Greetings and Thanksgiving, Colossians 1:1-4

As we begin this study of Colossians, there are some things that we must always keep in mind about the Christian message. As Alexander MacLaren stated in the preface of his Colossians commentary,

The Christ whom the world needs to have proclaimed in every deaf ear and lifted up before blind and reluctant eyes, is not merely the perfect man, nor only the meek sufferer, but the Source of creation and its Lord, Who from the beginning has been the life of all that has lived, and before the beginning was in the bosom of the Father. The shallow and starved religion which contents itself with mere humanitarian conceptions of Jesus of Nazareth needs to be deepened and filled out by these lofty truths before it can acquire solidity and steadfastness sufficient to be the unmoved foundation of sinful and mortal lives. [1]

There are many phrases that Scripture uses to describe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here are a few:

• “the gospel of the grace of God.” – Acts 20:24
• “the gospel of His Son” – Rom 1:9
• “the gospel of Christ” – 1 Cor 9:12
• “the gospel of God” – Rom 15:16
• “the gospel of the glory of Christ” – 2 Cor 4:4
• “the gospel of peace” – Eph 6:15
• “eternal gospel” – Rev 14:6
• “word of truth” – Col 1:15
• “message of truth” – Eph 1:13

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of God’s love, forgiveness and free offer of salvation to all people, everywhere. It has inspired and compelled countless thousands during the last 2,000 yrs to leave everything and everyone to travel to unknown lands and share the message that has so changed them. Millions of others may not have picked up and left everything behind, but have labored to share Christ with their family and friends in the nations they were born. Some have paid very high prices for the gospel. Sadly, many millions have never lifted a finger for the sake of the gospel. But it should compel us, via the Holy Spirit, to do the following:

• To proclaim the good news.
• To defend the gospel’s authenticity.
• To participate in the gospel’s advance.
• To fellowship with other believers.
• To be ready to suffer for the sake of the gospel.
• To make sure that our lives do not hinder the gospel.
• To never be ashamed of the gospel.

So, let us begin.

Greetings

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (1:1-2)

‘Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God’ (1:1a) –

• ‘Paul’ –
• Definition: ‘Paul’ – The Greek word is, Paulos, which means ‘little’ and in some ways seems to represent how he saw himself (see 1 Cor. 15:9-10; 1 Tim. 1:15; Eph 3:8) and is also suggested by the way he further identified himself as “an apostle through the will of God.”
• Paul starts this letter as he does all of his letters, but introducing himself as the writer and an Apostle of Christ Jesus. As John MacArthur writes, “Paul was the most important and influential person in history since our Lord Jesus Christ. His personality was the remarkable combination of a brilliant mind, an indomitable [‘incapable of being subtle’ – Webster’s Dictionary] will, and a tender heart.” [2]
• ‘an apostle of Jesus Christ’ – Since Paul had never visited the church in Colossae he was establishing his authority as an official representative of the very one that had sent him into the world. He was communicating that what he was about to share in the letter was not merely his opinion, but the authoritative word of God.
• Definition: ‘an apostle’ – The Greek word is, ‘apostolos’, which means ‘a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders’. This term can legitimately be used to refer to anyone that is sent forth for the purpose of preaching the gospel and establishing churches, as is the case of modern day missionaries. However, in this context, it refers to those 12 men that were directly chosen, commissioned and sent forth by Christ Jesus.
• By referring to his credentials as ‘an apostle’ of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul was making it crystal clear that he had the right and the authority of God to send a letter to the Colossian church.
• ‘by the will of God’ – Paul’s commission as an apostle was not the will of men, but in accordance with the will of God Himself, which meant he had the authority of that commission.

‘and Timothy our brother’ (1:1b) 

• The inclusion of Timothy is not intended to communicate co-authorship, nor was it intended to say that he was an apostle as well. Paul is careful never to apply the term to Timothy. Paul frequently mentioned the co-laborers with him. It is also possible that he is mentioned because he was a native of the region where the church was located (Ac 16:1-3) and had been with Paul when he preached there, so he was probably well known by some of the believers in the church (Ac 16:6).

