Walking Evangelistically

Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.


5 Ἐν σοφίᾳ περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι.

I know that I tend to gloss over some of these short exhortations near the end of Paul's epistles. I feel like I got most of the meat earlier and now I'm just getting bits of potato with gravy. But I think we make a big mistake if we overlook this short verse. The verb περιπατεῖτε is in the imperative and while it technically does mean "walk," it has the sense of lifestyle. In other words, Paul is telling the Colossians that their lifestyles should be wise toward outsiders. I also take τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι to mean that we should seize any opportunity to show or share Christ with τοὺς ἔξω, or "those who are outside." The word ἐξαγοραζόμενοι is a present participle, so that gives a sense that it is something we should routinely do.

I think about how I interact with my neighbors. Do I take care of my house? That's part of my witness toward them. How do I interact with my coworkers? Do I do the best job I can? That's part of my witness. Do I tip well at restaurants? Am I polite with people who help me at restaurants and stores? That doesn't necessarily mean that I get to a gospel presentation every time, but I want my way of life to be wise toward outsiders.

Do we really believe the second half of this verse? It is not hard to imagine seeing a bunch of cars outside a neighbor's house one day only to find out that someone died. Did I share the gospel with that person? Or maybe a coworker quits or gets fired before I can share the gospel with him. Am I looking for opportunities and making the best use of the time or am I being lazy?

This is really convicting for me. It is one more reason why I need to work as hard as I can at the office. It is something I am prayerfully improving upon lately, but there is still room to grow. Ultimately it comes down to the gospel. Do I believe it enough to prayerfully change my life so that I can share it effectively?

Pursuing Holiness

Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.


1 Εἰ οὖν συνηγέρθητε τῷ Χριστῷ, τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ καθήμενος·

Paul follows up his argument from chapter 2 by starting another one. He uses a first-class condition. Basically he is asking the reader to assume that he has indeed been raised with Christ. If this is indeed true, and let's assume it is, then you should seek the things that are above. He then goes on to explain more about that.

I think that we can safely turn this around. If we seek the things that are above we have probably been raised with Christ. However, if we do not seek the things that are above then we likely have not been raised with Christ.

I am all for preaching grace. In fact, I hate the non-gospel of legalism that pervades so many churches. Most churches in America are basically centers for moralistic therapeutic deism. They have a vague sense of who God is, but they think that they get to Him by behaving better. The answer is not to do better.  The answer is to repent and believe.

But this verse shows us where that should go. If we have been raised with Christ then He should be our chief pursuit. There is nothing else for us to pursue as important as pursuing Christ. This should consume us and be the focus of our lives.

Is it for you? It is for me, though I fall short more than I'd like to admit. Yet I take solace knowing that the pursuit of Christ is the deepest desire of my heart. And when I waver I know that I can go back to Him and He will get me back on the narrow path. This is not something I do, but something He does in me.

Pursuing Holiness

Colossians 2:23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.


23 ἅτινά ἐστιν λόγον μὲν ἔχοντα σοφίας ἐν ἐθελοθρησκίᾳ καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ [καὶ] ἀφειδίᾳ σώματος, οὐκ ἐν τιμῇ τινι πρὸς πλησμονὴν τῆς σαρκός.

Paul is finishing up his argument about true holiness. He spends a lot of time talking about Christ and then he finishes with a series of verses about those who advocate various forms of asceticism as a means of godliness. This verse concludes that argument.

Why do I bring this up? It seems that as people we have a tendency to either license or legalism. The circles I run in tend more toward legalism, and I am as guilty of that as anyone. This is particularly prevalent in Independent Baptist churches. I've met some folks from this world who are assured of their salvation because they do not drink beer or wine. They would claim that they are saved by grace and not by works, but their attitude clearly indicates the contrary.

I am not advocating any use of Christian liberty. That is a matter for personal conscience. But as someone who served in a ministry helping people find freedom from besetting sins, I can tell you that there is a very fine line we must walk. Legalism is easier than grace. It is easier to discern a rule than to follow conscience informed by the Word and the Spirit.

My prayer is that those of us who love the Lord would follow Him based on the clear teaching of Scripture. Any pursuit of holy living must be the result of His grace working in our lives. Let's live accordingly, amen?

Two Kingdoms

 Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins


13 ὃς ἐρρύσατο ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους καὶ μετέστησεν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ, 14  ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν·

This is one of those passages that I tend to read through fairly quickly, but don't stop to ponder. Something made me slow down a bit this morning and I am glad. The word ἐξουσίας is translated "domain," but it also has the idea of authority. Of course, the word βασιλείαν means kingdom. We are accustomed to seeing reference to the "kingdom of God," which I believe is synonymous with the kingdom of His beloved Son. Verse 14 tells us that in Christ we have redemption, that is to say the forgiveness of sins.

Sadly, I think that we often neglect the truth that this implies. Most faithful gospel presentations in America will talk about how we are subject to the wrath of God because of sin. That is certainly true and it is something we must understand. But what we also need to emphasize is that we belonged to a completely different team. It's not that we were indifferent to God we He saved us, but we were hostile to God.

