Colossians 1:1-23

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

*November 9, 2009
<http://www.2rbetter.org/>*



   *COLOSSIANS 1-4*

*CHRIST'S PRE-EMINENCE CORRECTS ERROR AND STABILIZES THE CHURCH*


 *Part 1. 1:1-23*

*A. 1:1-2 SALUTATIONS*

PAUlos, aPOsto-los [652] ChrisTOU 'I*e*SOU diA theL*E*ma-tos [2307] TheOU,

*Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus through God's will,*

kai TiMOthe-os ho a-delPHOS,

*and Timothy the brother,*

tois en Ko-losSAIS haGIois kai piSTOIS a-delPHOIS en ChrisT*O*:

*2 to the saints at Colossae and faithful brethren in Christ:*

CHAris huMIN kai eiR*E*n*e* aPO TheOU paTROS h*e*M*O*N.

*Grace to you and peace from God our Father.*



 *B. 1:3-23 JESUS CHRIST: HIS HIGH ESTATE COUNTERS ALL ERROR*

*a. 1:3-8 STATE OF COLOSSE COMMENDED*

Eu-cha-riSTOUmen [2168] t*o* The*O* paTRI tou KuRIou h*e*M*O*N 'I*e*SOU
ChrisTOU

*We thank :God the Father of our :Lord Jesus Christ*

PANto-te peRI huM*O*N pro-seuCHOme-noi [4336],

*alway praying for you,*

aKOUsan-tes t*e*n PIstin huM*O*N en ChrisT*O* 'I*e*SOU,

*4 having heard of your :faith in Christ Jesus,*

kai t*e*n aGAp*e*n h*e*n Eche-te eis PANtas tous haGIous,

*and the love which you have toward all the saints,*

diA t*e*n elPIda t*e*n a-po-keiMEn*e*n [606] huMIN en tais ou-raNOIS,

*5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens,*

h*e*n pro-*e*KOUsa-te [4257] en t*o* LOg*o* t*e*s a-l*e*THEIas [225] tou
eu-ag-geLIou,

*of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,*

tou paRONtos eis huMAS;

*6 which is come unto you; *

kaTH*O*S kai en panTI t*o* KOSm*o* esTIN kar-po-phoROUme-non [2592] kai
auxaNOme-non [837],

*even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing,*

kaTH*O*S kai en huMIN, aph' h*e*s h*e*MEras *e*KOUsa-te

*as in you also, from the day you heard*

kai ePEGn*o*te [3129] t*e*n CHArin tou TheOU en a-l*e*THEIa;

*and knew the grace of :God in truth;*

kaTH*O*S eMAthe-te [3129] aPO E-paPHRA tou a-ga-p*e*TOU sunDOUlou [4889] h*e
*M*O*N,

*7 even as you learned from Epaphras our :beloved fellow-bondman,*

HOS es-tin piSTOS huPER huM*O*N diAko-nos [1249] tou ChrisTOU,

*who is a faithful minister of the Christ on your behalf,*

ho kai d*e*L*O*sas [1213] huMIN t*e*n huM*O*N aGAp*e*n en PNEUma-ti.

*8 who also declared to us your :love in Spirit.*


 *b. 1:9-17 EXHORTATION: RISE YET HIGHER INTO THE HIGH CHRIST*

DiA TOUto kai h*e*MEIS, aph' h*e*s h*e*MEras *e*KOUsa-men,

*For this cause we also, from the day we heard it,*

ou pauOme-tha [3973] huPER huM*O*N pro-seuCHOme-noi [4336] kai aiTOUme-noi
[154],

*do not cease to pray and ask for you,*

HIna pl*e*-r*o*TH*E*te [4137] t*e*n ePIGn*o*-sin [1922] tou theL*E*ma-tos
[2307] auTOU

*that you be filled with the knowledge of his :will*

en PAs*e* soPHIa [4678] kai suNEsei [4907] pneu-ma-tiK*E*,

*in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,*

pe-ri-paT*E*sai aXI*o*s [516] tou KuRIou eis PAsan aRESki-an [699]

*10 to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing*

en panTI ERg*o* a-gaTH*O* kar-po-phoROUNtes [2592],

*in every good work bearing fruit,*

kai au-xaNOme-noi [837] t*e* e-pigN*O*sei tou TheOU;