‘To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.’ (1:2)

• ‘To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ’ – As we see in the NIV, ‘To the holy and faithful brothers’, the phrase ‘To saints and faithful brothers’ refers to one distinct group, not two. Young’s Literal Translation as well as the Greek Interlinear Translation reads, ‘to the saints in Colossae, and to the faithful brethren in Christ.’
• ‘Saints’ refers to their union with God. Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines ‘saint’ as ‘one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ (Ps 16:3; Ro 1:7 8:27; Php 1:1; Heb 6:10).’ True saints have been separated from sin and set apart to God. It should be noted that the word ‘saints’ does not refer to a special class of holy believers who perform miracles or live secluded from others. The saints being referred to here are people like you and me who have devoted their lives to serving God and being obedient to Him, but who also fall into sin, and seek forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
• ‘faithful brethren’ refers to their union with fellow Christians. True and sincere believers in Christ, who are constant and persevering in their faith, and who are committed and united to fellow believers by virtue of their common faith.
• As you can see, the NAS (AV, NKJV) would appear to be more descriptive, as well as more accurate to the original Greek.
• ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father.’ –
• Definition: ‘grace’ – The Greek word used is, ‘charis’, which means good will, loving-kindness, favor.
• Definition: ‘peace’ – The Greek word used is, ‘eirene’, which means security, safety, prosperity, the state of being happy or content; because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous. As referring to Christianity, the tranquil state of the soul assured of its salvation through Christ, fearing nothing from God, and content with its earthly lot. [3]
• ‘grace and peace’ –
• This form of greeting is found in nearly all of Paul’s epistles. It is generally understood as a blending of the Greek and Hebrew greetings. The common Greek greeting was ‘welcome, good day, greetings’, while the common Hebrew greeting was ‘peace’. As William Barclay put it, “When Paul took and put together these two great words, grace and peace, he was doing something very wonderful. He was taking the normal greeting phrases of two great nations and molding them into one.” [4]
• It is probably no coincidence that Paul mentioned grace before peace. It would seem that peace is the natural outgrowth of appropriating grace. “Peter exhorts us, ‘but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ’ (2 Pet. 3:18). The more we grasp and experience the grace of God, the more capacity we have to experience the many wonderful aspects of God’s peace whether peace with God, the peace of God, or peace with one another.” [5] 
• ‘from God our Father’ – This directs us to the source of all grace and peace. A holy and loving God has chosen to give us grace.
• ‘our Father’ – Paul wanted to stress the unity and the relationship that he had with them as a fellow believer even though they had never met him.

Thanksgiving – Truth Received by Faith

We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus (1:3-4a)

‘We give thanks to God’ (1:3a) –

• This refers to both Paul and Timothy giving thanks for the spiritual growth of the Colossian believers. God is the one that deserves mankind’s thanks for every good thing that happens to them. In this case, Paul was referring to their salvation. A truly grateful heart always gives thanks.
• It should also be noted that the Colossians did not need to be told that Paul prayed for them. It was Paul’s desire to assure them that when he prayed for them he wanted them to know that he had a high opinion of them, based on the reports which he had received about them.

‘the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1:3b) 

• The phrasing is interesting, and is often used by cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, to illustrate that Jesus is not God. However, “the fact that God is the Father of the Lord [Jesus Christ] in no way depreciates the absolute and total deity of Christ as Paul will make clear later on in this epistle.” [6]

‘praying always for you’ (1:3c) –

• Because of the lack of punctuation in the Greek manuscripts, some have questioned whether the word ‘always’ goes with ‘we give thanks to God’, or with ‘praying always for you.’ But, since we are always to pray (Lu 18:1-5; Eph 6:18; Php 1:4; 4:6; Col 1:9; 1 Th 5:17; 1 Tim 2:8; 2 Tim 1:3), and to give thanks when we pray (Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; Php 1:3; 4:6; 1 Th 1:2; 5:18), it really doesn’t matter. Paul clearly communicates that we are to always pray, and when we pray to always give thanks.
• It would also appear that Paul was attempting to prepare the Colossians to receive his warnings and his arguments against the errors, which had crept into the church. He wanted the Colossians to know that he saw a lot of good Godly character in them before he pointed out the corrections to the problems that had been reported to him.
• This verse is a glimpse into Paul’s prayer life, something that we should emulate. Nearly all of his epistles start with a prayer and most have spontaneous prayers laced throughout the messages he’s presenting. This text also shows us that he prayed corporately with others.

‘since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus’ (1:4a) –

• The ‘we’ is most probably referring to Paul and Timothy, who had heard of the Colossian’s faith via Epaphras, the most probably founder the church.
• It is the Colossian’s ‘faith in Christ Jesus’ as well as their ‘love for all the saints’ that is the reason for Paul’s thankfulness to God. This is a thankfulness that all Christians should have for their brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Faith’s Definition

• Definition: ‘faith’ – The Greek word, pistis, is defined by Vine’s Expository Dictionary this way : [7]

The main elements in ‘faith’ in its relation to the invisible God, as distinct from ‘faith’ in man, are especially brought out in the use of this noun and the corresponding verb, pisteuo; they are:

1. a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation or truth, e.g., 2 Th. 2:11,12;
2. a personal surrender to Him, John 1:12;
3. a conduct inspired by such surrender, 2 Cor. 5:7. Prominence is given to one or other of these elements according to the context. All this stands in contrast to belief in its purely natural exercise, which consists of an opinion held in good ‘faith’ without necessary reference to its proof. The object of Abraham’s ‘faith’ was not God’s promise (that was the occasion of its exercise); his ‘faith’ rested on God Himself, Rom. 4:17,20,21.

