After hearing of the faith of the Colossians, Paul instructs the Colossian church concerning their identity as members of the body of Christ and the importance of their relationship the Head of the Body, Jesus Christ.
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After hearing of the faith of the Colossians, Paul instructs the Colossian church concerning their identity as members of the body of Christ and the importance of their relationship the Head of the Body, Jesus Christ.
Stay engaged with new and up-to-date content, including newsletters, articles, podcasts, etc. Download the Teach Me the Bible App from any app store or Apple TV/Roku device.
You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast, where we unpack the meaning of books, passages and themes from Scripture. Join us each week as Dr David Klingler walks us through God's Word and teaches the Bible. Each episode has a study guide available in the show notes. This is Teach Me the Bible podcast.
Tim Webb:Hello everyone. My name is Tim Webb and I'm here with Dr David Klingler for our Teach Me the Bible podcast. We're welcoming you today to our podcast, just our desires helping the people of God know the Word of God, and we'll remind you. If you haven't downloaded our app, please do so. You can do that from any app store. You can go through Apple TV or Roku. With every episode, we have study guides available for your continued growth, along with articles, blog posts and, again, just really encouraged by the different questions that we see and hear from all parts of the world, and even to the point now where people are asking for translation. It's just amazing. So, david, I'm really appreciative of just in some small way being a part of what God's doing through this, and just he's so faithful to bring his word and reveal himself Well, and people want to learn the Bible, which is the reason why I went to seminary.
Dr. David Klingler:I felt like I couldn't learn the Bible in the church. What a shame to not be able to learn the Bible in church. And I think that we feel pressure as pastors, as teachers, to try to perform yeah, perform, to be. You know the world's looking for gifted communicators and you know dynamic leaders and you get all these adjectives. You know, and of course, you think about that, and Moses wasn't a dynamic speaker and Paul apparently wasn't a dynamic speaker, and none of the things that the world is looking for are things that make the list of qualifications Qualifications for elder, qualifications for for Deacon qualification, qualification for church leadership, which means that that we'd have to rely on on the Lord and our own powers and abilities and, of course, so we keep trying to take the gospel to the world by being worldly, as if that's going to work, but anyway, so it's just a really interesting dilemma that we've got. But the people want to know, people want to know the Bible.
Tim Webb:And self-imposed dilemma as well.
Dr. David Klingler:Yeah, and so, as much as I can, I want to just remove myself from the discussion. And we want to teach me the Bible? Just say we just want to try to help this make sense. This isn't a substitute for reading the Bible. We just want to help you make sense of it so that when you're reading it, oh well, that actually makes sense.
Tim Webb:Right. My hope is that it'll encourage more reading. Absolutely, and you want to walk through it, because that's what it's done for me. Absolutely, I want to connect the verses in the right order.
Dr. David Klingler:And here what I'm saying here I'd like to see less Bible study and more Bible reading. Study is like cross-referencing and doing systematic theology and the doctrine of this and the doctrine of that, and this teaches us this. Just read it. If we can just get to where we can read it and make sense of it, then we can put some things together, but only after we've read it.
Dr. David Klingler:So anyway, so let's jump into what Paul says to the Colossians. Paul and the Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ at Colossae, grace to you in peace from God, our Father, faithful brethren in Christ. That's always interesting. The more I study, the more I realize Paul doesn't waste any words. I used to read these entries. I actually just get it, just go right over. We get the ask it. Let's get to the meat of it. This is. Those are important things, but there's a lot there that would be a podcast in its own.
Tim Webb:If we were going to do that, back up by the will of God, absolutely there you go.
Dr. David Klingler:Yeah, there's so.
Dr. David Klingler:Yeah, apostle Paul's selection and Timothy, our brother, to the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus who are in Colossae.
Dr. David Klingler:Grace to you all, in peace from God the Father.
Dr. David Klingler:We give thanks to God, the Father and over Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for y'all, since we've heard of your faith and love, which you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid out, laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world, constantly bearing fruit and increasing even as it's doing in you, since the day that you heard of it and understood of the grace of God and truth, just as you learned it from a paphras, our beloved brother and bond servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ.
