36

Faith, Hope and Love

in the Colossian Epistle
That the epistle to the Colossian church begins with a thanksgiving
that is based upon the familiar Christian triad of faith, love and hope
is undisputed by almost all. Indeed, Colossians 1:4-5 has long been
identified - alongside I Corinthians 13:13 and 1 ^essalonians 1:3 -
as one of the classic examples of the triad within the extended Pauline
corpus. However, this triad of faith, love and hope does not only occur
in the introductory toanksgiving to the Colossians, but can be found
throughout the epistle, perhaps even structuring the very core of the
epistles message.

Explicit triadic statem ent ¡٨ Colossians 1:4-5

Paul begins the body of his letter with the first person plural
€‫^ةﻫﺂﺀﻣﻬﻪ‬€‫اا‬ (‘we give thanks’), includingTimothyin his thanksgiving
for the Colossian believers, ^ e i r thanks is directed to God and is
occasioned by reports they have received concerning the Colossian
Christians conduct. These reports, no doubt received from Epaphras
(1:7-8), concerned particularly the faith and love of the believers. Their
faith is reported to be € V Χριστώ ’ Ιησού, w h a t this prepositional phrase
is intended to indicate is a matter of some conjecture within the scholarly
literature. Some see the preposition ev indicating the object to which
faith is directed. Hence Moo claims that την ττίστιν υμών ¿٧ Χριστφ
Ίησο1‫ ؛‬indicates the general notion of a ‘&ith that h a^ esu s Christ as its
ultimate reference point’.‘ Hendriksen concurs, stating that this phrase
should be understood to refer to their abiding trust in and personal
surrender to the Anointed Saviour? However, others see a distinction

‘Douglas ]. Moo, The Letters ‫ﻛﺴﻢ'اﻛﻜﻬﺄمﺀ ﺀا؛ﺀ هﺀ‬ and ،٥ Philemon (Pillar Hew
Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), 84.
2William Hendriksen, Exposition of Colossians and Philemon (Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1964), 47. See also C. F. D. Moule, The £‫ ة'!م‬،‫ ةﺀا‬ofPaul the
Apostle ٤٠ the Colossians ‫ دس‬٤٠ Philemon: An Introduction ‫ دس‬Commentary
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1957), 37.
 72:‫ ل‬April), ‫ق‬،‫رﻗﻠﻮ‬
The Reformed Theological Review 37

in the particular use ofev, as ©ppused to the use of the genitive or even
other prepositions such as TTpos ٠٢ €L5 , which indicates ٥٠ ، ،he object
but rather the sphere in which the faith moves? So Bruce claims that
‘the faith referred to is the faith which they have as men and women who
are ‘in Christ’ (cf V 2) or ‘in Christ Jesus’, incorporated in him (cf Col.
2:19 .‫ر’ب‬Similarly O ’Brien considers the reference to indicate that the
Colossians Christians are exercising their ‘faith as those who have been
incorporated into Christ’.5King sees the distinction as being unnecessary
and looks for a more holistic understanding of the preposition. Thus she
concludes that έν Χριστώ Ίησοΰ should be understood as indicating
both ‘the object of their faith’ and ‘the kind of faith they have and how
that faith operates: the faith you have because you are in Christ Jesus and
how you live because o fit?
It is not only their faith, but also their love that has been reported
to the apostle. Barth and Blanke understand the κάι connecting faith
and love as epexegetical in nature. Hence they conclude that ‘faith and
love designate the same thing here; here we have a case ofhendiadys?
However, this view is extremely unlikely given the strong occurrence of
this triad in Paul’s writing. Rather, Paul is reflecting on the outworking of
their faith in their relationship with ‘all the saints’. So Schweizer observes
that here: ‘Faith describes life from the perspective of is orientation
toward its source of energy in Christ. Love, on the other hand, describes
that same life from the point of view of its effect on other people’.8Those
other people, or all the saints, no doubt includes all the b e lie v e r ’s in
3 Peter T. O ’B rien, Introductory Thanksgivings in ‫ ﺀا؛ﺀ‬Letters of Paul (E ugene,
Oregun: w‫؛‬pf&Stock, 2009), 79.
4 F. F. Bruce, The Epistles ‫؛‬٠ the Colossians, ‫؛‬٠ Philemon and to the Ephesians
(The New International Commentary on the New Testament; Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1984), 41. See also Ernest D. Martin, Colossians and Philemon
(Believers Church Bible Commentary; Scottdale, Penn.: Herald, 1993), 37.
5O’Brien, Thanksgivings, 80.
6Martha King, An Exegetical Summary ofColossians (Dailas: Summer Institute
ofLinguistics, 199s), 13.
7 Markus Barth and Helmut Blanke, Colossians: A New Translation with
Introduction and Commentary (trans. Astrid B. Beck; 1st ed.; Anchor Bible
Commentary; New York: Doubleday, 1994), 153.
*Eduard Schweizer, The Letter ‫ هﺀ‬the Colossians (London: S.P.C.K., 1982), 33.
38 Faith, Hope andLove in the Colossian Epistle

