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Epistle of Paul to the Colossians I
Fred
Coulter—October 16, 1993
This is the third in a series of the inspirational Epistles of the
Apostle Paul. The first two as you know were Ephesians and Philippians. Now we
come to the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians. I want to go ahead
and reiterate again, a little bit more concerning the translation, which you
will find in the section: All About This…Translation, but I need to also
clarify as to why I have done it. I have done it so that it will be for
inspirational study to try and bring out the fullest possible meaning of the
Greek.
Now, let’s come to page 4 [from the booklet on
Colossians], of All About This…Translation. And we will come to
the fifth paragraph, beginning with the second sentence here:
The original Greek is so rich in meaning and understanding
that the study of the Greek… [by myself] …for over 19 years has left me in a
state of awe and reverence at the fantastic meaning God has inspired in each
and every word of the New Testament, in the Greek language. It is absolutely
true and inspiring, as Paul wrote for us about the word of God in 2-Timothy
3:16, which in the Greek the phrase “pasa graphe theopneustos”—which
means ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED or GOD-INSPIRED. [And you can
have] an exact literal translation of this [which would] be rendered as: “All
Scripture is God-spirited,” or inspired by the [Spirit] power of God’s Holy
Spirit. (The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians, An Inspirational
Study, throughout.)
And then the Apostle Peter
gave us some understanding concerning the Scriptures and we need to realize
this, as he wrote, in 2-Peter 1:20: “Knowing this...” In other words, the whole
basic approach we have to all of the study of the Bible, to all of the study of
the New Testament is this: “Knowing this first, that any prophecy of the
Scripture is not of any private interpretation…” The reason being is that God
gives the interpretation right in His Word:
…because prophecy
was not brought at any time by human will, but Holy men of God spoke as they
were moved by the Holy Spirit. Therefore it’s absol
Now let’s cover something very important concerning the Expanded
Amplified Translation. I want to reiterate, again, that this
translation is not meant to be a final, doctrinal translation. Even
though the translation is accurate as to the meaning of the Greek in its verb
and word usage, and is technically accurate, it is presented in free flowing
and a verbose manner to capture, as much as possible, every degree of meaning
from the original Greek into the English. However, please understand that this translation has been produced for the special, inspirational
rendition of these three epistles of the Apostle Paul and is not,
I reiterate, NOT intended to replace the Word of God as inspired
in the Greek text, or the New Testament. So, what I have done—so that you
will understand this—I have provided an additional study aid for each one
of the readers, which includes the Greek Interlinear of Ephesians,
Philippians and Colossians by George Ricker Barry, which contains the same
Greek text as used by me for this translation.
Now, let’s cover a little about
the background to the book of Colossians. It was written to the Christians who
were in the city of Colossae.
“Colossae was located approximately 100 miles east of
Ephesus, in the upper Lycos Valley, in the district of Phrygia in the Roman
province of Asia, called Asia Minor, today. It was strategically located on the
important highway to the east as the Lycos Valley narrowed down to a
pass—ten miles long, two miles wide—through the Cadmus Range to the
east. The valley was very fertile and still is to this day. The numerous
mineral hot springs and streams were laden with calcareous matter and laid down
immense glacier-like streams and cataracts of limestone. Specially noteworthy
are the formations at Hierapolis and Colossae.” (Introduction to the New
Testament, pg 216)
The neighboring cities mentioned in the epistle are:
Laodicea, which is twelve miles west and Hierapolis, six miles north. Laodicea
was the thriving, banking center of great wealth for the entire region. It was
also the administrative center for taxing purposes for the Roman province of
Asia. And there are extensive ruins of Laodicea, which testify to its once
great affluence and luxury. Hierapolis, on the other hand, was noted for its
mineral hot springs and was thronged with visitors searching for health and
pleasure. The three cities were in constant communication and could have been
easily visited in one day. The entire area was an active center of the textile
industry during Roman times. Phrygia is mentioned as one of the regions
represented on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given (Acts 2:10).
“The bulk of the population apparently consisted of native
Phrygians, people marked by the tendency to mystical illusion and orgiastic
excitement, which made Phrygia the home of the frantic worship… [which we would
say fanatical worship] …of Dionysius and Cibele…. [And Sibley is just another
name for Diana, the goddess of the Ephesians.] …But this Phrygian substratum
had long ago received an admixture of Greek. And the Greek language and the
Greek manners prevailed and leavened the life and culture.” (Intro. to the
N. T., pg. 217).
Now, as we find evidence in the book of Colossians 2:1,
Paul writes that he had never seen those in Colossae or Laodicea or Hierapolis,
face-to-face. But they were the direct result of Paul’s ministry, which was
centered at Ephesus for over two years, as we find in Acts 19.
Paul clearly shows that they
learned the Gospel and were instructed in Christ by Epaphras, who was ‘a
faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,’ (Col. 1:7). And it seems that he
was known for his ministry in all three cities, (Col. 4:12-13). From the
internal evidence of the Epistle to the Colossians, it does not appear that
there was any Jewish converts in the congregation. Nor is there any
reference….at all to….the circumcision of the flesh, as there are in
the Epistle to the Ephesians or what Paul mentioned there concerning the true
circumcision in Philippians, the third chapter, as well.]
Paul clearly states that he
was making known the glory of the “mystery of God, among the Gentiles, which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).
In Colossians 2, there are direct references to the
convert’s previous state as being the uncircumcision in the flesh, (Col. 2:13) vs their current converted state with their circumcision in Christ, which is, when
we cover Col. 2, we will see was made without hands—in other words, the
spiritual conversion, the spiritual circumcision in Christ.
The major thrust of this epistle is the great conflict,
which was being waged against the Church [as a result of the] pagan religious
philosophies. Paul makes it clear that the doctrines and teachings of philosophy
constituted a tremendous threat to their faith in Christ Jesus. If they
followed these teachings of men, with their doctrines and commandments, it
would drag them away from Christ, into the worship of fallen angels. [These
philosophies taught] that a person could not be complete in their knowledge and
understanding of God, through Jesus Christ and God, the Father, alone….a person
[would be] required to go through various stages of philosophical enlightenment
and the worship of angels before one could understand [God or the Godhead.
