Title: Faithful Brothers
Contents
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy the brother, To the saints in Colossae, the faithful brethren in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father (Colossians 1:1-2)
The fullness of the church's grace is possible only through the words of Jesus. If we come to know Jesus who died on the cross through the words of Jesus and live in the belief that Jesus is our everything and our life, then we can say that the church is full of grace.
Therefore, the church's attention should be only on the Word, and it should be able to rejoice in knowing who Jesus is and realizing His grace and love more deeply, and that should be the goal of the church. At that time, the church will be able to say, 'We have enough of the Word.' In other words, the number of members or finances should not be the concern of the church, nor should it be the goal of the church.
If the church is oriented toward external things such as the number of members or finances, the church built by the blood of Christ has no idea what kind of grace it is under and what kind of fullness it enjoys. It will degenerate into a group that imposes commitment and service. And the gospel other than the gospel that Jesus preached through the apostles will result in the domination of the church.
The church in Colossae, to which the Apostle Paul wrote the epistle, was in turmoil due to false teachers. To such a church, Paul is writing to urge the Colossian church to stand firm on the true word of life by telling what it is like to be a believer and what it is to live worthy of the gospel.
Verse 1 begins the epistle by saying, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy the brother”. The phrase that he became an apostle by God's will is an integral part of Paul's epistles.
Becoming a believer by the will of God should exist as a true proposition that should not be shaken by believers. If we become believers according to God's will, it means that there are certain things God wants us to do by making us believers. That is, I am a believer who exists for God's work, not my work.
The modern church has lost this proposition. And on the contrary, they seek God with another proposition that God exists for believers and works for the church. And they insist on the strange belief that God gives greater grace if they have good faith.
Verse 2 says, “To the saints in Colossae, the faithful brethren in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”
This may be a little surprising. Because, as I said, the Colossian church was not steadfast in the truth and lived for the gospel without wavering, but was confused by a false teacher. In other words, it is a church that is far from faithful.
Faithfulness we think of is living by holding on to the word of truth. Then, no matter what false teachings come in, you must stand in your faith without wavering at all. At that time, wouldn't it be possible to call it a faithful church?
From that point of view, the Colossian church is not at the level where we can say that Paul was a faithful brother. Rather, we should be rebuked for not having faith, and it is more correct to be rebuked by saying, ‘Are you deceived without discerning false teachings? However, it is surprising that Paul is called a faithful brother.
Of course, this is not just a greeting. It is not a word that pretends to be good on the outside without being inside. Paul looked at the Colossians as genuinely faithful brothers. Our concern here is, on what basis did Paul consider the Colossians to be faithful brothers?
The important word to know this is ‘in Christ’. To have a believer in Christ means to believe that the blood that Jesus shed on the cross becomes righteousness to me and contributes to life. A person who has this faith is a saint, and he is a faithful person.
When you say you are faithful, you usually try to judge by what he says or does. People say that he is faithful when he speaks and acts faithfully, that is, when he always speaks mildly in church, takes the lead in church affairs, and is diligent.
However, faithful brothers to the apostle Paul are saints in Christ. In that faith that the blood of Christ is my righteousness, Paul sees all the saints as faithful brothers.
However, there is something that hinders the faithfulness of the believer. That's another gospel approached with what we see.
The false teachers of Colossae approached them with circumcision, eating and drinking, and the feasts, new moons, and sabbaths. They were blaspheming the gospel of the apostle Epaphra preached by saying that practicing the rules of circumcision and the feasts is true faith.
The relationship of believers has nothing to do with circumcision or the observance of feasts. Since the relationship of believers is a relationship established through the blood of the cross in Christ, we already have a brotherhood relationship through faith in Jesus as Lord. This is the faithful relationship of saints.
However, false teachers blasphemed the relationship of faith in Christ by saying that if you are not circumcised and do not keep your hands, you are not a believer. The faithful brotherly relationship of sharing the grace of Jesus, rejoicing and giving thanks together, was divided into 'Have you been circumcised or not?' and 'Are you keeping the feasts or not?'
In the modern church, faith is judged based on the church's actions, and in the end, the actions are the standard, and it is the same as being divided into those who have good faith and those who have bad faith. And yet, they do not realize that it is detrimental to their faithful brotherhood in Christ. Rather than the fact that it should exist as the body of Christ, only the idea that it should be a bigger church and a church that can be proud of outside is firmly established. All of this is because they miss the clear proposition of being a believer and being a church, that they are called by the will of God.
The essence of faith is not in the form of circumcision and feasts. The essence of faith is to believe that the blood of Jesus Christ is all you are. Through this belief, believers can only look at the cross and be led to the path of life.
However, the way of thinking that insists on circumcision or feasts does not place the essence of faith in Jesus, but in human actions. I do not think about the fact that circumcision or performing the feasts is not God's will.
Hebrews 10:5-7 says, “Therefore, when he came into the world, he said, “Sacrifice and offerings were not desired by God, but a body prepared for me. He takes no pleasure in burnt offerings and sin offerings as a whole. Behold, I have come to do your will, as it is written of me in the scroll.”
Just as the sacrifices and offerings considered important by the Jews were not God's will, worship and offerings are not God's will. The only will of God is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ did the will of God perfectly by dying on the cross.
Therefore, believers must gather in Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ, circumcision, feasting, and all human deeds are gone. It's not that we don't do it, it's that we live in a world where we don't see any action as the basis of our faith. In it, believers become faithful brothers because of Jesus Christ. This is the body of Christ.