Colossae, and perhaps also those in the other churches of the Lycus
valley at the very least.
‫ ه‬nly ‫׳‬ττίστιν (faith) and άγαττην (love) are direct objects ofthe aorist
participle άκούσαντβ‫ ؟‬. However; Paul naturally attributes their faith
and love to the hope that is stored up for them in heaven, and as a result
derives a unique causal relationship within the triad. Verse 5 begins
with the prepositional phrase διά τήν Since &ere is no specific
connection to anything before it, an exegetical quandary emerges as
to what precisely this prepositional phrase is intended to modify The
available options are the main verb εύχαριστοΰμβν, simply their love, or
both their love and their faith. If the prepositional phrase is understood
to modify the main verb then it would give the sense that hope, along
with faith and love, is a motivation for Paul's thanksgiving - ‘we thank
God for your faith and love, and for the hope which is laid up for you'.*
This understanding should be considered the least likely of the three
available, foe most likely being foe modification ofboth faith and love.™
Thus, Dunn concludes that the translation ofboth faith andlove springing
from hope is ‘probably a fair rendering, since foe preposition must be
taken to indicate that the faith and love are in some sense a response to,
derived from, or in some way dependant on the hope'.^
Thus, unlike any of foe other triadic statements in foe Pauline
corpus, only here does Paul make hope foe basis for both faith and
love.** However, as Hay observes fois ‘need not be taken crassly to mean
that the Colossians display faith and love in order to earn a reward in
the figure, but rather that faith and love as well as hope are based on a
transcendent treasure announced in foe gospel'.™ In a similarvein. Moule
understands fois not as an indication that hope is foe grounds for foe

‫ و‬See Ki ng, 14 ‫ امﺀ‬,0 ‫ ﻛﺺ* أﻛﻚ‬.

10See Moo, Colossians, 85. O’Brien, Thanksgivings, 80-81.
11JamesD. G. Dunn, TheEpistlestothe Colossians andtoPhilemon:ACommentary
on the Greek Text (Hew International Greek Testament Commentary,· Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans 1996), 58.
12 See Dunn, Colossians, 58, Moo, Colossians, 85, Barth/Blanke, Colossians,
153■
™DavidM. Hay, Colossians (AbingdonNewTestament Commentary; Nashville:
Abingdon, 2000), 42.
The Reformed Theological Review 72:1 (April, 2013) ‫ود‬

