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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

The Apostolic Prayer

Submitted to Professor James Wood,

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

Research paper 2

RTCH-500

Research, Writing and Ministry Preparation

Ethan Vanscoy

August 7, 2016

Table of Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1

Context .................................................................................................................................. 4

Meaning ................................................................................................................................. 6

Significance of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. ..................................................................... 8

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 10

Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 11

Introduction

The Apostolic prayer was written within a letter to the Colossians by Paul an Apostle to the Gentiles

ordained by God Himself to bring the gentiles into the Kingdom of God. In this prayer he encourages and

blesses the readers in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Paul is uplifting the Church at Colossae as

all members of the body of Christ should always do. The question is: why is Paul writing a letter to the

Colossians when allegedly he had never even been to the church? Why the need for such a heartfelt apostolic

prayer? It’s because I believe that the Colossians had fallen into some sort of back slide maybe even become

“watered down”. In this paper we will go through many resources and we will establish the historical setting,

who it was written to, (the Colossians) and why it was written (possible backslide). Epaphras was the one who

brought the word to the Colossians and he was with Paul during the writing of this letter

. Later on in the letter

Paul speaks vaguely about how they were on the verge of a back-slide into paganism and heresies, and I believe

Paul is praying for them making intercessions in the spirit for the church

“9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and

to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual

understanding;

10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every

good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience

and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the

inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into

the kingdom of his dear Son:

J. Hampton Keathley. Background on Colossians. July 1, 2012. https://bible.org/seriespage/background Colossians (accessed August

22, 2016).

Richison, Dr. Grant C. INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS. October 19, 2014.

http://versebyversecommentary.com/books/introduction-to-colossians/ (accessed August 22, 2016).

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”

If the church at Colossae was falling into Jewish tradition and medieval forms of punishment to control

the body from sinful lust then the church had lost sight of its very core and foundation. If the church was

pursuing ungodly acts and performing them in order to please God then the church was in serious trouble. If this

were true then it would explain why he wrote the letter, it would explain the apostolic prayer. In this paper we

are going to cover Why Who What When and Where but most importantly Why.

The true date of when Paul penned the epistle to the Colossians is a mystery known only to Paul and

God Himself. There is much controversy as to when it was written, too much debate by too many scholars to

even bother going into detail about, but most scholars will agree that if Paul himself had written the letter (to

which there is still much debate about) then it had to be written during his imprisonment in Rome which would

put it around 61 A.D. which we as believers ought to believe too.

Colossae was located about one hundred miles east of Ephesus; it was a Graeco-Phrygian city in the

Roman proconsular of Asia also known as Asia Minor. Colossae was part of a tri-city area made up of

Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis. This was a major trade route, the major meeting point between the east and

the west. Compared with the other two cities, Colossae was a small city whose church was faced by the problem

of intermingling with the majority Jews and pagans.

The early Christians of Colossae were thus very vulnerable to indoctrination back to the old selves of

paganism or the extreme Jews traditions. Paul therefore needed to strengthen these brethren in order for them to

face all the temptations that came their way. In its day Colossae was a large thriving and very populated city,

but when Paul had written this letter it had become very much over shadowed by its neighboring cities. It is

ironic that with two major growing cities with congregations of their own on either side of a dwindling Colossae

that Colossae was the one to gets a letter written to them not the other two cities

. One professor of Greek Dr.

S. Lewis Johnson observed that Colossae was the most insignificant church any epistle of Paul is addressed to

The same sentiment was made by one of the most decorated theologian to have made commentaries on the New

Testament literature Bishop Lightfoot.

Malick, David. introduction to colossians. January 20, 2014. https://bible.org/article/introduction-book-colossians (accessed August

22, 2016).

J. Hampton Keathley. Background on Colossians. July 1, 2012. https://bible.org/seriespage/background-colossians (accessed August

22, 2016).

Context

The Colossians were founded by Epaphras (cf. 1:7, 8; 2:1, 4:12-13) Paul converted him at Ephesus (cf.

