Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Colossians 4:18
The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace [be] with you. Amen.
18. Farewell
18. The salutation by the hand of me Paul ] Here he takes the pen from the amanuensis (see Rom 16:22), and writes the final words in autograph. In 2Th 3:17 (“ so I write”) this is evidently done to warrant the authenticity of the letter. And see another reason, Phm 1:19. But obviously it might be done habitually at the close of Epistles, for reasons only of care and affection; they would always value “his own hand.” The “script” of St Paul seems to have been large and laboured; see Gal 6:11; where render “in what large letters I have written.” (He seems to have written that Epistle all in autograph.)
Remember my bonds ] The chain would drag and rattle as he took the pen. See note on Col 4:3 above.
Their “ remembrance ” would be shewn in love, in intercession, and above all in fidelity to the Gospel for which their Apostle rejoiced to suffer.
Grace be with you ] This short benediction occurs elsewhere only at the close of 1 Tim., 2 Tim. As Lightfoot suggests, the more definite and developed phraseology, “ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christy, &c.,” might in these later days of St Paul’s ministry “pass without saying.”
On the meaning of “ grace,” see note on Col 1:2 above.
Amen ] The evidence for omission here is considerable. See our note on Eph 6:24.
The Subscription
Written &c.] Lit., To the Colossians it was written from Rome, by means of Tychicus and Onesimus. So in the Textus Receptus. Of other forms some omit “ To the Colossians ” ; some add, at the end, “ and Timotheus.” In our oldest mss. the form is the same as that of the Title (see note there): To (the) Colossians, or Colassians.
The Subscriptions (to St Paul’s Epistles), in their longer form (as in the A.V.) are ascribed to Euthalius, a bishop of the fifth century, and thus to a date later than the earliest extant mss. (See Scrivener, Introd. to the Criticism of the N.T., ed. 1883, p. 62.)
The Subscription here is obviously true to fact, as are those appended to Rom., Eph., Phil., Philem., 2 Tim. Other Subscriptions are either (1 Cor., Gal., 1 Tim.) contradictory to the contents of the respective Epistles, or (Thess., Tit.) difficult to reconcile with them.
In philanthropy as in science there are three stages the prelude, the epoch, and the sequel. The prelude is a period of aspiration, and half-blind guesses. The epoch brings the expression of the truth to its highest point. In the sequel, the principle, once fixed in words, is extended and developed in practice. It would be no difficult task to apply the analogy to the influence of Christianity on slavery. As far as the Epistle to Philemon is concerned, the epoch has come.
Bp Alexander, in The Speaker’s Commentary.
We are all the Lord’s Onesimi.
Luther.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The salutation by the hand of me Paul – Probably the rest of the Epistle was written by an amanuensis. As was his custom, Paul affixed his own hand to it in the form of a salutation; compare the 1Co 16:21 note; 2Th 3:17 note.
Remember my bonds – Also evidently written by his own hand, to make the injunction more impressive; compare the notes at Heb 13:3. The meaning is, that they should not forget him in his confinement. They should remember that he was suffering on their account (Notes, Col 1:24), and that he was entitled to every expression of sympathy and love.
Grace be with you – Notes, Rom 16:20.
The subscription to this Epistle is undoubtedly correct. See the Introduction.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Col 4:18
The salutation of me, Paul
Words of farewell
Last words have in them a nameless touch of pathos.
They linger in the memory as a loved, familiar presence, soothe lifes sorrows, and exert upon the soul a strange fascination. As the years rush by, how rich in meaning do the words of dying lips become, as when Caesar said, sadly: And thou, Brutus! or when John Quincy Adams said: This is the last of earth; or Mirabeaus frantic cry for Music, after a life of discord; or George Washingtons calm statement: It is well; or Wesleys triumphant utterance: The best of all is, God is with us! And these closing words of the high-souled apostle, written from his prison, in the prospect of threatened death, carry with them a significance and tenderness which will be felt wherever this Epistle is read.
I. A personally inscribed salutation. The rest of the Epistle was dictated by the apostle to an amanuensis. He adds his own salutation not only as an expression of his love, but also as a mark of the authenticity of the document. It were worthy of the pencil of genius to pourtray the noble prisoner, whose right hand was linked to the left of his military jailor, tracing with tremulous fingers the final words to those for whose sake he was in bonds! How would the hand-writing of such a man be prized and venerated, and with what holy eagerness would his words be read and pondered!
II. A touching reminder. Remember my bonds. The apostle was in prison, not for any offence against the laws of God or man, but for the sake of the gospel. The Church of Christ in all ages has had abundant reason to remember with gratitude and praise the bonds of the great apostle, not only for the stimulating example of holy patience and dignified submission displayed under trying circumstances, but for his unspeakably precious literary work. The Epistle begins and ends with blessing; and between these two extremes lies a body of truth which has dispensed blessings to thousands, and is destined to bless thousands more. The benediction is short, but instinct with life, and laden with Divine beneficence. Grace is inclusive of all the good God can bestow, or man receive. Lessons:
1. Praise God for a well-authenticated Bible.
2. Praise God for the teachings of a suffering life.
3. Praise God for His boundless grace. (G. Barlow.)
Remember my bonds.
Chains
Being bound by a chain, Paul had to employ a secretary, and then at the close of the letter he would raise his own manacled hand, and add a few words of loving salutation. Under these circumstances his writing would be awkward and ill-formed. He looks at the: MS. He sees his friends work so neat, and his own writing disfiguring the MS. What will the Colossians think of this? They may regard it as an indication of carelessness. I will tell them the reason–my bonds. They will not misunderstand now. This is a small circumstance, but there is this in it: If the great apostle needed consideration, and had something which spoiled the perfection of his work, and which, being remembered, accounted for the imperfection, may it not he true of others also? We have all a chain of some kind.
I. How many chains there are that need to be remembered.
1. Temperament often hinders men from being and doing what others expect of them. Some are impulsive, others slow; some are irritable, others placid; some must work spasmodically, others are dogged; some are sanguine, others despondent. You see all this in the family circle, where you make allowance. You see it in the Church; remember it there.
2. The bondage of education, i.e., the training of a lifetime, leads to misunderstandings. One man has had a rough, and another a gentle, bringing up. They meet as brethren–the one hearty, the other reserved. The one thinks the other rude; the other thinks his brother cold. Yet both are equally friendly and loyal. What they want is to remember one anothers bonds.
3. Family ties are sometimes bonds. How many live in unsympathetic homes which restrain their better impulses, and act as a clog to their activities. How many have claims upon them of which others know nothing, and which make them appear parsimonious.