According to the teachings of the religious philosophies, Jesus Christ was] not
sufficient.
And that is why we have in Colossians 2 that you are
complete in Christ. I have a whole section in the book showing how we are
complete in Christ, as related there in chapter two.
[They claim that a seeker of God] must also accept these
cleverly devised teachings and obey the Stoic’s traditions. Just as the
religious philosophies of today claim, it was taught that a person cannot come to
the complete knowledge of the Divine, without the knowledge and practice of the
religious illumination…of philosophy…. [which every religion of this world is
based upon those philosophies.] …This is the central message of the Epistle to
the Colossians. Most theologians, who are wrapped in their own religious
philosophies, think that, the epistle to the Colossians does not appear to be
of much importance since it was written to a small, insignificant congregation.
[So here is what they say]: “With the epistle to the Colossians, the Church
practically disappears from Christian history, while the two neighboring
churches played quite a prominent role in the early church history. The church
at Colossae was of little importance in the greater sphere of the Christian
church” (Intro. to the N.T., pg 220).
We’re going to see that that is absolutely not true,
because these words, this epistle, was preserved for us, today, as we will see
when we start going through it.
But, its teachings are profound and desperately needed
today! This small epistle is perhaps the most powerful tool to combat the
onslaught of apostasy, which is flooding the world and the churches today, with
its New Age philosophies.
And you see it everywhere. All the New Age so called
philosophies are based upon the old philosophical religions of Satan the devil.
And today, in the world, we are facing the amalgamation of all religions into a
new, Satan inspired, united, global religion. And I talked to a friend of mine
who said that he talked to a Methodist friend of his and they are waiting for a
brand new revelation to supersede even the New Testament. So hang on tight,
folks, because we don’t know exactly what is going to happen to fulfill the
prophecy where it says in Revelation 13, that the whole world is going to
worship Satan the devil. But, it is going to be based on philosophy. And they
are actually, the same, ancient, demonically inspired philosophies, which
assaulted the little congregation of God at Colossae, over nineteen hundred
years ago.
Now, another thing to consider is this, few people realize
that the Apostle Paul’s teachings against the pagan, religious philosophies of
men, and by the way, this under-girds almost all professing Christian churches
today, especially those who are Sunday-keepers. What he wrote there is
actually; powerful teachings against what is commonly known are the so-called
trinity.
Few people realize… [or] …even understand that the doctrine
of the trinity, in its various forms, is founded almost exclusively in pagan
philosophy!….
You
could say not only almost exclusively but, exclusively in pagan
philosophies. You can’t find it in the Bible.
Paul’s complete denunciation of the religious philosophies
of men, which is nothing more than the worship of fallen angels, is also a
complete, unilateral rejection of the doctrine of the trinity. The Great
trinitarian philosophy, as taught by Plato, is in reality…a refinement of the
ancient Babylonian philosophy of the “three in one” and the “one in many” and
the “many in one.” God inspired the Apostle Paul to write this epistle [against
philosophy and religious practices.] As such then…it is also a complete
rejection of the pagan religious holidays of Sunday worship, Christmas and
Easter. As we will see, contrary to the beliefs of most Christian professing
churches, Paul most emphatically upholds the observance of God’s weekly
Sabbath, annual Holy Days, New Moons, clean and unclean meats, etc.
And you will see this when we especially get into the
second chapter of the book of Colossians.
Now, I want to cover, just a couple of other things as to
why this is very important that we thoroughly go through this epistle
word-by-word. And I also want to clarify, as I do this, one of the reasons why
I did the translation. So this ties, hand-in-hand, with some of the things that
we are going to cover. Now first of all, we need to understand that in the
first century, when the New Testament Church was being raised up, and was
growing quite fantastically, one of the centers of religion was Alexandria.
And, out of Alexandria, as we will see—we won’t have time here, but we
will cover that on a separate series: Scripturalism vs. Judaism—that
what is commonly called the Catholic religion, which then includes Orthodox and
all the various kinds. We also have to understand that Protestantism is nothing
more than purified Catholicism. And they still keep the same days that the
Catholics have dictated. And the Catholics taunt the Protestants all the time
when the Protestants say, “Well, we go by the Bible,” then they taunt them and
say, “Why then do you observe Sunday and Christmas and Easter, because we know,
as Catholics, that that was a proclamation given by the Pope and has nothing to
do with the Scriptures.” The Catholics know that. Most people don’t understand
that the Catholics know that. But, they feel that it’s the right of the Pope to
change it. However, the point is this: the Catholic Church actually came out of
Alexandrian Judaism via Philo and Simon Magus. And then it was married together
with Mithraism and the other religions of the East.
Now, let’s go to Revelation 11:8—and we’re going to
see why this is so important for us. This is talking about the two witnesses,
and the two witnesses is not the point I want to cover here. “And their bodies will lie in
the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt,
where also our Lord was crucified.”
Now, this is talking about Jerusalem. I recently talked to a man who said that
he took a trip to the Holy Land, so called—if there is any land that is
unholy today, it is Jerusalem, because God says it is like Sodom and Egypt,
spiritually. Now, you can think on that and when you understand about the
trinity, that one of the explanations of the trinity is that the Father eternally
begets the Son, and the Son eternally begets the Father—that is
spiritual sodomy. Now, it says “Sodom and Egypt,” so we are shown the
religious significance of Jerusalem today.
Now, let’s understand something very clearly, the philosophy
that Paul was writing about, in Colossians, the second chapter, is the
Christianized, Egyptian, Babylonian philosophy—which is the basis and the
fundamental foundation for the religions of this world. Now, let’s ask a couple
of questions here. When God brought the children of Israel out of their
slavery, where were they living? They were living in Egypt, is that not
correct?
Now, let’s go to Deuteronomy 17 and we will tie this in with
one of the reasons why we need to get in and really study the Word of God and
why every minister should do what it says here, pertaining to when the
Israelites would set up a king over them. And that is that he was to sit down
and write a copy of the law for himself. And so, I feel that
that’s one of the reasons God wants us to get in and really study the Word of
God. And this why I have done these translations and so forth, so that I can
have the understanding of it in a greater degree and also be able to convey
this to other people.
