CHAPTER ONE

Contents: Apostolic greeting and prayer. The superiority of Christ. His reconciling work. The mystery of His indwelling.

Characters: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Paul, Timothy, Epaphras.

Conclusion: He who has reconciled us to God by His blood and made us meet to partake of eternal happiness is none other than the Creator and Lord of all, manifested in human form. As Lord of glorious power, He is able to furnish us for every good work and to fortify us by His grace against every evil. The ground of our hope is Christ in the Word, but the evidence of our hope is Christ in the heart working mightily by His Holy Spirit.

Key Word: Mighty Christ, vv. 11, 15.

Strong Verses: 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20.

Striking Facts: vv. 15-17. Jesus was the visible representation of the visible God, born before anything was created. Creation was bound up with Him as its secret, and by Him, all things earthly, angelic, celestial and infernal were created and do exist. It pleased the Father that all divine perfections should be summed up in Him. Such a One redeemed us and is Head of the Body, the Church.

CHAPTER TWO

Contents: Godhead incarnate in Christ. Danger of those who would entice away from Christ. Philosophy and legality, mysticism and asceticism.

Characters: God, Christ, Paul.

Conclusion: Believers who understand the perfections of Christ and have a well settled judgment of the great truths of the Gospel, will be preserved from all the ensnaring insinuations of those who would corrupt the Gospel principles. All true Christians have a salvation complete in Him and need not pin their faith on the opinions of philosophers nor bear the yoke of ceremonial law. Christ alone is the hope of glory and in Him we are complete.

Key Word: Complete in Him, v. 10.

Strong Verses: 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Striking Facts: vv. 3, 9. Christ is the wisdom of God, and is of God made wisdom to the humble. The treasures of wisdom are not hidden from us in Christ, but for us. Supposed supplies of spiritual wisdom from any other source are a delusion. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, not figuratively, but literally, for He is both God and man, the manifestation of the Father to us.

CHAPTER THREE

Contents: Believer's union with Christ here and hereafter, and the fruit of such union.

Characters: God, Christ, Paul.

Conclusion: The true believer is united with Christ in a union which can never be broken and by virtue of that union he is justified, sanctified and yet to be glorified. Since, as to his standing, his true life is hid with Christ in God, it is his business to mind the concerns of that world to which Christ has ascended, making heaven his scope and aim, and manifesting to those about him, his title and qualifications for heaven, by a consistent Christian life.

Key Word: Union with Christ, v. 3.

Strong Verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24.

Striking Pacts: vv. 1, 3. The believer's eternal standing is in Christ. If by regeneration, we were united to Him, we are reckoned as having died when He died, having risen when He ascended, having been seated in heaven when He was seated, and as yet to appear with Him when He comes forth in glory. Our true life is therefore hid with Him. It is our part to make our state conform as nearly as possible with our standing.

CHAPTER FOUR

Contents: Consistent Christian living and fellowship of believers.

Characters: God, Paul, Christ, Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Marcus, Barnabas, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Archippus.

Conclusion: The friendship and fellowship together of fellow servants in the Lord, is a great refreshment under the sufferings and difficulties in the way. It adds much to the beauty and strength of the Gospel ministry when Christ's servants are loving and condescending towards one another. Let the people of God pray particularly for those over them in the Lord, that God may enable them to speak as they ought to speak and that doors of utterance may be opened.

Key Word: Fellowship, vv. 7, 10, 11, 14.

Strong Verses: 2, 5, 6.