“3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,”
Introduction:
Now, the Apostle Paul is writing the letter to Colossian church in order to encourage them to enjoy the world of grace and peace that is, the righteousness, peace and delight in the kingdom of God out of the infection of lying teaching. After the greeting he thanks to God because of three proofs.
First, he thanks God for the work of their faith. Verse 4 says “4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people”. Whom did they believe on ? It was the faith to Christ. What is the faith? It means to trust, to commit ourselves to God. As Tenyson, who was a famous poet in British, said the meaning of the faith. It is like that we listen to the voice of a bird from the egg of the bird and as we look at the bud, we can know the spring season. even though we cannot see and cannot listen to something, to see God and to depend on the Word of God is the faith. We who have the sound faith admit that invisible Christ is the creator, the savior and the judger and follow Him. This was the faith of the collossian church. Surely the faith begets the work. This is like scientific principle. The work(event) is the result of the faith. To the Thessalonian church Paul expressed the sacrifice of the faith. If we have sound faith absolutely we meet the work(event) in our lives. Just like In the creation, when the Word of God was come out to the outside, there are a light, If we have the faith it is very normal to be brought up the creation. Roman 10:9-10 says that when we believe in Christ in his heart, and confess it with his mouth, he shall be saved. “ 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
As we know, when the Lord cured the 38 year patient, the Lord found the faith in him by some question, “Do you want to be cured?” it means that do you believe in me? Then Jesus demanded the faith in him. And to the patient of Matthew chapter 9 the Lord looked at the faith in them and healed him. And also our Lord worked to the Canaan woman through her faith , that are , she wanted to have a pounder grace that come out of the Lord and that the Lord can do every things in that situation. Then her problem was solved immediately. Mt15:27-28 says, 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Second, he thanks God for the sacrifice of the love. Verse 4-6 say “4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. ” This saying is not the verbal love but the actual love for their neighbor benefits that the world know that love in the actual life. This love was like their sacrifice love to Thessalonian church. The faith should be expressed by the love. Because the faith is a channel that reveals the relationship of the faith and the love is the power that gives some benefits to the neighbor by receiving the power that comes out of the above. So I Corinthian tell us that the love is the toil to believe in the truth. Verses 4-7 reveal the 13 features and reveals not the personal benefits but the benefits of our neighbors. In other words, through the devotion and sacrifice the Colossian church gave the wonderful benefits to their neighbors.
Third, he thanks God for the endurance of hope. They thank God for the hope that God prepared for them. It is the result that the truth of the gospel provides us. The hope that was rooted on the faith and the hope. According to Roman 5:5, the saints who the love of God was poured shall accomplish the patient through the tribulation, the patient through training and also the hope through training. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Conclusion:The thanksgiving of Paul to the Collosian churches should be ours. We have to take three elements those are; the work of faith, the sacrifice of love and hope of endurance. (2013.9.3)