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Research Paper On Colossians 1 - Final
Research Paper On Colossians 1 - Final
RTCH 500
by
Leah Vintila
1
Contents
Introduction............ ........................................................................................................................1
Canonical Context................................................................................................................3
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................9
Bibliography .................................................................................................................................11
ii
Introduction
Intercessory prayer is an important part of our Christian fellowship within the body of
believers. Throughout the Pauline letters we see examples of intercessory prayers that should
form the basis of our prayer life today. Yet, all too often, our prayers for others can be self-
directed towards what we believe the best response from God should be for a particular prayer
This paper will examine Paul’s prayers as used in the context of the cultural influences of
that day with a focus on the prevailing purpose of his prayer over the Colossians. It will further
make a comparison of those historical influences to our current cultural influences and examine
the inadequacy of most intercessory prayer practices of today which incur a natural bias.
Through the use of Colossians 1:9–14 as a model for intercessory prayer, we will find that we
can eliminate the natural bias that is sometimes present in praying our will for other’s lives and
instead can align our prayers toward Christian growth and ultimately God’s will which should be
Historical Context
To begin the evaluation of Colossians 1:9-14, we must first examine the context in which
this prayer was written. Later, we will use this context as it relates to the environment that we
live in today. From a historical standpoint, we know that this text was written by Paul during his
first Roman Imprisonment. It is interesting to note that Paul did not personally plant the church
at Colossae, but it is instead believed that one of Paul’s students from Ephesus likely started this
1
church1. Studying Paul’s role in Colossae even further, we see that he likely had not even visited
this church as noted in Colossians 2:1 in which Paul writes of not having met them personally. If
Paul did meet some of the Colossians, it is believed that he did so just passing through on his
second or third missionary journey, but did not do any formal missionary work there2.
So why would Paul write a formal letter to a church of which he had no formal oversight
“an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” and those in Colossae as “faithful brothers and
sisters in Christ” (Col 1:1-2 NIV)3. Paul took such ownership because of what was occurring in
Colossae at the time. We find when we study this church that they had embraced the gospel and
stood firm upon their faith in Christ and their love for one another. Paul specifically thanks God
for this in his letter to them rather than congratulating them as he acknowledged and wanted
them to recognize also, that this level of faith and love can only come from God.4 This was
especially significant because of the second thing that was occurring in Colossae, which was a
rise in false teachings stemming from a Greek culture that embraced philosophy combined with
Judaism. The result of this cultural uprising has been termed the “J-G virus” which stood for the
Judaistic Gnosticism which took on the worst of both the Jewish and the Greek mindsets. 5 The
beliefs of the Judaistic Gnosticism movement included the thought that salvation can only be
obtained through superior intellect and that faith was useless as there was no materialistic proof
of the belief. This movement denied Christ as a deity and instead promoted worship of angels as
1
H.L. Wilmington, Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible (Tyndale House Publishers, 1982), 474.
2
Henry H. Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook (Michigan; Zondervan, 1959),
3
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New International Version.
4
Dillon T. Thornton, "Colossians 1:1-14 The Fruit of the Gospel," The Expository Times 124, no. 9
(2013): 438.
5
Wilmington, Wilmington’s Guide, 475.
2
intermediaries between God and man while continuing Jewish observances of dietary
restrictions, Sabbath days and circumcision6. To further include the Greek culture, it also allowed
for a focus on focus on stoicism and Epicureanism, both of which were philosophically prevalent
at the time7. Thus, with the combination of such errant beliefs, one can clearly see why this could
be considered a virus. Paul recognized it as deadly, spreading very quickly, and contributing to
heresy within the church, thus he wrote to the Colossians and subsequently offered a prayer for
them that specifically focuses a spiritual counterattack on the threat that this movement posed.
Canonical Context
From the standpoint of the culture that was prevailing historically, we can see why Paul
felt it necessary to write to this letter to the church in Colossae and will further see why he felt it
necessary to write this specific prayer for them. What we find from a canonical context is that
while other Pauline letters were written for various other purposes, such as the letter to the
Corinthians centering on comfort in Christ and Galatians upon freedom in Christ, this letter was
written to affirm our completeness in Christ8. This was necessary because society was promoting
completeness in superior knowledge, thus Paul was offering intercessory prayer against this as
the first part of this letter. We see evidence of this in the opening request of Paul’s prayer in
which he asks that the Colossians be filled with knowledge using the Greek word epignósis
which means “a precise and correct knowledge” in contrast to the knowledge others believed to
6
Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook. 621.
7
Wilmington, Wilmington’s Guide, 475.
8
Ibid, 475.
3
be superior9. Furthermore, Paul prays for this knowledge specifically to be of God’s will which
also was in contrast to the Jewish heretics who were not following God’s will.