4. What a chain, too, is some forgiven sin. It hinders men from taking positions which others in ignorance would thrust upon them. Just such a sin barred David from building the Temple. There is a sense in which we should forget a mans past–in kindness; but there are times when we should remember it in love. It will thus account for much that is unaccountable.
II. How important it is that these bonds should be remembered. When a man is appointed to do some work in a public observatory, he is set to take some well-ascertained observations, that any deviation on his part from the average vision may be ascertained. And this deviation is called his personal difference, and is allowed for. If forgotten it would make his work useless. Something like this should be done by Christians. Allowance should be made for each mans personal difference. Our brothers chain should be remembered.
1. In justice to him. Otherwise we shall deem him less worthy than he is.
2. In justice to ourselves and to our faith. We cannot but believe more fully in the Saviour if we measure His influence, which we cannot do if we misjudge our brother.
3. In justice to the cause of Christ. So long as we forget our neighbours chain we shall misunderstand him, and so be unable to co-operate with him in Christian work.
III. There is a right and a wrong side to this memory.
1. Remember your brothers chain and this will make you more charitable in your judgments.
2. Remember only your own and it will make you petulant and sensitive.
3. Forget your own chain, then, but never that of others. (J. Ogle.)
The limitations of life
We have all our bonds and feel fettered somehow. Continually we discover that the realization of our aspirations, or the attainment of our purposes, is marred by some chain, even as the penmanship of Paul was made angular and irregular by his bonds. Thus we are each carrying about with us a chain, of which, so long as we are working within its limits, we may be largely unconscious, but which brings us to a stand the moment we have gone to its farthest length. The business man is bound to his counting-house by a cord which neither his God nor his conscience will allow him to break. The invalid is held down to her couch, and her devoted nurse is kept continually at the bedside of the sick one by a cord, which is not the less real because it is invisible, or the less powerful because its strands consist of love. The mother, wherever she goes, feels tugging at her heart the silken string that ties her to the cradle. The poor man is hampered by his poverty, and the servant has his service of God in some sort conditioned and qualified by the duties which he owes to his earthly master. We may find a few things suggested which may reconcile us to our bonds.
I. The apostles bonds were no disgrace to him.
1. His chain was the trophy of principle, and was more ornamental to him than the bracelets of our fashionable ladies are to them. He could not blame his own folly or wickedness for his present condition. It came to him when he was in the way of duty, and the consciousness of that was a support and solace to him all through.
2. But it is quite similar with our providential limitations. There is no disgrace in poverty or in sickness, provided only we have not brought it upon ourselves by our iniquity. The business man has no need to be ashamed of his attention to his counting-house. The mother cannot think that she is disgraced by the little ones that fill the nursery with their glee. And if there be anywhere on earth the human incarnation of that angel who ministered to our Lord in His anguish, it is to be found in the devoted nurse who tends the fevered sufferer. Let us not condemn ourselves if, because we are unavoidably called to the discharge of such duties, we cannot give ourselves to work in some department of Church activity.
3. But the tendency of much that is said nowadays is to make one dissatisfied with himself if he be not engaged in some ecclesiastical work. It is good to realize Wesleys idea, all at work, and always at work. But I have known a gentle heart well-nigh broken because a minister as good as declared that those who did not engage in a certain kind of work, were unworthy to be called Christians. But that quiet one was every day doing a kind of service for Christ which required far more self-denial, and one which she could not have neglected without sin. But the service of suffering is as well pleasing to God as is that of working. Holiness comes out in suffering as well as in working. And so, provided we maintain holiness within the limits of our chain, it is no disgrace to us that we cannot go beyond them.
II. Pauls bonds did hot prevent him from being useful.
1. No doubt Paul was sometimes saddened by the thought that his long imprisonment had kept him from missionary work, and yet in the long run he became convinced that his chain had really advanced the cause of Christ (Php 1:12-13).
(1) The soldier to whom he was chained was changed every four hours, so by embracing the opportunity of conversing with each of his guards Paul became instrumental in the conversion of many soldiers, and introduced the leaven of Christianity into the Roman army. My bonds in Christ are manifest throughout the praetorian guard, and in all other places. He came into contact with the lowest and the highest of the people, and was blessed in the salvation not only of the runaway slave Onesimus, but also of some of the inmates of Caesars household.
(2) It was at this time that he wrote his letters to the Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon; and who may estimate the results these Epistles have produced and are producing. Thus Paul was laid aside from personal activity for a time, in order that, through these letters, he might work for all time.
2. There is much in all this to stimulate and encourage us. How much the business man might accomplish for the Lord, if he were only to do with those who are brought into contact with him what Paul did with his soldier guardians! And is there on this earth any sanctuary so blessed as the sick chamber, where the pulpit is a couch of suffering, and the preacher is a patient, loving, gentle one who tries to bear all for Christ? It may seem a great hardship to the mother that she is kept by family cares from taking a share in any departments of active benevolence. But wait until that bright-eyed boy has grown up to be a godly man, or it may be a useful minister, and then she will have the satisfaction of knowing that the influence of her training is telling through him upon thousands of hearts. We never lose in the long run, even in the matter of usefulness, by giving ourselves to the nearest work, and to which we seem bound by a chain we cannot and dare not break. Another person can do as well in a mission school, but who, save she, can be a mother to her children. In the day of final apocalypse few things will surprise us more than the benefits which have sprung from the labours of some humble Christian who thought that she was doing nothing. Courage, then! You may be fettered, but He whom you serve is not bound.
III. Pauls bonds did not mar his happiness. When he was in the prison of Philippi he sang praises unto God, and we cannot but feel that he was speaking his own experience in his injunctions to that Church (Php 4:4-8). Nor is this all. In the Epistles of his first imprisonment there is an elevation of thought and a gladsome spirit which we hardly discover in any other. In any case his chain had not bound his heart. In the days of superstition men wore charms about them under the belief that they would thereby ensure themselves against disease. But no mere external appliance can keep sorrow from the soul. We must have Christ within to charm misery away. He giveth songs in the night. It is an easy thing to sing in the day of health and prosperity; but only Christ can make us sing in want and bondage.
