Every serious student of the Bible desires to understand the text, discover the biblical principles, and apply the truths to his/her life. This commentary is designed to help students, pastors, and Bible teachers understand Colossians and Philemon in a simple manner. Working from the popular New International Version (NIV), the author provides helpful commentary on the text verse-by-verse. This verse-by-verse commentary is different from others in two respects. First, it is brief while some commentaries are unnecessarily wordy and verbose. Second, it is Pentecostal in outlook. This implies that we generally adhere to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and adopt a literalist approach to the interpretation of the Bible. The major aim of this commentary is to expose readers to Colossians and Philemon, two closely related New Testament letters. Colossians deals with the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as the head of all creation and of the church. No book in the Bible presents a more comprehensive picture of the fullness of Christ.

Colossians and Philemon

A Pentecostal CommentaryBy Matthew N. O. Sadiku

Trafford Publishing

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Matthew N. O. Sadiku
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4669-5592-9

Contents

Preface................................................7Abbreviations..........................................11Part 1—Colossians................................13Introduction to Colossians.............................151 The Gospel Truth Declared............................192 Prayer for the Church................................263 The Supremacy of Christ..............................304 The Supreme Reconciliation...........................355 The Christian Ministry...............................396 The Supreme Concern..................................447 Christ is Superior to Philosophy.....................488 Complete in Christ...................................539 Warning Against False Teaching.......................5710 Seeking the Things Above............................6211 Laying Aside the Old Life...........................6712 The Clothing of the New Life........................7313 The Christian Family................................7914 The Christian Communicator..........................8515 Final Greetings.....................................89Part 2—Philemon..................................95Introduction to Philemon...............................9716 Greeting to Philemon................................10117 Prayer of Thanksgiving..............................10418 A Plea for Onisemus.................................10719 The Power of Forgiveness............................112Selected Bibliography..................................117Index..................................................121

Chapter One

THE GOSPEL TRUTH DECLARED

Colossians 1:1-8

The Apostolic Salutation

Verses 1-2: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

In Paul's days, epistles or letters were vital means of communication. There were no telephones, no radios, no televisions, no fax machines, no printers, no satellites, and no Internet. Letters were usually hand-written and hand-delivered. Paul had never been to Colosse and had never met most of the believers in Colosse. The community of believers at Colosse was founded by Epaphras, who was a Colossian (1:7; 4:12).

1 The author of the epistle identifies himself by his Roman name "Paul" instead of his Hebrew name "Saul." This makes sense because he is addressing predominantly Gentile readers. Saul was first called Paul in Acts 13:9. Some scholars have observed this change of names with Paul's transition from Jewish orientation to his role as an apostle to the Gentiles.

Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. An apostle is someone sent with a commission. He/she is sent as a messenger, an envoy or an ambassador to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ. The term "apostle" applied to the original Twelve who were selected at the beginning of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Its later usage includes people who were not directly part of the earthly ministry of Christ or witnessed His resurrection. Such people include Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Silas and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:7), and others (Romans 16:7). The apostles were, as Calvin put it, "the highest order in the church."

In the case of Paul, no human means was involved in his apostolic commission. His authority was not man-given but God-given. This is unlike the agitators or "circumcision group" who got their authority from James (Galatians 2:12). Paul was not commissioned by human beings such as Peter, James, or Ananias. He was not an apostle of the apostles. He did not have the other apostles lay hands on his head or anoint him. His call was the highest possible because he was called by Jesus Christ, whose resurrection won the victory over sin, flesh, law, devil, world, and every evil. Jesus and God the Father are the source of Paul's authority. They work together as a team, not in isolation.

Today, we have those who are called as apostles in our midst. We have men and women who have rediscovered the apostolic gospel and regard themselves as Christ-appointed. Those who operate without a call seek no good purpose. As Spurgeon said, "Ordination can do nothing for a man who has not received his call from God. It is simply a matter of laying empty hands on an empty head."

As the sender, Paul includes himself and Timothy, his brother. Paul did not write as a lone-ranger believer. He associated himself with fellow believers. He was not exalting his ministry while discrediting theirs. Paul describes Timothy's faithfulness in Philippians 2:19-22: "I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel." As Paul's true child in faith, it was to Timothy Paul wrote his last epistle (2 Timothy) and passed the mantle of leadership. Paul did not mention here other workers such as Mark, Titus, Luke, Demas, and others. Their names will be mentioned at the end of the letter. Paul might have asked Timothy to write this letter, while he writes the closing part with his own hand (4:18).

2 Colosse was a town in the area known as Phrygia, which was part of the Roman province of Asia with Ephesus serving as the capital. It was located in Lycus River and surrounded by mountains. (See the map in the Introduction.) The majority of Christians at Colosse were Phrygians, Greeks, or Jews. The Colossian believers are identified in three ways. First, they are God's holy people or saints. They have been called out and separated from their former way in order to live for God. God makes us saints the moment we accept Jesus as savior. The word "saints" does not mean being superholy; it simply means being set apart. Second, they are faithful. Although Paul had not met the believers at Colosse, he knew they were faithful from the report he had from Epaphras, who most likely founded the Colossian church (1:7-8) They were faithful because they resisted false teaching. Third, they are people of dual citizenship. They are in Christ and at Colosse. They are physically or geographically located in Colosse but spiritually located in the heavenly places with Jesus Christ.

We are in Christ at Houston,

In Christ at New York,

In Christ at London,

In Christ at Beijing

"In Christ" denotes the sphere in which believers live and participate. Believers are in Christ by reason of a living, but they are also in Colosse temporarily. In Jesus, we move, live, and have our being (Act 18:28). Dermot McDonald said, "Every Christian has two homes; and he lives in both places at the same time. Of course he is in Christ; that makes him a Christian. But he is at Colosse; he has residence in the here and now, a foothold on earth. Thus the believer has a heaven in which to breathe and an earth on which to live" (emphasis his). This dual citizenship carries with it a dual responsibility. A believer must discharge his obligations in Colosse, and he must not forget his responsibility to Christ. The Bible portrays us as stewards of this world for God. As Martin Luther King, Jr. rightly said, "Man...