Colossians faith and love, but rather hope ‘is a grand occasion to develop
them, and call them out ‫ط‬،‫ ه‬action'.‫*؛‬Whereas in ‫ ل‬Corinthians 13 faith
is nothing without love (1 Cor. 13:2); love always hopes (1 Cor. 13:7);
and whilst the three are considered together as a triad describing the
essential elements of Christian living, love is the greatest of the three.
Here, fo Colossians, faith and love are developed by and grounded in
hope.‫ ؛؛‬The perichoretic nature of the triadic elements is evident. All
three are essential to Christian living and all three are dependent on, and
emiching for, each other.
The hope that is mentioned here is described as την άττοκει,μένην
ύμίν âv T0Î 5 0 ‫آﻫﺴﻤﻪ‬
‫؟‬ . biblical hope can be understood in two ways:
subjective or objective hope. Understood iu a subjective sense, it refers
to foe act of hoping, to expectation, yearning, ٠٢ desire. Understood
in an objective sense, it would refer to that which one hopes for.‫؛‬، The
descriptive clause makes it clear that hope for Paul in fois instance is to be
understood in the second,objective manner.17As in manyofPaul’sletters,
this notion of hope which is introduced in foe thanksgiving is further
expounded in foe main body of foe epistle. $٠ foe reader discovers that
foe source ofthis hope is to be found in foe gospel (1:23); that foe focus
of this hope is foe mystery of God which Paul reveals to be ‘Christ in
you’ (1:27); and that which is hoped for is ftrture glory along with Christ
(1:27). This glory should be foe focus ofthe believers’ minds and hearts
(3:1-4) and shape their actions in this present life (3:5-14).
Here in Colossians, as in 1 Thessalonians, Paul seems to use foe word
order and foe sentence structure to give foe greatest emphasis to foe
notion of hope above foe other two virtues.18 The flexibility in which
Paul applies this triad has already been observed with love foe focus in
1 Corinthians 13. It appears as if it is foe context into which foe apostle
writes that leads him to emphasise hope in this instance. The false
teachings that Paul is attempting to counter ‫ آآل‬fois epistle appeared to

’*Moule, Colossians,41.
‫ ؛؛‬See Schweizer, .33 ,‫ﺀمﺀ‬،‫ﺛﺴﺂﻣﻤﺮ‬
5 ‫؛‬٠ee M. M. foompson, Colossians and Philemon (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
2020 ‫ ه‬5( ‫ر‬. See definition ofhope in chapter 1, pages 14-18.
5 7‫؛‬eeO ’Brien, Thanksgivings, 81.
5 ‫ﺀ؛‬ee E. D. Martin, Colossians, 37.
40 Faith, Hope andLove in the Colossian Epistle

not only minimize the work of Christ in salvation; but to offer another
promise ofhope other than that found in God’s work through Christ.^
Thus Paul emphasises the eertainty of the hope that is eontained in the
gospel message and that i$; even now, stored up for them in heaven.
Much like Timothy had reported to Paul on the status of the
Thessalonian believers (1 ^ e s s . 3:6); so Epaphras has reported to Paul
concerning the Colossians. The report contains good news about their
faith and love; which Paul attributes to the hope that is contained in
the gospel message which he knew they had heard and received ( 5: ‫ ل‬-
6; cf. 1:23). The triad is being used here to summarise the Christian
convictions and actions of the believers in Colossae and form the basis
of Pauls thanks to God on their behalf. This triadic formulation of the
Colossian Christians’ lives included in the introductory thanksgiving
section of Pauls letter shows the significance of these three virtues for
Paul. M artin observes that ‘Pauls use of the pattern [of faith; hope and
love] in this passage is formed by a concern to celebrate the Christian
experience ofhis readers’.^ N ot only that; but the occurrence ofthe triad
within this thanksgiving section of the epistle allows Paul to introduce
what will constitute the main imperatival thrust ofhis teaching in the
letter.

Imperatival structure of Colossians

The structure andfocus ofthe letter could be analysed in various ways.
A rhetorical analysis or a discourse analysis could be applied to foe letter,
even foe recent developments in verbal aspect theory could be adopted
to analyse foe structure o fth e text. However, here we shall proceed by
analysing foe use ofthe imperative mood throughout foe epistle.
Paul employs foe imperative mood in fois particular epistle on thirty-
two occasions. O f these, eleven uses are prohibitions, for example the
Colossians are not to let anyone pass judgement over them in regards
to food or drink or religious festivals (2:26), nor are husbands to be
harsh with their wives (3:19). O fth e remaining riventy-one verbs in
the imperative mood, six occur in the context specific final greeting of
the epistle (4:7-18) and have no bearing on our topic of interest. The
19Tompson, Colossians, 2 ‫ﻣﻞ‬
20Ralph P. Martin, Colossians andPhilemon (London: Oliphants, 1974), 48.
The Reformed Theological Review 72:1 (April, 2013) 41

remaining fifteen verbs in the imperative mood then serve to outline

those things that Paul wishes to implore, or even command, the believers
in Colossae to do (see Figure ‫ ل‬below). The first three commands in the
letter (2:6,3:1-2, and 3:12) are particularly illuminative.

