Comment: It
would not be practical to discuss the Epistle of Ephesians, and leave out a
discussion of Colossians. Ephesians main topic is the ‘Church of Christ’ and
the for Colossians the main topic is the ‘Christ of the Church’. The four
chapters divide just as the six chapters of Ephesians. The first two chapters
are doctrine and the last two are practical. Christ is preeminent, meaning that
He is above all. He is the First and the Last, He is Messiah, He is foremost in
everything and LORD over the children of God. We are rooted in Him, alive in
Him, hidden in Him and we are made complete in Him. Before being saved by Him
we were utterly dead in trespasses and sins, now we are alive in Him. We are
clothed in His Righteousness, His Love and His Peace. With His Will in our
hearts (soul) we are fully equipped to allow Christ/Messiah to be first in
every area of our walk as children of God.
Devotional: Colossians 1:1-7 – We, the children of God in
Christ, must learn that Christ/Messiah provides all of God’s grace and peace
because Christ is in us. We are saints, we are the faithful children of God and
we are a local church. We are like the church Paul writes to in Colosse and
Leodicea, see Colossians 4:16. It is apparent that the apostle wrote an epistle
to this church too; it was either lost over time or it may have been so similar to
this epistle to the Colossians and was not added.
As in Ephesians the apostle
prays with thanksgiving for the church, that the children of God in the church
will fully know Christ in them, the hope and glory which is laid up, already
there in heaven, waiting for their arrival. As a local assembly, we too; who
have heard and responded to the gospel of truth are waiting for this same
reward that will come to us, see Colossians 1:6. We like Colosse and Laodicea
are bringing forth ‘fruit’ as in the day we came to Christ we have been
preaching and teaching Christ. Why? Because we are led by the Spirit of God to
declare the love of God to the world around us.
Solid men like Epaphras, who
minister the church today, teach Christ; these are faithful men, these are not
like the ministers of today who seek to serve their own bellies by extracting
the life of Christ out of the children of God by spiritual extortion. False
teachers who teach the children of God that to add to their faith a
system of works, or of worship that has nothing to do with KNOWING CHRIST.
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