Colossians 1:22-24
by Dr. Grant C. Richison
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Colossians 1:22
"in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and
blameless, and above reproach in His sight-"
Jesus reconciles us to God by the death of his physical body. The heretics
against whom Paul is writing rejects the true humanity and deity of Christ.
They taught that Jesus only suffered and died in appearance.
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"in the body of His flesh through death"
The "body" here is the literal, physical body of Christ while
he was on earth.
There is no reconciliation without the death of Christ (Heb. 9:22). There
can be no true death unless Jesus is truly human (Heb. 2:17; 10:10; I Pet.
2:24).
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"to present you holy"
Jesus presents us positionally perfect before God by his death. The Lord
Jesus will "present" us to God in a way that is acceptable to
him. Our status before God will be eternal, infallible, unalterable. It
will be the same status that Jesus holds before God.
The word "holy" means set part. Jesus sets us apart unto God
as uniquely his.
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"and blameless,"
Jesus will present us "blameless," not flawless or sinless.
No Christian is without fault. The term "blameless" means not
subject to judgment, unchargable, unimpeachable (Eph. 1:4; 5:27; Phil 2:15;
Jude 24). This is more than mere acquittal. No charge will ever be brought
to the child of God. God will not pick flaws and faults in us because of
Christ.
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"and above reproach in His sight"
"Above reproach" is used five times in the New Testament Greek
(I Cor. 1:8; I Tim. 3:10; Tit. 1:6-7). It is a legal term meaning unaccused
and therefore free from all charges. Satan accuses Christians (Rev. 12:10)
but Jesus is our Defense Attorney (I John 2:1) before the Father. Because
of the death of Christ the believer is free from any charge that Satan may
lay against him (Rom. 8:33). Satan cannot lay a charge against us. Even
though we may deserve blame, Christ's death makes us undeserving of blame.
Neither Satan nor God will impeach the believer because the believer is
unimpeachable by the death of Christ. There is no possibility of a charge
being laid against the Christian (I Cor. 1:8; I Tim. 3:10; Tit 1:6,7).
"In His sight" means the penetrating gaze of God. Jesus is going
to present us with the above three privileges to God. When we face God
we will be set apart specially for God (holy), without blame and no charge
will be laid against us in his presence.
PRINCIPLE: At the moment of trust in the blood of Christ to forgive us,
our status and standing before God is perfect forever.
APPLICATION: The perfect work of Jesus Christ is the genius of the gospel
of grace. Religion does not do that for us. Automatically and instantaneously
we are holy, without blame and without charge before God forever. What
moment we come to trust Christ as our Savior, God puts to our account all
the exhaustless wealth of the Lord Jesus. We spend the rest of our Christian
life learning of the wonder of what happened when we received Christ. We
learn what we are worth. The split second we come to Christ God puts to
our spiritual bank account all that Jesus is before him.
Colossians 1:23
"if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and
are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was
preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister."
Instability in the faith is a core problem in Christianity at this time.
Christians make experience the determiner of what they believe rather than
the Word of God.
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"if indeed you continue in the faith"
Does this "if" indicate that our salvation depends upon us? What
if our faith fails? If faith fails then it is an indication that it was
not a valid saving faith (I John 2:19). The genuine believer will persevere
by the reality of God in his life. It is the perseverance of the Savior
that preserves the perseverance of the saints!
In the Greek, the "if" indicates an assumption of truth. Paul
assumes that the Colossians will continue in the faith. This is not an
"if" of the future; it is an "if" of the past. The
word can be translated "since." "Since indeed you continue
in the faith." Our reconciliation is an accomplished fact. Continuance
is a test of reality. There is no uncertainty of the believer's reconciliation.
The believer will be uncharged and without blemish when he stands before
God (v. 22). Salvation was an accomplished event at the moment of faith.
The word "continue" means to persist in or adhere to the faith.
The Colossians heretics were trying to dislodge them from their faith.
They wanted them to get involved with asceticism.
PRINCIPLE: Christians are preserved by the perseverance of the Savior.
APPLICATION: Some Christians are so conscious of their defects that they
are never quite sure they are a Christian. Sometimes they feel they are
and other times they feel they are not a Christian. God does not give us
eternal life and say "Oh, I meant that it was only temporary, that
is, until you sinned enough to lose it." He does not give you eternal
life this year and take it away next year.
Having said that, it does not mean that we are to ignore this verse which
is a flashing red light of warning. Continuance is the proof of conversion.
