Notes on Colossians 2:1-7

I will lead a study tonight on Colossians 2:1-7 and thought I would share my notes on the passage.

Verses 1-3
V1 Paul reminds his readers of how much he struggles on behalf of the churches in the area.

The word "struggle", agonia, refers to an assembly of people to see the games, or the place where the games take place. (Strong) It is the word from which we get the word agony.

Henry: "He was in a sort of agony, and had a constant fear respecting what would become of them."

Paul reminds his readers that these churches for which he struggles are churches he has never seen, and whose people have never seen him.

V2 Paul reminds the reader of his struggles to form a bond with those whom he has never met. He wants the reader to find encouragement in this.

The word "comfort", parakaleo, is a similar word to that used in reference to the Holy Spirit at times when he is called the Comforter, parakletos (John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7). One is verb, the other noun? The word, it seems to me, evokes the idea of standing side by side (para prefix).
Attaining to wealth: the theme again of growing into mature faith (cf 1:6,9).

The result of this knitting together and Christian maturity is true knowledge of God. Knowledge is one of the keys to the letter since he is combating the heresy of gnosticism.

V3 In God is hidden all the treasures. Reference this back to V2 where Paul talks about attaining the wealth that comes from understanding.

Hidden treasures: Gnosticism held to the idea that hidden knowledge is what leads to salvation. Paul says God and His plan for salvation is not hidden, it is the true wisdom that comes for the saved. So it is not hidden knowledge that leads to salvation, but salvation that leads to hidden knowledge.

Gnosticism:

1. Man's body is matter is evil. God is spirit so He is good.
2. Salvation is the escape from the body. It is not achieved by faith in Christ, but by special knowledge. Combating this point is the primary motivation for this letter.
3. Christ's humanity is denied. He only seemed to have a body, or the God part joined the man part at Jesus' baptism and left just before Jesus' death. One of the primary purposes of 1 John is to address this.
4. Since the body is evil, it is to be treated harshly.
5. Since the body is evil, it is to be submitted to much sin and to licentiousness.

Verses 4-7
V4 Paul's purpose in pointing out his "agony" for the church is to gain their respect so they will listen to him and not be led astray by someone else's argument. Paul's actions and commitment to the church should outweigh the intellectual arguments put forth by the Gnostics who suffer nothing for their cause. It also reinforces his authority to teach and admonish his listeners.

Paul's opponents are trying to lead the church astray by way of convincing, intellectual arguments. They use fancy, enticing words to draw the listener away from the truth. KJV expresses it "enticing words." Enticing evokes the image of a seductress coyly tempting the innocent into her lair. That is what the deceivers in the Colossian church are like.

Persuasive argument: Rom 16:17-18: "Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."

From Gospelcom:

In our day, as in the ancient world, people often measure the value of what others say by how well they say it. Even within the church we put great stress on a person's academic credentials, as if a Ph.D. granted one a corner on heavenly wisdom. The result is that we learn to value elegant systems of church dogma that are held together by sophisticated and learned arguments. In the life of many congregations, faith has become so intellectualized that its relational, experiential dimension has been bleached out. Certainly it is important to think through carefully what one believes and why. Yet many of my students come to university with strongly held convictions about Christ but without the experience of a vital relationship with him. Knowing what to believe has replaced knowing whom to believe.

Cf Acts 17:11, 1 John 4:1.

Now begins the main part of the letter, the teaching.

V5 "Absent in body..." is similar to what Paul said in 1 Cor 5:3. In that context, Paul is asserting his authority over the Corinthian church to exercise discipline, even from a distance. Here, he is asserting his authority to teach the Colossian church, even at a distance.

V6 To begin his teaching, Paul turns their attention and focus to Christ. The union of Jesus and the believer is repeated often throughout the letter (2:7, 2:10-13, 1:2, 1:27-28, 3:1,3).

V7 Paul invokes the theme of growing from baby Christian ("having been firmly rooted") to mature Christian ("and now being built up and established in your faith"). (cf 1:6,9)

Paul exhorts the reader to live and develop their faith "just as [they] were instructed" by Epaphras. In other words, turn away from the fancy words of the Gnostics and return to the teachings of those who founded the church and indeed of the Bible. The Bible is the answer to and the defense against deception. Cf 2 Tim 3:16.