Col. 1:7-8 and compare 2:1) predominantly it was gentiles (cf. 1:21; 3; 7). Paul was visited by Epaphras while

in prison and told him about how the church had adopted false teachers who were mixing Greek mythology

with Christianity This is referred to as Gnosticism (2:8) as well as Jewish legalism (cf. Jewish elements, 2:11,

16, 17: 3:11, angel worship, 1:16, 2:15, 18 and asceticism 2:20-23). In Colossae, there a very large community

of Hellenistic Jews, whose core problem revolved around work and person of Christ. Gnostics did not believe

he was fully man yet fully God at the same time but rather fully God alone. They based this off of their theology

of eternal antagonistic dualism between matter and spirit. They promoted Jesus’ divinity but denied his

humanity, further denying his mediatorial pre-eminence. They believed there were numerous levels of angels

between man and God; Jesus, they believed may have been the highest but still was only one of the gods. In

addition they considered themselves to be modern day intellectuals in that time (cf. 3:11, 14, 16, and 17)

These people did not view supremacy of Christ as taught by Paul in his message to the church which was their

own philosophy. Furthermore, due to the wide spread Colossian heresy which contradicted the true teachings of

Christ, Paul writes to the church to guard them against a relapse and falling for the solution offered to them by

those who dismissed all the sufficiency of Christ as the provider, protector and forgiver of their sins (cf. 2:8-23).

He urges them to direct their strength to Christ the Son of God and savior of sins

They also boasted of an exclusive secret knowledge (cf. 2:15, 18, 19 ) that will get you to God and not

Jesus’ atoning, vicarious sacrifice and mankind’s repentant faith response to His free offer of forgiveness.

J. Hampton Keathley. Background on Colossians. July 1, 2012. https://bible.org/seriespage/background-colossians (accessed August

22, 2016).

Beet, Joseph. STUDYLIGHT.ORG. February 11, 2016. http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jbc/colossians-1.html (accessed

August 21, 2016).

During the time when Paul receives a report on the progress of the church of Colossae by his aide

Epaphras, while still in imprisoned, he was not fully impressed by what he received. The Colossians were in the

danger of abandoning their faith as a result of influences from the non-believers who were largely pagans and

engaged in a lot of immorality (cf. 1:21-24 and 2:6).

Heretic teachings among the Colossians put emphasis on un-Christ-like teachings which included

teachings from Greek pagan cults. It also emphasized on higher knowledge and special revelation but failed to

disclose the mystical experiences which are in the epistle of Paul

. Neopythagoreanism, pre-Christian

Gnosticism, Jewish mysticism and Iranian redemption myth among other practices prevalent at the time when

the church at Colossae was in its infant stages were most likely to compromise the teachings of Paul on true

fellowship with Christ

. The church at Colossae was facing serious doctrinal and practical problems though Paul

does use his skill not to formally mention the problem of heresy facing the Colossians probably in order to

avoid conflict with other non-believers. However, his arguments point to the fact that the church at Colossae

faced the threat of false teachings aimed at undermining the person and work of Christ and the sufficiency the

believers have on Him.

Pocock, Helen. Christ has everything that you need. May 12, 2010. http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentary/col-lbw.htm

(accessed August 20, 2016).

Richison, Dr. Grant C. INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS. October 19, 2014.

http://versebyversecommentary.com/books/introduction-to-colossians/ (accessed August 22, 2016).

Meaning

This unwavering concern for the Church of Colossae, a very small congregation, by Apostle Paul is a

demonstration of how determined he was with the evangelical mission which he was called into by God. Even

though he had not been to Colossae himself, he felt the need to keep this congregation on track. He could not

afford the luxury of them going back to where they had been delivered from and hence the need to write to

them. He writes to them to remind them of their call to endure suffering for the sake of Christ (cf. 1:11 and

1:24)

Since this epistle is written at a time when the believers in Colossae are grappling with the problem of

Colossian heresies, the most profound message is that of Christ-the pre-eminent and all-sufficient savior (cf.