C om m ands (1 5 ) P r o h ib it io n s (1 1 ) C o n t e x t S p e o if ic ( 6 )
2:6 2:8 4:10
3:1 2:16 4:1*
3:2 2:18 4:16
3:12 2:21 (x3) ■4:17(x2)
3 )‫(ص‬
15‫؛‬ 3:5 4:18
3:16 3:8
3:18 3:9
3:19 3:19
3:20 3:21
3:22
3:23
4:1
4:2
4:5

Figure i:Ana‫؛‬y$is cfthe Thirty-Twc Imperative Mood Verbs in Colossians

Faith: Colossians 2:6-7

The first occasion that Paul employs the imperative mood is in 2:6.
These verses (2:6-7) hold a pivotal position in tire letter as they set
forth the positive instruction on living that comes from the basis of the
believers stance in Chris^esus the Lord. The imperative is T T € p i1 r a .T € ÎT e
and draws on the metaphor ofwallting. Paul exhorts the believers to wall‫؛‬
έν αύτω (in him), that is Christ. This imperative is followed by a string
of four participles that outline how the believers are to continue to ‘live a
lifo that gives Christ his rightful place as Lord?‫؛‬
The first of these participles, έρριζωμ,ένοι, is in the perfect tense, in
contrast to foe others which are in foe present. This difference should
not be overlooked as it indicates foe settled state of the readers as having
been firmly rooted in Christ.22Having been rooted ‫ آآل‬Christ they should

21Moo, Colossians, 180.

12 Peter T. O’Brien, Colossians and Philemon (Word Biblical Commentary;
42 Faith, Hope andLove in the Colossian Epistle

continue to be built up (έττοικοδομούμενοι) in him and strengthened

(βεβαιούμενοι) in the faith as they were taught. Faith here should be
understood as ‘that which is the object of belie، the content of the
teaching which Epaphras had faithfully passed on to them. It was this
faith they were to continue in/23 Thus for Paul te walle in Christ ‘signifies
the same thing as to be established in the faith?* There is a final participle,
ττερισσεύοντε‫ ؟‬έν ευχαριστία, however, as Moo observes, ‘the allusion
to what the Colossians have already been taught interrupts the flow of
participles, causing overflowing with thanJefulness to stand by itself as
almost an afterthought'.^
Pauls admonition is clear, the faith ofthe Colossian Christians - their
belief in Jesus Christ as Lord - should shape their actions. ‘For Paul
there is no hiatus between believing and behaving.’^ Christian believers
are te see to it that their walk — their way oflife and their thoughts —
continually conform to the teaching that they have received concerning
the person and work ofjesus. A certain degree of fortitude in that faith,
coupled with thanksgiving, is one aspect ofthe Christian way oflife.27As
Hendricksen so aptly summarises, believers must let their lives continue
to be in harmony with the fact that they have accepted Christ Jesus the
Lord as their tradition?*
The use of ‫׳‬περιττατέω as the imperative in this instance shows that
Pauls concern was for foe actions ‫س‬،‫ ا‬lives of his readers. His first
imperative directed to the Colossian Christians is that their lives be
shaped by, and lived in light of, their faith in the person and work of
Jesus.