IV. Pauls bonds did not lesson his reward. Opportunity is the measure of responsibility. He who sat over against the treasury pronounced the noblest eulogy over her who had cast into it the smallest coin–because in estimating her merit He remembered her bonds. He knew that her heart was larger than her means, and that she was lamenting all the time that she had not more to give. So He will give the same kindly consideration to the different providential hindrances with which we have to contend; and haply they, who through their lives have been regretting that they have done so little, may hear the unexpected encomium, He hath done what he could, He hath done more than they all. We are thoughtlessly apt to connect reward with activity; Christ has connected it with character, and that is indicated and strengthened by suffering and patience as well as work. Consciousness of limitation may make a man painfully conscious of the imperfections of the little he is able to do. It is not all I once planned to do. It was in my heart to make it much better! Master! Remember my bonds! And the appeal will not be made in vain, for the reply will come: Well done! enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Bonds worn for Christ
We should not forget that we, too, are m some sort the prisoners of the Lord Jesus Christ, and ought to wear our bonds patiently in remembrance of Him. I saw lately in a sketch of the philosopher Morse, a simple incident that may help here to illustrate my meaning. In his early painting days, Morse went into the studio of Benjamin West, with whom he was a special favourite. That great artist was then engaged upon his famous picture of Christ Rejected, and after carefully examining his visitors hands, he said to him, Let me tie you with this cord, and place you there while I paint in the hands of the Saviour. So he stood still until the work was done, bound, as it were, in the Saviours stead. I can fancy that a strange thrill would pass through Morses breast as he thought of being, in any lowliest manner, identified thus directly with the Lord. But that was only in a picture. In the sternly real life of every day, however, we are each in some way bound by a chain in the Redeemers stead, as representing Him on earth; let us see to it, therefore, that we wear it as meekly and as bravely as He wore that wherewith for our sakes He was fastened to the lictors stake. Thus again we come to that cross whereon for us the Saviour died, and find in it a motive strong enough to induce us to bear anything, or do anything. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Bonds no hindrance to happiness
As I was writing there broke upon my ears the song of a canary bird hanging in the room overhead. Its trilling notes were not a whit less joyous than those which I have often heard rained down from the infinite expanse of heaven by the little skylark of my native land. In spite of its cage that tiny warbler sings, and when its young mistress goes to speak to it, there is a flutter of joy in its wings, as with ruffled neck and chattering gladness it leaps to bid her welcome. So let us accept our bonds, whether of poverty, or weakness, or duty, as the bird accepts its cage. You may cage the bird, but you cannot cage its song. No more can you confine or restrain the joy of the heart which, accepting its condition, sees God in it and greets Him from it. To fret at our circumstances will not improve them; but it wilt make us worse ourselves. On the other hand, the way to get the most happiness out of life is to carry Christ continually in our hearts. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.).
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 18. The salutation by the hand of me Paul.] The preceding part of the epistle was written by a scribe, from the mouth of the apostle: this, and what follows, was written by the hand of St. Paul himself. A similar distinction we find, 1Co 16:21, and in 2Th 3:17; and this, it seems, was the means by which the apostle authenticated every epistle which he sent to the different Churches. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle, so I write.
Remember my bonds] See what proof ye have of the truth of the Gospel; I am in bonds on this account; I suffer patiently, yea, exult in the Lord Jesus, so perfectly am I upheld by the grace of the Gospel. Remember my bonds, and take courage. How eloquent were these concluding words! That such a man should be in bonds for the Gospel, was the fullest proof of the truth of the Gospel. A cunningly devised fable could not have imposed on Saul of Tarsus; he was fully satisfied of the truth of the doctrines of Christianity; he proclaimed them as truths from heaven; and for their sake cheerfully suffered the loss of all things. The bonds of such a man are a plenary proof of the truth of the doctrines for which he was bound.
Grace be with you.] May you still possess the favour and blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ: the apostle ends, as he began, this epistle. Without the grace of Christ they could not have become a Church; without this grace they could not continue to be one.
Amen] This is omitted by the most ancient and correct MSS.
The subscriptions, as usual, are various and uncertain: –
The common GREEK text has, To the Colossians, written from Rome by Tychicus and Onesimus.
The Epistle to the Colossians; written at Rome, and sent by the hand of Tychicus. SYRIAC.
To the Colossians. AETHIOPIC.
In the Vulgate there is no subscription.
The end of the epistle; and it was written from Rome, and sent by the hand of Tychicus and Onesimus. Praise be to God for ever and ever; and may his mercy be upon us. Amen. ARABIC.
Written from Athens by Tychicus, and Onesimus, and Mark, his disciples. COPTIC.
The MSS. are not less various than the versions:
To the Colossians. – That to the Colossians is completed; that to the Philippians begins. – That to the Colossians is finished; the First Epistle to the Thessalonians begins. – To the Colossians, from Rome. – Written to the Colossians from Rome. – Written from Rome by Tychicus, and Timotheus, and Onesimus. – Written by Paul and Timothy, and sent by Tychicus, and Onesimus.
That the epistle was written from Rome there is little cause to doubt: that Timothy might be the scribe is very probable, because it appears he was at Rome with the apostle in the same year in which this epistle was written. See Php 2:19. And that it was sent by Tychicus and Onesimus, seems evident from the 8th and 9th verses of this chapter. Col 4:8; Col 4:9
The common subscription has the consent of the greater number of the most recent and comparatively recent MSS., but this is not, in general, a proof of authenticity.
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In the note on “Col 4:16“, I promised to subjoin what is called the Epistle to the Laodiceans: I give it here from the best copies, and add a literal translation, that the curious, whether learned or unlearned, may have what some have believed to be authentic, and what has doubtless existed, in one form or other, from a very remote antiquity.
EPISTOLA PAULI APOSTOLI AD LAODICENSES,
1. Paulus, Apostolus, non ab hominibus, neque per hominem, sed per Jesum Christum. Fratribus qui estis (sunt) Laodiceae. 2. Gratia vobis et pax a Deo Patre nostro, et Domino Jesu Christo. 3. Gratias ago Christo per omnem orationem meam, quod permanentes estis, et perseverantes in operibus bonis, promissionem expectantes in die judicii. 4. Neque disturbent (deficiunt) vos quorumdam vaniloquia insimulantium veritatem (insanientium) ut vos avertant a veritate evangelii, quod a me praedicatur. 5. Et nunc faciet Deus, ut qui sunt ex me ad perfectionem veritatis evangelii sint deservientes, et benignitatem operum facientes quae sunt salutis vitae aeternae. 6. Et nunc palam sunt vincula mea, quae patior in Christo; in quibus laetor et gaudeo. 7. Et hoc mihi est ad salutem perpetuam, quod (ipsum) factum est in orationibus vestris, et administrante Spiritu Sancto, sive per vitam, sive per mortem. 8. Est enim mihi vivere vita in Christo, et mori gaudium (et lucrum.) 9. Et ipse Dominus noster in vobis faciet misericordiam suam, ut eandem dilectionem habeatis; et sitis unanimes. 10. Ergo, dilectissimi, ut audistis praesentiam Domini, ita sentite (retinete) et facite in timore; (Domini;) et erit vobis vita in aeternum: 11. Est enim Dominus qui operatur in vobis: 12. Et facite sine peccato quaecunque faeitis, (sine reatu,) et quod est optimum. 13. Dilectissimi, gaudete in Domino Jesu Christo, et cavete omnes sordes (sordidos) in omni lucro. 14. Omnes petitiones vestrae sint palam apud Deum. 15. Estote firmi in sensu Christi et quae integra, et vera, et pudica, et casta, et justa, et amabilia sunt, facite. l6. Et quae audistis, et accepistis, in corde retinete; et erit vobis pax. 17. Salutant vos omnes sancti. 18. Salutate omnes fratres in osculo sancto. l9. Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum spiritu vestro. Amen. 20. Et hanc facite legi Colossensibus; et eam quae est Colossensium vobis.