Dr. David Klingler:On our behalf, some later manuscripts read on your behalf, and I think it's on our behalf, a paphras is carrying the message of the apostles and he has informed us of your love in the spirit. For this reason, since the day we've heard of it, have not ceased to pray for y'all and asked that y'all might be filled with the true knowledge of his will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
Dr. David Klingler:That's Paul's letter to the Ephesians as well, it's the exact same thing that his desire for these believers. They believed, but now his desire is that they would have the true knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And then verse nine, verse 10, you know.
Tim Webb:You got that, so that phrase there.
Dr. David Klingler:Yeah, well, actually it's just, it's a to walk, so that it's an infinitive. In the Greek, so there's. You know, often when it says so that, or in order that, and in the English text, in the Greek, it has a hotty, or there's a word there, that so that, but here, but it's just an infinitive, but the function is the same. In other words, you need to have this, to do this. You need to be filled with all wisdom of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding in order to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
Tim Webb:You can't walk in a manner worthy if you don't have that.
Dr. David Klingler:That's right. That's what we're saying. How do you get it Right? And how might that be stolen from you? How might you lose it or not? Attain all spiritual wisdom and understanding? And the way that you'll do it or lose it is listening to the wrong people. Listen to us and it will go well for you. Listen to the Jewish antagonists and you will be led astray. So walk it, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Dr. David Klingler:Somehow, I think we've come to the place where we think increasing I hear it this way Well, that's head knowledge, not heart knowledge. I don't know what that means. You hear it all the time in the church. Well, that's just head knowledge. Well, if I say, if it doesn't lead to changed actions, then it's no knowledge at all. It's just you may have some facts, you may be able to rehearse some facts, but Paul is consistent in all of his writing. That I think of his letter to first to Timmy the first time.
Dr. David Klingler:The goal of our instruction is love, and so if understanding of the scriptures doesn't lead to action, then I would question the understanding. I don't think that you've understood it correctly. But if you are increasing in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, it's for the purpose of walking in a manner worthy and out of bare fruit and in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, not only your knowledge, but in others' knowledge of God, strengthened with all power, according to his gracious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and impatience, and patience, joyously giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. I wouldn't want to miss that.
Dr. David Klingler:Giving thanks to the Father. Joyously giving thanks to the Father. Well, how are you giving thanks to the Father? Well, go back. It's being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience. Your steadfastness, patience, acting out, living out your faith. That comes through this increased understanding gives thanks to God. It's not just something we say, it's something we do, for he delivered us for the domain of darkness, from the domain of darkness and transfers in the kingdom as beloved son and whom we have. Redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Tim Webb:So yeah, I'm having a question, but I'm refraining.
Dr. David Klingler:Yeah.
Tim Webb:I want to blow your train of thought. Well, go ahead, but I just because we're always emphasizing pronouns yes, the we. So we're talking about saints, the inheritance of the saints, in line eight. I mean who? Who had the inheritance? Absolutely? Yeah, absolutely, as Israel. So I'm going to you know, because there's some who say that he's addressing other beliefs or not just whatever. But right, right in the front, we're seeing Jewish language here. So I don't want to distract us from from what the antenna is. I just think it's amazing that, as he's with the pronouns Absolutely, the we, them, they, y'all, and he's using this language with the saints and the inheritance.
Tim Webb:So he's not deviating from no question. Yeah, no question. I should have said that in an overview but yeah, well, and pronouns are always important.
Dr. David Klingler:And if we're, if we're not precise in how we're understanding them, if we're not playing fair and recognizing that the author is actually using different pronouns, then and we say, okay, when is he talking about himself, or Israel, or one group? And when he's taught, when is he talking about me? Well, the determining factor is always going to be your theology. Whether you like the verse or not, right, if you want to throw your lot in there, oh, yeah, I like that one, that's, that's good. Then we get to the, the, the verses that we we talked about in the in our introduction. And he, that is Christ. It's a continuation, for he delivered us from the domain of darkness, transferred us into the kingdom as beloved son, in whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sins, and he is the image of the invisible God. That image is is interesting that that word disappears from from the Old Testament after Adam. It appears here, the word there. In Greek it would be icon. He's the icon.
