"Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."-Col. 4 :12.
These fervent prayers were doubtless for the I practical completeness of the Christians at Colosse; in other words, that they might be fully conformed to the will of God in thought, word, and deed. In a previous part of this epistle, the apostle assured them that they were already complete in Christ. Hence there was no need for prayer that they might be complete in that sense; but thanksgivings were very suitable, as in the first chapter- "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."
We may notice in this rich epistle a fourfold completeness ; and oh, may our meditations thereon be sweet and profitable to our souls!
In the first chapter we see in Jesus a complete Saviour, as evidenced by His having become the " firstborn from the dead." A little previously He is presented in the dignity of His person, being "the image of the invisible God." He was that, when here incarnate. Those who saw Him, saw the Father. In the same verse He is designated "the first-born of every creature," or of the whole creation. I may here say that the term "first-born " is often used in Scripture as expressing title to the first place, without any reference to priority of birth. Jehovah said, "Israel is My son, My first-born." He said of one of the kings, " I will make him My first-born, higher than the kings of the earth." Thus he was to have the first place among other kings. Solomon had that place, though he might be the youngest of them. The reason assigned why the Lord Jesus, when here in flesh, was the first-born of the whole creation, is, that "by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth." Being the Creator, of course, when He was born into the world, He had title to the first place; for, though He was not the first who was born into the world, yet, when He was born, the first place, of right, belonged to Him, for He did not cease to be the Creator when He became linked with creation by being born of a woman. But He waived all His natural rights. He claimed nothing. He who was rich, for our sakes became poor, so poor that He could truly say, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." Also, He was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief"; and besides this, in order to meet our deep need as sinners, and to "reconcile all things," He "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross"; and, as a sure sign that He had accomplished full atonement in that death, He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, thus becoming "the first-born from the dead," that in all things He might have the first place. In view of the empty tomb of Jesus, rendered empty by the power of God, we can say with the fullest confidence that we have in Jesus a complete Saviour. Of course, the Son of God could not do an incomplete work. His resurrection declared His atoning work forever complete-declared that which could not be otherwise. What a Saviour we have in Jesus! what a provision of grace! Our hearts and lips should be full of praise.
In the second chapter believers are seen as complete in Christ. "Ye are complete in Him"; that is, complete in His completeness; and this by being divinely seen as dead with Him and risen with Him. The apostle presents this in a way to meet the special needs of those to whom he wrote. Some false teachers were presenting to them a mixture of Judaism and Grecian philosophy; among other things, claiming that they should be circumcised. The apostle wished them to know that, having Christ, they had all, and needed none of these things. As to circumcision, he would have them know that they had already received a circumcision which was all-comprehensive in putting off, not a part of the flesh, but "the body of the flesh" (R.V.); and this "by the circumcision of Christ." Christian circumcision is through His death. Believers being identified with Him in that, they have at once deposition of a truly circumcised people. (Practical circumcision is taught further on.) In short, they are divinely seen as having died with Him. If so, why circumcise those who are dead ?
Besides, the apostle further teaches that true believers are risen with Christ (see 2:12, 13); for, being dead with Him, it follows that they are risen with Him. How does it follow ? In this way:His resurrection was a proof of finished atonement. Believers being dead with Him, are before God in all the value of that atonement, and consequently they must be divinely seen as risen with Him-set free in the freedom of their great Surety. The apostle carries the thought further in his epistle to the Ephesians, and speaks of them as seated in "the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Such is the position of all true believers, constituting them complete in Him, no matter whether they are new converts, or advanced in the Christian life. Neither does it make their standing otherwise, though they be poorly taught, and see but imperfectly their full identification with Him who died for them and rose again. Yes, each one who is born of God may say, in happy confidence,
"Jesus died, and I died with Him ;
Buried in His grave was I:
One with Him in resurrection,
Seated now in Him on high."
Not only so, but, as believers in Jesus, we shall ere long be complete with Him. This is stated in the third chapter:"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear," or be manifested, "then shall ye also appear, " to be manifested, '' with Him in glory." While to be in Him is our present standing, to be with Him is our blessed hope. And if to depart and be with Him is better than to abide in the flesh, surely to be with Him in our glorified bodies when He is manifested in glory must be very, very far better-yea, exceeding abundantly above all we could have asked, or even thought.
According to the fourth chapter of first Thessalonians, when the Lord comes for His saints, those who sleep in Him will awake, or arise, from among the dead; and those who do not sleep will, being changed, be caught up with the risen ones, '' to meet the Lord in the air." Then shall we indeed be complete in every way, according to the purpose of God, who has predestinated His people "to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29).
This brings us to what the apostle also dwells upon, namely, practical completeness-"complete in all the will of God." And what is it to be thus complete ? May we not say that it is walking according to Christ, according to our position in Him, and according to the place we are going to have with Him in glory ? In the first chapter, where we see in Jesus a complete Saviour, the apostle prays that those for whose good he wrote might "walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing." And, in practically applying our being complete in Him by being dead and risen with Him, he says, "Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, after the commandments and doctrines of men ?"The apostle uses the truth of being dead with Christ to save these Christians from the special evil to which they were exposed.; yet the same truth obviously admits of a wider application, warranting us in saying, If ye have died out of the world, ceased to be a part of it, through the cross, why behave as though ye were still a part of it ? The apostle continues the application-"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Seeing that He is above, should be enough to induce us to seek the things that are there. The next verse reads, "Let your mind be on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth" (R.V.). And why? For ye are "dead ":this being the reason why we are not to have our minds on earthly things. " And your life is hid with Christ in God ":this being the reason why we are to have our minds on things above. Then, after announcing our manifestation with Christ in glory, he says,'' Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth." He further tells us what to put off, as "anger, wrath, malice," giving as the reason "Ye have put off the old man, with his deeds."The "old man" is ourselves in the old, sinful standing; and we have put off that in our having died with Christ, our old man having been crucified with Him:therefore we are to put off the ways of our old man, our former selves."And," continues the apostle, "having put on the new man," that is, having risen with Christ, and thus got a complete new standing before God, we are to put on the graces, or moral qualities, suited to this new position, as "kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.""And above all these things" we are to "put on charity," or love, "which is the bond of perfectness"-love being the crowning thing in being complete in all the will of God. Yet,' alas, how little we see of all this! Surely the spiritual and faithful are loudly called upon to imitate Epaphras in laboring fervently in prayer that all who are Christ's may be aroused to a deep sense of their responsibility, and may, through grace, yet stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. In God alone have we strength for the way; and in order to do His will it is needful that we shall be filled with the knowledge of His will, and that He should work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Thus we have in this precious epistle a fourfold completeness-a complete Saviour in Jesus,-believers complete in Him,-soon to be complete with Him; and now to be practically complete. What a Saviour ! What a position! What a prospect! What a path!
The Lord grant that we may know that blessed One so as to be filled with Him, and our position in Him, and our hope of being like Him and with Him forever! Thus may our poor hearts be fully won, and our lives, during the "little while," show that we are truly His. We must be occupied with Him in order to reflect Him. Practical Christianity is a reflection of Himself. We shine in borrowed rays if we shine at all truly. The moon is our type. It receives its light from the sun, and reflects it. We are practically to abide in the Light, that we may give light in this dark scene, and so induce some benighted ones to follow the Light which guides to the bright day whose sun will never go down.
R. H.