Ad Laodisenses scripta fuit e Roma, per Tychieum et Onesimum.
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE LAODICEANS.
1. Paul, an apostle, not from men, nor by man, but by Jesus Christ, to the brethren which are in Laodicea. 2. Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. I give thanks to Christ in all my prayers, that ye continue and persevere in good works; waiting for the promise in the day of judgment. 4. Be not troubled with the vain speeches of certain who pretend to the truth, that they may draw away your hearts from the truth of the Gospel which was preached by me. 5. And may God grant that those who are of me, may be led forward to the perfection of the truth of the Gospel, and perform the benignity of works which become the salvation of eternal life. 6. And now my bonds are manifest, which I suffer in Christ, and in them I rejoice and am glad. 7. And this shall turn to my perpetual salvation, by means of your prayers and the assistance of the Holy Spirit, whether they be for life or for death. 8. For my life is to live in Christ; and to die will be joyous. 9. And may our Lord himself grant you his mercy, that ye may have the same love, and be of one mind. 10. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have heard of the coming of the Lord, so think and act in the fear of the Lord, and it shall be to you eternal life. 11. For it is the Lord that worketh in you. 12. Whatsoever you do, do it without sin, and do what is best. 13. Beloved, rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, and beware of filthy lucre. 14. Let all your prayers be manifest before God. 15. And be firm in the sentiments you have of Christ. And whatsoever is perfect, and true, and modest, and chaste, and just, and amiable, that do. 16. And whatsoever ye have heard and received retain in your hearts, and it shall tend to your peace. 17. All the saints salute you. 18. Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss. 19. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. 20. And cause this epistle to be read to the Colossians; and that to the Colossians to be read to you.
To the Laodiceans, written from Rome, by Tychicus and Onesimus.
Such is the composition which pretends to be the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Laodiceans, and of which I have endeavoured to give a literal version; though even with the assistance of the various readings of the Anjou MS., which I have included in brackets, I found this difficult, so as to preserve any sense. Elias Hutter has published it after the Epistle to the Colossians, as if it were the genuine production of the apostle to whom it was attributed; and has taken the pains to exhibit it in twelve languages, viz.: Syriac, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, German, Bohemian, Italian, Spanish, French, English, Danish, and Polish. All, the Latin excepted, appear to be of his own composing. To criticise them would be lost labour; the Greek is too bald to be the production of any remote age, and as to the English, no Englishman can understand it. The editor deserves the strongest reprehension, because he has associated it with the genuine epistles of St. Paul, without a single note of its spuriousness.
As to its being a work of St. Paul, little or nothing need be said; its barrenness of meaning, poverty of style, incoherency of manner, and total want of design and object, are a sufficient refutation of its pretensions. It is said to be the work of some heretics of ancient times: this is very unlikely, as there is no heresy, ever broached in the Christian Church, that could derive any support from any thing found in this epistle. It is a congeries of scraps, very injudiciously culled, here and there, from St. Paul’s epistles; without arrangement, without connection, and, as they stand here, almost without sense. It is a poor, wretched tale, in no danger of ever being denominated even a cunningly devised fable. It should keep no company but that of the pretended Epistles of Paul to Seneca, to which I have in other cases referred, and of which I have given my opinion.
Should it be asked: “Why I have introduced it here?” I answer: To satisfy the curious reader, and to show how little ground there is for the opinion of some, that this epistle is of any importance; and to prove how miserably forgery itself succeeds when it endeavours to add to or corrupt the word of God. The sacred writings are of such a peculiar character that it is utterly impossible to imitate them with any kind of success. They bear, deeply impressed, the seal of infinite wisdom – a seal which no human art can counterfeit. This is the criterion by which the spurious gospels and apocryphal writings in general have been judged and detected; and this heavenly stamp, under the care of Divine Providence, will continue to be their chief preservative, as long as the sun and moon shall endure.
Finished correcting for a new edition, Dec. 16th, 1831. – A. C.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The salutation by the hand of me Paul: the apostle having them on his heart, and here (as elsewhere) likely having used an amanuensis to pen the body of his Epistle, to prevent fraud and forgery he doth subscribe his salutation and apostolical benediction with his own hand, which was well known, Rom 16:22; 1Co 16:21; Gal 6:11; 2Th 2:2; 3:17; Phm 1:19.
Remember my bonds; importuning them to be very mindful of his imprisonment in their prayers, Col 4:3; Heb 13:3, imitating his constancy and patience if called to suffer; see Phi 1:14; his sufferings being an excellent seal to the truth of his gospel, and his ardent affection to them and other Gentiles, for whose sake he was in bonds.
Grace be with you; then earnestly praying that the special grace and favour of God the Father in the Lord Jesus Christ might be ever present with them: see Rom 16:24; 1Co 16:23,24; Php 4:23. In testimony of the reality of his desire, and assurance to be heard, he concludes (as elsewhere) with
Amen.
(Written from Rome to the Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.)
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. Paul’s autograph salutation(so 1Co 16:21; 2Th 3:17),attesting that the preceding letter, though written by an amanuensis,is from himself.
Remember my bondsAlreadyin this chapter he had mentioned his “bonds” (Col4:3), and again Col 4:10,an incentive why they should love and pray (Col4:3) for him; and still more, that they should, in reverentialobedience to his monitions in this Epistle, shrink from the falseteaching herein stigmatized, remembering what a conflict (Col2:1) he had in their behalf amidst his bonds. “Whenwe read of his chains, we should not forget that they moved over thepaper as he wrote; his [right] hand was chained to the [left hand ofthe] soldier who kept him” [ALFORD].
