This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Jesus Christ, Our Lord – Praying for Knowledge of the Truth Colossians 1:1-14

Last week, we finished the letter of 2 Peter with Four Strong Commands, which were: Be diligent (3:14), Be confident (3:15-16), Be on guard (3:17), Be fruitful (3:18).

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[b]

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[d] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The theme of Colossians is that Jesus Christ is sufficient as our Lord, our Life, and our Leader.

In the small, newly established church in Colossae, false teachers were trying to take advantage of the believers’ spiritual youth and ignorance. Whatever the spiritual disease brought by these teachers—worldly philosophy, pagan mysticism, Jewish legalism, or pious asceticism—the cure was the same: knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ and acceptance of His sufficiency for all things.

—1:1–2—

We can’t be sure whether this mention of Timothy indicates that the epistle was in some sense coauthored by him |or that Timothy served as Paul’s scribe or secretary. Parts of the letter are written in the first-person plural (“we”), suggesting that Paul and Timothy both expressed those sentiments (see Col. 1:3–12). However, the letter abruptly switches in 1:23 when Paul says, “I, Paul.” From that point on, when employing the first person, the letter primarily uses the singular form (see 1:23–29; 2:1–5; 4:7–18). Regardless of Timothy’s involvement in writing and sending this epistle, the primary authority was clearly the apostle Paul.

The recipients of the letter were “To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ” (1:2). Though they were almost one thousand miles away as the crow flies, the bond they enjoyed through the Holy Spirit made Paul and the Colossians members of the same spiritual family. They shared the same Father and were brothers and sisters in Christ. As such, Paul felt obligated to aid their spiritual well-being. How easy it would have been for him to think, “Colossae? Never even been there! If they’re having problems, it’s not my responsibility. That’s Epaphras’s and Philemon’s baby! They need to deal with it.” Instead, he went out of his way to intervene for the spiritual health of people he knew only by proxy.

The phrase “grace and peace to you” (1:2) was particularly appropriate, though it was Paul’s standard salutation. The grace he was extending to the Colossians through his letter and his desire for their peace made this not merely a meaningless phrase, like a flippant “God bless you” after somebody sneezes. Even though he hadn’t met them face-to-face, Paul genuinely desired grace and peace for his readers.

—1:3–8—

Paul’s authentic care and concern for the Colossians is clearly seen in the prayer of thanksgiving in 1:3–8. Paul hadn’t even met the people for whom he was praying, but he was thankful for them because of what he had heard.|By the next chapter, Paul would sharpen his tone, pointing out some areas of grave concern and calling the Colossians to get back to the straight and narrow path. But he expresses his gratitude and praise for them at the beginning of his letter and sets a positive tone. For an audience that knows him only as “an apostle,” his prayer of heartfelt thanksgiving for them is intended to disarm them with grace.

Though Paul didn’t know the Colossians personally, he knew what all believers need: |growth and strength in what theologians often call the “theological virtues” of faith, love, and hope. These three pillars of the Christian life are fundamental, and Paul expresses his thankfulness to God that the Colossians are not lacking in these essentials. Faith is mentioned first in the trio because the Christian life begins with faith (Eph. 2:8–9), and without it, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).

From the fountainhead of faith flows love.

Once the Holy Spirit enters our hearts, love wells up—love for God and others. In Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, love comes first. Paul notes that he had heard of the Colossians ‘ “love you have for all God’s people”—(Col. 1:4). These believers demonstrated a God-given capacity for unconditional love. Then Paul mentions hope (1:5). Though this is a future, heavenly hope, it doesn’t distract believers from trusting God and loving others in the here and now. Quite the opposite! Our assurance of heavenly reward inspires us to greater faith and love.

Faith looks back to the anchor of salvation->Jesus Christ’s person and work.| Love looks around, building up the body of Christ through selfless service toward one another by the power of the Spirit. |Hope looks ahead to the unalterable promise of God the Father, that He will one day usher us into His presence. These inseparable theological virtues form the bedrock upon which everything else in the Christian life rests. When our lives are anchored by faith in Jesus Christ, a love for God and others comes naturally, resulting in harmony and unity. Faith and love point to and are strengthened by a confident hope that will get us through life’s recurring trials and struggles.

