The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 21

nbidingly exolurled from "tho kingd~m of Oor. iv. 14; v. 10; Acts xvi!. 81): before Clirist and Goo " (Eph. v. 5), and mnmfeets "Christ" (ver. 19), who is" Judge" (John the radioaJ. antipathy of hie mind toward v. 22, 23) as well as " King" nnd "Re• God. "Yet [or, •but'] now:" comp. vor. deemer" (vers. 13, 14): this also belongs to 26; eh. iii. 8; Eph:ii.13; Rom. iii. 21, etc.-a his fulneaa. He \Vi.11 "himself present the Ji,-elv form of transition charaoterietio of St. Ohuroh to himself" (Eph. v. 27, Revised Paui, primarily temporal, then also logiool Text; also 2 Cor. iv. 14). In this presenta- in sense. "Were ve reconciled" breaks tion his redeeming work oulminatos (comp. tlirough the grammatioa.l structure of the Phil. i. 6, 10; ii 16; and, fo. view of the sentenoe, as in vers. 26, 27 (see Lightfoot, connection of vers. 22 and 23, 1 Cor. i. 6- and Winer's '~- T. Grammar,' p. 717). IF 9). So, in general, Meyer and Alford, Elli- •·did he reconcile'' (or," hath he reconciled") oott and Lightfoot refer to God'• present be the ooTTect rending," Christ" is still sub- approbaiion, quoting Eph. i. 4, a parallel ject of the verb, &S in vers. 19-22, and much less close than ver. 27, and snpposing consistently with Eph. ii. 15, 16. (On "re- " God" the subject of the verb (see note on concile," sec ver. 20.) ver. 19). " Holy erga Deum; without blemish , er. 22.-In the body of his fieah (vex. 20; respectu vestri; unreprovable respectu pro.x.i- eh. ii. 11; Rom_ viii. 3; vii 4; 1 Tim. iii. rui" (Bengel). (On "holy," see note, ver. 1G; l Pet. ii. 24; iii. 1S; iv. 1; Heb. ii. 14, 2; also eh. iii. 12.) ''Aµo,µ.os is not "with- 15; x. 20; 1 John iv_ 2; 2 John 7; Luke out blame,'' but "without blemish," "im- ni'I'. 39). With a significant emphasis, the maculate" (Lightfoot, R.V.; Eph. i. 4; v, materie.l body of Christ is made the instrn- 27; Phil. ii. 15: comp. Heb. ix. 14; 1 Pet. rnent of that reconciliation in the carrying i. 19). In the LXX it is the equivalent of out of which•· his whole fulness" is engaged the Hebrew tamim ("integer"), "faultless" (,·ers. 19, 20); see note on "thonght," ver. in bodily condition or in moral character. 21, and on "body," eh. ii. 23. The ne:iessity "Unreprovable," as a judicial term (" with- nf the double expression was shown by the out charge that can be preferred"), points fact that the Gnostic Ma.re.ion erased " of to the judgment-day, and hence is wantin~ his flesh '' from the text of this Epistle, and in Eph. i. 4 (comp. 1 Cor. i. 8 ;. Rom, viii. interpreted "the body" as " the Chnreh; " 33, 34; 1 Tim. iii. 10 ; '.ritus i. 6, 7). Bengel and others snppose "of his flesh" to Ver. 23.-If at least ye are continuing be added to prevent this mistake (see Ter- in the faith, gro11ILded and settled (ver. 4; tullian, '.Against Ma.re.ion,' v. 19). This c1- ii. 6, 7; Eph. iii. 18; vi. 10-17; Phil. phrase was the crnx of Doceti.sm, whose i. 27; 1 Thess. iii. 2; 2 These. ii. 15 ; 1 Oor. principles were indeed implicitly contained xv. 2, 58; Gal. i. 6; v. 1). All that Christ in the .AleXJJ.ndrine-Jewish philosophy with bes done and will do for the Colossians, yet its contempt for matt.er and the physical depeDds on their continued faith. Er-,,, (only life, v.hich was now :6.rst beginning to lea'l'en Pauline in New Testament; containing" the the Church. Body is antithetical to soul; volatile particle 'l'• ") suggests, actually (Gal, jle,ah to spirit.. The former is indi ridn.al and iii. 4) or rhetorically (Eph. iii. 2; iv. 21), a concrete, the actual physioa.l organism ; the conceivable altemati ve; if as appears, as one latter denotes the material of which it COD• hopes, or /ears, or may assume. " Are con- sists, the bodily nature in its essence and tinuing in'' (l1r,µl11.-u) is both" abidiug by" characteristics (comp. Dote on ver. 11; and 8.Ild "a.dhering to" (Rom. vi. 1; Phil, i. 24, see Cremer's 'Lexicon• on these words). R.V.; 1 Tim. iv. 16). As present indioa- '"ln the body" is Dot "by the body," nor tive, it implies a {supposed) actual state. "during his earthly life" (as though opposed " The faith," as regularly in the New Testa- to" out of the body," 2 Cor. v. 6-8; xii 3), ment, is the o.ct and exercise of faith (sub- Lut "as inca.rDB.te." The Epistle to the jective), Dot the content or matter of faith Hebrews expands the thought of our Epistle (objective). "Grounded" or "founded," in it:B own way inHeb. ii. 14-18; L 5-10. perfect passive, implies o. fixed condition Tilll.t reconciliation is through the (or, hu) ( comp. eh. ii. 7; Eph. iii. 18, coupled with death (Rom. iii. 25; iv. 25 ; v. 10; 1 Cor. " rooted; " 1 Cor. iii, 10-12; Eph. ii. 20; xv_ 3; 2 Cor. v. 14, 15; Gal iii. 13; Heb. 2 Tim. ii. 19; also Luke vi. 48). "Settled" ii. 9; ix. 15, 16; John :tl. 51, 52; x. 11 ; (<opaios, from ,opa, a ,eat) is opposed to Rev. i. 18 ; ii. 8) is the fundamental axiom "moved away," just as in 1 Cor, xv. 58. of the gospel (ver. 5 ), already implied in The words, and not being moved away (or, V(:rs. 14 and 20. And the atoning death letting yourselve, be ffl01Jed away), put the presupposes the Incarnation (Heb. ii. 14). same aBSumption negatively, and more •.rt.t two foregoing phrases belong gre.m- specifically aa ho adds, from the hope of the Lu~tice.J.Jy to ver. 21. To preseat you holy gospel ; good tiding, (vers. 5, 27; eh. iii. 15, fJld wil.hout blemish and unreprovable before 24; Eph. ii. 12; 1 Thess. i. 3, 10; 2 Tim. i. 9 him <ver. 21l; Eph. i. 4; v. 25-27; 1 Theas. -11; 1 Cor. xv. 58; 2 Cor. iv.13-v. 8; Rom. lL 1~; v. 23; Rom. ii. 16; 1 Cor. iv. 5; 2 viii. 17-25; Heb, iii. 6, li; vi, Jl1 l8, 19; cu. I, l-2!J.J 'l'HE EPISTLE TO '£HE COLOSSIANS. 16