Hope: Colossians 3:1-4

W hilst chapter2containsotherimperativesintheformofprohibitions,
Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1982), 10?.
23O'Brien, Colossians, 108.
24 Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1975), 233.
^Moo, Colossians, 182-3.
26O'Brien, Colossians, 106.
27O'Brien, Thanksgivings, 64.
**Hendricksen, Colossians, 107.
The Reformed Theological Review 72:1 (April, 2013) 43

the ncrt imperatival p h r a s e in the letter, dealing with how the Colossian
Christians should actively live, can be found in 3:1-2. Here Paul employs
two v e rb s , ζητείτε and φρονείτε, to command foe believers to have their
sights set on foe things above.
O ’Brien observes foe centrality of these verses, along with 2:6-7, as
‘important bridge passage(s) in foe epistle, drawing together themes
previously mentioned, at the same time setting forth foe theological
foundation for the exhortation that follows?’ Moo takes this notion
even further stating that ‘3:1-4 returns to and elaborates foe key positive
imperatives of 2:6-7 ’.‫ ﻣﺖ‬It is right to analyse these two imperatival
statements together as a development of foe thoughts of foe apostle as to
how foe Christians at Colossae should he living their lives in this world.
Since foe believers have been raised wifo Christ, a point previously
established in foe letter (2:12-13,20), Paul commands them to seek foe
things above (τα ‫اه‬،،‫ا‬ ζητείτε), where, we are told, Christ is seated at
foe right hand of God. Paul is employing foe unusual and rare adverb άνω
to describe foe heavenly realms?‫ ؛‬That which is above is contrasted with
that which is below, in fact with that which is of the earth (τα έ-rri ٣٩‫؟‬
γη?). Here Paul is employing spatial categories in a qualitative manner’
to describe two separate and conflicting focuses in life?‫ ؛‬This efoortation
to seek foe heavenly things is then, in effect, repeated for foe sake of
emphasis in 3:2 where Paul now employs foe verb φρονείτε?3
The spatial dimension of Paul’s command is linked wifo foe temporal
by foe conjunction (yap) which begins verse 3. The believers can be
spoken of as dying in foe past, hidden in Christ in foe present, and one
day appearing with Christ in glory at foe point ofeschatological unveiling
(3:4).
Pauls commands in these verses to seek and to set one’s mind on
،he things above have very distinct ethical implications. The believers
li£e is to be shaped by and controlled by such a focus. Paul’s charge to
29©'Brien, Colossi^s, 159.
30Moo, Colossians, 243.
31See also Philippians 3 4 ‫ ﻟﺖ‬where Paul says that he pursues foe heavenly call o£
God’ (της ανω κλήσβως ٢٠$ 0€‫م(ةه‬
32©’Brien, Colossians, fol.
33Dunn, Colossians, 206.
44 Faith, Hope andLove in the Colossian Epistle

the Colossians was to ‘foster and follow a way o£llv‫؛‬ng and of practising
religion which always and again takes its starting point from the true
reality in heaven?* As Smith observes, ‘Heavenly mindedness results
in ethical behaviour that reflects the values and reality of heaven. This
behaviour is worked out in everyday lives. The motivation for this
heavenly behaviour is temporal, as both the past death and resurrection
of Christ and the future glorification of Christians are highlighted’ by
Paul?*
It is difficult to escape the notion of hope within the heavenly focus
to which the apostle is calling all believers. The eschatological unveiling
and the future glorification ofboth Christ and the Christian believer fall
aptly within a bibhcal definition of ‫ج‬0‫ مﺀم‬Indeed Bruce describes these
verses as being a ‘reaffirmation of the Christian hope?^ Paul commands
the Colossian Christians to hope by setting their minds not on this earth
but on the place of Christ’s residence above and the time of glorification
in the future. This, says Paul, should shape their actions and set them
over against those who in this life focus solely on this w o rld s

Love: Colossians
Paul’s first imperative in 2:6 demands that the Colossian Christians’
actions be in line with their faith in the person and work ofjesus Christ.
This is then elaborated in his second imperatival statement, found in
3:1-4, by stating that their actions should be shaped by the kind of hope
expressed in a heavenly perspective that focuses not on ‫ ﺀﻟﻪ‬world, but
on the world and the glory that is to come. The specifics of this kind of
heavenly perspective are then illustrated by Paul — firstly in a negative

34Dunn, Colossians, 206.

