The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 101

tho king,loms of nRlure Rnd of grnce. So however, the gmwth appears ns proper to tho the nposLle falls bnek once more (comp. vcr. body, rnsulting from its very constitution: JO) r>n the foundation laid down in eh. i. here, ns a beetowmcnt of God, dependent, J.'i-20, on which his whole polemic rests. therefore, upon Christ, l\nd ceasing if the noth in crcntion nnd redemption, the philo- Church ceases to hold fast to him, s0phic J ucfoists assigned to the nngcls a r6le Vcrs. 20-2tl.-The apostle's fourth and inc-onsistent with the sovereign mediatorship Inst warning is directed against rucetio rules 1..•f CLrU!t (i;~e not.ee on vers. IO and i5). ojiife. From whom all the body, through its joinings Ver. 20.-Ifyo died with Christ from the and bands being supplied o.nd knit together, ndimeuts of the world (vers. 8, 10-13; incre3,eeth with the inoraa.se of God ( eh. i. eh. iii. 3; Rom. vi. 1-11 ; vii. 1-6; 2 Car. IS; Eph. i. 22. 23; iv. 15, 16; John xv. 1- v. B-17). "Therefore" is strnck out by G; I Cor. iii. G). Disloyalty to" the head" the Revisers on the best authority. It works destruction to" tbo body," which in "oulcl imply a logico.l dependence of this this case "proceeds from" ('' grows out of," ,·crse upon tho last, which does not exist. <'! ... ali~<1) its Head, while it dcpcn<lsupon This warning, like I.hose of vcrs. 16, 18, him. Gnosticism from the beginning tended looks bnck to tho previous section, and to disintegrate the Church, by the caste- especially to Yers. 8, l 0, 12. It is a new rc-cling (eh. i. 28, note ; iii. 11) and the sec- application of St. Paul's fundamental prin- tarian spirit to which it gave birth (ver. 8; ciple of the union of the Christian with Acts xx. 30). Its yuguo o.nd subjective Christ in his death and resurrection (see doctrines were ready to assume o. different notes, vers. 11, 12). Accepting the death form with each new exponent Here lies of Christ ns supplying the means of his the connection between this and the Ephe- redemption (r.h. i. 14, 22), nnd the lo.w of sian letter, the doctrine of the Church fol- his fuluro life (Phil. ili/10; 2 Cor. v. 14, 15; lowing upon and growing out cf tl.Jat of tho Gal. ii. 20), the Christian breaks with and person of Christ, each being thrcatene<l-the becomes dead (t,o and) from all other, latter immediat~ly, the former more remotely former religious principles; which appear -by I.he rue of the new JuUIDo-Cbristian to him now but childish, tcntati ve gropings mvstic rationalism. Colossians asserts .the after and preparations for whnt i.8 given " thou in me" of John xvii. 23; Ephesians him in Christ (comp. Gal. ii. HJ ; iii. 24; the corresponding" I in them;" nnd both the iv. 2, 3; Rom. vii. 6). On "rudiments," consequent "tl:cy made perfect in one" see note, ver. 8. Thero theso "rudiments (comp., especially, Eph. iii. 14-21 and iv. 7 of the world" appear as genero.l (" philoso- -16 with eh. i 15-20 and ii. 9-15). (On phico.l ") principles of religion, intrinsi- "body," see note,ch. i 18.) 'Aq,,1 signifies, not cally false o.nd empty; hero they are moral "joints" ns parts of the bony skeleton, but in- rules of life, mean 1md worthless substitutes cludes all points of contact and conn.ection in for " the law of the Spirit of life in ChriBt the body; Lalin nexus, junctura (see Light- J ems." (For the Pauline idiom," died from foot). Bengel and Meyer, following CLrysos- (so o.s to be separate, or free from)," comp. tom, interpret it a.s '' senses," or" nerves;" but Rom. Yii. 2, 6; Acts xiii. 39.) Why, as (men) tLis does not commend itself either lexically living i.u (the) world, are you mndo BUbjcct or contextually. The <ruvoe<Tµ.oC (comp. eh, to decrees (Gal. iv. 9; v. l ; Yi. 14; 2 Uor. iii. 14) are the "ligaments," the stronger v. 17). To adopt the rules of the new nnd more distinct connections that give the teachers is to return to the worldly, pre- bodily framework unity and solidity. So, Christian typo of religion which the Christian by the organic co-operation of I.he whole had onc,o for all abo.ndoned (Gal. iv. 9). structure, the body of Christ is furniihed "World" bears the emphasis rather thnn with it, supplies, enabled to receive and dis- "liviu;;" (" having one's principle of life;" pense to each member the needed snsten- comp. 1 Tim. v. 6; Luke xii. 15). Stand- o.ncc; and "knit together" (vcr. 2), drawn ing without the article, it signifies •• the into o. close and firm unity. "Supplied" worl<l as such," in its 11atural chnraoter and (comp. 2 Car. iL 10; Gal. iii 5) indicates a attainments, without Christ (ver. 8; Epll. sustenance botu required and due. In eh. ii. 12; l Car. i. 21). J10-yµa:rC(e119e (the verb i 6 we: rtad of the increase of the gospel, in only !Jere in the New Testament) is po.ssivG cb. i. 10 oJ" tlUJ individual believer, and now rather than middle in voice (Winer, p. 326; of the Church ,u a body (Eph. ii. 21; iv. 16). see Meyer in loc.); litero.lly, why are you "TLe incrcn.ce of Goel•• is that which God being dogmatized, o"erridden with decrees f b(;stows (1 Cor. iii. 6), as it proceeds "from Compare" spoil" (vcr. 8), "Judge" (vor. 16), Christ" (<! ui: ver. 10; eh. iii 11; John i for tile domineering spint of the tlllse lG), in whom is "tLe fuloess of the God- teacher. Tile "<logma.s" or "decrees" of he,<l" (ver. 9: comp. Eph. i. 23 and iii 17 ver. 14 (see note) o.re those of the Divine -HI). In Eph. iv. lG the snme icko. is Law; these are of hum:m imposition (vers, t::q,rc-~s•od in o.lmo:st tlie same terms. There, 8, 22), which their authors, however, Beem CII, 11, 1-23,] TUE FPIS'l'LE TO 'fllE COLOSSIANS. 95