When I think about God's ultimate design for creation, specifically human beings, and the "kingdom of his Beloved Son," two stories come to mind.
First, I remember a story told to me by a professor and dear friend, Paul Axton. Paul grew up in several places, but for a while he grew up in West Texas. While in West Texas, he encountered a man who worked for his father. The man was named Johnny French. Johnny French was an old drunk cowboy. In my mind's eye, I always imagine Johnny French as something like Walter Brennan's character Stumpy in Rio Bravo, but with the ferocity of Tommy Lee Jones' Captain Woodrow F. Call in Lonesome Dove. Anyway, one day, Paul had a bewildering run-in with Mr. French.
Paul, you see, had just become a Christian in the sense that he thought he might try to follow Jesus. Also, in his young mind, he thought that following Jesus might have something to do with one's salvation. So, Paul set out to discover if the people in his life shared his new convictions. He wondered if Johnny French was a Christian and decided to ask him.
Paul found Johnny hunched over drunk sitting on wagon. After waking the man, Paul asked, "Mr. French, are you a Christian?"
Aroused from his stupor by such an inane question, Johnny flew into a fit of rage and hollered, "Of course I'm a Christian! Don't you know I was a machine-gunner in World War Two! I shot down many a Japanese plane! What do you mean asking me that? I'm a Christian!"
Second, I remember teaching an adult Sunday School class at New Boston Christian Church, along the s-curve that distinguishes the village of New Boston from the surrounding farms. The Sunday School consisted of about six faithful septuagenarians and me, their nineteen-year-old teacher. Together we were reading through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). When we came to the part wherein Jesus says, "'You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.'" At these words of Jesus, a man named Larry balked.
Larry worried we would take Jesus' words too literally. He said, "That's just the Bible, we have to remember the real world too."
Now, Larry wasn't a particularly mean-spirited man. In fact, he and his wife Betty were some of the nicest people I have ever met. They were generous and devoted much of their time to helping wounded veterans. They attended church regularly, nearly every Sunday, and supported the church financially. Larry would've given the shirt off his back to anyone in need; he wasn't unkind or given to rancorous argument. In fact, I would call Larry down right loving. Larry was a real pleasure to be around. But Larry could not imagine a real world in which we would be required, by God no less, to love our enemies.
These two stories exemplify the problem modern people have with kingdom of God and its temporal witness in this world as the Church. On the one hand, we modern folk cannot tell the difference between the world and the Church. Like Johnny French, we imagine any participation in overcoming what we perceive to be evil in this world must be synonymous with God's will for all people. Sometimes, some of us identify God's will with our own nation state, and we imagine everything from economic prosperity to martial victories can be identified with God's will and blessing. Or else, we imagine our job as Christians is to reveal God's will and blessing within the world through social justice and the politics of the nation. On the other hand, like Larry we imagine a stark differentiation between the Church, or religion, and the real world. Christianity, then, becomes nothing more than a set of beliefs we hold privately. Or Christianity is relegated to the private realm of personal salvation for individual sin. Neither of these stories represent the radical Christianity and kingdom citizenship described by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Colossians.
Colossians 1:9-23 according to the NRSV:
9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— 23 provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
Colossians 1:9-23 according to my own translation:
9 Consequently, also since the day we heard it do not cease praying on behalf of you and asking that you be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 to walk worthily of the Lord, entirely pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and increasing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all strength according to his glorious might to steadfastness and long-suffering, with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you for an allotment with the saints in light, 13 who delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his Beloved Son, 14 in whom we have the ransom, the forgiveness of sins,
15 Who is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation, 16 For in him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible things—whether thrones, or lordships, or rulers, or powers—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things and all things hold together in him, 18 and he is the head of the body of the church who is the beginning, firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in all things; 19 For in him all the Fullness was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, peacemaking through the blood of his cross, whether on the earth or in the heavens.