If you like sports metaphors think Yankees and Red Sox. Or think Cowboys and Redskins. Ohio State and Michigan. There is no middle ground when we talk about these kingdoms. We are either loyal to τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους or to τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ. We can't have it both ways.

So how are you living? If someone examined your life and had to guess which kingdom you were in, what would he say? If you're abroad and you see a big guy with a thick Brooklyn accent wearing a NY Giants jersey and another guy with an English accent wearing a Manchester United jersey, you can safely guess who is from England and who is from America. How we live and act belies our ancestry.

But let's not be double-agents either. There are many who go through the motions of the kingdom of God, but their hearts are still in the kingdom of darkness. American fundamentalism breeds folks like this with its cultic manipulation tactics. Let's live as citizens of heaven, but with pure hearts that only come from regeneration, amen?

On the Throne

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."

15 Καὶ ὁ ἕβδομος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐγένοντο φωναὶ μεγάλαι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγοντες· ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.

There are some questions around this verse that I'm not sure if I can handle in a blog post.  But I do know that these Christological passages fascinate me.  We know from Ephesians 1 that Christ is indeed on His throne and that He is indeed in control of everything.  So what does this passage mean?

Getting back to what I wrote way back in chapter 1, it would seem that John had a very close fulfillment of these passages in mind.  Yet I know many who take this to mean that Christ is not currently ruling earth, but that Satan is now (i.e. the god of this earth).  So what do we make of this?  Ephesians 1:22 tells us that all things are under His feet.  I would consider the world to be part of "all things."  This means that there is a contradiction (which is impossible) or we're reading something wrong somewhere.

As a rule, I like to use a clear passage to help interpret a more difficult passage.  Ephesians 1 is crystal-clear.  Meanwhile, here we are dealing with apocalyptic literature that is rich with symbolism and is ambiguous as to the time of its fulfillment.  This forces me to say that this has already happened.  I may later regret writing this, but it's where I am now.  I also realize that there may be other passages I am not considering.

Theology geeks may find this conversation interesting, but I do want to keep this blog fairly devotional.  I focus on these Christological passages because I like thinking about Jesus and His reign over all of creation.  It amazes me that this God who created everything (and Colossians tells us all things were created through Him and for Him) also knows me personally and I can know Him as well.  He condescends to humanity by giving us special revelation through His Word.  It's an incredible blessing to know the Living God.

Does this fill your heart with awe and wonder?  It should certainly empower your life.  Not in a health and wealth kind of way, but in a way that encourages you to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh.  Does it?

Spending Time

Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

5 Ἐν σοφίᾳ περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι.

I'm very familiar with the parallel to this passage in Ephesians, but this puts a little bit of a twist on it.  In Ephesians you get the sense that you are simply to manage your time well.  After all, we only get so much of it.  It's a precious resource and we should use it well.  Nobody would argue with that.

Here we get a little more direction.  It's not just that we are to use our time well, but we are to do it with respect to outsiders.  In other words, there seems to be an evangelistic purpose here.  It is not enough simply not to waste time.  Our time should be spent with a focus toward σοφίᾳ and it specifically mentions τοὺς ἔξω or the ones who are outside.

I'm fairly good at time-management.  I think I'm probably a little bit more disciplined than many.  I typically get a lot done every day.  But am I doing it with a mind toward outsiders?  Not so much.  I'm doing it with respect to my agenda.  Now the things I spend my time on are typically good things like exercise, reading Scripture, studying for seminary, and spending time with my family.  These are fine things.

This verse tells me that I need to prayerfully think about how I can use my time in walking in wisdom toward outsiders. How do you do this?

Knowing Peace

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

15 καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ βραβευέτω ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, εἰς ἣν καὶ ἐκλήθητε ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι· καὶ εὐχάριστοι γίνεσθε.

This is one of those verses kind of sandwiched between two sections.  Paul had just finished admonishing the Colossians about the things that they must stop doing.  He's about to get into exhortations for wives to submit to husbands, husbands to love wives, and children to obey.  But here we have sort of a creamy center in this theological Oreo.

There is an old bumper sticker that reads, "Know Jesus, know peace.  No Jesus, no peace."  It may be reversed, but you get the idea.  There is a lot of truth packed into that pithy statement.  There is no true peace apart from Jesus.

"But," you may protest, "what about those holy men high up on mountains in places like Tibet?  Surely they had a peace, right?"  I would disagree with that because it would be inconsistent with their beliefs.  Yes, they are seeking peace through emptiness.  However, it is still a works-based system.  They hope that they live their lives well enough and empty themselves enough that they can break the circle of reincarnation, enter Nirvanna, or whatever.  They are still trying their best to earn favor with God/the cosmos/Brahama/etc.

