Colossenses 1
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Colossenses 1:2
Spurgeon - Kindness is the very breath of Christianity, so the apostle will not begin the subject matter of his letter until first of all he has breathed out a benediction upon those to whom he writes. Paul begins with a salutation in which he wishes the Colossian Christians the best of all blessings. It is the very spirit of our holy religion to wish well to others, and I am sure that we cannot have a better wish for our dearest friends than this, “Grace be unto you, and peace.” Grace will save you; peace will make you know that you are saved. Grace is the root of every blessing; peace is the sweet flower that makes life so sweet and so fragrant. May you have both of these blessings “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”! There is no peace for you apart from this blessed combination, God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; therefore, may you know your adoption, and may you know your redemption! (Spurgeon on Colossians) John Flavel offers a picturesque description of grace - "Grace is to corruption as water is to fire." Guy King has the following comments on this greeting (in his commentary on Philippians) Grace and peace - just the customary greeting: "grace", the Western (or Greek) "peace", the Eastern (or Hebrew) but when the HOLY SPIRIT led Paul to combine them here, we may be sure that He intended their use to be something so much more than formal and usual; both writer and readers would be led to see in them very deep and rich meaning. Wilson Cash makes the interesting suggestion that "Paul combines both Jewish 'peace' and Gentile 'grace' in one salutation as a pledge of unity between East and West, between Jew and Gentile, in the one Saviour, who unites all in the one fellowship of His Body. Dr. Hugh Michael, in the Moffatt Commentary, speaks of "the enrichment of the commonplace by the new faith of CHRIST, which elevates a salutation into a benediction. How arrestingly that is seen in the transmutation of everything, however lowly, that He touched - a common Name, a despised City, a humble workshop, even a felon's Cross. Dr. Johnson said of Oliver Goldsmith, "He touched nothing that he did not adorn: how infinitely truer of the Master. So here the common greeting is invested with uncommon beauty. What are these things that the apostle desires for his friends, and which are no less desirable for ourselves? (a) Grace - a quality which is, at once is an... (i) Attitude, which He adopts towards us, as in Eph 2:8 (note); (ii) Activity, which He exerts for our help, as in 1Corinthians 15:10 ; and (iii) Accomplishment, which He works in, and out from, us, as in Acts 4:33. Paul ardently, and prayerfully, desires this for his converts everywhere - for he uses the word in all his church letters - that they may experience to the full this "grace", which the late Bishop Handley Moule describes as "love in action". Then comes: (b) Peace - the "God of all grace" is the "God of peace", 1Pe 5:10 (note); Ro 15:3-(note); and it is only by, and after, His grace that we can enjoy His peace. - Peace of heart - no condemnation before God - Peace of conscience - no controversy with God - Peace of mind - no anxiety about life - Peace of action - no grit in the machinery This gift is an immensely precious boon; and it may be the possession, should be the possession, of every believer. Paul will have some deep things to say about this later. These two joys come, says Php 1:2-note, "from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ" - the Father is the Source, from Whom they come; the Saviour is the Medium, through Whom they come (Ed: And the Spirit is the "Administrator", the "Chief Operating Officer," so to speak, making grace and peace effective in our lives). Not from the world arise such blessings, nor from our circumstances, however affluent and pleasant, nor from our own inner being, however much we strive, but only from Him, through Him, and "all the fulness of the Godhead . . . and ye are complete in Him" (Col 2:9, 10-note) (King, Guy, Joy Way,1952) From God our Father - The Source (as noted above) note adds "the Lord Jesus Christ") H C G
Colossenses 1:2
Spurgeon wrote "There are many who are barely Christians and have scarcely enough grace to float them into heaven, the keel of their vessel grating on the gravel all the way." Too many of us (yours truly included far too often!) are like the story of the poor European family who saved for years to buy tickets to sail to America. Once at sea, they carefully rationed the cheese and bread they had brought for the journey. After 3 days, the boy complained to his father, “I hate cheese sandwiches. If I don’t eat anything else before we get to America, I’m going to die.” Giving the boy his last nickel, the father told him to go to the ship’s galley and buy an ice-cream cone. When the boy returned a long time later with a wide smile, his worried dad asked, “Where were you?” “In the galley, eating three ice-cream cones and a steak dinner!” “All that for a nickel?” “Oh, no, the food is free,” the boy replied. “It comes with the ticket.” Indeed, Amazing Grace, not cheap, but free, sufficient to save a wretch like me, the first day, and then every day for the rest (pun intended) of my life! D L Moody - The law tells me how crooked I am. Grace comes along and straightens me out. Adrian Rogers says the best definition of grace that he has ever heard is that God's grace is "both the desire and the ability to do the will of God." Comment: It is striking that almost the same words occur in Php 2:13NLT-note "For (term of explanation - explains how it is possible to Work out our salvation - Php 2:12-note) God is working in you, giving you the DESIRE and the POWER to do what pleases Him." When you have a godly desire, that desire is from God, because no good thing can come out of our old vile heart! And only God the Spirit in us can give the supernatural power necessary to accomplish that godly desire! So we could paraphrase Php 2:13, in simple words, by saying that God's Spirit is continually giving us the grace (desire and power) to do what pleases Him! This practical definition of grace ought to free many of us who are "trying to clean ourselves up!" It can't be done! We need His grace to give us the desire to "clean up" and the power to "clean up!" Are you resisting His grace? You can either receive it or resist it! The first way leaves us filled, while the second way leaves us empty, dry, and spiritually barren. O beloved, tell God you desperately need and want Him to pour out His grace on the situation you find yourself entwined. Do you have a root of bitterness? Then confess it (even that act is a reflection of His grace) and cry out for His grace to give you the desire and the ability to eradicate that deadly root and its caustic fruit. And keep crying out until He removes the root, for it is in His will that no child of His should ever have a root of bitterness! And when He removes it, celebrate with a praise and worship service! The grace which Paul prays will be theirs is grace for daily living as given by the indwelling Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29). The peace is peace of one's heart, a state of Christian tranquility (see Guy King's note below for his practical amplification of the meaning of peace). The word for grace (charis) is derived from chairo = to rejoice and gives us our English word charity. This is only fitting as beggars need "charity" even as sinners need grace, for we are all spiritual paupers outside of Christ. As Augustine said "God gives where he finds empty hands" (cp Mt 5:3-note) Eadie writes that grace is "that goodwill on God's part which not only provides and applies salvation, but blesses, cheers, and assists believers." (Ephesians 1 - Commentary on Ephesians) Charles Allen notes that "In the Bible there are three distinctive meanings of grace; it means the mercy and active love of God; it means the winsome attractiveness of God; it means the strength of God to overcome." Grace is God’s favor toward man, free and unmerited, while peace is the harmony that exists between God and those who receive that favor in Christ. They are two key aspects of the gospel (see MacDonald's comment below) and represent in a sense cause and effect (compare Ro 3:24-note with Ro 5:1-note). This greeting is used by Paul in all his epistles with the exception of that to Timothy in which he adds mercy.
Colossenses 1:3
Spurgeon - For the church that was at Colossae Paul gave hearty thanks to God for many most important blessings, especially for their faith, their love, and their hope. It would he a very useful exercise to our hearts if we would often give thanks to God for the gifts and graces, which we discover in our Christian brethren. I am afraid we are more inclined to spy out their faults, and to suppose that we deplore them, than we are to discern the work of the Holy Spirit in them, and from the bottom of our hearts to give thanks to God for them. (ED: "Amen!" or "Oh my!") (From Spiritual Knowledge: It's Practical Results) PRAYING ALWAYS FOR YOU: pantote peri humon proseuchomenoi (PMPMPN): Col 1:9, Eph 1:16-19 Php 1:9-11 1Th 3:10-13 2Th 2:16,17 2Ti 1:3 Click note on prayer Colossians 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING Praying always - More literally "always for you continually (present tense) praying". He could have just said praying and his use of the present tense would have quite clearly conveyed to his readers that it was his habitual practice to pray for them. Paul goes a step further, adding the Greek adverb always which is also placed first in the (original Greek) clause to "doubly" emphasize that his prayers were at all times (without exception, on every occasion, every time, without end, repeatedly, unceasingly). The antonym (opposite) would have been hardly or hardly ever or once in a while or on rare occasions or "once in a blue moon." How would you characterize your prayers for other saints - at all times or scarcely ever? Remember that Paul commanded us to "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." (1Cor 11:1-note) Praying (4336) (proseuchomai [word study] from pros = toward, facing, before [emphasizing the direct approach of the one who prays in seeking God’s face] + euchomai = originally to speak out, utter aloud, express a wish, then to pray or to vow. Greek technical term for invoking a deity) in the NT is always used of prayer addressed to God (to Him as the object of faith and the One who will answer one’s prayer) and means to speak consciously (with or without vocalization) to Him, with a definite aim (See study of noun proseuche [word study]). Notice that the prefix preposition pros adds the idea of a conscious direction of one’s prayer toward God and a consciousness on the part of the one praying that he is seeking God's face, is speaking face to face with God and has His listening ear (cf Ps 66:18). Proseuchomai encompasses all the aspects of prayer -- submission, confession, petition, supplication (may concern one's own need), intercession (concerned with the needs of others), praise, and thanksgiving. Vine says that proseuchomai carries with it a notion of worship (but see the Greek word for worship = proskuneo [word study]) which is not present in the other words for prayer (eg, aiteo, deomai, both of which involve spoken supplication)
Colossenses 1:4
Spurgeon writes (The Hope Laid Up in Heaven) - Three Divine Graces should be always conspicuous in Christians - faith, love, and hope. They are each mentioned by Paul in the opening verses of the epistle from which our text is taken. These lovely graces should be so conspicuous in every believer as to be spoken of and consequently heard of even by those who have never seen us. These flowers should yield so sweet a perfume that their fragrance may be perceived by those who have never gazed upon them. So was it with the saints at Colossae...May our characters be such as can be reported of without causing us to blush, but that can never be the case if these essential virtues are absent. If these things are in us and abound, we shall not be barren or unfruitful, but if they are lacking, we are as withered branches. We should therefore be rich in faith which is the root of every grace; to this end we should daily pray, "Lord, increase our faith." We should strive to be full even to overflowing with love which is of God and makes us like to God; we should also abound in hope, even that heavenly hope which causes a man to purify himself in readiness for the inheritance above. See to it that neither of these three divine sisters are strangers to your souls, but let faith, hope, and love take up their abode in your hearts. Note, however, the special character of each of these graces as it exists in the Christian. It is not every faith and love and hope that will serve our turn, for of all precious things there are counterfeits. There is a kind of faith in all men, but ours is faith in Christ Jesus, faith in Him whom the world rejects, whose cross is a stumbling block and whose doctrine is an offense. We have faith in the man of Nazareth who is also the Son of God, faith in Him who having made atonement (the work Christ did in His life and death to earn our salvation) by His own blood once for all is now exalted to His Father's right hand. Our confidence is not placed in ourselves nor in any human priest nor in the traditions of our fathers nor in the teachings of human wisdom but alone in Christ Jesus. This is the faith of God's elect. (Read the full sermon The Hope Laid Up in Heaven) When missionary John G. Paton was translating the Bible in the Outer Hebrides, he searched for the exact word to translate believe. Finally, he discovered it: the word meant “lean your whole weight upon.” That is what saving faith is—leaning your whole weight upon Jesus Christ. (Lessons from the Life of John G. Paton) That's faith, for true faith is trust that firmly rests upon sure evidence, and leads to Spirit energized action. Faith must never be severed from good works. Martin Luther summed up the biblical view of the link between saving faith and good works in these words: “Good works do not make a man good, but a good man does good works” W. H. G. Thomas gives us an excellent description of the interrelation of faith, hope and love "Faith rests on the past, love works in the present, and hope presses toward the future; or, faith looks backward and upward, love looks outward, and hope looks forward. These three constitute the true, complete Christian life and not one of them should be omitted or slighted. We are only too apt to emphasize faith and love and forget hope but, inasmuch as hope is invariably connected with the coming of the Lord, "that blessed hope" (Titus 2:13), it is a vital part of our Christian life. Faith accepts, hope expects; faith appropriates, hope anticipates; faith receives, hope realizes; faith is always and only concerned with the past and present, hope is always and only concerned with the future. We know that faith comes by hearing; we shall find that hope comes by experience. Faith is concerned with a person who promises, hope with the thing promised; and faith is the root of which hope is a fruit. (Hope Laid Up for You in Heaven - W. H. G. Thomas) William Barclay describing the interrelationship of faith, love and hope - "Faith without love is cold (Read Gal 5:6), and hope without love is grim. Love is the fire which kindles faith and it is the light which turns hope into certainty.” In Christ Jesus describes genuine faith's object, Christ Jesus. Harrison comments on this specific name of Jesus - His designation of the Saviour as “Christ Jesus” (the reading of the leading manuscripts) may be understood as a deliberate effort to emphasize at the very outset the present exalted position of the risen Lord over against a system of thought which tended to rob Him of His full majesty. Paul does not use the name Jesus alone in this letter. (Colossians: Christ All-sufficient) John
Colossenses 1:4
Spurgeon illustrated the importance of faith’s object by telling of two men in a boat. Caught in severe rapids, they were being swept toward a waterfall. Some men on shore tried to save them by throwing them a rope. One man caught hold of it and was pulled to safety on the shore. The other, in the panic of the moment, grabbed hold of a seemingly more substantial log that was floating by. That man was carried downstream, over the rapids, and was never seen again. Faith, represented by the rope linked to the shore, connects us to Jesus Christ and safety. Good works apart from true faith, represented in the story by the log, leads only to ruin. What Do You Believe In? Theodore Eppp writes... Almost everyone talks about faith because almost everyone has faith in something. But faith is only as good as its object. It is important to recognize that we are not saved from condemnation by having faith in faith. Paul commended the Colossians for their "faith in Christ Jesus" (Col 1:4). So it is not sufficient to tell a person, "Just believe." The question is, Believe what? The message of the Gospel is not to believe in yourself, in church or in doctrine but in the Lord Jesus Christ. This implies believing in all that Christ did for us when He died on the cross in our place. It recognizes that we are sinful human beings who deserve condemnation, or else it would never have been necessary for Christ to die. It means we recognize that Christ is our only hope because if we could have been saved by some other means, Christ would not have had to die (see Gal. 2:21). Having faith in Jesus Christ implies we have placed our confidence entirely in His finished work on the cross, recognizing that He forgives our sins and gives us eternal life. One can summarize saving faith as a commitment to Jesus Christ, who is our life and Lord. Faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord is also necessary for growth in our Christian walk. "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). (What Do You Believe In?) AND THE LOVE WHICH YOU HAVE FOR ALL THE SAINTS: kai ten agapen en echete (2PPAI) eis pantas tous hagious: Jn 13:34, 35 1Jn 2:9, 10, 11, 3:10, 3:14,15, 4:20, Gal 5:13 Colossians 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE BADGE OF BELIEVERS LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER And the love which you have for all the saints - These saints were disciples for as Jesus said ""By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (Jn 13:34) And such love buttresses our assurance for as John stated "By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." (1Jn 3:10-note) In fact later John reiterated this declaring that "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." (1Jn 4:20-note) And we see also that John associates faith and love - "And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us." (1John 3:23-note) The saints at Colossae demonstrated that their faith was genuine by their deeds of love. They'll Know We are Christians by Our Love — by Jars of Clay (haunting version) We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. Refrain And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love. 2. We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand, We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand, And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land. 3. We will work with each other, we will work side by side, We will work with each other, we will work side by side, And we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride. 4. All praise to the Father, from whom all things come, And all praise to Christ Jesus, his only Son, And all praise to the Spirit, who makes us one.
Colossenses 1:5
Spurgeon reminds us, “we can labor w/o ever a present reward for we look for a reward in the world to come.” Faith rests on the past; love works in the present; and hope looks towards the future." (Colossians 1) Moule emphasizes the dynamic force of hope in a believer's life - “That blessed hope,” full of Christ, and the object of an intensely united expectation, gave special occasion, by its nature, for the exercise alike of the faith and the love just mentioned....The interaction of the three great graces has many different aspects. Faith, which alone accepts Christ, and so unites us to Him, is indeed the antecedent in the deepest sense to both the others, and their abiding basis. But in the experience of the life and walk of grace, faith itself may be stimulated by either or both of the sister-graces; and so on. Meanwhile “hope” here, strictly speaking, is not the subjective grace but its glorious object, the Return of the exalted Lord to receive His people to Himself. See e.g. Php 3:20 (Colossians 1 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) Hope (1680)(elpis from elpo = to anticipate or welcome) in Scripture is not the world's definition of "I hope so" (albeit there are a few rare exceptions, e.g., Acts 27:20) Instead, hope is defined as a desire for some future good with the expectation of obtaining it. Hope is always an expectation of something good as well as descriptive of something for which we must wait. Hope is the opposite of despair. Hope is the absolute assurance that God will do good to us in the future! Hope as the world typically defines it is a desire for some future occurrence of which one is not assured of attaining. The ancient world did not generally regard hope as a virtue, but merely as a temporary illusion. Historians tell us that a great cloud of hopelessness covered the ancient world. Philosophies were empty; traditions were disappearing; religions were powerless to help men face either life or death. People longed to pierce the veil and get some message of hope from the other side, but there is none outside of Christ. The hope that is laid up - Paul uses the present tense to emphasize that our hope is continually laid up, which signifies that our hope is being kept safe, secure, sure (He 6:18-note, Heb 6:19-20-see note on hope as an anchor - Are you experiencing "rough waters," being "storm tossed" in your Christian life? Then take some time and do a study on your Blessed Hope). As F F Bruce once said "We are refugees from the sinking ship of this present world order, so soon to disappear; our hope is fixed in the eternal order, where the promises of God are made good to His people in perpetuity." Hope is a saint’s anchor which is the end of a long chain of God's precious and magnificent promises ("the word of truth" [Col 1:5, 2Ti 2:15, James 1:18] from the non-lying God [Titus 1:2]) which holds us steadfastly and securely to God’s throne and our eternal home. No man need ever fear about his future when his hope is laid up in heaven.
Colossenses 1:5
Spurgeon - “Faith” — “love” — “hope” — these are three divine sisters, which should ever go hand in hand. We must never be satisfied unless we see in ourselves and in our fellow-Christians these three delightful fruits of the Spirit of God. Notice the order here, — faith, and love, and then hope. Perhaps the Colossians were a little deficient in this last grace, so the apostle prayed constantly for them, “for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.” Spurgeon - "Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy here. It will animate our hearts to think often of heaven, for all that we can desire is promised there. Here we are weary and toilworn, but yonder is the land of rest where the sweat of labour shall no more bedew the worker's brow, and fatigue shall be for ever banished. To those who are weary and spent, the word "rest" is full of heaven. We are always in the field of battle; we are so tempted within, and so molested by foes without, that we have little or no peace; but in heaven we shall enjoy the victory, when the banner shall be waved aloft in triumph, and the sword shall be sheathed, and we shall hear our Captain say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." We have suffered bereavement after bereavement, but we are going to the land of the immortal where graves are unknown things. Here sin is a constant grief to us, but there we shall be perfectly holy, for there shall by no means enter into that kingdom anything which defileth. Hemlock springs not up in the furrows of celestial fields. Oh! is it not joy, that you are not to be in banishment for ever, that you are not to dwell eternally in this wilderness, but shall soon inherit Canaan? Nevertheless let it never be said of us, that we are dreaming about the future and forgetting the present, let the future sanctify the present to highest uses. Through the Spirit of God the hope of heaven is the most potent force for the product of virtue; it is a fountain of joyous effort, it is the corner stone of cheerful holiness. The man who has this hope in him goes about his work with vigour, for the joy of the Lord is his strength. He fights against temptation with ardour, for the hope of the next world repels the fiery darts of the adversary. He can labour without present reward, for he looks for a reward in the world to come. - Morning and Evening Lehman Strauss has the following article entitled "Our Only Hope" "Now if I sound a bit dogmatic it is because the foundation of my hope is the greatest event in world