My God and My Country

Sunday Sermon

Various commentary based on The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Church at Colossae

(GNV Translation)

Prefaces & Edited by R.P. Woitowitz Sr.

For this cause we also, since the day we heard of it, cease not to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be fulfilled with knowledge of his will in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding

Brethren:

When we seek God, we seek not only his blessings, of which there are many, but more importantly, we seek His guidance, wisdom, and understanding of what it is He wishes us to be on this temporal plain of existence. Acceptance of Christ, is the beginning of that wisdom (Read Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7, 9:10). We are then covered by our Creator’s mercy and grace. He in turn expects of us to follow Him, in His ways. In order to do so, we must pray for wisdom as given unto us from the Holy Scriptures, and revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.
R.P. Woitowitz Sr.

‘That ye might he filled with the knowledge of his will;’

The will of God, as the Syriac version reads it, by which is meant, not the secret will of God, according to the counsel of which he does all things in nature, providence, and grace, but his revealed will; and that either as it is signified in the law, which declares the good, and perfect, and acceptable will of God, relating to what he would have done, or avoided by his creatures; or rather, as it is exhibited in the Gospel, which contains the will of God respecting the salvation of his chosen ones; as that it is his will that Christ should obtain eternal redemption for them, to do which he voluntarily substituted himself in their room, came into this world, and has accomplished it; and that all those that are redeemed by Christ should be regenerated by the Spirit; and that whoever sees the Son, and believes in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life; as also, that all those whom he has chosen in Christ, and given to him, and he has redeemed by his blood, and who are sanctified by his Spirit, none of them should be lost, but that they should be all saved with an everlasting salvation. Now the apostle does, not pray that they might have a "knowledge" of this will of God, for some knowledge of it they had already; they had heard of the hope laid up in heaven, in the truth of the word of the Gospel; they had not only had the external, revelation, and had heard the Gospel outwardly preached, but they had known truly the grace of God; and therefore what he asks for is, that they might be "filled" with the knowledge of it; which supposes that they had knowledge, but it was not full and complete; it was imperfect, as is the knowledge of the best of saints in this life; and that they might have a larger measure of it, and such a fulness of it as they were capable of in the present state, and not such an one as the saints will have in heaven, when they shall know even as they are known.

[Likewise], he adds:

‘In all wisdom and spiritual understanding;’

His meaning is, that they might be led into all the wisdom of God, which is so largely displayed in the revelation of his will concerning the salvation of his people, which is made in the Gospel; which is the manifold wisdom of God, wherein he has abounded in all wisdom and prudence; and contains such a scheme of things, so wisely contrived and formed, that angels desire to look into it; and that they might have a "spiritual understanding" of the mysteries of grace, without which they cannot be discerned to spiritual advantage, nor indeed without the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of them: and the Ethiopic version renders it, by "the prudence of the Holy Ghost": who searches the deep things of God, and reveals them to the saints, and improves and increases their spiritual and experimental knowledge of them, which is what is here intended.”
John Gill - Theologian

“Of his will; how ye ought to walk (Read Ephesians 5:17): chiefly that 'mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which he purposed in Himself: that in the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ' (Ephesians 1:9-10): God's eternal "will" to reconcile to Himself men by Christ, not by angels, as the false teachers taught (Read Colossians 2:18)

Knowledge was the want among the Colossians, notwithstanding their general excellences; hence, he so often dwells on this (Read Colossians 1:28; Colossians 2:2-3; Colossians 3:10; Colossians 3:16; Colossians 4:5-6). Wisdom - frequent in this letter, as opposed to the (false) ‘philosophy’ and ‘show of wisdom' (Read Colossians 2:8; Colossians 2:23; Ephesians 1:8). Understanding; agacity to discern what on each occasion is suited to the place and time: its seat is 'the understanding;' wisdom is more general, and has its seat in the whole of the faculties of the soul. Bengel: 'Wouldst thou know that the matters in the Word of Christ are real? Then never read them for mere knowledge sake.' Knowledge is to be seasoned with 'spiritual understanding.' Ellicott joins 'spiritual (spirit-derived and spirit-characterized) wisdom and understanding' (Read 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 1:12).” - Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

“Nothing could satisfy the apostle, either for himself or his hearers, but the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace. The Colossians had knowledge, but they must have more; it is their privilege to be filled with it. As the bright shining of the sun in the firmament of heaven fills the whole world with light and heat, so the light of the Sun of righteousness is to illuminate their whole souls, and fill them with Divine splendor, so that they might know the will of God, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; in a word, that they might have such a knowledge of Divine things as the Spirit of truth can teach to the soul of man.” Adam Clarke - Theologian

“As he has previously shewn his affection for them in his thanksgivings, so he now shews it still farther in the earnestness of his prayers in their behalf. And, assuredly, the more that the grace of God is conspicuous in any, we ought in that proportion specially to love and esteem them, and to be concerned as to their welfare. But what does he pray for in their behalf? That they may know God more fully; by which he indirectly intimates, that something is still wanting in them, that he may prepare the way for imparting instruction to them, and may secure their attention to a fuller statement of doctrine. For those who think that they have already attained everything that is worthy of being known, despise and disdain everything farther that is presented to them. Hence he removes from the Colossians an impression of this nature, lest it should be a hinderance in the way of their cheerfully making progress, and allowing what had been begun in them to receive an additional polish. But what knowledge does he desire in their behalf? The knowledge of the divine will, by which expression he sets aside all inventions of men, and all speculations that are at variance with the word of God. For his will is not to be sought anywhere else than in his word.

He adds — in all wisdom; by which he intimates that the will of God, of which he had made mention, was the only rule of right knowledge. For if any one is desirous simply to know those things which it has pleased God to reveal, that is the man who accurately knows what it is to be truly wise. If we desire anything beyond that, this will be nothing else than to be foolish, by not keeping within due bounds. By the word συνέσεως which we render prudentiam , (prudence,) I understand — that discrimination which proceeds from intelligence. Both are called spiritual by Paul, because they are not attained in any other way than by the guidance of the Spirit.

For the animal man does not perceive the things that are of God. (Read 1 Corinthians 2:14.)

So long as men are regulated by their own carnal perceptions, they have also their own wisdom, but it is of such a nature as is mere vanity, however much they may delight themselves in it. We see what sort of theology there is under the Papacy, what is contained in the books of philosophers, and what wisdom profane men hold in estimation. Let us, however, bear in mind, that the wisdom which is alone commended by Paul is comprehended in the will of God.”

John Calvin - Theologian