Frankly, a lot of professing Christians live in the same way.  We try our best under a thinly-veiled legalism.  We think that if we have enough quiet times, tithe enough, serve enough, or whatever then we will be saved.  But that just leads to greater anxiety.  Believe me, I've been there.  Instead, we are to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.  We were called to Him.  Enjoy that!  Enjoy the peace that comes from being part of that ἑνὶ σώματι.  Then Paul commands us to εὐχάριστοι γίνεσθε.  The word γίνεσθε is an imperative commanding us to be something.  What are we to be?  Thankful.

This means that an anxious Christian is an oxymoron.  There is no place for habitual anxiety in the Christian's heart.  To be anxious is to be disobedient.  Obviously we all have things that cause us stress.  Do we spiral down with those anxieties or do we get back to the clear teaching of Scripture?

I realize that this is easier said than done.  But the good news is that we have a powerful, gracious God who transforms men's hearts.  I pray that He would transform mine.  Will you join me in praying for peace?

Tradition

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

8 Βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς ἔσται ὁ συλαγωγῶν διὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου καὶ οὐ κατὰ Χριστόν·

This was a verse that I had to memorize for my biblical counseling class.  Whether you are in a pastoral counseling role or not I think that this is an important verse.  This verse is the beginning of a three-verse sentence.  The reason why we are not to be taken captive by any other philosophy is because Christ is divine and we who are in Him have been filled with Him.  He is the source of all authority, not  τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων.  I like the more wooden translation "tradition of men" better because I think that really captures the idea and the grammar, though the ESV is fine too.

What do we do with this?  First, I think it should make us very suspicious of psychology.  Psychology is based on the idea that man is basically good.  This is a faulty assumption because it stands in stark contrast with Scripture.  Psychology can provide insights into human behavior, but it has no real cure for what ails sinful mankind.  Christ does.

This also should make us wary of the papists, as men like Spurgeon and Calvin called the Roman Catholics.  It is because they are papists that we should be concerned.  They see sacred tradition as equal to or even surpassing the authority of Scripture.  Now to be sure we Protestants do something similar.  We all have faith and hermenutical traditions that govern how we read Scripture.  However, we also theoretically let Scripture be our guide.  If someone can provide a correctly-interpreted passage then that should change our minds about whatever it addresses.  There is a little bit of a chicken and egg conundrum otherwise known as the hermeneutical spiral.  However, no Protestant should go as far as affirming the perpetual virginity of Mary just because some ecclesiastical body says so, particularly because it stands against the plain meaning of Scripture.  Most conservative Protestants would agree with this.

I would take application of this verse one step further.  We need to be careful about our liturgical practices.  Now you may read this and object, "I'm a Baptist!  We have no liturgy!"  Sure you do.  How would you and the congregation respond if the singing and sermon were reversed in the service?  It would surprise a few folks, wouldn't it?  How would you like it if the pastor came out in an aloha shirt rather than his normal suit?  Or if you go to a church like mine, imagine the reverse.  What if your church changed from hymns on the organ to a four-piece rock band singing praise choruses?  What if you went from grape juice for the Lord's Supper to wine?

I assume you get the idea.  We all have sacred tradition whether we call it that or not.  Let's be careful not to give it too prominent a place.  If we truly are biblical then we will realize that there is flexibility in much of what we hold dear in our practices.  Let's not make more of them than we should.

Struggling by the Spirit

Colossians 1:29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

29 εἰς ὃ καὶ κοπιῶ ἀγωνιζόμενος κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐν δυνάμει.

Paul is finishing up his argument here.  He is explaining how he is afflicted and works very hard to tell people about Jesus.  He says in verse 28 that his goal is that "we may present everyone mature in Christ."  How does he do this?  He struggles κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ.  Very woodenly this would be "according to his energy."  How does this energy become manfested in Paul?  It is because God τὴν ἐνεργουμένην.  That is a present active participle.  God is continually doing this work in Paul.  How is He doing it?  He is doing it ἐν δυνάμει (note the omission of references to dynamite here).

What we see is that Paul struggled very hard to spread the gospel.  He knew that it was the only way for men to be saved.  He knew that the gospel was how those who believed would grow in Christ.  It is all about the gospel and that is what motivated Paul in his life.

But we see that Paul didn't do this on his own.  God certainly created Paul with certain gifts to make Him the perfect man to do this.  But that wasn't enough for Paul's mission.  It still required God's spirit to powerfully work in him.

This challenges me.  God gave me some skills and it is easy for me to trust them and rely solely on them.  However, if I'm living my life correctly I cannot do it just on my own.  That would be too easy.  I need God's power to work ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐν δυνάμει.  God must fuel my fire.  He must keep me going.

What are you doing to make that happen in your life?  I have my daily times in the Word.  I pray every morning. I have fellowship with other saints.  Basically, I try to keep up the regular spiritual disciplines.  However, none of these are effective if I do not have the right attitude.  Are you submissive to the Lord?  Do you seek Him for everything?  Do you realize that you can do nothing without His power working in you?  I often forget these things, but by grace I am reminded and press on.