The Gospel according to the Colossians
My wife and I were on a plane travelling down to Santiago de Compostello in northern Spain. A Chinese lady in her twenties sat next to me. I offered her a sweet for take-off. She spoke very good English and explained that she had studied for a Masters degree in England.
“Did you meet many English families then?” I asked.
“No, but I did get involved with a group called ‘International Café’.”
“What did you do with them?”
“We went on excursions and met together to study the Bible.”
“Wonderful. Can you tell me what a Christian is?”
She thought for a bit and then said,
“Isn’t a Christian someone who is kind, generous and honest?”
For the next two hours we discussed what the Bible teaches on this vital subject.
Unfortunately there are now many people who would be unsure how to answer this question about ‘What is a Christian’. When asked why a person hopes to go to heaven, many respond,
“Well, I behave better than most, I am involved in a church.”
Such answers that centre on what I do are not Christian. The Christian will always say,
“Because the Lord Jesus died on my behalf to take away the guilt of my sin.”
In 60AD Paul wrote a letter to a young church in Colossae which was sited in what is now modern day Turkey, inland from Ephesus. He had never been there but he clearly wanted them to be sure what the Christian message really was so that they would not be led astray by false teachers. He longed for them to know that the God who made us really cares for us. The first chapter of Colossians summarises what everyone should know about the Christian message.
The gospel is Christ centred
Many people think of Christians as being morally decent people who are usually church-goers. Paul starts by correcting this view. A Christian is someone who lives under the authority of the Lord Jesus. A person can be a pleasant decent person and even go to church and never have submitted to the rule of Jesus in their personal life. The letter begins,
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus . . . to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae. . . We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus . . .” Colossians 1:1-4
Any discussion about ‘What is a Christian?’ must centre on the person of Jesus? Paul here describes him as ‘The Christ’, as ‘the Lord’ and as the ‘Son of God’. This is crucial. The Christian story centres on who Jesus is and what he entered this world to do.
The word ‘Christ’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Christos.’ This means the same as the Old Testament word “Messiah.’ The Messiah is a person that keeps being mentioned throughout the Old Testament. He is ‘God’s anointed one’ or ‘God’s chosen King’, who is foreseen as entering this world to rule over all for eternity. He would be recognised by his pedigree, by his birthplace, by his teaching, by the miracles he performs and ultimately by his coming back to life after death. His followers would be welcomed into the Kingdom of God and will be forgiven all their sins against God. Jesus himself claimed to be this Messiah and to have fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies!
When Mark wrote his gospel, using the information Peter gave him, his opening line summarises what he wants to substantiate.
“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark 1:1
Our word ‘gospel’ is derived from the old English word ‘god-speil’ which literally means ‘good news.’ The coming of God into his world as a person is very great news. In order to communicate with mankind God entered his world as a unique human being – that is the claim of the whole Bible.
A headmaster wrote the following in his autobiography,
“I was happy in conversation with boys always to tell them what ideal behaviour was and where selfishness, cruelty and exploitation lay, but unwilling to talk of the very centre of Christianity, the meaning of the cross, because I found it at times repugnant and in part beyond belief. With this semi religion I was able to live with some contentment, but I knew well that it was ‘non-infectious’. That if what I believed was all Christianity amounted to, it would attract few. I knew that our Lord did not walk about Palestine beginning a world revolution, by saying,
“Come along everyone, be nice to everybody, be truthful, be honest. No he spoke of repentance, of salvation from sin, of conversion.”
How right this headmaster is. The Christian message is that God entered this world as a person and now the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of God, is at work. He enables individuals to recognise the rebellion against God that is in us all, and draws us to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of any who turn to him. When we respond, his Spirit enters our life and begins the radical change in our characters. The Holy Spirit wants us to be forgiven, to join God’s kingdom and then begin the process of becoming like Jesus and so enjoying the life he want for us.
This is the message that the churches must pass on. The first words the great Bible teacher, C.H. Spurgeon, gave when he first entered the pulpit of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, in London were very significant,
“I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshipers, shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist; I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist; but if I am asked what is my creed, I reply, "It is Jesus Christ." My venerated predecessor, Dr. Gill, has left a [theological heritage] admirable and excellent in its way. But the [legacy] to which I would pin and bind myself forever, God helping me,...is Jesus Christ, who is the arm and substance of the gospel, who is in Himself all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth.”
