The NASB, RSV, and KJV say, "To the saints..." In Greek the word ‘saints’ is γιος, hagios, which means "holy ones," or those set apart to glorify Him. This is significant because it is how the Christian is seen -- as holy. The Christian is holy because of the blood of Jesus Christ and being justified by faith (Rom. 5:1). We belong to the Lord Jesus, have been bought with a price, and are called to do God’s will. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Pet. 2:9).

Grace is God’s spontaneous and unmerited favor in action. It cannot be earned.

Peace is the result of God’s grace that is freely bestowed upon those whom He loves -- those whom have received reconciliation through the blood of Jesus.

When the grace of God works in a person, the Holy Spirit is powerfully active. This work of Grace and the Spirit results in fruit.

With Paul, thanksgiving and prayer, are often united: "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy" (Phil. 1:3-4). And, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God," (Phil. 4:6).

Jesus is the Son by nature. We are children by adoption. Jesus has the right to call God "my Father" (Matt. 26:39, 42) and make the claim  "The Father and I are one," (John 10:30).

Notice the work of grace in verses 3 - 5:  Thankfulness, intercessory prayer, faith, and love (vv. 3-5).

Apparently, the faith of the Colossians was strong enough that the grace of God was evident in them; hence, Paul had heard of their faith as it spread throughout the land — this is a great witness and testimony.

Faith is always operating through love: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love,"  (Gal. 5:6).

To faith and love Paul adds hope. This is a familiar triad with Him. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love," (1 Cor. 13:13).

Faith, hope, and love have their source in heaven.

What is this hope that is stored in heaven? First of all, Christian hope is not mere wishing. It is a fervent yearning, confident expectation, and patient waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises. It is a Christ centered assurance.  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," (1 Pet 1:3).

Second, the hope is spoken of in different terms throughout the New Testament:

"...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light," (Col. 1:12).

"and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -- kept in heaven for you," (1 Pet. 1:4).

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us," (Rom. 8:18).

"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth," (Heb. 11:13).

The Bible does not really describe exactly what is in store for us in heaven. However, we will be in the presence of the Lord Jesus, in our new resurrected bodies, and without the temptation to commit sin.

The gospel message, which is defined in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, bears fruit. Because of the nature of the message, fruit must be born. The gospel message is about Jesus, of which the entire Bible is also about (John 5:39); it is powerful for salvation (Rom. 1:16), and is the very word of God which will not come back empty without accomplishing what God wishes it to (Isaiah 55:11).

Since the gospel message is the root of all hope, a pure and holy root, it is only natural that holy fruit -- salvation and sanctification -- would come forth.

Salvation is the initial conversion, the initial regeneration that occurs in the soul of the new believer. Sanctification is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus in character as we encounter life with all its hardships, rewards, and variations.

It is the second kind of fruit that is probably being spoken of here, the kind where the Colossians were becoming more Christlike.

Are you bearing fruit in the gospel? Are you witnessing? Is there some way that you are sharing your faith with someone?

  2 Cor. 3:2, "You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men."

Love is the most important fruit of the Spirit: See Col. 3:14 and Eph. 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

In the Greek, this verse is the beginning of a 106 word sentence. It spans from here to verse 20. It is translated into the English into 218 words.

"Beginning at verse 15, and continuing through verse 20, Christ’s Pre-eminence is set forth." (Hendrikson)

For what reason? For all the evidences of God’s grace in the lives of the Colossians described in verses 3-8.

The first petition is to know the will of God. It is foolish to try to serve God without knowing His will. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will," (Romans 12:2).

How do you discover the will of God for you? You need to attend church. You need to obey the word of God. And, you need to pray -- see the next verse.

Paul was a firm believer in prayer. He states that living a life worthy of the Lord is connected with prayer.

In order to pleas God in every way, we must pray. This means that we must ask to discover His will for us. Sometimes, Christians do not pray enough and when they do pray that ask for too little. The Lord wants us to seek Him out, regularly, fervently, and specifically.

To live a life that is worthy of the Lord is to bear fruit. What kind of fruit is he speaking of? See Gal. 5:22.

Paul gives high regard to bearing fruit in every good work.

Verse 10 should be our daily prayer. Life a life worthy of the Lord; please Him in every way, bear fruit, grow in the knowledge of God.

Continuing in Paul’s "lesson on prayer" he stresses being strengthened with power. This power is from the Holy Spirit; that is why it is according to His glorious might. Only with the power of the Spirit can you have endurance, patience, and joyfully give thanks to the Father through thick and thin.

We cannot accomplish the words of verse 10 without the power of God spoken of in this verse.

And we need that power from God because we need to have endurance and patience in the fields of life where true fruit of the gospel is born.