Second, Paul says the gospel is bearing fruit and increasing throughout the world (Col. 1:6). The ministry of Epaphras to the Colossians was just one example of many missionary efforts by which men and women were sharing their faith with a lost world. A closer look at this verse suggests that the Colossians themselves may have been involved in passing on the faith to those around them. The phrase “just as it has been doing” refers to the gospel bearing fruit and increasing in the world. The phrase translated “among you” could mean emphasizing the fruitfulness of the gospel’s work in transforming the Colossians’ lives. But it can also be translated “by you,” highlighting the Colossian believers’ involvement in spreading the gospel throughout the world. If this latter sense is intended, then Paul was commending the Colossians for not bottling up the good news they had received; instead, they were proclaiming it to those around them.

Third, Paul indicates that the gospel was transforming their lives (1:6, 8). The gospel was not simply received and passed on. From the moment they “understood” the grace of “God’s truth”—(1:6), the Spirit began working in the lives of the Colossians to produce love (1:8). The word for “love” (agapē) is not simply about warm feelings or kind regard for others. It refers to self-sacrificial, generous love. Paul had learned of the magnitude of the Colossians’ love from Epaphras, who was so impressed by the transforming work of the gospel in their lives that it was a highlight of his report to Paul.

—1:9–14—

In response, Paul prays earnestly and continually for the believers in Colossae, that they would be filled with true knowledge, wisdom, and understanding (Col. 1:9). It’s interesting to note that the word Paul uses here for the “knowledge” of God’s will is not mere intellectual or speculative knowledge. He uses the modified term epignōsis, which some commentators interpret as an intensification of the word gnōsis. We might translate epignōsis as “full” knowledge “-or-” complete “knowledge.” Paul prays that they will be “filled” with knowledge of “His” will—(1:9) and growing in the knowledge of God (1:10). I can’t help but think that Paul’s use of this term so prominently here was meant to rescue the Christian concept of knowledge away from the know-it-all false teachers who were trying to twist the term for their own purposes.

The full knowledge of God’s will for which Paul prayed was not just information but “all” spiritual wisdom and understanding—(1:9). This finds its source in God through Jesus Christ, who is sufficient for all things. And it is given to believers not simply to inform but to transform them.

In 1:10, Paul outlines three results of receiving this knowledge of God’s will. First, the way we live will honor and please the Lord so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: Everything we think, say, and do will be in pursuit of God’s glory.

Second, the result of true knowledge, wisdom, and understanding is that our lives will produce healthy fruit: bearing fruit in every good work again, we should think of the theological virtues of faith, love, and hope (1:4–5) and the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23 (see also 2 Pet. 1:5–8).

Third, the result is that we will continue to grow deeper in our knowledge of God. Because Christians enjoy a personal relationship with God, our potential knowledge of Him is infinitely deep. We can never cease growing in our knowledge of and relationship with God. Having prayed for their complete knowledge, Paul next prays for the Colossians’ spiritual strength (Col. 1:11–12). He has just mentioned honoring and pleasing the Lord through lives marked by spiritual fruit and deeper spiritual growth (1:10). Now, he reminds his readers that God is the source of the true spiritual power that fosters that growth. We depend on Him alone for everything.  Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience (1:11).

The word hypomonē, translated as “endurance and patience,” refers to “the capacity to hold out or bear up in the face of difficulty.” It emphasizes persevering strength exhibited through triumphing in adverse situations. The word rendered “patience,” makrothymia, suggests inner resolve or mental and emotional fortitude, the “state of remaining tranquil while awaiting an outcome.” Anybody who has faced challenges against all odds or encountered people who are impossible to please knows how desperately we need these God-given strengths. Paul knew that the Colossians needed this kind of heavenly strength to be shielded from the flurry of false teachings challenging their faith in the sufficiency of Christ.

