Chapter One

Introduction (1–3a). The Apostle’s theological instruction (3b-29).

Colossians 1:1. Paul, by the will of God an apostle of Jesus Christ, and Timothy a brother, The Apostle sends greetings to the Colossians from himself and from Timothy. This greeting is similar in form both to Rom 1:1 and even more to 1 Cor 1:1-2. — “Timothy” — see Acts 16:1, and Phil 2:20.

Colossians 1:2. to the saints in Colossae and faithful brothers in Christ Jesus: Colossians 1:3. grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, The Apostle says that the state of faith and life of the Colossian Christians makes a pleasant impression on an observer — Epaphras informed him of this (Col 1:3-8). The Apostle prays that the Colossians may advance further in their Christian life and knowledge (Col 1:9-11) and gives thanks to God for the work of our salvation accomplished by Him (Col 1:12-14) and in vivid colors depicts the greatness of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. In order to cut off for the Colossian heretics all possibility of deceiving the Colossian Christians with their teaching about aeons, which are supposedly equal to Christ, the Apostle unfolds the teaching about Christ as God, apart from His incarnation (Col 1:15-17), and then as God-man (Col 1:18-20), reminding them at the same time that the Colossians also owe their salvation to Christ (Col 1:21-23). At the conclusion of the first chapter the Apostle expresses his view on his sufferings, which he bears as a preacher of Christianity. He speaks of these sufferings because their fruits will always benefit the Colossians, as well as other Christians (Col 1:24-29).

Colossians 1:4. since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, Colossians 1:5. because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, Colossians 1:6. which has come to you, just as it is bearing fruit and increasing throughout the whole world, and so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth, Colossians 1:7. just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, Colossians 1:8. and who has made known to us your love in the Spirit. The Apostle gives thanks to God for the fact that the Colossians preserve their faith in Jesus Christ and their love for all believers, that they cherish hope for future heavenly blessedness (laid up — see 1 Pet 1:4). — “In the word of the truth of the gospel.” The Apostle by this confirms the authority of those who enlightened the Colossians with the light of the Gospel: these enlighteners gave them correct understanding of Christianity. — “Just as it is bearing fruit throughout the whole world.” Wishing to display the greatness of true Christianity and the nothingness of Colossian false teaching, the Apostle says that Christian faith has already spread throughout the whole world and everywhere bears good fruit, attracting new and new followers (“increasing”). The principal enlightener of the Colossians is the co-worker of the Apostle Paul — Epaphras: he greatly contributed to the proper Christian development of the Colossian Christians. — “Love in the Spirit.” Here is spoken of the love of the Colossians for Paul (of their love for Christians in general was already said in verse 4). This love has its support in the Holy Spirit and therefore is firm and sincere.

Colossians 1:9. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, Colossians 1:10. so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God, Colossians 1:11. may you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you have the endurance and patience that comes with joy, Since a good foundation has already been laid in the Colossians, the Apostle now prays to God that the Colossians may go further in their Christian development. The Apostle desires that they be “filled” with “knowledge” of God’s will (perfect, complete knowledge compare Rom 1:28), which is achieved through all wisdom (the theoretical faculty that precisely determines the goal with which a person should strive), and through spiritual understanding (moral judgment) or the ability to choose for achieving the goal pure and fully suitable means. Complete knowledge of God’s will is necessary in order that we may draw near to our Father-God, be pleasing to Him, and through this moral improvement grow in knowledge of God, expand our Christian worldview (Christian life and Christian knowledge thus, according to the Apostle, help each other to develop). But since a Christian can derive strength for his moral improvement only from God, the Colossians must seek support from God, be strengthened with His gracious help in “endurance” — before great temptations and in “patience” — more correctly: in long-suffering — before prolonged hardships.

Colossians 1:12. giving thanks to God the Father, who has called us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light, This verse and the following ones depend on the words Col 1:9: “we have not ceased praying.” The Apostle together with his prayer for the Colossians connects gratitude to God and Father. — “Made fit” — more precisely: made capable, suited. — “You” — believers in general. — “To share” more precisely: to a part. Each Christian is destined to receive his own special portion of blessedness in the kingdom of glory or of the common inheritance. — “Of the saints” — believers in general. — “In the light” — i.e. illuminated with the light of Christ.

