Excellence to Excel

FULLNESS OF DEITY IN CHRIST (COL 2: 6-10): Apostle Paul continues to convey that just as they have received the Messiah Jesus the Lord, they shall continue to live dependent on Him. When a person accepts and starts to follow the commandments of God, the person surely gets free from guilt and sin. Also, a person who had genuinely accepted God and His commandments would commit the self to follow God with a free heart though it may be tough and stumbling at times. Thereby each one shall be dependent on Lord Jesus for their own good by realizing that He had come into the world for the redemption of sins and reconciliation with God. Apostle Paul then says that for they had been rooted in Him and are being built up and strengthened in the faith, just as they were taught, they shall continue to be thankful. The believers who had accepted Christ and followed His commandments are strong with the foundation in Him and they continue to grow in His likeness and they become strong in their belief a...

ENCOURAGEMENT AND ASSURANCE (COL 2: 1-5): Apostle Paul writes to the Colossians that he wants them to know how great a struggle he had for them and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen him face to face, that their hearts may be knit together in love, to reach all the riches of the full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Paul has a kind heart and he has concern towards the believers in the city of Colosse and Laodicea which are cities of Asia Minor and places of commercial importance. Paul also adds those whom he hadn’t seen face to face, including the believers from Colosse and Laodicea. Because of Paul’s concern for the believers, he is struggling in his heart and mind for their well-being. Paul tells that their hearts may be encouraged through the Word of God and Fellowship to do good deeds, being bonded with each other by genuine love. Paul tells the reason for ...

PAUL’S STEWARDSHIP AND TOIL (COL 1: 24-29): Paul writes that then he rejoices in his sufferings for their sake, and in his flesh, he is filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church, of which he became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to him for them, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but then revealed to his saints. Paul says that he is happy and content though there are sorrows and pains because of the people’s attitude not to accept what is right and transform themself towards the truth, and do some miserable deeds to suppress him. Christ had also suffered for the people to know Him and be reconciled with God. Paul says that he is continuing what Christ had modeled for the believers, and he fills the gaps. Paul understood that his life will soon pass away and had defined his life to preach and teach the Word of God by explaining it well, as God had given...

RECONCILIATION THROUGH FAITH (COL 1: 21-23): Paul writes to the church of Colossae that they, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, Christ has then reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present them holy and blameless and above reproach before Him.  Even as believers and those who had been inherited as the son or daughter of God through our Faith were once been alienated because of our lack of connection with God and disobedience or our sinful nature. Our thoughts were corrupt and devouring ourselves as well as tended to affect others. Sometimes our actions were wrong and followed a lot of destructiveness.  But once we accepted the Lord Jesus as our personal savior, we were reconciled with the Holy God as Christ paid the ransom through a sacrifice once and for all, through physical death. Christ had presented each one who put their faith in him, a relief from the guilt and the pain as well as holiness and consecration before God. ...

PRE-EXISTENCE AND EMINENCE OF CHRIST (COL 1: 15-20): After conveying his wishes and prayers for the Colossians to be faithful, Paul conveys about Christ who is a greater reason and role model for the faith in the almighty and loving God of the Bible. Paul writes that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him, all things were created, in heaven or on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through Him and for Him. God is incomprehensive and greater beyond the human brains could perceive Him, though He had revealed throughout the history of mankind. God is invisible and no one had ever seen and could ever see God completely. Christ demonstrated the characteristics of the sovereign God who existed from the beginning and he is not a created being but begotten. Only by the Word of God, that is Christ, all the things in heaven or earth were created in the beginning and everything ...

PRAYER TO GOD TO BE FRUITFUL (COL 1: 9-14): Apostle Paul writes that because of the love of Colossians in Spirit, since the day they heard about that they have not stopped praying for them and asking that they may be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will with respect to all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that they might live in a manner worthy of the Lord and be fully pleasing to him as they bear fruit while doing all kinds of good things and growing in the full knowledge of God. Apostle Paul and many other apostles have appreciated and acknowledged the love of the believers that is explicit because of the transformation after receiving Jesus. Apostle Paul encourages and seeks God for those who abide in the lord by having love in Spirit so that the believers would follow the commandments of God to the fullest and know the things that are pleasing and perfect according to God’s purpose and plan. God’s purpose and plan could be known only through the right belief in the ...

THANKING GOD AND APPRECIATION (COL 1: 3-8): After the greetings, Apostle Paul moves on to the body of the letter by first writing some of the good qualities and attributes. It is customary in most of the Paul epistles to provide smoothening exhortation to the readers. Apostle Paul writes that He along with Timothy always thank God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ when they pray for them since they heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that they had for all the saints. There is a little unusual way of giving thanks to God by mentioning God as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ which could be to present that God the Father is in line with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as the author next stated that they heard of their faith in Christ Jesus. Giving glory to God and acknowledging Him is necessary to be complete in worshipping God. The Colossians also seem to have a very good relationship with one another, especially fellow believers. The Faith in Jesus and the L...