Colossians 1:10

1:9-14 The apostle was constant in prayer, that the believers might be filled with the knowledge of God's will, in all wisdom. Good words will not do without good works. He who undertakes to give strength to his people, is a God of power, and of glorious power. The blessed Spirit is the author of this. In praying for spiritual strength, we are not straitened, or confined in the promises, and should not be so in our hopes and desires. The grace of God in the hearts of believers is the power of God; and there is glory in this power. The special use of this strength was for sufferings. There is work to be done, even when we are suffering. Amidst all their trials they gave thanks to the Father of our Lord Jesus, whose special grace fitted them to partake of the inheritance provided for the saints. To bring about this change, those were made willing subjects of Christ, who were slaves of Satan. All who are designed for heaven hereafter, are prepared for heaven now. Those who have the inheritance of sons, have the education of sons, and the disposition of sons. By faith in Christ they enjoyed this redemption, as the purchase of his atoning blood, whereby forgiveness of sins, and all other spiritual blessings were bestowed. Surely then we shall deem it a favour to be delivered from Satan's kingdom and brought into that of Christ, knowing that all trials will soon end, and that every believer will be found among those who come out of great tribulation.

Colossians 1:10 . Περιπατῆσαι ) that ye may walk . Such walking is derived from the knowledge of the will of God.— αξίως τοῦ Κυριου ) as it is worthy of Christ the Lord , Ephesians 4:1 .— ἀρέσκειαν , the desire of pleasing ) on your part; so far as (even to that degree that) in reality you may please the Lord. חן , LXX., αρέσκειαι , Proverbs 31:30 .— καρποφοροῦντες , bearing fruit) The participles, bearing fruit, increasing, strengthened, depend on the verb πληρωθῆτε , Colossians 1:9 , that ye may be filled.

Walk worthy (περιπατῆσαι ἀξίως) The phrase occurs Ephesians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:12. Rev. gives the correct adverbial rendering worthily. Unto all pleasing (εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρέσκειαν) So as to please God in all ways. Compare 1 Thessalonians 4:1, Ἁρέσκεια pleasing, only here in the New Testament. In classical Greek it has a bad sense, obsequiousness, cringing. Compare men-pleasers, Colossians 3:22. In the knowledge (εἰς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν) Lit. unto the knowledge. The best texts read τῇ ἐπιγνώσει "by the knowledge:" by means of.

(10) Walk worthy ( worthily ) of the Lord. Here St. Paul begins to dwell on the practical life, much in the same spirit in which, in Ephesians 4:1 , he returns from the profound thought of Colossians 2, 3 to the entreaty “to walk worthy of the vocation with which they are called.” “The Lord” is here, as usual, the Lord Jesus Christ; to walk worthy of Him is to have His life reproduced in us, to follow His example, to have “the mind of Christ Jesus.” The “worthiness” is, of course, relative to our capacity, not absolute. All pleasing.—The word here used is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, but is employed in classic and Hellenistic Greek to mean “a general disposition to please”—a constant preference of the will of others before our own. It is here used with tacit reference to God, since towards Him alone can it be a safe guide of action. Otherwise it must have the bad sense which in general usage was attached to it. St. Paul emphatically disowns and condemns the temper of “men-pleasing” (see Galatians 1:10; Ephesians 6:6; Colossians 3:22; 1Thessalonians 2:4), as incompatible with being “the servant of Christ.” He could, indeed, “be all things to all men” (1Corinthians 9:22); he could bid each man “please his neighbour for his edification” (Romans 15:12).

But the only “pleasing” to which the whole life can be conformed is (see 1Thessalonians 4:1) the consideration “how we ought to walk and to please God.” Only in subordination to this can we safely act on the desire of “all pleasing” towards men. Increasing in (or, by) the knowledge of God.—The context evidently shows that the path towards the knowledge of God here indicated is not the path of thoughtful speculation, or of meditative devotion, but the third path co-ordinate with these—the path of earnest practice, of which the watchword is, “Do and thou shalt know.”

10. Greek, "So as to walk"; so that ye may walk. True knowledge of God's will is inseparable from walking conformably to it. worthy of the Lord—(Eph 4:1). unto—so as in every way to be well-pleasing to God. pleasing—literally, "desire of pleasing." being fruitful—Greek, "bearing fruit." This is the first manifestation of their "walking worthy of the Lord." The second is, "increasing (growing) in the knowledge of God (or as the oldest manuscripts read, 'growing BY the full knowledge of God')"; thus, as the Gospel word (Col 1:6) was said to "bring forth fruit," and to "grow" in all the world, even as it did in the Colossians, ever since the day they knew the grace of God, so here it is Paul's prayer that they might continue to "bring forth fruit," and "grow" more and more by the full knowledge of God, the more that "knowledge" (Col 1:9) was imparted to them. The full knowledge of God is the real instrument of enlargement in soul and life of the believer [Alford]. The third manifestation of their walk is (Col 1:11), "Being strengthened with all might," &c. The fourth is (Col 1:12), "Giving thanks unto the Father," &c.