Colossians 1:13. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, God has rescued us from the power of darkness or Satan, and transferred us or more precisely: transplanted us into a new domain — into the kingdom of Christ. The Apostle, obviously, has in mind a plant, which at first grows very poorly in darkness, but then develops in all its beauty when transplanted into the sun. — “Into the kingdom” — i.e. into the Church. — “Of his beloved Son” — more precisely: of the Son of his love. This is a genitive of origin, indicating the generation of the Son of God from the very substance of God the Father (Mukhin).

Colossians 1:14. in whom we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins, Compare Eph 1:7.

Colossians 1:15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; The Colossian false teachers lowered Christ to the rank of created beings, and the Apostle in refutation of such a view of Christ depicts Him here as “the image of the invisible God.” Man is also an image of God (Gen 1:26), but Christ is the archetypal image, differing in nothing from the substance of the Father, in other words — the Consubstantial Son of God (the word itself, according to the explanation of John Chrysostom, points to perfect, most complete resemblance with the Father). — “Invisible.” From this one must conclude that the Apostle has in mind Christ also as “invisible,” in the state before His incarnation. “If God is invisible, then His image is also invisible, because otherwise He would not be an image” (Chrysostom). — “The firstborn of all creation.” If Christ was born and consequently existed before all creation came into being, then it means He is eternal, He is God.

Colossians 1:16. for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him; The Apostle proves the eternity of Christ in particular by the fact that in Christ all things were created, i.e. in Him from eternity all creation was contained in its potential being. — “Created” — at one specific moment, created as an entirely finished whole. — “Thrones” ... Since the Colossian false teachers placed Christ on a level with angels, the Apostle here especially notes the fact that the angels also, beginning from the highest (“thrones”) and ending with the lowest (“powers”) are also created by Christ. — “All things through him” — Christ appears here as the mediator, through whom all existing things were created. — “For him,” i.e. created so that He precisely holds all things in His power, cares for all things. “Created” — in perfect tense to indicate that the relation of Christ to the created world continues.

Colossians 1:17. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Since Christ is the Creator of all, everything finds in Him its support. The Apostle thus repeats the thought expressed in the two previous verses, so that it might be more firmly impressed on the consciousness of the readers, whom the false teachers were disturbing.

Colossians 1:18. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. Now the Apostle depicts Christ as God-man. Here He appears first of all as the head of the Church (see Eph 1:22-23). The Apostle explains why Christ became the head of the Church: He is the beginning or source of all (and in particular the firstborn from the dead (see 1 Cor 15:20). — “In everything” — i.e. in all respects.

Colossians 1:19. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, Why does Christ have first place everywhere? Because in Him, by divine good pleasure, dwells all the fullness of God. — “Dwells” — permanently resides. — “Fullness” — a word that was also used by the Colossian false teachers. But whereas they, perhaps following an Essene view, imagined this fullness as angels, which express the fullness of divine being (they placed Christ among these expressions), the Apostle says that Christ alone contains in Himself all the fullness of the Godhead.

Colossians 1:20. and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. “Through him,” i.e. because Christ contains in Himself the fullness of the Godhead, He is chosen in the council of the Most Holy Trinity to accomplish the work of our salvation. — “Reconcile.” The enmity of creation against God (God Himself is not at enmity with anyone) consisted in the fact that creation did not obey the will of God. — “Both on earth and in heaven.” Even the angels turned away from us because of our great wickedness (Theodoret) and therefore they needed to be reconciled with men. — “By the blood of his cross,” i.e. shed on the cross. — “Through him.” The Apostle wishes once more to impress on the Colossians that people were saved precisely through Christ, not through angels, who according to the interpretation of the false teachers were the sole mediators between God and the world.

Colossians 1:21. And you who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, Colossians 1:22. he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him — In particular the Colossians also received salvation from Christ (see Eph 2:12-13). — “In his fleshly body.” The Colossian false teachers insisted that the reconciliation of men with God is accomplished by bodiless angelic powers. The Apostle therefore with special force points out that the salvation of men was accomplished in the fleshly body of Christ, in which He died for the sins of men. — “Holy and blameless” — see Eph 1:4.

