We must keep in mind while we read Paul's letter to the Colossians that his aim is to correct any misconceptions about the deity of Christ, about the sacrifice Christ made for mankind, and about the fact that faith in what Christ did for mankind is the only way to be made righteous in the eyes of God. The main body of believers at Colossae hold to these truths, but because their city is on a major trade route, they are constantly bombarded with pagan doctrines and with "false gospels" that present Christ as something other than who He really is. In today's passage Paul reminds his readers that before they heard the true gospel they were lost in sin and idolatry, but that when they heard the message that Christ came in the flesh and gave Himself in their place they came to a saving faith in Him. He brings it to their attention how blessed they are to be living in an age when the One promised through the prophets has already come, and he points out that Christ is the only hope they have of glory.
"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior." (Colossians 1:21) Though we aren't meant to dwell on the past, it never hurts to gratefully acknowledge that Christ has saved us from who we used to be. I'm not all that I ought to be, and I'm not all that I will be, but I'm not who I used to be. I won't be perfect until I'm with Christ in heaven, but I'm not the person I was before I knew Him, and I'm not the person I will be as I grow to know Him better and better. The Gentiles of Colossae were once as lost as anyone ever has been. They didn't know the one true God of Israel. They worshiped gods that didn't exist and they engaged in abominable practices that a holy God abhors. Paul says to them, "Remember what condition you were in when Christ found you. Remember where He brought you from. What good did any of the things of your former life do you? Don't fall back into false beliefs and sinful practices."
Their sin and their disbelief in God had made them His enemies. But now, through their faith in Christ, they are near to God. They are in a position to receive His mercy and grace. "But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation---if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant." (Colossians 1:22-23) Paul could say these same things to me. Although in the past I did believe that there was only one God, I was not reconciled to Him. I was not living in obedience to Him, and I had not submitted my life to Him, and I was breaking His laws and commandments. Without Christ, I had no hope of being reconciled to God, because even if my heart had wanted to live in complete and perfect obedience to God, in my weak mortal flesh I would not have been able to. Christ, in His own physical body, paid the penalty I owed for my sins. Faith in what He did for me is the only thing that allows God to grant me mercy for my sins and shortcomings.
We noted in Paul's letter to the Philippians that he urged them not to feel sorry for him. It's true he's a prisoner because of the gospel, but instead of feeling sorry for himself he rejoices that he is able to lead others to Christ. Many in Rome have come to faith in Christ because Paul is there as a prisoner. So he is willing to suffer not only for the One who suffered for Him, but he is willing to suffer so that the church may grow and prosper. "Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church." (Colossians 1:24)
He's not saying that the sacrifice Christ made wasn't enough to save us all. The afflictions of Paul aren't going to save anyone, but anyone who works as a minister of the gospel is going to deal with afflictions. In fact, anyone who tries to live a godly life in Christ will face some form of persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12) Christ Himself suffered afflictions long before He went to the cross, for He was ridiculed as a madman, gossiped about that He was a drunkard and a glutton because He went to dinner with outcasts, accused of being demon-possessed, and judged to be worthy of death for blasphemy because He plainly (and truthfully) referred to Himself as the Son of God. While Christ ministered in the flesh on the earth, He suffered afflictions. While Paul ministers to the church, he suffers afflictions. While you and I live out our faith and share the gospel and minister to others, we are going to suffer afflictions. So Paul isn't saying that anything needs to be added to what Christ has done for our salvation, but he's saying that things have to be done for the church in order to help it thrive. Christ is no longer bodily present on this earth to minister to it in the flesh, so we are His hands and feet in this world, and it is our duty to minister to the church.
Because Paul is a servant of Christ, he has become a servant of Christ's church. "I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness---the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 11:25-27) Way back in Genesis the Lord promised that One would come from Eve's line who would bruise the head of Satan. Through the prophets the Lord promised One who would save man from his sins. But until Christ came in the flesh, no one really understood exactly how God intended to accomplish His plan of salvation. The people of Colossae are blessed to be living in a time when God's plan has been revealed and carried out. You and I are equally blessed. Up until Christ came, those who believed in God's promise lived in faith and hoped for the One who was to come. God has now fulfilled this promise, and now our hope is in the future glory we will shared with Christ. We had no hope without Him, but now through Him we are the sons and daughters of the living God, and we look forward to eternity in the presence of the One who saved us.
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