Chapter Eight
Colossians 1:25-28 Unveiled to Make Known
Paul identified himself as a minister for the gospel message (see verse 23) and then wrote about how he rejoiced in his suffering for the sake of the gospel on the behalf of the people of the Colossae church as well as for the whole church (see verse 24), where Paul says he was also a minister to the church (see verse 25). Being a minister for the gospel and the church may sound like the same thing but they are not. The gospel message is the message of salvation for all people and the church is the “service delivery” mechanism that God chose to deliver that message to the lost.
1:25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
Paul says he became a minister to the church, to all Christians, “according to the stewardship” from God. The word ‘stewardship’ is another word that has been hijacked and to some degree largely misunderstood by many churches. The Greek word ‘oikonmia’ refers to one being in management or one that is an administrator (see Ephesians 3:1-3). Paul is saying God gave him the privilege and responsibility to do something for them (and ultimately for us). Paul was given the assignment to make the Word of God fully known to the church and to the world, a task that Paul did not run from, but instead ran full speed ahead towards!
The words, “fully known,” is a single Greek word (‘pleroō’). In the previous verse, we saw the phrase, “am filling up” that contained the same word preceded by two Greek prefixes making one big word ‘antanapleroō’, which means to turn from whatever they are doing to fill in for someone else (Paul used that term to describe how Christians fill in for Jesus through suffering, again not as a requirement for salvation, since Jesus completed that task, but for persecution since we proclaim the same message of salvation). Here the word ‘pleroō’ by itself means, “to make full,” “to complete,” or “to carry through to the end.”
The church was to make the Word of God fully known. How was the church to do that, or better yet, how are we supposed to do that? In the book of Ephesians, Paul clearly identified the purpose of the church when he wrote: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” (Ephesians 4:11–13, ESV). The purpose of the church was and still is, “to equip the saints for the work of ministry,” so that the people of God, namely all Christians (not just the ones that get paid) are to go and take the gospel message to others. When does that instruction conclude? Not until everyone in the church has matured in Christ or at least not until the “fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (see Romans 11:25). In other words, we are to continue what Jesus started and then later revealed through Paul, and accept our calling as a mandate from God. The whole counsel of the Word of God must continue to be taught (not just what is easy to teach or just our favorite stories), preached and learned (what good is teaching, if the Word is not learned). In that sense, we never graduate from learning the Bible while we are here on earth.
1:26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.
Paul further points out that the concept of the church was a mystery. While I know, everyone loves a good mystery, this is not what the word Paul uses here means. The Greek word ‘mistērion’ refers to something that has yet been revealed. Paul is not referring to some form of secret writing, teaching or something that only a few people may know (like many religions attempt to make you believe) but the truth that was perhaps not fully understood or was previously hidden. We need to remember that God will reveal His truth to His people only at the right time (see Deuteronomy 29:29).
Verse 26 continues by saying that there was something that was indeed hidden for many ages and is now being revealed to God’s holy ones (Christians). Paul was given the privilege to reveal many of God’s mysteries and truths that were concealed in the Old Testament but were now to be revealed in the New Testament. Paul made known the incarnate God (which we will see later in Colossians 2:2-9); Israel’s unbelief (see Romans 11:25); contempt and violation of the law as well as the man of lawlessness (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12); the church and how it includes both Jews and Gentiles (see Ephesians 3:1-6); that not all people will die (see 1 Corinthians 15:50-52) and that the truth is available to all people (see 1 Corinthians 2:6-16). Paul once again reveals, or perhaps more accurately, reiterating, what the church is and what it is supposed to be doing.
1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Even though the Jews were given the responsibility to be a light to the world, which they ultimately did through the birth of Jesus (see Isaiah 42:6; 49:16; 52:10; 60:3; Luke 2:10, 32; Acts 13:47; 26:23), Paul says that God chose the saints (the church, all Christians) to make known to all non-believers the greatness of God’s riches (while it is true that this Greek word for riches refers to financial wealth, the word is most often used in the Bible to refer to what Jesus did for us and His glorious gift offered to all, see Ephesians 1:15-13; 3:14-19).
Paul then reveals another mystery, that the “Hope of Glory”, namely Jesus Christ, lives in us (our hope in Jesus is eternal, see 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 and Ephesians 1:13-14). While the Old Testament prophesied the coming of the Messiah, Paul was now revealing that the Messiah would live and remain in us forever (see John 17:23; Romans 8:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 1:17-18; 2:22; Galatians 2:20). This would come as a shock to many of the early Christian readers since the permanent dwelling of God in a person would be a new concept to them (see Psalms 51:11; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 4:30).
1:28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
He further reveals that we, the people of the church, are to proclaim Jesus, beginning with a warning. The Greek word translated here as ‘warning’ is ‘noutheteō’, which is most often translated as ‘admonish’ (see Acts 20:21; Romans 15:4; 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 and later in Colossians 3:16). The practice of admonishing is often neglected by churches and Christians today. One can see why, because as soon as someone is admonished, their personal defense mechanism is triggered, followed by a strong sense of pride and while standing firm in their pride they don’t change, resulting with them leaving that church. Obviously, this is an excuse, as churches need to choose whether they are going to be offensive to God or be offensive to man.
Paul combines the need to warn with the statement that we are to teach everyone with all wisdom, we are to teach everyone the whole counsel of God (the entire Bible) and clearly proclaim the gospel message. We are to teach until everyone is a fully mature (the Greek word implies that the teaching is to continue until everyone is fully, not partially, taught), which brings us back to Ephesians chapter four. “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16, ESV) Paul would later explain and clarify that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV). All Scripture is to be continuously proclaimed, taught, and applied (lived), that’s our job.