Paul begins his letter to the church at Colosse with a greeting “to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ.” Whenever the term faithful is used in the New Testament, it refers to genuine followers of Jesus Christ, so this letter is written to believers. This is an important observation to make at the beginning so we will have a better understanding throughout this letter to whom these words are addressed. As Paul often does in his letters, he expresses his thankfulness for their “faith in Christ Jesus and…love for all the saints….” Because of their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, Paul reminds them of the “hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel…and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth….” The Colossians had been given the gospel which is the good news of Jesus Christ’s victory over sin, death, and hell through His sacrifice on the cross. Since man had been sentenced to die and spend an eternity in hell, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to earth in order to take man’s punishment for him. In a subtle way, Paul was bringing their minds back to the truth which they had originally believed about Jesus Christ. Reminding them of this simple truth would allow Paul to guard their mind from false teachings about the gospel and what truly brings salvation. In Colossians 1:7, Paul mentions the possible founder of the church at Colosse, Epaphras. He mentions that Epaphras taught them the truth of the gospel and he had also accepted it from Paul in Ephesus. He refers to Epaphras as “our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.” Paul wanted the Colossians that Epaphras did not come to him to tell on them but because he loved them. Epaphras wanted the Colossians to guard themselves from false doctrine so that they could continue to be an effective church in spreading the gospel. It was out of concern that Epaphras sought out Paul. As we will soon discover, the church at Colosse had been distracted by many false teachings, but their leader never gave up hope that they could get back on track. Maybe you know someone who has gotten off track in what they believe. Commit today to pray for them and guide them in proper doctrine. Don’t give up! Approach the person in a spirit of humility and love expressing your desire for them to return to a proper view of God’s word.
Dear God, use me to restore those who may have strayed from a proper understanding of You and Your word.