The Colossians were Gentiles.  But it was the Jews who had the revelation of God. They knew God’s law, His name, His will, etc. They were His people. "He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the LORD," (Psalm 147:19-20, NIV). So, Paul, a Jew, is assuring the Colossians that they too share in the inheritance promised (mentioned in verses 13-14) through the word of God found in the O.T.

The inheritance of the saints is guaranteed by the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14) and can "never perish, spoil or fade" (1 Pet. 1:3-5).

Eph. 1:13-14, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own  possession, to the praise of His glory."

1 Pet. 1:3-5, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

On the day of judgment Jesus will say, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world," (Matt. 25:34).

Verses 13 and 14 summarizes God’s work of redemption.

Where we were, as unbelievers, being ruled by the powers of darkness, we were going about doing the will of the evil one.  But now, by God’s grace, we have been moved into the kingdom of light, into the kingdom of the Son.

We have the H.S. living in us.

Jesus is the King of the Kingdom.

Jesus' three offices.  As Prophet He is the mouthpiece of God and represents God to man. As Priest He represents man to God and restores fellowship between them by offering Himself as the sacrifice that removed the sin of those saved. As King He rules over His kingdom. By virtue of Christ creating all things, He has the right to rule.

Jesus is the image, the material representation of God.  Heb. 1:3 says, "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,"

Anyone who saw Christ, the visible manifestation of the invisible God, has thereby seen God indirectly.

Firstborn, this does not mean that He is the first created thing. There is a Greek work for "first created" (protoktizo) and it is not used here. Instead, the word for first born is used, prototokos.

In the biblical context, "first born" means several things:

1.  It can mean the first one born in a family;

2.  It can mean the one who was  pre-eminent, and it naturally held by the eldest son in a family. If there were no sons, then the eldest daughter took the position.  In Psalm 89:20, 27 it says, "I have found David My servant; with My holy oil I have anointed him...I also shall make him My first-born."

3.  Firstborn title is transferrable:  Gen. 41:51-52, "And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh: For, said he, God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." Jer. 31:9, "...for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn."

Jesus, as God’ Son, was God’s agent in creation and hence has authority over all created things.

He preceded the whole Creation, and He is Sovereign over all Creation.

This is one of the most profound scriptures in the book of Colossians. Here it is stated that Jesus is the creator of all that exists.

Jesus is called the creator. That is for God alone...yet it is applied to Jesus.

Isaiah 44:24, "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone."

John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."

The Jehovah's Witnesses add the word "other" four times in the text in their so called New World Translation.  Their text says, "because by means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities.  All [other] things have been created through him and for him.  Also he is before all [other] things and by means of him all [other] things were made to exist."

The Jehovah's Witnesses put brackets around the word other to signify it is not in the original text.  This is an obvious attempt to alter the original meaning to suit their false theology.  Furthermore, there are two words in Greek for "other".  'allos' means another of the same kind and 'heteros' means another of a different kind.  Neither one is used in the original Greek.

Paul is clearly trying to show that Jesus is preeminent, the creator, and divine.

The atom consists of proton, neutron, and electron. The nucleus is a group of protons and neutrons with the electrons circling. The protons are positively charged and the electrons are negatively charged. The neutrons have no charge. According to the known laws of physics, the nucleus of every atom should not exist. This is because like charges repel each other.

Yet here in Colossians Paul states that it is by Jesus the firstborn that all things are held together.

The idea of the church being the body of Christ is a familiar theme in the Bible. It is found in Eph. 1:22-23 "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Also Eph. 4:15; Col. 2:19;

In 1 Cor. 10-12 Paul speaks of us all being parts of the body of Christ. But in those verses he is speaking of the peoples' relationship to each other. Here in Colossians he is speaking of Jesus' relationship to the church.

Jesus is the beginning. The word "beginning" arche, can mean supremacy in rank, precedence in time or creative initiative.  This reflects the title of 'firstborn' of verse 15.

The church cannot function with out Jesus and you cannot function spiritually without being connected to Him too.

All Churches have replaced Christ with their tradition, their legalism, or their "new prophets" are not functioning under the power and the Spirit of God.  Rather, they're working in their own strength and will always lead to destruction.

The image of one body means that there is one church. The church is a whole, the invisible church. It is all who proclaim the true Jesus as savior in true saving faith.

The Father was pleased at the incarnation of the Word.

Paul is directly contradicting the Gnostic error that was developing in the region. Gnosticism taught that God could not become flesh. That is why Paul uses the word "fullness" when describing Jesus having God dwell in Him.  In other words, "the word became flesh and dwelt among us," (John 1:14)

Though all things hold together in Christ, yet there is still disharmony in creation due to the effects of sin.

Reconciliation properly applies not to good relations in general but to the removal enmity. The way to reconciliation lies through an effective grappling with the root cause of the enmity. Christ died to put away our sin. In this way he dealt with the enmity between man and God. He put it out of the way. He made the way wide open for men to come back to God.

