Colossians 1:13-2:3 Lesson 385

Colossians 1:13-2:3
Lesson 385

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Paul's case against the Gnostics.

Jesus is our only hope.
Look for the things Jesus does
for you, and what you can do for Him.

Verses 1:15-20 are a hymn praising Jesus Christ.
In its original tongue, the hymn has a beautiful poetic rhythm.
Verses 1:21-23 explain the hymn.

Paul suffered for the church (1:24-29).

Some of the ruins in ancient Laodicea.

Where was -

Laodicea -
A wealthy city on the Lycus River seven miles northwest of Colosse (fifty miles east of Ephesus and south of Hierapolis) in the Roman province of Phrygia (the western part of modern-day Turkey). Initially called Diospolis and then Rhoas, the city was renamed by King Antiochus II (286-246 BC) of Syria for his wife, Laodice. Laodicea was a center of trade and banking and so wealthy it minted its own money. The city was also famous throughout the Roman empire for its manufacture of fine linens, cloth, and carpets. Laodicea was the richest of the famous "seven cities" and boasted an excellent medical school that produced a popular eye ointment. However, the city had a poor water supply and had to bring water in via a manmade aqueduct. Laodicea was destroyed by an earthquake in AD 60 but rebuilt by its well-to-do citizens. The city had a growing Gnostic population which threatened Christianity, and as documented in Revelations 3:14-20, the church showed a weak commitment to Christ. Paul worried about the Laodicean's lukewarm faith (Colossians 2:1). Even today, the word Laodicean refers to anyone who lacks a strong religious or political commitment.

Study Tip:

Use the investigative journalist's five W's technique as you study the Bible.
As you read each passage, ask yourself who, what, when, where, and why.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Colossians

The King James Bible

Colossians 1:13-2:3
Hard work

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Colossians 2:1-3
Paul's burdens

1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Margin notes:

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness." (1:13) - "He rescued us from the power of sin." Our enemies are "the rulers of the darkness" (Ephesians 6:12). Only Jesus can rescue and make us acceptable to God (Ephesians 1:6).

"Translated us into the kingdom of his dear son." (1:13) - "Brought us out of the darkness and delivered us into the Kingdom of His (God's) dear son." By referring to heaven as "the kingdom of his dear Son," Paul is countering the Gnostics' false argument that the "Kingdom" belongs to Christ and the angels. How do we enter the kingdom? See Ephesians 2:4-10.

"In whom we have redemption." (1:14) - "In whom we are forgiven." Jesus was crucified so we could be forgiven.

"Who is the image of the invisible God." (1:15) - The phrase "the image" means "the equal." Jesus is the equal of God because He is God (John 10:30; 12:45; 14:8-9).

"The firstborn of every creature." (1:15) - Means Jesus existed before anything else. Here, Paul is countering the Gnostics' belief that Jesus was merely God's spokesman and not the son of God.

"For by him were all things created." (1:16) - Jesus/God created all things (Hebrews 1:2; 2:10). This is another counter to the Gnostics. They taught that the world was evil and, therefore, God couldn't have created it.

"Thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers." (1:16) -Everyone in heaven and earth, whether seen (civil leaders, earthly authorities) or unseen (spiritual beings), are subject to Jesus.

"All things were created by him, and for him." (1:16) - Everything was created by Jesus/God, for Jesus (Hebrews 1:2).

"He is before all things." (1:17) - Jesus came before all things. He always was and always will be (John 8:58; 1 John 1:1).

"By him all things consist." (1:17) - Consist is a verb meaning "holds together," as in "By
Christ, all things are held together." Jesus is the fusing power that controls and unifies everything in the universe.

"He is the head of the body." (1:18) - This is a metaphor. The body (church) is made up of believers, and Christ is the head that controls everything. Paul also used this metaphor to describe Jesus in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.

"The firstborn from the dead." (1:18) - Jesus was the first to be resurrected from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20; Revelations 1:5). Someday, He will rule with those who are resurrected in His name (John 5:28-29; 1 Thessalonians 4:14).

"In him should all fulness dwell." (1:19) - Means all of God's fullness dwells in Jesus.

