Grace Bible Church Gillette, Wyoming

1. Their faith and love were on account of ("because" dia with the accusative, causal, "on account of") the hope laid up in heaven. Their faith and love sprang from their hope.

2. Faith and hope are connected. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for" (Heb 11:1). The hope in the Bible is certain because it is founded on the promises of God (Tit 1:2; Heb 6:19; 10:23).

3. This hope was reserved and "laid up" (apokeimai - stored up, reserved) by the Father and is awaiting the believer. It is stored up in heaven where no one or nothing can remove it (cf. 1Pe 1:4; Joh 10:28-29).

4. Heaven is the realm of God. God promises eternal life in heaven in the gospel (Col 1:4-5). The believer's inheritance in heaven is reserved in heaven (1Pe 1:4, Col 1:12; 3:24).

B. Heard the Word of Truth

1. How did the Colossians come to learn about this hope? They heard it in the word (logos - word or message) or message of truth (Psa 119:43; 2Co 6:7; 2Ti 2:15; Jam 1:18). In other words, they heard the message of truth, the gospel, and responded to it in faith (Rom 10:17).

2. The gospel is the message of truth. There is no other truth or salvation in any other message (Act 4:12). The gospel message is that Christ died on the cross for our sins and took our penalty for sin, and that He rose from the dead (1Co 15:1-4; 2Co 5:21).

3. Illustration of John Selden

II. THE GOSPEL IS FRUIT-BEARING (Col 1:6a)

A. Came to all the World

1. The gospel was being spread and at some point, it had come to Colossae. It was preached to them by Epaphras (Col 1:7) and it was bearing the fruit of salvation.

2. But the gospel had been spread in all the world. This phrase by Paul was a general expression and did not mean that every individual had heard the gospel. Rather, it had spread into all the major regions of the known civilized world.

3. It was in this sense that Luke wrote in his prologue in Act 1:8, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” The book of Acts is divided with these objectives in view. The final section recorded that the gospel had been spread to the “remotest part of the earth,” or the major regions of the known civilized world (i.e. Roman Empire). This was the euphemism that Paul used in Col 1:23

B. Constantly Bearing Fruit

1. Whether in Colossae or throughout the known world, the gospel did what God intended it to do, namely bear fruit and increase.

2. The gospel constantly bears fruit (present middle participle of karpophoreō - grow fruit or crops). Karpophoreō is used with the idea of producing crops and fruit bearing (Mar 4:28), behavior including its results (Rom 7:5), spiritual fruit (Col 1:10), and success and growth of the gospel (Col 1:6).

3. In this case, Paul’s refers to the dynamic character of the gospel. Despite Colossae’s pagan culture, impending heresies, and false teachers, the gospel was bearing fruit in the conversion of souls.

4. It was also increasing. “Increasing” (auxanō - to become greater in extent, size, state, or quality, 1Co 3:6; Eph 2:21; Col 2:19) can describe the outward activity, whereas “bearing fruit” can describe the inward activity of the gospel.

5. Numerous times in the book of Acts we observe the use of this word in relation to the increase of the gospel (Act 6:7; Act 12:24; Act 19:20).

III. THE GOSPEL IS THE GRACE OF GOD (Col 1:6b)

A. Grasped the True Knowledge of the Gospel

1. The gospel brings salvation in Christ, produces growth in Christ, and proceeds to increase the body of Christ. All of these aspects were bearing fruit and increasing in the Colossians (even as it has been doing in you also).

2. It began since the day they heard the gospel and of course, not just heard it, but also understood it in order to trust in Christ through the message of the gospel.

3. “Understood” is Greek verb epiginōskō. It is the first of 5 times used in this letter (verb - Col 1:6; noun - Col 1:9, 10; 2:2; 3:10). It is the word that Paul used to express the “full knowledge” or “true knowledge” found in Christ. This true knowledge was superior to the Gnostics’ “gnosis,” pseudo mystical knowledge (Col 2:2-3).

