Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
Paul stands as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, joined with Timothy as brother, writing to the saints and faithful brethren at Colosse. The opening is a decided address to every believer, given by the Holy Spirit for the help of those who would afterward compose the church as well as those to whom Paul first wrote. Paul was the great apostle to the churches, to whom the Lord showed many visions and things not lawful to utter because believers could not have comprehended them and would have misapplied the great truths, yet all that was shown molded the messages God gave him to bear to the churches.
With the verses that follow it, the opening teaches the vital union that should exist between Christ and His disciples, which believers must constantly strive to obtain, for religion consisting only of profession is pretense, and those whose union with Christ ends with writing their names on the church roll are not channels of light. Together with the rest of the first and second chapters, it opens an expression of what churches in every part of the world should be in order to leave their unprepared condition and keep their feet in the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life with no missteps now.
It introduces the instruction in Colossians as a guide to practical godliness and principles for every organized church, and its instruction is of the highest value. This apostolic word with its greeting of grace and peace and its thanksgiving, prayer, and instruction is a present message to be borne now for the saving of souls ready to perish, giving present truth to those in the darkness of error. The religion of Christ makes all who possess it truly benevolent, bearing fruit in good works that have heaven's endorsement, countenancing no littleness and no mean, cheap, covetous transactions that disgrace the doer, but giving true Christians a nobility of kindness and courtesy with a longing desire for the salvation of perishing souls, and calling those in responsible positions to make straight paths for their feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way.
Paul stands as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, joined with Timothy as brother, writing to the saints and faithful brethren at Colosse. The opening is a decided address to every believer, given by the Holy Spirit for the help of those who would afterward compose the church as well as those to whom Paul first wrote. Paul was the great apostle to the churches, to whom the Lord showed many visions and things not lawful to utter because believers could not have comprehended them and would have misapplied the great truths, yet all that was shown molded the messages God gave him to bear to the churches.
With the verses that follow it, the opening teaches the vital union that should exist between Christ and His disciples, which believers must constantly strive to obtain, for religion consisting only of profession is pretense, and those whose union with Christ ends with writing their names on the church roll are not channels of light. Together with the rest of the first and second chapters, it opens an expression of what churches in every part of the world should be in order to leave their unprepared condition and keep their feet in the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life with no missteps now.
It introduces the instruction in Colossians as a guide to practical godliness and principles for every organized church, and its instruction is of the highest value. This apostolic word with its greeting of grace and peace and its thanksgiving, prayer, and instruction is a present message to be borne now for the saving of souls ready to perish, giving present truth to those in the darkness of error. The religion of Christ makes all who possess it truly benevolent, bearing fruit in good works that have heaven's endorsement, countenancing no littleness and no mean, cheap, covetous transactions that disgrace the doer, but giving true Christians a nobility of kindness and courtesy with a longing desire for the salvation of perishing souls, and calling those in responsible positions to make straight paths for their feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way.