Enmity means hostility, hatred, antagonism.  Eph. 2:14-16 says, "For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, ¹⁵ by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, ¹⁶ and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity."

The remarkable transformation: The attitude of God toward the believer is changed.  There is no longer this hostility between God and man because of our breaking the law of God.

There was hostility between man and God because we have offended him by breaking his law. But, the Christian is no longer an enemy of God, no longer at odds with Him; rather, God is no longer at odds with the person who has become a Christian.

Again, a refutation of the belief that Jesus is not God in flesh.

Also, it could be that Paul was addressing the issue of Docetism, the belief that Jesus only appeared to be physical.

Jesus presents you holy to the Father. You possess Jesus' righteousness.

We  are presented holy before God because of the imputed righteousness of Christ to ourselves.  It is through the physical death of Christ on the cross where he bore our sins in his body (1 Peter 2:24).

Firmness of the faith is the result of true reconciliation.

Assurance, confidence.

False teachers are everywhere.  We must make sure that we are not deceived by studying the Bible.

The Gospel:  1 Cor. 15:1-4, "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. ³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

2 Cor. 3:2, "You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men."

Every creature: does this mean cats and dogs also? This is obviously hyperbole.

How many of us rejoice in our sufferings? Suffering is not pleasant. It is not something to be looked forward to. However, suffering for Christ is a privilege that God rewards with peace — when we keep our eyes on Him.

Have you been persecuted for Christ’s sake? What was it like? Did you feel the comfort of the Sprit?

What had Paul suffered? Shipwreck, beatings, stoning, prison, rejection from his people.

How can anything be lacking in Christ’s afflictions? Paula was not speaking about the requirements for salvation.  He was speaking about the Christian service and future works that would be accomplished in the name of Christ.

The word affliction (thlipsis) is never used in the New Testament of Christ’s death.  "It means distress, or trouble. (which Paul had plenty of; 2 Cor. 11:23-29). Ordinarily it refers to trials in life, not the pains of death. Christ does indeed continue to suffer when Christians suffer for Him," (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

Remember, Jesus approached Paul in Acts 9:4 and asked him, "Why do you persecute Me?"  This is the type of affliction that is spoken referenced.

Paul a servant of the gospel via the commission, the appointment of Christ calling him into a apostleship. Paul knew the power and depth of the gospel in fullness and was qualified and ordained by the Lord to present the truth to the Colossians, and thereby to us.

The mystery is reconciliation by Christ of both Jews and Gentiles to God in one body.

The mystery is that both Jew and Gentile would be redeemed by the same Messiah. The old testament spoke nothing of the church. The church is the body of Christ, indwelt by the holy spirit. The church is the blood bought possession of God. It was this mystery that was hidden in the Old Testament is now perfectly revealed in the new testament to the person of Jesus Christ. But, we must not make the mistake of assuming that the salvation of the Gentiles was unheard of in the Old Testament. This was clearly taught in Genesis 12:3 which is where God says that in Abraham, all the nations of the earth shall been blessed. This verse as quoted by Paul in Galatians 3:8 and he refers to it as the gospel.

It was to the Christian believers that God chose to make known the mystery. That is, he made it known by including them in the covenant faithfulness of God as spoken to Abraham and Genesis 12:3.

The riches of this mystery is redemption and ultimately the teaching that our justification before God is not through works, but by faith. Furthermore, we look to the future in the hope based in Christ's work and promise that he would return. Our resurrection is guaranteed because of the resurrection of Christ. Our glorification is guaranteed because of the glory of Christ.

Paul was admonishing the Colossians teaching them about Christ. It is important to know who Christ is doctrinally so that we can properly ascertain how to worship him, how to love him, how to follow him, and so that we might not be deceived by false teachings. With proper understanding, we have proper behavior and the combination of the two helps to present is perfect in Christ. Of course, we are already perfect in Christ because of his work given to us.

As a true disciple, he loved them and wanted them to be united in love.

This unity and love is based on a true knowledge of Jesus. All true knowledge is Christocentric. That is, all that you perceive around you is best understood in light of Jesus.

Jesus created the universe (Col. 1:15-17). He sustains it (Heb. 1:3). He is Lord of all.

In that knowledge of Him, there is safety. You know Him and you know that He is the creator.  You know that he is the sustainer not only of all creation, but of you as well.

As a church, are you knit together in love or are there divisions among you?

Paul does not want to Colossians to be deceived by clever sounding arguments.  Of course, the only way to avoid this is to know your Scriptures, know your doctrine, and know the person of Christ in truth.

"persuasive arguments" might be dealing with the issue of allowing women to be pastors and elders, allowing homosexuals to be pastors, that homosexuals can be ordained, or that Christ has already returned, or that we are supposed to be healthy and wealthy as Christians, etc.

