The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 71

n: cning ~cnlonco we learn four things respecting the writer and his follow-Christiane to whom rderence is mnde. I. PAUL'S CONSC~OUS1'""ESS ?F AUTRO~ITY AS AN APOSTLE, Observe how quietly Paul takes for grantc-d his npostohcal authority. Where it was assailed ns nt Corinth or in Ga latia, he was prepared to defend it. His c,-edentials were every' whit as valuable as those of the eleven. Were they witnesses of the risen Christ (Acts i. 21, 22)? So was he (1 (?or. ix. 1). Were they s~kctcd and _called by Christ himself (Mark iii. 14; Luke v1. 13)? So was he (Acts 1x. Hi; xxv1. 16-18). Were they inspir~d by his Spirit (,John xvi. 13; xx. 21, 22)? So was he (Gal. i. 11-16; 1 Cor. vii. 40 • xiv. 3,). Bad they power to proclaim the gospel with authority, to bind and loose t~ "Perform "!he signs of an apostle" (Matt. xxviii. 18-20; John xiv. 12; xx. 23)? 'So had he (1 Cor. v. 3-5; ix. lG, 17; 2 Cor. ii. 10; xii. 12). We can hardly overrate the importan~e~ in the P:esent day, of maint.ai_ning the a'!-thority of all the apostles as inspired by the Spmt of Chnst to teach the doctrines of Christ, and of the authority of St. Paul among the rest. Such a consciousness of a Divine mission and authority on the part of any Christian "sent" "by the will of God" may be: I. Admonitory, '! What manner of persons ought we to be?" "It is scandalous to be compelled to say of ministers what Tacitus writes of Licinius, 'Such a torpor had invaded his mind that, unless others had reminded him that he was a prince, he would have forgotten it.'" Dr. Payson tells us that as he went about his work be could sometimes hardly restrain himself from shouting aloud from very joy, "I'm a minister of Christ; I'm a minister of Christ.'' 2. Encouraging. For if we are sent "by the will of God" to preach or teach that gospel which is "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth," we may go and proclaim it, expecting it will be made a blessing, and making the watchword of the Crusaders our own, "God wills it." And we may emulate Paul's enthusiasm in preaching" the Word of reconciliation" (2 Cor. Y. 13-21). II. PAm's FELLOWSHIP WITH TrnoTHY. The relations of Timothy to Paul are described by various suggestive terms. 1. He was the apostle's spiritual child, his "own son in the faith" (1 Tim. i. 2; 2 Tim. i. 2). But here and in the inscriptions of oLher Epistles he recognizes him as : 2. A brother in the same "household of faith," the family of God, in which the Colossians too had their place, in which" one is your ll!aster, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." Elsewhere he recognizes him as: 3. A fellow-" steward of the mysteries of God." Well instructed from a child in the Scrip- tures, he preached the gospel at Corinth in company with Paul (2 Cor. i. 19), and .could be trusted to preach the same truth in his absence (1 Cor. iv. 17; 1 Thess. iii. 2). And he highly co=ends him a.s: 4. A devoted and most unselfish fellow-worker in the Church of Christ (1 Cor. xvi. 10, 11; Phil. ii. 19-22). Further illustrations may be found in the Epistles to Timothy. Such notices as these show the humility of the apostle. There is no pomp of office or pride of power. He acts in the spirit of bis own precept (Phil. ii. 3). He delights to honour a brother, though confessedly his inferior, by associating his name with his own, thus vouching for his fa.ith and com- mendi.ng him to the confidence of brethren who did not know him. IIL PA UL's ESTIMATE OF THE CoLOSSIANB, Here, as elsewhere, the ·apostle assumes that the Christian community he addresses is, in the main, worthy of the titles "saints and faithful brethren in Christ Jesus." These words imply that all who are members of a Church should be expected to be" saints," i.e. persons consecrated to the service of Christ; to be "brethren," adopted into the family of God and therefore "members one of another,'' and as brethren to be "faithful,'' to" show all good fidelity in all tbino-s" to "hold the beginnino- of their confidence steadfast unto the end." But such a cb;~ter can only be maintained "in Christ Jesus," by union with him. One of the Father5 tells us that a saint, sanctus, is so called from two words sanguinne tinctus, i.e. as it were tinged with blood, "because anciently they who wished to be purified were sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice." The lesson suggested is valn,'\ble, though the etymology may not be correct (Heb. iL 14; x. 22). Augustine, commenting on Ps. lmvi. 2, says, "If thou shalt say that thou art holy of thyself, thou art proud; but being a believer in Christ and a member of Christ, if thou shalt not acknowledge thyself to be holy, thou art ungrateful. Say unto God,' I am holy; for thou hast sanc- lifi·,d n,e.'" Our names are a perpetual appeal to \lll to consecration, purity, and fidelity, co, I !-20,] THE EPISTLE ·ro THE COLOSSIANS. 65