COLOSSIANS

In This Section:

COLOSSIANS 1:20-23

COLOSSIANS 1:20-23

"20 and through Him [that is Jesus Christ] to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--23 if indeed you continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister." (Colossians 1:20-23)

According to the typical NEST interpretation of this passage, Paul is meaning that saved people run the risk of being moved away from their faith in the gospel. In other words, it is supposed that saved people can quit generating saving faith, which is made manifest by not continuing in the faith, firmly grounded and steadfast in the hope of the gospel. Therefore, it is said that saved people can forfeit their faith, which means they forfeit God's salvation.

The NEST is wrong, so let us proceed to see why the NEST is wrong.

The primary thing we need to look at is the Colossian context. Colossae was a town in the interior of what is now modern Turkey. Epaphras, is the one who originally taught the Colossians the gospel of Christ, (Colossians 1:8). Paul writes this letter, probably addressing some things that Epaphras had related to him concerning false philosophies (Colossians 2:8), and weird religious beliefs (some pagan); probably gnostic (Colossians 2:18), and some Jewish, (Colossians 2:11, 16; 3:11). These, various errors, and some people who spread these things, were starting to become part of the Colossian church community, as is seen in the last 8 verses of Colossians 2. Non-Christians were starting to congregate among the true Christians, which was a problem with all the churches of Asia. Paul's two primary purposes in writing this letter were first, to show his interest to the Colossian churches that Epaphras had originally preached the hope of the gospel to. Secondly, Paul wanted to ground them further in the truth by getting them familiarized with their positional identification of being in Christ, which is an important doctrinal aspect of being in the miracle of salvation. This is why Paul talks a lot about the body of Christ in this letter. Christians are the body of Christ. This is the spiritual identification of all believers that makes them the righteousness of God. The body of Christ is also the spiritual organism, in a sense, in which we are all joined together. The body's lifeblood, so to speak, is the Holy Spirit that all saved people are sealed with in salvation. Another focus that Paul has is instructing the Colossians to put to death the sinful desires of their carnal nature, (cf. Colossians 3:5), and the very important focus that Paul has in most of his epistles; to refute false teachings. Knowing these things, helps us to understand our Colossians 1:20-23 passage.

Paul points out directly before writing Colossians 1:20-23, that there was a time when Christians were separated from God and hostile in mind, as all people before salvation are separated from God and hostile to God in their minds. All Christians were, at one time, in the domain of darkness according to verse 13, and so before salvation, everyone's actual state of being is alienation, and hostility in mind toward the One true God. To be saved, people need to be reconciled to God; but how can we be? Paul explains in another place, that Christ has reconciled, already at a point in the past, all saved people in His fleshly body;

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them;" (2 Corinthians 5:19)

Paul is talking about the gospel, and with the true gospel comes the eternal security of the true Christian. In other words, Christ has a goal in His action of reconciling particular people and Paul expresses it here in Colossians 1:22. Christ's goal is not random or arbitrary. Christ's goal is to present those whom He reconciled in His fleshly body before Himself as justified, righteous, pure, blameless, holy, beyond reproach, people who are in His image. No unbelievers and unreceivers are reconciled in Christ's fleshly body on the cross in any way, whether by purchase, blood covering atonement, or wrath absorbing propitiation, so they are not presented before Him holy, blameless, and beyond reproach. Paul sheds more light upon this whole reconciliation in Christ's fleshly body in the parallel epistle of Ephesians. Paul gives us a retrospective glimpse, when He says in 1:4,

"4 ... He [God] elected us in [Christ Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him." (Ephesians 1:4)

This phrase is very important. It is the same action as our Colossians 1:22 phrase that has already happened to us in salvation. We must put this statement at the forefront of our minds for a moment. God elects people in the sphere of Christ before the foundation of the world, that those people would be holy and blameless before Him. With that in our minds, we go forward a few chapters to Ephesians 5. There, Paul reveals the future of all Christians, where the church will be presented to Christ, fully reconciled before Him. Paul says;

"25... Christ also loved the church [His called out, and gathered ones] and gave Himself up for her, 26 to set her apart, having cleansed her [already] by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church [the called out, and gathered] in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:25-27)

When it comes to salvation, Christ does it all. What we particularly must recognize is the last seven words, where Christ sets apart the church to present her to Himself,

"that she would be holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:27)