We need to be very careful when hearing fine sounding arguments because we do not want our fellowship with Christ to be hindered.

Believe it or not, some new age groups use this verse to support astral projection by citing the term "absent in body".  Of course, Paul is not speaking about astral projection.  He is speaking about how he desires to be with them, that his heart is with them.

Paul further states that he desires that they be anchored in Christ and be stable in the teachings of Jesus as well as the doctrines concerning who he is.

Verses six and seven conclude what was spoken in the previous verses.  Paul therefore tells us that we should walk in Jesus because we have received Jesus.  In other words, we behave according to how we believe.  If we have received Christ, we have done so because we have believed and trusted in his atoning work and that he has delivered us from sin.  Therefore, we should walk accordingly.

We are able to walk with Christ because we are firmly rooted in him and are being built up in him.  That is, we are learning and growing in a relationship with Jesus.

1 Cor. 1:9 is where God calls us into fellowship with Jesus.  It is in the heart of our relationship with Christ that we should manifest an overflowing gratitude and dedication to him.

Paul of course is concerned that false teachers would take captive the minds and hearts of people through the false teachings found in philosophy, empty deception, the traditions of men, and the elementary principles of the world.

Philosophy means “love of wisdom.” But if you love a wisdom or teaching that is not of Christ, then you love an empty idol.

Catholicism is a good example of this with its empty philosophies of men that advocate unbiblical doctrines such as purgatory, penance, the mass, veneration of Mary, etc. These things are not based on Christ, on the Word of God.

My brother went to college and attended a philosophy class. He was taught enough human philosophy that he lost his faith in Christ.

When I was in college in a philosophy class, the teacher directly stated that Jesus was not God in flesh and that the Bible could not be trusted. They attack Christianity.

Do you have anything that you adhere to that is not based on or shaped by the word of God?

Philosophies of men: evolution; morality is relative; homosexuality is okay; take care of yourself first; etc.

If you do, then your life is being dragged down to the level of human kind.

It is God who says to love your neighbor as yourself, to give your life for another, to be sacrificial in your loving and giving.

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It is a common verse to show that Jesus is God in flesh and it is one I frequently use to refute various cults who deny that Jesus is God.

The word "deity" occurs only here in the entire text of the New Testament.  Paul is attributing to Christ a uniqueness:  divinity.

Such was the heresy at Colosae. The gnostics were teaching that Jesus was not God in flesh. They taught that He was merely an angel who appeared to us — much like the Jehovah’s Witnesses of today.

To this, Paul uses the Greek word “pleroma”, fullness, to state that the very quality and nature of God dwells in Jesus in bodily form.

Only in Jesus can you have the fullness of life.

Everything that we have and need is in Christ.  In him we aren't complete.

This completeness is coupled with a statement that Christ is the head over all rule and authority.  This is interesting in that it demonstrates Christ's superiority over all things.  Therefore, since we are complete in Christ and he is the head over all rule and authority, we need to look to him alone for all of our spiritual needs.

Paul speaks of a spiritual circumcision, a circumcision done by Christ, not by people.

Circumcision represented the Law in the Old Testament it was a covenant sign.  Gen. 17:10, "This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised."  But, the Christian is not under the law. The Christian has died to the law:  Rom. 7:6, "But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter."

Col. 3:3, "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

Rom. 2:29, "But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God."

It involved the shedding of blood and was, in a sense, representative of the true covenant of Christ's blood that was then future. This removal of the body of flesh speaks of our sinful nature.

In Adam, all died, but in Christ, also are made alive ( 1 Cor. 15:22). Because we are in Christ, we are seen as having our sinful natures done away with. Though, we know it is not yet fully accomplished, it is something that is guaranteed. This is hinted at in Rom. 8:30, "and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."   

Notice that each of these verbs are in the past tense.  Further notice that the last verb, "glorified" is also in the past tense.  Our glorification, our resurrection, is not yet accomplished but is viewed as already having happened.  This is how sure it is in Christ.

Notice the phrase "removal of the body of the flesh." It corresponds to the process of circumcision where the foreskin is physically removed. This Old Testament circumcision was a representation of the removal of the sinful nature, accompanied with the shedding of blood, which was ultimately to be fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ.

Paul tells us what this circumcision is made without hands. Let's look at the next verse to see how...

Paul equates Old Testament circumcision with New Testament baptism. Notice the phrase "raised up." This is a strong allusion to the act of being dunked in water and thereby participating in the spiritual resurrection of Christ.  This baptism symbolizes our death to the law as well as the death of our carnal natures -- the putting off of the carnal flesh even as circumcision was also the putting off of flesh.

Our resurrection in baptism is through faith.