So as we can see, the meaning of faith is far more than a mere intellectual assent. It means to be persuaded that something is true and to trust it.

Faith’s Object

• ‘in Christ Jesus’ – As John MacArthur puts it, “Any definition of faith is also incomplete without a consideration of its object.” [8] For the Christian, the object of saving faith is Jesus Christ. The word ‘in’ here communicates an anchor of our faith, a place of security. The implication is a trust in Christ alone for salvation.

The Results of Truth

and the love which you have for all the saints; (1:4b)

• Definition: ‘love’ – The Greek word for love in this passage is, agape, and its meaning is as follows: [9]

Singular: brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence (John 15:13; Ro 13:10; 1 John 4:18)

1. Of the love of men to men; esp. Christians towards Christians which is enjoined and prompted by their religion, whether the love be viewed as in the soul or expressed (Mat 14:12; 1 Co 13:1-4,8; 14:1; 2 Co 2:4; Gal 5:6; Phm 5,7; 1 Ti 1:5; Heb 6:10; 10:24; 1 John 4:7; Rev 2:4,19) &c
2. Of the love of men towards God (Lu 11:42; John 5:42; 1 John 2:15; 3:17; 4:12; 5:3)
3. Of the love of God towards man (Rom 5:8; 8:39; 2 Co 13:14)
4. Of the love of God towards Christ (John 15:10; 17:26)
5. Of the love of Christ towards men (John 15:8-13; 2 Co 5:14; Rom 8:35; Eph 3:19)

• ‘and the love which you have for all the saints;’ –
• Paul also thanks God for the Colossian’s love for fellow believers. This love was for ‘all of the saints’, meaning all believers, regardless of their social class or ethnic background. (1 John 3:23; 1 Pet 1:22; Phil 1:5; 1 Th 4:9; 2 Th 1:3)
• Faith and love are the two leading indicators of Christian character. Faith is an inward focused characteristic, which is toward Christ. Love, on the other hand, is an outward focused characteristic that is to be focused toward others. We are to universally love mankind, but we are commanded to love fellow believers. (John 13:34; 15:12, 17; 1 John 4:11-12)
• The Apostle John emphasized that genuine love would result in a changed life, with one of the visible fruits being love for fellow believers. (John 2:9-10; 3:10; 3:14-15; 4:20) As John MacArthur puts it, “We are saved by faith; we are saved to love. True saving faith is more than a conviction of mind. It transforms the heart to love.” [10]

Footnotes

[1] Alexander MacLaren, D.D., ‘The Expositor’s Bible Commentary on Colossians’ module, part of the Online Bible program.
[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992) p. 13.
[3] All Greek words utilize the Greek Lexicon, part of the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005, unless otherwise referenced.
[4] J. Hampton Keathley III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, 1. Paul’s Greeting to the Colossians (Col. 1:1-2).
[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] W. E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, (Hendrickson Publishers: Peabody MA).
[8] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992) p. 17.

[9] Greek Lexicon, p/o Online Bible Computer Program.

[10] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992) p. 19.

This study uses J. Hampton Keathley III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, from bible.org, Copyright ©1996-2020 Bible.org, and all attributions are reprinted with permission granted by bible.org.

All Greek words utilize the Greek Lexicon, part of the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005, unless otherwise referenced.

This study uses many of the commentaries and dictionaries which are part of The Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2023, Larry Pierce, http://www.onlinebible.net/. I condensed a lot of the material from some of these resources: John Gill’s Expository Notes, Albert Barnes’ New Testament Notes on Colossians, Matthew Henry Commentary, Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary on Colossians, by Rev. Alexander MacLaren, D.D., James Burton Coffman Commentaries: Colossians, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on Colossians, Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, Matthew Poole’s Commentary Notes on Colossians, John Calvin’s Commentary on Colossians, William Burkitt’s NT Notes on Colossians, James Burton Coffman’s Commentary on Colossians, J. B. Lightfoot’s Commentary on Colossians, Beet’s Bible Commentary on Colossians, Anthology of Commentaries compiled by John Greenhalgh, John Eadie’s Commentary on Colossians. I willingly acknowledge that I stand on the shoulders of great men. 

 

All Scripture quotes are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Revision, unless otherwise noted. Verse links from Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/