Sword in the Fire

I. Final Exhortations A. Pray 2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; “Continue earnestly in prayer”: Another translation is to“be devoted”. The Greek “proskartereo” means to attach oneself to, to wait on someone, to be busily engaged; prayer should be our occupation. Once again the essence of the Christian life is to be immersed in the presence of God, and prayer is essential to this awareness. Within Orthodoxy, the Jesus prayer has emerged as an effective tool to keep one’s mind immersed in the presence of God. The prayer is short and thus can be said often. Here is the most common form of the prayer: “O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” - being vigilant: be alert. This is a constant refrain through all the ascetical literature of the Church. The Christian must guard the heart, watch the senses, don’t let anything foreign into the heart. This is key to the battle. -St. John...

-note: this is short and sweet. This is very similar to the passage in Ephesians that was discussed earlier. Also the more practical a passage, the harder it becomes for me to comment, because it is sadly less true of what I practice. Read Chrysostom and that says it all. III. Spirituality in Family and Work Life 18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for* you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be...

B. Put on the New. 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lor...

II. True Spirituality in Action. A. Put off the old. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filyour language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, -Paul removes spirituality from the theoretical and demonstrates here what setting “your mind on things above” looks like. -“put to death”: This is a moment that we choose to make a clean break with sin. Paul uses this term in Romans 8, but in that case the word is to slay or execute. In this passage the word to put to death has the sense of killing by wearing out. It is used to describe Abraham’s old wo...

I. True Spirituality: 1-4 IF then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. -This passage is really a continuation of 2:20ff. Paul talked about dying in Christ, which is always related to the baptismal experience when the Christian is united with Christ in Baptism. In being united with Christ, the Christian is placed into the very life of Christ. And just as he participated in the death of Christ, he also participates in Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and sitting at the right of the Father. The Christian should live in the fullness of this experience, keeping one’s mind vigilant and attentive to the presence of God. -Paul is making a contrast with legalistic spirituality of the ...

2. Religion of Pride 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not* seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, “let no one cheat you “ To embrace this Gnostic faith was to forsake what Christ had done for the Church. -”worship of angels” The Gnostics of Colossae had incorporated the Jewish belief in angels as part of the emanations that would bring them back to God. This is unnecessary because Christ is the fullness and angels are merely His ministers. Angels no doubt assist in our salvation, in that they protect us and pray for us, but they are not the mediator between God and man. - Pride - Within this heresy and all heresies and corruptions of the truth there is an element of pride. There is a sense that man can peer into the mind of God, grasp God’s mysteries and save oneself. Rather than boldly accepting the faith which had been delivered to them by Paul...

B. Review of the Faith you were taught. 11In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made wiyout hands, by putting off the body of the sins* of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 11-13: Paul in this passage reviews the faith that had been given to them. He forms it in such a way as to combat the strain of Gnsoticism that was subverting the purity of the Gospel. This form of Gnosticism had been combined with...

Colossians 2 I. Paul’s Struggle for the Faith. FOR I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God the Father, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For yough I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. “conflict”: Paul’s use of this word is a sign of their danger in face of heresy. This is where we get our word for “agony” or “agonize”. It is a reference to the intensity of his prayer for the believers in Colossae. This word is also used in 4:12 of Epaphras praying for them as well. Laodicea: This was a neighboring ci...

IV. Preeminence of Christ (15-23) A. In Creation. 1. Image of God. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. This begins a section when Paul begins to combat some of the Gnostic heresies of the area. Remember that the Gnostics taught that Christ was not God but just in a line of emanations the proceeded God. These emanations revealed parts of God but Jesus for the Gnostics was only a link in the chain. We can not see the essence of God. Scripture even says that if man were to see God he would die; yet God has revealed Himself to us in the person of Christ. If we want to know what God the Father looks like; we only have to look to Christ. “firstborn” Jesus is the prototype of what man supposed to be. Remember that the Incarnation did not begin with the Annunciation, but with Creation. When God created the heavens and the earth, the Incarnation was in view. [thanks Clark] 2. The Logos of God. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in...

III. Prayer for the Colossians A. Knowledge of God’s Will. 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Knowledge again is epignosis meaning experiential knowledge. It is not just knowledge of the head but of the heart and how to live. Because of Paul use of this word, it appears he is playing of the Gnostics insistence that their gnosis (knowledge) is superior to the Christian revelation. B. Live Pleasing to God. 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; We experience God so that we will be transformed and imitate Him;. An encounter with God should change us because now He lives through us. We can not know God in Paul’s sense of the word and not be changed. To come into relationship with God is a dangerous proposition, because our God is a...

Unfortunately, I have been a little slow to update our class notes, even though it has been a while since we have finished the book of Colossians. Summer is here so I don't have any more excuses. This post is a brief intro to Colossians and the notes on the first 8 verses. Along with the notes, I will be posting an article on Mary that I am writing. It is partly a response to an article I read in Southeastern Seminary's most recent magazine and a summary of some of the discussion we had in class on the contrast between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox understanding of Mary. Let's begin Colossians: The theme of Ephesians was the Body of Christ. It held for the truth that from the beginning of time God predestined to create a people who would bring salvation to mankind. By joining oneself to this Body one becomes part of the predestined group. The book of Colossians upholds the Mystery of Christ Himself. Both books should be taken in concert, Christ restores man...