21 And you formerly being alienated and enemies in disposition by evil works, 22 but now he has reconciled in his body of flesh through death to present you holy, blameless, and irreproachable before him, 23 if you continue in the faith established and grounded and not removed from the hope of the Gospel which you heard proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I Paul became a minister.
Interpretation
Because Paul has heard from Epaphras about the flourishing community of saints in Colossae—flourishing because they received the Gospel— he unceasingly offers prayers of intercession on their behalf. More specifically, Paul prays that the saints in Colossae will "be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord." For Paul, these saints in Colossae, like all Christians, have been "delivered" from a power hostile to God, and now live as citizens of the kingdom of God's "Beloved Son." Jesus, the Messiah, effected naturalization of former sinners, whom also were hostile to God, by ransoming them from their captivity to sin. This Jesus had the authority to save humanity and reconcile all creation to God, for he is the Lord of all things, the ultimate peacemaker. So, Paul prays that the saints in Colossae will remain steadfastly faithful to the Gospel they received from Epaphras, which is the same Gospel to which he, Paul, became a minister.
Some Details
v. 9, asking that you be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding— Lohse notes that "wisdom and spiritual understanding" are best understood in a Jewish context as gifts from God. Hence, Paul asks God to grant the Colossians wisdom and understanding rather than imparting the content of the knowledge of God's will by teaching.[1]
v. 10, in every good work bearing fruit and increasing in the knowledge of God— Paul repeats himself from v. 6, further avoiding any misunderstanding about "knowledge." The knowledge of God does not refer to intellectual content (objective facts about God) but denotes a relationship with God.[2]
v. 13, who delivered us from the power of darkness— ῥύομαι (rhyomai, delivered) "to rescue from danger, save, rescue, deliver, preserve" (BDAG). Barth and Blanke note, "Redemption is a distinctive feature of the God of Israel; it differentiates him from other gods (cf. 2Kgs 18:33). He is even called 'redeemer' by name (Isa 63:16; cf. also Ps 78[79]:9)."[3] Paul identifies Jesus with the God of Israel not only by naming Jesus the one by whom all things were created but also as the Redeemer.
v. 14, in whom we have the ransom— ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis, ransom) "orig. 'buying back' a slave or captive, i.e. 'making free' by payment of a ransom... release from a captive condition, release, redemption, deliverance. Paul employs apolytrōsis to invoke Israel's historic exodus from Egypt.[4]
v. 15, the firstborn of all creation— "Firstborn" does not indicate the Son of God is a creature. For, Paul clearly says, "For in him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible things" (v. 16). And Paul says, "he is before all things and all things hold together in him" (v. 17). Instead, Paul employs "firstborn" describe the relationship of creation to the Son of God, who is God's agent in creation. For Paul, it seems creation is fully realized atemporally for God, for God is uncreated and atemporal, which is to say eternal. Thus, Paul can speak both about creation as actual, a completed action, and as in the process of becoming (cf. Ro. 8:18-25). When Paul refers to Jesus, the Son of God, as the "firstborn of all creation," he proclaims that Jesus is the fully created human being fully living the life of God. Jesus is the goal of all creation, created in and through and for the Son of God, who himself being fully God is "before all things." So, Lohse rightly notes, "As the first-born he stands over against creation as Lord."[5]
v. 16, whether thrones, or lordships, or rulers, or powers— refers to orders of invisible things created by God. These intermediary beings participate in governing the cosmos wither in harmony or in rebellion to God's will.
v. 19, For in him all the Fullness was pleased to dwell— "Fullness" refers to the fullness of God.[6]
v. 22, in his body of flesh through death— Moule offers a fitting warning against Docetism, noting that God in Jesus suffers death.[7] The crucifixion and suffering of Jesus was not an illusion. We need not univocally apply human suffering to God, but we must say Jesus as fully God and fully man suffered death on the cross. Thereby, he defeated death and won the salvation from sin and death Paul references in vv. 13-14.
