Colossians 1:9 “We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be
filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding”.
In a study on the letter to
the Colossians, we learn that Paul’s prayers for the believers in Colossae
reflect his true feelings about them and provide us with instruction. His
gratitude for the Colossians’ faith implies that they received a full
revelation of Christ and should not look for a “higher” religion. Paul advances
the point, encouraging them to continue in what they had learned and not to
pursue the false “spiritual vitality” allegedly found among the heretics.
The lesson teaches that we
are ever tempted to pursue dazzling displays of “spiritual vitality” and quick growth
that are supposedly available through that one insight or method heretofore overlooked.
A great many books and teachers today promise speedy advancements in power and
holiness, (whether it be through the exact repetition of the same prayer every
day, the “name it and claim it” of the health-and-wealth gospel, or the promise
of immediate victory over the Devil through a post-conversion baptism of the
Spirit). Far less is actually achieved in the lives of most who embrace such
teachings, as any honest survey of such things reveals. Yet emphases on secret
or obscure methodologies for spiritual growth have actually been a problem in
the church for ages. Back in first-century Colossae, false teachers promised
quick paths to spiritual maturity through diet plans, ascetic practices, holy
days, and more.
The apostle’s answer is not
to deny spiritual growth and progress altogether, but to ground it in the faithful,
simple pursuit of what has been presented clearly to all in the gospel. Paul’s
prayer in indicates that growth comes through diligent continuance in what God
has revealed to the whole church, not in chasing after the latest fad. He asks
the Lord to help the Colossians walk in a fruitful manner, just as the simple
gospel of Paul and Epaphras bears fruit in the whole world. Paul also prays for
increasing knowledge of the Lord’s will — a deeper understanding of the truth that
is accessible to all in the gospel message and that strengthens the faith of
those who believe it. That Paul prays for such things — things people already
had in the preaching of the truth — shows that believers are brought into the
kingdom and made mature in the same way, namely, in studying and hearing the
Word of God that has been revealed to all His people.
The
study concludes that it is all too easy for us to think that once we know the
basics of the gospel, we must then move beyond them for true spiritual growth.
Yet it is not extra-biblical revelations and methods that mature us, nor is it
the search for mysterious, esoteric meanings and codes in Scripture. Instead,
it is the continual attempt to plumb the depths of the gospel message and its
application to all of life, which is, in fact, the story of the Bible.
Blessings
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