O C T O B E R 1 6 / 1 7
THE GOSPEL’S POWER
The power of the gospel frees us from sin and Satan’s control.
K E Y V E R S E
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.
C O L O S S I A N S 1 : 1 3
O U T L I N E
1. More Than Mere Knowledge
2. Greater Than Mere Man
3. Higher Than Mere Religiosity
• The gospel message is not merely for the purpose of information but for the purpose of our transformation.
• Theological liberalism happens when we tell less than the whole message.
• Theological legalism happens when we tell more than the whole message.
• The One who designed and purposed all things and has authority over all things is the One by whom all wisdom, hope, and joy for life are derived and found.
T H I N G S T O K N O W
Sample lesson based on LifeWay Explore the Bible Curriculum Lesson Overview: Colossians 1:1-23
C O L O S S I A N S 1 : 9 - 2 3
SETTING THE STAGE
Welcome to the book of Colossians. This book of the Bible or, perhaps better described, this short letter of the Bible was written by the Apostle Paul to the church of Colossae around AD 60 while he was imprisoned in Rome. To set the stage, the letter of Colossians is unlike Paul’s other letters, not because of its theology or genre or structure, but for unique aspects about its message, audience, and context.
In terms of its message, Colossians features arguably the most comprehensive and elaborate portrayal of the deity of Christ, His supremacy over all things, and His sufficiency for all believers. Even though Colossians is a relatively short letter of only four chapters—the same length of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, which we studied for the past six weeks—it is packed with heavier doctrine per word count than most if not all other books of the Bible.
The reason for Paul’s heavy doctrinal emphasis is because the church was wrestling with false teachers and dangerous ideologies. We are not explicitly told the exact nature of those false teachings or the exact individuals from whom it was coming, but Paul’s overall message is clear—a strong warning about false teachings from both outside and inside in the church. 1 So, Paul’s main objective in the letter was to clarify doctrine, combat heresy, and in doing so, promote faithful Christian living.
In terms of its audience, Colossians also stands unique from Paul’s other works because he was writing to a church that he did not plant and to a people whom he had never met or visited before. Contrary to his letter to Ephesus or Philippi or Rome or Corinth, his letter to Colossae was based entirely on the reports and experience of one of its church leaders (and likely, its original founder), Epaphras (1:7). There are only three separate mentions of Epaphras in Scripture. Still, biblical scholars tell us that Epaphras was a Gentile, native Colossian who heard and believed the gospel at an event where Paul was preaching and teaching in Ephesus. And consequently, he returned home to his hometown to share the gospel and—according to scholarly speculation—plant the very first native church. 2 From there, he became a close “fellow servant” (1:7) to Paul and would occasionally visit him in prison, giving him updates on the life and vibrancy of the church.
Furthermore, in terms of its context, the letter of Colossians occupies a category of its own.
The reason being, the majority of Paul’s letters were written to church congregations of large, metropolitan, thriving port-cities, most notably known for being international, multi-cultural, vibrant, growing, and strategic cities, for example, like Rome, Ephesus, Philippi, and Corinth.
And that’s what makes Paul’s letter to the Colossian church unique: Colossae is a small, land- locked, rural, dying community. Compared to other cities that Paul writes to, Colossae was politically insignificant, culturally thin, and hardly populated. To give a modern equivalent, Colossae was to Rome as Bellville would be to Houston. The letter of Colossians represents an entirely different context. History even tells us that in AD 100—not long after Paul’s own generation—an earthquake devasted the city, and it was not rebuilt. Apparently, even to its modern residents and surrounding inhabitants, it was not worth rebuilding.
COLOSSIANS 1:9-23
Therefore, considering these aspects of Paul’s letter together, such as its exceptionally high doctrinal emphasis, its relatively anonymous audience, and its relatively insignificant context, should make us pause. Why would Paul care so much to write perhaps his greatest work on Christ’s nature to a people he had never met and to a church in a city that was dying? Because the cause of Christ was worth it, because their spiritual vitality was of utmost importance, and because there was nothing more urgent to him.