Implications
In the prayer of Colossians 1:9-23, Paul describes Christians as those people delivered and redeemed by the blood of Jesus' cross now translated into the kingdom of God's Beloved Son. The implications Paul's theology of salvation and the kingdom of God describe a robust social and political identity for the church. Stanley Hauerwas, formerly a professor of Christian theology and ethics at Duke University, and Will Willimon, formerly a United Methodist Bishop, name the church a community of "resident aliens" in their book by the same name. Though not commenting specifically on Colossians, resident aliens is an appropriate descriptor of the Christian identity developed by the Apostle Paul.
In Resident Aliens, Hauerwas and Willimon argue that the church has long succumbed to the world. The world has set the agenda for what the church values and the place the church occupies in the public sphere. Rather than the Gospel the church preaches what is popular now desiring relevance, influence, and power. For example, in the contemporary United States, evangelism means church growth. We Christians no longer know how to proclaim the Gospel as God's story of deliverance from sin and death, an accomplished fact by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; instead, we practice evangelism to fill our pews with people and our coffers with their money so our institutional churches will be seen as successful ministries. Thus, we constantly blur the line between world and church.
In this secular era, we tend to accept the premises of either Johnny French or Larry. If we accept the premises of Johnny French, we pine for the old Christendom or envision a rebirth of Christendom wherein society-at-large replaces the Church. Of course, we mean free democratic societies in which well to do people are nice to each other. We imagine that service to the nation state parallels faithfulness to God, and we become social activists for either conservative or liberal policies and agendas. Inconveniently, Hauerwas and Willimon remind us, "Most of our social activism is formed on the presumption that God is superfluous to the formation of a world of peace and with justice."[8] Indeed, we believe that we can design the great society or build the shining city on the hill, if only we organize well and have the gumption. Or else, we accept Larry's premise that Christianity is personal and private. Then, we sentimentalize the Gospel as words of comfort and encouragement. We thank God for forgiving us our individual sins so that we can go to Heaven someday. Thus, Christianity becomes merely about me and my personal relationship with God, and we lose the church completely. Either of these premises, fails to account for the kingdom of God's Beloved Son proclaimed by the Apostle Paul.
Furthermore, if we would be counted saints and the people of God in our own day in our own churches, we must reckon with vision of Jesus proclaimed by Paul. For Paul, Jesus establishes a specific kingdom inhabited by those whom he rescues from the realm of darkness hostile to God. However, this kingdom, the kingdom of God's Beloved Son, also, signifies the ultimate destiny God plans for all creation. Jesus' reign constitutes a universal rule for all creation, for as the Son of God all was created "through him and for him." As Christians and kingdom citizens, we owe Jesus our worship and obedience. Thus, Hauerwas and Willimon instruct us to become a confessing Church:
Rejecting both the individualism of the conversionists and the secularism of the activists and their common equation of what works with what is faithful, the confessing church finds its main political task to lie, not in the personal transformation of individual hearts or the modification of society, but rather in the congregation's determination to worship Christ in all things.[9]
Christians as kingdom citizens recognize the primary task of the Church is "to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." Christians must receive their place in the kingdom according to God's grace so as "to walk worthily of the Lord, entirely pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and increasing in the knowledge of God." The Church, then, becomes the people of God, who are fit for God's presence to indwell their community. Faithfully, steadfastly, and patiently Christians remain in community with God and each other as God's witnesses to the reign of Jesus Christ in the world. Thus, the church learns to be a long-suffering community of disciples worshipping and confessing Jesus as Lord.
[1] Eduard Lohse, A Commentary on the Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, Hermeneia, trans. William Poehlmann and Robert J. Karris (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971), 27.
[2] Markus Barth and Helmut Blanke, Colossians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, AB (New Haven: Yale, 1994), 179.
[3] Ibid., 187-8.
[4] Ibid., 190-1.
[5] Lohse, Colossians, 48-9.
[6] Ibid., 58.
[7] C.F. D. Moule, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, CGTC (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1957), 72.
[8] Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon, Resident Aliens (Nashville: Abingdon, 2014), 36.
[9] Ibid., 45.