Paul the apostle was visited
in a Roman prison by Epaphrus who was the pastor of the church
located in Colosse. Epaphrus' concerns were that false teachers of
heresy had entered the church who were promoting their ideas among
the church members. Among those teachers were the Judaizers, who
believed that works in the law in addition to grace were necessary
for salvation, and the Gnostics who denied the deity of Jesus Christ.
Paul began his letter to the church in Colosse by stating his
authoritative position as “an apostle of Jesus Christ”,
and he included the name of his young protege' Timothy in his opening
remarks. In chapter one and verse two of his letter Paul addressed
specifically to whom he was writing where we read:
To the saints and
faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be
unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The
verse begins, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ
which are at Colosse:” Let us notice first that Paul's address
is “to the saints” which means “most holy thing,
reverend, and worthy of veneration”. These were not specially
appointed members who passed away in the church, nor were they
elevated by man to some position of worship, these were the “faithful
brethren” or “trusty, ones who can be relied upon, worthy of
trust” brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. These members of the
church were located in “Colosse” which means “monstrosities”
and speaks of large or flourishing things. The city of Colosse was
anciently large and flourishing but was destroyed by an earthquake
around 66 a.d.. It became one of the focal cities within which Paul
the apostle shared the gospel, and his words were addressed to the
saints and faithful brethren located there.
The
verse goes on to say, “ Grace be unto
you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul then greets them with what
is known as the typical Pauline greeting because he uses it
throughout his letters written in the New Testament. First, he uses
the word “Grace”
which is “charis” in the Greek and means “that which
affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace
of speech, goodwill, lovingkindness and favor”. “Charis” was
the word used by the Greeks for greeting one another when they met in
the streets or visited in their homes. The second phrase employed by
Paul was “and peace” which is the Hebrew word “shalom”
and means “a state of national tranquility, harmony, concord,
security, safety, prosperity and felicity”. “Shalom” was the
word for greeting by the Hebrews or Jewish people as they met in the
streets or visited in their homes. Let us notice from whom these two
wonderful traits come: “God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ”. “God” is named as “our Father”,
and “Jesus” is named as “Lord” and “Christ”.
It was important for the church in Colosse to know that grace and
peace come through a relationship with both the Father and His Son
Jesus.
As we ponder Paul's opening
words, we may note the relationship between “Grace” and
“Peace”. We will never know the “peace” of God
until we have first experienced the “grace” of God. The “grace”
of God came through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ upon the
cross for our sins. We can do nothing to earn His grace. We must only
receive the wonderful gift of grace He has provided. Once we receive
his gift of grace we will know the “peace” with God that
goes beyond our own understanding. Without grace, there is no peace,
and without peace we can be miserable all our lives. As we think
about these things, let us realize how wonderful the grace of God is
for us, and as we do, let His peace invade every area within our
lives wherein which we are troubled.
Next
time we will see Paul give thanks for the people within the Colossian
church,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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