Ephesians 1:1-14

Ephesians! For our reading list, the last of Paul’s nine “city” letters…

Paul references the Trinity here, explicitly. He speaks of the Father in verses 3-6 and 9-10 (although Paul’s pronoun usage – Him, His, He – often makes it difficult for us to distinguish between the Father and the Son), the Son in verses 5-13, and the Holy Spirit in verses 13-14. I don’t recall Paul mentioning the Holy Spirit a lot in his letters. Most of Paul’s writing is focused on Jesus, especially His redemption. In today’s verses Paul covers His redemption, His forgiveness, and the inheritance we have in Jesus.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. (v. 13) Here Paul is speaking directly to his audience, primarily Gentiles, having mentioned himself and his fellow Jewish believers (…we who were the first to hope in Christ…) in the previous verse. Whenever Paul speaks in the second person (you, etc.), I always imagine that he is speaking to me/us also. That is, that we are included with the Ephesian believers and that what was true for them is also true for us – specifically in this case that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and that we have the same guarantee of our inheritance in Christ. It’s a strong message when we make it personal.

Slava Bohu!

Colossians 4:7-18

I have long known about the church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) and God’s warning to them not to be lukewarm in their faith. But it had slipped from my mind that they are mentioned four times in today’s reading (vv. 13, 15, 16). The interesting item here has to do with Paul’s telling the Colossians to …see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. (v. 16) My first thought on reading this verse was that we have another missing letter from Paul. But my Study Bible suggested that Paul may be referring to his letter to the Ephesians – with a suggestion that the letter to the Ephesians was to be read first in Ephesus, then in Laodicea, then in Colossae. Presumably the reverse route could follow for Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Strong evidence of this circular routing of the letters comes from Ephesians 6:21, wherein Paul notes that Tychicus is the bearer of the Ephesians letter. He and Onesimus are also the bearers of the letters to the Colossians and Philemon. And because there is a fair amount of common material in Colossians and Ephesians, it is very likely that Paul wrote both letters (and Philemon) at the same time from the same location. It is unlikely that Paul would have written a letter to the Ephesians from Ephesus and I had already ruled out his imprisonment in Caesarea, so my earlier conclusion of Rome to be the location for these prison letters is strengthened. Now, on to Ephesians!

Slava Bohu!

Colossians 3:18-4:6

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. (v. 20) I’m sure we’ve shared a few times with you all that Carol and I had a broken engagement for almost two years. The fifth (fourth) commandment specifically tells us to “Honor your father and mother…” (Exodus 20:12) Paul makes an even stronger statement, telling us to obey them (not just honor them), which is what we did. After we had been engaged for about seven months Carol’s parents asked us not to get married. They didn’t feel that we were a good match and they had their reasons. Even though we disagreed with them and their reasons, we broke our engagement based on obedience. After almost two years and many events in that time they gave us their blessing and, frankly, came to love me dearly. We’ve never regretted the growing time we each had in those two years.

Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters… (vv. 3-22-4:1) My Study Bible again gave me insight into today’s reading. I had noticed in my reading that Paul spoke many more words to bondservants (slaves) than he did to wives, husbands, or children. My Study Bible pointed out that this letter to the Colossians and the letter to Philemon were being delivered by Onesimus, about whom we read in Philemon. Onesimus was Philemon’s slave, so with the slave delivering the letter Paul spent more time with instructions for slaves than he did for other household members. He also added an additional verse to masters, presumably hoping to get Philemon’s attention!

Slava Bohu!

Colossians 3:12-17

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (v. 14) It sounds simple enough and it is certainly good instruction for those of us who call ourselves Christians. But almost every time that I find a “love one another” verse, I am drawn back to 2003 and the Episcopal convention that affirmed the gay bishop from New Hampshire. I was a member of the Diocesan leadership team and first alternate to the convention, so I was party to all those discussions that formed our Diocesan response to this “gay bishop” issue. And so often, when the issue of the “right or wrong” of homosexuality, with our personal and corporate response to the issue of homosexuality in our midst, the one item that I kept hearing was that “Jesus said, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ ” (John 15:12) And it’s true, I affirm that. But Jesus also affirmed marriage – one man, one woman – and gave no hint that other marital relationships were acceptable.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts … [and] … Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… (vv. 15, 16) These two imperatives have direct bearing on the paragraph above. Everyone’s marital relationship needs to stand on these two admonitions. Your relationship must accord with Scripture – all of Scripture, not just a few select passages. And you need to be at peace in your marital relationship – before and during your marriage.

Slava Bohu!

Colossians 3:1-11

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (v. 3) Our lives are “hidden”. Hidden from whom? I have a picture of myself standing behind Jesus. When God the Father looks toward me, he sees Jesus. Moreover, when Satan looks toward me, he also sees Jesus! Unfortunately, in these two instances we are talking about that dead man, that new Fred. Satan knows that it’s useless to look toward that new Fred because Jesus’ shining light blinds him. So he looks toward that old man, this earthly Fred, and he sees all those old weaknesses, that shameful, disappointing past. And that becomes his focus. Sad.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (v. 5) I like that Paul makes this connection between all these sins and idolatry. Let’s go “light” and take on covetousness. Paul says that whatever we are coveting is an idol to us – money, power, THINGS!! That new car, a new house, new furniture, travel, whatever…!! I was thinking about what I covet most in life. Beyond my faith in God and His redemption in Jesus; beyond my wife, kids and their families; beyond our church and our current “life”… Surprisingly to me, I daresay that what I covet most is my free time. I truly have been busy all my life. As an academic my work never stopped – it came home with me every evening, every weekend. Even in travel or on vacation, that course, that research project was always on my mind. Now in my retirement I am more flexible with my time, but I am still busy with my family, our property, the church, whatever. I look around at things that need to be done around me. And truly, I get mildly angry. It’s going to take TIME to get those things done. My FREE TIME!! Yeah, it’s an idol for me… Sad.

