Christ Pre-eminent: Studies in the Epistle to the Colossians

Each Epistle of St. Paul has its own special characteristics, and when they are all put together they sum up completely the teaching of the great Apostle’s life. Dr. Beet, treating these Epistles in their generally accepted chronological order, from Thessalonians to Titus, says that they exhibit the springtime (1 and 2 Thessalonians), summer (Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans), autumn (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon), and winter (the Pastoral Epistles) of the great Apostle’s year. Lightfoot tabulates the Epistles in this way: (a) The Second Missionary Journey (1 and 2 Thessalonians), The Epistles of the Tribunal, or Christ the Judge; (b) The Epistles of the Third Missionary Journey (1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Romans), The Epistles of the Cross, or Christ the Redeemer; (c) The Epistles of the first captivity (Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon), The Epistles of the Throne, or Christ the Word; (d) The Epistles of the Release and second captivity (1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy), The Epistles of the Congregation, or Church Organisation.

Ephesians and Colossians represent the highest, full¬ est, richest presentation of Christianity. Just as Romans tells us how to enter into fellowship with Christ through the Gospel, so Ephesians and Colossians tell us how to abide therein. First we come out of bondage and then we are brought into the banqueting-house.

I. The Place

Colosse was in Asia Minor, and was reached from the sea from Miletus up the rivers Meander and Lycus. There were three cities near one another: Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colosse. St. Paul does not seem to have visited Colosse, but Epaphras, one of his converts at Ephesus during the three years there (Acts 19:10-26), was the means of founding the Colossian Church, and was its Evangelist (Col. 1:4, 9; 4:12, 13). This Epistle was written during St. Paul’s imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:30), about A. D. 62 or 63.

II. The Purpose

Colossians was written because there was real danger of false teaching, a mixture of Judaism and Orientalism (2:16-18). This took the form, first, of an exclusive intellectualism, almost entirely connected with speculation, and, then, in practical life the tendency was either in the direction of asceticism or sensuality. As in Galatians and Romans the Apostle waged warfare against every¬ thing legalistic and materialistic which was placed as a stumbling-block to people who desired to know and accept the Gospel, so here he contends against everything that would minister to intellectual pride and separateness.

It is especially interesting to notice the relation of this Epistle to that of Ephesians, because the likeness is so marked. As one writer puts it: “Out of 95 verses in Colossians, 78, have a marked resemblance to Ephesians; while out of the 155 verses in Ephesians, 78 resemble Colossians.” But the particular character of this resemblance is even more striking. The same topics are treated in both, but with a very significant difference of application. Dr. Sanday has thus stated this feature: —

“In the Ephesians the Church is the primary object, and the thought passes upward to Christ as the Head of the Church. In the Colossians Christ is the primary object, and the thought passes downwards to the Church as the Body of Christ.”

The more this contrast is studied the more remarkable it will appear. In Colossians the Apostle gives a careful and thorough statement of the person and work of Christ; while in Ephesians the main topic is our Lord’s relation to the Church. In Colossians there is no such emphasis on the Church and its privileges, but only on the great realities concerning Christ. Nothing can be for a moment allowed to come between the soul and God. The same duties are emphasised in both Epistles, but with this different bearing. Our life, as stated in Colossians, is to be lived in relation to Christ, while many of the moral applications in Ephesians are related to the Church and to our duties to one another.

III. The Plan

Of the many attempts to analyse this Epistle only two seem to be worthy of attention. One of these appeared in The Princeton Theological Review for October, 1918, and is by Prof. E. C. Caldwell, of Richmond, Virginia. It forms part of the author’s Stone Lectures at Princeton, and it is earnestly to be hoped that it will be issued in book form. Dr. Caldwell calls attention to the way in which so many writers seem to think that there is no organic structure in Colossians, while he, on the contrary, maintains that there is a real literary arrangement, and that every section, paragraph, and sentence has its proper place and function. This is how Professor Caldwell sets out the plan of the Epistle: —

1. Introduction. 1 :1-14. This includes the salutation, the thanksgiving, and the opening prayer.

2. Part 1. 1: 1 5-23. The pre-eminence of Christ over

creation, providence, and redemption.

3. Part 2. 1 ‘24-4 :6. The practical effects of the

pre-eminence of Christ.

(a) On Paul himself (1:24 — 2:7).

(b) On a false philosophy of the Christian life (2:8-23).

(c) On the true doctrine of the Christian ‘ife
(3 :l-4 :6).

In this section there are five fruits of the Christian life, all proceeding from the union in Christ stated in 3:1-4. The first fruit is the death of the “old man” (3:5-9). The second is the putting on of the “new man” (3:10, 11). The third is the clothing of the new man with the garments of holiness (3 :12-14). The fourth is the transformation of relationships (3:18-4:1). The fifth is a life of prayer and activity (4:2-6).

4. Conclusion (4:7-18).

This is only a bare outline of a most suggestive and valuable study which readers of the book, when it comes, will be only too glad to ponder and make their own.

The other analysis is found in Dr. Bullinger’s interest¬ ing book, “The Church Epistles,” and it is particularly interesting to compare this with the former one, and see the points of agreement as well as of difference.

1. Opening salutation (1 :1, 2).

2. Mutual reports and messages by Epaphras (1:3-8).

3. St. Paul’s solicitude for the Colossian saints and his prayer for them ( 1 :9-2 :7).

4. Doctrinal correction, with special reference to union with Christ in His death (2:8-23).

5. Doctrinal correction, with special reference to union with Christ in His resurrection (3 :1 — 4 :1 ).

6. St. Paul’s solicitude for the Colossian saints and their prayers for him (4:2-6).

7. Mutual reports and messages by Tychicus and
Onesimus (4:7-9).

8. Closing salutation (4:10-18).

It will be noticed that in this outline there is an intro¬ version, Section 1 agreeing with Section 8, 2 with 7, 3 with 6, and 4 with 5.

IV. The Principle

There seems no doubt that the dominating thought of the Epistle is “Christ is all.” Dr. Caldwell says that the well-known lines of Charles Wesley’s hymn express the central idea: —

Thou, O Christ, art all I want,

More than all in Thee I find.

And he adds that whenever he reads Colossians he is reminded of the well-known passage in Browning: —

I say, the acknowledgment of God in Christ, accepted by thy reason,

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