These words are familiar. They are the words we looked at above from Paul that he wrote earlier in the same epistle, in Ephesians 1:4 where Paul says that God elected Christians in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we would be,

"holy and blameless before Him," (Ephesians 1:4)

We see in Ephesians 5, that Christ fulfills His electing purpose by loving His called out ones, (ie. His church) and He gave Himself for them to set them apart by cleansing them in the past by washing of water with the word so that He might present to Himself His called out people in all their glory with no blemish at all, but only holiness and blamelessness--the holiness, and blamelessness appropriated by Christ. This is the "now" reconciliation in His body of Colossians 1:22 that has occurred in order to be presented to Him, holy and blameless forever and ever. What this means is that when a saved person finally dies, and leaves the old body behind, the saved person will see the future tense of this action, where the saved person will have a super-glorified state of existence as a totally perfect person forever and ever. God is the one Who makes a saved person Holy and blameless before Him. You can not make yourself Holy and blameless before Him. God does it in His Son according to the image of His Son forever and ever. This is what Christians are, and this is what Paul wants to assure Christians that they are as he writes the Colossian passage that is misinterpreted according to the NEST;

"22 ... He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--" (Colossians 1:22)

[Verse 22 above is the truth we have been spending so much time exploring in this section. But next comes the infamous sentence,]

"23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister." (Colossians 1:23)

To apply a NEST interpretation to this passage and say that this passage means that one can walk away from salvation that the one already has, is to say that the person can become un-reconciled, unborn again, un-spotless, unholy and un-blameless. Paul is not remotely suggesting the NEST interpretation. In fact, Paul is actually saying the opposite. This is so easy to understand when we recognize that Paul is merely pointing out the obvious concerning the message of the gospel that the Colossians have heard, (originally by the ministry of Epaphras in this context).

A KEY

A key in understanding this is to recognize that Paul uses the term "in the faith," rather than "your faith" or "their faith." The faith, is a term in the New Testament that typically means, the realm and doctrines of Christianity.

23 if indeed you continue in the faith, ... the gospel [good news] ... heard, ... proclaimed ..." Colossians 1:27

Paul is saying that the guarantee that anyone is really saved is that they are the ones who continue in "the faith," as in the realm and doctrines of Christianity, until they die, or Christ comes back. True believers who are receivers, live being believers and receivers and die being believers and receivers. Unbelievers who are not receivers are people who are moved away from "the faith," which is the good news, which is heard, and which was proclaimed. They are moved away from the hope of the gospel. They do not, and can not, continue in "the faith" because they never were in the faith as saved people. As a state of existence, they are moved away from it. If you were one of the unsaved people that happened to be hanging out and gathering among the believers of Colossae, (as has been mentioned above as a problem in Colossae) and you heard the good news; and you were hearing Paul's letter being read to the assemblies, or you read it personally, and you rejected the gospel which was preached, then you were not, and never were, in the category of saved people who continue "in the faith" because you were not "in the faith;" you have merely been exposed to the faith through the preaching of the hope of the gospel which you have heard. Just because you hang around with Christians, does not mean you are saved.

Now, let's look at another important detail. Paul just explained a few verses beforehand, in his introduction to the true Christians in Colossae, that though he, Paul, had not met them personally, he says he thanks God specifically for them, since he heard of their faith, saying

"4 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus ..." (Colossians 1:4)

[Paul knows who to thank for the Colossian's faith. He thanks God. He does not thank the Colossians for generating a superior decision in electing God. Rather, He thanks God for electing them to eternal spiritual salvation. Paul goes on]

"5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel" (Colossians 1:5 emph. mine)

What is significant about this, is that Paul identifies what the hope of the gospel message is. It is the blessing of salvation that is laid up in heaven. Paul says that the true Colossian Christian's faith in Christ Jesus is because of the hope which they previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel. This is important because the gospel (good news) is what they heard beforehand, of which the Christians have faith in. We are seeing that the gospel is the message of the word of truth. It is the good news message of "the faith" which conveys salvation. The message is not the salvation itself. In other words, you do not legitimately say to someone,

"I am preaching the message of the gospel to you so that you will be message."