4. Understanding the gospel is having a saving knowledge of the gospel which is the basis for a saving faith in the gospel.

B. Grace of God in Truth

1. An individual understands the gospel when they understand that it is a gospel of grace (Act 20:24). Grace is the very heart of the gospel.

a. Grace (charis -God’s favor, God’s blessing, and God’s gifts) is God’s unmerited favor in salvation through Christ upon those who do not deserve it or earn it.

1) Grace is a gift of God (Rom 3:24 cf. Joh 1:12)

2) Grace is through Christ (Rom 5:15; Tit 2:11)

3) Grace cannot be merited (Gal 2:16; 3:11)

4) Grace is in opposition to works (Gal 2:21; Eph 2:8-9; Rom 4:4-5; 11:6)

b. What separates Christianity from all other religions and spiritual paths is that they are all based on works of some kind (even if it is knowledge of gnosis). True Grace Christianity is by grace through faith. Faith is not a work but a reliance upon the work of Christ on the cross.

2. God’s grace has even a greater extent when we realize that God granted His grace from all eternity upon those He chose to save.

a. Grace was granted from all eternity (2Ti 1:9)

b. Grace was according to God’s purpose and choice(2Ti 1:9; Eph 2:4-5; Rom 11:5-6).

c. Examples of grace in salvation

1) The Lord opened Lydia’s heart (Act 16:14)

2) Gentiles were appointed to eternal life (Act 11:18; 13:48)

3) Believers were chosen from the beginning for salvation (2Th 2:13)

IV. THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED: EPAPHRAS (Col 1:7)

A. Fellow Bondservant

1. Epaphras fits into Paul’s letter because it was Epaphras who brought the gospel to the Colossians.

2. Furthermore, Paul gave Epaphras the honored title of bond-servant (doulos - bond-slave) which was a metaphor for leaders (servants) in ministry (Rom 1:1; Gal 1:10; Jam 1:1; 2Pe 1:1 cf. Php 2:7).

B. Faithful Servant

1. As to his character, Epaphras was a faithful servant of Christ.

2. Being a servant of Christ on our behalf means that he was associated with Paul’s ministry and was Paul’s representative in Colossae.

3. Epaphras was faithful and he faithfully preached the gospel to the Colossians. In God’s sovereignty, He ordained that the gospel of grace must be a gospel preached (Rom 10:13-15).

V. THE GOSPEL PRODUCES LOVE IN THE SPIRIT (Col 1:8)

A. Love in the Spirit

1. It was Epaphras who reported to Paul the salvation and growth of the Colossians. He reported their love in the Spirit, which was an evidence of their salvation.

2. Love in the Spirit most likely refers to true believers who have the Holy Spirit and He is producing the fruit of love in and through them (Rom 5:5).

VI. THE GOSPEL OF HOPE FOR TODAY

A. Gospel of hope - In this section, we see the Golden Triad, that is the Golden Triad of faith, hope, and love. The Golden Triad is viewed in the gospel. The hope of heaven is presented in the gospel (Col 1:5). Faith and love in Christianity sprang up “on account of” the hope. So, hope was presented in the gospel, faith was applied to the hope in the gospel and love is the fruit produced in those who receive the gospel.

B. Gospel to our culture - In spite of our culture (pagan), clash of moral values, competition for the source of authority, impending heresies, and false teachers, Paul employed the simple apologetic of sharing the gospel. In spite of all the animosity against Christianity, the gospel is the gospel of hope and can penetrate any heart (Warren Smith’s testimony).

C. Gospel to sinners - The gospel is a gospel of hope. No matter what sin, no matter where you are in your life, no matter how many mistakes, no matter how long you have followed the wrong belief system or the wrong lifestyle, the gospel is the gospel of hope and can save you. The gospel of Christ is the gospel of hope for deeply troubled people in a deeply troubled world.

Grace Bible Church · 4000 E. Collins Rd · PO Box #3762 · Gillette, WY · (307) 686-1516