In reading Paul’s greeting to the Colossian church, we might pass over it thinking it to be simply a common greeting at the start of a letter. However, as is often the case with Paul, there are some profound truths to be found in these words. Paul gives a five-fold description of the believers he is addressing that touch on five great truths about the Christian life. Let’s look to verse 2 and consider them together.
1. The Christian’s calling - “holy”
Paul refers to them as “holy”, which emphasizes the Christian’s calling from the Lord to live holy lives. We are called to live separated lives. Though we are in the world, we are not to be of the world.
“A Christian is not ruined by living in the world; but by the world living in him.” - Anonymous
“As long as the water remains outside the boat, things are fine; but when the water gets inside the boat, we’ve got problems!” - Anonymous
But how can we be sure to live holy, separated lives for God?
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ Therefore, ‘Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.’ And, ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’” - 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NIV)
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV)
The focus of our separation isn’t to be on the world, but on Christ. This is what Paul was emphasizing in Romans 12:1, where he tells us to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” You see, the best way to make sure we aren’t doing the wrong things is to be sure we are doing the right things.
“Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.” - Colossians 3:17 (Easy to Read)
“I will go nowhere I can’t take Jesus Christ; I will say nothing I would not want Him to hear; and I will do nothing I would not want Him to know about.” - Pastor Paul Holdcraft
2. The Christian’s walk - “faithful”
God calls us to be faithful. What does that mean?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines faithful as “(1) Adhering firmly and devotedly, as to a person, a cause, or an idea; loyal. (2) Having or full of faith. (3) Worthy of trust or belief; reliable. (4) Consistent with truth or actuality: a faithful reproduction of the portrait.” Synonyms listed with these definitions are faithful, loyal, true, constant, fast, steadfast, and staunch. “These adjectives mean adhering firmly and devotedly to someone or something, such as a person, cause, or duty, that elicits or demands one’s fidelity.”
The part of this definition that is particularly striking is the illustration used for the last definition, “Consistent with truth or actuality: a faithful reproduction of the portrait.” For the Christian, faithfulness occurs when we follow the example of the Lord Jesus. Who remained true to the Father when things were good as well as bad.
And how can we remain faithful? Because God is trustworthy. We can trust Him and remain true to Him because He knows what He is doing.
An old preacher was rebuked by a deacon one Sunday before the service. “Pastor,” he said, “something’s wrong with your preaching and your work. The only person added to the church in this last year, is only a boy.” “I feel it all,” the pastor replied, “but God knows I’ve tried to do my duty.” On that day as he finished the message, he came close to resigning. After everyone else left, that boy came and asked, “Do you think if I worked hard for an education, I could be a preacher or a missionary?” Tears welled up in the minister’s eyes. “Ah, this heals the ache I feel,” he said. “Robert, may God bless you. Yes, I think you will become a preacher.” Years later a retired
missionary returned to London from Africa. His name was spoken with reverence. Nobles invited him to their homes. He’d added many to the church of Jesus Christ, reaching even some of Africa’s most savage chiefs. His name was Robert Moffat, the same Robert who years before had spoken to the pastor that Sunday morning.
When it comes to our daily walk with God, may our prayer be, “Lord, help me to be faithful to the gifts, abilities, and opportunities you have given me according to the strength You give me. Then give me the grace and faith to leave the results to You.”
3. The Christian’s family - “brothers”
This word highlights two things: 1) the basis of our unity is our common parentage; and 2) the expression of our unity is brotherly or sisterly love.
Though family members may disagree, they’ll defend each other when others come against them. As a Christian family, we must fight to keep the unity that is ours by of our common parentage.
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” - Ephesians 4:3 (NIV)
Ken Sande with Peacemaker Ministries says that “make every effort” is a military term that means to, “strive like a warrior.”
In other words, maintaining unity as a church family involves spiritual warfare. This shouldn’t surprise us. After all, Satan hates God, so he also hates God’s people. His plan for the church then is to cause us to find ways to disagree among themselves, to divide, to be bitter, jealous, and ultimately to “bite and devour one another” (Galatians 5:15).
How can I contribute to unity in my church family?
1) Choose daily to pursue God’s ways over your own.
2) Reflect on God’s commands calling us to love one another.
3) Focus on areas of agreement more than disagreement.
4) Count the cost of disunity.
5) Judge yourself more than you judge others.
6) Pursue humility.
7) Be the first to seek peace and reconciliation.
4. The Christian’s victory - “in Christ”
We’ve been united with Christ so what is true of Him is true of us. “In Christ” is one of Paul’s favorite phrases to describe believers.
“He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus, [and He did this] so that in the ages to come He might [clearly] show the immeasurable and unsurpassed riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus [by providing for our redemption].” - Ephesians 2:6-7 (Amplified)
We have died with Christ, have been raised with Christ and are seated with Him in the place of eternal victory, far above principalities, powers, and the rulers of darkness in this world. Through Him, we have victory over sin, Satan, death, and hell itself! Knowing who I am and what I have in Christ is the key to earthly and eternal victory.
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” - Colossians 3:1 (NLT)
“To be distressed, look within; to be defeated, look back; to be distracted, look around; to be dismayed, look before; to be delivered, look to Christ.” - Anonymous
5. The Christian’s mission - “at Colossae”
Now I know that Paul was simply addressing who his audience was here. But I find that it is a reminder that when it comes to fulfilling the Great Commission of our Lord, where do we begin? Where we are! In Acts 1:8, Jesus told those early believers that they were to take the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth, but that they were to begin where they were - Jerusalem! So must we.
It has been estimated that if all the unsaved people in the world were to line up single file at your front door, the line would reach around the world thirty times. And what’s worse, this line would grow at the rate of twenty miles per day. If you should drive fifty miles an hour, ten hours per day, it would take you four years to get to the end of the line, and by the time you reached it, it would have become thirty thousand miles longer. And it all begins, where? At our front door.
Conclusion: The church at Colossae had false teachers who denied the deity of Jesus. Paul wrote from his prison cell to a church he had never been to because of a report about what was happening from Epaphras. Paul sent this letter, along with the letters to Philemon and to the Ephesians, with Tychicus (Colossians 4:7; Philemon 1:10–12).
Paul wasted no time emphasizing how their relationship with Christ should impact their lives. Paul describes Jesus with some of the loftiest language in the New Testament, emphasizing His preeminence in all things. Because He is Lord over all, the life of the Christian is a life of submission to Jesus. Are you following after Jesus as you should? Our faith in Jesus Christ should transform the relationships we have in every area of our lives - in our homes, our churches, and our world.