Now, let’s pick it up here in Deuteronomy 17:14: “When you
are come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, and you shall possess
it and shall dwell therein, and shall say, ‘I will set a king over me like as
unto the nations which are about me,’ you shall in any case or any wise set him
king over you whom the Lord your God shall choose; one from among your brethren
shall you set king over you and you shall not set a stranger over you, which is
not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses to himself…” (vs 14-16).
And that is interesting, if you go ahead and transfer that
also over to the New Testament ministry. Not that they were to be kings, that
is obviously not correct, but they were not to multiply wealth to
themselves in the New Testament, nor was the king to multiply horses to
himself that he would trust in his own armament, that he would trust in his own
army, that he would trust in himself and the people rather than God.
Now, notice, continuing on now in v 16: “…nor cause the people to return
to Egypt… [Now, this ties right in with Rev. 11, because we are seeing in the
Churches of God today a movement to cause people to return to Egypt by the
acceptance of the Egytianized, pagan philosophy of the trinity. That is why God
says in Rev. 11, that Jerusalem is called, spiritually, “Sodom and Egypt.” So every
minister better really take heed. Is he causing the people to go back
into Egypt or as we would say in the New Testament back into the world?]
(continuing now): …to the end that he should multiply horses, for as much as
the Lord has said unto you, ‘You shall henceforth return no more that way.’”
Now, what I want you to do is compare that to the things in the New Testament
which talks about the way we are to live, the way of Christ is called that
way.
Egypt and the way of the Egyptian religion, the Egyptian
philosophy was also called that way. And the very meaning and the very
substance of the first Passover was God’s judgment against all the gods of
Egypt. And so the book of Colossians, we’re going to see, is very strong that
we are not to go back into the philosophies of men, from which these so called
Christian philosophies originated out of Egypt. And we are not to go back that
way.
“Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart
turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself, silver and gold.
And it shall be when he sits in the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write
a copy for himself of this law in a book [his own book] out of that which is
before the priests and the Levites. And it shall be with him and he shall read
therein all the days of his life” (vs 17-19)
Now this kind of reading is not just to read, but this kind
of reading is to read and study in depth—and he is to do it all the days
of his life. And this is important for any minister, too, because too many
ministers think that they reach a certain level of understanding of God’s Word
and they know it all. That is not correct. You cannot know it all
because the Bible was inspired of God’s Spirit and of His Word and from His
mind; and if you claim that you know it all then you are claiming you have the
mind of God.
Now here’s the reason why, “That he may learn to fear the
Lord his God to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them…
[and more importantly v 20] …That his heart may not be lifted up above
his brethren…. [And that is why the book of Colossians is so important
because it teaches the minister not to lift himself up above the
brethren.] …That he turn not aside from the commandment to the right
hand or to the left hand, to the end that he may prolong his days in the
kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.” (vs 19-20).
Now, let’s just apply this spiritually to the New Testament,
that you may attain to the Kingdom of God and as the Apostle Paul said to Timothy,
that if you give yourself wholly to these things then you will save those that
hear you.
Now, let’s
go to 2-Timothy, the third chapter, and let’s again read in summary the verse
that we quoted in the beginning of this tape. Let’s carry it on a little bit
further, into the areas, which affect us today. 2-Timothy 3:15: “And that from a child you have known
the holy writings, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through
faith, which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed
and is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness; So that the man of God may be complete, fully
equipped for every good work” (vs 15-17). Now, these are the good works of
the ministry to teach, to inspire, to help and all that sort of thing.
Now, notice,
let’s carry on in 2-Timothy 4:1: “I charge you, therefore, in the sight of God… [Now, we
have a charge, as ministers, given to us, which then is above and beyond
anything else in our life, or any other person in our lives. And it is this:] …I charge you, therefore, in the sight
of God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is ready to judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom. Preach the Word!” (vs 1-2).
Now, that means the whole message of God.
Now, you can
put in your notes there, you probably already have it, John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. [So you are
preaching the whole message of Jesus Christ. That is what it means: ‘Be urgent
in season’ which shows that they were keeping the Holy Days.] …out of season; convict, rebuke,
encourage, with all patience (longsuffering)… [and that means to encourage and edify.] …and doctrine” And believe
me, doctrine is important. The term ‘doctrine’ merely means teaching.
And he is talking about the correct teachings then, in the Bible. And here is
the reason, and we are in this today, and this has happened time and time
again, down through the history of the Church. It was happening in the days of
the Apostle Paul when he wrote 2-Timothy 4:3: “For there shall come a time when they will not tolerate
sound doctrine… [Why? Because they get caught up in the world and they do
as Deut. 17 said do not do, they go back to Egypt and accept the
pagan philosophies.] …they
will not tolerate sound doctrine; but according to their own lusts they shall
accumulate to themselves a great number of teachers, having ears itching to hear what satisfies their cravings…. [To hear what is so-called ‘new
truth,’ but most of the things that are brought as new truth are old fables and
tales, just recycled back into their own modern day version.] (v 4): …And they shall turn away their own
ears from the truth; and they shall be turned aside unto myths.” Now, isn't
that amazing what happens because people do that? They go back into
Egypt.
