Observations from Colossians

I’ve been studying Colossians in much the same way I studied Mark last year. I’ll keep this post running with reflections as I did Mark. I’m using several commentaries to help light my path through Paul’s inspired letter. Here are the sources:

Colossians & Philemon: The Supremacy of Christ by Kent Hughes (This has been republished with the addition of Philippians and retitled  Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon: The Fellowship of the Gospel and The Supremacy of Christ )
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon by Richard Melick (New American Commentary Series)
The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians by F.F. Bruce (New International Commentary Series)
Colossians, Philemon by Peter O’Brien (Word Biblical Commentary Series)
Colossians, Philemon by David Garland (NIV Application Commentary Series)

February 23, 2015

In light of 1:22-23 which encourages the Christian that the Father initiated our reconciliation through Jesus’ death, Hughes says:

Fellow-believers, in light of our reconciliation we ought to do everything in our power to be practically blameless and holy in this life. We must become what we are in the Lord. We must submit ourselves ever more completely to the “God who works in you” (Philippians 2.13) Practical holiness should be our life’s business. (italics, bold mine)

The beautiful reality is that because of what the Father initiated through Jesus, Christians are, at this very moment, ” holy and blameless and above reproach before Him” (v22). But we most often don’t feel that way. Hughes words are instructive… let us be what we are. Let us grow in practical holiness, becoming what God has already made us.

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