Colossians 1:12 - Meaning and Application

Here is a summary of the gospel’s teaching about the great work of our redemption through Christ. It comes here, not as part of a sermon, but as part of thanksgiving. Our salvation through Christ gives us rich reasons for thanks in every way we look at it: “giving thanks to the Father” (Colossians 1:12).

Paul does not present redemption in its natural order. If he did, he would speak first of Christ’s payment for our salvation, and then of its application to us. But here he reverses that order, because in our own experience the application comes first. We first feel the blessings of redemption in our hearts, and then we are led by those streams back to their source. The apostle’s flow of thought can be seen in this way.

He first speaks about the work of the Spirit of grace in us. We must thank God for this, because through it we are made ready to have a share in Christ’s work as mediator, the one who brings us to God: “Giving thanks to the Father” (Colossians 1:12, Colossians 1:13). This is spoken of as the Father’s work because the Spirit of grace is the Spirit of the Father, and the Father works in us by his Spirit. Those in whom grace is at work must give thanks to the Father. If we receive the comfort, he must receive the glory.

What does God do for us in applying redemption? First, “he has delivered us from the power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13). He has rescued us from the dark and sinful life of the nations. He has saved us from sin’s rule, which is darkness (1 John 1:6), from Satan’s rule, since Satan is the prince of darkness (Ephesians 6:12), and from the judgment of hell, which is utter darkness (Matthew 25:30). Believers are called out of darkness (1 Peter 2:9).

Second, “he has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,” that is, he has moved us into the gospel way of life and made us members of Christ’s church, a place of light and purity. “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8). “He called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Those who were slaves of Satan are made willing subjects of Christ. A sinner’s conversion is a soul being moved from the kingdom of the devil into the kingdom of Christ. The power of sin is broken, and Christ’s rule is accepted. The “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” sets people free from the “law of sin and death.” This is the kingdom of God’s dear Son, his beloved Son (Matthew 3:17), his especially loved Son (Ephesians 1:6).

Third, God has done more than this. He has “made us fit to share the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12). He has prepared us for the eternal joy of heaven, as the Israelites received their promised land by lot, and he has given us a sure sign and guarantee of it. Paul mentions this first because it is the first clear mark of coming blessedness: by God’s grace, we find ourselves being prepared for it.

God gives both grace and glory, and this verse tells us what both are. Glory is “the inheritance of the saints in light.” It is an inheritance, so it belongs to God’s children, which is the safest and sweetest kind of possession: “If children, then heirs” (Romans 8:17). It belongs to the saints, meaning holy people. Those who are not saints on earth will never be saints in heaven. And it is an inheritance in light, meaning perfect knowledge, holiness, and joy through fellowship with God, who is light and the Father of lights (James 1:17; John 1:5).

Grace is the fitness for that inheritance. God “has made us fit to share” it, meaning he has shaped and prepared us for the heavenly life by giving us the right spirit and character. He does this by the powerful work of his Spirit. It is God’s power that changes the heart and makes it heavenly. Everyone meant for heaven later is being prepared for heaven now.

Those who live and die unchanged leave this world with their hell already within them. But those who are made holy and renewed leave this world with their heaven already within them. Those who have the inheritance of sons also receive the training and character of sons. They have “the Spirit of adoption,” by which they cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father’” (Galatians 4:6). This readiness for heaven is also the “earnest of the Spirit” in the heart, a first payment that guarantees the full payment. Those whom God sanctifies, he will also glorify (Romans 8:30), and they will forever owe their salvation to his grace.

Paul then turns to the person of the Redeemer. He says glorious things about him, because Paul was full of Christ and always took opportunities to honor him. He speaks of Christ both as God and as Mediator.

As God, Christ is described in Colossians 1:15-17. He is “the image of the invisible God.” This is not like Adam, who was made in God’s image in his natural powers and his rule over creatures (Genesis 1:27). Christ is the exact image of God’s being, the very imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3). He is like a son who naturally resembles his father. So if you have seen Christ, you have seen the Father, and his glory was the glory of the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14; John 14:9).

He is also “the firstborn of every creature.” This does not mean he is himself a creature. The word means one born before all creation, before any creature was made. That is the Bible’s way of speaking about eternity, as in the description of wisdom: “I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth was” (Proverbs 8:23-26). It also speaks of his rule over all things. In a family, the firstborn is heir and lord of all, and so Christ is heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2). The word can also mean the first begetter or producer of all things, which fits the next verse well.