history, namely, the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil” (Heb. 6:19- note ). The Apostle Peter wrote: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1Pe 1:3- note ). The “us” in this verse refers to believers only. They are possessed of a hope that is stedfast and sure. But the man who has not been born again dare not look far into the future, because he is “without Christ” and is therefore as one “having no hope” (Ep 2:12- note ). The new man in Christ is assured of a bright future because of the abundant mercy which God has bestowed upon him, and which is guaranteed to him by Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The hope is described by Peter as a “lively” (or living) hope. It is actively alive and is therefore that energizing principle in the Christian that produces hopefulness and optimism. All of the past hopes of man for a better world have been dashed to pieces, simply because Jesus Christ and His Word have not been taken into account. But the Christian hope is operative and vital. The Apostle Paul based the authority and dignity of his apostleship on the past and future offices of Christ. He wrote: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope” (1Ti 1:1). Here our Lord is presented as our Savior and our Hope. The Apostle shares with Timothy, and us, this common possession of hope, a blessing no other religion than Christianity can claim. Christ is the very embodiment of our hope, thus He is the secret of the Christian’s strength and victory. When Paul commended the saints in Colosse, he said: “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you…for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel” (Col 1:3- note , Col 1:5- note ). One wonderful thing about our hope is that it is associated with heaven. Possibly this is one reason why the worldling is without hope. Living for the world he cares nothing about heaven. He lives for that which he can see and taste in this world. He hopes for prosperity, pleasure and prominence in this life, thus heaven to him is not real because Christ is not real to him. Now heaven is not the Christian’s hope. The hope is not a place, but a person “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27- note ). This is “the hope of the gospel” (Col 1:23- note ). To the saints Paul says, it is “laid up for you.” Heaven is where Christ is, thus heaven is where our hope is. The fact that it is “laid up” means that it is safe, secure, sure. No man need ever fear about his future when his hope is laid up in heaven. Our Lord had this in mind when He said: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:18, 19, 20, 21-see notes Mt 6:18; 19; 20; 21). Tell me where your heart is and you have told me where your treasure is. Does Christ have your heart? If so, then your hope is not misplaced. The Colossian Christians were a heavenly minded people and this gave to them a sense of security. And why not? Anything, or anyone, deposited in heaven is safe. The Christian hope reaches into the future, for it is tied up with Christ’s second advent. This is why many Christians love Christ’s appearing, for when He comes again He will bring with Him a reward for those who have maintained hope in Him. That reward is also “laid up” for us in heaven. Paul testifies to it in the following words: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2Ti 4:7, 8-notes). Notice the use again of the words “laid up.” These words mean the same as “safely deposited.” They are used here by Paul autobiographically. This is his final and farewell message. One day back yonder he gave to Christ his heart, he deposited all his treasure in heaven. From that moment on, Paul was a specialist. He said: “This one thing I do…I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:13, 14-see notes Php 3:13; 14). Until the end, Paul the aged ran the race well. The Lord had had all of him. He kept his eye on the goal. And what was that goal? It was “His appearing.” He longed for and loved Christ’s return. You see, his hope was “laid up” where his heart was. To him, Christ was everything. His was a sure hope. How sure is yours? (Bolding Added) (Excerpted from "Our Only Hope" in Bibliotheca Sacra, volume 120, #478, page 135, 1963) (Bolding added) OF WHICH YOU PREVIOUSLY HEARD IN THE WORD OF TRUTH THE GOSPEL: en proekousate (2PAAI) en to logo tes aletheias tou euaggeliou: Colossians 3:16; Acts 10:36; 13:26; Ro 10:8; 2Cor 5:19; 6:7; Eph 1:13; 1Thes 2:13; 1Ti 1:15; 1Pet 2:2 Colossians 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries IT DOES MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE! Paul describes the divine nature and power of the Gospel in his letter to the Thessalonians writing that "we also constantly thank God that when you received (paralambano) from us the word of God’s message (Gospel), you accepted (dechomai) it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God (Gospel), which also performs (energeo) its work in you who believe. (1Th 2:13-note) The Word of truth (Same phrase in Ps 119:43, 2Cor 6:7, Col 1:5, 2Ti 2:15, James 1:18) - The word (logos - word study) of (the = definite article = specific body of) Truth. In this context word of truth is a great definition for the Gospel. The phrase the truth is used instead of simply the word of the gospel as a hint against the false teachings being promulgated in their midst. There is a true Gospel and there is "different" Gospel, which is really not another (Gal 1:6-9-note) THOUGHT: Have you heard the true Gospel? Do you tell others the true Gospel? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the ultimate, eternal reality!