Dr. David Klingler:Man was created to be an image bearer, but, as Paul says in Romans, chapter one, man exchanged the image of God for the image of a corruptible man and and animals. And so you're waiting for the true image bearer who would come in and and fix the fix the mess that that is creation. He's the first born of all creation, he's the, he's the first to be raised from the dead, for by him all were created in the heavens and on the earth. Visible and invisible. Thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities, all have been created by him and for him. And he is before all. He's the, he's the head, he's the most, and in him all hold together. And of course Paul's using his body imagery here, and if he didn't get it, he says it in the next verse for for he is the head of the body, the church. So the church is the body of Christ and he's the head of which we are members, and that Paul makes that very clear through Ephesians and and Corinthians and and even Romans in here the firstborn of the dead, so that he himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him and through him to reconcile all to himself, not only Jews but also Gentiles, to reconcile all to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, of his cross, one of the things that we didn't mention maybe we should have in the introduction.
Dr. David Klingler:It just continues to strike me how closely this letter reads to Ephesians. But so much of what is here isn't explained in Ephesians. It's explained here. We've got four chapter book that deals more closely with the Jewish antagonist, where in Ephesians he really spells out what he means by this language. And so it could be and I tend to be persuaded this way, although we don't know for sure that at the end of this book, in chapter four, paul tells, he says, have this letter read among you and have it also read at the church of Laodicea, and you, for your part, read my letter that's coming, that's from Laodicea.
Dr. David Klingler:I think that the letter quote to the Ephesians put that in air quotes was probably a letter that went from place to place explaining Paul's, who he was, his ministry and how the Jews and Gentiles were in one body, so that if you read Ephesians and then read this letter, in other words, I think that the letter coming from the Laodiceans may in fact be the Ephesians, ephesians, and if it is so there's a lot of if, then there. But if it is, then this letter makes a whole lot more sense and he's just saying the same thing, but you're talking about reconciling, all through the cross, all together through the cross, and although y'all, gentiles, y'all were formerly alienated, hostile in mind, yet now been reconciled. He has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death, in order to present you before him holy and blameless, above reproach, if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established. Instead, fast, not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you've heard. Now, what might lead them astray?
Dr. David Klingler:We're gonna get to this next time in chapter two, and this is gonna be these Jews who are going to Jewish Judaizers, jewish unbelievers, who are pulling us straight, which was proclaimed in all creation or heaven, of which, paul, I was made a minister. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for y'all's sake and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of his body, which is the church, the filling up of that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions. You know, christ comes. Christ was rejected, he came to his own and his own did not receive him. He was rejected not only by the Jews, but was then put to death on the cross. And Paul has entered in to that same message, and so he's still proclaiming Christ to the Jews, just as they rejected Christ and persecuted Christ and tried to kill Christ. So also they're trying to persecute and reject and ultimately kill Paul and Peter and James and all of these apostles. And so they are entering in to his suffering.
Dr. David Klingler:And it's not over yet and it doesn't end until the end of the age, when the suffering for the sake of Christ comes to an end. Because, you know, the world hated Christ, the world will hate you, christ said to his disciples, but fear not, I've overcome the world. And that continues. It continues today and you know, as this Sunday in church we were talking about this ought to be every Sunday in church, right, we ought to talk about don't be shocked when the world hates you. You know, I think it's a little shocking for us today because our recent world history in America has been more sympathetic toward the Christian cause. Not so anymore.
Dr. David Klingler:I think, we are turning into a post-Christian culture, which in some ways looks a lot like a pre-Christian culture, but in other ways it's even worse, because it's already hardened and has rejected. It's harder to go back than to start anew, right? So yeah. So there's a lot to talk to.
Tim Webb:I'm trying not to ask a question. I really am, but tying all of Paul's words together and in the light of the story, with you. Know, paul, his disciples, the Jews being the saints they're referenced as the saints many times. When you get to Revelation and there's the saints under their, how long? How long? Oh yeah, absolutely. And in the Revelation then the Jews who are being persecuted, who have from the Antichrist.
