards of a message, he made it clear that it is not about the man, but the message he proclaims. Three, when Paul described himself and Epaphras as servants or ministers of Christ, he made it clear that the only man that matters as it pertains to our reconciliation with God is the man Jesus Christ, and the only message that matters is the gospel of Jesus!

True, Paul had never met these Christians in Colossae or Laodicea or Hierapolis, but it did not matter, for they had heard the same gospel that Paul preached from Epaphras, and, having believed and received this message, they were united to the same Savior, Christ Jesus the Lord. 

[Dear brothers and sisters, I serve as one of your pastors. I count it a privilege to preach the Word of God to you most Sundays, to pray for you, and to offer you pastoral care. I have a great love and concern for you, and I hope that you have love and appreciation for me. But the truth is this: I’m nothing. Consider my work. My job is to proclaim a message. It is not a message unique to me. It is not one that I have invented. It is one that I have received from Christ through his Apostles. And it is not a hidden or secret message, but one that is plainly revealed and accessible to most. It is found in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. It is a message that has been entrusted to the church and proclaimed by her throughout the ages. Personally, I am of no benefit to you at all! The only way that I can be of benefit to you is if I lead you to the person of Jesus Christ through preaching of the gospel, for that is where Christ is offered to sinners—in the gospel. I hope to be of some benefit to you, brothers and sisters. But I know that I will only benefit you if I’m a faithful minister of Jesus Christ and his gospel. And if the Lord were to take me away from you, I’m confident that you would lack nothing, really. A minister will serve a church for a time, and then he will be taken away, and another will be appointed to serve in his place. That’s how things go. But Jesus Christ can never be taken away from his people, and that is all that matters, for it is through Christ alone that sinners are saved and the saints are sanctified. To be clear, I’m not planning on going anywhere. My hope is to serve as your minister for many years. I just want you to know that Christian ministers are nothing and that Christ is everything. Even if you know it, it’s good to say it publicly from time to time? “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each” (1 Corinthians 3:5, ESV).]

Though Paul the Apostle had never met these people before, they were saved from their sins, and they were being sanctified. Why? Because of Jesus. Jesus Christ, his person and the benefits of his work, had come to these people living in Colossae, through the preaching of the gospel by Epaphras, for the gospel message “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).

Though Paul had never met these people face to face, he had a great struggle for them. Paul mentioned his sufferings, his stewardship, and his struggle to proclaim Christ in 1:24-29; here, he clarifies that he struggled even for Christians he had never met, living in places he had never visited before, including the saints in Colossae.  

What kind of struggle did Paul have for the churches in Colossae? 

One, it must have been an internal struggle—a struggle in the mind and heart of Paul—a struggle involving the affections. As Paul thought about the Colossians and the churches in the nearby towns, there were many things for Paul to rejoice about! Do not forget how the letters beghins: “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you…” (Colossians 1:3, ESV). But there were also reasons for deep concern. There is a kind of struggle that is physical. We all know what it is to toil or agonize in our physical labor. Some might know what it is to engage in physical conflict. But it is also possible to struggle or to agonize (ἀγῶνα) inwardly, and those who have struggled inwardly will know the effect it has on the physical body too.

Paul’s struggle for the Colossians was internal, and it was also spiritual. As Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, ​​“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12, ESV)

Three, the activity this internal, spiritual struggle produced was prayer and the writing of this letter. Paul has already said that he labored in prayer for the Colossians: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him… ” (Colossians 1:9–10, ESV). And do not forget how he commends Epaphras at the end of the letter: “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling [ἀγωνιζόμενος] on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12, ESV). And not only did the internal struggle move Paul to pray, it also moved him to proclaim Christ through the writing of this letter, wherein Christ is exulted.

[As we consider Paul’s struggle for the Colossians—his inward, spiritual struggle that resulted in prayer and in the proclamation of Christ, it should move us to be willing to struggle inwardly for others, to remember the spiritual battle for souls that rages all around us, and to fight this battle, not with physical weapons, but with the spiritual weapons of prayer and the truth of God’s Word. Ministers must especially be prepared to struggle in this way. We must struggle for the churches we serve, and for other churches too. In fact, all Christians should share in this struggle. We ought to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We ought to long for the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom, the success of the gospel, and the planting and strengthening of Christ’s churches here in this place and to the ends of the earth. This inward and spiritual struggle must always prompt us to pray to God through Christ, and to proclaim Christ, the only Savior God has provided.] 

