Smoodock's Blog

We are studying Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians, and we’ve come to the third chapter of his letter. Earlier, he had addressed the preeminence of Christ (Colossians 1:15-20) in the life of the believer. Afterward, Paul mentioned his own labor in the Gospel and how Christ had worked powerfully through him (Colossians 1:24-29). Similarly, just as Christ had worked mightily in him, Paul was in a great struggle in prayer that the same would be true of the believers at Colossae (Colossians 2:1-2). Paul prayed that they would hold to the Head (Christ) and not lose their reward by trusting in men who would come, having reasonable arguments (Colossians 2:4, 19), which is nothing more than worldly wisdom, based upon men’s philosophies against the Christian faith (Colossians 2:8). Rather, Paul told believers that they should walk in Christ, allowing his Spirit to build them up (Colossians 2:6-7), for they are complete in Christ (verse-10) and don’t need what worldly men want to offer them through clever reasoning.

From the beginning, mankind has desired to understand his way without God (Genesis 3:1-7; cp. Romans 1:28), but this cannot be done. Real understanding of our lives and our environment comes through the operation of God within us (Colossians 2:12-13), and Paul begins to tell the believers in Colossae how this works in the third chapter of his letter. If they have been baptized in Christ and have become dead to the old worldly ways, and if they have risen with Christ in his resurrection, then they need to seek those things which are above (Colossians 3:1-2)! In other words, every spiritual blessing anyone could ever need or desire is found in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Therefore, believers need to set aside the philosophies of this world that can add nothing to our hope for eternal life. Instead, we must set our hearts upon the things in Christ, wherein dwells the fulness of God (Colossians 1:19; 2:9; Ephesians 3:19).

In an earlier letter to the Corinthians Paul compared Adam to Christ, showing that Christ under the New Covenant replaces Adam under the Old Covenant. Paul claimed that death came to mankind through Adam, but life comes to us through Christ (1Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-49). Therefore, just as death passed to all men who were in Adam (Romans 5:12; cp. Genesis 3:20), so life passes upon all who are in Christ (Colossians 3:3-4; cp. Romans 6:23).

Put another way, God has severed us from Adam, the father or beginning of the human race. That is what spiritual circumcision is about (Colossians 2:11). Having done that, he has grafted us into Christ, the Father and Beginning of the new creation (Colossians 1:18; cp. Romans 11:17). In doing so, God has removed us from death (Adam; Genesis 2:17; 3:1-7, 22-24; Romans 5:12-14) and transplanted us into Life/Christ (Romans 5:15-17, 21; 6:23; 1John 5:11-13). In other words, to draw our life from Adam (the old creation/beginning) is to be a living soul who will eventually die without hope of life afterwards (Genesis 2:17; 1Corinthians 15:45a). Nevertheless, if by faith in Christ’s death and resurrection, we draw our life from Christ, the Beginning of the new creation of God (Colossians 1:18), then even though we die (Hebrews 9:27), vis-à-vis cast off our body of death (Romans 7:24-25), we shall live in Christ (John 11:25; Colossians 3:3) and be clothed with eternal life (1Corinthians 15:47-49, 53-54).

Paul pointed the believers at Colossae to the coming of Christ (Colossians 3:4). Although we are called the children of God (Romans 8:16), because the world didn’t know Christ, neither does it know us, as God’s children (1John 3:1). Nevertheless, when Christ appears, vis-à-vis in judgment of the Jewish state that rejected him, when they are judged, just as he claimed they would be (Matthew 23:31-39), and as is preached throughout the world in the Gospel (1Thessalonians 2:14-16; Hebrews 6:8), then we shall appear with Christ in glory (Colossians 3:4; 1John 3:2). In other words, the judgment of those who rejected Christ and denied the Gospel in AD 70 vindicates us. From that point onward, we have been established as the royal priesthood of God (cp. 1Peter 2:9), standing between the God and the world. Since the world witnessed God’s judgment of the Jews in AD 70, the world has been more apt to listen to us as God’s representatives. Unbelievers are in the dark (spiritually dead), and it is necessary to become born again, become part of the new creation in order to be able to even see the Kingdom of God, vis-à-vis understand that Jesus is ruling, and how that is taking place in this world, and how we, God’s children, are helping Jesus bring his rule over all mankind.