Slava Bohu!

Colossians 2:16-23

Paul writes a lot in today’s reading about “regulations”: Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. (v. 16) In this first quote it sounds like Paul is talking about the Judaizers – Jews who were trying to make Christians follow Jewish laws, traditions, and practices. But Paul also says …why … do you submit to regulations … according to human precepts and teachings? (vv. 20b-22; This last quote is much easier to understand after I have picked out all the parenthetical and dashed comments.) Here Paul seems to be pointing to the Gnostics, who placed a high value on asceticism. And there’s nothing wrong with asceticism, unless it becomes excessive – a “religion” unto itself. As Paul says further, These have indeed an appearance of wisdom … but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (v. 23)

Paul’s answer to these regulations is found earlier in today’s reading: …holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. (v. 19) The Jewish and Gnostic rules and regulations are empty exercises if they do not radiate from God-given wisdom. Bodily discipline is good, especially when practiced in conjunction with prayer. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

 Slava Bohu!

Colossians 2:6-15

For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily… (v. 9) This verse is a direct response to the Gnostics who taught that Jesus was not truly God and man, with various interpretations on what that meant and who He really was in body and spirit.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses … God made alive together with Him … by canceling the record of debt [and] nailing it to the cross. (vv. 13-14) I eliminated some (very good) words in these two verses to highlight what I wanted to bring out – Paul’s description of our debt of sin being fully paid and Jesus nailing that debt invoice to the cross, marking it “fully paid”. (My own additions…)

…rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith… (v. 7a) A gentle little triad here: rooted, built up, established. Paul is describing for each of us our own Christian experience. We are first of all rooted when a seed of faith is planted in us. That seed grows upward extending its roots downward. (We see this firsthand in Carol’s garden every spring and summer! But it’s only when we “uproot” the plants that we see how vast their root system has become.) Then we are built up as we progress through our Christian faith, ideally together with others building each other up. (Some of Carol’s plants need stakes or wires to grow up on and all of the plants need the weeds around them to be controlled.) Finally we are established in that faith – not completed, but certainly established. We become known for our faith and we share that faith with nonbelievers. (With regular care those plants grow and flourish and bear fruit. In fact, it is in their bearing fruit that we truly know what kind of plants they are! But still they need to be watched and protected because animals and bugs are there to destroy them.) I love Carol’s garden; I’m proud of her!

Slava Bohu!

Colossians 2:1-5

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face… (v. 1) I had a strange thought here, hearkening back to John 17:20, one verse in Jesus’ “high priestly prayer”: I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word… Most of us have probably read or heard that in this verse Jesus is praying directly for us. So I wondered in the first verse of today’s reading whether we are included among those who have not seen Paul “face to face”. Might he still be in heaven the fervent missionary that he was here on earth? Might he still be praying for each and every one of us who reads his letters? Yeah, a strange thought…

Whether that’s the case or not that Paul is “struggling” for us, either way, for those who have not seen him face to face he asks that …their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of 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. (vv. 2-3) Is Paul saying here that only when we are “knit together in love” that we can attain to “all the riches” and the “full assurance” of understanding and knowledge of Christ? I fully believe that my faith has certainly been strengthened by my being solidly planted in our church body and in other similar bodies prior to St. Andrew’s. And to repeat a refrain from my post yesterday, I fully believe that my knowledge, understanding, and wisdom have all increased by being a part of all of you. We simply can’t do this alone, folks. We need each other!

Slava Bohu!

Colossians 1:21-29

Paul mentions a “mystery” twice in today’s reading (verses 26 and 27): …the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Both of my study bibles talked about “mystery religions” in the Roman world – religions in which only members had certain information, secret this-and-that, possibly not unlike the Skull and Bones secret society at Yale University that has included both Bush presidents. You can read up on these mystery religions on your own. I first encountered Paul’s “mystery” talk many years ago in my early Scriptural readings. To my understanding years back, the “mystery” that Paul is talking about is that the Gospel is now revealed to the Gentiles. Previously the Jews had been an exclusive “club” to which the Gentiles were excluded, but now salvation has been offered to these Gentiles through Peter (Acts 10-11) and Paul’s missionary activities and other early Christian missionaries. In today’s reading Paul refers to this mystery as Christ in you, the hope of glory – the hope of the Gentiles. And that same hope is ours today – Christ in you, the hope of glory!!

Slava Bohu!

Colossians 1:9-20

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. (vv. 15-20) Sorry for copying such a long quotation, but the entire six-verse content is powerful and complete. Credit to my Study Bible for pointing out the “all things” items that I have highlighted in bold above. ALL THINGS!! All of these things, in Christ, all things!! It’s strange to me that Paul did not use Jesus’ name or his Christ title in these verses, referring only by “He” and “Him” pronouns to the “beloved Son” mentioned in verse 14.

…we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding… (v. 9) Credit again to my Study Bible for pointing out these three connected words. Knowledge of our Lord’s will for our lives comes first, but knowledge of His will without action on our part sounds like rebellion to me. So knowledge comes first, then (for me) understanding, then wisdom. I see “understanding” as something that is internal to myself, something that is now within my comprehension. But I see “wisdom” as an ability for me to somehow see inside God’s mind, into His heart – to know His ways for my life. I see “wisdom” as something that puts me at peace in a way that “understanding” does not. Maybe I’m way off. It’s something I’ve never thought of before.

Slava Bohu!