A Study of Colossians 2:4–7
And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:4-7)
Now we come back to the thought that Paul began in 1:23: “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel”. In the last several studies we looked at the second part of that verse and how Paul expanded the second thought of “whereof I Paul am made a minister”. Now we look into this “beholding your order”, which really does sound like a military inspector, something like when the platoon is visited by a general, or another high ranking officer. And this is what Paul longed to see: a well disciplined troop standing firm against the enemies of the gospel: those who would move them away from the hope of the gospel, and their completeness in the finished work of redemption and reconciliation found in Christ, and only in Christ.
Continue reading “Stand Your Ground”
Now Paul begins to discuss the work that he labored fervently for throughout his ministry. The one thing that he does let the saints know, is that it is a great conflict “for you”, and for as many as had not seen his face in the flesh. This term “conflict” is the same word translated “race” in Hebrews 12:1. The Greek word is ἀγῶνα—agōna, which is related to our English word agony. It is a daunting task that he is undertaking, but it was an undertaking for the saints, because the Apostle has great love for his Lord, and for those that the Lord calls His own.
The following is Appendix 112 from Dr. E.W. Bullinger’s Companion Bible. While many have sought to keep distance from being associated with Dr. Bullinger over the last century or so, it must be acknowledged that he was an astute and careful student of the Word of God. He was a lover of God, of Christ, of God’s people, and of the Bible. He did, in some instances in my understanding, come to erroneous conclusions, but I would urge you to look into why he arrived at the conclusions that he did. While in the past, most fundamentalists decried Bullingerism and practically used his name as a “curse word”, his work is very valuable to true students of the Word. I have come to many (not all) of the same conclusions as Dr. Bullinger, independent of what he wrote. I have also come to some that differ. We should be careful in all cases to “rightly divide” our teachers, and compare them with Scripture, but we should also acknowledge the value of those on whose shoulders we stand.
By Pastor Cornelius R. Stam, founder of Berean Bible Society