Biblecia presents:

1. Biblecia.com presents: St. Paul’s Letter to the olossians C “Increasing in the incomparable knowledge of the Christ!” Colossians 1:5-8 CLASS NOTES Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano

2. 28 Jul. Day 3. • Clarifications from last week’s class: • To Titus also Paul adds “mercy” to the salutation. Not just to Timothy. • It was the road to Damascus where Paul is converted. For some reason I said “Emmaus” at least at one point. • Question after class: Paul’s final trip to Rome was his 4th missionary journey, and the works on Malta and all the rest are recorded in Acts 27-28. • Summary of what we’ve seen- • We talked dating a bit. • We’ve talked Apostleship. • Today- • Now we’re going to see today a start to Paul’s message to the saints in Colosse. He starts off with three main things: • That the gospel they’ve believed is rightly to be their hope. • That it is fruit-bearing. • That it is a universal gospel. • Quick note: There’s an artificial division here between vv. 4 and 5 with our verse numbering. There were no verses or chapter divisions in English Bibles at all until the Geneva Bible was printed in 1560. • Other names of note in textual development (various languages and persuasions): • SantiPagnini • Robert Stephen • Stephen Langton • William Tyndale • Robert Estienne • Martin Luther • There’s the semicolon at the end of vs. 4 showing vs. 5 as a continuous thought in the original text… • Our passage for today: Colossians 1:5-8: • 5 “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.” • Vs. 5. “Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven…” • Vv.4-8 speak of faith, hope and love. This is the famous three-fold cord of 1 Corinthians 13:13. “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano

3. Vs. 5 in the NIV says: “the faith and love that springfrom the hope stored up for you in heaven …” [Italics] Interesting addition to the text. Not wrong, but just not exactly there. • Note: The NIV is somewhere in the middle of your versions between dynamic or periphrastic and formal equivalency translations. (Terms: Eugene Nida). • Paul says “you.” “The hope laid up for you.” He doesn’t say “us” here. • How often do we rejoice about heaven…for others? • Consider 3 John 1:4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” • It’s next level stuff when you can truly say something like this about the faithof others! • Or, how about as Paul has done elsewhere, weep for their condemnation? Romans 9:1-5. • He speaks of “hope” as that which awaits them in heaven. • Our Bible has a lot to say about that word hope. • One commentator writes: “In Scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word “hope” and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation.” • A study of this word now will pay off later in this book for us big time. • The Greek root for this word comes, “From a primary elpo (to anticipate, usually with pleasure).” • It’s the word ἐλπίς (Elpis) here. • It’s used over 50 times in the NT. • Strong’s defines hope in three ways- • 1) expectation of evil, fear. • 2) expectation of good, hope. • in the Christian sense. • joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation… • D.H. Tongue confirms this in Elwell’s2nd Edition of the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (pg. 577). “Elpis (Hebrew batah) had in Greek and Roman times a neutral meaning as expectation of good or evil. Some…treat[ed] it cynically; others…extol[led] it; Sanskrit poets class it among evils…” • Here’s a rather sweeping passage: • Romans 8:24-25: “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” • Hope is part of God’s plan. • Vs. 5 in the NIV says: “the faith and love that springfrom the hope stored up for you in heaven …” [Italics] Interesting addition to the text. Not wrong, but just not exactly there. • Note: The NIV is somewhere in the middle of your versions between dynamic or periphrastic and formal equivalency translations. (Terms: Eugene Nida). • Paul says “you.” “The hope laid up for you.” He doesn’t say “us” here. • How often do we rejoice about heaven…for others? • Consider 3 John 1:4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” • It’s next level stuff when you can truly say something like this about the faithof others! • Or, how about as Paul has done elsewhere, weep for their condemnation? Romans 9:1-5. • He speaks of “hope” as that which awaits them in heaven. • Our Bible has a lot to say about that word hope. • One commentator writes: “In Scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word “hope” and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation.” • A study of this word now will pay off later in this book for us big time. • The Greek root for this word comes, “From a primary elpo (to anticipate, usually with pleasure).” • It’s the word ἐλπίς (Elpis) here. • It’s used over 50 times in the NT. • Strong’s defines hope in three ways- • 1) expectation of evil, fear. • 2) expectation of good, hope. • in the Christian sense. • joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation… • D.H. Tongue confirms this in Elwell’s2nd Edition of the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (pg. 577). “Elpis (Hebrew batah) had in Greek and Roman times a neutral meaning as expectation of good or evil. Some…treat[ed] it cynically; others…extol[led] it; Sanskrit poets class it among evils…” • Here’s a rather sweeping passage: • Romans 8:24-25: “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” • Hope is part of God’s plan. Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano

4. In the 60’s in Germany writers like JurgenMultmann and others developed what was called a theology of hope. • Without necessarily endorsing that man or the movement entirely, in every Christian there is to be a theology of hope. • We should interpret all we read in Scripture in light of the end, the hope of what’s to come/what God will do. • The thing I’m most interested in in this life is the life to come. • Scripture speaks of our hope in one place as a blessed hope (Titus 2:13) which is the Second Coming of Jesus. That’s not yet. • Guzik in his commentary on Titus 2 speaks of what we should be looking forward to in this hope: • He came the first time to save the soul of man; He will come a second time to resurrect the body. • He came the first time to save the individual; He will come a second time to save society. • He came the first time to a crucifixion; He will come a second time to a coronation. • He came the first time to a tree; He will come a second time to a throne. • He came the first time in humility; He will come a second time in glory. • He came the first time and was judged by men; He will come a second time to judge all men. • He came the first time and stood before Pilate; He will come a second time and Pilate will stand before Him. • Seven uses of the term hope- • Romans 15:13 actually calls God the “God of hope.” • “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1. • “We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:2. • “And now abide faith, hope, love…” 1 Corinthians 13:13. • “We through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” Galatians 5:5. • 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 calls us to put on, “…as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For [or because] God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” • That’s good news!!! • My personal favorite:20 “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21. • God is certainly going to do what He wishes later on. Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano

5. This hope is “laid up in heaven” Paul told them. This means it cannot be lost or corrupted. • Vs. 5 still. “…of which you previously heard in the word of truth …” • They heard the gospel. Faith always comes by hearing. Romans 10:17. • There is a universality to the gospel that I love. • We take for granted our awareness of other Christians throughout the world. • Imagine if you’re a 1st century believer in Colosse though. • You’ve been raised a pantheist. • Your whole family has been for as long as you know. • Reflections on Iraq and the Bible studies there with the African Soldiers. • In 1978 African missionaries developed a Masai version of the Apostle’s Creed. Could you confess this? • We believe in the one High God, who out of love created the beautiful world and everything good in it. He created man and wanted man to be happy in the world. God loves the world and every nation and tribe on the earth. We have known this High God in darkness, and now we know him in the light. God promised in the book of his word, the bible, that he would save the world and all the nations and tribes.We believe that God made good his promise by sending his son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left his home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and man, showing the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He lay buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, he rose from the grave. He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord.We believe that all our sins are forgiven through him. All who have faith in him must be sorry for their sins, be baptized in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love and share the bread together in love, to announce the good news to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen. • I could confess this. Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano

6. Vs. 5 still. “The gospel” that they’d received is the same one we’ve received. It is the forgiveness of sins and… • The pendulum swings in cultures between teaching on the life to come and this life. • A medium is biblical. • Lord willing, if God is using us and our teachers we’ll grow exactly as He desires. • Vs. 6. “…which has come to you...” The gospel came to them. • In Acts 2 people represented this region. For all we know, Epaphras may have been in the crowd. • I don’t like the phrase, “bring people to Jesus.” • I prefer, “bring Jesus to people” or “go to people with or on behalf of Jesus.” • He goes out to them! • He leaves the 99 “secure” sheep to go after the other. • It is Christ, the Apostle and high priest of our faith, who came out to us and Christ who died. • In the Great Commission (not great suggestion) we’re told to go both on His behalf and in His company. • The story of the Bible from the fall is notat all Adam’s pursuit of his estranged God. It’s the other way around. • Vs. 6 still. “…just as in all the world also...” • That’s the entire “known” world. • Understanding the Bible’s sometimes figurative use of language can almost always preserve us from interpretational error. • Vs. 6 still. “…it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing …” • The bearing of fruit is our mandate. • It is by this produce that God is glorified. John 15:8. • Paul said that the word of God had come to them and was increasing? • Theological terms: • Let’s examine the difference between regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification? • Which one is increasing? • Note: Sanctification really best encompasses all of these separate pieces. • Vs. 6 still. Paul said the gospel is, “Constantly bearing fruit and increasing…” • Do you think that’s still true today? • Is that same gospel still constantly growing and increasing? • Jesus said His church would forever prevail, right? Matthew 16:18. Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano

7. It’s been no less than 1,983 since Christ died. Some people are having trouble believing His promises still exist after such a long time. • Consider this: In about 4 BC there were a large sized handful of people waiting on some promises too. To name a few, Mary, Joseph, Zacharias, Simeon, Anna all spoke of the fulfillment of promises made to their people some 2,088 years before them. • We’ll get into this later in the book, but these Colossians had seen among them the fulfillment of things promised or prophesied for thousands of years. • See 1 Peter 1:10-12 for one excellent summary of that. • Like all believers, God was not done teaching the Colossian believers, but what they’d already received was colossal. • We are to have hope because God never fails!!! • Some in Paul’s day thought that God had failed if He’d cut off Israel. • We can directly connect Romans 9:6-7 and 11:1-5 with some string and tape. • Again I say that we are to have hope because God never fails!!! To be continued… Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano

8. Biblecia.com presents: St. Paul’s Letter to the olossians C “Increasing in the incomparable knowledge of the Christ!” Colossians 1:5-8 CLASS NOTES Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano