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