35Ian K. Smith, Heavenly Perspective: A Study oftheApostle Pauls Response to a
Jewish Mystical Movement at Colossae (London: T ‫ ه‬T Clark,2 8 4 ‫ ﻫﻪ‬6( ,‫ل‬.
36Bruce, Colossians, 137. See also O’Brien, Ephesians, 135.
37The Apostle is not alone in ffiis thought. In 1 John 3:2-3 a very similar train
of thought is employed - the future hope of glorification should impact our
behaviour in the present. ‘Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what
we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,
we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in
him purifies himself, just as he is pure.’
The Reformed Theological Review 72:1 (April, 2013) 45

fashion with a series of vices that are prohibited by the apostle in w .

5‫ — ﻟﻞ ־‬then, seeondly, in a positive fashion in w . 12-14. It is within
this positive enumeration of the heavenly perspeetive that we find Paul’s
third imperatival instruction in the letter, and this time the command is
to love.
The apostle here employs a clothing metaphor. Paul commands the
believers to clothe themselves (ένδύσασθε) with particular virtues in
3:12. The metaphor of clothing was introduced back in 3 ‫ت‬9 ‫ ﻫﻞ ־‬where
Paul employs two aorist participles to describe the believers as having
already taken off (άττεκδυσαμενοι) their old man and as having put on
(ένδυσαμενοι) the new. This new man is the one who has died and risen
with Christ (c£ 2:20; 3:1) and is now being renewed into the image of its
creator (3:10). This is the reason for the ουν which begins verse 12. It is
because this new person is being renewed into the image oftheir creator
that their actions must reflect those of God himself.
Five such virtues are listed by the apostle here: heartfelt
compassion (σπλάγχνα οικτιρμοΰ), kindness (χρηστότητα),
humility (ταπεινοφροσύνην), gentleness (ττραύτητα) and patience
(μακροθυμίαν). ^ e s e five virtues are contrasted with the two separate
lists of five vices that can be found in 3:5 and 3:8. ^ e s e vices are those
which the apostle insists must be excluded from the lives of believers,
^ e y are not the proper actions or way oflife for someone holy, beloved
and chosen by God (3 ‫ ﻟﺖ‬2 ( ‫ م‬The five virtues are the clothes, as it were,
that the new person in Christ must wear.^ This is what a life lived in line
with the faith that Jesus Christ is Lord, and shaped by the hope of his
glorious parousia, will look like — since these are the virtues of Christ
himself.
All five of these virtues are attributed to Christ or God the Father in

38 The three adjectives here — chosen, holy and beloved ‫ ־‬are all surely
intended to cast the mind of the reader familiar w ith the Gld Testament hack
to the covenantal language reserved for the nation of Israel (c.f Deut. 7:6-8).
Thus Dunn concludes: ‘The particular exhortations which follow assume and
expect the Colossians to presuppose that the starting point for their praxis as
Christians was the recognition that they stood before God as Israel stood before
God’ Dunn, Colossians, 228.
39 Dunn, Colossians, 227.
46 Faith ٠ Hope andLove in the Colossian Epistle

the Pauline e©rpu$. $٠ God is deseribed in 2 Corinthians 1:3 as being

the Father of mercies (ο ‫׳‬ττατήρ των οικτιρμών) and it is in light of
Gods mercy (διά των οικτιρμών TOÛ θεού) that the apostle urges us
to offer our bodies as living sacrifices in Romans 12:1; Ephesians 2‫?؛‬
tells us that it is through Jesus Christ that God himself has expressed
his kindness towards us (χρηστότητι ٤ ٢ ή μ،a‫ ؟‬εν Χριστώ ’Ιησού);
Philippians 2:8 speaks directly of Christs attitude when he humbled
himself (εταπεινωσεν εαυτόν) in his obedience to death on our behalf
holding this attitude up as an example to be imitated by all believers;
in 2 Corinthians 10:1 Paul appeals to the Corinthian Christians by the
gentleness of Christ (διά τη‫ ؟‬ΊΓραυτητο‫ ؟‬... του Χριστού); and; finally
Romans 2:4 tell us that it is God’s patience (τή‫ ؟‬μακροθυμί,α‫ ) ؟‬which
leads to our repentance.^ Thus in listing these five virtues the apostle
is illustrating what it will look like to be renewed into the image of the
creator. He is expanding on what he commands elsewhere where he
tells believers to simply ‘clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ’
(ένδύσασθε τον κύριον Ίησούν Χρίστον - R o m .13:14 )‫ﻟﻬﻢ‬
Along with these five virtues, as subordinate clauses, come the
participles to both bear with one another (ανεχόμενοι άλλήλων) and
to forgive (χαριζόμενοι). The interpretation that lends an imperatival
status to these participles is to be seriously questioned according to
Wallace.** Rather they should be seen as most likely being dependant on
the finite verbal form in foe sentence. Hence bearing with one another
and forgiving one another will be foe way these virtues work in daily
interaction within foe community o ^ lie v e rs .^
The conjunction, $٤, which hnks verse 14 to 3:12-13 serves to show
that love is also a virtue required to be adorned by foe believer. The verb
needs to be supplied and, as foe following diagrammatic representation
of 3:12-14 serves to highlight, should be found in foe ¿ v S ^ a ^ € 0 fverse
12.

