Bible Commentaries

This letter is correlative to the Ephesians, and shows the glory of the Head of the Church as at her disposal. After expressing his thankfulness for the faith, love, and hope of the saints, Paul tells them that he was praying that they might be filled with the knowledge of His will," and declares that the reason of such prayer is that they may "walk worthily of the Lord."

Provision is made for this in the twofold fact that they have been "delivered" and "translated." Set free from the dominion of sin, they are "translated . . . into the Kingdom of the Son of His love." It is here that Paul set forth the glories of the Person of the Redeemer in a passage that is unique for its revealing beauty. Of the invisible God, He is the Image. As to the creation, He is the Firstborn, that is, the One who has preeminence both as Originator and Sustainer. As to the Church, He is the Head, and now is described as "First-born from the dead." The apostle summarized the whole truth concerning the glories of the Person of Christ in his declaration, "It was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell."

It is the purpose of God, through Christ, "to reconcile all things to Himself." The means of reconciliation is the Cross. The issue of the reconciliation is that those who were "alienated . . . enemies in your mind in your evil works" are to become "holy . . . without blemish . . . unreprovable." In this connection the apostle claims that to him had been committed the stewardship of the truth concerning the Church as the medium through which the glorious purpose of God would be accomplished. Therefore, the aim of this epistle, and, indeed, of all apostolic work is admonishing and teaching every man toward the realization of perfection in Christ, because that issues in the perfecting of the whole Church.