Dr. David Klingler:I just see this whole line of things.
Tim Webb:It's all tied together.
Dr. David Klingler:And that's when this yeah, we hear this in church. You know, you go to heaven and you sit around and you say, oh, this is wonderful, and you be seeing hymns, and play cloud golf and get our wings and our halos, whatever, however, that's presented, going to heaven is. And I'm saying, well, I don't know where they're getting that. You know, they've adopted kind of a certain type of theology. What I see is them gathered around the throne asking how long, how long? How long? How long until you, you know, vindicate our blood, how long until you make right.
Tim Webb:His response is interesting to me. Yeah, until the number's completed.
Dr. David Klingler:I mean it's so.
Dr. David Klingler:The suffering is continuing. For the sake of Christ, for the cause of Christ is not yet made full. When did it begin? Oh, you began all the way back with Cain and Abel, and it's going to continue. And so you know, if you think that, if you were told, when you come to Jesus he'll make all your problems go away, Bless your heart. I wish that wasn't the way that the gospel was sharing, but I was telling you it will get better for you dramatically and quickly at his return. Until then, endure and that's so much of the message of these authors is to endure which is why Paul can rejoice in his suffering, right, because he.
Dr. David Klingler:There's nothing dysfunctional about Paul. Oh, I'm rejoicing in my suffering. What are you nuts? Yeah, no, he's saying. He knows the reason for his suffering and he knows the hope that is at the end of the suffering. And so, and not only is he willing to suffer in the midst of this present time, but he wants others to join in to the rejoicing that is coming, the joy that he has because he knows how the story ends, and which is why he's willing to do that. He's looking out for others' interests, not only his own, which we were talking about in Philippians, both in the introduction.
Tim Webb:So Well, not to deter us, but I just think this when you mentioned the suffering Paul, what he's addressing and this is all tied together. It's again, it's another opportunity to remind us don't read yourself into the story once about. So that was to keep that right there, absolutely so we go on. So he says are you rejoicing in your suffering?
Dr. David Klingler:So he says are you rejoicing in suffering for y'all's sake? This is, you know, paul is gonna take the gospel to the Gentiles and he's going to be persecuted for it. And I do my share on behalf of his body, which is the church, the filling up of that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions, of this, of this church. I was made a minister according to the stewardship of God bestowed on me for y'all's benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, fully carry out not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. That is the mystery which has been hidden in past ages and generations but has now been made, revealed to his saints, to whom God willed to make it known what is the riches of his glory, of this mystery among the Gentiles. In other words, it was withheld. It's been revealed to us and we're proclaiming it to the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, christ in the Gentiles, the hope of glory, and we proclaim him admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.
Dr. David Klingler:We make this point in Ephesians, we need to make this point here. We are all members of Christ's body and I think that there's this really dysfunctional theology that says that if I'm doing okay, I'm doing okay, my walk is going well, therefore I'm happy. We are all members of one body and if the body's not doing well, you're not doing well. I like the body imagery because, you know, I say, take that hammer and smash your thumb and see how the rest of the body's feeling.
Intro/Outro:That's right.
Dr. David Klingler:Or you say well, my kidney has cancer. Well, I'm gonna tell you something. You better address that or that one cancerous organ, body part is gonna cause cancer in the whole body. You know, individual maturity in Christ is not a thing that the body of Christ Paul's desires to me made complete, mature, and our job as members of the body is to help build up the body of Christ. Each has a different function. Pastors, teachers, evangelists, even apostles and prophets, all have their own function. But if you're in the body of Christ, you have a function as well to build up the body, and that means that it's going to be at your expense, for the benefit of the body of Christ. It's gonna require suffering and sacrifice, and so we proclaim him.
Dr. David Klingler:And this is Paul says. I'm doing my part, proclaiming him and monishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom. And remember that's with his desire that the body would be filled up to the true knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom. Understanding he's saying so I have this wisdom. It's been revealed to me this mystery and I'm proclaiming it to you, and for this I also labor, striving according to his power which mightily works within me. So the spirit is working within Paul. It has provided him with spiritual wisdom and understanding, and he's passing that on so that the church may walk in a manner worthy, so that they will worship God, so that the body will be built up, so that every man is made complete in Christ. That's just good.
