Colossians 1
DOYLYVer. 2. — to God and the Father &c.] To God, namely, the Father, or who is the Father, &c. Dr. Whitby.
Colossians 1:4
- Since we heard of your faith] Your fidelity or steadiness, namely, to the Christian religion, without the observance of the ceremonial law. Pyle. Whether St. Paul had ever been himself at Colosse, and there preached the Gospel, before he wrote this Epistle, is uncertain. Be that as it may, by “faith” here it seems most reasonable to understand, not so much the first conversion of the Colossians to the Gospel, but rather or principally their constancy in adhering to the true faith, which they had formerly received; in one word, their faithfulness. This is most agreeable to the inscription of the Epistle, ver. 2, “to the faithful brethren in Christ.” Compare Eph. i. 15. Dr. Wells.
Colossians 1:6
- — as it is in all the world.] That is, in all the Roman empire: compare Luke ii. 1; Acts ii. 5; Ezra i. 2. When this Epistle was written, the Gospel had been preached and received in most of the countries within the Roman empire, and had produced a great change in the manners of those who received it. Dr. Macknight.
Colossians 1:8
- — your love in the Spirit.] That Christian charity, for which, by the grace of God inclining your hearts, ye are become so conspicuous. Dean Stanhope. The love, wrought in you by that Spirit, whose fruit is love. Dr. Whitby.
Colossians 1:10
- That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.] That is, so as to please Him in all things. We may here remark the end of all our Christian knowledge; namely, a conversation fruitful in good works, and a life acceptable and well-pleasing to God. Dr. Whitby.
He, that would do any good at all, must be careful to do all He can: otherwise he can never be said to “bring forth much fruit,” as all Christians are obliged to do, inasmuch as they desire to live as becometh Christians. This is what St. Paul means by praying, that the Colossians “might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work:” implying, that it is by our being fruitful, not only in some, but in every good work, that we walk in a manner worthy of so great a Lord as our Lord is, and suitable to our profession of His holy Gospel. Bp. Beveridge.
The Apostle seems here to propose the great subject and design of this Epistle, which was chiefly intended to excite them to a temper and behaviour worthy of their Christian character. And this indeed is the leading view in all the Epistles of this excellent Apostle; and the want of regard to so obvious a key has led many into subtleties of interpretation, which have had no foundation but in their own ingenious reveries. Dr. Doddridge.
Colossians 1:12
- — the saints in light.] Namely, the light of the Gospel here, and eternal light hereafter. Dr. Wells.
Colossians 1:13
- Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,] “Darkness” signifies the state of heathen ignorance. The “power” of it is that power, which Satan, the prince of darkness, had over the heathen world, to keep them in idolatry and brutish lusts, Eph. ii. 2. Compare Acts xxvi. 17, 18. Dr. Whitby. The Apostle here
The exalted nature of Christ. Anno DOMINI 64. translated us into the kingdom of
Colossians 1:15
- Who is the image of the invisible God, &c.] Who is unto us that only and perfect means, in and by whom, God, which is by nature invisible, is manifested and revealed to mankind: in the Son, as in a clear and perfect glass, we see the Father; that eternal Son had His being of and with the Father, before ever any creature was made. Bp. Hall. Christ is here styled the image of God by reason of the clear declarations of Divine power, wisdom, majesty, and goodness, which shined forth in His works of creation. Dr. Whitby. As to the expression, “firstborn of every creature,” the Apostle has explained it in the 17th verse, where he says of Christ, “He is before all things.” That the phrase is equivalent to ‘born before every creature,’ is evident from the original of John i. 30, where the declaration of John the Baptist concerning our Saviour is properly rendered, “He was before me.” So that from this expression of St. Paul, rightly understood according to his own explication, it is to be rightly inferred, that Christ is truly and essentially God: for He, that is before all things created, is Himself uncreated, and consequently truly God. Dr. Wells. In these words our Saviour is expressly styled the “firstborn of every creature,” that is, begotten by God, as “the Son of His love,” antecedently to all other emanations, before any thing proceeded from Him, or was framed and created by Him. And that precedency is presently proved by this undeniable argument, that all other emanations or productions came from Him, and whatsoever received its being by creation, was by Him created. Which assertion is delivered in the most proper, full, and pregnant expressions imaginable. First, in the plain language of Moses, as most consonant to his description: “for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth;” signifying thereby that he speaketh of the same creation. Secondly, by a division which Moses never used, as describing the production only