And as God would have it, even though Paul was writing to the church of Colossians, his letter would one day be used in wide circulation, encouraging churches and believers all over the Roman Empire. And even more so, encouraging churches and believers all over the world, even up to this very day.
INTRODUCTION
Deception is only as effective as the strength of its allure. Homer’s classic, The Odyssey, illustrates this very idea in its famous story about the devious creatures known as “Sirens”—
who Homer describes as shoreline creatures who are half-woman and half-bird and who have incredibly alluring songs which captivate the hearts of men. And that’s precisely where powerful deception begins: the songs are so beautiful, so moving, and so enchanting that it works as a type of bait, reeling its listeners into a slow and painful death. Many ships pass by these shoreline creatures, only to become shipwrecked, capsized, and consumed. The Sirens who sounded so beautiful were no more than ruthless, inhumane creatures.
But as legend would have it, there were two leaders who discovered how to pass by these devious creatures without being allured, ensuring the safety of their crew and guaranteeing further headway with their travels. The first successful leader was a character named Ulysses, whose strategy involved plugging his crew members’ ears full of beeswax to become functionally deaf. The second successful character, Orpheus, took an entirely different approach. Instead of deafening his crew, he defeated the Sirens’ songs himself. Being an incredibly gifted musician, he played his instrument and sang beautifully as their ship passed by the Sirens. And as the crew listened to both the Sirens and to Orpheus, they were not allured by the Sirens—only because Orpheus’ music was comparably more beautiful and exceedingly more captivating than the Sirens’ music.
The same is true of worldviews. 3 Like the crew members, we are easily captivated by what we hear. The question is, however, what is its end? Just as the Siren songs were beautiful and alluring, so to can be the many philosophies and worldviews. Upfront, they sound promising and alluring; on the surface, they are immediately captivating and feel-good and inspiring.
However, just like the Siren songs, they bait us all the way down to destruction, devastation, and death.
In his letter to the Colossian believers, Paul combats false teaching, those ‘Siren songs’ of
heresy that were tempting, alluring, and leading the believers away from the truth. But note,
Paul does not take the ‘Ulysses’ approach by encouraging the Colossian believers to simply
deafen themselves to it. Instead, he takes on the ‘Orpheus’ approach by declaring the glory of Christ to their open ears and letting them hear it themselves. Paul knows nothing is more ineffective than sheltering the church from opposing worldviews, and likewise, nothing is more effective than preaching the gospel clearly, powerfully, and wholly. The gospel alone would be the defeating, expulsive power against the competing worldviews, heresy, and the various ‘Siren’ songs of this present age. Truly, the best defense is a good offense. 4
Paul opens the book of Colossians doing just that; we pick up in verse 9.
1.MORE THAN MERE KNOWLEDGE
COLOSSIANS 1:9-14 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, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Apostle Paul begins deconstructing the ‘Siren’ songs in the Colossae culture by first—not addressing the ‘Siren’ songs themselves—but instead, by spotlighting the glory of the gospel, which is a categorically different worldview altogether. In the following verses, Paul shows us that the truth of Christ is not just a worldview that consists of intellect, knowledge, and wisdom; rather, it is a message that bears upon real life in very real ways. He shows us there are three main attributes to this gospel message.
First, in verse 9, Paul prays for the church to know the whole gospel, “…in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Heresy and false teaching always happen at the point of contention where the whole gospel is not taught and believed. And in Christian circles, it usually takes the form of two different competing ideologies: theological liberalism and theological legalism.
Theological liberalism, on the one hand, happens when less than the whole message of the gospel is preached and believed. This would involve leaving out key doctrines about the divinity of Christ, hell, repentance, sin, or the inerrancy of Scripture. On the other hand, theological legalism happens when more than the whole message of the gospel is preached and believed. This would involve adding more rules and regulations to the gospel message than what is required, such as circumcision, ritual purity, or the like. 5 Although we are unsure of the nature of these false teachings at Colossae, we do know that false teaching always surrounds the issue of not teaching the full, whole message of the gospel—as sufficient on its own accord—not to be subtracted from or added to.