If a person says, "I am a Christian" and shows no change in their
life, they may not be a Christian. Well, we will wait and see if it is
real. We can say that we are Alexander the Great, too. That does not mean
that it is real. A true Christian is preserved by the perseverance of the
Savior.
The true Christian is characterized by two metaphors. He is both "grounded
and steadfast" in his faith.
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"grounded and steadfast"
The word "grounded" suggests a secure foundation as a building
that sits upon a rock. The believer lays a foundation of stability when
he comes to trust Christ. Their foundations were dug deep and solid. The
foundation is Jesus Christ (I Cor. 3:11). The Greek indicates that they
were placed on that foundation at one point with permanent results.
The word "steadfast" is literally "settled." It depicts
a steady and firm resolve (I Cor. 15:58; Heb 10:23). This is a metaphor
for spiritual stability. While "grounded" suggests a solid foundation
this term suggests the strength of the building. The Lycus Valley was noted
for its earthquakes. They must not be like a house that shakes in an earthquake.
They must resist efforts to shake them loose from their foundation, Jesus
Christ.
The sub-structure supports the super-structure. The believer stands before
God in an unchangeable, unalterable, infallible, eternal state. Our condition
may vary. We sin in our current condition. There will be a day when our
condition lines up with our position before God in Christ.
PRINCIPLE: It is imperative that a believer have both a sub-structure and
a super-structure, a sure foundation and solid structure, which will keep
his faith solid.
APPLICATION: Do you erect upon the sub-structure (Jesus Christ) a little
shanty, lean-to or pup tent? What a pity that some Christians have such
weak structure to their faith. That is like building a foundation for a
skyscraper and erecting a one story wood building upon it. Yet that is
exactly what most Christians do. We have the greatest foundation anyone
can secure, the work of Jesus Christ. Look at the skinny little life that
we perch upon that foundation!
Contrary belief systems constantly try to move us away from the "hope
of the gospel." Stability in the gospel is essential for solid Christian
living.
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"and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel"
The "hope of the gospel" (1:5) is our ultimate salvation where
all aspects of salvation will become complete (Tit. 1:2; 3:7; Heb. 6:19;
I Pet 1:3).
"Moved away" means to change location. Some people are chronically
unstable. Any wind of doctrine blows them away. They shift from one doctrine
to another like the wind (Eph. 4:14). The Colossian heresy taught that
their salvation needed to be supplemented by further spirituality if they
were to be saved.
PRINCIPLE: Stability in the gospel is a core Christian value.
APPLICATION: We move away from the gospel when it no longer grips our hearts.
When our hearts grow cold we are in serious trouble. Once we lose interest
in the Bible there is not much that can touch the hardened heart. Everything
that God does for us comes either directly or indirectly from the Bible.
There is no substitute for the Bible in our personal growth.
It is easy to drift when we row a boat or paddle a canoe. It is hard work
to make progress especially if we are going against the stream. The only
thing we have to do to drift is to do nothing. If we take a little rest
we will go back. We will drift from the things of God. When the church
is popular the church is weak. The church popular has always been the church
polluted. The church persecuted has always been the church powerful.
Paul concludes this verse with three statements about why we are to remain
true to the gospel.
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"which you heard"
The first statement is "which you heard." This is the message
initially preached to them by Epaphras. The Colossians personally experienced
what the gospel can do in their lives. They should remain loyal to that
message.
"which was preached to every creature under heaven"
The second statement says something about the universality of the gospel.
The gospel excludes no one who do not exclude themselves. The universality
of the gospel indicates its authenticity. This statement is a hyperbole
which probably means over the entire Roman Empire (Rom. 1:8; 16:19). Because
the gospel has an impact on people all over the Roman Empire, this shows
its universal appeal.
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"of which I, Paul, became a minister"
Paul holds his office as a minister highly (Rom. 11:13). He is a servant
to the gospel. His apostleship is the third proof of the validity of the
gospel.
PRINCIPLE: We remain true to the gospel because it is real.
APPLICATION: We become a Christian by the preaching of the gospel; we become
established in our faith by the teaching of the Word of God. We cannot
become a strong in our faith if all we hear is the gospel. We need a solid
foundation.
We preach the gospel to those without Christ; we teach the Bible to the
saints. There is no end to that two-fold ministry. To neglect one for
the other is to get out of balance. If we have one without the other we
have half a ministry.
Colossians 1:24
"I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body,
which is the church"
Paul's presents his ministry from verse 24 to the end of the chapter. Paul
viewed ministry with joy.