Now, let’s go to the Expanded Amplified Translation of the Epistle to the Colossians 1:1-6—and what I am going to do is go
ahead and read down through v 6 because in our first study, we are going to go that
far in the first chapter. “Paul, an apostle, one who has been dispatched and
sent, as commissioned, who bears authority of Jesus Christ, by God’s very own
will and purposeful desire, and Timothy, the brother, To the saints, who are
the holy, consecrated ones, even the faithful brethren in Christ, who are at
Colosse. Grace, divine favor (God’s generous gift) and blessing to you, even
the peace, harmony and tranquility from God the Father and the Lord and Master
Jesus Christ. We are giving thanks and expressing our gratitude to the God and
Father of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, continually praying and making
intercession for you. After having heard the report of your faith (that
steadfast belief and trust) in Christ Jesus, and the report of your love (that
godly, divine love) which you express toward all the saints; On account of the
hope the (promise of the resurrection and eternal glory) which is laid up and
reserved for you in heaven, which hope you have previously heard and understood
in the word, the announcement and message of the divinely revealed truth of the
glad tidings of the Gospel; Which is coming to you, even as it is also being
preached in all the world; and as a result, is bringing forth and producing the
spiritual fruit (of hope and love), exactly as it is also doing in you and in
your lives, from the day you heard and obeyed, even knew and comprehended the
grace of God (God’s gracious blessing, divine favor and generous gift) which
was given in divinely revealed truth” (vs 1-6).
Now, let’s go back and let’s study each verse and we will go
into detail and bring a lot of Scriptures to bear on each verse as we are going
along. Okay, first of all, let’s come to Colossians 1:1: “Paul, an apostle, one
who has been dispatched and sent, as commissioned, who bears authority of Jesus
Christ...” Now the apostles, who were truly apostles—those chosen and
taught by Jesus Christ and appointed by Jesus Christ—have the authority
of Jesus Christ. Now, that is an awful lot of authority when you really understand
it.
Let’s go back to
Matthew 28 and let’s see what Jesus said of His authority. And this is very
important, lest any of us get lifted up in our own importance and think we are
apostles and that we bear the authority of Jesus Christ as the apostles did.
And I don’t think that after the original apostles died, that there were, we
could really say that there were truly apostles as the original apostles of the
beginning New Testament Church were apostles. Let’s come here to Matthew 28:18:
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority
[power]… [the word power in the Greek here is ‘exousia’—which
means authority. So when Paul was sent with the authority of Jesus
Christ, notice the authority that was backing him up:] …All authority in heaven and on earth…’” So when Paul writes the introduction here, that he was sent
and dispatched, commissioned as one who bears the authority of Jesus Christ.
Now, he is really giving us a tremendous introduction as to the very reason and
purpose for his ministry.
“…by God’s very own
will….” Let’s go to Ephesians, the first chapter, because, as I have here: “…by
God’s very own will and purposeful desire.” God is revealing His will to those
whom He is calling. And this is really profound for us to understand, because
God’s whole plan and God’s whole will that we be in the Kingdom and Family of
God is so all encompassing and fantastic that it is almost beyond our minds to
wholly and totally grasp it, but it is contained in the Word of God, so that at
least in this life that we can understand as much as we can. Even though it is
like as the Apostle Paul said, “Looking through a glass darkly.” Here in
Ephesians 1:5, it reads: “Having predestinated us for sonship… [and
it shouldn’t read adoption (KJV), but sonship of children] …to Himself through Jesus Christ,
according to the good pleasure of His own will.” Now, this is something that God has willed.
- His own will
- His own
desire
- His own love
- His own plan
- His own
motivation
and this is what
God the Father is doing.
Now, it is kind of
like a man said one time: “Well, when you really understand about the New
Testament, then you find out who is in the Truth and who is into playing
religion.” And I think that’s very apropos today because of God the Father’s
will and His own good pleasure. Now, that is what God wants for us. “…according to the good pleasure of His
own will [and desire], To the praise of the glory of His grace,
wherein He has made us objects of His grace in the Beloved Son”
(vs 5-6).
Now, that is quite a
profound statement, because that means that we are accepted in the Beloved One,
Who is Jesus Christ and we are accepted as Jesus Christ Himself. That is why it
is only by grace that you can be saved. That is why it is only by grace and
God’s Spirit that you can understand the Truth and understand His will and
understand His purpose, because God is the one Who can do it. “…wherein He has made us objects of His grace in the Beloved Son; In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the remission of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (vs 6-7).
I want you to think about the riches of the grace of
God. Not only is it a calling, not only is it having our sins forgiven,
not only is it being called into the Church of God, but we are called to the glorious
inheritance to share with Jesus Christ. And so when it talks about the “riches
of His glory,” what we need to do, brethren, is think—as much as possible
as our little, finite, little brains can think of it—the vastness and
glory of the universe, because we will be the crowning glory of the riches of
His grace.
“Which He has made to abound toward us
in all wisdom and intelligence [prudence]; Having made known to us the mystery
of His own will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself” (vs 8-9). I want you to think on that for just a minute.
Lest you get complacent in your Christian life, in Christian growth, in
overcoming and burdened down with problems which you may have and every one has
a certain amount of those, that the greatest Being in the universe, God the
Father, has made known to you the secret of His own personal will for you.
Now, you think on that because that is absolutely mind-boggling when you
understand it. For those who play church, you can just excuse yourself because
you will never grasp it. But for those who are truly called of God, let us
understand that God the Father Himself
- has called
us,
- has opened
our minds,
- has given us
the knowledge of His Truth,
- the knowledge
of His family,
the knowledge
of the fact that we can be born into the Kingdom of God, through the power of
the resurrection, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, in Jesus Christ, to be the
children of God the Father.
Now, that is what
all of this means. “Having
made known to us the mystery [or the secret] of His own will, according to His
good pleasure… [So it is going to
be for joy and happiness and abundant living through all eternity.] …which He
has proposed in Himself” (v 9). So God, the Father is actively involved
in our lives. God the Father is the one Who calls us. God the Father is the one
Who applies the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to us, etc., etc.
Now, let’s come back to the book of Colossians, in the Amplified
Translation here. So when Paul talks about “God’s very own will and purposeful
desire,” it has great and profound meaning, and this ought to have great and
profound meaning to every minister. And as he says here: “Timothy, the brother.” And it is very interesting the way it is written there in the Greek;
it is not a brother but the brother. In other
words, that close, personal relationship that he and Timothy had.
Now, Colossians 1:2: “To the saints… [Now, saints comes from the Greek word which means Holy ones.] …Who are the holy,
consecrated ones… [because we have been sanctified by God’s Holy Spirit, we
have been sanctified by God.] …Even the faithful brethren in Christ who are in
Colosse: Grace…” Now we need to understand about the grace of God, which is so
profound and which is so important and which is so meaningful for us. God’s
grace, which is God’s Divine favor, we already spoke of that, by revealing His
will, God’s generous gift. Now what is the generous gift that God is giving to
us?