"Reconcile all things unto himself." (1:20) - Because Adam and Eve sinned, mankind was alienated from God. Thanks to Jesus' crucifixion, we are forgiven and reunited with God. Gnostics believed you could only be united with God via some secret knowledge.

"You, that were sometime alienated...hath he reconciled" (1:21) - "You, who were once alienated (from God) are reunited." Since Adam and Eve, mankind has been "alienated" from God. But Jesus reconciled us thanks to His sacrifice on the cross (Ephesians 2:1).

"In the body of his flesh." (1:22) - Paul is making the case that Jesus was fully human, which Gnostics denied.

"To present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight." (1:22) - Means to present you to God "holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27).

"Continue in the faith." (1:23) - How do we know if we're continuing in the faith? See 1 John 2:3-6.

"Which ye have heard." (1:23) - The Colossians first heard the Gospel from Epaphras, a Christian minister and follower of Paul, who founded the church in Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.

"I Paul am made a minister." (1:23) - How was Paul made a minister? See Ephesians 3:7.

"Rejoice in my sufferings for you." (1:24) - Paul was happy to suffer in order to spread the Gospel. He wrote of his suffering in 2 Corinthians 11:23-33.

"For his body's sake, which is the church." (1:24) - Means Paul was willing to suffer for the church.

"The mystery." (1:26) - It was a mystery to the Old Testament generations, but the secret was revealed after the crucifixion. Jesus is our salvation (Ephesians 3:3-4). It was the job of Paul and every Christian since to reveal this "mystery" to others (1 Corinthians 4:1).

"Perfect in Christ Jesus." (1:28) - "Complete (mature) in Christ Jesus."

"As many as have not seen my face in the flesh." (2:1) - Many Bible scholars believe this proves that Paul had not visited Colosse. Other scholars are convinced that Paul did preach in Colosse and knew the people well. They point to the tone of this epistle (letter) and his personal greeting in verses 4:17-18.

"All riches of the full assurance of understanding." (2:2) - These riches come with knowing Jesus and the Gospel.

"In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (2:3) - Paul lays it on the line for the Gnostics. It is Christ who possesses all wisdom and knowledge (Isaiah 11:2).

New Living Translation

Colossians 1:13-2:3

13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Christ Is Supreme

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
      He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

16 for through him God created everything
      in the heavenly realms and on earth.
   He made the things we can see
      and the things we can't see-
   such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
      Everything was created through him and for him.

17 He existed before anything else,
      and he holds all creation together.

18 Christ is also the head of the church,
      which is his body.
   He is the beginning,
      supreme over all who rise from the dead.
      So he is first in everything.

19 For God in all his fullness
      was pleased to live in Christ,

20 and through him God reconciled
      everything to himself.
   He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
      by means of Christ's blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.

22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it.

Paul's Work for the Church

24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.

25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you.

26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God's people.

27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.

29 That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me.

Colossians 2:1-3

1 I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.

2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.

3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. Who were the Gnostics?

"We must be saved by grace and grace alone."

Harold George Ihlefeldt (1920-1971)

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Gnostic comes from the Greek word "gnosis," meaning "knowledge." The Gnostics believed in salvation through knowledge, unlike Christians, who believe in salvation through faith. Gnosticism began around the time of the crucifixion and held that salvation was reserved for gifted intellectuals capable of grasping the secret of how the universe works and what our part in it is. They believed in God, but thought that all matter (including the human body) in the universe was evil and could not have been created by God. Instead, the universe was created by an evil spirit. Because everything is evil, God rarely interacts with the universe. Gnostics taught that Jesus was a messenger from God sent to help mankind, but hardly the Son of God. Gnostics believed that each person's spirit is a part of God that became separated and trapped in evil human bodies. We will escape these prisons when we die, but we can only be reunited with God if we understand the true nature of the universe and that we are part of God's body. If we fail to grasp this "secret," our spirits will not know how to return to God after we die. Gnostics denied the deity of Jesus and threatened to corrupt the early Christian church.

Application thought for the day:

Root yourself in Jesus and show gratitude for your salvation by living for Christ and helping spread the Gospel.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2022 evolke

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