CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES
Colossians 1:23. Grounded and settled, and not moved away.—In that land of volcanic agency the readers would perceive only too readily the graphic force of this metaphor. Where stone buildings tumbled over like a house of cards, the figure of a faith, proof against all shocks, was effective (see Hebrews 12:28). Every creature under heaven.—The same rhetorical form of expression as in Colossians 1:6, affirming the universal fitness of the gospel as well as its wide dissemination. Whereof I Paul am made a minister.—Wonder that increases and unceasing gratitude are in these words—that the persecutor should serve the faith he once destroyed.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Colossians 1:23
The Condition of Man’s Final Blessedness.
The ripest fruits can only be produced and gathered by careful and unremitting culture; so the enjoyment of the final blessings of reconciliation is conditioned upon continued allegiance to the gospel and the diligent practice of its precepts. We are taught in this verse that the ultimate presentation to God of a perfectly holy and blameless character depends upon the believer’s firm and persevering attachment to the gospel. Observe:—
I. Man’s final blessedness depends upon his unswerving continuance in the faith.—The faith is a comprehensive term; it is inclusive of all the great saving truths of the gospel, and of man’s many-sided relation to them. There is implied:
1. A continuance in the doctrines of the faith.—What a man believes has a powerful influence in moulding his character. The truths submitted to our faith shed light upon matters of transcendent import and worth. The baffled and inquiring mind, straining with painful eagerness after light, finds its satisfaction and rest amid the soothing radiance of revealed truth. “In returning and rest shall ye be saved” (Isaiah 30:15). Unbelief lures the soul from its restful confidence, sets it adrift amidst the cross currents of bewilderment and doubt, and exposes it to moral shipwreck and irrevocable loss. The soul’s eternal safety is ensured, not by an infatuated devotion to mere opinions about certain dogmas, but by an intelligent, firm, and constant faith in divine verities.
2. A continuance in the profession of the faith.—The believer is a witness for the truth; and it is an imperative duty to bear testimony for Christ before the world (Romans 10:9-10). This is done when we unite in fellowship and service with the external Church of Christ on earth. The Church, as the representative of Christ, witnesses for Him in the life and conduct of its individual members. There is nothing binding as to the special form this witness-bearing should take in each particular case; nor is any man compelled, for the sake of profession, to wed himself to any particular branch of the Church catholic. There may be reasons that render it justifiable, and even necessary, for a man to sever himself from any given religious community and join another; but on no conceivable ground can he be liberated from the duty of an open profession of his faith in Christ; his future acceptability to God hinges on his fidelity in this duty (Matthew 10:32).
3. A continuance in the practice of the faith.—Faith supplies the motive and rule of all right conduct. The test of all preceptive enactment and profession is in the life. The Christian character is developed and perfected, not by believing or professing, but by doing the will of God. The rewards of the future will be distributed according to our deeds (Romans 2:6-10).
4. Continuance in the faith must be permanent.—“Grounded and settled.” The edifice, to be durable, must be well founded, that it may settle into a state of firmness and solidity; so faith, in order to survive the storms and temptations of this world, and participate in the promised good of the future, must be securely grounded and settled in the truth. In order to permanency in the faith, the truth must be—
(1) Apprehended intelligently.
(2) Embraced cordially.
(3) Maintained courageously.
II. Man’s final blessedness depends upon his unchanging adherence to the gospel hope.—
1. The gospel reveals a bright future. It inspires the hope of the resurrection of the body, and of the glorification of it and the soul together in the eternal life of the future. Faith and hope are inseparably linked together; they mutually succour and sustain each other; they rise or fall together. Hope is the unquestioning expectation of the fruition of those things which we steadily believe. It is compared to an anchor, which, cast within the veil, fastened and grounded in heaven, holds our vessel firm and steady amid the agitations and storms of life’s tempestuous sea. The gospel is the only source of genuine, deathless hope; all hopes grounded elsewhere wither and perish.
2. The gospel to be effectual must come in contact with the individual mind.—“Which ye have heard.” Epaphras had declared to them the divine message. It had been brought to them; they had not sought it. Having heard and received the gospel, to relinquish its blessings would be inexcusable and ungrateful. In some way, either by direct preaching or otherwise, the gospel must come to man. There is no power of moral reformation in the human heart itself; the germinant principle of a better life must come from without; it is conveyed in the gospel word.
3. The gospel is adapted to universal man.—“Which was preached to every creature which is under heaven.” Already it had spread into every part of the then known world, and its power was felt in every province of the Roman empire. The fine prophetic instinct of the apostle saw the universal tendency of the gospel, and, in spirit, anticipated the fulfilment of its generous mission. His motive is to emphasise the universality of the unchangeable gospel which is offered without reserve to all alike, and to appeal to its publicity and progress as the credential and guarantee of its truth. It is adapted to all men; it proclaims its message in all lands, and is destined to win the world to Christ. The faith and hope of the believer are based, not upon the uncertain declarations of false teachers, but upon that gospel, which is unchangeable in its character and universal in its appeal and adaptability to humanity; a strong reason is thus furnished for personal steadfastness.
4. The gospel invested the apostle with an office of high authority.—“Whereof I Paul am made a minister.” Paul participated in the blessings of the gospel; he had felt its transforming power, and from his personal experience of its preciousness could, with the greater assurance and force, exhort the Colossians to continue in the faith. But in addition to this the gospel was committed to the apostle as a sacred trust and for faithful ministration; and while dwelling on the broad charity of the gospel as involving the offer of grace to the Gentiles, he is impressed with the dignity and responsibility of his office as he interjects, somewhat abruptly, but with exquisite modesty, the words, “Whereof I Paul am made a minister.” It has been said of man that he is the priest and interpreter of nature; that it is his function to observe and test phenomena, and interpret the laws that govern the material world. Another writer has said that “man is the organ of revelation for the Godhead.” God can find no adequate form of revelation for Himself in the impersonal forces of nature; only through a being in His own image can He unfold to the universe His adorable character. But the highest office to which man can be elevated is to be a ministrant of gospel light and grace to his fellow-men.
5. There is an implied possibility of relinquishing our hold of the gospel hope.—“Be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” The words do not necessarily imply doubt, but suggest the necessity for constant circumspection, vigilance, and care. The multiplicity and fulness of our blessings may prove a snare to us; prosperity tempts us to relax watchfulness, and we are in danger of becoming a prey to the wiles of the wicked one. Our retention of the gospel hope is rendered immovable by constant waiting upon God in fervent prayer, by a growing acquaintance with the word of promise, by continually anticipating in thought the bliss of the future.
Lessons.—
1. The gospel provides the surest basis for faith and hope.
2. Man’s ultimate blessedness depends on his continued fidelity.