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord - That you may live as becomes the followers of the Lord. How this was to be done he states in this and the following verses. Unto all pleasing - So as to please him in all things; compare Hebrews 11:5. Being fruitful in every good work - This is one way in which we are to walk worthy of the Lord, and so as to please him; see the notes at John 15:8. And increasing in the knowledge of God - This is another way in which we may walk worthy of the Lord, and so as to please him. It is by endeavoring to become better acquainted with his true character. God is pleased with those who desire to understand what he is; what he does; what he purposes; what he commands. Hence he not only commands us to study his works (compare Psalm 111:2), but he has made a world so beautiful as to invite us to contemplate his perfections as reflected in that world. All good beings desire that others should understand their character, and God delights in those who are sincerely desirous of knowing what he is, and who inquire with humility and reverence into his counsels and his will. People are often displeased when others attempt to look into their plans, for they are sensible they will not bear the light of investigation. God has no plans which would not be seen to be, in the highest degree, glorious to him.

Colossians 1:10 . περιπατῆσαι ἀξίως τοῦ Κυρίου ( Cf. Ephesians 4:1 ). This lofty wisdom and insight is not an end in itself. It must issue in right practice. Doctrine and ethics are for Paul inseparable. Right conduct must be founded on right thinking, but right thinking must also lead to right conduct. The infinitive expresses result “so as to walk”. τοῦ Κυρ ., i.e. , of Christ, not of God (Hofm., Ol.). In 1 Thessalonians 2:12 τοῦ Θεοῦ is used, but ὁ Κύρ . in Paul means Christ.— ἀρεσκείαν in classical Greek used generally in a bad sense, of obsequiousness. But it often occurs in Philo in a good sense; see the note on the word in Deissmann’s Bible Studies , p. 224. καρποφοροῦντες καὶ αὐξανόμενοι . For the collocation Cf. Colossians 1:6 . The participles should probably be connected with περιπατῆσαι , not (as by Beng., Hofm., Weiss) with πληρωθῆτε , which is too far away. The continuation of an infinitive by a nominative participle instead of the accusative is frequent in classical Greek, and occurs several times in Paul ( Colossians 2:2 , Colossians 3:16 , Ephesians 4:2-3 ). They should not be separated. The whole clause should be translated “bearing fruit and increasing in every good work by the knowledge of God”. Fruit bearing is one of Paul’s favourite metaphors.— τῇ ἐπιγνώσει : not as R.V. and Moule “in the knowledge,” for Paul has already spoken of this in Colossians 1:9 , but “by the knowledge,” the knowledge of God being the means of their spiritual growth.

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord: they prayed for the above mentioned gracious habits, that the Colossians might exercise them in a course of life as it becomes those who are effectually called by the gospel to be the sons of God, and the servants of Christ; suitable to the members of the body of Christ: See Poole on "Ephesians 4:1" . See Poole on "Philippians 1:27" ; compared with Romans 16:2 1 Thessalonians 2:12 2 Thessalonians 1:11 . As the word God alone ordinary connotes the Father, so Lord doth Christ; answerable to whose wisdom, holiness, and example, Christians professing a relation to him, and expecting benefit by his purchase, should behave themselves; so that the papists cannot from this walking worthy of the Lord justly infer a merit of condignity, behaving ourselves as Christians being so far from any merit or desert of ours, that it is a debt, we being indispensably obliged to do so, practice being the end of our knowledge. And this end we are to respect unto all pleasing, i.e. designing and endeavouring not in one thing only, or in few things, but in all things whatsoever are incmnbent on us, we may find aceptance with our Lord and Master, Colossians 3:20 1 Corinthians 7:32 10:31 1 Thessalonians 2:4 Hebrews 12:28 : all should be great and generous, such as may best like our Lord, keeping themselves from the defilements of the age, Revelation 3:4 .

Being fruitful in every good work; particularly fructifying, which in the sense may be joined with being filled, Colossians 1:8 : being fruitful is a metaphorical expression borrowed from fruit-bearing trees, unto which godly men and real Christians are compared, Psalm 1:3 John 15:8 ; and every good work is the fruit which these plants of the Lord, having his Spirit as the seed remaining in them, 1Jo 3:9 , do bring forth of every sort from a right principle, 1 Timothy 1:5 , according to rule warranted by God, Isaiah 29:13 Galatians 6:16 ; or having a call from him, for his glory: see 2 Corinthians 9:8 Philippians 1:11 2 Thessalonians 2:17 Hebrews 13:21 . And increasing in the knowledge of God: the Colossians were not yet perfect in knowledge, and therefore they prayed that they might go on, and grow in grace and knowledge of God and Christ, 2 Peter 3:18 , the best here knowing but in part, 1 Corinthians 13:9 ; therefore they desired these Christians, as the Philippians, Philippians 3:10,12 , and the Ephesians, Ephesians 4:13 , might come to their stature: see on the texts.