giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (13) He has delivered us from the power of darknesss and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (14) in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  (16) For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.  (17) And He is before all things and in Him all things consist.  (18) And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning,  the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 

The letter to the Colossians was written by the apostle Paul during his first imprisonment in Rome.  The church there was not founded by Paul but by one of his ministers, instructed in the gospel. Shortly after, evil men crept in to distort/corrupt the gospel. On the one hand the Jewish legalizes were preaching Jesus AND; Jesus and circumcision, Jesus and the Law, Jesus and rituals and ceremonies. The gospel tells us that Jesus is sufficient. On the other hand philosophers speculated on celestial hierarchy -that God is good and God is spirit and material or created things are evil. They posited that Jesus was created and not truly God. Paul in this letter reminds the Christians in Colosse that they have heard the true gospel and that all parts of salvation are to be found in Christ alone and they are to beware of strange doctrine.

Because of sin we are born spiritually dead – in darkness and hostile to God. We have been redeemed – set free – by Christ and and the cross. In Christ we pass from death into life and not by man’s efforts in any way. Christ Jesus is the Son of God’s love and His sacrifice is the ONLY price of reconciliation. It is in Christ alone that God who is invisible is manifest to man. Christ Jesus is not less than God – He is not one of many gods, not a created being or an angel, or teacher, or prophet or emanation. God is invisible but has been made visible – the Greek word used here means exact replica – in the person of Jesus Christ.  Man was created (Genesis) in the image of God but Jesus IS the image of God; the exact reproduction and the equal to God. Christ is the agent of creation by whom God made the worlds.

Calling Christ the firstborn of all creation means He has the right to rule. Jesus is the one in authority. Adam was the first one created but Jesus was not created – firstborn is meant as a ranking.  Jesus is supreme and sufficient and the only heir to all things. He is pre-eminent and the guarantor of resurrection.  Christ is the universal point of reference and we are complete in Him. Nothing else is needed. In God’s redemption plan Christ’s sacrifice was the only way to reconcile man with God. Salvation is always and only of the Lord.

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; (8) nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, (9) not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. (10) For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.  (11) For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.  (12) Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

The second letter to the Thessalonians was written by the apostle Paul. They lived in a Greek world and in that ancient culture work was considered demeaning. They believed the soul/mind was good and the body/matter was evil – so most of the work of that day was done by slaves.  There were also those who embraced Christianity but  believed the end days were near and accordingly, why work?  So Paul – in both letters to the Thessalonians – is now addressing this for the third time with harsh words; he commanded that those who would not work, neither should they eat their neighbors food. (Paul is not considering Christians who can’t work, but those who won’t.).  Paul forbids the indulgence of indolence.

Paul is teaching that holy living means honest and useful labor – he wished to be an example by his own labor and makes sure that the Christians in Thessalonia know he had a right to be supported as a minister and an apostle but because of the apparent growing problem of those who did nothing his example was of greater impact than just words. The Bible is full of admonition against idleness and the intrinsic value of work. Not using the  gift of work – using our God given abilities – can be spiritually deadly,  Adams job before the fall (in Genesis) was to cultivate and keep the garden he was placed in. Man was given dominion over all the earth so work wasn’t initiated by the fall, it was just cursed – made painful – by sin. “God designed man to be a gardener but the fall made him a farmer.”

As Christians we are to give dignity to work. This biblical viewpoint is always our guiding star. We are to work for the glory of God and to serve others. Work is a creation mandate.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, (17) comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.  (3:1) Finally brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, (2) and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, for not all have faith.  (3) But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.  (4) And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do all the things we command you.  (5) Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. 

The second letter to the Thessalonians was written by the apostle Paul – Paul has dealt with teaching about the second coming of Christ and the events preceding the Day of the Lord.   Now he moves on to matters of personal and practical interest for the faithful in Thessalonica for their comfort and strength as they were dealing with persecution and affliction for their faith.

Paul had two specific prayer asks;  that the successful teaching and spread of the gospel run swiftly – the Thessalonians embraced the gospel right from the beginning – and that Paul and the church be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men, “for not all have faith”.  By unreasonable Paul means hopeless to reason with. Faith is a gift from God not found in all for many are called who do not come. Paul is simply saying that not all who make a profession of faith are such in reality. The Jews should have recognized Christ by the Law and the Prophets and the conflict arises from false appearance of piety, for treacherous and evil men are always mixed with good men. But God is faithful and and they are secure in His support. God’s purpose is to maintain salvation of His people and never forsake them.

Paul wanted the Thessalonians to know he had confidence in them even in the face of persecution.  God will protect them.  The Lord is sovereign.

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, (12) that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.  (2:1) Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, (2) not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of  Christ had come.

The apostle Paul wrote this second letter to the Thessalonians.  His first letter to them addressed the second coming of Christ and might have resulted in some of the faithful to indulge in curiosity as to His coming. (Nothing has changed and people are still trying to figure out when this world will end.). This was a matter of great consequence in those ancient days as some might despair of Christ returning or feel like they missed it – or grow impatient and fall away so that the sure hope of the resurrection might be undermined. Paul urges his readers not to be too credulous and swallow the pretext that “that day” is at hand.

Paul warns the Thessalonians not to be shaken in judgment – that good judgment means faith that rests on sound doctrine. He warns them against the spirit of men speaking  words of pretended prophecy; the pious in that day apparently spoke that way to give themselves stature. They are also being warned about spurious letters/epistles using Paul’s name so as to impute false doctrine to him.  It is the Spirit of God, not man that has any authority.

As to the day of Christ being at hand; think of it as at hand with regard to God. And to God, one day is as a thousand years.  We know that Christ Jesus will return but we know not the day or hour. The Lord wants us to constantly watch.