My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Summary: Paul’s mind contains a myriad of concepts, large and small. As we make our way through his letter to us, it sometimes helps to stand back and admire the scenery.
For regular readers of this blog, it probably comes as a shock to see that we’ve included two whole verses in today’s meditation. Don’t worry — we will do some “slicing and dicing” on the significant parts of this passage in the days to come. For now, I thought it would be a good thing to look over the structure of Paul’s whole sentence.
Paul thinks in BIG PICTURES. In his last sentence, he describes how hard he is “contending” for the Colossians and others. In this sentence, he gives us details of what he is contending for.
- His goal is that believers everywhere will remain encouraged.
- He wants all believers to be united in love.
- Paul struggles to ensure that everyone fully understands the Gospel message.
- He wants everyone to know the mystery of God: Jesus Christ.
None of this should be a surprise to anyone who has read the New Testament. What makes Paul unique is how he packages all these topics together in one sentence. In addition to long, involved sentences, Paul typically references concepts that he has explained in other letters.
If you find Paul’s writings hard to follow, don’t worry. You are not alone! Paul was blessed to be born with a brain equipped with extra capacity for complexity and detail. Together, as we unpack Paul’s words, we will strive to discover the hidden treasures contained in them.
Application: When consuming Paul’s writings, it is best to use small bites.
Food for Thought: What is your advice to others when it comes to reading Paul’s letters?
Thanks brother.
I think my advice would be the same as reading any passage of scripture. Keep it in the context that was intended. A text without a context is a pretext.
I know – boring. But probably important.
Thanks for your devotional today and I hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving.
Thank you, Rich!
You are right, of course! With Paul’s writings, that can be especially challenging because his “context” involves so many connections to other passages in the Bible. You might say his context is the whole Bible! 🙂
Amen
At the surface level Paul writes marvelous truths about God’s grace, atonement, our salvation, redemption, and adoption through Christ. Much of which is easily understood. My advice to those who want to understand just how marvelous the truth
of which he speaks I would recommend following an “author, audience, agenda” format. Learn Paul’s personal history and conversion, learn in each letter the history and circumstance of whom he was addressing the letters to, and learn the purpose and what he was addressing in each letter. This brings to light the applicability of Paul’s writings, despite being written around two thousand years ago, and how they very much still apply in our lives today. They forthtell a great measure of God’s eternal truth, and provide a clear image of Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, Interceder, and the cornerstone of both His Church and our lives.
Thank you, Chris!
Like Rich’s comment on context, your approach expands the context to include — in some cases — more than related texts.
What is your advice to others when it comes to reading Paul’s letters?
Know we are reading the eternal Word of God. Inspired and preserved in its current form to communicate and empower His people to comfortably apply His will in our lives as we die to the power of our flesh and grow spiritually, becoming closer to our God.
Select a version written in words you easily understand. A new believer should not begin with the King James Version.
Turn off the TV and select a quiet place where you are able to fully focus on spending time reading and applying Gods message.
Always pray, prepare your heart and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to clarify and apply God’s message to you.
Have a writing implement so you may underline, or make notes on meaningful messages.
Thanks, Ron!
I like the direct approach — seeing Scripture as a personal letter from God.