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"I now rejoice in my sufferings for you"
Paul suffered for the church at Colosse. When he brought the gospel to
them, many rejected him. He viewed this suffering in presenting the gospel
as a joy. He sat in jail because of the gospel. It was an honor to suffer
for his Savior.
PRINCIPLE: Inner orientation to God enables us to orient to suffering.
APPLICATION: There are occupational hazards when we serve Jesus Christ.
One of the greatest of those hazards is people. We face confused people,
bullying people, sneaky people and gossip behind the back types.
Many people let people get them down. We think that we need a rhinoceros
hide to serve in the local church. Each time we go into ministry we must
slip into our rhinoceros suit and never take it off until we get home!
We say, "Everyone who serves Jesus Christ must have a thick hide."
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. There is no such thing
as a person with rhinoceros hide in ministry. All of us are human. We
all have areas of sensitivity. No matter how some seem to roll with the
punch, whenever people malign or ridicule them, they still feel it. It
is not that they roll with the punch. They have discovered a principle:
No matter what problems there may come from people, they can still "rejoice"
in suffering for the gospel.
This has nothing to do with masochism where we love to hit ourselves over
the head and say, "That it feels good when I stop!" This is not
self-hypnosis. In the ministry we must walk in the Spirit. When we do,
the result will be joy (Gal. 5:22). Joy is an inner orientation to life
that throws a protective covering around us. In doing so, God keeps us
from bitterness. No instability can come from criticism, persecution or
slander when we orient to God's plan. Any other attitude than joy will
torpedo our orientation to God. No one can stay in ministry unless he/she
lives the Spirit filled life. All the money or approbation in the world
is not worth it.
Paul's joy transcended his personal interests. His joy came in serving
others even though he paid a price for it.
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"I now rejoice in my sufferings for you"
Paul did not rejoice in suffering itself. He rejoiced that his suffering
brought the gospel to the Colossians.
PRINCIPLE: God has a purpose in suffering that goes beyond our own personal
ends.
APPLICATION: There is a ministry of suffering that does something for your
soul. Suffering develops character. It enables us to grow in grace (II
Cor. 12:9,10). We grow into spiritual maturity more rapidly when we suffer
if we orient to the grace of God. We are not nearly so quick to criticize
others if we have been hurt by criticism. We think twice before we criticize
someone else because we remember the scars that we received from the sharp
tongue of someone else. Suffering mellows us as Christians. Eventually
we become a veteran Christian, tested and approved.
Paul wrote, "I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation" (II
Cor. 7:4). He learned the blessed benefits of suffering. Paul knew the
best is yet ahead. We will not suffer in eternity. We will receive a body
free from pain and suffering. One day there will be no more death, sorrow,
crying or pain (Rev. 21:4). Brush away the tears. Fix your eyes on the
suffering Savior, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of
our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"
(Heb. 12:2).
What is your suffering today? Some suffering is chronic and some is acute.
Some suffering is surface and other suffering is so deep that you cannot
share it with another human being. We can only cry out to God. We cannot
allow suffering sour us. We cannot let it make us mean and grumpy. We
cannot let it curdle our spirit. We need to get the blessing out of suffering.
We have enrolled in the College of Christ and he sets up the curriculum.
We learn the lesson so that we will not have to take the course again.
God wants us to finish the ministry where Christ left off. However, this
will involve affliction.
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"and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ"
Paul wanted to "fill up" in his physical body the afflictions
Jesus did not finish. This has nothing to do with the salvation suffering
of Christ (Heb. 2:9; I Peter 1:11; 5:1). It has to do with the suffering
of service for Christ. Christ's suffering for sin lacked nothing. He finished
all the suffering necessary for our sin. The suffering of Christ upon the
cross was totally sufficient for salvation. God's justice was completely
satisfied in Christ's death for our sin (Rom. 5:1).
However, God allows the believer to enter into the suffering for Christ
(II Tim. 3:11; I Peter 1:6-8; 4:11,12; 5:9). The phrase "fill up"
is a very strong term in the Greek. The word means to fill up in turn.
We are to fill up in turn the deficiencies of the sufferings of Christ.
PRINCIPLE: God wants us to fill in the place of Christ's sufferings during
his life before the cross. We need to face whatever is necessary to advance
the cause of Christ.
APPLICATION: God wants us to take our turn at bat. Jesus came up first.
Now it is our turn.
The more Christians suffer here the more glory they will receive hereafter,
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Cor. 4:17).