The Purpose Or Objective Of Paul’s Struggles, Positively Stated

Paul struggled for the Colossians inwardly. This moved him to pray and to write this letter to them (and through them, to the Laodaceans (see Colossians 4:16)), wherein he proclaims Christ. And what was the purpose or objective of Paul’s struggle for them? As Paul prayed for the Colossians and as he wrote his letter to them, what effect did he hope his prayers and his exultation of Christ would have?  He states his purpose positively in verse 2: “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2–3, ESV).

Verses 2-3 are precious because they reveal Paul’s heart for, and something of his approach with, the saints in Colossae.  

First of all, his aim was to encourage them. I struggle for you all, Paul says,  in order that your hearts may be encouraged. The word translated as “encouraged” (παρακαλέω) can mean different things depending on the context. Here it seems to mean “to instill someone with courage or cheer, [to] comfort, encourage, [or] cheer up” (BDAG. 765). 

Yes, there are times when a minister must deliver a rebuke to the saints. If you were to read Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia, you would find that Paul has a different tone. He seems to rebuke more than he encourages, saying things like this: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6–9, ESV). Why the different tone? It must be that the situation in Galatia was more dire. The false teaching was more severe, and the churches had been more severely infected. In Galatians 4:10, Paul even says,  “I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain” (Galatians 4:11, ESV). But when Paul wrote to the Colossians, he wished to encourage their heart. Here, Paul shows that he practiced what he preached to the Thessalonians: “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, NKJV). 

[It is vital that ministers learn to distinguish between unruly, fainthearted, and weak people. Always in love and with patience, unruly people must be warned or admonished, fainthearted people must be comforted or encouraged, and weak people must be upheld or helped. A minister will do damage to people if he fails to differentiate between these conditions of the souls of men. 

In fact, it was not only the ministers in Thessalonica to whom Paul wrote. He said it to the brethren! “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, NKJV). We must all learn to distinguish between these conditions lest we take the wrong approach when seeking to build one another up in the faith. Think of how damaging it would be to admonish someone who is weak or fainthearted, or provide comfort to someone who is, in fact, unruly.    

And it is not only in the church that these principles must be followed, but in the home too. Husbands and wives must learn to distinguish between unruliness, faintheartedness, and weakness in each other lest they relate to each other in the wrong way, and fathers and mothers must learn to distinguish between these things in their children. Each of these dispositions of the soul requires a fitting approach. And do not forget that whenever we approach one another, whether it be to admonish, encourage, or help,  it is always to be with patience (see 1 Thessalonians 5:14) and in love.] 

Whatever Epaphras told Paul about the Colossians, he must have come to the conclusion that these Christians were not unruly and thus needing to be admonished, but weak and fainthearted, and needing to be encouraged and helped by the Apostle. I struggle for you all, Paul says,  in order that your hearts may be encouraged. 

How did Paul encourage them? Was it by telling them that he cared about them and was praying for them? Yes, that would have been very encouraging. Did he encourage them with his encouraging tone? Yes, his town was kind and encouraging. But more than this, he encouraged them with the content of his message, namely, the precious and infinitely comforting and encouraging gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior. True encouragement and comfort is found only in him, for it is Christ who meets our every need; it is Christ who reconciles us to the Father. It is in Christ that we have the sure hope of life everlasting. In short, Paul encouraged the saints in Colossae with Christ. 

Secondly, his aim was to see them knit together in love. This would be one of the ways they would be encouraged in heart.

The word translated as “knit together” means to be held together or united. No doubt, the false teaching that had arisen within the church threatened to divide the members, but Paul struggled in his prayers and in his writing to see them knit together and united as one. It is interesting to me that in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, this Greek word translated as knit together (συμβιβάζω) is consistently used to refer to teaching or instruction. I do wonder if the word carries that meaning  as Paul uses it here. If so, to “knit together” is to bring and to keep people together  through teaching or instruction. This idea would certainly fit the context, wouldn’t it? The church was in danger of division. Why? Because of false teaching in their midst. False teaching divides. But what brings unity to the members of Christ’s body? Sound doctrine (or teaching) brings unity to the church—it knits the members of Christ body tightly together under the authority of Christ the head.

