Bible Study Colossians: 4: 1-18

 

A Commentary of the Book of Colossians 

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study Colossians: 4: 1-18

Text: 

Final Instructions and Greetings

4 Masters, show to your slaves what is right and fair, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been bound, 4 that I may make it manifest in the way I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, redeeming the time. 6 Let your [a]words always be [b]with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person.

7 Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow slave in the Lord, will make known to you all my affairs, 8 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; 9 [c]and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will inform you about the whole situation here.

10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received [d]instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a slave of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand [e]complete and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has [f]a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. 15 Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea and also [g]Nympha and the church that is in [h]her house. 16 And when [i]this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read [j]my letter that is coming from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may [k]fulfill it.”

18 The greeting is in my own hand—[l]Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Verse by verse commentary:

Verse 1: “Masters, show to your slaves what is right and fair, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.:

Paul does not approve of the Roman system of slavery. Instead, he provides instructions to believing masters and servants regarding their relationship to each other in the Lord. Both the master and the slave represent Christ to the other. May our lives reflect the Christ we serve.

Verse 2: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving;”

The Greek word translated “Devote” means “to be courageously persistent” or “to hold fast and not let go” and refers here to persistent prayer. Prayer is work and should be approached seriously with a somber mind. “Being watchful” means in a general sense to stay awake while praying. But Paul may have in mind the broader application of staying alert for specific needs about which to pray, rather than being vague and unfocused. As we spend more time in prayer, the more enjoyable our lives become.

Verse 3: “praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been bound,”

Paul does not ask them to pray for anything that will bring any personal advantage or comfort to him. He asks not that he be released from his chains but that he and his co-workers have more opportunities to evangelize and preach the Word. How does this compare to modern prayer requests, e.g., for a new plane, bigger building, or more money? Paul’s desire was to evangelize the lost with the Word of God. May we desire the same.

Verse 4: “that I may make it manifest in the way I ought to speak.”

The Colossians were asked to pray for two specific requests: (1) that God would grant Paul and his colleagues open doors to proclaim the gospel (verse 3) and (2) that God would enable Paul to proclaim the gospel boldly and clearly (verse 4). Paul wanted prayer to enable him to preach the gospel with clarity, truth and honesty.

Verse 5: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, redeeming the time.”

Believers should walk in wisdom when dealing with the unsaved, speaking graciously and kindly to them. This will assist in the presentation of the message, much like salt can make food flavorful and more appealing. We are to not compromise the truth but we can present it in an attractive manner. Believers should remember that the goal is to win a soul rather than to win an argument. This will prevent them from being harsh and unnecessarily offensive, which does no one any good.

Verse 6: “Let your words always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person.”

Paul directs that our speech be spiritual, wholesome, fitting, kind, sensitive, purposeful, complimentary, gentle, truthful, loving, and thoughtful. Just as salt not only flavors, but prevents decay, the Christian’s speech should act not only as a blessing to others, but as a purifying influence within the decaying society of the world that points to a walk og holiness, righteousness and sanctification.

Verse 7: “Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow slave in the Lord, will make known to you all my affairs,”

Tychicus was the primary carrier of the letters to the Colossians, Philemon, and the Ephesians. He was very important and loyal to Paul toward the end of his ministry.

Verse 8: “whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;”

Paul was willing to hear from them as they were desirous to hear from him, and thought himself as much obliged to sympathize with them as he thought them obliged to sympathize with him. It is a great comfort, under the challenges and difficulties of life, to have the mutual concern of fellow-christians.

Verse 9: “and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will inform you about the whole situation here.”

Onesimus was the runaway slave whose return to his master was the basis for Paul’s letter to Philemon. There is some indication that Philemon received Onesimus back and ultimately the latter would become a pastor. Forgiveness yields good fruit.

Verse 10: “Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);”

Aristarchus was a Jew from Thessalonica who had been publicly associated with Paul’s tumultuous ministry in Ephesus. Regarding Mark, the rift that had emerged more than a decade earlier between Paul and the cousins Barnabas and John Mark, had healed. Paul’s positive remarks about Mark reveal that Paul had forgiven the incident.

Verse 11: “and also Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be a comfort to me.”

Justus was possibly one of the Roman Jews who believed Paul’s message and was born again. It should be noted that Paul references Justus as “from the circumcision.” I assume that most of Paul’s helpers were gentiles not Jewish since Paul calls him by name.

Verse 12: “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a slave of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand complete and fully assured in all the will of God.”

Notice the use of the word “slave". Paul used the Greek word doulos to draw a distinction between a servant and a slave. Epaphras was a slave to the Lord Jesus Christ, not just a servant. A servant can have several employers, but slaves have only one master. Those in Christ know that they are slaves to their Master only.

Verse 13: “For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.”

The words translated “deep concern” literally mean much toil and great pain. Paul is stating that Epaphras took his prayer and intercession time very seriously. When was the last time we had such concern for others that we toiled and had great pain for them?

Verse 14: “Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.”

Luke was the traveling companion of Paul in Acts with him on what may have been the eve of his death. As author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts, he was also Paul’s chronicler. Demas abandoned Paul during his second imprisonment in Rome and is the only one in Paul’s list of helpers that receives no compliment.

Verse 15: “Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.”

Some manuscripts identify this person, who hosted the Laodicean house church, as a woman. There are several references to women (whose marital status is not mentioned) as patrons or hosts of churches, or as workers in ministry. However, this does not support the position that Nympha was an elder or had any spiritual authority that contradicts Paul’s qualification for that office being restricted to men only. It is of interest to note that there is no evidence of churches owning separate property for worship until the middle of the third century. Until then, house churches were the norm. Those who exercised a ministry of hospitality by having churches in their homes were important contributors to the establishment of the early church.

Verse 16: “And when this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.”

While there are several theories, the best proposal for the identity of the letter from Laodicea is that it was a separate letter that has not survived. God has preserved exactly His Word and we can be confident that we have the entire Word God intended to provide us. If He wanted us to read the letter to the Laodiceans He would have preserved it.

Verse 17: “And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

Archippus most likely was the son of Philemon. Paul’s message to him to fulfill his ministry is similar to the exhortation to Timothy. It is important to note that the ministry was from the Lord. Being a minister of the gospel is not a job, vocation or profession, it is a gift from the Lord.

Verse 18: “The greeting is in my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.”

Paul’s general practice was to dictate his letters, but to write the closing sentences himself. These concluding sections would vary, depending on the circumstances. Sometimes they included personal greetings to strengthen the bond between himself, his workers, and his churches. Paul called upon the readers to remember his imprisonment. Let us not forget those in prisons today because of their faith.