When God gives this kind of miraculous inner resolve and persevering strength, the result is joyful thanksgiving—not for the pain, suffering, trials, and tribulations we are enduring, but for the firm hope that God has “qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” (1:12).

This hope of future glory is firm because it’s already accomplished in Christ! In 1:13–14, Paul connects our future deliverance to the past and present. He doesn’t say that one day, in the sweet by and by, we may find ourselves in God’s kingdom. He says we were “rescued” (past tense) from the dark domain of depravity and death in which we were born and “Brought us” (past tense) into the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ (1:13). This transference of citizenship is a done deal. Because of that, we “have redemption” (present tense), which Paul defines as “the forgiveness of sins” (1:14). In this opening prayer in Colossians, we see a fascinating relationship between past, present, and future. Because of what He has done in His death and resurrection, the price has been paid to redeem us and forgive us of our sins. Each of us who has trusted in Christ alone for salvation has received this deliverance and transference from darkness to light, from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of Christ. Thus, our heavenly citizenship has been fully conferred on us, though we currently reside as aliens during this temporary age. In Philippians 3:20, Paul underscores this relationship between our present state and future hope: But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Application: COLOSSIANS 1:1–14

Let Us Pray

Paul didn’t know the Colossians personally, but that didn’t stop him from praying for them faithfully and specifically. I suggest that Paul’s prayer for those brothers and sisters in Christ in that small town of Colossae, with whom he was not yet acquainted, provides a model for us to remember and emulate. Even when we know people well and are deeply familiar with their struggles and needs, we should drop to our knees on behalf of them.

Like Paul, let’s be faithful in our prayers. We should lift up one another continually. Let’s not wait around for a text message, e-mail, or Sunday school announcement listing a person’s conflicts, anxieties, needs, or pains. We can pray for people we know or don’t know, even if we do not know their every struggle. In other words, we don’t need to wait to learn about every ache and pain to be faithful in prayer. We don’t need to have a detailed description of every financial hardship or relational difficulty to intercede on behalf of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We can pray faithfully and continually for anyone.

And like Paul, we should be specific in our prayers for others. This may seem like a contradiction of the first point. How can we pray for specifics if we don’t wait for a list of prayer requests? I mean this: We should pray specifically for things Scripture itself emphasizes as needs common to all believers. We can do more than bow our heads, close our eyes, and say, “God, be with Joanne and Bob. And help Mary and Joe.” “Being with” and “helping” can be pretty vague. The prayer of Colossians 1 shows that we can be specific even for people we don’t know. It gives us insight into some very specific things everybody needs.

Pray for knowledge, specifically praying that they would discern His will, that they would stay faithful to the truth, and that they would have critical minds to handle deceptive, false teachings. Also, ask the Lord to grant them deeper wisdom and spiritual understanding to handle skillfully whatever tests and challenges come their way.

Pray for God-honoring lives, specifically praying that they would know and do what pleases Him. Ask that they would yield to the Spirit’s inner work to produce quality spiritual fruit, and that they would continually grow in faith, love, and hope.

Pray for strength, specifically praying that they would have an attitude of inner patience and would exhibit endurance. Pray that the Lord would grant them joyful fortitude and the ability to hold up under trying circumstances and rejoice even in the most frustrating adversity.

Now, to drive this application home, think about a person you know at church, at work, at school, or in your extended family. Pray for that person, whether they are a believer or an unbeliever. Invest time going through the things I’ve mentioned—the essentials of spiritual victory drawn from Colossians 1:1–14. Intercede for that person daily over the next several weeks. As you do, know that you are praying according to God’s will and that God delights in imparting things that can only come from Him: true knowledge, real holiness, and abiding strength.

Next week, we will continue our series in the letter to the Colossians. The first section is Jesus Christ, Our Lord, and the message is titled ‘Crowning Christ as Lord of All.’ Invest time reading Colossians 1:15-23 for next week’s message.