2:9-10). The focus of this epistle is Christ as the answer to the Colossian heresy.

"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and

you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality

and power."

Just like all his other letters to believers all around the world, Paul begins this letter with salutation to the

Colossians a church that he has never visited in person to show to them the feeling of universal brotherhood

united in Christ. He reaffirms his position and authority with whose he write to them as an Apostle of God. He

wishes that peace be with them and refers to the church of Colossae as a holy people (cf. 1:1-3) meaning that

Copeland, Mark A. "THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. January 21, 2013. http://www.ccel.org/contrib/exec_outlines/colo.htm

(accessed August 21, 2016).

Elizabeth, Elliot. INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS. November 12, 2015.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/eo/col/col000.cfm (accessed August 22, 2016).

the Christians have abandoned their old selves of sinfulness and are now new people of God. He emphasizes the

deeds of Christ upon this new church which now lives in the grace of God which is bestowed upon them

through his son

Paul further reaffirms to these believers the prize of being committed Christians through endurance of

all that pains the flesh for the sake of the Good news. They are assured of being with Jesus in his glory in

heaven (cf. 3:4). He makes a solemn prayer for the Colossians reminding them of the power of God to forgive

sins. Unlike the false teachers who believed they had secret wisdom and taught people how to understand it,

Paul teaches the believers on the true source of wisdom which is the Holy Spirit. Once liberated from sin, the

evil no longer has power over the believers (cf. 1:13-14).

Paul’s message on the supremacy of Christ teaches on the importance He plays in the salvation of

mankind. He cannot be compared with any angel in heaven as his death resurrection exalted Him to be with

God at his throne in heaven. He is the source of all good things and guides the believers through the Holy Spirit.

They should continue dwelling in him for his sustenance in their lives. Christians are instructed to shun those

teachings that sought to lower the supremacy of Jesus.

Christians are also instructed on how to live with one another in their new life (cf. 3:1-23). Every

member of the congregation is urged to live Christ-like life full of virtues. Being helpful to one another and

strengthen the weak in their midst. Should show compassion for the suffering whether believers or not. The

family unit is instructed on the way to live as an indication of Christ working within it.

Apple, Paul. “Complete in Christ.” Colossians.PDF. July 2003 Accessed July 17,

2016.http://bibleoutlines.com/library/pdf/colossians.pdf.

Significance of Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

The essence Paul writing to the Colossians is mainly to counter these false teachings and theology with

sound Christology and bringing out the practical outworking of this in the daily living of a believer (cf. 2:4-23).

He also writes to them to assert his personal interest in Colossians (cf. 1:3,4,2:3) and also to warn the Christians

from falling back to their old pagan vices (cf. 3:5).

Paul’s letter was meant to correct the effects of the religious theories and speculations of the ancients

concerning man, sin and salvation. The effect of this on Christology and the practical behavior of the church.

False theory results in wring behavior due to the difficulty in dealing with a man’s condition in sin and it also

bypasses God’s solution for a man in sin. False theory has the wrong view of God, man, sin and salvation

The epistle to Colossians is very relevant to Christians today as at the time it was written to Colossae.

Only names of the heresies have changed along with the many of the religious and philosophical ideas but the

underlying imaginations of man is basically the same no matter what religious or humanistic idea is being

promoted. The church today lives in a time where religious toleration is taught to mean that one religion is as

good as the other. It is an age of syncretism where people are trying to unite many schools of thought and give

rise to superior religion. This is a time when the evangelical churches are likely to compromise the true faith in

trying to understand the beliefs of others. Man-made philosophies, legalism, Eastern religion among other

aspects of religion that draw parallelism with the Colossian heresies are finding their way into the church today.

Such teachings do not deny Christ but dethrone Him of his rightful place of preeminence

Barclay, William. STUDYLIGHT.ORG. September 6, 2014. http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/colossians-1.html

(accessed August 20, 2016).

Apple, Paul. “Complete in Christ.” Colossians.PDF. July 2003 Accessed July 17,

2016.http://bibleoutlines.com/library/pdf/colossians.pdf.