When we step back and broaden our view to look at Paul’s prayers in general, we see that
while he did provide specific prayers to specific churches with great purpose, his prayers were
not specific to any bias towards his will for the church, but instead for God’s will. We see a
distinct commonality in his prayers that we will find form the basis of a model for how our
intercessory prayer should be today. For example, in Ephesians 1:16-19, we also see prayers for
spiritual wisdom and knowledge of His calling. In Philippians 1:9-12, Paul also prays for “real
knowledge” in order that the church may “approve the things that are excellent”. Thus, we can
see that while Paul’s prayer for the Colossians was specific to their church, it had a prevailing
message as part of a bigger theme of growing in Christ, a theme that certainly should be part of
As previously noted, the Colossian church was very centered on faith and love with
evidence of much fruit-bearing. Paul’s purpose in writing to them was both to encourage this
practice to continue and to discourage them from following any false teachings of the Judaistic
Gnosticism movement. This movement was quickly spreading and Paul knew that the Colossians
9
James Strong, Strong’s Concordance, accessed August 4, 2016, http://www.biblestudytools.com/
concordances/strongs-exhaustive-concordance/.
4
could be in need of wisdom and strength against it, therefore he not only writes to them, but lets
them know that he was in constant prayer for them as we see in verse 9.10
Intended Purpose
Aside from the general purpose of simply writing to the Colossians of the prayer he had
for them, Paul was very specific about the things for which he prayed. His intended purpose
through this prayer was not simply that Christ would hold them steadfast against the strong
movement of society with its false teachings, but he very specifically prayed for things
associated with a deepened spiritual growth. He understood that the deeper the Colossians grew
in their knowledge and wisdom of God’s will, the greater their fruit-bearing would be to the full
glory of God as a result of their Christ-centered actions. Paul also recognized that to fully live
out the life worthy of the Lord, the Colossians would need strength and endurance, especially in
light of the worldly culture that was pressing in so fiercely in Colossae. Thus, Paul very
specifically prayed for each of these attributes rather than praying that God would protect them
from such influences and ensuing heresy. In essence, he prayed for them to think properly and to
walk worthily. 11
In order to fully study Paul’s prayer to the Colossians as an intercessory model, we first
need to consider the significance of intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer, or the action of
praying for another person or group, is significant because it allows us to join intimacy with God
for several purposes. First, we are united with God in fellowship with Christ to have our hearts
opened to the needs of others. As part of this intimacy, we also share in the victory of Christ’s
10
Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible: Acts to Revelation, (Hendrickson Publishers, 1991),
604.
11
Thornton, “Fruit of the Gospel,” 439
5
sufferings through Gospel grace which is the foundation of our faith through prayer. As Max
Thurian stated “By prayer we are united to Christ in His resurrection. Prayer makes us partakers
of His victory and gives us profound inner assurance of the fulfillment of faith.” Furthermore,
intercessory prayer allows us to share in thanksgiving of which communion itself has its
foundation. We share in this thanksgiving with others, thus communion of the saints occurs
through intercessory prayer, not as a result of a specific answer to prayer, but instead because of
the very nature that our prayers can be lifted up before God as a result of saving grace. Finally
and perhaps most importantly, intercessory prayer allows us to participate in the work that God is
Despite the purity of intercessory prayer as designed, society seems to have reduced this
type of prayer into an ask-and-receive action. John 16:23-24 is often quoted as people take this
scripture to mean exactly what they would like for it to state. This verse states “…my Father will
give you whatever you ask in my name…Ask and you will receive…” and many believers make
the false assumption that our will can somehow change God’s will if asked for in Jesus’ name. In
this, humans take on ownership of saying exactly the right thing to make God respond, which is,
of course, not a part of how intercessory prayer was created. It defeats the purpose of prayer
when we take on any responsibility for God’s will and in essence, negates His sovereignty. 13 As
previously stated, through intercessory prayer we get to participate with God in the lives of
others through communion with Him, but His answer is based solely on what will ultimately
12
Max Thurian, "Intercessory Prayer and Communion in God and Within the Church," The Ecumenical
Review 30, no. 4 (1978): 346-347
13
Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Live a Praying Life, (New Hope Publishers, 2010), 24.
6
bring glory to the Son. Yes, God will always answer our prayers, but sometimes the answer
might be no or even not yet versus the yes we are so longing to hear in response to the requests
One place answered prayers are most often sought is in healing. Many intercessory
prayers are said in pleading to God to cure an illness in which another might be suffering.
Humans deeply feel the pain of death and often try as hard as they can to pray away cancers or
some other terminal condition. And at times, those prayers are heard and answered. Other
times, the prayers are seemingly not answered and the one being prayed over ultimately dies.
The question then becomes “Does God answer prayers for healing?” Many research studies have
been conducted on the subject, both from the medical community and from religious groups.
The hope of many Christians is that medical science can, in fact, prove the existence of God
intercessory prayer, Wendy Cage concluded that there was no proof that intercessory prayer
could be studied and proved to be effective as a medical intervention. Of the 16 studies, only six
showed a positive effect of prayer.16 This does not mean that God does not answer prayers for
healing, however; it simply means that there is not a positive correlation using scientific methods
showing that all intercessory prayer produced healing effects. Thus we arrive back at the rightful
conclusion that prayers will be answered according to the Father’s will and plan based upon what
God knows to be best, rather than human desires or preferences17. We also arrive at the
14
Dean, Live a Praying Life, 26.
