As we shall see, the book of
Colossians is an exposition or amplification of the parable of the sower and
the seed, which was spoken by Jesus. The
word mystery, which Jesus used in Matthew 13:11 in the parable of the sower, is
used four times in Colossians. The word root, which Jesus used in Matthew
13:21, is used in Colossians 2:7. Paul
said that the gospel is bearing fruit in his epistle, which is from the seed of
the gospel that Jesus spoke of in His parable.
Colossians chapter 1 discusses the
kingdom of God within us when we are born again. Jesus said He spoke in parables so that His
disciples would know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven or God, but that
others would not understand. Colossians chapter 2 expounds upon the seed sown
upon stony ground. This represents those
who hear the gospel and receive it immediately with joy and are born
again. Yet he is not rooted in
righteousness by faith apart from our works.
When tribulation or persecution arises because of the gospel’s sake, the
person stumbles or falls away. This is
falling away from the gospel back to an Old Testament law mindset of
performance instead of grace.
Colossians chapter 3 tells us how we
can avoid being the seed sown among thorns that Jesus spoke about in His
parable. This person hears the gospel
and is born again, but the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and
the desires or lusts of the flesh choke the word, and he is unfruitful. This person does not experience the fruit of
the Spirit. He does not experience the love,
joy and peace that God has planned for us.
We must put off the works of the flesh and walk in love if we are to
experience all that God has for us. We
then become the good ground on which the seed of the gospel is sown; we bear
fruit in our lives for the Lord.
Colossians 1:1-2 “Paul, an apostle
of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To
the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Every one of Paul’s epistles to a church
begin with the same greeting. When we
understand the grace of God, we will be at peace. If we are not at peace, we probably don’t
have a clear understanding of grace.
Colossians 1:3-6 “We give thanks to
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since
we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because
of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in
the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you,
as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it
is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in
truth;”
When we hear the word of the truth
of the gospel, it is like a seed which is sown in our hearts. If we understand
the gospel and believe it, it will naturally bring forth fruit in our
lives. That is the fruit of the Spirit
listed in Galatians 5:22-23. We experience
love, joy and peace in our hearts when we know that God has forgiven the sins
of our entire lifetime. As we see the
grace that He has extended to us, we will extend that grace to others. That is the other fruits listed: patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. God comes to dwell in us by His Spirit. That is the kingdom of God in us.
Colossians 1:7-8 “as you also
learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of
Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in
the Spirit.” Epaphras was the pastor at
Colosse. When we see that God has
remitted our sins, it produces a love for God in our hearts.
Colossians 1:9-14 “For this reason we also, since the day we
heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with
the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that
you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in
every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened
with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and
longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has
qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He
has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the
kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Paul prayed for them to be filled
with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Paul tells us what His will is in Colossians
1:27, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory.” The will of God is Christ in you
and me. Spiritual understanding is to
understand who we are in the spirit realm.
Christ lives in me. Understanding that will lead me to walk worthy of
the Lord and cause me to be fruitful.
That understanding will cause me to be strengthened with all might,
according to His glorious power inside of me, and I will experience the fruits
of patience, longsuffering and joy. The
Father has qualified us to be partakers of His inheritance. He has already delivered us from Satan’s
power and transferred us into the kingdom of God when we were born again. How did He do all that? He redeemed us through His blood. What is redemption? The forgiveness of our sins. Does He qualify that and say that is just our
past sins? No. We have the forgiveness of the sins of our
entire lifetime.
Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image
of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For
by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or
powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And
He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And
He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For
it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and
by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or
things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Jesus is the image of the invisible
God. We become the image of the
invisible Christ when He comes to dwell in us.
Jesus reconciled all things in heaven, referring to God, and all things
on earth, referring to people, together in Himself. He made peace between God and people through
the blood of His cross.
Colossians 1:21-23 “And you, who
once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has
reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to
present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 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.”
How were we alienated and enemies
from God by our wicked works? Paul said
we were alienated in our minds. But
Christ has reconciled us to God by His death on the cross. When we trust in Jesus, He presents us holy
and blameless and above reproach in God’s sight. Then Paul added the conditional “if”. If we do not continue in the faith and are
moved away from the hope of the gospel, we stumble and fall back into an Old
Testament mindset. We then fear
punishment from God in our own thinking, even though Christ has already paid
for our sins. This is not talking about
losing our salvation as some people have taught from this verse. Our salvation is
secure. But if we move back to an Old
Testament mindset, we won’t think that we are holy and blameless and above
reproach in His sight, even though Christ has made us that way. This is what
Jesus referred to as the stony ground.
The person received the gospel gladly and was born again. But persecution or tribulation arose because
of the gospel, and he stumbled or fell away from the word of righteousness by
faith. He fell back to an Old Testament
mindset of law and punishment.
Colossians 1:24-29 “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, 25 of
which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given
to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which
has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to
His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the
riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and
teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving
according to His working which works in me mightily.”
Paul was suffering persecution for
the sake of the gospel, but he held on to the gospel and was not ashamed of
it. He was given a stewardship from God
to fulfill or complete the Word of God.
His revelation of Christ in us was the mystery that Jesus described in
the parable of the sower and the seed.
This mystery was hidden from people in the Old Testament. God did not dwell in the Old Testament
saints; the Spirit of God came upon them but did not dwell in them. God has now revealed this truth to His
people. The core revelation of the New
Testament is Christ in us, the hope of glory.
For Christ to dwell in us, He had to pay for the sins of our entire
lifetime. We are holy and without blame
before God through what Jesus did for us.
We should hold on to the gospel revelation and never fall back to Old
Testament thinking. Praise the Lord!
Keith Oliver
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