All forms of syncretism were rejected in the early church because of their strong conviction that Jesus

alone was God and the way to salvation which the Colossians firmly stressed. Likewise, the church today

should must banish modern day syncretism in order to maintain the purity of the church. We may tolerate

genuine pluralism by accepting that different religions can co-exist and live in harmony but not syncretism

where some Christians believe that different religions can be combined. Legal tolerance is acceptable where

everyone is free to believe in whatever faith they wish and should not be coerced into accepting our beliefs.

Also social tolerance which entails respecting all people even in the instances when we vehemently disagree

with their religious beliefs and ideologies, is acceptable

too. Christians must live peacefully with all people

even those with divergent faiths or have no faith at all. Self-righteousness among Christians is condemned as all

believers need no to judge others and should recognize that they are part of the sinful human race, imperfect and

all are created in the image of God. However, uncritical tolerance that avoids vigorous debate in quest for truth

has no place in today’s church. This kind of tolerance teaches that we should not defend our views on morality,

respect for human life and have no right to disagree with liberal social agenda. It is an excuse for skepticism

and keeping any religious commitment away from our lives leading to vulnerability to accept even the most

unfounded and bizarre religious ideologies. Christians today can draw a message from the epistle to Colossians

to rise above the multitudes and desires of the flesh and proclaim the true Gospel of Jesus Christ at all costs.

Richison, Dr. Grant C. INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS. October 19, 2014.

http://versebyversecommentary.com/books/introduction-to-colossians/ (accessed August 22, 2016).

Conclusion

Of all Paul’s letters to the early Christians, the epistle to the Colossians is the most relevant to Christians

today. We are living in a time of increased number of human philosophies. Humans are filled with belief in

their own strength to solve problems afflicting them rather than have the absolute belief in God as their sole

provider and sustainer of mankind as taught in the scripture. Secular humanism and religious syncretism

continue to play major role in most of people’s lives who have sought answers to the daily living in a new age

movement

which seeks to unify the whole world. This is a kind of religion whose belief in monoism disputes

the trinity of God and that God is an impersonal force or a consciousness.

The message contained in the book of Colossians therefore is as relevant today as when it was addressed

to Colossae. Christians need to be reminded of the true form of worship and the truth about God as entailed in

the Bible rather than theological knowledge that seem to ultimately contradict with these teachings.

J. Hampton Keathley. Background on Colossians. July 1, 2012. https://bible.org/seriespage/background-colossians (accessed

August 22, 2016).

Bibliography

Apple, Paul. “Complete in Christ.” Colossians.PDF. July 2003 Accessed July 17, 2016.

http://bibleoutlines.com/library/pdf/colossians.pdf.

Barclay, William. STUDYLIGHT.ORG. September 6, 2014.

http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/colossians-1.html (accessed August 20, 2016).

Beet, Joseph. STUDYLIGHT.ORG. February 11, 2016. http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jbc/colossians-

1.html (accessed August 21, 2016).

Copeland, Mark A. "THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. January 21, 2013.

http://www.ccel.org/contrib/exec_outlines/colo.htm (accessed August 21, 2016).

Elizabeth, Elliot. INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS. November 12, 2015.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/eo/col/col000.cfm (accessed August 22, 2016).

J. Hampton Keathley. Background on Colossians. July 1, 2012. https://bible.org/seriespage/background-

colossians (accessed August 22, 2016).

Malick, David. introduction to colossians. January 20, 2014. https://bible.org/article/introduction-book-

colossians (accessed August 22, 2016).

Pocock, Helen. Christ has everything that you need. May 12, 2010. http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-

commentary/col-lbw.htm (accessed August 20, 2016).

Richison, Dr. Grant C. INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS. October 19, 2014.

http://versebyversecommentary.com/books/introduction-to-colossians/ (accessed August 22, 2016).

Utley, Bob. Introduction to Colossians. November 27, 2012. https://bible.org/seriespage/introduction-colossians

(accessed August 22, 2016).

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