Free Bible Commentary
“Colossians 1:1-8”
Categories: Colossians“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.”
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Paul mentions the blessed triad of faith, hope and love in verses 4 and 5. The Apostle tells us that the greatest of these three virtues is love in 1 Corinthians 13:13, but it seems that hope is the hinge. It is “because of the hope laid up” in heaven that their faith and love were so strong. If we did not have hope in Christ Jesus for a bright eternity in heaven, there would be little or no motivation to have Christ-like love for our brethren or fight the good fight of faith. “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19). The hope (confident expectation) of heaven is the driving force behind our faith and our love and every good thing that we do. How pitiable we would be if our hope ended at the grave!
The Gospel is THE word of truth (verse 5) that prompts us to have faith in God and love our brethren, and that gives us the hope of heaven. The Gospel is a living, dynamic, spiritual power plant (Hebrews 4:12). It is not only the absolute truth and the final word on truth, it is the “power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16) and transformation (Romans 12:2). The Gospel is “constantly bearing fruit and increasing” in the world today, just as it was “in all the world” back then (verse 6).
Sometimes we may get discouraged because it seems that people just don’t respond favorably to the Gospel like they used to. But human nature and mankind’s needs have not changed in the slightest. People still need the Gospel today as much as they ever have in the past, and God’s word will still work powerfully in their lives. It's just that we must be determined to get the word out into the world and into human hearts. “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
Please read Colossians 1:9-12 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed day!
- Louie Taylor
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