Intro/Outro:It's good theology.
Dr. David Klingler:Isn't that good that we get our ecclesiology from Paul. That's just good ecclesiology, it's just a good view of the church and we get our I think we get our bad views of the church from, frankly, it's westernized culture which is individualistic, and the fact that our English Bibles now don't distinguish between singular and plural use allows us to really perpetuate a bad theology which says that if I'm okay, I'm okay.
Tim Webb:Well, I would say, I mean, you said individual, it's individualized it, but I would also say it's promoted anti-authority as well.
Dr. David Klingler:Anti-authority, and that is one of the biggest hurdles for a pastor.
Dr. David Klingler:Yeah, anti-authority, anti-care for the body. Let's go further. We think that if I study the Bible and listen to a podcast, I'm going to be spiritually mature, say, well, this is a tool, we wanna use this to build up the body of Christ. But you're not okay. If you're sitting at home and all you're doing is listening to this podcast and studying your Bible and you're not building up the body of Christ, then stop listening to this podcast or start living out. So, in other words, there's an ecclesiology here. That is just. It's very important.
Dr. David Klingler:So, our service, our sacrifice to the body of Christ Let me say it a different way and then we're gonna close this up.
Dr. David Klingler:I remember when I first thought about this I don't know if I heard it, but I think it's absolutely true that our only tangible and by tangible I mean touch, feel, smell, even maybe not taste our only tangible relationship with Christ is with his body, it's with fellow members. To love Christ is to love the body of Christ. To not love the body of Christ is to not love those who Christ laid down his life for, to not love Christ. He is the head of the body, and the head is absent. He is in heaven, and so our citizenship is in heaven because that's where he is, but we're waiting for a savior from heaven. And so if we don't have a really high view of the church, a high view of the body of Christ and a high willingness to sacrifice for it, then we really don't understand the church or Christ. And so when he says in chapter three, put on the new man, the new man is Christ, it's the body of Christ, and so that's what he's gonna be talking about.
Tim Webb:I have to take this another step further. We can't close up yet Because I'm always looking at the pastor perspective, because that's what I do. I'm a pastor and so I see a lot of pastors who are hurting Absolutely, a lot of lonely pastors because we have so individualized our faith, we've individualized our local congregation and it has been so freeing. So if there's any pastors out there that's listening to this, I wanna encourage them do not be afraid to fellowship with other pastors.
Tim Webb:Do not look at this as competition. We're in the body of Christ and we serve Christ as pastors, and what that looks like is we're shepherding the sheep, the flock. But as we see what we're reading here, being in the body pastors, we have to come together. We have to put on humility. This congregation does not belong to us, belongs to the Lord, and so I think if we would put on humility as Paul says a lot, he talks about that and know who we belong to. We must be good stewards, and so in that fellowship of pastors coming together, there's just a lot of freedom, there's a lot of care for one another and we can relate to one another. And so I've been so encouraged by reading the scriptures, walking through this with you, david, because it just continues to elevate Christ, it continues to remind me of what I'm in and it is not about me.
Dr. David Klingler:So, pastors, come on, let's get together and people encourage one another, and that includes your pastor. They're bearing your burdens. Who bears theirs? So just a word of encouragement to a pastor goes a long, long way.
Tim Webb:So I love pastors. They're in the fight.
Intro/Outro:Absolutely.
Tim Webb:But thank you for today, David, and thank you for your patience with me along the way. I sometimes, while you're walking us through this, sometimes I may look a little distracted, but all these questions and I'm connecting the dots and I'm thinking about other things. So in line with this, but thank you again, I'm looking forward to continuing this letter from Paul and everyone keep reading.
Intro/Outro:Thank you for today. Thanks for listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast. Our desire is to use the power of God's word to change lives. For more information, download our app. Join us next week for another episode of Teach Me the Bible.