Colossians 1:28

1:24-29 Both the sufferings of the Head and of the members are called the sufferings of Christ, and make up, as it were, one body of sufferings. But He suffered for the redemption of the church; we suffer on other accounts; for we do but slightly taste that cup of afflictions of which Christ first drank deeply. A Christian may be said to fill up that which remains of the sufferings of Christ, when he takes up his cross, and after the pattern of Christ, bears patiently the afflictions God allots to him. Let us be thankful that God has made known to us mysteries hidden from ages and generations, and has showed the riches of his glory among us. As Christ is preached among us, let us seriously inquire, whether he dwells and reigns in us; for this alone can warrant our assured hope of his glory. We must be faithful to death, through all trials, that we may receive the crown of life, and obtain the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

{14} Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in {x} all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: (14) He protests that he faithfully executes his apostleship in every place, bringing men to Christ only through the Lord's plentiful blessing of his labours. (x) Perfect and sound wisdom, which is perfect in itself, and will in the end make those perfect who follow it.

Colossians 1:28 . Ἡμεῖς , we ) Colossians 1:1 [I and Timothy].— πάντα ἄνθρωπον , every man ) This expression, so often used, has the greatest δεινότης (vehemence) and force, and contains the reason why he writes even to them who are unknown to him, ch. Colossians 2:1 . The distribution of the all [“every man—every man—every man”] may be compared with ch. Colossians 3:11 .— καὶ διδάσκοντες ) and teaching . νουθετοῦνται ( they are admonished ) is said of those who have been already taught, as the Colossians; διδάσκονται ( are taught ) is said of the ignorant and uninstructed.— τέλειον ) See Ephesians 4:13 : perfect , without the elements of the world.

Warning (νουθετοῦντες) Rev., admonishing. See on Acts 20:31. Compare νουθεσίᾳ admonition, Ephesians 6:4. Every Thrice repeated, in order to emphasize the universality of the Gospel against the intellectual exclusiveness encouraged by the false teachers. For similar emphatic repetitions of all or every, compare 1 Corinthians 10:1, 1 Corinthians 10:2; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 9:6, Romans 9:7; Romans 11:32, etc. In all wisdom (ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ) In every form of wisdom. Thus opposed to the idea of esoteric and exoteric wisdom represented by the false teachers; higher knowledge for the few philosophic minds, and blind faith for the masses. In christian teaching the highest wisdom is freely open to all. Compare Colossians 2:2, Colossians 2:3. Perfect Compare 1 Corinthians 2:6, 1 Corinthians 2:7, and see note. There may be in this word a hint of its use in the ancient mysteries to designate the fully instructed as distinguished from the novices. Peter uses the technical word ἐπόπται eye-witnesses, which designated one admitted to the highest grade in the Eleusinian mysteries, of those who beheld Christ's glory in His transfiguration, 2 Peter 1:16. From this point of view Bishop Lightfoot appropriately says: "The language of the heathen mysteries is transferred by Paul to the christian dispensation, that he may the more effectively contrast the things signified. The true Gospel also has its mysteries, its hierophants, its initiation; but these are open to all alike.

(28) Warning every man, and teaching. —In “warning” is implied the idea of reproof of folly or sin. (See 1Thessalonians 5:14 ; 2Thessalonians 3:5 .) “Teaching” is simply instruction—including, of course, practical exhortation—of those already warned. Perfect.—See Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 3:15, and Notes there. Here, however, as in 1Corinthians 2:6-7, the reference may be to the sense of “perfect “as “initiated in mystery.” St. Paul, in opposition to the exclusive claim of “perfection” by the speculators in mystic knowledge (“falsely so called”) would present “every man,” learned or ignorant, “perfect before God.” In this universality of privilege lies the glorious distinction between the gospel and all schools of philosophy, whether they reject or assume its name.

28. preach—rather as Greek, "announce" or "proclaim." warning … teaching—"Warning" is connected with repentance, refers to one's conduct, and is addressed primarily to the heart. "Teaching" is connected with faith, refers to doctrines, and is addressed primarily to the intellect. These are the two heads of evangelical teaching. every … every man—without distinction of Jew or Gentile, great or small (Ro 10:12, 13). in all wisdom—with all the wisdom in our method of teaching that we possess: so Alford. But Col 1:9; Col 3:16, favor Estius' view, which refers it to the wisdom communicated to those being taught: keeping back nothing, but instructing all in the perfect knowledge of the mysteries of faith which is the true wisdom (compare 1Co 2:6, 7; 12:8; Eph 1:17). present—(See on [2410]Col 1:22); at Christ's coming. every man—Paul is zealous lest the false teachers should seduce one single soul of Christ's people at Colosse. So each individual among them should be zealous for himself and his neighbor. Even one soul is of incalculable value. perfect in Christ—who is the element in living union with whom alone each believer can find perfection: perfectly instructed (Eph 4:13) in doctrine, and full grown or matured in faith and practice. "Jesus" is omitted in all the oldest manuscripts.

