Colossians 1:9-14 – Walking in the Lord
The prayers in Paul’s prison letters are certainly unique. To begin with, he prays for others and not for himself. The requests in his prayers center on spiritual blessings, not on material or physical matters. Of course, it is not wrong to pray about physical or material needs. But spiritual needs are vastly more important.
How would you pray for a group of people you had never seen? Paul’s prayer for the Colossian Christians in verses 9-12 are a model for us. As soon as he heard of the new faith of the Colossians, he began interceding with God for them, asking Him to give them knowledge, wisdom, strength, and joy. He prayed that the new believers at Colosse would grow into Christian maturity so that they might walk before God, pleasing Him and producing good works. All that Paul knew about the believers in Colossae was what he learned from their faithful pastor, Epaphras. Paul knew of the false teaching that was threatening the church, so he centered his praying on that problem. In his prayer, Paul made three requests. He prayed for spiritual intelligence (v. 9), practical obedience (v. 10), and moral excellence (vv. 11-12).
Humanities greatest problem is sin—a problem that can never be solved by a philosopher or a religious teacher. Sinners need a Saviour. Verses 13-14 present a vivid picture of the four saving actions of Christ on our behalf. He delivered us (13a), transferred (or translated) us (13b), redeemed us (14a), and has forgiven us (14b).
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (ESV)
Key Takeaways:
- A believer’s strength comes from God alone which produces great endurance and patience (v. 11)
- For those who believe, Christ has delivered you, transferred you (to the kingdom of light), redeemed you, and forgiven you (vv. 13-14)
- We should walk to please God (v. 10)
Closer Look:
Verse 9: For this reason, because Paul had heard this good report of them from Epaphras, he continued to pray for them. Paul’s ceaseless prayer (“we have not ceased to pray for you,” cf. 1 Thes. 5:17) does not mean that he prayed without ever stopping but that he never forgot to pray for them when he daily and regularly prayed (cf. Acts 20:31; Eph. 1:16). “Praying” (Col. 1:9) is the general word for prayer (proseuchomenoi[1]), also used in v. 3; and asking is the word for petitioning or requesting (aitoumenoi[2]).
Paul’s primary petition and concern were that God would fill them with the knowledge of His will. Paul used two keywords, “fill” (plēroō[3]) and “knowledge” (epignōsis[4], also used in v. 10 and 3:10). The first suggests a filling out to completeness, and the latter suggests a full, deep understanding. Such knowledge of God’s will does not come from a fleshly mind (which “puffs up,” 1 Cor. 8:1), but from the Holy Spirit who enlightens a believer’s inner person (1 Cor. 2:5–6, 13), and from the Word of God. God’s will, revealed in the Bible, is made known to believers by the Holy Spirit’s teaching ministry. The desire to serve God will be in vain without a proper understanding of the One we want to serve.
Thus, Paul prays that the Colossians might be filled with full knowledge that encompasses “all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Spiritual wisdom (sophia[5]; used six times in Col. 1:9, 28; 2:3, 23; 3:16; 4:5) is practical know-how which comes from God (Jas 1:5; 3:15), and understanding (synesei[6]; also used in Col. 2:2) speaks of clear analysis and decision-making in applying this knowledge to various problems. By contrast, the false teachers offered only “an appearance of wisdom” (sophia; 2:23), which captivated their minds and lives in legalistic regulations. But true spiritual wisdom is both stabilizing and liberating (Eph. 4:14). Knowledge (or understanding or intelligence) and wisdom are often connected in Scripture (see Ex. 31:3 [“skill” in the NIV is the Hebrew word for wisdom[7]]; Deut. 4:6; Isa. 11:2; 1 Cor. 1:19).[8] And the fear of the Lord is the beginning of both (cf. Prov. 1:7; 9:10). Wisdom is the practical outworking of knowledge (Jas 3:17), and that knowledge cannot be separated from the spiritual understanding that comes through the discernment given by the Holy Spirit.[9]
Verse 10: Paul’s aim in this prayer was practical: so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Paul wanted the Colossians to live in a manner that adequately reflected what God had done for them and was doing in them. Genuine knowledge of Christ reveals itself in transformed character (cf. Eph. 4:1; 1 Thes. 2:12), in Christlikeness. Axiōs, “worthy,” means “of equal weight.”[10] Believers are to equal the Lord’s standards, to be holy as He is holy (cf. 1 Peter 1:15). Being “worthy of God” is a phrase that occurs in ancient pagan inscriptions throughout Asia. It pictures someone’s life being weighed on scales to determine its worth.[11] If these devotees to false gods knew they had to walk in a worthy manner, certainly Christians should dedicate their lives to the living God in order to please Him.
