The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 152

EXPOSITION. supremaey of Christ, tT,e unity of the Chris- CHAPTER ID. tian brotherhood, and the sacredness of the Vere. 1-17.-SECTION VII. Tim TRUE natural constitution o.f human life, which CHBISTUN LIFE. The apostle, having de- were threatened by the rise of Gnosticism livered his attack on the system of error in- in Oolossre, underlie the apostle's exposition culcated e.t Colossre, now p11sses from the of Christian ethics. Paragraphs (a) to (d) controversio.l to the more practical pur- in the above analysis we have grouped to- port of his letter. There is no break, how- gether under the title given to this section ; ever, in the current of his thought; for (e) demands a separate treatment; natl (/) throughout this cho.pter he urges thfl pursuit and (g) will finally be bracketed together. of o. practical Christio.n life in o. sense and Vera. 1, 2.-lf, therefore, ye were raised in e. manuer silently opposed to the ten- together with Christ, seek tho things above, dencies of Gnosticizing error. How much where Christ is, seo.ted at God's right hand; more congeni11l wns the task to which he mind the things above, not the things upon now addresses himself we may judge, per- the earth (eh. ii. 11-13, 20; Rom. vi. 1-11; haps, from the ease e.nd simplicity which Eph. i. 20-22; Phil. iii. 20; Matt. vi. 10, mark the lo.nguage of this chapter, ns com- 20; Luke xii. 13-40). The apostlo has pared with the abrupt and seemingly em- nlrendy shown that when his readers, enter- bo.rre.ssed style of the Inst section. We may ing the gate of baptism, became Christians o.nalyze the hortatory section of the Epistle through faith in Christ, they diecl ,cilh !tin, (eh. iii. I-iv. 6) ns follows: (a) eh. iii.1-1, (eh. ii. 20), ioere buried, then raisc,l and urging the Colossio.ns to maintain a lofty made ali1Je together witl• him (eh. ii. 11-13): spiritual life; (b) vers. 5-8, to put off their comp. Rom. vi. 1-11. So they were re- old vices, impurity, malioe, falsehood; (c) stored to peace and favour with God (eh. i. vers. 9-14, to put on the new Christian 21-23; ii. 13, 14), severed from their old virtues, especially gentleness, forgivingness, life of sin (eh. ii. 11), and set in the palb of love; (d) vers. 15-17, to let the sovereign holiness (eh. i. 22). At the snme time, tliey influence of Christ sway their whole life- left behind all childish, tentative forms and iuword, socio.I, secular; (e) ver. 18-ch. iv. notions ("rudiments") of religion, whether 1, enjoining the Christian discharge of their Jewish or non-Jewish (eh. ii. 8, ll, IS, relative duties, as wives and husbands, chil- 20-23). They became dead both from sin dren and fathers, serrants and masle1·s, under and from human modes of s11lvation. Doth the sense of their allegiance to the Lord 11re included in "the things upon th6 enrth," Christ; (f) eh. iv. 2-4, exhorting to con- to which belong nt onco the grosser sensual stant prayer, e.nd especially for the 11postle forms of sin (vcr. 5) with its "sur[citing of llimself at the present juncture; 11ncl (!]) the flesh" ( eh. ii. 23), 11nrl th11t vo.unte• l vers. 5, 6, to wise conduct and edifying philosophy, whic-h is nrter 1111 c11rth-born aml speech toward them that are tcithout. It 011rthward tending (eh. ii. 8, 20), bri11gin~ will be seen how much moro comD!'chensive tho soul 11ge.in into bondage to material and system11tio is tho view thus· presentecl thingd. Tho apostlo lifts bis readers mto a of Christian duty tlrnn thnt furnished by new, heavenly sphere. Ho bi<ls them nmko earlier Epistles; o.nd how tho i<lcns of the "tho things nboYe," i.e. "tho things of  THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS, [ea. m. 1-25.