15
Wendy Cadge, "Saying Your Prayers, Constructing Your Religions: Medical Studies of Intercessory
Prayer," The Journal of Religion 89, no. 3 (2009): 321.
16
Ibid, 305-307.
17
Thurian, “Intercessory Prayer”, 348
7
conclusion that the modern viewpoint on intercessory prayer is largely one based upon specific
tangible outcomes.
intercessory prayer being offered by Paul versus that which is frequently offered under today’s
modern viewpoint. Paul’s prayer, while very specific to that which he was asking, was based not
on his own will, but on God’s will and those attributes that would align themselves with God’s
will for the Colossians. In this prayer, Paul specifically prayed that they would come to know
the knowledge of God’s will and that knowledge would then lead to worthy deeds which would
produce fruit and further knowledge of Him. J.G. Van der Watt describes this as “the spiral of
sanctification” which is demonstrated through the deepening knowledge of Christ which leads to
greater Christ-centeredness. 18 Paul recognized the greater good in sanctification above simply
removing the opposition, and knew that God’s will also would be for the same based upon
biblical precepts. Likewise, our prayers for others should be equally centered upon those things
that align with God’s will with the understanding that His purposes far exceed our personal
desires.
Based upon what we know about the historical times in which Paul wrote his prayer to
the Colossians, we can clearly see a parallel to many of the same circumstances today. Many
false teachings are prevalent in the world and even in many churches. There is a level of self-
centeredness in society today that can be likened to the culture in Colossae which was centered
18
J.D. Van der Witt, Van der Watt, J.G. "Colossians 1:3-12 Considered as an Exordium," Journal of
Theology for Southern Africa 57 (1986): 32-42.
8
on achieving superiority. Thus, Paul’s prayer for the Colossians should still apply to Christians
today. Christians should desire those around them to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will
so that they may live a life worthy of Him, not specific to what the person praying desires, but
instead pleasing to God in every way based upon His will that He shares through the Holy Spirit
with the individual. But knowing God’s will is not enough. Believers need to grow closer in
their walk with Christ and deeper in their relationship with Him. To this end, Paul prayed that the
Colossians would grow in the knowledge of God and would further be strengthened in order to
have great endurance, patience, and joyful thanksgiving, which are all attributes of the
fruitfulness that is seen when one abides in Christ. As Max Thurian stated, “It is a confident
proclamation that those supported by Christian prayer are steadily being led towards the
formation and growth of Christ within them19.” We should want exactly that for our family,
friends, and all of whom we pray, that they would grow in Christ to be most able to endure
whatever they may face even if God chooses to allow a storm rather than preventing it. Paul’s
Conclusion
In conclusion, Paul’s prayer to the Colossians serves as a good example for modern
intercessory prayer for several reasons. First, it focuses on the Father’s will and not that of the
person praying which eliminates the natural bias sometimes present in prayers for the needs of
others. Second, it aims the prayer toward the attributes needed in a given situation to be able to
equip the one in whom the prayers are being uplifted. In this, the prayer is redirected towards
Christ who provides such things through the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, fruitfulness occurs as a
19
Thurian, “Intercessory Prayer”, 347
9
result of the equipping, and actions are then prompted by faith. Likewise, a maturing of faith
leads to greater sanctification which in turn will ultimately lead to greater glorification of Christ
according to His grace. This has always been and always will always be the will of the Father,
and thus our prayers for others should be lifted up as in the model that Paul left for us.
10
Bibliography
Baird, William. "Review of Paul's Intercessory Prayers: The Significance of the Intercessory
Prayer Passages in the Letters of St Paul" Journal of Biblical Literature 93, no. 4 (1974):
632-634.
Cadge, Wendy. "Saying Your Prayers, Constructing Your Religions: Medical Studies of
Intercessory Prayer" The Journal of Religion 89, no. 3 (2009): 299-327.
Dean, Jennifer Kennedy. Live a Praying Life. Birmingham: New Hope Publishers, 2010.
Henry, Matthew. Acts to Revelation. Vol 7 in Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible.
Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1991.
McGee, J. Vernon. Though the Bible with J. Vernon McGee. Nashville: Thomas-Nelson, Inc.,
1983.
Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: New American Standard Bible.
1995. Accessed August 4, 2016. http://www.biblestudytools.com/concordances/strongs-
exhaustive-concordance/.
Thornton, Dillon T. "Colossians 1:1-14 The Fruit of the Gospel" The Expository Times 124, no.
9 (2013): 438-440.
Thurian, Max. "Intercessory Prayer and Communion in God and Within the Church" The
Ecumenical Review 30, no. 4 (1978): 346-354.
Van der Watt, J.G. "Colossians 1:3-12 Considered as an Exordium" Journal of Theology for
Southern Africa 57 (1986): 32-42.
Wilmington, H.L. Wilmington's Guide to the Bible. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1982.