Christ is far from being a creature. He is the Creator: “By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:16). He made all things out of nothing, both the highest angel in heaven and human beings on earth. He made the whole world, the upper world and the lower world, with all who live in them. “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). Paul seems to point to different ranks of angels when he speaks of “thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities,” which may mean different levels of honor or different tasks. Christ is the eternal wisdom of the Father, and the world was made in wisdom. He is the eternal Word, and the world was made by the word of God.

Christ is the arm of the Lord, and the world was made by that arm. All things were created by him and for him, as the phrase means, through him and for him. Since he made all things, they were made for his purpose, by his power, and for his praise. He is both the cause and the goal of everything. To him are all things (Romans 11:36).

He was before all things. He existed before the world was made, before time began, and so from all eternity. Wisdom was with the Father and possessed by him at the beginning of his ways, before his works of old (Proverbs 8:22). In the beginning the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). So Christ did not begin to exist when he was born of the virgin. He existed before all time.

By him all things consist. That means they not only exist, but also stay in order and keep their proper relation to one another. He did not only create them at first, he still holds them together by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3). The whole creation is upheld by the Son of God and kept from falling into disorder and confusion.

The apostle then shows what Christ is as Mediator, that is, as the one who brings God and sinners together (Colossians 1:18, Colossians 1:19). He is the head of the body, the church. He is not only a ruler who gives commands, like a king over a nation, but also the head that gives life, like the head in the human body. All grace and strength come from him, and the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 1:23).

He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, the first principle and source of resurrection. He is the firstborn from the dead, not because no one had ever risen before, but because he was the first and only one to rise by his own power and be shown to be the Son of God and Lord of all. He is the head of the resurrection, and his rising gives us both an example and proof of our own rising from the dead. He rose as the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20).

He has the preeminence in all things. It was the Father's will that he should have all power in heaven and on earth, and that he should be above angels and every power in heaven. He has a more excellent name than they do (Hebrews 1:4). In all matters of God's kingdom among men, he is to have first place. He has first place in the hearts of his people above the world and the flesh. When we give him that place, we obey the Father's will, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father (John 5:23).

All fullness dwells in him, and the Father was pleased that it should be so (Colossians 1:19). This is not only a fullness for himself, but an overflow for us, a fullness of merit, righteousness, strength, and grace. As the head is the source of the body's life, so Christ is the source of all grace for his people. Since all fullness dwells in him, we may come freely to him for every grace we need. He does not only ask for it on our behalf, he holds it as the one entrusted to give it out. From his fullness we all receive, grace upon grace, grace in us answering to the grace that is in him (John 1:16), and he fills all in all (Ephesians 1:23).

The apostle next speaks of the work of redemption. He shows what it is and how it was purchased. It is made up of two things. First, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14). Sin sold us and sin enslaved us, so if we are redeemed, we must be redeemed from sin. This happens by forgiveness, that is, by removing the obligation to punishment. So it is also said, in him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7).

Second, redemption means reconciliation to God. God reconciled all things to himself through Christ (Colossians 1:20). Christ is the Mediator of reconciliation. He gains both peace and pardon for sinners, bringing them now into friendship and favor, and at last bringing all holy creatures, angels and men, into one glorious and blessed company, things in heaven and things on earth. So it is written, he will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth (Ephesians 1:10). The word means to bring all under one head.

The Gentiles, who had once been far from God and hostile in their minds because of evil works, are now reconciled (Colossians 1:21). Here we see their natural condition and their condition as Gentiles, estranged from God and at enmity with him. Yet that enmity is broken, and though there was such distance, they are now brought near. Christ has laid the foundation for this reconciliation. He paid the price for it, purchased the promise of it, proclaims it as a prophet, and applies it as a king. Even the greatest enemies of God, who have stood far away and defied him, may still be reconciled if they are not at fault.

Redemption is obtained through his blood (Colossians 1:14). He made peace through the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:20), and it is in the body of his flesh through death (Colossians 1:22). It was the blood that made atonement, that is, satisfied the need for sin's penalty, because the blood is the life. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). The blood of Christ had such value that, because he shed it, God was willing to deal with people under new terms, bringing them into a covenant of grace, that is, a saving arrangement based on God’s kindness. For Christ's sake, and because of his death on the cross, God pardons and accepts into favor all who meet those terms.