Grace be with youGreek,“THE grace”which every Christian enjoys in some degree, and which flows from Godin Christ by the Holy Ghost (Tit 3:15;Heb 13:25)
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The salutation by the hand of me Paul,…. After his amanuensis had finished the epistle, he added his usual salutation to it with his own hand, to prevent all counterfeits and impositions, and that the churches to whom he wrote might be sure of the genuineness of his epistles; but before he added it to it, he either wrote with his own hand, or ordered to be written the following words,
remember my bonds; this he says, partly that they might be animated to abide by the Gospel, for which, as he had told them before, Col 4:3 that he was in bonds; and partly to encourage them, by his example, patiently to endure what afflictions and persecutions soever they should meet with, for the sake of it; as also that they might be moved hereby, to remember him in their prayers, that, if it was the will of God, he might be released, and be yet further useful in preaching the Gospel; or however, that he might be supported in his bonds, and cheerfully bear them, and remain steadfast in his faith in Christ unto the end: and then follows the salutation,
grace be with you, Amen; which is common to all his epistles, and well suits them; in which he so much displays the grace of God, as it is expressed in the Gospel; and which his heart was full of, and earnestly desired might be more largely manifested to, and bestowed upon the saints. This epistle is said to be
written from Rome to the Colossians, by Tychicus and Onesimus; and though the subscriptions of the epistles are not always to be depended on, yet this seems to be right; that it was inscribed to the Colossians, there is no doubt; and that it was written from Rome is clear enough, since by several expressions it is plain that he was now a prisoner, and in bonds; and that it was sent by Tychicus and Onesimus is more than probable, from Col 4:7.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Of me Paul with mine own hand ( ). More precisely, “with the hand of me Paul.” The genitive is in apposition with the idea in the possessive pronoun , which is itself in the instrumental case agreeing with . So also 2Thess 3:17; 1Cor 16:21.
My bonds ( ). Genitive case with (remember). The chain ( Eph 6:20) clanked afresh as Paul took the pen to sign the salutation. He was not likely to forget it himself
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
With mine own hand. The letter was written by an amanuensis, Paul adding his autograph.
Grace be with you. On the benedictions, see on 2Co 13:14. This short form occurs only here, 1Ti 6:21; 2Ti 4:22.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “The salutation by the hand of me Paul” (ho aspasmos to eme cheiri Paulou) “The greeting by the hand of me, Paul,” or by my hand; to attest canonicity or authenticity, Paul took the pen in hand from his Amanuensis and wrote the final verse, See Rom 16:22; 2Th 3:17; 1Co 16:21; Gal 6:11.
2) “Remember my bonds” (mnemoneuete mou ton desmon) “you all remember my chain-bonds,” or cherish my memory and pray for me in these chains,” or these chain-binding bonds, Heb 13:3; Heb 10:34; Mat 25:36. To remember means not only to pray for but also to offer some physical help, such as food, clothes, reading material, Jas 2:15-16; 1Jn 3:17-18.
3) “Grace be with you” Amen. (he charis meth’ hemon) “The grace (be) with you,” Oh! the longing of Paul for the Spiritual well-being or welfare of others! How much this is like his farewell to the Ephesian brethren. Act 20:32-35.
WORKING FOR THINGS TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL
In the mind of the politician, the machinist, the man of science, the man of trade, or any of the numerous classes which spend their intellectual energies on the things of time and sense, the expected result of their operations must occupy the first place, since it furnishes the only efficient motive for their exertions. But the defender of religious truth acts in obedience to the principle of duty, and leaves the result with God. The men who are, by office, the special standard-bearers in the army of Christ, are bound to “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints,” whether their efforts are likely to be accounted the greatest or the least in the annals of human achievement
–Hopkins
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
18. The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you.
Translation and Paraphrase
18. (I close with) the greeting in my own handwriting: Paul. Remember my bonds (in your prayers). Grace (favor) be with you.
Notes
1.
Paul closed the epistle to the Colossians by signing it with his own hand. The chain linking him to his guard clanks in an act of authentication.
2.
Several other letters of Paul were also written by one of his helpers serving as secretary (amanuensis) as Paul dictated. At the close of these, the last line or so was added by Paul in his own handwriting. Rom. 16:22; 1Co. 16:21; Gal. 6:11; 2Th. 3:17; Compare Phm. 1:19.
3.
In closing, Paul requests, Remember my bonds. Remember them in your prayers; remember them when you feel discouraged and depressed; remember that I have won many victories for Christ while wearing these bonds. Php. 1:7; Eph. 6:20; Act. 28:20.
4.
Paul closed with his customary benediction (used in all his epistles): Grace (or favor) be with you. If Gods favor is with us, what more can we ask in this life or in the world to come?
5.
Paul finishes his epistle. The letter is dried, folded, tied shut, perhaps sealed, and given to Tychicus. Thence it went to Colossae. And now to us.
6.
May we in our Christian life and faith make CHRIST SUPREME, as Paul exhorted the Colossians.
And he is the head of the body, the church: . . . that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Col. 1:18).
In him ye are made full, who is the head of all principality and power. (Col. 2:10).
If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. (Col. 3:1).
And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col. 3:17).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(18) The salutation by the hand of me Paul.Comp. 2Th. 3:17, The salutation by the hand of me Paul, which is the token in every Epistle. This invariable autograph salutation was Grace be with you in various forms, from the brevity of the text here to the fulness of 2Co. 1:2, which has become the universal Christian blessing. In different epistles it is associated with different phrases of blessing; or charge. Thus we read in 1Co. 16:22, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. In the Epistle to the Galatians the autograph conclusion is expanded into a long postscript (Gal. 6:11-18). This may have been the case in the cognate conclusion (2 Corinthians 10-13) of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, possibly from the words, Now I Paul myself, &c. Here there is the simple and touching addition
Remember my bonds.In what spirit they were to be remembered we may gather from Eph. 3:13; Eph. 6:20; Php. 1:13; Php. 2:17. St. Paul evidently does not disdain to use his captivity as an appeal for sympathy (see Phm. 1:9); but mainly he dwells on it as a glory both to himself and to his converts. In both these different aspects it may be that he regarded it himself, according as he looked upon it after the flesh in the natural feeling of humanity, or after the spirit, in the higher power of the grace of God.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. The hand of me Paul Thus far an amanuensis had written at his dictation. The apostle undertakes to affix his own autograph, and as the chain on his right hand moves over the parchment as he writes, the thought seems to occur that his chain and his imprisonment are for the sake of that precious gospel which is so grandly set forth in the epistle. A sentence more pregnant with meaning than remember my bonds, he could hardly have found. It is a touching appeal to the deepest sympathy of his brethren for himself, and to their undying fidelity to the gospel for which he was joyfully suffering so much.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘The salutation of me, Paul, with my own hand. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you.’
