Today’s study is on the books of Philippians and Colossians.
Paul’s purpose in writing the letter of Philippians was to thank the church of
Philippi for their gifts they sent to Paul as he was in a Roman prison at the
time and to strengthen believers everywhere by showing them that true joy comes
from Jesus Christ alone. It is a letter of joy and encouragement. For the
letter to the Colossians, Paul’s purpose was to combat errors in the church and
to show that believers have everything they need in Christ. The church had been
infiltrated by religious relativism and Paul confronts these false teachings
and urges to let go of harmful behaviors that poison us and seek behaviors
which build us up.
One of my favorite verses is Philippians 1:6, “being confident
of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus.” God began a good work in us when Christ died on
the cross and we believed in him and accepted his gift of salvation through
faith. That good work will continue until we meet God face to face either
through death or the second coming of Jesus. The focus on this verse is that we
aren’t done yet. Many people who are Christian believe because they have
accepted Christ, they are done and perfect in Christ. While yes, we are new
creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17); however, we are still human, with
human failings that need help, guidance, molding and reminders to overcome
those failings. The Holy Spirit comes to us, enabling us to be more like Christ
every day as we seek him through prayer and studying God’s word. It is a
process that begins when we accepted Christ and as long as we are breathing,
will continue. While we are on Earth, we aren’t done yet. So even you have been
a Christian for many years, there’s always room for improvement. There’s always
a new lesson to learn or an old lesson to relearn.
Another one of my favorite verse is Philippians 4:13, “I can
do everything through him who gives me strength.” A simple phrase with a great
meaning. Being in union with Christ has sufficient power to do God’s will and
face the challenges that arise with our commitment to him. It is not superhuman
abilities we receive to accomplish anything we want but strength through Christ
as we seek him through faith as we face troubles, pressures and trials. It is
not a verse about personal achievement but reliance on Christ for strength to
endure whatever circumstance may come our way. For example, praying for
strength to do God’s will if it be talking about a topic that is uncomfortable
or a forging a new path that may takes us from what we know and love. It is
strength to endure whatever circumstance you may face when doing God’s will. It
may be the loss of a friend or loved one due to your commitment to God. It may
be leaving home for a country far more dangerous and puts your life in danger. When
we read this verse, we need to be reminded of where Paul was when he wrote
these words. He was in a Roman prison. He wasn’t living the high life of
prosperity but in chains due to his commitment to the message of Christ. God is
the God that can do anything (Job 42:2). There isn’t anything on earth or in
heaven that is too difficult for God (Jeremiah 32:17). Therefore, we, as
believers, can do anything, through God’s strength.
The church of Colosse had a lesson to learn and Paul’s
letter is filled with love as he strives to correct the errors in their
thinking and teaching. In Colossians 2:8, Paul warns about hollow and deceptive
teachings. These teachings depend on human traditions and the basic principles
of the world rather than on Christ. Teachings or philosophies which credits
humanity with being the answer to life’s problems, an approach that becomes the
focus of many false religions. There are many man-made approaches to life’s
problems which disregard God. For example, attacks on Christ and his teachings.
Laws, rules and handed down regulations that have no biblical basis or are no
longer needed. Paul uses the example of circumcision throughout his letters. While
the practice of circumcision was first commanded by God to set his people
apart, it had become so ingrained in the lives of the Jewish people that many
early Christians who were of Jewish heritage held on to the practice even
though Christ died on the cross to fulfill the law and thus had done away with
the need for circumcision. These same Jewish Christian were insisting that
Gentile Christians follow the same tradition to be a true follower of Christ. Paul
writes to focus on Christ, on his truth and not on human preference. A true
follower of Christ starts unseen in the heart and mind which translates into
one’s actions of love, kindness and spreading the gospel, not the physical
changes to one’s body.
Paul writes that we need to put to death to whatever belongs
to our earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and
greed (Colossians 3:5). Like a tree with dead limbs, we need to remove these
things before they poison us and destroy our lives. We need to make a daily,
conscious decision to remove anything that supports or feeds these practices. It’s
easier said than done, I know, especially when the behavior is such a habit
that we are often cannot fight the urge. It was easy to lie, cheat, steal,
anything to satisfy our desires. He also writes that we need to rid ourselves
of anger, rage, malice, slander and lying to each other (Colossians 3:8-9) as
these things disrupts unity and destroys trust. Relationships are torn down and
leads to serious conflict. It is a very human response to lash out in anger and
plot revenge when someone hurts us, to make them feel the same pain we did from
their actions. It takes great discipline and God’s strength to turn away from
such a response. As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, we are to clothe
ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
(Colossians 3:12) and these practices are bound together with love (Colossians
3:14). Loving someone doesn’t mean we let them continue to hurt us but when we
response in anger and seek revenge, we hurt ourselves far worse then the
payback hurts the offender. The best response we can do sometimes is pray, let
go and let God.
In conclusion, the letters to the churches of Philippi and
Colosse are great reminders and lessons for us. In Philippians, Paul reminds us
that we aren’t done yet. Christ is still molding us in his image. We will fall.
We will fail. But when we look to him, we can move forward, learn from our
mistakes and improve. Paul also reminds us that our strength to do God’s will
comes from Christ. We do not do it with our own power. In Colossians, Paul
confronts false teachings that was prevalent in the early church (and still
today, unfortunately). We need to focus on Christ and his teachings when
confronted with new teachings. We also need to focus on getting rid of
behaviors which harm ourselves and others and focus on those which build us and
others up.
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