Again, let's go back to the book of the Ephesians and let’s
understand about this grace, which then, is the expression of God’s love.
Ephesians 2:4—after he shows how we were sinners in past time and being
led about by every wind of Satan the devil; and we’re following our own lusts.
“But God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love… [Now, the Greek
there is ‘megalos’—which means great, marvelous, almost
incomprehensible love that God has for us.] …with which He loved us, Even when we were dead in our trespasses… [And that is an
interesting expression in the New Testament, because every person who has not
been called of God is literally a walking dead person, because they have been
concluded and shut up unto sin. We were dead in sins] …has made us alive [spiritually]
together with Christ…” (vs 4-5).
Now, this is why all the commandment-keeping in the world,
though it is required, can not replace the grace and sacrifice of God the
Father, through Jesus Christ, can not do it. Nothing can replace the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of our sins is poured out upon us by the grace of God through His
calling. Notice the next phrase here: “(For you have been saved by grace.)”
And the Greek means by grace you have been saved—and that is referring back to Satan the
devil in vs 2 & 3. We currently now, have been saved from
Satan the devil. We find in 1-Corinthians 15:2 that as long as we are standing
in the Gospel we are currently being saved. And if we endure to
the end—that is of our life or until the time of the
resurrection—we shall be saved (Matt. 24). But, at this
point, you have been saved by God’s grace.
(Go to the next track)
Well, let’s continue on now and let’s understand
something; that it’s by God’s Divine, intervention and His personal calling and
the personal gift of His Holy Spirit, the gift of Jesus Christ, the gift of the
salvation of God, which saves us by grace.
Ephesians 2:6: “And He has raised us up
together and has caused us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages that are coming… [Now that is when we will be literally sitting there] …in the ages that are coming He
might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us
in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have
been saved through faith, and this especially is not of your own selves; it is the gift of
God, Not of works, so that no one may boast…. [Why?] …For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto the good works…” [which then are motivated spiritually by God’s Holy Spirit] …that God ordained beforehand in order
that we might walk in them” (vs 6-10). And
we can add to that: as a living way of life. So God’s grace is
absolutely marvelous and absolutely fantastic, it is something that is just
really marvelous and wonderful for us to understand and to realize and to contemplate.
Now, let’s come back to the book of Colossians,
there’s much more that we could say on grace, we have a whole series on it
which goes through and shows…Let’s go to Romans now, the book of Romans because
there is something very important we need to understand concerning what this
grace does in the way of the gift, the giving gift of righteousness which comes
from God toward us, which is very important concerning the grace that God has
given us. Let’s come to Romans, the fifth chapter, and what I want you to do as
we are going through these studies, I want you to see how absolutely thoroughly
all of the epistles and all of the things in the New Testament agree with each
other because it is inspired by the very mind of God.
Romans 5:1: “Therefore, having been justified by
faith, we have peace… [And we will
cover this a little bit because we will talk about peace as we find it there in
Colossians, the first chapter, and that means we have ceased hostilities
with God.] …we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Whom we also have
access by faith into this grace… [And
grace is the umbrella covering that God puts over us. Grace then is the means
by which He expresses to us:
- His love,
- by which He
gives us faith,
- by which He
gives us His Spirit,
- by which He
gives us access to Him where we can cry, ‘Abba, Father.’
- By which we
then are able to be saved.
But]: …into this grace in which we stand, and
we ourselves boast in the hope…
[We are going to see that in Col. 1, he talks about the hope of God.] …in the hope of the glory of
God. And not only this, but we also boast in tribulations, realizing
that tribulation brings forth endurance, And endurance brings forth character, and character brings forth hope. And the hope of God never makes us ashamed because the love of
God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, which has been
given to us” (vs 1-5). So this is
just a real quick summary the Apostle Paul writes of the whole Christian
experience.
Now, let’s come over here to v 17: “For if by the offense of the one man…
[that is Adam’s sin] …death reigned by the one, how much
more shall those who receive the abundance of grace…” Meaning that we are going to be able to overcome sin, that
God’s goodness is going to be so great toward us.
Now, what I want you to do is just look around the world and
see all of the death, all of the dieing, all of the destruction, all of the
wars, all of the famines, all of the sickness, all of the disease, all of the
wretchedness of humanity and if you feel overwhelmed in it, then you need to
understand that the abundance of grace that God gives is
greater than all of that. That’s why the grace of God is so profound.
“…the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness… [Now that’s very profound,
because the gift of righteousness is also another gift of God, which is
He gives us and imputes to us and makes it possible for us to stand before Him,
- blameless,
- without blemish,
- without spot,
- without wrinkle]
…by
the one, Jesus Christ)” (v 17). That is the gift of righteousness by grace.
- That’s why
we need to have hope.
- That’s why
we need to have faith.
- That’s why
we need to have inspiration.
Because God Himself has given
that to us. That’s the whole operation of grace. That’s the whole meaning of
grace. Therefore, it is most profound that we understand about this grace of
God and why it is so important, why it is so good, why it is so righteous and
why it is such a tremendous blessing.
Now, let’s come back to Colossians 1:2. “Grace, divine
favor… [God’s generous gift] …in blessing to you even the peace, harmony and
tranquility from God the Father, and the Lord and Master Jesus Christ.”
Now, let’s talk a little bit concerning the peace of God.
Let’s go to John, the fourteenth chapter. And this is the kind of peace that we
are to have, and you know this peace can only come, as we will see, with the
love of God; because this kind of peace that Jesus is talking about is a
spiritual peace of mind. And too many people do not have this peace because
they don't understand the grace of God. And they don't understand the love of
God.
