Philippians and Colossians: encouragements and instructions

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.