Paul would appear to have been using an amanuensis, a scribe (see Rom 16:22). But he adds his postscript to prove the genuineness of the letter. This appears to have been his common practise (compare Gal 6:11; 1Co 16:21; 2Th 3:17).
‘Remember my bonds.’ Possibly a last emotional appeal to some to think their position through on the basis of what he suffers for Christ. Or perhaps a call for them to pray that he might be faithful in spite of them.
‘Grace be with you.’ He stresses here their need for the grace of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. That in the end is what they need and what they must trust in.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Col 4:18 . Conclusion written with his own hand; comp. 2Th 3:17 . See on 1Co 16:21 .
Be mindful for me of my bonds , a closing exhortation, deeply touching in its simplicity, in which there is not a mere request for intercession (Col 4:3 ), or a hint even at the giving of aid, but the whole pious affection of grateful love is claimed, the whole strength of his example for imparting consolation and stedfastness is asserted, and the whole authority of the martyr is thrown into the words. Every limitation is unwarranted. , , Oecumenius, comp. Chrysostom.
] : the grace of God bestowed in Christ . Comp. 1Ti 6:21 ; 2Ti 4:22 ; Tit 3:5 . Comp. on Eph 6:24 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
3. Closing words
(Col 4:18)
18The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.12
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Col 4:18. The salutation by the hand of me Paul.Exactly like 1Co 16:21; 2Th 3:17. Comp Gal 6:11. Bengel: This verse Paul adds with his own hand, acknowledging what precedes as his own. The clause results rather from the Apostles wish to add a word with his own hand, than, as Bleek supposes, from the wish of the Church to receive at least a few autograph words, to which he has acceded.
Remember my bondsespecially in praying. [Every limitation is unwarranted (Meyer).R.] My is emphatic; he is more concerned about the preservation of his person in triumphant fellowship with the Lord, for His sake and that of His Church, than for release or the alleviation of his imprisoned condition. It is a final exhortation, touching in its simplicity, not a request for assistance (Heinrich). [The connexion between the autographic salutation and the exhortation must not be overlooked. It was the chain itself, linking his right hand to the soldier, rendering it difficult for him to write to those for whose sake he was in bonds. How natural to add, especially to these Gentile converts: Remember my bonds. See Alford, Ellicott, Smiths Dictionary Antiq., Catena.R.]
Grace be with you.Grace, simply as Eph 6:24; 1Ti 6:21; 2Ti 4:22; Tit 3:15; Heb 13:25. With you ( ), also as 2Ti 4:22. The grace of God communicated in Christ is externally and internally with Christians.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. More depends upon inner preservation of the person from fall and weakness than upon external deliverance from earthly distress.
2. From those who stake body, goods and life on the cause of the Kingdom of God, blessing in word and deed is to be experienced; they bless, having more than a benediction.
3. To such the Church not only owes gratitude and grateful thought, but can alford them joy and strength. So much depends on living communion with its reciprocal results.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
[Wordsworth:St. Pauls bonds were providential. If he had been continually moving from place to place in missionary journeys, the Church might perhaps have never possessed this Epistle. She therefore has good cause to remember his bonds with thankfulness. The word of God here written is not bound. The fact that this Epistle was written by him in this state of durance and restraint, and yet designed to minister comfort to others, and that it has never ceased to cheer the Church of Christ, is certainly one which is worthy of everlasting remembrance.R.]
Footnotes:
[12] Col 4:18. is wanting in . A. B. C. F. G. and other. It was afterwards added in .; and is found in D. E. K. L
The subscription in . reads . others supplement it: (A.), (B.2), , (D. E.), , (F. G.). [Rec.: . The most accurate of all these spurious subscriptions.R.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
REFLECTIONS
BLESSING, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne; and unto the Lamb, forever and ever! What praise sufficient, or what glory equal, can the Church upon earth, and the redeemed in heaven, render, to the One glorious Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the unequalled love manifested to the Church, in Jesus Christ, ! And what everlasting thanks-giving, doth the reading of those holy Scriptures call forth, in the daily use of them, from beholding, with what a world of grace, the precious records have been preserved, and handed down, from age to age, to the joy of the Church, and the glory of the Almighty Head of it. Oh! Lord the Spirit! do thou, in thine Almighty ministry, bless thine holy word to all thy sent servants, and the people among whom thou shalt send them, to minister, that both him that labors in the word and doctrine, and those among whom the ministry is exercised, may be blessed together.
We bless our God for the service of his Apostle, in this instance of his labors of love, in this Epistle to the Church; by which, he being dead yet speaketh. And our God will continue to bless its use to the Church to the latest posterity. May the Lord accompany the present perusal of it to the divine honor, and our furtherance in grace, through Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Written from Rome to Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.
Ver. 18. Remember my bonds ] To pray for me, and minister to me, &c. This he here inserteth as his last charge, that they may the better remember and practise it. Something we should leave with those we love that may stick by them, and stand them instead when we are gone or have done with them.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
18 .] AUTOGRAPH SALUTATION.
] See ref. 1 Cor., where the same words occur.
. . ] These words extend further than to mere pecuniary support, or even mere prayers: they were ever to keep before them the fact that one who so deeply cared for them, and loved them, and to whom their perils of false doctrine occasioned such anxiety, was a prisoner in chains: and that remembrance was to work and produce its various fruits of prayer for him, of affectionate remembrance of his wants, of deep regard for his words. When we read of ‘his chains,’ we should not forget that they moved over the paper as he wrote. His right hand was chained to the soldier that kept him. See Smith’s Dict, of Antiq. under ‘Catena.’
cf. reff. and ch. Col 3:16 . ‘The grace’ in which we stand ( Rom 5:2 ): it seems (reff.) to be a form of valediction belonging to the later period of the Epistles of St. Paul.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Col 4:18 . : the rest of the letter would be written by an amanuensis. As he writes, his chain, fastened on his left hand, would impress itself on his notice. Hence the touching request “Remember my bonds,” which may bear the special sense “remember in your prayers”. : so without any defining addition in Ephesians , 1 and 2 Tim. It is not so in the earlier letters, but neither is it so in Phil. (or Titus).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Col 4:18
18I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.
