10th October 2025

In the first chapter of the letter to the church at Colossae, Paul takes us to a very important passage (Colossians 1:15-28), where he not only speaks of who Jesus is, as he parades before his readers the majesty and glory of the risen Lord (vv.15-20), but he also reminds his readers of who they are, what they once were, and what they will be, if they continue, steadfastly, in the Christian faith (vv.21-23).

To the small, newly founded church at Colossae in Asia Minor, the apostle Paul writes a very direct and personal letter from his place of imprisonment in Rome. Word has come to him that these newly converted believers at Colossae, initially strong in the faith, have become vulnerable to certain pernicious and deceptive teachings (Colossians 2:4, 8, 16, 18, 21–23). However, the apostle does more than merely address these dangerous heresies; he encourages them to consider their lives in the light of the gospel and in the context of God’s story.

Paul reminds them, first and foremost, of who Jesus is and lays before them the majesty and glory of the risen Lord, in whom they have come to believe (Colossians 1:15-20). The gloriously rich mystery, hidden for centuries in the writings of the prophets is now revealed to the saints, to all who are in Christ: the ground-breaking revelation that even Gentiles have become heirs to the promises, having come to know all the blessings of Christ, whose indwelling through the Spirit is also the pledge of future glory (vv.26-27).  

It was clearly important that these Gentile Christians remembered what they once were, estranged from God and defiantly opposed to the purposes of God in the world (v.21). But now, having come to faith in Christ by hearing the gospel and having been reconciled to God by the blood of Jesus’ Cross, through the forgiveness of sins, they are justified and sanctified in him, united to Christ and to each other, as they continue to live and walk by the faith with which they first believed (v.22).  

Perseverance in the gospel entails growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and is the means by which we will enter into glory. However, this is not something Christians achieve through works of the law or any human works, but through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Paul attributes his own spiritual growth entirely to the power of Christ working in him: ‘For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me’ (v.29 ESV). Just as Jesus suffered and died, leaving us an example of unconditional love and sacrificial service, so Paul is a suffering minister of the gospel. The apostle’s afflictions are Christ’s afflictions, which Jesus suffered for the sake of his body, the church (v.24)

For Paul, the gospel is wholly about Jesus. He is the message of the gospel, and he is the aim of the gospel: ‘He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ’ (Colossians 1:28 NIV). The path to spiritual maturity is to continually explore and develop what you already have in Christ, not to be sidetracked by any supposed new ‘esoteric knowledge’, or mystic experience.  

Local congregation:
Grace Communion Peterborough
Farcet Village Hall                             
Main Street
Farcet
Peterborough
PE7 3AN

Meeting time:
Sunday 11.00 am

Local congregational contact:
Richard Dempsey
Email:  richard.dempsey@btinternet.com
Local church website: GRACE COMMUNION CHURCH PETERBOROUGH – Landing Page

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church