Now, John 14:27: “‘Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you… [says Jesus. Now, that is very profound, and we are going to see what
kind of peace that this is. It fits in with the gift of righteousness and right
standing with God.] …My
peace I give to you; not as the world gives…
[No because the world gives and takes back. There is no peace in the world. How
many prophecies are there in the Old Testament when they say ‘peace, peace and
there is no peace’? Because only God is the Author of peace. Human beings with
the law of sin and death in them cannot possibly create peace between
themselves and God, if it is not through Jesus Christ. So this is what He is
saying.] (He says): …Let
not your heart be troubled, nor let it fear.’”
Now, why?
Let’s go back to the
Epistle of 1-John, chapter four. Let’s understand something very important and
also very profound—and I have been trying to get away from using the word profound because I use it almost all the time. But I really can’t find
another word to describe what God is doing and what God has done and how He is
doing it.
1-John 4:8: “The one who does not love… [the one who does not have the Spirit and attitude of love]
…does not know God
because God is love…. [That’s what
God is. And that is magnificent when we understand it.] …In this way the love of God was
manifested toward us: that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, so
that we might live through Him. In this act is the love…” (vs 8-10). And this is something we need to understand in relationship
to peace and that is you cannot have the peace of God unless you have the love
of God as we find here in 1-John 4.
Now, let’s pick it
up here in v 10 again: “In
this act is the love—not that we…” Nope,
I missed the rest of v 9: “In this way the love of God was manifested toward us: that God sent
His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In
this act is the love—not that we loved God… [Which then would be a work on our part, right? Yes it
would. But we cannot boast in any works, can we? No.] …not that we loved God; rather, that
He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also are
duty-bound to love one another. No
one has seen God at any time. Yet, if we love one another, God dwells in
us, and His own love is perfected in us. By this standard we know
that we are dwelling in Him, and He is dwelling in us: because of His
own Spirit, which He has given to us” (vs 9-13). Which then, is the spirit of love and joy and peace and
longsuffering and temperance and goodness and kindness and meekness and as the
Apostle Paul said, ‘Against such there is no law.’
Verse 14: “And we
[the apostles] have seen for ourselves and bear witness that the Father sent the Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells
in him, and he in God. And we have known and have believed the love that God
has toward us. God is love, and the one who dwells in love is dwelling in God,
and God in him” (vs 14-16).
Now, we are talking
about the profound Godly love, which God gives to us through His Holy Spirit. “By this spiritual indwelling,
the love of God is perfected within us…
[Now, this is what we are talking about with the kind of peace we need to
have.] …so that we may
have confidence in the day of judgment because even as He is, so also are we in
this world. There is no fear in the love of God… [And didn’t Jesus say: ‘Don’t let your heart be troubled.
Don’t be afraid.’] …rather, perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment…. [And when you have torment you don’t have peace. When you
have torment of mind, you don't have faith. When you have torment of mind, you
don't have love.] …because
fear has torment. And the one who fears has not been made perfect in the love of
God” (vs 17-18). Why? Because,
he has this fear as a roadblock sitting right there between him and God—that’s
why. And so with the peace of God we need to have that taken down. We need to
get rid of the hostility of the carnal mind. We need to get rid of the fear of
our own deceivings and really come to that perfect love of God and have the
peace, which Christ wants us to have.
“And the one who fears has not been
made perfect in the love of God. We love Him because He loved us
first” (v 19). Now, I’ll
just finish the rest of this chapter because it all ties in together with our
whole approach and our whole attitude toward God and God’s calling and God’s
love and the peace we need to have. And I’ll tell you one thing, if you really,
truly understand that, then you really, truly understand that God has given
these things to you and God has called you to be in this standing with Him
which is special and particular and great and marvelous beyond anything we
could think of or ask. Then we can have the peace of mind. And then we won’t
have to worry about anything that is going to take us from Christ, because it
won’t.
Now, let’s come to v
20, and may this be in the Church of God; may we correct this problem that is
so prevalent in the Church of God. “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a
liar…. [And we have had
far too much of that, brother against brother, minister against minister within
the Church of God. So this was a problem back then that John was writing
about.] …If anyone says,
‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar. For if he does not love his
brother whom he has seen, how is he able to love God Whom he has not seen?…. [And so through the grace of God and the peace of God and
the faith and the love that comes we can come to this understanding and we can
put away our hatred toward other brethren in the Church and the problems and
difficulties [that] are there. And that’s why Jesus said in Matt. 18 if anyone
has a problem with any, you go to him and work it out, get it taken care of.
That is all part of the love of God.] (v 21): …And this is the commandment that we have
from Him: that the one who loves God should also love his brother” (vs 20-21).
Now, let’s go to Romans, the eighth chapter, because we are
going to find out some more about this peace of God as compared to the
carnality of our human mind. Compared to the difficulties and problems we have
in overcoming sin and let’s understand that this is very important for us to
realize; because this is all part of the grace of God which bring us peace with
God. Romans 8:1: “Consequently, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are
not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit…” And too many times we go around and spiritually flagellate
ourselves in sort of a guilt trip beating of mental whips upon ourselves
because we’re not perfect. Well, God knows we are not perfect. That is why He’s
given grace, not that we should sin, as the Apostle Paul said, no we are not
going to go out and sin that grace may abound but so that we realize we have
this tremendous standing before God because of God the Father’s own purposeful
design for us.
Verse 2: “Because the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus has delivered me from the law of sin and death…. [That is the clutches of human nature in death.] …For what was impossible for the
law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, having sent His own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh… [So therefore,
brethren, we need not fear. God knows that even though you are trying to the
very utmost of your being that you are going to sin. Therefore, you go to God,
through His grace, and He will continually blot out those sins because Christ
is the propitiation or the continual atoning of our sins.] (v 4): …In order that the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us… [Why? Because
it is in our hearts and it is in our minds. ‘This is the covenant that I
will make with them after those days,’ says the Lord, ‘I will write My laws
into their hearts and into their minds, I will inscribe them.’] …In order that the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit: For those who walk according to the
flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who walk according to the Spirit mind the things of the Spirit” (vs 2-5).
And that is what we are doing brethren, we
are minding the things of the Spirit of God, because
- God’s Spirit
is in us.
- He is leading
us in it.
- We desire His
truth.