Col 4:18 “in my own hand” This was Paul’s way of assuring the genuineness of his writings (cf. 2Th 2:2; 2Th 3:17). This also implies that he regularly employed a scribe (cf. Rom 16:22), probably because of his eye problems (cf. Act 9:8-9; Act 9:12; Act 9:18; Gal 4:15; Gal 6:11), which I believe was his “thorn in the flesh.”
Copyright 2013 Bible Lessons International
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
the hand, &c. = my hand of Paul.
bonds. Compare Col 4:8.
with. Greek. meta. App-104.
Amen. Omit.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
18.] AUTOGRAPH SALUTATION.
] See ref. 1 Cor., where the same words occur.
. .] These words extend further than to mere pecuniary support, or even mere prayers: they were ever to keep before them the fact that one who so deeply cared for them, and loved them, and to whom their perils of false doctrine occasioned such anxiety, was a prisoner in chains: and that remembrance was to work and produce its various fruits-of prayer for him, of affectionate remembrance of his wants, of deep regard for his words. When we read of his chains, we should not forget that they moved over the paper as he wrote. His right hand was chained to the soldier that kept him. See Smiths Dict, of Antiq. under Catena.
-cf. reff. and ch. Col 3:16. The grace in which we stand (Rom 5:2): it seems (reff.) to be a form of valediction belonging to the later period of the Epistles of St. Paul.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Col 4:18. , the salutation) Paul adds this verse with his own hand, acknowledging that all which goes before, proceeded from himself.-, be mindful) especially in prayer, Col 4:3.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Col 4:18
Col 4:18
The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand.-It was customary for Paul to have an amanuensis to write for him. He placed the signature himself and thereby conveyed a salutation written by his own hand. This appears to have been his usual practice, for of it he says: which is the token in every epistle; so I write. (2Th 3:17). It was the evidence that each was the expression of his mind as guided by the Holy Spirit. The endorsement with his name is followed by a request singularly pathetic in its abrupt brevity.
Remember my bonds.-To remember his bonds was to pray for him in his bonds. [The petition helps us to conceive how heavy a trial Paul felt in his imprisonment, to be as little as he said about it, and bravely as he bore it. He wished their remembrance, too, because his bonds added weight to his words. His sufferings gave him a right to speak. He wished their remembrance because his bonds might encourage them to steadfast endurance if need for it should arise. He points to his own sufferings, and would have them take heart to bear their lighter crosses and fight their easier battles.]
Grace be with you.-There is no richer word than grace, for it carries in it all of Gods love as seen in the gift of his Son for us. [We began with grace, we are kept by grace, and it is grace that will bring us home at last.]
[The personal details of 4: 7-17 link the doctrinal and practical teaching of this epistle with the actual life of Paul. They remind us that the gospel is not a mere abstract truth, but touches the everyday life of actual men. This historic setting of the gospel, which we find in many casual notices in Pauls epistles and in the narrative of the book of Acts, furnishes proof of the historic truth of the statements on which the gospel rests. It also helps us, by reproducing surroundings and the inner and outer life of Paul, to understand and better appreciate the thought embodied in the doctrinal parts of his epistles. Time spent in bringing together, and endeavoring to interpret, these scanty notices will bear abundant fruit in a clearer conception of his inner thought and of the gospel which permeated and moulded and ennobled his entire inner and outer life.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
by: 1Co 16:21, 2Th 3:17
Remember: 2Ti 1:8, Heb 13:3
Grace: Rom 16:20, Rom 16:24, 2Co 13:14, 1Ti 6:21, 2Ti 4:22, Heb 13:25
Reciprocal: Act 28:20 – this chain Eph 3:1 – the Eph 6:24 – Grace Phi 1:7 – as 1Th 2:18 – even 1Th 3:6 – and that 2Ti 2:9 – but
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
(Col 4:18.) -The salutation of Paul with mine own hand. Having employed an amanuensis in writing the previous portion of the epistle, the apostle authenticates it by adding his salutation in his own hand. 1Co 16:21; 2Th 3:17. What associations and feelings that handwriting would excite! Many an eye would be moistened as it gazed upon it. Not only does he write the salutation himself, but he adds, with his own hand too, the remaining clauses.
-Remember my bonds, a brief but pathetic request. The alternative view of Heinrichs is a very miserable one-stipendio mihi mittendo. Nor can we, with Olshausen and others, confine the mode of remembrance craved by the apostle simply to supplication for him. As Meyer says-jede Beschrnkung ist unbefugt-every limitation is unwarranted. Every possible form of remembrance they were besought to cherish. With every mention of his name, or allusion to his work, his chain was to be associated. Every picture which their mind’s eye formed of him was to be that of a prisoner. When they felt their obligations to him as an apostle, they were to think of his captivity. Their freedom of religious observance was to suggest to them, by the contrast, his incarceration. When they asked a blessing on their spiritual benefactors, they were not to forget the fetters of him-the apostle of the Gentiles. Remember my bonds. When his right hand penned the salutation of the previous clause, no wonder he felt his bonds so keenly, and spoke of them, for at the same moment his left hand was chained to the right arm of the Roman soldier who kept him. And now he bids them farewell-
-Grace be with you. The adieu is brief, but expressive. The apostle concludes as he began, with an earnest benediction, a prayer for fulness of blessing, alike for their present and eternal welfare. The of the Received Text is not well authenticated, and the subscription, though correct, is necessarily spurious.
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
Col 4:18. Paul occasionally did the writing of his epistles (Gal 6:11), but as a rule he dictated them to someone else, then signed his name to them which made them authentic. Remember my bonds. This was not written to obtain sympathy, for the apostle was not the kind of disciple to complain. The reference was for the benefit of the brethren, to stimulate their zeal on behalf of the Gospel.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Col 4:18. The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand; comp. 1Co 16:21; 2Th 3:17, which are in the same words, and Gal 6:11, which resembles this. The rendering here given agrees with that of the E. V. in the first passage. These autograph salutations were to attest the genuineness of the document, as is shown in 2Th 3:17; comp. the salutation of the amanuensis in Rom 16:22.
Remember my bonds. The connection between the autographic salutation and this clause is natural: the chain which bound him was probably on the right hand, hindering his use of the pen. These bonds were occasioned by his preaching the gospel to the Gentiles: A touching exhortation, speaking vividly to the hearts of his readers, and breathing patience, love, and encouragement (Ellicott). It is not so much a request for sympathy as an appeal to be heard and obeyed, since he as the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles (Eph 3:1) should command a hearing for his message in behalf of Christ. For himself he is more concerned about the preservation of his person in triumphant fellowship with the Lord, for His sake and that of His Church, than for release or for the alleviation of his imprisoned condition (Braune).