The apostle then speaks of the preaching of this redemption. It was to be preached to every creature under heaven (Colossians 1:23), meaning it was ordered to be preached to all people (Mark 16:15). It may be preached to every creature, because the gospel shuts out no one except those who shut themselves out. In one way or another, it has been or will be preached to every nation, though many have lost the light of it, and some may never have had it.

Paul was the one who preached it: whereof I Paul am made a minister. Paul was a great apostle, yet he counted it his highest honor to be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He often speaks of his office, because he valued it highly (Romans 11:13). Again he says, whereof I am made a minister (Colossians 1:25). We should notice where Paul got this ministry. It was according to the stewardship God gave him, the wise ordering of affairs in God's house (Colossians 1:25). He was a steward and a master builder, and this was given to him. He did not take it on himself, and he could not claim it as something owed to him. He received it from God as a gift and accepted it as a favor.

For whose sake Paul had this ministry, it was for their good. He says, “We are your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). Christ’s ministers serve Christ’s people, and one reason they labor is to fully preach God’s word, so the church may gain more from it. The more fully they carry out their work, the more believers are filled with knowledge and equipped for service.

Paul also shows what kind of preacher he was. First, he was a suffering preacher: “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you” (Colossians 1:24). He suffered for Christ’s cause and for the church’s good, because he preached the gospel to them. Yet he could still rejoice, because he counted it an honor to suffer for such a cause.

When he speaks of filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in his flesh, he does not mean that Paul’s sufferings, or anyone else’s, could pay for sin. Christ’s sufferings were complete and fully enough to satisfy God’s justice and save his people. Paul’s sufferings made him more like Christ, as one who follows his Lord in a suffering life. Or Paul may mean that he was completing the share of suffering for Christ that had been appointed to him.

Second, Paul was a careful preacher. He preached not only in public, but also from house to house and from person to person. He says, “We proclaim him, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom” (Colossians 1:28). Every person needs both warning and instruction, so every person must receive some of both. When we point out what people are doing wrong, we must also teach them what is better.

He says this warning and teaching must be done in all wisdom. That means choosing the right time, using the best means, and fitting the message to people’s different situations and abilities. The goal is to present every person perfect in Christ Jesus. That can mean mature in Christian truth, or finally brought to full glory in heaven. Ministers should aim at the growth and salvation of every person who hears them.

Third, Paul was a hard-working preacher. He was not lazy or careless in his work. He says, “For this I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily” (Colossians 1:29). He worked hard and struggled through many difficulties, according to the measure of grace given to him and the special help of Christ’s power with him. The more Paul gave himself to doing good, the more God’s power worked in him. The more we labor in the Lord’s work, the more help we may expect from him in it.

The gospel Paul preached was also described as a mystery that had been hidden for long ages and generations, but is now made clear to his saints (Colossians 1:26, 27). The mystery of the gospel was hidden through the many ages of the Old Testament church. God’s people were then like children, being prepared for a fuller and clearer time, and they could not yet see the full purpose of what had been arranged.

Now, in the fullness of time, this mystery has been revealed to the saints, or clearly made known. The veil over Moses’s face has been taken away in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:14). Even the simplest believer under the gospel understands more than the greatest prophets under the law. The mystery of Christ, which was not made known in other ages, is now revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:4, 5).

What is this mystery? It is the riches of God’s glory among the Gentiles. The special doctrine of the gospel had once been hidden and is now made known. But the great mystery here is that the wall between Jew and Gentile has been broken down, and the gospel is preached to the Gentile world. Those who once lived in ignorance and idolatry are now made partakers of gospel privileges, so that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ through the gospel (Ephesians 3:6).

This revealed mystery is Christ in you, or among you, the hope of glory. Christ is the hope of glory. The basis of that hope is Christ in the word, meaning the gospel that shows us what this hope is and how it is gained. The proof of that hope is Christ in the heart, meaning the soul made holy and prepared for heavenly glory.

Those who share in this redemption must also continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel they have heard (Colossians 1:23). We must stay firm in the faith, so fixed in our minds that temptations cannot move us away from it. We must be steadfast and immovable (1 Corinthians 15:58) and hold tightly to the confession of our hope without wavering (Hebrews 10:23).

We can expect the happy end of faith only if we continue in faith and remain so grounded and settled that nothing moves us from it. We must not turn back and be lost, but believe so as to save our souls (Hebrews 10:39). We must be faithful until death, through every trial, so that we may receive the crown of life and the final outcome of faith, the salvation of our souls (1 Peter 1:9).