- We desire His
love.
- We desire His
faith.
- We desire the
hope that He has held out for us of the resurrection and to be a very son or
daughter of God.
“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace… [Why? Because
we are no longer an enemy of God!] …Because the carnal mind is enmity against God… [an enemy of
God. Remember Christ died for us while we were still the enemies of God and in
our cases before we were ever born.] …Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it
is not subject to the law of God; neither indeed can it be. But those
who are in the flesh cannot please God…. [Now,
notice v 9—very important, this applies to us]: …However, you are not in the flesh… [Because God is
looking at you through Christ. God is looking at you because you have His
Spirit.] …but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is indeed dwelling within you. But if
anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
But if Christ be within you, the body is indeed dead because of
sin; however, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Now if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling within you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will
also quicken your mortal bodies because of His Spirit that dwells within you”
(vs 6-11).
And so this is the
whole reason, the whole purpose for the grace of God, the peace of God. So,
when the Apostle Paul says, ‘Peace from God, the Father.’ This is what he is
talking about. This is what he means. You are no longer at war with God. When
Jesus says, ‘My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives it unto you, I
give unto you, and let not your hearts be afraid, neither be troubled.’ Then,
brethren, let the Spirit of God and let the love of God fill your heart and
mind and as he says here in v 14: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” So that’s what it
all means when we have the peace of God.
Now let’s come back to Colossians again. Let’s take up the Amplified
Translation again. “…even the peace, harmony and tranquility… [That means
that you have a tranquil mind, you are no longer at war with God, and this is
what?] …from God the Father, and Lord and Master Jesus Christ…. [Now, that is
very profound and very important for us to understand and realize, isn’t it?]
(now v 3): …We are giving thanks and expressing our gratitude to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, continually praying and making intercession for you….
[Now this is one of the things that any minister needs to do to those people
that he is in contact with, praying for them not only for their healing but for
God’s Spirit, for God’s love, for God’s faith, for God’s intervention to help
them in everything that they are doing. We also need to know that we are to be
praying for each other and in this way, too, all the brethren for the ministers
and the ministers for the brethren.] (Now, v 4): …After having heard the report
of your faith (that steadfast belief and trust) in Christ Jesus, and the report
of your love (that godly, divine love) which you express toward all the saints”
(vs 2-4). So again, we come right back full circle don't we, to the faith.
Now, let’s go to
Luke 18 and let’s see why this is so important for us today, because Jesus made
a very profound statement here in Luke 18:8: “I tell you that He will execute vengeance for them
speedily. Nevertheless… [Here is the
important part of this verse]: when the Son of man comes, shall He find the true faith on the earth?…. [or as it is in the
Greek; the faith, on the earth? In other words, not only
just the whole set of beliefs, which are in the Bible, but the faith and the trust in God. Yes, He will find it in those
that are really those of God.
Now, what kind of
faith are we talking about? Let’s go to Galatians, the second chapter. Let’s
find out the kind of faith that God is talking about here; that Christ is
talking about. The kind of faith that we need to really exercise and it’s not
something that you whip up by the carnal psychology of mentally making yourself
believe something. No, this is faith which comes from God. Galatians
2:20—and this is a very important verse for us to understand because this
all ties in with the love, the faith and the peace and the hope of God. “I have
been crucified with Christ… [and that means through baptism (Rom. 6)] …yet I
live… [Paul says, he is still living in the flesh.] …Indeed, it is no longer I… [In other words, he is not living to himself, for himself
and that is important for us to realize.] …but Christ lives in me…. [Now if you
have an old King James, you see the ‘eth’—that means is living
in me.] (Now, notice the next sentence): …For the life that I am now living in the flesh, I live by faith—that very faith of the Son of God… [Now that really means in the Greek: the Son of God’s
own faith in him supplies the belief and the energy
and the hope by Christ.] …Who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Now that is the kind of faith that it is talking about.
Let’s go to
Revelation, the fourteenth chapter, and let’s see also concerning the faith and
it is, the faith, which comes from Jesus Christ. Revelation
14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints…
[or the endurance of the saints] …here are the ones who keep the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Which
means Jesus’ very own faith. So when he is talking about, there
in Col. 1, that he heard the report of their faith, he was not commending them
because of their carnal belief in God, he was commending them because of the
Spirit of God that was in them, which then gave this report of faith.
Let’s come back to
Colossians 1:4: “After
having heard the report of your faith
(that steadfast belief and trust) in Christ Jesus… [Now let’s understand just
one other thing concerning that kind of steadfast faith and belief and trust. It
is a spiritual gift, which comes from God. Now, in Heb. 11, it says
that ‘faith is the substance’—which comes from the Greek ‘hypostasis’: a
spiritual substance that comes from God, through the power of His Holy
Spirit, right into your very heart and mind and being. And this faith then, as
we continue on]: …After
having heard the report of your faith,
(that steadfast belief and trust) in Christ Jesus, and the report of your love… [Now,
we covered quite a bit of that in 1-John 4] …(that Godly, Divine love) which you express towards all
the saints.”
Now we need to put in here several Scriptures, which then are:
Mark 12:29-31 [transcriber’s correction]: “The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel. Our
one God is the Lord, the Lord. And you shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second is like this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
And the third one is an extension of these two together: “And
by this, shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one
toward another” (John 13:33-34.) That is all tied in there with the term of
love, which is Godly love, that comes from God. This is something that only God
can give you. And then if you do, you express it toward all the saints. And
I’ll tell you one thing that we have seen and we have experienced in our little
group, our little church, which is this: When we are doing precisely what I
just said with these three commandments of loving God and loving our neighbor
and loving each other, we have a wonderful fellowship with each other. We have
a minimum of problems because we are not going around seeking to solve things
in a carnal way. But we are seeking to, through the love of God, through the
faith that God has given us, to really love each other.
Now, let’s come to Colossians 1:5: “On account of the hope… [Now there
are three things that are important: faith, hope and love and love is
the greatest of these.