*and increasing in :knowledge of :God;*

en PAs*e* duNAmei du-naMOUme-noi [1412],

*11 strengthened with all power,*

kaTA to KRAtos [2904] t*e*s DOx*e*s [1391] auTOU,

*according to the might of his :glory,*

eis PAsan hu-po-moN*E*N [5281] kai ma-kro-thuMIan [3115] meTA chaRAS;

*unto all patience and longsuffering with joy;*

eu-cha-riSTOUNtes [2168] t*o* paTRI, t*o* hi-kaN*O*san-ti [2427] huMAS

*12 giving thanks to the Father, who fitted you *

eis t*e*n meRIda [3310] tou KL*E*rou [2819] t*o*n haGI*o*n en t*o* ph*o*TI
[5457];

*to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in :light;*

hos eRUsa-to [4506] h*e*MAS ek t*e*s e-xouSIas tou SKOtous,

*13 who delivered us out of the power of :darkness,*

kai meTEst*e*-sen [3179] eis t*e*n ba-siLEIan [932] tou huiOU t*e*s aGAp*e*s
auTOU;

*and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his :love;*

en h*o* Echo-men t*e*n a-poLUtr*o*-sin [629],

*14 in whom we have the redemption, *

t*e*n Aphe-sin [859] t*o*n ha-mar-ti*O*N:

*the forgiveness of :sins:*

hos es-tin eiK*O*N [1504] tou TheOU tou a-oRAtou [517],

*15 who is the invisible God's image, *

pr*o*TOto-kos [4416] PAs*e*s KTIse-*o*s [2937];

*firstborn of all creation;*

HOti en auT*O* ekTISth*e* [2936] ta PANta,

*16 for in him were :all things created,*

en tois ou-raNOIS kai ePI t*e*s g*e*s,

*in the heavens and upon the earth,*

ta ho-raTA [3707] kai ta aOra-ta [517],

*the visible and the invisible,*

EIte THROnoi [2362] EIte ku-riOt*e*-tes [2963] EIte arCHAI [746] EIte
e-xouSIai [1849];

*whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;*

ta PANta di' auTOU, kai eis auTON, EKtis-tai [2936];

*:all things have been created through him, and unto him;*

kai auTOS es-tin pro PANt*o*n,

*17 and HE is before all, *

kai ta PANta en auT*O* suNESt*e*-ken [4921].

*and in him :all things consist.*


 *c. 1:18 CHRIST'S HIGH PRE-EMINENCE IS IN ALL, INCLUDING THE CHURCH*

kai auTOS es-tin h*e* ke-phaL*E* [2776] tou S*O*ma-tos [4983], t*e*s ek-kl*e
*SIas [1577]:

*And HE is the head of the body, the church:*

HOS es-tin h*e* arCH*E*, pr*o*TOto-kos [4416] ek t*o*n neKR*O*N [3498];

*who is the beginning, firstborn from the dead;*

HIna GEn*e*tai en PAsin auTOS pr*o*TEU*o*n [4409].

*that in all HE might have pre-eminence.*


 *d. 1:19-20 FATHER'S WILL: RECONCILIATION OF ALL IN CHRIST*

HOti en auT*O* euDOk*e*-sen [2106] pan to PL*E*r*o*-ma [4138] ka-toiK*E*sai
[2730];

*For the whole fullness was pleased to dwell in him;*

kai di' auTOU a-po-ka-talLAxai [604] ta PANta eis auTON,

*20 and through him to reconcile :all things unto him, *

ei-r*e*-no-poi*E*sas [1517] diA tou HAIma-tos [129] tou stauROU [4716]auTOU:

*having made peace through the blood of his :cross:*

di' auTOU, EIte ta ePI t*e*s g*e*s,

*through him, whether the things upon the earth,*

EIte ta en tois ou-raNOIS.