^M oo, Colossians, 277-8; Schweizer, Colossians, 204-207; O’Brien, Colossians,

198.
41Schweiz«:, Colossians, 20s.
42Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basies: An Exegetical Syntax ٠/
the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 652.
43E. D. Martin, Colossians, 158.
The Reformed TheologicalReview 72:1 (April, 2013) 47

W hilst supplying the verb from verse 12 helps to make some sense
of verse 14, it by no means solves all the exegetical quandaries raised by
this verse. Ofpartieular interest are the questions ofhow the preposition

‫أ‬
‫ئ‬
I
1

‫ه‬
٠١
η
o
o

‫ع‬
ts>
‫ه‬

€ ‫׳‬TTL is ^٠ function and to what the apostle is referring when he states that

love is a bond (σύνδεσμο‫ ) ؟‬and in what sense does τελειότητο‫ ؟‬qualify

this bond?
48 Faith, Hope andLove in the Colossian Epistle

Paul says that the believers are to elothe themselves 4m Ίτασιν...

τούτοι‫ ؟‬in love. However it is diffieult to explain the function of the
preposition without taking into accountthe relative clause which follows,
stating that love 4στιν σύνδεσμο‫ ؟‬τη‫ ؟‬τελειότητο‫؟‬. How are we to make
sense of these clauses? Is love simply a virtue that should be added ‘in
addition' to the othervirtues mentioned inverse 12? Or does the apostle
see love as being placed over, above all of the other virtues in a manner
that supersedes them, or perhaps undergirds them? Moo argues that the
clothing imagery would lead us to believe that ،love is being pictured as a
garment that is to be put on on top o f the other items of dress that Paul
has enumerated in V12'.** Hence we should understand Paul to be placing
love as, not just another virtue, but as the supreme virtue that is to be
included in the lives of the believers. This is not an interpretation that is
accepted by Barth and Blanke. They suggest that 4 1 ‫ זד‬ττασιν (above all)
is not te be understood in a sense of locality, and it does not mean that
above' the virtues which are listed in V 12, love should be put on as an
‘upper garment' or girdle' in order te hold those together'.** ^ e y base
their conclusion on sociological studies ofthe time, observing that ‘such
a conception does not agree with the practice of dressing at the time of
composition of Colossians'.** This leads them to the necessary corollary
that the object of σύνδεσμο‫ ؟‬is not the virtues listed in verse 12, but
rather the chosen ones: ‘they are tied together in a unity through love'.*^
This i n te r p r e ta t io n is supported by others, including ©'Brien who states
that ‘love binds together the members o fthe congregation inte unity in
the body of Christ so producing perfection'.48
However, it is more likely that the object of σύνδεσμο‫ ؟‬are the τούτοι‫؟‬
previously mentioned in the verse and as such the interpretation of Moo
which ‘identifies the virtues as what are bound together by love' is to be