Let’s go to 1-John, the third chapter, because this is the
kind of hope that it is talking about of the resurrection and the whole plan of
God. You see how all of these things tie together? Let’s pick it up here in
1-John 3:1: “Behold! What glorious love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the
children of God! For this very reason, the world does not know us because it
did not know Him. Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not yet
been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when He is manifested, we
shall be like Him, because we shall see Him exactly as He is…. [Now,
notice v 3, here is our hope]: …And everyone who has this hope in
him purifies himself, even as He is pure” (vs 1-3). In other
words, this hope is to motivate you,
- to draw closer to God,
- to be filled with God’s Spirit,
- to be filled with God’s love,
- to have every one of your sins removed, forgiven,
blotted out, through the love and forgiveness of God.
And it is the hope of the resurrection
unto which we are called.
Now, let’s come back to Colossians 1:5: “On account of the hope (the promise of the resurrection and eternal glory) which is laid up and reserved for you in
heaven… [You don’t have it
now, but Christ is going to bring it with Him when He returns.
Now, let's go to
1-Peter, the first chapter, because this is very important for us to understand,
concerning the hope; because it talks about, as a matter of fact, the
whole Epistle of 1-Peter is dedicated to hope; let’s pick it up here in
v 3. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who, according to His abundant
mercy, has begotten us again unto a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead; Unto an inheritance incorruptible and
undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for us… [So when Christ comes, He is going to bring His reward with
Him.] …reserved in heaven for us, Who are being safeguarded by the power of God
through faith, for salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (vs 3-5). So
that’s important for us to know and understand and realize.
Let’s come to the book of Philippians, the third chapter.
Now here is what this hope is to do for us, to inspire us and lead us in
Philippians 3:11—the Apostle Paul writes: “If by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of
the dead; Not as though I have already received, or have already been
perfected; but I am striving… [That is
what we need to do, brethren, follow after, never give up, never let down and
if you do let down, let Christ pick you up, through the strength and power of
God’s Holy Spirit, let Him pick you up and lead you on.] …so that I may also lay hold on that
for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not count
myself as having attained; but this one thing I do… [And this is how you can do it with hope, this is how you
can do it with love and how you can do it with the Truth of God.] …—forgetting the things that are
behind, and reaching forth to the things that are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (vs 11-14). Which then is the resurrection. Which then is to rule and
reign with Christ.
Now, let’s come clear down here to v 20: “But for us, the commonwealth of God exists in the heavens…
[Coming from God, where the hope comes from.] …from where also we are waiting for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ… [And this is
the hope, isn’t it?] …Who
will transform our vile bodies, that they may be conformed to His glorious
body, according to the inner working of His own power, whereby He is
able to subdue all things to Himself”
(vs 20-21). And so when Paul is bringing these introductory remarks in each
epistle, there is a great, great, great amount of spiritual meaning and
understanding that He is conveying to us.
Now let’s come back to Colossians 1:15:5 where we saw that
this hope was laid up in heaven for us. “…which hope you have previously heard and understood in the
word, the announcement and message of the divinely revealed truth of the glad
tidings of the Gospel… [So you see how we have faith, we have peace, we have
hope, we have truth, and we have love.] …Which is coming to you… [that is by the power of God’s Holy
Spirit] …even as it is
also being preached in all the world” (vs 5-6).
Now, we have a very interesting statement there in Matthew
24:14 [transcriber’s correction]: “And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be proclaimed in
all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come.” And I don’t
think we have arrived yet, to that point brethren. And we have to trust in God,
how He is going to do this, not by our devices or our means or our
predilections or thoughts on what we think may have been done in preaching the
Gospel to the world, because the events in the world are constantly changing,
so that we don’t know the hour, we don't know the day. We can understand the
times and seasons in which we are living, but nevertheless, we don't know what
it means to have the Gospel preached in the whole world as a witness to all
nations and then the end shall come. Many people have tried to have the end
come according to their own time schedule.
Now, let’s come back to Colossians 1:6: “And as a result, it’s
bringing forth and producing the spiritual fruit [of hope and love], exactly as
it is also doing in you
and your lives, from the day… [now notice this]: …you heard and obeyed, even knew and comprehended the grace of
God [God’s gracious blessing, divine favor and generous gift], which is given
in divinely, revealed truth.”
Now that tells us an awful lot concerning God’s way,
concerning God’s Truth, concerning God’s love and when we come to it next time,
we’ll go back and review just a few of these verses and see then how all of
this ties in together. And this whole book of Colossians, we’re going to see,
is really a fantastic and tremendous book for us. And really is one of the most
important books that we can possibly study in this modern end-time just before
the return of Jesus Christ.
All
Scriptures in New Testament from The N.T. in its Original Order, A Faithful
Version
- Exception: Colossians: Expanded Amplified Version
Old
Testament Scriptures: King James Version
Scripture
references:
1)
2 Peter 1:20
2)
John 6:63
3)
Revelation
11:8
4)
Deuteronomy
17:14-20
5)
2 Timothy
3:15-17
6)
2 Timothy
4:1-4
7)
Colossians
1:1-6
8)
Matthew 28:18
9)
Ephesians
1:5-9
10) Ephesians 2:4-10
11) Romans 5:1-5, 17
12) John 14:27
13) 1 John 4:8-21
14) Romans 8:1-11, 14
15) Luke 18:8
16) Galatians 2:20
17) Revelation 14:12
18) Mark 12:29-31
19) John 13:33-34
20) 1 John 3:1-3
21) 1 Peter 1:3-5
22) Philippians 3:11-14, 20-21
23) Matthew 24:14
Scriptures
referenced, not quoted:
- 2 Timothy 3:16
- Acts 2:10
- Colossians 2:1
- Acts 19
- Colossians 4:12-13; 1:27; 2:13
- Philippians 3
- Revelation 13, 11
- John 1:1-3
- 1 Corinthians 15:2
- Matthew 18
- Romans 6
- Hebrews 11
Also
referenced:
- Introduction to the New Testament by George
Ricker Berry
- The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians—An Inspirational Study by Fred R. Coulter
Sermon
Series: Scripturalism vs Judaism
Re-formatted:
3-20-09 (bo)
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