The resurrection of Christ by the Father is a demonstration that the sacrifice of Christ was acceptable to God the father.

Paul is consistent as we see elsewhere in Scripture.  In Eph. 2:1 he says, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins."  This is the natural result of sin.  It brings death.  Rom. 6:23 says, "the wages of sin is death."

But where we were dead, we have been made alive and this is accomplished in and with the forgiveness of our sins.

The Greek says "having blotted out." This means that our debt to God has been canceled. The debt is death.  This death is separation from God.

1 Cor. 15:56, "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law."

The decrees spoken of here are found in the Old Testament law.  The law is interesting.  It brings about the opposite of what it requires.  It says be holy, but demonstrates where we are not holy.  It requires perfection, but demonstrates where we are imperfect.  It gives life if you follow it perfectly, but brings death when you fail in a single point.

Nailed the certificate to the cross.  This is speaking about the crucifixion of Christ.  The Bible tells us that he bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) and that he became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21).

In the crucifixion of Christ, we see the victory over the enemy.  The devil and his fallen Angels have been disarmed.  That is, the destruction of their power has been publically display in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.  This is how The dark forces were defeated, via the triumph of the cross where God's people receive forgiveness of sins.

Because we have been set free in Christ, no one has the right to judge us in regard to keeping the law.  We are not required to follow it in order to please God or be right with him.

Paul uses three references dealing with dietary customs (Lev. 11; 17; Deut. 14), with festivals (which were yearly events), new moons (which were monthly events), and Sabbath days (which were weekly events).

Note the OT reference:  1 Chron. 23:31 says, "and to offer all burnt offerings to the Lord, on the sabbaths, the new moons and the fixed festivals in the number set by the ordinance concerning them, continually before the Lord."

Note:  Of the Ten Commandments, the commanded to keep the Sabbath is not repeated in the New Testament.   Furthermore, the New Testament church began to meet on Sundays, the Lord's Day.

Acts 20:7, "And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight."

1 Cor. 16:1-2, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. ² On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come."

See also, Rom. 14:1-12

Paul speaks of how the Colossians were not to be robbed through improper false humility, the improper worship of angels, and the improper education and reliance on visions.

Notice that these things represent the problems that were then affecting the Colossians.  Today, the issues are similar, but are also different.  There are undo forms of legalism, liberal thought, and false teachings in the Christian church that rob people of their freedom in Christ.  We are not under a yoke of slavery.  We are free from the requirements of the law and we are free to follow Christ in truth, not in the deception of the New Age, of Cults, or aberrant TV evangelists.

False doctrine's bring bondage.  This is why Paul is warning the Colossians not to be defrauded by following false doctrines.  Instead, take a stand on Christ as found in the scriptures, not subjective experiences.

Paul goes on to tell the Colossians that this defrauding is due in part to their not holding fast to Jesus and that the Colossians need to understand that their strength is found in Christ and also in his body, the church.

As Christians, we are not to forsake the gathering together of the people of Christ in the form of the church meeting (Heb. 10:25).  This  does not mean that if you don't go to church you are in heinous sin.  It means that we need to need the strength and fellowship in the body of Christ and that we need to fellowship of other believers through whom the Spirit of God can and does work.

Our identification with Christ is so strong that we are said to have died with Jesus.

Paul says in Romans 6:2 that we have died to sin.  In Colossians 3:3, Paul says, "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."  

We have died to the elementary principles of the world.  These elementary principles are the cardinal, sinful, and false teachings of the world.  In addition, we can see from the context that Paul is dealing with legalism which he again deals with the next verses.

Some of the issues of legalism are don't handle, don't taste, don't touch.  Unfortunately, some believe that our holiness before God is dependent on our behavior.  It is not, our holiness before God is dependent upon the work of Christ.  But this does not mean it's okay to sin.  We are to avoid ungodliness.  But we have to make sure that our avoiding ungodliness is not done so that we might maintain our position of salvation with God (legalism).  Instead, it should be motivated out of our desire to honor God and bring glory to him -- because we already are secure in him through the work of Christ.

Paul does not want them to go back under the law.

Legalism is a product of human teaching.  When we properly understand our position with God through Christ, we understand that we are not obligated to keep God's law in order to please God so as to keep salvation.  Again, all the we have and need is found in the person of Jesus.

Man made legalism has the appearance of wisdom but it is not wisdom.  I'm reminded of the "word of wisdom" in Mormonism which warns its members to stay away from hot and caffeinated drinks (appearance of wisdom in self-made religion).  I'm also reminded of certain Christian groups that advocate no dancing, no movies, no TV, etc. so they might retain their standing with God.  This is legalism and bondage.

Of course, I  do not want to appear to advocate going out to bars, ungodly movies, and watching TV shows that are sinful.  The point is that it is not these things that make us right before God.  The person who wants to abstain from these things should do so out of a desire to honor God, not because they desire to maintain their position with him -- and we should want to honor God in our lives and practices.