Colossians 1:23. provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in your faith, not shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a servant. In order to be finally saved, to stand firm even at the fearful judgment of God, the Colossians must stand unmovably amid all the temptations of earthly life, keeping in mind, as a saving beacon, the Christian hope for future blessedness with Christ. To confirm them in their faith, the Apostle reminds them that this faith is spreading throughout the universe and that he, Paul, is its servant or preacher.

Colossians 1:24. I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, In order to inspire the Colossians with even greater respect for the faith they have accepted, the Apostle says that he has himself become a willing sufferer for all the Gentiles. He is fully convinced that the Gospel he proclaims is necessary for them as the one, undoubtedly saving truth. — “In my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ.” Christ accomplished the work of our redemption once for all. But He has not yet drunk the entire cup of insults from men, since He did not come into contact with the Gentiles. Did not preach the Gospel to the Gentiles Himself. Now such a preacher, continuing the work of spreading the Gospel among the Gentiles, is the Apostle Paul, and his sufferings, which he endures from the Gentiles, are a continuation of those insults which Christ suffered during His earthly life from the Jews. — “On behalf of his body,” i.e. so that Christ might receive in this way a complete body or complete Church. Underlying Paul’s thought here is the idea that each Christian is destined to endure a certain measure of suffering as a follower of Christ (Acts 14:22). Most such sufferings, and sufferings precisely for the benefit of the Church, fell to the Apostle Paul. He endured much suffering, but he feels that he must drink this cup of suffering to the very bottom (“filling up” — make up what is wanting).

Colossians 1:25. of which I became a servant according to the commission of God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, Colossians 1:26. the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints, The fact that he, Paul, and no other, should drink what remained in the cup of Christ’s sufferings, the Apostle proves by saying that he alone became the preacher of salvation to the Gentiles by the will of God (“according to the commission of God”). — “To make fully known,” i.e. to make complete through universal proclamation, to bring to completion the work of Christian preaching or the word of God (compare Rom 15:19) — “Mystery” ... see Eph 3:9 and Eph 3:5. — “Saints,” i.e. Christians.

Colossians 1:27. to them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The fact that the Gentiles heard the preaching of the Gospel depended not on their merits, but on God’s good pleasure. God in doing this was pleased to explain to them wherein consists the height and importance of the mystery announced to them. They were given to understand that the highest wealth on which a man can rely is Christ Himself, dwelling in them, present in them inwardly, and this gives them assurance also of their future final glorification: in Christ is the pledge of our future glory (instead of “which” one should read: “which,” i.e. wealth).

Colossians 1:28. whom we proclaim, admonishing every person and teaching every person in all wisdom, that we may present every person mature in Christ Jesus; Colossians 1:29. For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me. This very Christ is whom Paul and his co-workers proclaim, striving to bring Christians to perfection. He says this to the Colossians in order that they not be led astray by the teaching of heretics, but listen to and remember only the teaching which they received through Epaphras. — “I toil” — the designation of heavy labors. — “Struggle” — indicates both the external and internal struggle which the Apostle had to wage. “With all the energy” ... Here is an allusion to the miracles which God gave him power to perform (Acts 19:11-12). * * * Notes Bishop Theophanes says: “and in the incarnation of God the Word, the invisible Godhead did not become visible, but only its presence became as if tangibly knowable, yet still mentally, not visibly.” In his other epistles the Apostle Paul differently enumerates the ranks of the heavenly hierarchy. Thus in the epistle to the Ephesians he places “principalities” first, which here are placed at the very end (Eph 1:21: compare Eph 3:10). In patristic writings there is also a difference in the enumeration of angelic ranks. Ephrem the Syrian, for example, divides the angels into ten ranks. Basil of Seleucia counts them as seven, and Dionysius the Areopagite as nine: 1) thrones, cherubim, seraphim, 2) dominions, powers, authorities, 3) angels, archangels and principalities. The latter division is also accepted by the Orthodox Church.