The gospel is true
What is purported to be good news is not necessarily true but here Paul emphasises that the Christian story is true and dependable, is evidence based, and that the accounts we have about Jesus are really true. Paul stresses,
“. . . that you have already heard about in the word of truth.” Colossians 1:5
“. . . and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” Colossians 1:6
That this message, passed on by the apostles, has all the markings of being true can be discovered by anyone who investigates the evidence. A good place to start is to read through John’s gospel. It is significant that those who are not serious in their search for answers will rarely take this up. Investigators may like to ask for and read the article, ‘Are the Gospels Reliable?’ that looks at some of the evidence that the four gospels we have were really written under the auspices of the apostles and are true accounts of what Jesus said and did. The evidence is very strong that the Christian faith started suddenly and then spread very rapidly, in spite of marked opposition, during the first century AD.
The gospel is spread by people
Jesus described the Christian message as a seed and here Paul takes up this metaphor. The message about Jesus was brought to the people of Colossae by a man called Epaphras, who himself was a native of Colossae. We do not know when he heard the gospel but it may have been when Paul spent over two and a half years teaching in nearby Ephesus. Paul had had daily discussions there in a hall owned by a schoolmaster, appropriately called Tyrannus. Clearly one aspect of the early teaching about Jesus and his kingdom was the need for ordinary people who have become Christians to pass on the good news to others.
“All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant . . .” Colossians 1:6
So the gospel is a true story about what Jesus said and did. It can be investigated and tested – is the story coherent historically and does Christ’s message resonate with all that we instinctively know?
What a tragedy it is that so few people understand the Christian message today., but they have never been told. A recent survey revealed that of the 144 evangelical mission agencies based in the United Kingdom only 56 prioritise the sharing of the gospel about Jesus, 88 do not. The percentage of our local churches and Christians that prioritise evangelism is even smaller.
The gospel is effective
David Hamilton who was deeply involved in the loyalist reaction against the IRA in Northern Ireland. He had murdered, shot, injured and burnt the homes of those he considered to be the enemies of Northern Ireland’s union with Great Britain. He became a Christian when in the Maze prison and became a changed man who spends his time telling people that God can change them too.
I have also just read about a doctor in Italy who has been immersed in caring for people with the Corona virus. He and his fellow doctors were firm atheists but the troubles led them to realise how much we all need God and he, for one, has become a believer. Throughout history a major appeal that the gospel has made has been when people see the changes that occur when people turn to Christ. They now have a higher authority that guides how they behave and they inevitably change to become more like Jesus their Lord.
“All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” Colossians 1:6
“ . . . in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every good way; bearing fruit in every good work. . .” Colossians 1:10
Note again that a Christian is someone who is convinced who Jesus is and is therefore committed to living for him and his glory. Any person who does not have this relationship with Jesus themselves is probably not yet a saved person, not yet a Christian. This relationship, like a good marriage, is permanent and our Lord gives us the power of his Spirit to enable us to keep going on faithfully.
“ . . . being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves . . .” Colossians 1:11
It is the Lord Jesus who has paid the price for us to become members of his kingdom and it is he who empowers his people to change into the likeness of Jesus. It is he who gives us great joy.
The Bible’s message is so powerful. Mahatma Ghandi was speaking to a group of missionaries when he felt compelled to remind them about their priority,
“You Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilisations apart, to turn our world upside down, to bring peace to this battle-torn planet – but you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of literature.”
Martin Luther recognised the power that the God’s gospel has, a power that could overthrow any human dynasty such as the power of the papacy in Rome.
“I simply taught, preached and wrote God’s word – otherwise I did nothing. And then, while I slept or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor ever inflicted such loses on it. I did nothing. The word did everything.”
Faith in God makes great optimists. Adoniram Judson, one of the earliest missionaries to Burma, was lying in a foul jail with 32 lbs. of chains on his ankles, his feet bound to a bamboo pole. A fellow prisoner said, with a sneer on his face.
“Dr. Judson, what about the prospect of the conversion of the heathen?”
His instant reply was,
"The prospects are just as bright as the promises of God."
The gospel offers great privileges
When a person recognises who Jesus is and submits to his rule in their life, he is given, as a free gift, a new status. He is forgiven for all the sin that has marked his life in the past. They are forgotten by God and so he asks us to do the same. He is adopted into God’s own family and becomes a member of God’s kingdom. There can be no greater privilege than this.
“. . . and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14
Doesn’t this thrill you?