Christians will differ in heaven. Christians who suffer more here will
receive more glory there. They will have more coming over yonder unless
their suffering is due to sin. That is another category of suffering --
chastening. Every time a Christian suffers does not mean that he has sinned.
We may never know why we suffer until we get to glory.
"For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe
in Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Phil. 1:29). One of God's
gifts to us is suffering. When we go through a particular siege of suffering
and look back upon it, we say, "I would not want to go through that
again, but I thank God for the experience." Maybe we endure a siege
of sickness or surgery. Or, maybe face a financial or career crisis. It
could be a crisis with one of our children. You may have prayed, "Oh
God, don't let her marry that young man" but she did anyway. Then
there is the suffering of fear of old age. They wonder whether their children
will care for them. Will they end up in a nursing home? There is the haunting
fear of senility and decrepitude. There is the suffering of young folks.
Will they ever make anything of themselves? They are not skillful, brilliant
or strong. They hide their suffering by the way they dress and act. They
hide suffering by rebellion. All suffering is in God's divine design.
Will you willingly step up to bat and fill in the gap for Christ in our
generation? The Christian life is not easy. We will pay a price. God
wants us to do it for the sake of others.
Some Christians feel that they should be immune from suffering. This verse
says that we are to enter the "afflictions of Christ."
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"and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ"
The New Testament never uses the word "afflictions" of Christ's
death. No one can duplicate the sufferings of Christ on the cross. No
one can duplicate his suffering for our sin.
"Afflictions" means "pressure," or "distress."
Paul had plenty of that (II Cor 11:23-29). This is the ordinary trials
of life. When we suffer for the gospel we share the afflictions of Christ
(I Pet. 1:11; 2:20,21; 4:1, 12,13; 5:8-10; Phil 3:10).
We are to fill up the afflictions of Christ that he had before his cross
and death. His afflictions came from many sources. Many rejected him and
his message. The Scribes, Sadducees and Pharisees all maligned him. Religion
persecuted him. Now it is Paul's turn at bat. He is in jail for preaching
the gospel. He had to look at a bean ball. Now it is our turn at bat.
It has been someone else's turn to face trial ever since the church started.
PRINCIPLE: It is axiomatic that no one will be exempt from suffering.
The issue lies in how we suffer. God doles every Christian a quota of suffering.
Suffering here means glory hereafter.
APPLICATION: We cannot get though life without weeping and suffering.
The Christian is not immune to trial, disease, relationship problems or
accident. It is not easy to learn the lesson of how to suffer. Most of
us endure suffering.
If we accept the fact that God doles out a quota of suffering for every
Christian, we can accept our plight better. We can view it as his divine
design.
Some suffer more than others. God's doctrine is the doctrine of individuality;
the world's doctrine is the doctrine of uniformity. This age wants everyone
to be alike. They want everyone to like the same things. They stamp out
everyone on an assembly line. Everything with God varies; every fingerprint
is different, every snowflake, every personality. God does not want us
to be alike. God wants unique individual personalities. Because no two
people are exactly alike, even twins, God designs each individual believer's
suffering uniquely for him. None of us will suffer the same quantity or
the same quality. There are many kinds of suffering, physical, mental,
financial and spiritual. We all face suffering differently.
If we grow in grace at a corresponding rate of our suffering, we will be
able to cope with the magnitude of our problems.
If the cause of Christ is going to advance, it will cost something. God
wants us to pay a price in the service of the local church.
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"for the sake of His body, which is the church"
The Bible depicts the church with the analogy of the "body" (cf.
v18). The head (Christ) gives direction to the body. The body takes orders
from the head.
The completion of Christ's sufferings closely connects to the preaching
of the gospel (vv. 23, 25). Paul paid a price for preaching the gospel
especially where Christ was not named (Rom. 15:15-21). When a preacher
or person goes against the pluralism of society and preaches with conviction
and confidence, they will be labeled a bigot or dogmatic. The gospel challenges
people to face themselves. They may not like what they see.
PRINCIPLE: The gospel is an offense to the world. The person who preaches
it will pay a price.
APPLICATION: Are you afraid to go against the tide of public opinion?
Are you more concerned about what the world thinks of you than the mission
God has given you? Has the culture of pluralism intimidated you so that
it mutes your testimony?
If we accept rejection for preaching the gospel, we will go a long way toward
spiritual maturity. As long as we feel we must be acceptable to a Christless
world, our ministry will be ineffective. We need to dare to be a Daniel,
"Dare to stand alone."
Copyright © 1995, Dr. Grant Richison. All rights reserved.
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