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COLOSSIANS - Christ in you, the hope of glory!
Studies in the Letter of Paul to the Colossians
Part 1 - The Foundations of Christian Faith (Colossians 1:1-29)
3. The Intercession of Paul for the Church in Colosse (Colossians 1:9-11)
Colossians 1:9-11
9 For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy;
Although Paul had heard many positive things about the church in the highlands of Anatolia, he also recognized this group of Christ´s believers was in urgent need of intercession if they were going to resist fanatical teachers of heresy. Together with his praying friends, he asked the triune God to cause the believers in this church to grow in faith and hope, and not just intellectually. Much more, he prayed for them to grow in the power of the Holy Spirit and to stay fixed on the true goal.
Filled with the Knowledge of the Will of God
Paul suffered under the attack of Jewish Christians devoted to the law and intent on teaching the Colossians that only the keeping of the 613 Commands of Moses would take them to heaven. The false teachers had understood the salvation work of Jesus at best only partially, and perhaps not at all. Paul, however, was not intent on teaching the Colossians merely a theoretical plan of salvation. He prayed that they might be granted to understand the fullness of God´s will for them and be enabled to ward off the attacks of Satan. Such a spiritual battle is not, however, primarily based upon a rational recognition of the will of God, but rather, upon the merciful revelation and spiritual knowledge of His purpose. To this end, He desires that all men be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4).
We no longer live in the age of law, for no one is able to be holy in himself, as God is holy (Lev. 11:44-45; 19:2). We all fall short of the glory of God. There is no one who doeth good, not even one (Rom. 3:10-23). Happy the person who recognizes his own corruption and whose poisonous pride dies, that he might plead to God for mercy. To him the mystery of the grace of God will be revealed. The Holy One made unholy ones holy by sending His flawless Son to take the sin of mankind upon Himself and to offer His life as a sacrifice of atonement in their place (2 Cor. 5:19-21). The will of God and His plan of salvation were realized in the cross of Christ. Whoever recognizes and believes in Jesus as the Saviour and receives Him, binds himself to Him in true faith. As a result, he is justified, cleansed and made holy. Beyond that, he needs no further circumcision, no keeping of the Sabbath, and no abstaining from forbidden foods. He has recognized and personally experienced the will of God. He has been redeemed by grace freely given – completely and forever!
In all Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding
Paul spoke of the wisdom of God, not of the philosophy (the love of wisdom) of the neighbouring Greeks. Human wisdom struggles from time to time with the completed fact of salvation, brought about through the crucifixion of Christ. The majority of Adam and Eve´s descendants want to redeem themselves, for they have lost God as their standard of measure. Therefore, they require spiritual understanding to comprehend the mystery of Christ. They need not a little of this divine wisdom, but the entire wisdom of God, if they are to grasp and comprehend the salvation He has completed. This supernatural gifting cannot be achieved within one´s self, but is given when the Holy Spirit is received, who gives light and reveals the love of God and His holiness. He shows the evil of man and the impossibility of redemption through the law.
The Holy Spirit, however, places hope in the human heart. Afterwards, those who have been granted grace are required only to make use of their own understanding and contemplation to understand the height and depth of the miracle of God´s reconciliation with a depraved world. When that happens they are enabled to answer the proponents of the law and to testify that the salvation of God comes to sinners by grace alone, and never as a result of the few “good works” of man.
Prayer: Father, we thank You that You have given to us the knowledge of Your will and the realization of our own lost condition. We thank You for Your completed salvation, by grace alone, and ask for wisdom to defend and further tell of this great privilege with understanding, patience and compassion.
Question 18: What was the urgent prayer request of Paul for the Colossians?