In the previous chapter, in verse 20, Paul spoke of our death in 2:20 when he said, "...you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world."   But, here, he speaks of our resurrection.

It is because of our union, because of us being "in Christ" that we are said to have been raised up with Christ.

In order for resurrection to occur, death must first have occurred.  Our death occurred on the cross when Christ died.

The phrase "in Christ" is used in 90 times in the New Testament and it has a variety of associations:   redemption, eternal life, being in the church, approved before God, sanctified, justified, etc.

This resurrection means death has occurred.  Paul is speaking about our death, in Christ, to sin.

Jesus, died, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven.  Since we are in him and with him, we need to have our minds set on the things above (mentioned in the next verse) because Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

The right hand is a position of authority.  Jesus in the position of authority with God the father.

He has the right to judge. On the day of judgment, those who own the right of Christ are saved.  Those on his left are damned.

Matt. 25:33-34,41,  "and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.  ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels."

Heb. 1:13, "But to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Thy feet” ?"

Because we have been raised up with Christ, we must consider ourselves dead to sin and, therefore, we should set our minds on the things above.  That is, we should think of godly things.

Phil. 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."

Paul elaborates on the reason for setting our minds on godly things.  It is because we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God.  But what does this mean?

From what I understand of Scripture, it means that my fully redeemed heart, mind, soul, and body is hidden with Jesus.  That is, it is not yet fully revealed.

Our eternal lives are secure in Christ.

but it also means that it is secure in Christ.  To be hidden in Christ speaks of both that which is concealed (and yet to be revealed) as well as security.

Paul tells us that when Christ is revealed; that is, when he returns then we will also be revealed with him in glory.  This revelation means that the full redemption of what we are both spiritually and physically will be revealed when Jesus returns.  This will include the glorification of our bodies (which is manifested when Christ returns).  This means that the real you, will be revealed. You will be without the carnal flesh. It will be a wondrous day when we exist without sin dwelling in our hearts.

John 14:1-3, ”Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is."

So, look upward to where Christ is, and forward to when he returns.

Because of what Paul has said in verses 1-4, we are to consider ourselves to be dead to sin.  We are to reckon ourselves, to see ourselves as dead to these things.

In this case he lists five things:  immorality (porneia - sexual sins of fornication, adultery, pornography); impurity (akatharsis - lustful, luxurious living); passion (pathos - depraved and abnormal passions); evil desires (kakos epithymia - bad cravings..drugs, alcohol); and greed (pleonoxia - greed, covetousness... abnormal desire to have more than you should).

Notice that Paul equates these with idolatry.  Why idolatry?  Because these sins are based on self gratification, self serving carnal sins, instead of sufficiency and reliance upon God and his grace.

All things that we focus on that move us away from God, that bring us to give more devotion to it than to God, can be said to be idolatrous.

God's wrath is his judgment upon all who break is holy and perfect law.  Remember, the law of God is a reflection of his holy character.  But those who practice immorality, those who practice that which is contrary to the holy nature of God will be judged.  If God did not judge the lawbreaker, he would be condoning sin by not dealing with it.  Therefore, sin brings wrath and it is on account of sin that the wrath of God must come.

Paul is reminding the Colossians of how they used to walk in these sins.  But, by his grace, they have been redeemed.

This should be extremely comforting to know that God, through Christ, has forgiven the Colossians (and also us) of our great trespasses.

"But now" occurs 38 times in the New Testament.  It is a worthwhile study to see what follows each statement.

Nevertheless, here we see the contrast of how the Colossians used to follow sin, but now they have put sin aside...as should we.

Put aside, get rid of anger, harmful intention, evil words, and foul language.

Lying is part of the old self, the carnal nature.  Christian should have no part of lying.

It is an evil practice not because God has arbitrarily decided that it is evil.  Instead, it is evil because it is contrary to the holy nature of God.  Heb. 6:18 says it is impossible for God to lie.

The new self is the new man.  In Christ we are made new.  Though we are not completely redeemed in the sense that our physical bodies have not yet been glorified, we are already new.

We are constantly being renewed in the sense that we are constantly warring against sin and seeking to be victorious over it.

The true knowledge is what Paul is revealing here which is based upon the work of Christ and the guarantee of our future resurrection.  Remember, our life is hidden with Christ and it will be revealed when he comes back.  Because of this truth, because it is true knowledge, we can have confidence in the renewal that is yet to come and is yet occurring

The new self is a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, or circumcised and uncircumcised.  Paul says this because all who were redeemed are one in Christ.  That is, there is no class level or distinction in redemption.

The word for chosen is "eklektos".  From this word we get the Greek "eklesia" or "church."