But Paul does not just stop there. A whole, right, and sharp gospel doctrine is not merely
the end unto themselves; this is because a whole, right, and sharp gospel doctrine explicitly
manifests, produces, and pours into certain distinct effects. The very next words of Paul indicate that a whole gospel proves itself in a life wholly affected by it: “…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: …” (v. 10). The Greek word for walk is peripatēsai, which literally means “for the result and purpose of walking.” 6 In other words, right theology flows into right living.
This gospel message is not for the result and purpose of information but for transformation.
And here, Paul shows us exactly what is fully pleasing to God, a right kind of living that reflects the righteousness of His gospel, in the following descriptions. Namely, “…bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (v. 10). It leads to an abundance of the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). And it leads to a greater knowledge of the character of God. In other words, the gospel message functions to provide a framework of who God is, what He is like, and how we can grow into His likeness as a result. When we abide in Him, we will produce fruit, and it will be fruit that will last ( John 15:16).
Second, this passage dovetails the idea of walking, describing what kind of walking this gospel message—if rightly received and believed—ought to bring about in our lives. It does not merely provide a framework for God relating to us and producing fruit through us; it also imparts strength within us. “…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy (v. 11). Paul describes that this message strengthens us throughout life; it does not cripple, weaken, or drain. Instead, it invigorates, energizes, and fuels—for the long-term. In fact, it produces patience and joy in whatever season we might be walking in and walking through, namely, because we are walking with God. Indeed, the gospel message is itself a persevering power.
Third, this gospel message is different from other ‘Siren’ songs because of what it says about our ‘position.’ The gospel gives us a new identity, and it has nothing to do with anything we have done or will do. Paul explains, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 13-14). This reality is anchored in the truest thing about our identity—not who we are for the eight decades or so that we will have on earth, but who we are for the eighty trillion years and more of eternity. This message conveys that we are given a position before God for all eternity through forgiveness; it is not a message that makes our performance the contingency plan for how much forgiveness we may or may not need. This truth makes this a gospel message of eternal hope, assurance, and peace, categorically and experientially distinct from all other ‘Siren’ songs.
2. GREATER THAN MERE MAN
COLOSSIANS 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For
by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is
before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
This message is more than mere knowledge because it is a message rooted not in principle but in a Person. The message of salvation is not powerful because of the way it is manufactured as a concept but because it is manifested in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Paul relates that this
‘whole message’ of the gospel which provides a framework for God, produces fruit that will last, and imparts persevering power against all odds, precisely because it finds its source in the very figure who resides above all things, has always been and will forever be, and purposes all things according to His sovereign plan. Therefore, this message is true and works when it comes to bear on real life. The One who designed and purposed all things and has authority over all things is the One by whom all wisdom, hope, and joy for life are derived and found.
Paul’s emphasis on the person, nature, and work of Jesus Christ is important because it is the foundation and the linchpin that holds all orthodoxy upright. No effective deconstruction, dismissal, and defeat of false teaching would be possible without bringing up the person of Jesus Christ—because it all ultimately hinges upon Him.
In verse 15, for example, Paul argues that Jesus is not simply like God—He is God. Jesus is the literal visible expression of the invisible God. And Jesus was not a creation that became God or became like God—He was before creation ( John 1:1-4). This would combat the ‘Siren’
songs of Gnosticism, which were popular in that day—conveying that the world was created by a lesser divinity, of which Jesus was the emissary. In verse 16, Paul expounds upon this idea:
Jesus was not only uncreated; He actually did all the creating Himself. And therefore, if He is the Creator, then He is the one to whom it all belongs, and all of its purposes find its origin and design. In Christ, this theology effectively draws a line definitively against Pantheism, which is the idea that God is in everything, and everything is God. Jesus as Creator means He Himself is not a creation, and it also means creation has its own distinctiveness as well as not being God.