Grace be with you. (Here also the word Amen is poorly supported: comp. Eph 6:24. The subscription is not genuine, but was naturally added in conformity with Col 4:7-9.) See references for this brief form of the benediction; all the instances are in the later Epistles. Brief as it is, this blessing is all comprehensive: that the grace of God in Christ was all-sufficient need not be proved at the close of an Epistle whose theme is; Christ the Head of all things.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Here our apostle closes his epistle with a general salutation under his own hand, intimating thereby, that he had wrote the whole with his own hands.
He begs them to remember his bonds; that is,
1. To sympathize with him in his bonds.
2. To pray for him in his bonds.
3. To receive the word of God, which he had written to them in his bonds.
4. To prepare for sufferings themselves, his bonds being but the fore-runners of their bonds.
Thus it is the people’s duty to remember the pious ministers in their bonds. He adds, Grace be with you, wishing them an abiding interest in the special favour of God, with a multiplied increase of all spiritual blessings flowing from thence; increase of all grace to enable them to glorify God on earth, and to prepare them for glory with God in heaven. Amen.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
18. The feebleness of Pauls eyes disqualified him for his own writing. So, as in case of Lukes Gospel, Acts of the Apostles, and the Pauline epistles, he dictated them to Luke, his faithful companion and noble amanuensis. But we see he gives his autograph with his own hand. After Pauls decapitation, Luke was hung on an olive-tree in Greece, thus, like his apostolical comrades, receiving a martyrs crown.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 18
The salutation by the hand of me Paul; the Epistle itself having been written by a person employed as an amanuensis.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
“The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace [be] with you. Amen.”
Just place yourself in the place of Joe Colossian sitting in church hearing this epistle read for the first time. You must wonder how it must have impacted their lives. The encouragement, the teaching, the exhortation – what a heavy load to take home and consider as you went to work the next day.
I trust that we might want to give serious consideration to some of the principles that we’ve looked at in this brief study.
Just by observing what we read, what can we learn of Paul in these verses?
7. A believer (called him brother)
Recognizer of qualities of people
8. Interested in condition of others
Compassionate (wanted to comfort them)
9. Busy
10. Devoted to Christ (prisoner)
Recommends others
11. Needy (accepted comfort from others)
Laborer for the Lord
12. Willing to build up others
13. Willing to support others
14. Willing to allow others input to his writing
15. Willing to recognize others
17. Willing to confront others
18. Open to asking others for prayer
SOME ITEMS TO CONSIDER FROM THE BOOK
WE ARE TO DO THE FOLLOWING CHRIST DID THE FOLLOWING
——————————————————————————–
1:1 living by will of God
1:2 faithful
1:3 prayerful – thankful
1:4 love
1:5 hope laid up in heaven
1:9 know His will
1:10 walk worthily, please Him,
bearing fruit, good works
learning about God
1:11 steadfast
patient strengthens with power for work
joyful
1:12 thankful coheirs with Christ
1:13 delivered us from darkness
transferred us to the kingdom
of His son.
1:14 redeemed us
1:16 He created us
1:17 sustains creation
1:20 Christ reconciled all to God
through blood of Christ
1:22 reconciled us to Him
1:25 gave the church men
1:28 teach and admonish to holiness
2:1 struggle on behalf of other
believers
2:5 disciplined, stable in faith
2:6 walk in Christ
2:7 overflow with gratitude
2:8 beware false teaching
2:10 made us complete
2:13 made us alive
forgave all sins
2:14 canceled all debt
2:15 disarmed the rulers
and authorities
2:18 refrain from self abasement
worship of angels
visions
2:20 don’t follow worldly standards
3:1 seek things above raised us with Christ
3:2 set mind above not below
3:3 our life is hid in
Christ in God
3:5 consider your body dead to
immorality
impurity
passion
evil desire
greed (idolatry)
3:8 put aside anger
wrath
malice
slander
abusive speech
lying
3:12 put on heart of compassion chose us
kindness made us holy and beloved
humility
gentleness
patience
3:13 bear with one another
forgive one another
3:14 put on love
3:15 be thankful
called
3:16 let Word dwell in us
teach and admonish one another
with thankfulness
3:17 do all in Christ’s name
give thanks
3:18 wives submit
3:19 husbands love your wife
3:20 children obey your parents
3:21 father don’t exasperate your
child
3:22 slaves do well to master
as unto Christ
4:1 masters do well unto slaves
4:2 devote selves to prayer
thanksgiving
4:3-4 speak of Christ with charity
4:5 conduct self with wisdom to
outsiders
4:6 season speech with salt
HE WILL DO THE FOLLOWING
1:22 present us holy
3:4 will be revealed with Christ
3:6 wrath will come because of those things mentioned in verse five.
3:10 renew us to a TRUE knowledge.
MAJOR DOCTRINES MENTIONED
Adoption Reward
Redemption Resurrection
Reconciliation Security
Creation Predestination
Spiritual gifts Holiness
Ecclesiology Eschatology
Forgiveness Perfecting
Sovereignty of God
MAIN THRUST: SET YOUR MIND TOWARD HOLY, THANKFUL LIVING AIMED TO PLEASE THE ONE ABOVE.
MAIN THOUGHT CONCERNING CHRIST: ALL SUFFICIENT
MAIN THOUGHT CONCERNING GOD: HE’S IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT
KEY VERSES:
1:9, 10 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 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;”
1:28 “And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.”
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
D. Paul’s personal conclusion 4:18
Paul normally used a secretary to write his letters and then added a personal word at the end in his own handwriting to authenticate his authorship (cf. Rom 16:22; Gal 6:11). Here he requested his readers’ prayers for him in his house arrest in Rome (cf. Col 4:3-4). Finally he wished that God’s continuing unmerited favor would be their portion (cf. Col 1:2).
Why did Paul include so many personal references to friends and acquaintances in this epistle? Perhaps he had never visited these Christians and they knew him only by reputation (cf. Col 2:1). Probably since he had lived and ministered in Asia Minor for three years he would have had personal contact with some of the saints in Colosse. Evidently he sent many personal greetings because he had many friends in Colossae. Paul also sent many personal greetings to the Christians in Rome though he had not yet visited Rome when he wrote his epistle to them (cf. Romans 16).