Nielsen’s Nook

We learned that humanity was created as the image of God, to be the likeness of God on this earth, living in fellowship with God (Genesis 1:26-27).� However, our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned and brought a great change to all who were born after them (Genesis 3, Romans 5:12-21).� Now we find that human beings, while retaining the image of God, are corrupted by sin – the unlikeness of God, and consequently live in enmity with God (i.e., they live in an againstness with God).� In Colossians 1:15-20 we learned that Christ was the image of God, in whom the fullness of God (i.e., likeness) was pleased to dwell, and through the blood of his cross made permanent peace with God for us.

We talked about how much there is that we accept as peace or that we strive after thinking it will bring us peace when in fact there is no peace to be found in these things.� We likened this to three kinds of peace that were witnessed during World War II.

First, the French sought to appease the Nazis by turning a blind eye to their aggression.� “If we don’t bother them then they won’t bother us.”� This kind of tolerance resulted in non-peace.� The German blitzkrieg rolled right over Paris.

The second kind of peace we considered was that of the Russians.� They made the case that Germany needed peace with them so that Germany would only have to fight on the western front and not fight the Russians in the east also.� They sought value in themselves and their possessions.� Once the western front was defeated, or at least sufficiently weak, the Nazi’s marched all the way to Moscow.� This was no peace either.

Finally, we reflected on the peace that was achieved by the allies.� This kind of peace was lasting and yet it was also extremely costly.� The Germans brought everything they had against the American forces landing at Normandy and were eventually crushed, driven back.� That death blow at Normandy has historically been called D-day (dooms day).� While this marked the functional victory of the allies, it was not until they finally reached Berlin and forced disarmament and the signing of a peace treaty that the functional peace of D-day became the official peace of V-day (victory day).

The Christian life is much like this.� Christ has come into the world, taking on the very same stuff out of which we are made.� As such he is the image of God, who is also an exact representation of God (Colossians 1:19, Hebrews 1:1-4, Matthew 14:8).� This exact representation or likeness to God meant that Jesus was without sin.� We are told in scriptures that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23, Genesis 2:16).� What we find with Jesus is that as a human being, he lived out the life of likeness to God that we all as the image of God were created to live.� Consequently, Jesus delivered the D-day blow, trampling down sin, death, Satan and hell.� Therefore, God raised him from the dead and all who are in him also are assured of that same resurrection-destination, to which he now leads us as our King in royal procession (V-day).� Indeed, “for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Nestle-Aland 27

24 Νῦν χαίρω ἐν τοῖς παθήμασιν a ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καὶ ἀνταναπληρῶ b τὰ ὑστερήματα c τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου ὑπὲρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ , ὅ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία , 25 ἧς ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ διάκονος ‹ κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ θεοῦ › d τὴν δοθεῖσάν e μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς πληρῶσαι f τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ , 26 τὸ μυστήριον τὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον g ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶν - νῦν δὲ ἐφανερώθη τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ , 27 οἷς � θέλησεν ὁ θεὸς γνωρίσαι τί τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν , ὅ ἐστιν Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν , ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξης · 28 ὃν ἡμεῖς καταγγέλλομεν νουθετοῦντες h πάντα ἄνθρωπον καὶ διδάσκοντες πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ , ἵνα παραστήσωμεν i πάντα ἄνθρωπον τέλειον ἐν Χριστῷ · 29 εἰς ὃ καὶ κοπιῶ ἀγωνιζόμενος κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐν δυνάμει .

Commentary

A faithful minister was out riding his bike last week with his to young sons. He fell off it and has been in a coma for a week and is not likely to recover, according to the doctor’s prognosis. I don’t know how to make sense out of that. But what Paul is telling us here is that the suffering that this man endures (and his wife and children with him!) is suffering in which Christ himself participates.Now, don’t be confused about what Paul seems to be saying here. Paul definitely says that his sufferings as a Christian “fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” (v 24). What is clearly not in the picture here regarding Christ’s sufferings are the ideas of expiation or propitiation. [1]
The paradigm that we have in Colossians is that of union with the risen and exalted Christ who is still very much incarnate, one of us. He is intrinsically bound to his people, in an inseparable fashion. This union (“Christ in you” v 27) is the mystery that was hidden, which has now been revealed to his people, the church.This bond of love is everything for the Christian. It is the purpose of justification. It is the process of sanctification. It is the radiance of glorification. Paul strives, toils for this mysterious bond of love, this union with Christ. It is something he has monergistically by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and consequently is something that is worked out in union, in cooperation with God as the Lord leads us forward with him in his regal procession through time, having triumphed over sin and death.
__________
[1] Lightfoot, Joseph Barber. Colossians and Philemon. 1st British ed. The Crossway classic commentaries. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1997, Colossians 1:24.

Translation

24 Now I rejoice in sufferings for your sake; even in my flesh I fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the divine office, given to me in order to make full the word of God to you, 26 the mystery hidden from eternity and from generations – but now, revealed to his holy ones, 27 to whom God willed to make known among the nations how great the wealth of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, 28 which we proclaimed to you, warning every person and teaching every person in all wisdom so that we might present every person completed in Christ. 29 For this mystery j I am also toiling, striving according to his work, working k in me with power.