But notice this: Paul’s aim was to see them knit together, not only in the mind through sound doctrine and in their shared belief in Christ, but in the heart and in love.  Paul will return to this principle in 3:14 where he says, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14, ESV). 

[Brothers and sisters, when a group of people believes the same things about God and salvation through Christ, it brings them very close together. I praise God for the faith we share in common. And I praise God for our robust confession of faith (the Second London Confession Of Faith), and for the way the Lord has used it to bind us together and to protect us from division. It’s wonderful. But I’m sure you can see the difference between being knit together by mere doctrine and being knit together by love. Yes, it is wonderful to be able to look someone in the eyes and to say, I agree with you. I agree with you that God is one and yet he is three. I agree with you that salvation is through faith in Christ alone, etc. When two men agree on important matters such as these, it brings them very close. But love binds men together even closer still. It is one thing to look at your brother in Christ and to say I agree with you. It is another thing to look at your brother in Christ and to say, I agree with you, and I love you. Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not proposing that we trade the doctrinal agreement we have for love, as if the two things were opposed to one another and as if we have to choose between the two. No, I’m proposing that mere doctrinal agreement is not the goal. Rather, to quote Paul from 1 Timothy 1:5, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5, ESV). Sound doctrine, if it is truly believed, ought to produce love in us—love for God and love for one another.]

Paul struggled for the Colossians inwardly and in prayer and teaching, in order to encourage them and to see them knit together in love. Thirdly, having been encouraged in Christ and knit together in love, he wished to see them “reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ…” (Colossians 2:2, ESV). 

Did these Colossians understand the gospel when Epaphras proclaimed it to them and when they received it for their salvation? Yes. But here Paul expresses his desire that they would grow in their understanding of Christ and his gospel such that they would be overflowing with a sense of assurance concerning its truthfulness. 

At the end of verse 2, Paul says he desires that they would obtain “the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.” The word translated as “knowledge” here is not the typical word for knowledge. A common word for knowledge is γνῶσις. Paul uses the word γνῶσις in verse 3. But here, Paul uses the word ἐπίγνωσις. It refers to “the content of what is definitely known—‘…definite knowledge, full knowledge, knowledge” (LouwNida 28.18). 

You can see Paul’s point, can’t you? It’s as if he is saying to the Colossians, you know the truth about Christ, but I long to see you grow in your knowledge of him, so that you are fully assured that Christ is a true and all-sufficient Savior. You know it, but I want you to really know it. Your faith in Christ is true, but I long to see your faith in him deepen and mature. 

Particularly, Paul wanted the Colossians to grow in their assurance of understanding and true knowledge of the mystery of God. This refers to God’s plan of salvation, once concealed but now revealed. And what is the mystery? Here, Paul sums it up with three words: “which is Christ.” In Greek, is only one word: Χριστοῦ; Christ. Christ is the sum and the substance of the mystery of God, for all of the promises, prophesies, types, and shadows of old concerning our salvation find their fulfilment in him.   

Paul then adds these precious words concerning Christ: “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3, ESV). The false teachers in Colossae taught that Christ was true, but that the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were to be found elsewhere. Paul taught otherwise. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. 

Conclusion

You can see what Paul is doing, can’t you? Though Colossians 2:1-7 is not the introduction to the whole letter, it does function as an introduction of sorts to this portion of Paul’s letter, wherein he tackles the false teaching that was present within Colossae. It’s a good introduction, isn’t it? 

He reassures the believers of his true love and concern for them and of his struggles for them.  

He clarifies that his aim is to encourage them, to see them united in love, and to grow in their assurance and confidence in the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ—the mystery hidden for ages and now revealed. 

Finally, he points them directly to Christ.

Brothers and sisters, are you growing in your knowledge of Christ? To grow in your knowledge of Christ is to grow in wisdom. This is how the believer matures: not by looking elsewhere, but by looking to Christ, our crucified, risen, and ascended Savior. 

Are you fully assured concerning your salvation in him? 

And is this producing love in you—love for God, Christ, and one another? 

The more we all know about Christ, the more assured we all are of the truth of his gospel, and the closer we all walk with him, the more tightly knit together we will be, one with another, for it is Christ, and the love of Christ that we all share in common.