Eph. 1:4-5, "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will."

2 Thess. 2:13, "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth."

Rom. 9:11-13, "for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

Because we have been chosen of God we are to be holy.

Notice that Paul speaks of the heart.  It is our hearts, the deepest part of what we are that Paul speaks when he says to adopt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

If we are compassionate and kind to one another, we will also be forgiving to each other.  Mutual forgiveness leads to health in the church.

This is a strong reminder to us that we are to be generous and forgiveness just as Christ has been generous and for giving us.

This is a convicting statement.

Beyond all of the virtues listed above, we are to put on love.  It was the love of God that sent the Son (John 3:16).  It is the nature of love to sacrifice for another (John 15:13).  If we love one another, we fulfill the law of God and we will also be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient with one another, and self sacrificing.

When we are loving to one another, we will have unity.  When we consider others more important than ourselves (Phil. 2:3), when we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for others, we glorify God.  This helps to bring unity, compassion, patience, with one another in the body of Christ.

By contrast, perhaps we could say that the reason we have so much division of the body of Christ is because we have not properly put on love.

If we are living as Paul is teaching, considering ourselves dead to sin, looking forward to the hope of the full redemption of our bodies upon the return of Christ, putting aside malice, turning from sinfulness, and putting on love, then we will have the peace of God living in us.  It is a natural result of living in the will of God.

John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives..."

Because we are redeemed, chosen of God, we are called to be in the one body of Christ.

The word of Christ here can be the specific words of Christ taught in the Gospels and also the words he speaks through his apostles.

When the word of God is dwelling within us, the natural result will be to speak to each other in Psalms (from the book of Psalms), hymns (various songs of praise to God), and spiritual songs (songs of praise that are neither hymns nor Psalms).  In other words, we will speak according to the word of God and our desire will be to do so, to have gods word in us so that we might speak at fourth.

Notice that thankfulness is expressed.  It comes from the heart where God dwells and where the peace of God rules.

All that you do, whether it be work, thought, speech, marriage, friendships, etc., do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.  This means that you do it as a work, as a ministry that has been given to you by God -- which means you do it with honor before God and responsibility before man.

Also, Paul tells us to be thankful to God the Father through Jesus.  Remember, Jesus is our mediator between God and ourselves (1 Tim. 2:5) and it is because of him and before that we have our being.

Therefore, you must the mindful that he is always with us and sees and hears all that we do and think.

Subjection, deals with order so that chaos is not the result of everyone trying to be a leader.  You cannot have two heads in the family.

Subjection does not mean inferiority.  Jesus himself was made under the law (Galatians 4:4), a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9), said that the Father was greater than he (John 14:28), and that came not to do his own will but the will of the Father (Luke 22:42).  Does this mean that Jesus, who is subject to the will of the Father, was inferior to him?  Not at all.

Subjection does not mean being a slave.

Submission does not mean being immoral...which is why Paul says "as is fitting in the Lord."  If a husband wants his wife to do something simple, she is not to submit.

Undoubtedly Paul was aware that there would be husbands who would misuse their position of authority.

Husbands to love their wives.  Love is sacrificial and other centered.  Jesus, who is God in flesh, had all power and authority.  He could have ordered the universe out of existence.  But, how did he use his authority?  He taught; he healed; and he died for his bride.  So too, the husband is to use his authority in a serving and edifying capacity.

Eph. 4:28-29, "So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church."

To not be embittered against them means to not be rude, ill tempered, or harsh.  The husband is to be compassionate, supportive, a godly leader, a good provider, and the man to whom his wife would be glad to submit.

1 Pet. 3:7, "You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered."

We Christians gladly submit to the loving, nurturing, and kind direction of Christ.  Husbands are to reflect Jesus in that way so lives would want to submit to them as they willingly do to Christ.

God desires that the home be ordered and that children submit to the teaching and discipline of their parents.  God has given to parents the position of raising children for the Lord.  Children are to honor their parents.  Exodus 20:12, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you."

Exodus 21:17, "and he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death."

Even Jesus honored his mother and father.  Luke 2:51, "And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart."

Jesus came to do the will of the Father. It was the will of the Father at the Son be subject to his parents.  Likewise, it is the will of the Father that children be subject to the parents in obedience.  It pleases God when children do this.

As fathers are in charge of the home, and children are to obey the parents, it is easy for fathers to misuse their position and exasperate their children.  The word for "exasperate" is "erethidzo".  It means to excite, to provoke.

 Father are not to provoke or frustrate there children because a father can easily destroy the heart of his child by being too strong, too harsh, and withholding the proper balance of love and encouragement that children need.

Paul advocated the slaves of the day to likewise obey their masters with sincere hearts.  the slavery as an undesirable situation, Paul's goal was not open rebellion, but harmony within society.  Of course, eventually society would be changed from within as all people obeying Christ's  example and teaching.