Whom we preach, warning every man - This does not mean warning of danger, but "admonishing all of the claims of the gospel to attention." Our word warn is commonly used in the sense of cautioning against danger. The Greek word here means to put in mind; to admonish; to exhort. The idea of the apostle is, that he made it his great business to bring the offers of the gospel fairly before the mind of every man. As it had the same claims on all; as it might be freely offered to all, and as it furnished the only hope of glory, he made it the object of his life to apprize every man of it, as far as he could. And teaching every man - Paul made it his business to instruct men, as well as to exhort them. Exhortation and warning are of little use where there is not sound instruction and a careful inculcation of the truth. It is one of the duties of the ministry to instruct men in those truths of which they were before ignorant; see Matthew 28:19; 2 Timothy 2:25. In all wisdom - Compare the Matthew 10:16 note; Colossians 1:9 note. The meaning is, that he and his fellow-laborers endeavored to manifest true wisdom in the method in which they instructed others. That we may present every man - When we come to appear before God; Notes, 2 Corinthians 11:2. Paul was anxious that no one to whom this gospel was preached should be lost.

Colossians 1:28 . δν : i.e ., Χριστὸν ἐν ὑμῖν .— ἡμεῖς : (emphatic) we in contrast to the false teachers. But the reference seems to be simply to Paul, not to Timothy and Epaphras as well. For throughout the section he is speaking of his own special mission.— νουθετοῦντες . Meyer points out that admonishing and teaching correspond to the two main elements of the evangelic preaching, repent and believe. Haupt thinks on the ground of the order that Paul is not referring to elementary Christian teaching, but has this epistle in his mind. The order might, however, suggest warning to non-Christians followed by teaching of new converts. But the addition of ἐν π . σοφίᾳ and τέλειον support the view that it is warning against error, and advanced teaching that he has in view.— πάντα ἄνθρωπον : emphatically repeated here. The Gospel is for all men, in opposition to any exclusiveness, and for each individual man in particular. And the ideal is only attained when each individual has reached completeness. The exclusiveness might be, as with the Judaisers, of a sectarian type, or, as with the Gnostics, and possibly here, of an intellectual, aristocratic type. Since such is the Apostle’s task, he addresses a Church the members of which are unknown to him.— ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ is taken by some to express the content of the teaching, everyone may be fully instructed in the whole of Christian wisdom.

This forms a good contrast to the probable practice of the false teachers of reserving their higher teaching for an inner circle. But for this we should have expected the accusative. Probably the words express the manner of teaching. If the phrase is taken with both participles the content of the teaching is excluded.— παραστής .: probably to present at the judgment.— τέλειον . Here also allusion to the mysteries is discovered by Lightfoot. The term is said to have been employed to distinguish the fully initiated from novices. But, even if this be correct, the word is used in Matthew 5:48 ; Matthew 19:21 , where such a reference is out of the question. Probably Paul is contrasting the completeness he strives to secure with that promised by the false teachers.

Whom we preach: here he shows that the subject of his and other ministers’ preaching was Christ, (as he had before described him), in whom alone hope of glory was to be had, Acts 4:12 1 Corinthians 2:2 Galatians 5:4 1Jo 1:3 . Warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; the manner of it was by admonishing and instructing all, in all the Christian wisdom that Christ required, that they might avoid sin and do their duty. He means all collectively, not distributively; of the generals of each, not each one of those generals; excluding none from the communion of so great a benefit, having no acceptation of nations or persons, making no exception of any condition, but inviting all men to Christ, holding forth this light of the gospel to whosoever would receive it, while God did vouchsafe life and strength to them, in the most taking way, Acts 20:21,27,31 Ro 1:14-16 1 Timothy 3:2 2 Timothy 2:24 2 Timothy 3:16 4:2 Titus 1:9 . That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; and the end and aim he and others of his mind had in preaching of this matter in such a manner was the same with Christ’s, Colossians 1:22 , to put them into such an estate by their labours that they might, through Christ, appear at a throne of grace without confusion, 2 Corinthians 11:2 Philippians 3:12,15 Heb 5:14 .