The Gospel's Irrepressible Fruitfulness Text: Colossians 1:1-14
Introduction: The Cosmic Center
The book of Colossians is what you might call theologically dense. Along with its sister epistle, Ephesians, it contains more truth per square inch than almost any other portion of Scripture. When you read Colossians, you are not wading in the shallows; you are diving into the deep end of the ocean of God's revelation. And the central, blazing sun around which everything in this letter orbits is the absolute supremacy and cosmic centrality of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We live in an age that is desperate to de-center Christ. Our secularist overlords want a world without a king, a story without an author, and a cosmos without a reference point. They want to make man the measure of all things, which is another way of saying they want to make nothing the measure of all things, because man is a glorious ruin, a shifting shadow. The result is the chaos we see all around us, a culture that has lost its dictionary and is now trying to build a civilization out of gibberish. They are trying to have the fruit of Christendom, things like human rights and compassion, while having sawn off the branch they are sitting on.
Into this confusion, Paul's letter to the Colossians speaks with devastating clarity. He does not offer a set of religious tips for self-improvement. He does not present Jesus as one option among many in the spiritual marketplace. He presents Christ as the very framework of reality. He is not just the way to God; He is the logic of the cosmos. Everything, from galaxies to governments, was made by Him and for Him, and it all holds together in Him. To remove Christ from the equation is not to be neutral; it is to embrace disintegration. It is to choose incoherence. This is why the gospel is not just good news for individuals; it is the only hope for cultures, for nations, for the world.
In this opening section, Paul lays the groundwork. He begins, as he so often does, with thanksgiving and prayer. But this is no mere formality. His gratitude and his intercession are deeply theological. He is thankful for what the gospel does, and he prays for a deeper apprehension of the God to whom the gospel points. He shows us that the Christian life begins, continues, and ends with the explosive, fruit-bearing power of the word of truth.
The Text
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and multiplying, just as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow slave, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, who also informed us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason also, since the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness ofsins.
(Colossians 1:1-14 LSB)
Apostolic Authority and Gospel Reality (vv. 1-6)
We begin with the opening address and Paul’s immediate turn to thanksgiving.
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father." (Colossians 1:1-2)
Paul begins by establishing his credentials, but notice how he does it. He is an apostle not by his own ambition or by a vote of the Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce, but "by the will of God." All true authority comes from God. This is the fundamental Christian claim against all autonomous, man-made systems of authority. The world wants authority that starts with man, from the bottom up. The Bible insists that all authority is delegated from the top down, from God. Paul isn't just giving his opinion; he is a herald speaking for the King.
He addresses the Colossians as "saints and faithful brothers." Saints are not a special class of super-Christians; a saint is anyone who has been set apart by God in Christ. It is a positional reality before it is a practical one. And they are brothers, a family, bound together not by blood but by the blood of Christ. His greeting is "grace and peace." This is not a throwaway line. Grace (charis) is the unmerited favor of God, the fountainhead of our salvation. Peace (eirene) is the result of that grace, the wholeness and reconciliation with God that Christ purchased. You cannot have the peace of God until you have first received the grace of God.
"We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven..." (Colossians 1:3-5a)
Paul's default posture is gratitude. Thanksgiving is not just a holiday; it is the essential atmosphere of the Christian life. And what is he thankful for? He is thankful for the gospel taking root. He sees the classic triad of faith, hope, and love. Their faith is not a vague spirituality; it is "in Christ Jesus." Their love is not a sentimental feeling; it is a rugged commitment "for all the saints." And both their faith and their love are anchored by, and spring from, their "hope laid up for you in heaven." Christian hope is not wishful thinking. It is a confident expectation of a guaranteed future. Because their future is secure in heaven, they are liberated to live faithfully and lovingly in the present.