*or those in the heavens.*


 *e. 1:21-23 THE GENTILE PLACE IN CHRIST*

kai huMAS, poTE ONtas a-p*e*l-lo-tri-*o*MEnous [526] kai echTHROUS [2190]

*And you, being alienated before and enemies *

t*e* di-aNOIa [1271] en tois ERgois tois po-n*e*ROIS, nuNI de
a-po-kaT*E*Lla-xen
[604]

*in :mind in the evil :works, yet now has he reconciled*

en t*o* S*O*ma-ti [4983] t*e*s sarKOS [4561] auTOU diA tou thaNAtou,

*22 in the body of his :flesh through :death,*

pa-raST*E*sai [3936] huMAS haGIous [40] kai aM*O*mous [299]

*to present you holy and without blemish*

kai a-negKL*E*tous [410] ka-teN*O*pi-on auTOU;

*and unreprovable before him;*

EI ge e-piMEne-te [1961] t*e* PIStei, te-the-me-li-*o*MEnoi [2311] kai
heDRAIoi [1476],

*23 if so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast,*

kai m*e* me-ta-kiNOUme-noi [3334] aPO t*e*s elPIdos tou eu-ag-geLIou

*and not moved away from the hope of the gospel*

hou *e*KOUsa-te tou k*e*-ruchTHENtos [2784] en PAs*e* KTIsei [2937]
t*e*huPO ton ou-raNON;

*which you heard :preached in all creation :under the heaven;*

hou e-geNOm*e*n eG*O* PAULlos diAko-nos [1249].

*of which I Paul became minister.*



 *NOTE**: *This passage from Colossians 1, in my estimation, is one of the
most powerful passages in Scripture. The believers from Colosse were tempted
to depart from the high standards of the “One New Man” set forth in Paul's
letter to the Ephesians. Many consider this to be basic, and the fulcrum to
full understanding of the nature of the church from God's perspective, plus
the underlying empowerment coming to the church from the Feast of Pentecost.
Dr. J. Sidlow Baxter saw Ephesians from this standpoint, and Colossians as
the Holy Spirit's corrective through Paul - to bring them back to the
moorings of the teaching in Ephesians. Gnosticism was one of the main errors
in teaching coming to Colosse to tempt them to depart doctrinally from the
standards set in this letter to the church of “Ephesus”. Sadly though, even
Ephesus had to be rebuked by Jesus in the book of Revelation, for having
departed from their first love.


 Paul's letter to Philippi was to bring them back to the standard of
Ephesus, because of their departure in the realm of the Spirit. To hold
steadily in Christ as Head of the Church - *all* City Churches - is to be
able to withstand all types of the enemy's attacks. Christ is *Pre-eminent*!
He deserves to have our “personal, passionate devotion” at all times and in
all circumstances. Men like George Muller, H. A. Baker, Rees Howells, Oswald
Chamber and Brother Yun of China - set forth for us wonderful examples in
this intimate relationship!


 From Colossians 1:18-22 we find 10 wonderful actions and essentials in
Christ Jesus. As we meditate upon them and memorize this portion, we will
find the Holy Spirit lifting us up to the level of the 5 brothers listed
above.


 And see the level to which Jesus wishes to lift us: so that we are *holy*,
*without blemish* and *unprovable* before Him. And it is *all* based upon
“His finished Work” on Calvary. Indeed we should “feed on the merits of
Calvary.” This latter phrase was given to me in the Spirit many years ago. I
sing it regularly - “I feed on the merits of Calvary - through You - Christ
Jesus my Lord!”


 Look now at Colossians 1:12-15 and what our Worthy Lord has accomplished
for us! - He *fitted* us to become partakers of the inheritance of the
saints in light; He *delivered* us from the powers of darkness: and
God *translated
us* into the kingdom of the Son of His love; And what do we learn of Jesus
as a result of this act of the Father? We have the “*redemption*” - the
forgiveness of sins! No other founder of *any* religion can offer an
equality here! And Jesus, the One who accomplished this - is “the invisible
God's image” - the “firstborn of all creation.” We are born again sons of
God, but by adoption; while *Jesus* is the *Firstborn* of all creation. No
wonder Satan wanted to destroy Him. *But* - by contriving His death on
Calvary - he made the greatest mistake of his career. For *Jesus* had *no
sin*, and death could not hold Him! So on the 3rd day God *raised Him from
the dead*. Satan wounded His heel at Calvary, but Jesus *crushed Satan's
head*! Satan's power is decidedly limited from that day on! Read the book of
Revelation to see his continual falls, until the Lake of Fire eternally
receives him!


 As we learn to imbibe these truths, we will find them transforming! As we
gaze on Him who died for us, but is now resurrected, ascended and seated at
God's right hand on His Throne in heaven - we become transformed from glory
to glory, even by the Presence of our Lord! - J.A.W.



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