Grammar & Vocabulary

a παθήμασιν dat/pl/neu ( πάθημα ) suffering, misfortune

b ἀνταναπληρῶ pres/act/ind/1p/sg ( ἀνταναπληρόω ) to fill up, complete

c ὑστερήματα acc/pl/neu ( ὑστέρημα ) need, want, deficiency

d κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ θεοῦ (according to the divine office); οἰκονομία refers to a plan or administration and I take τοῦ θεοῦ as an attributive genitive resulting in “divine office” (c.f., BAGD p 559).

e δοθεῖσάν aor/psv/ptc/sg/acc/fem ( δίδωμι ) to give

f πληρῶσαι taken as an infinitive of purpose

g ἀποκεκρυμμένον pfc/psv/ptc/sg/acc/neu ( ἀποκρύπτω ) kept secret, hidden

h νουθετοῦντες pres/act/ptc/pl/nom/mas ( νουθετέω ) to admonish, instruct, warn

i παραστήσωμεν BAGD informs us that in cases such as this, Eph 5:27 and 2 Tim 2:15 can function conceptually as “to make” or “to render” (p 627).

j the relative pronoun here is neuter and seems to point back to μυστήριον in v 27.

k The English words “work” and “working” are rendered from the Greek ἐνέργεια and ἐνεργέω respectively. It is the language that historically has indicated the union with Christ that transforms all believers.

A dear brother, who was a Teaching Elder in the North Texas Presbytery and served as the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) director at Texas Christian University before taking a position as RUF minister at Furman in South Carolina, has had a most difficult and, for me at least, an incomprehensible providence. Dustin was riding his bicycle on November 8 with his two sons and fell off injuring his head. He has been in a coma for sometime. The prognosis is not good presently.

Dustin’s family needs our prayers as should we pray for him. May the Lord heal him, facilitate a full recovery and restore him to the faithful and joyous service to his church and family now in South Carolina.

You can find updates on Dustin at the website of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in South Carolina.

NA27

21 Καὶ ὑμᾶς ποτε ὄντας ἀπηλλοτριωμένους a καὶ ἐχθροὺς b τῇ διανοίᾳ c ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς , 22 νυνὶ δὲ ἀποκατήλλαξεν ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου παραστῆσαι d ὑμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους e καὶ ἀνεγκλήτους f κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ , 23 εἴ γε ἐπιμένετε τῇ πίστει τεθεμελιωμένοι g καὶ ἑδραῖοι καὶ μὴ μετακινούμενοι h ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ εὐαγγελίου οὗ κούσατε , τοῦ κηρυχθέντος ἐν πάσῃ κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν , οὗ ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ αῦλος διάκονος.

Translation

21 And you, who were once alienated and hostile in disposition by evil works, 22 he now [i] has reconciled in his fleshly body through death in order to render you holy, blameless and irreproachable before him 23 if indeed you continue in the faith(fulness), founded, steadfast and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Commentary

One sentence that draws a dramatic temporal contrast is presented here. In the context of a very warm and pastoral letter to the Colossian church, Paul reminds them of where they came from. It is part of who they are and helps them, by showing them what they are not, to see more clearly their destination in Christ Jesus – and the wonder of getting there.On the one hand, Paul reminds them of their stature apart from Christ and before he irrupted into their lives. It is a sober reminder that we in the modern church shy away from or even ignore. We who have been made rich in Christ are paupers in our own right. He reminds them that Christians are those who hunger and thirst after a righteousness that they do not themselves have.However, on the other hand, on the other side of the blood of his Cross (v 20) there is peace and reconciliation to God. That reconciliation is not without effect. Christ’s death purposed that those whom he bought would be made holy, blameless and irreproachable without exception. That is the destination of the Christian pilgrimage.

Do not stumble over Paul’s language here, when he says, “if you continue in the faith”. There is one faith, one baptism and one Lord. There is only one way to be reconciled to God according to Scripture and that is through the blood of Christ’s cross. Christians believe that they are united to Christ by faith alone and that this union to Christ is in his life, death and resurrection. In other words, we go where Christ our Captain has gone before. We know that the Christian cannot fail in this because Christ has bound himself to the believer. Only believers would continue in the faith, while failing to continue in the faith would demonstrate that one had never been bound to the one Person who was ever truly faithful to God, the Lord Jesus.

Our union with Christ guarantees not only our justification but also our sanctification and glorification. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Sola fides justificat, sed non fides sola.

Grammar & Vocabulary

a ἀπηλλοτριωμένους pf/pass/ptc/acc/pl/mas ( ἀπαλλοτριόω ) to estrange, alienate, exclude

b ἐχθροὺς adj/acc/pl/mas ( ἐχθρός ) hostile, hated

c διανοίᾳ n/dat/sg/fem ( διάνοια ) mind, disposition, thought.

d παραστῆσαι aor/act/inf ( παρίστημι ) to ‘present’ has the force of render, make

e ἀμώμους adj/acc/pl/mas ( ἄμωμος ) blameless

f ἀνεγκλήτους adj/acc/pl/mas ( ἀνέγκλητος ) blameless, irreproachable

g τεθεμελιωμένοι pf/pass/ptc/pl/nom/mas ( θεμελιόω ) to found, establish

h μετακινούμενοι pres/psv/ptc/pl/nom/mas ( μετακινέω ) to shift, remove

i νυνὶ δὲ is drawing a temporal contrast: once you were that, but now you are this…