of corporeal substances: lest therefore those immaterial beings might seem exempted from the Son’s creation, because omitted in Moses’s description, he addeth, “visible and invisible;” and lest in that invisible world, among the many degrees of the celestial hierarchy, any order might seem exempted from an essential dependence on Him, he nameth those which are of greatest eminence, “whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers,” and under them comprehendeth all the rest. Nor doth it yet suffice, thus to extend the object of His power by asserting all things to be made by Him, except it be so understood as to acknowledge the sovereignty of His person, and the authority of His action. For lest we should conceive the Son of God framing the world as a mere instrumental cause which worketh by and for another, nions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians 1:18
- And he is the head of the body, the church:] And another title He hath to us, besides that of Creator; as He hath redeemed us, and purchased us to be a congregation called by His name, a church of Christians, and as by rising from the dead He hath conquered death, and given us victory over it, that we may after Him rise also; and so by all titles He hath right of dominion over all. Dr. Hammond. —who is the beginning.] Who is the first cause of all things, giving a beginning unto them all, and restoring them all again by the power of His resurrection, as being the omnipotent raiser of Himself from the dead, and He by whose power all others have risen or shall rise. Bp. Hall. The Greek philosophers expressed the first cause, or efficient principle of things, by the word here rendered “beginning.” Dr. Macknight. —the firstborn from the dead.] So called, as being the first that rose from the dead, no more to die. For no one has yet risen to an immortal and incorruptible life, but our Saviour Jesus Christ. Parkhurst. See the note from Abp. Tillotson on 1 Cor. xv. 20. —that in all things he might have the pre-eminence.] Namely, in respect both of the first and of the second creation: in respect of the creation, properly so called; and of the redemption or restoration of mankind. Dr. Wells.
Colossians 1:19
19.—that in him should all fulness dwell:] All perfection of grace, of wisdom, of power, of goodness, and Anno DOMINI 64. a 1 Cor. 8. 6. John 1. 3.
Paul encouraged them to receive Christ, COLOSSIANS. and commendeth his own ministry.
Anno DOMINI 64. Or, making peace. Or, by your mind in wicked works.
Colossians 1:21
- And you, that were sometime alienated &c.] You, Colossians and other Gentiles, that were strangers from the worship of the true God, and had engaged yourselves in idolatry and all the wicked practices which attend it. Drs. Wells and Hammond.
Colossians 1:22
- In the body of his flesh] Or, in His own body, which was human and given up to death. Schleuser.
Colossians 1:23
- If ye continue in the faith &c.] Hence it follows, that they, who have true faith and just ground of hope, may fall away from them. Dr. Whitby.
— to every creature which is under heaven. ] Gentile as well as Jew. Dr. Whitby. To all mankind. Dr. Wells.
Colossians 1:24
- — of the afflictions of Christ] Every saint of God is a member of Christ’s body, and Christ therefore suffers in him. Bp. Hall. Nothing could be farther from the Apostle’s intention, as we may learn from the whole tenour of his writings, than to intimate that the sufferings of Christ were imperfect, as to that fulness of atonement which was necessary in order to the justification of believers. But he deeply retained in his mind the impression of that first lesson which he had from his Saviour’s month, namely, that He was persecuted in His members, Acts ix. 4. He therefore considers it as the plan of Providence, that a certain measure of sufferings should be endured by this body, of which Christ is the head; and he rejoices to think that what he endured in his own person was connoisseur to that wise and gracious scheme. Dr. Doddridge.
Or, the phrase “afflictions of Christ” here signifies, not the afflictions which Christ suffered, but the afflictions which He appointed the Apostle to suffer, in order to the building of the church. Dr. Macknight. Compare 2 Cor. i. 5, 6.
Colossians 1:25
- — to fulfil the word of God: ] That is, fully to preach it. Dr. Whitby. The meaning of the phrase is, to fulfil the preaching or publishing of the Gospel, or to proceed as far in the preaching of it, as by all his care and diligence he could do, by himself and others: thus being unable to preach it himself to the Colossians, he sent Epaphras to them, ver. 7. The like phrase in Rom. xv. 19, is rendered, “I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ:” namely, from city to city, from Jerusalem as far as to Ulyricum. Dr. Hammond.
Colossians 1:26
- Even the mystery] See the notes on Eph. i. 9; iii. 5.
Colossians 1:27
- — which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: ] Which mystery in short was the preaching of Christ among you Gentiles, and through Him “the hope of glory.” Dr. Wells.
Colossians 1:28
- Whom we preach, &c.] Whose doctrine we now publish to the world, His precepts of Divine purity. and