Because we are forgiven God promised us admission to heaven. James Packer wrote in his book, ‘The Father Loves You’,
“We know very little about heaven, but I once heard a theologian describe it as ‘an unknown region with a well-known inhabitant,’ and there is not a better way to think of it than that.”
Richard Baxter, a minister in Cromwell’s time, expresses the thought of heaven with these words:
“My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim,
But it's enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with him.”
To those who have learned to love and trust Jesus, the prospect of meeting him face to face and being with him forever is the hope that keeps us going, no matter what life may throw at us.
The gospel is Jesus
Paul now returns to emphasise the centrality of Jesus - everything revolves around Jesus.
Paul writes that Jesus is:
Creator
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” Colossians 1:15-17
This is clearly describing the God who created ‘the heavens and the earth.’ Jesus is one with that being. He is God. When we look at a beautiful person, a beautiful garden, an inspiring landscape, we should be saying, thank you Lord Jesus for all of this. To think like this is to worship him.
Sustainer
Our health and very existence is sustained by Jesus, who existed before the world was formed. Without him everything would collapse.
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17
Ruler
Jesus Christ is the loving ruler of his people. They now live as he wants and he will take them to live with him in eternity. His resurrection proves that this gospel is true. He promises that those who die holding to their faith in the Lord Jesus will be raised to live with him eternally, those who do not belong to him will also be raised but will be separated from every good thing God offers, and that will be hell.
“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” Colossians 1:18
How foolish it is for people to say that they are Christians when they don’t permit Jesus to reign supremely in their everyday lives.
The God who saves
Paul summarises this brief description of who Jesus is by combining who Jesus is with what he came to achieve.
“God was pleased to have all his fulness dwell in him, and though him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” Colossians 1:19-20
This is a God who exemplifies love. He wants everything to be unified and working together for God’s ends. If a whole range of musical instruments are accurately tuned to one tuning fork they will all play together harmoniously. When everything in the universe is tuned to our maker, all will again be harmonious. That will be heaven.
There is a problem however. What should a just God do with sin? He cannot just overlook it and say, ‘It doesn’t matter’ because he is righteous and hates sin. His answer was to pay for it himself by entering this world and dying in our place, as our substitute. Such extreme love has never been repeated. He gave his life, knowing that he would return to life, for those who were initially opposed to his rule, so that they could be forgiven. Paul continues:
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation . . .” Colossians 1:21-23
Those who have turned to Christ, that is those who believe in him, are given the status of being righteous in God’s eyes simply because we belong to his Son.
I had a patient who was terminally ill but who had just become a Christian. She was transferred to the local hospice and I visited her there. I felt it was important for her to be reminded of her standing before God and to be assured of her future with him. I wrote her name in bold writing on a piece of paper and then, lifting up my Bible, said,
“Let this Bible represent the Lord Jesus. You have committed your life to him so you are now ‘in Christ.’
I then placed the piece of paper, with her name on, in between the leaves of the Bible to represent this idea of being ‘in Christ’ and then closed it, saying,
“You are now in Christ, so when God sees you he doesn’t see your sins, he only sees you through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus in whom you stand. Because of what Jesus did on the cross you have been completely forgiven, you have been given the righteousness of Christ. Furthermore, Jesus has gone to heaven to live there with his Father. Because you are in Christ, you also will go to be with him in heaven.”
The response God demands
When a couple get married they have to learn to live in harmony with each other. God has given us everything we need to make our relationship with him work out well. If it doesn’t the fault is not his! He asks us to determine to earnestly live as he wants, living in a close relationship with him for the rest of our lives. The only condition God lays on us is that we must remain in Christ; outside of Christ there is no salvation,
“ . . . if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” Colossians 1:23
No-one becomes a Christian by being brought up in a Christian family, or by participating in church rituals such as baptism, confirmation or communion. These are only valid actions if they reflect a genuine personal commitment to the Lord Jesus as my God and my Saviour and my everyday Lord.
We need Jesus to explain our existence, to forgive us for how we have treated our creator and others, to empower us to live as God wants, to give us a purpose for our lives as well as a hope for after this life. Augustine summarised the place that faith should have in our lives.
“God does not expect us to submit our faith in him without reason, but the very limits of our reason make faith a necessity.”
We all need to return to the God who created us and entered this world to save us, to do so rescues us from a life rebelling against God to a life spent enjoyably living for him instead of for ourselves. What great news we have to share!
BVP