The aim of believers in all their worthy conduct should be to please Him in every way (ESV translates it as “fully pleasing to him”), to anticipate and do His wishes in every aspect of life (cf. Eph. 5:10). Merely pleasing people is incompatible with being a servant of Christ (Gal. 1:10; Eph. 6:6; Col. 3:22; 1 Thes. 2:4). Indeed, Paul made it the ambition of his life to please God (2 Cor. 5:9). Four things, given in participles, result from such a God-pleasing life: “bearing fruit” and “growing” (Col. 1:10), “being strengthened” (v. 11), and “giving thanks” (v. 12). The first two are related: bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge (epignōsei[12]) of God (Paul used these same words “bearing fruit” and “growing,” translated as “producing,” in v. 6, see the previous post). As one manifests the fruit of faith (cf. Matt. 7:16; Gal. 5:22–23), they grow in faith themselves (cf. Eph. 4:13). One comes to a deeper “knowledge” (epignōsis; cf. Col. 1:9) of God. Augustine says, “Faith is understanding’s step, and understanding is faith’s reward.”
Paul uses two words to summarize the practicality of the Christian life: walk and work. The sequence is important because first is wisdom; then we walk; then we work. I cannot work for God unless I am walking with Him, but I cannot walk with Him if I am oblivious of Him and His will. The Christian who spends time daily in the Bible and prayer (Acts 6:4) will know God’s will and be able to walk with Him and work for Him.
After all, a believer’s purpose in life is to please the Lord, not to please ourselves. We should walk worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1) and worthy of the Gospel (Phil. 1:27), which means we will walk worthy of God (1 Thes. 2:12). Simply, we should walk (live) to please God (1 Thes. 4:1).
Verse 11: Spiritual strength is a third factor that results from knowing God’s will and pleasing Him. “Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might” includes three words for strength: “being strengthened” (dynamoumenoi,[13] enable); “power” (dynamei, spiritual vitality),[14] and “might” (kratos,[15] “power that overcomes resistance; used only of God in the NT).[16] This means believers are empowered not in proportion to their need but according to God’s strength. So then, Paul desires to see nothing less than the very power of God Himself at work in the Colossian believers. A believer’s strength comes from God alone (think about Samson, Judg 14:19).
This God-given strength produces great endurance and patience. This endurance (translated “perseverance” in James 1:3) was exemplified by Job (James 5:11). To this endurance, Paul added “patience,” a word generally connected with gentleness and calm sweetness (as in 1 Cor. 13:4). Endurance and patience are often associated (cf. 2 Cor. 6:4, 6; 2 Tim. 3:10; James 5:10–11). Endurance (hypomonē[17], literally, a “remaining under”) implies not easily succumbing to suffering. It is the opposite of cowardice and despondency. It is forbearance, steadfast endurance, fortitude, and the capacity to see things through. It means remaining under difficulties without succumbing to them. Patience (makrothymia[18], literally, “long temper”; cf. Col. 3:12) means self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate in spite of injury or insult. A lack of endurance often results in despondency or losing heart, whereas a lack of patience often leads to wrath or revenge (cf. Prov. 15:18; 16:32). All of this “with joy,” meaning not a long face or a sickly smile, but with psalms in the night. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh 8:10).
All this is according to God’s “glorious might” (literally, “might of His glory”). Glory means manifest excellence. It is an outward manifestation of God’s inner character. In Ephesians 1:19–20 Paul wrote of God’s “great power” (dynamis) and “the working (energeian[19]) of His mighty (kratous[20]) strength (ischyos[21]),” which raised Christ from the dead.
Verses 12–13: Such patient-producing power should be accompanied by “giving thanks” (or “joyfully”), not begrudgingly, giving thanks to the Father from whom comes every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).
Thankfulness, a fourth result of following God’s will and pleasing Him, is a keynote in the spiritual life. Believers are urged elsewhere by Paul, “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thes 5:18) and to come before God “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving” (Phil 4:6). Four other times in Colossians (3:15–17; 4:2) Paul enjoined believers to be grateful. Joyfulness too is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), made possible by the gospel (cf. Isa 29:19; Jn 16:20; Acts 13:52).
