Ian & Jocelyn Barker

Not only is He the head of all creation, but He is the head of the new creation (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). He is described as being “the head of the body, the church.” He is the head “Apostle” (Heb. 3:2) and the supreme authority over His body, and in Him the Church is sustained and held together. The Church is empowered and unified in Him alone (cf. Jn. 14:12; 17:22; Rom. 15:5; Eph. 4:13). The destiny of the Church is glorious and sure because He is the captain of our salvation whose leadership is perfect (cf. Eph. 5:27; Heb. 2:10). |inline

In verses 16 and 17, Jesus is described as the agent of creation and the sustainer of creation. His role in creation is signified by the use of the phrases “by Him”, “through Him”, and “for Him”. The assertion that He created the heavens and the earth backs up the validity of His titles in verse 15. |inline

After thanking God for them (1:3-8), and praying for them (1:9-14), Paul begins to exalt Jesus in a hymn that continues on from verses 12-14. This portion of Scripture (1:15-20), is one of the high points of Christology in the New Testament. Sven Soderlund writes, “In [Paul's] letters theology is born in and flows out of prayer and often returns to prayer.” |inline

In the beginning of verse 12, Paul prayed that the the knowledge of His will would lead them into thanking the Father. Believers are to thank the Father because He 1) gave us an inheritance (1:12b), 2) rescued us from darkness (1:13a), and 3) brought us into the Kingdom of His Son (1:13b-14). |inline

Knowing His will and purpose enables us to be “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy” (1:11). Looking forward to His plan to bring all things under His Son and bring us into glory (3:3), gives us strength as we wait for the fullness of His coming Kingdom. |inline

Paul continues, “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (1:10). The words “wisdom” and “understanding” of verse 9, are used by Paul to show that the knowledge of His will is to guide our Christian walk of obedience. |inline

Many Jews believed that understanding God’s will came from knowing the Law (Rom. 2:18; 10:2). It was the goal of all Jews to follow the Law of the Lord in obedience. David wrote, “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Ps. 40:8). But David also prayed, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness” (143:10). |inline

In Paul’s thought, God’s “will” speaks of the desires of God’s heart and His purposes in redemption. As believers, we have been predestined into adoption as sons “according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:5, 11). In Colossians, he writes, “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself” (1:19-20). |inline

After his opening greeting and thanksgiving, Paul prays for them. This prayer flows from his thanksgiving, as it often does, and continues afterwards with exuberant praise (1:13-20). The flow of thanksgiving, prayer, and worship, is so subtle that it is sometimes hard to see if he is praying, thanking, or praising. The fact that it is a 262-word sentence in the Greek certainly adds to this effect! He prays that they would have the knowledge of His will. |inline

In a parable that Jesus spoke, He pictured a seed as the gospel, and soil as the heart and life of a person. Four seeds are sown, and the growth of each seed is different because of the quality of soil. One seed is able to grow because it is sown into good soil. Jesus says, “he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces” (Matt. 13:23).

In Colossae, the gospel has been “constantly bearing fruit and increasing” (1:6). The fruit that has been produced by the gospel is faith in Christ and a love for the saints (1:4). This increase of godly character has strengthened their testimony to unbelievers. F.F. Bruce writes, “The message of the gospel, which was producing the vigorous and ever multiplying fruit of the Christian life and testimony at Colossae, was doing the same, it is said, throughout the world” (1:6). It is good to remember that the Christian faith is universal and experienced by many different people with different understandings and expressions. Pausing to consider its global impact gives us a greater appreciation for its power and lets us feel part of a community comprised “of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues” (Rev. 7:9).

Paul and Timothy have been informed of their “love in the Spirit” (1:8) from Epaphras. He was an evangelist and minister who is highly spoken of by Paul and they may have shared imprisonment together. Paul trusted and respected him for he had effectively taught them the gospel. He had informed them of the love that the Colossian believers had, but also of some of the dangers in the city. Paul will address the dangers further on in his letter (2:6-23), but presently focusses on the fruit of love that is seen in them.