Colossians 1:9-23

2. The Apostles Prayer for their Progress in the Knowledge of Christ as Head of all Things.

The Apostle's thanksgiving is naturally followed by the mention of his petition for the Colossians. The immediate object of his prayer is that they may have fuller knowledge of God's will (Colossians 1:9), which has as its aim a walk worthy of the Lord (Colossians 1:10-12). The motive to this walk is set forth by a description of God's redeeming act in Christ (Colossians 1:13-14). The Apostle's mind, troubled by the danger which threatened the Colossians, seizes upon this occasion to present most fully the positive truths which can meet the entering error. He, therefore, within the limits of the same sentence, begins a description of the Son of God's Love, which forms the culmination of his Christological teaching. In Colossians 1:15-19 the Person of Christ is set forth, first, in His preexistent relation to God and the world (Colossians 1:15-17), secondly, in His relation to the Church, His body (Colossians 1:18-19). Grammatical and logical considerations alike justify this distinction. The relation to the Church naturally leads to a presentation of the work of Christ (Colossians 1:20-23), as reconciling all things through the blood of His cross; a truth applied so directly to the Colossian Christians as to confirm the view, that the motive for this sublime Christological passage is to be found in the errors which were creeping into the Phrygian churches. The Apostle connects these statements respecting the Person and work of Christ with his petition for a worthy Christian walk. In his view there is a vital connection between Christian truth and Christian life.