Slavery back then was not like it was here in the United States 200 years ago.  Slavery was often considered a vocation that people voluntarily entered into.

Nevertheless, there is no slavery today.  But, the concept of serving our masters, of serving our employers fits the context well.  Christians are to work properly with willing submission, obeying their bosses.  They are to do their work with their eyes on Christ as if they were serving Jesus.  They are not to misuse their time or the resources provided to them.

Paul repeats himself here.  He had already said this in verse 17.  Paul is showing us that our eyes should always be on the Lord.  If we believe that Jesus is in our hearts and is aware of all of our actions, and if we further believe that we have been redeemed from sinfulness by the loving sacrifice of Christ, then we should realize that we are set free from selfish desires and ungodly practices.

This is why Paul is telling us to work for the Lord Jesus rather than men.

Besides, what employer would not be delighted to have employees who work with honesty, integrity, and fervent effort?  The natural outcome is that the employee would be recognized and blessed.

God is a fair and impartial judge.  He does not alter his judgment times of who a person is or what position he holds.  Since he knows all things, those who do evil will be judged fairly it appropriately.

Of course, this judgment will occur at the great white throne.

We must always remember that though we may do well or poorly in our walk with God and man, it does not mean that our efforts effect our salvation with God.  That has been taking care of once and for all on the cross.

This is a continuation of the previous chapter which concluded that God is a fair and impartial judge and how we are to work at our jobs with honesty and integrity.

Paul turns his attention briefly to Masters, employers, and tells them to treat those under their charge fairly because they too have a master in heaven, the ultimate the ultimate and impartial judge, who treats them fairly.

 The word "devote" is proskartereo which means to continue steadfastly, to adhere to, to be devoted to.  Paul urges us to be steadfast and continuous in our prayers.  We're not to slack in this practice.

There is no official statement on how many times someone is to pray for getting or for how long, but the Scriptures are full of the accounts of God and the people praying in all circumstances and at all times of the day and night.

We are to keep alert in prayer and we must be watchful that we do not pay too much attention to the world in there by neglect this privilege and necessity.

Being thankful in our prayers always puts us in a proper attitude before God because it reminds us of what he has done for us in Christ.

Paul asks the Colossians to pray for him.  One might wonder why Paul the mighty apostle would request prayers from other Christians.  And dozens his apostleship and request a God carry more weight?  We cannot say that this is the case for Paul was a sinner as the rest of the Colossians.

Likewise, those spiritual leaders on TV and radio are no more influential with God than you. For we are all sinners saved by grace and all our prayers go through Christ.

Paul knows the value of prayer and he requests that the Colossians pray that God would open the  door for him to be able to preach and teach the word of truth.  Paul's heart is to preach the word of truth so that by it, people would hear, believe, and be saved from the righteous judgment of God.

Paul writes Colossians during his first imprisonment in Rome as recorded in Acts 28.

"Conduct" is literally "walk" in the Greek.

Wisdom is a rare commodity in this world.  We have a lot of knowledge about a lot of things but often fail when it comes to properly using that knowledge.  Just because we have a right answer about something does not mean we need to beat someone over the head with it.

 The outsiders are the unbelievers and Paul is telling us that our conduct before them is very important.   He is telling us to use wisdom so that every opportunity provided by God might be fully appreciated.

Grace is unmerited favor.  There might be times when unbelievers, or even believers, speak in harsh ways.  Whatever the circumstance, we are called to be gracious in our responses.

Salt was a preservative and it kept things from going bad.  Likewise, our speech must be gracious so that it preserves the situation and the opportunity and prevented from being lost.

Tychicus was the one who bore this letter from Paul who was in Rome in prison, to the church in Colosae.

Tychicus was from Asia (Acts 20:4).

Aristarchus was a Thessalonian who was with Paul on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:19; 27:2) and is apparently in prison with Paul.

 Mark was a companion with Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 12:25).     However, it appears that Mark abandoned Paul on this journey but there seems to have been a reconciliation since Paul tells them to welcome him.  Paul mentions Mark favorably in 2 Tim. 4:11.

 Jesus was a common name of the time, as was Justus.  These three, Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus were Jews.

The word "encouragement" is also rendered as "comfort" and is the word "paregoria" which only appears once in the New Testament in this verse.

Epaphras was also a Colossian and Paul graciously mentions him in his Ministry of prayer for them.

Of course Paul mentions that he desires a stand perfect and assured and all the will of God.

Paul's customary way was to write his letters with his own hand.  (1 Corinthians 16:21; Galatians 6:11).

Some have wondered that Paul's thorn in the flesh might have been a vision problem due to his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, where he was blinded.  In Galatians 611, Paul comments about how he writes the epistle with large letters in his own hand.

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