"...of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and multiplying, just as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth..." (Colossians 1:5b-6)
This is where we see the engine of it all. This faith, love, and hope came to them through "the word of truth, the gospel." The gospel is not a set of suggestions; it is a news announcement about what God has done in history. And this gospel is alive. It is a living, organic, irrepressible thing. Paul says it is "constantly bearing fruit and multiplying." This is the language of Genesis 1, "be fruitful and multiply." The gospel is the new creation mandate in action. It is not a static philosophy; it is an invasive, conquering force. It lands in a place like Colossae, and it immediately starts growing. It produces faith, love, hope, and changed lives. This is the bedrock of a robust, postmillennial optimism. The gospel works. It is designed to take over. It is doing this "in all the world," and it will not stop until the Great Commission is fulfilled and the knowledge of the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.
The Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom (vv. 7-12)
Having given thanks for what God has already done, Paul now turns to pray for what he wants God to do next. The report from their pastor, Epaphras, has prompted him to intercede for them relentlessly.
"For this reason also, since the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding..." (Colossians 1:9)
What does a mature apostle pray for a thriving church? Not for health and wealth. Not for an easier time. He prays for something far more substantial. He prays that they would be "filled with the full knowledge of His will." This is not just about knowing the rules. This is a deep, relational, comprehensive understanding of God's purposes. It is seeing the world from God's point of view. And this knowledge is not abstract; it comes through "all spiritual wisdom and understanding." Wisdom is the skill of applying truth to life, and understanding is the discernment to see how things fit together. Paul is praying for them to have a robust, integrated, biblical worldview.
"...so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God..." (Colossians 1:10)
Knowledge is never an end in itself. Doctrine is for doing. The goal of this spiritual wisdom is a transformed life, a "walk... worthy of the Lord." This means living in a way that reflects the character of the one we serve. The aim is to "please Him in all respects." And notice the fruitfulness language again. As they walk rightly, they will be "bearing fruit in every good work" and "multiplying in the full knowledge of God." The Christian life is one of perpetual growth. The more you know God, the more you will bear fruit. The more you bear fruit, the more you will grow in your knowledge of God. It is a glorious, upward spiral.
"...being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." (Colossians 1:11-12)
This kind of walk is not possible in our own strength. So Paul prays that they would be "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might." The Christian life is a supernatural life, lived in the power of God. And what is this power for? Not for fireworks and spectacle, but for "steadfastness and patience." It is the power to endure, to remain faithful under pressure, to persevere when things are hard. And to do it "joyously." This is the radical difference Christianity makes. Even in hardship, we can be joyfully giving thanks. Why? Because the Father "has qualified us." We did not qualify ourselves. He did it. He made us fit to "share in the inheritance of the saints in light." Our place in His family is secure, purchased by Christ and given by the Father.
The Great Rescue (vv. 13-14)
Paul concludes this section by reminding them of the foundational act of salvation that makes all of this possible. He uses the language of a great military rescue and a kingdom transfer.
"Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)
This is the gospel in miniature. Before Christ, we were not neutral. We were not free agents looking for a religion. We were captives, enslaved under the "authority of darkness." The domain of Satan is a kingdom of lies, rebellion, and death. We were not just living in it; we were subjects of it. But God launched a rescue mission. The word "rescued" implies that we were helpless to save ourselves. He broke in and delivered us.
And He did not just rescue us from that kingdom; He "transferred us to" another one. This is a change of citizenship, a change of allegiance. We have been moved out of the dominion of darkness and into the "kingdom of the Son of His love." We now live under a new king, Jesus Christ. His rule is not one of harsh tyranny, but of love, grace, and truth. This is a definitive, accomplished fact. For the believer, this is not something we are waiting for; it has already happened.
And how was this great transfer accomplished? "In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Redemption is the language of the marketplace; it means to be bought back from slavery. The price of our freedom was the blood of Christ. And the legal basis of this transfer is the "forgiveness of sins." All the charges against us, which kept us in the kingdom of darkness, have been wiped clean. Our treason has been pardoned. We are free. We are citizens of a new and better kingdom, and therefore we have every reason to be filled with the knowledge of our King's will, to walk in a manner worthy of Him, and to give thanks for the glorious, unstoppable, fruit-bearing gospel that brought us here.