Here Paul centered thanksgiving on the fact that God has “qualified you” (literally, “made you competent”; cf. 2 Cor. 3:6) to share in the inheritance of the saints (i.e., the kingdom treasures that belong to believers; cf. Eph. 1:7). The word means to be able or authorized for a task. Believers can never be qualified on their own; instead, God must make them sufficient through Jesus Christ. The tense of the verb points to “qualifying” as an act in the past rather than a process.[22] In short, though believers are unfit in themselves, God has fitted them to share in the inheritance of His holy people. Ordinarily, to qualify for an event or a position, we have to prove ourselves. However, the inheritance that believers receive is not one that they have earned but is based on being qualified by God. The Father “qualifies” us for eternal life with Him, whereas Jesus will reward us at the end of the race (Rev 22:12). This “inheritance” (tēn merida tou klērou, literally, “the parcel of the lot”) is reminiscent of the way the inheritance of the land of promise was given to the Israelites under Joshua (Josh. 14:2).[23] The term “saints” in this case probably does not refer to the angels of God as in 1 Thess 3:13. Instead, Paul uses the word for the Colossian believers.
This inheritance is in the light (cf. 2 Cor. 4:6; 1 Peter 2:9). This light is the spiritual sphere to which believers have been transferred from the dominion of darkness (Luke 22:53; Acts 26:18; Eph. 6:12). From this dominion (exousias, “power, authority”[24]) of darkness (cf. John 3:19–20) believers have been rescued, delivered.[25] Paul uses the common symbolism of light and darkness for good and evil, for God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom, that is found throughout the New Testament. Through Christ they were brought from a rebel kingdom and placed under the sovereignty of their rightful King. This realm of darkness had a brief apparent triumph against Jesus (Lk 22:53), but His ultimate victory on the Cross brings victory over the kingdom of darkness to His saints. That deliverance transferred them into a new kingdom. Transferred (also “Conveyed”) was used of resettling colonists as citizens of a new country. The final consummation is not yet; but in some sense, believers are already ushered into Christ’s kingdom. There is a tension in Paul’s theology here that he delicately balances. The future earthly manifestation of the kingdom is coming, but there is already a foretaste of the gloriousness of that future time.
The sovereign Christ is here called the Son He loves (literally, “the Son of His love”; cf. 1 John 4:8, 16). J. B. Lightfoot says this means the Son who embodies and manifests God’s love.[26] But H.C.G. Moule says it signifies the Son who is “the blessed Object of the Father’s love … the supremely Beloved One.”[27] While there is debate, scholars seem to prefer the option where Jesus is the object of the Father’s love (cf. Eph. 1:6).
Verse 14: Through Christ, God’s “Loved One,” Christians have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The parallel passage (Eph. 1:7) adds “through His blood” (as do some manuscripts[28]) here. “Redemption” (apolytrōsin[29]) means “to rescue by ransom,” and naturally points to the payment of a price or ransom for the release of a slave. The slavery from which believers are released is not physical but spiritual. They are freed from bondage to sin by “forgiveness,” (aphesin[30]) which means “remission” through the blood of the Redeemer. This emancipation is enjoyed only because of the tremendous cost Christ paid on the cross (cf. Rom. 3:24–26). Many today tend to avoid speaking of sin. The Bible speaks openly of sins for which people must be forgiven. The wages of sin is death. The only release comes from the forgiveness of God based on the death of His Son (Rom 3:24-25).
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Strong’s 4336
[2] Strong’s 154
[3] Strong’s 4137
[4] Strong’s 1922
[5] Strong’s 4678
[6] Strong’s 4907
[7] Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 671.
[8] Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 671.
[9] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1561.
[10] Strong’s 516.
[11] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1561.
[12] Strong’s 1922
[13] Strong’s 1412
[14] Strong’s 1411
[15] Strong’s 2904
[16] Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 671.
[17] Strong’s 5281
[18] Strong’s 3115
[19] Strong’s 1753
[20] Strong’s 2904
[21] Strong’s 2479
[22] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1561.
[23] Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 671.
[24] Strong’s 1849
[25] Imagery for kingdom of darkness also found in John 1:4-9; Eph 5:8; 1 Thess 5:5; 1 Pet 2:9; and 1 John 1:5
[26] St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, p. 142
[27] The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians and to Philemon, p. 75.
[28] Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 672.
[29] Strong’s 629
[30] Strong’s 859