Colossians 1:10-13 - Part 2
Colossians 1:10-13 - "...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 increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened will 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."
In the verses that follow Paul uses four participles, each followed by a prepositional phrase, to describe a life that is worthy of the Lord and pleasing to God. Such a life is a life of:
- "bearing fruit in every good work"(10b)
- "increasing in the knowledge of God" (10c)
- "being strengthened with all power" (11)
- "giving thanks to the Father" (12)
A life that is pleasing to God is a life of “bearing fruit.” The word “fruit” is used at least four ways in the New Testament:
- To describe personal righteousness or goodness. The list of personal virtues in Galatians 5 called “the fruit of the spirit” is a example of that.
- To describe new converts to Christianity. Paul described the conversion of the household of Stephanas as the “first fruits of Achaia.” (I Cor.16:15)
- To describe service and ministry to others such as when Paul spoke of doing “fruitful labor” in Philippians 1:5.
- To describe praise and worship of God. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”
(For more detailed notes on Colossians go to http://www.larryreynolds.org-a.googlepages.com/home)
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