Commentary on Colossians and Philemon (Commentary on the New Testament Book #12)

Gundry, Robert H.

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781441237699
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Delve Deeper into God's Word In this verse-by-verse commentary, Robert Gundry offers a fresh, literal translation and a reliable exposition of Scripture for today's readers. Paul's letter to the church at Colossae exhorts his addressees to behave in ways appropriate to Christ's person and work, while his letter to Philemon is a plea for the newly converted slave, Onesimus. Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, and laypeople will welcome Gundry's nontechnical explanations and clarifications. And Bible students at all levels will appreciate his sparkling interpretations. This selection is from Gundry's Commentary on the New Testament.

Colossians

This letter, written while Paul was in prison, exalts the person and work of Christ over against false teaching that was devaluing him. Then Paul exhorts his addressees to behave in ways appropriate to Christ’s person and work.

INTRODUCTION
Colossians 1:1–12

The introduction to Colossians consists in a greeting (1:1–2), a thanksgiving (1:3–8), and a prayer (1:9–12). The prayer will shade almost imperceptibly into a doctrinal discussion (1:13–2:23).

1:1–2: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through God’s will, and Timothy, the brother, 2to the saints in Colossae, even believing brothers in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God, our Father. Paul’s self-designation matches his self-designation in 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1 exactly, but see the comments on 1 Corinthians 1:1 for the meanings of the terms used. “The brother” describes Timothy as the Christian brother of Paul and the Colossians. The inclusion of Timothy alongside Paul adds weight to the letter in that what Paul says, Timothy says too, and also prepares for addressing the Colossians likewise as Christian “brothers.” But Paul’s “I,” “my,” and “me” (1:23–25, 29 and following) point to him as the letter’s author. For Timothy, who in addition to those listed in 4:10–14 is with Paul at the time of writing, see especially Acts 16:1–3; 2 Timothy 1:3–8. “To the saints in Colossae” addresses the letter to Christians living in the city of that name and describes them not as outstandingly virtuous but as consecrated to God. They’re his special possession as distinct from the non-Christians among whom they live. Colossae lay in the river valley of a mountainous region in southwest central Asia Minor. Many translations have “even faithful brothers” rather than “even believing brothers.” The difference shouldn’t be pressed, though, because faithfulness stems from belief; and belief engenders faithfulness. Here it seems that believing produces brotherhood; and “in Christ” doesn’t indicate Christ as the object of belief so much as it indicates the union with Christ that believing in him effects. This union effects, in turn, the union of fellow believers with one another as brothers (compare 1:4; Ephesians 1:1 and the emphasis in Ephesians 2:8 on salvation “through faith [= belief]”). For the rest of this greeting (“Grace and peace . . .”) see the comments on Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 John 3.

1:3–8: We [Paul and Timothy] are always thanking God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, when praying for you, 4having heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and [about] the love that you have for all the saints 5because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, which [hope] you heard about earlier in the word of the truth of the gospel 6that has come to you just as also in all the world it is bearing fruit and growing, just as also among you [it has been bearing fruit and growing] since the day you heard [the gospel] and came to know God’s grace in truth, 7just as you learned [the gospel] from Epaphras, our beloved fellow slave, who is the Christ’s faithful servant on our behalf, 8the one who has also indicated to us your love in the Spirit. Paul’s and Timothy’s “thanking God” because of having heard about the Colossians’ faith and love compliments the Colossians at the same time that it gives credit to God for their faith and love. “Always” enhances the compliment as well as the crediting, and the compliment aims for a favorable reception of the letter. The description of God as “the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ” supplements the description of him in 1:2 as “our Father” but distinguishes Jesus Christ’s sonship to God as divine. He’s “our Lord,” though he and we have the same Father. “When praying for you” adds concern to thankfulness for the Colossians. The mention of this concern should likewise make for their favorable reception of the letter. “Having heard” implies that neither Paul nor Timothy founded the church in Colossae (compare Ephesians 1:15). No wonder, then, the efforts of Paul to gain a favorable reception for his letter.

“About your faith in Christ Jesus” supports the translation “believing brothers in Christ” back in 1:2, for “faith” and “belief” go back to the same Greek word (see the comments on 1:2 for “in Christ Jesus”). Since love includes deeds done for the benefit of those who are loved (1 John 3:16–18) and since faith works through love (Galatians 5:6), Paul adds to the Colossians’ faith in Christ Jesus “the love” that according to report they “have for all the saints.” Since love includes beneficial deeds, as just noted, “for all the saints” probably means for all fellow Christians in Colossae, though hospitality to fellow Christians passing through Colossae may be included. See further the initial comments on Ephesians 1:15–19. “Because of the hope reserved for you in heaven” identifies the basis of the Colossians’ faith and love. “Hope” completes the triad of cardinal Christian virtues (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 5:8 and, in a different order, 1 Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:5–6) and refers to the confidence of entering eternal life at Jesus’ second coming. Such confidence undergirds faith and love. “Reserved for you in heaven” doesn’t mean you’ll go to heaven to enjoy eternal life there. For your bodies will be resurrected to enjoy eternal life on a renewed earth (Romans 8:18–25). “Hope” stands for the eternal life that’s hoped for, and it’s reserved in heaven in the sense that eternal life is being kept safe till as believers in Christ you start enjoying it at the second coming, resurrection, and renewal of the earth (see also 1 Peter 1:3–5; Reve lation 21:1–4). The Colossians heard about this hope “earlier,” that is, when “the word [= the message]” characterized by “the truth” that’s contained in “the gospel” came to them, that is, into their hearing. “Just as also in all the world it is bearing fruit and growing” implies that the gospel is doing so in Colossae (“also”). But to keep the Colossians from falling prey to false doctrines which according to 2:4, 8, 16–23 are circulating among them, Paul emphasizes the gospel’s bearing fruit and growing “in all the world.” That is to say, “Don’t trade the universal gospel for a local aberration.”

In 1:10 Paul will explain fruit-bearing in terms of good deeds, and growing in terms of increase in the knowledge of God. “Just as also among you” makes explicit the implication of the earlier phrase, “just as also in all the world,” and uses the gospel’s fruit-bearing and growing among the Colossians up to this point as a deterrent against the possibility of falling prey to false doctrines that wouldn’t bear the fruit of good deeds or advance the knowledge of God. “Since the day you heard it [the gospel]” underscores the gospel’s effects as a deterrent by calling attention to their immediacy and continuance. “And came to know God’s grace” refers to conversion as both an understanding and an experiencing of God’s ill-deserved favor, the favor consisting in “the hope reserved . . . in heaven” and received by “faith in Christ Jesus.” This grace makes for good news (the meaning of “gospel”). “In truth” probably tells how the Colossians came to know God’s grace—that is, truly as opposed to falsely supposed knowledge in the acceptance of false doctrines—but knowing truly rests on believing “the word of the truth of the gospel.”

“Just as you learned [the gospel] from Epaphras” parallels “just as also among you [the gospel has been bearing fruit and growing since the day you heard it]” and thereby indicates that Epaphras evangelized Colossae. Because he did, Paul calls him “our [referring to Paul and Timothy] beloved fellow slave”—a “fellow slave” because he as well as they are slaving for the Lord, Jesus Christ, in the work of evangelism (4:12–13) and because he (Epaphras) has joined Paul in prison (Philemon 23). The brotherly love Paul and Timothy feel for Epaphras, one of the Colossians’ own number (4:12), establishes rapport with the Colossians through Epaphras. “The Christ” (Greek) means “the Messiah” (Hebrew) or, literally, “the Anointed One.” So “who is the Christ’s faithful servant” alludes to Jesus’ messianic office, which makes having a servant appropriate, and describes Epaphras as faithful in having served the gospel of the Christ to the Colossians. “On our behalf” indicates that Epaphras evangelized Colossae in place of Paul and Timothy, who had never gone to Colossae. The phrase may also imply that Paul and Timothy evangelized Colossae through the agency of Epaphras, who was very possibly their convert during the evangelization of Ephesus, 120 miles west of Colossae (Acts 19). “The one who has also [in addition to having evangelized you] indicated to us your love in the Spirit” (1) alludes to the Colossians’ earlier-mentioned “love” that they “have for all the saints”; (2) states that Epaphras has delivered to Paul and Timothy a report of this love, which therefore they’ve “heard about”; and (3) locates the Colossians’ love “in the Spirit” (for love is the first-mentioned “fruit of the Spirit” [Galatians 5:22], Paul has just talked about the gospel’s bearing fruit among the Colossians, and they’re in the Spirit, where the love is [Romans 8:9]).

1:9–12: Because of this [Epaphras’s report] we also, since the day we heard [about your “love in the Spirit”], don’t stop praying for you and asking that you be filled with the knowledge of his [God’s] will in all Spiritual wisdom and insight 10so as to walk around [= behave] worthily of the Lord [= Jesus Christ] for the purpose and with the result of [giving him] all pleasure by [your] bearing fruit in all good work and by growing in the knowledge of God 11while being empowered with all power in accordance with the might of his glory for the purpose and with the result of [producing in you] all perseverance and patience as with joy 12you’re giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a portion of the allotment of the saints in the light . . . . “We also . . . don’t stop praying for you” picks up “when praying for you” in 1:3 and, yet again to ensure the letter’s favorable reception, enhances the praying by describing it as constant (“don’t stop”) and petitionary (“asking”) as well as thankful (so 1:3). “That you be filled with the knowledge of his will” refers to God’s will (as later clarified by the phrase, “in the knowledge of God,” but see already in 1:6 “you . . . came to know God’s grace in truth”). The will of God is that his saints behave well (for the details of which see 3:1–4:6 and Ephesians 4:1–6:9, especially 5:17). To be “filled” with the knowledge of God’s will is both to know about it fully and to carry it out fully, this in opposition to the intellectual and behavioral deficit of knowledge in false doctrines. “In all Spiritual wisdom and insight” escalates being filled to the nth degree and adds the practicality of wisdom and the discernment of insight to the informational and experiential components of knowledge. “Spiritual” describes the wisdom and insight as deriving, like the love in 1:8, from the Holy Spirit. No need, then, to listen to false teachers. “So as to walk around worthily of the Lord” identifies good behavior as the outcome, almost as the definition, of being filled with the knowledge of God’s will. “Worthily of the Lord” implies that the Lord, Jesus Christ, is worthy of good behavior on the part of Christians, his slaves (compare Ephesians 4:1). For “the Lord” connotes the owner and master of slaves.

In addition to having “all Spiritual wisdom and insight,” as the Lord’s slaves Christians should give him “all pleasure by bearing fruit in all good work and by growing in the knowledge of God while being empowered with all power in accordance with the might of his glory for the purpose and result of all perseverance and patience.” “All good work” means “every kind of good deed” and defines fruit-bearing. “Growing in the knowledge of God” counteracts decreasing in the knowledge of him through succumbing to false doctrines. The redundancy in “while being empowered with all power” accents the need of growth in the knowledge of God to enable resistance to those doctrines. “With the might of his glory” strengthens the accent, and the addition of “his glory” to “the might” (rather than a simple “his might”) anticipates “the hope of glory” (1:27) at the Lord’s second advent (3:4 [compare Ephesians 1:18–20]). This coming glory should make Christians mighty in their resistance to false doctrines. Paul puts this resistance in terms of perseve...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Colossians
• Philemon
• Back Cover