The reason for this exercise in properly identifying what Paul means by the hope of the gospel, is because in verse 5, Paul already identifies "the hope" laid up for the Colossian Christians in heaven as being the gospel message that they previously heard in the word of truth. When we tie all this together in a moment, we will see that unsaved people being moved from the hope of the message itself, are not saved people being moved out of their salvation. So, with that in mind we consider the NEST passage,

"23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven," (Colossians 1:20-23 emph. mine)

In considering the hope of the gospel, we see the passage in respect to how the context defines the terminology before in Colossians 1:5,

"5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel" (Colossians 1:5 emph. mine)

We see that continuing in the faith and not moving away from the message of the hope of the gospel is, then, the very proof of your salvation, because "the hope" of your salvation is already laid up for you in heaven by God. This is called the principle of continuance demonstrating the reality. If there is no continuance, then there never was the reality of the miracle of salvation. It is as Paul says in Timothy,

"... in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8)

The crown of righteousness is already laid up for all who have loved His appearing. To have loved Christ's appearing, is to continue to love Christ in salvation. Continuance demonstrates the reality. With this in mind, we recognize that according to Colossians 1:5, in conjunction with Colossians 1:20-23, "the faith" is "the gospel," meaning literally "good news." Paul is talking about being moved from the gospel message. It is the vital message, and it is hope that unsaved people (not saved) who are in church congregations, are moved away from every single day. Unsaved people hear "the hope of the gospel" preached, and being blinded by Satan as children of disobedience, Satan continues to move them, and they move on to something else. They demonstrate that they are fakes, rejecters, and unreceivers in the evidential fact that they are moved away.

There is a positive side to what Paul is saying too. Paul is also talking about the result of being miraculously changed by the message of the hope of the gospel. And so later here in this same contextual flow, Paul says that it is our continuance that demonstrates that we, who are saved, actually do believe in the hope of the gospel; that we are really sons of God; that we really are a miracle, and it is our continuance which proves our ultimate future glory, which is simply a logical deduction. Non-Christians in Colossae who were meeting with the Christians, and any non-Christians influenced by this early section of the Bible in outreach, were never in the category of people who continue in "the faith" if they moved away from the hope of the gospel preached to them. The main point is that they move out, and move on, because they never were Christians in the first place. Real Christians, on the other hand, continue in the faith, so when a real Christian at Colossae reads this passage, they say, "That is me. I am continuing in the hope of the gospel." Non-Christians who remain unatoned for, and unpropitiated for, in their sins, are moved away by the spirit that is at work in the sons of disobedience, from the clear message of the hope of the gospel they have heard. So, we see, if there is no continuance, there was no real conversion. If there is continuance, there has been a real conversion.

Ironically, rather than a lose your salvation passage, this passage is a beautiful proof of salvation passage for all of us who are true Christians. The true Christians at Colossae would read this letter and be edified because they knew their continuance in the faith, through their faith, was the clear demonstration of the salvation that they already have and never lose. They would look at certain friends and neighbors though, (like proto-gnostics, pagans, atheists, and judaizers, who stayed around for a time, seemingly showing an interest in Christ; acting saved, etc.,) and they would see that such people eventually vacated the gospel that had been brought to the area. The true Christians would realize that those people are moved away from the faith that they have heard in their unregenerate condition, and so they were never saved.

Based upon all we have covered in this section, we recognize that this passage is a beautiful and comforting reminder to us that those of us who really are saved, are indeed saved, and we know it because "through faith" we continue in "the faith," awaiting our hope of the gospel that is stored up for us in glory.

(1) Greek scholar Dr. E. Campbell words this very well in his commentary on Ephesians,
"With reference to the statement, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith,' Paul says, 'And this is not of you.' Both of the Greek words rendered 'grace' (cariti) and 'faith' (pistews) are in the feminine gender, but the Greek pronoun translated 'this' (touto) is in the neuter gender. If this pronoun refers back to the words 'grace' and 'faith,' as we have suggested, why isn't it in the feminine gender? The answer is in the latter part of this verse, where Paul considers both the grace and faith as a 'gift' (dwron), a Greek noun which is in the neuter gender, and as such, is the antecedent of the pronoun 'this' (touto). In other words, looking at the two essential ingredients involved in God's saving of sinners, Paul refers to the same as a gift which is 'not out of you' (ouk ex umwn). This verse clearly teaches that neither the grace not the faith are of human origin, they are not out of nor from those being saved (cf. v. 5; 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5) but are from an outside Divine source." pp. 70-71