In verses 17 and 18, Paul also describes that Jesus is the resurrected Lord who is the head of the church—the One who brings us resurrection. Indeed, Jesus is not the Savior and Redeemer for everyone, but only to those who believe and trust Him. This emphasis on salvation draws a line distinctly from other modern-day heresies, like Universalism, which teaches that salvation is available for all people—whatever they believe and whoever they trust. Heresies like it espouse that there is no heaven, no hell, and therefore, nothing to be resurrected from or to.
Finally, Paul details in verse 19 that Jesus is not merely transcendent over creation but also
descendent in creation. He is both God and man, and His purpose as the God-man is to
reconcile heaven and earth into a perfect consummation forever. This means this gospel
message is different than Islam because peace is accomplished through the cross. It is different
from Buddhism because the goal is not to escape the natural world through transcendence
but to embrace it through ultimate restoration. And it is different than Hinduism because the ultimate goal is not karma or reincarnation, but unity with Christ and resurrection once and for all.
Paul staves off the ‘Siren’ sounds of false teaching by proclaiming the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ over all things. His doctrine is sharp—and it serves to create clarity between that which is true and false, good and evil, right and wrong. But that is not all a high Christology accomplishes. It also accomplishes what no other religion can: eternal assurance.
3. BETTER THAN MERE RELIGIOSITY
COLOSSIANS 12:5-23 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Paul’s final word of exhortation about the uniqueness of this gospel message—as opposed to all other false teachings—is that it gives eternal assurance to those who cling to Christ, and with it, a deep sense of hope and peace. Paul explains that Jesus reconciled us through the cross so that He might present us “holy and blameless and above reproach before God” – something no other religion or perspective promises (v. 22). And therefore, if we are clothed with perfect righteousness and holiness, then we will be accepted by God because of Christ.
It is not our degree of religiosity or degree of faith that saves us; it is the righteousness of Jesus to which we cling.
Paul indicates that genuine faith is one that perseveres; it does not cease depending upon Jesus as our hope. This, of course, is much more life-giving and peace-bringing than depending upon ourselves as our hope for eternal security and assurance. Otherwise, we will go through life with all sorts of anxiety, despair, and depression—inevitably at the base of all moral motivations and efforts. It is a weight that is too heavy to shoulder, and we will not persevere if that is the case. In Christ, however, we can have a stable and steadfast peace—because our eternal security is as sure as His position at the right hand of God: immoveable. 7
This gospel message is better than religiosity because the burden of our eternity no longer falls ultimately on our own righteousness or lack thereof. It falls on Christ, and if we are in Christ, then our eternal assurance already resides in heaven. Truly, our righteousness is
‘alien’—not of this world and not of us. But as a result, it enables us to have assurance in
something that can never be shaken, never change, and never be subject to circumstance.
CONCLUSION
Let the ‘Siren’ songs ring loudly, which they do in our culture. As believers, we do not need to fear other worldviews, teachings, or ideologies contrary to Christ. In fact, we need to listen to them and hear them along with ears and hearts saturated with the Word of God. The better tune will win our hearts’ affections—not necessarily the louder, softer, or more popular. It will be a message that does not fade or falter with the fads. It will be a message that is never changing, and that lasts forever. Listen to all messages, and then check each one’s framework and fruit, position, and power in light of the gospel. The foundational principle will tell the whole truth. For us, it is the Person, Jesus Christ.
In John 8:31-32 Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
© 2021 by Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas 6400 Woodway Drive, Houston, TX 77057-1699. All rights reserved.
1
Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and Philemon (PNTC), Eerdmans Publishing, 2008, p. 47.
2
https://www.gotquestions.org/Epaphras-in-the-Bible.html.
3
Analogy was taken from Holman New Testament Commentary – Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, but rewritten in
my own words, taking different angles of approach.
4
Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and Philemon (PNTC), p. 47.
5
This idea on heresy, described in the form of ‘theological liberalism’ and ‘theological legalism’ was inspired from pastor Kyle
Mercer, who is the lead teaching pastor at Two Cities Church in Winston-Salem, NC, particularly from his message “Stewardship
& Servanthood” preached on August 29, 2021.
6
Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and Philemon (PNTC).
7