Smoodock's Blog

Previously, we’ve come to understand that Paul called to the minds of the Colossian believers that the very Spirit of Christ who dwells within every believer (Colossians 1:27; Romans 8:9) was all the spiritual wealth they could ever desire (Ephesians 1:3). Moreover, they could understand what was theirs in Christ, vis-à-vis the spiritual riches that could be found in him, by searching out what was hid there by God (Proverbs 25:2). Therefore, in the context of becoming spiritually rich (Colossians 1:27; cp. Ephesians 1:3), Paul tells the Colossian brethren to walk in Christ, vis-à-vis search out the riches in him in the same manner in which they received him (Colossians 2:6; Proverbs 25:2). In other words, just as they chose to prove the truth of Epaphras’ words about Christ (Colossians 1:7) by receiving Christ into their lives in the context of trusting Epaphras had told the truth, they should now prove the truth of Paul’s words, vis-à-vis  Christ’s Spirit is sufficient for their needs (Colossians 2:2-3). Walk in Christ (Colossians 2:6), or put another way, Paul wanted the Colossian believers to live as though Christ would well up inside them to satisfy their longing for spiritual fulfillment.

In an effort to explain this process of walking in Christ, as they had received him, Paul employs a double metaphor, which pertains to the growth of a tree and the erection of a building (Colossians 2:7), as he does elsewhere (Ephesians 2:21-22; 3:17). In other words, becoming a Christian, a follower of Christ, isn’t the same as changing one’s nationality or citizenship; it isn’t a once and done matter. The fact is, a seed was planted by Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), and in doing so growth is expected, if the seed is to become a tree and the tree is ever to mature, rooted in love (Ephesians 3:17; 4:16). Therefore, the Colossians believers need to yield themselves in trust to the work of the Spirit of Christ dwelling within them.

Moreover, in the context of a building, Paul declares that the Colossian believers, just as Christ dwells in each one of them personally, they need to collectively allow the servants of Christ, vis-à-vis gifts of the Spirit of Christ to the Church for the perfecting or maturing of the saints (Ephesians 4:11-13), to do their work in building up the Body of Christ, the Church, into a proper dwelling of Almighty God (Ephesians 2:20-21). On the one hand it is the Spirit of Christ that does the work, and on the other hand it is the gifts of Christ to the Church who do the work. However, in both contexts, it is the responsibility of the believers, individually and collectively, to yield themselves in obedience to the work of God through his Spirit and through the gifts of his Spirit.

Therefore, far from being a once and done act, when the Colossian believers decided to trust in what Epaphras told them about Christ (Colossians 1:7), the end result was a process, not simply an event, although it was, indeed, a significant event. Nevertheless, it was more like the growth of a tree or the construction of a building. It was as a seed planted by Epaphras (Colossians 1:7) and taking root and growing into a mature tree (Colossians 2:7), whereby the whole body of believers, there in Colossae, were joined to one another, as though they were, collectively, a single organism. Each believer in Christ was inspired to supply the needs of the others, vis-à-vis needs of a spiritual as well as those of a physical nature, which was done through the individual spiritual gifts given them by the Spirit of Christ.

Likewise, receiving Christ as their Savior was also like the construction of a building, which was “built up in him” (Colossians 2:7). The whole building is built upon the foundation of Christ. Indeed, no other foundation for the Christian can be laid (1Corinthians 3:11). Nevertheless, Paul also mentions in his letter to the Ephesians that the Church is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20a), adding that Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. How should we understand this? Is it a contradiction?

No, it isn’t a contradiction, but it is the responsibility of the believer to respect the word of God and read the content of both scriptures in a manner that they don’t contradict (John 10:35). Thus, although no other foundation can be laid for the Church than Christ (1Corinthians 3:11), the gifts of the Spirit of Christ for the building up of the Church have preached Christ to the gentiles and their preaching was believed. In this sense they’ve become a foundation (Ephesians 2:20a) for the Church, but this is done in order to express the position of Christ as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20b), the Stone, which the builders (the Jewish authorities) rejected (Psalm 118:22). The chief cornerstone, or the “headstone of the corner” was placed in the foundation of a building in order to determine the line for constructing the whole building. While the Gospel of Christ, as preached by the prophets and Apostles, supported the Church, Christ, the object of the Gospel, regulated the pattern that the whole building took. In other words, “Jesus is not only the Origin, Foundation, Support of the Church, he gives it its shape and form; he determines the place and the office of each stone, he gives life and character to each member.”[1]

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[1] I am at this point in full agreement with the idea and words from The Pulpit Commentary at Ephesians 2:20.