**Moo, Colossians, 280. See ‫ ك‬5‫ ه‬O’Brien, Colossians, 203; Thompson, Colossians,

**Erth/Blanke, Colossians, 423.

46Ibid.
47Barth/Blanke, Colossians, 424.
48 O'Brien, Colossians, 204. See also Hendriksen, Colossians, ‫ ﻗﻞ‬9‫ ز‬£ ٠D. Martin,
Colossians, 59‫ل‬.
The Reformed Theological Review 72:1 (April, 2013) ‫ص‬
preferred.49 This interpretation is supported by Bruce who states that
Paul’s wish is that the believers would put on above all else ‘the grace
which binds all the other graces together, the crowning grace of love’.9‫؛‬
Likewise Dunn suggests that ‘it is because ‘love’ sums up so effectively
in one distinctive Christian term tire strong virtues and communal
relationships that it is picked out here. Love is indeed like a ‘fastening’, a
σύνδεσμο‫؟‬, which holds them together in a single coherent package’.51
Thus, as Paul unpacks the specific ourivorking of the kind of
heavenly perspective prescribed in 3:1-4 in a positive fashion in 3:12-
14, his command is that the believers love The structure of the sentence
shows that whilst the apostle may see this love itself being worked out
through compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient forbearance
and forgiveness, it is love that is to be the dress of the Christian believer,
typifying and defining their actions. It is love which is the third imperative
of the Colossian epistle.
Pauls’ first three imperatival statements to this church to whom he
starts his letter with a triadic statement, are that they should continue
in their faith, that they should set their minds on things above, and that
they should love. Paul exhorts the believers in Colossae to have their lives
characterised by faith, hope and love.

Remaining Imperatives in Colossians

Having established the significance and importance of these three
virtues through the structure and flow ofthe epistle, the remaining eleven
imperatives in the hortatory section ofthe apostle’s letter simply reaffirm
and give example to the outworking of faith, hope and love in the lives of
the believers.

49Moo, Colossians, 281.

‫؛‬٠Bruce, Colossians, 155-6.
51 Dunn, Colossians, 232. See also Schweizer who states simply that Paul uses
the concept o f‘love’ to sum up the five modes of conduct already mentioned’.
Schweizer, Colossians, 207. Also Hay who states that ‘love binds all these virtues
together in perfect unity’. Hay, Colossians, 148.
50 Faith, Hope andLove in the Colossian Epistle

F^ th (2:6-7) Hope ( 3 : 4 -‫)ل‬ Love (3:12-14)

3:15 3:15 3:18

3:16 3:23 3:19
4:2 3:20
3;22
4:1
4:5

Figure 3: The c©mmand$ ofColossians Analysed in Terms ofFaith, H©pe and

Love

Faith; for example, is demonstrated through thanJ^ful meditation and

prayer. The imperative to beeome 1‫لﺀﻛﻠﺴﻢ‬ (βύχάριστοι γινβσθβ) in
3:15 follows the earlier use of the noun βύχαριστία in the epistle in 2‫?؛‬.
There, the believers were encouraged to be overflowingwith thankfulness
as they reflected on the faith that they were taught and as they continue
to walk in that faith. Likewise, thankfulness is encouraged in 4:2 where
the believers are commanded to be devoted in prayer. Prayer is a natural
outworking ofa Christian believer’s faith in the person and work of Jesus
Christ. It could be said that prayer is in fact one of the greatest ways of
demonstrating a believers faith in ،he sovereignty, power and love of
God. Hence both the other two occasion of thankfolness in the epistle
are linked with faith, and the imperative to become thankful in 3:15
should be seen in the same li^ht. It is because of what the Lord Jesus
Christ has achieved forthe believer that they shouldindeed respond with
thankfulness. It is also the believers faith in Christ that holds his word in
such a high regard that meditation of it is demanded by the apostle in
3:16. Such meditation is necessa^r for the life of the believer, or at least
for the wise teaching and admonishing of one another in foe community
ofbelievers, as 3:16highlights. Thus fromfaithflows, thankfulness, prayer
and meditation. Similarly from hope comes peace and dedication.
The apostle’s command to let foe peace of Christ rule in foe heart
of the believer in 3:15 is a direct result of the unity foey share in Christ.
The peace, both individually and corporately, should be an expression of
foe fact that foey were all called into foe one body. This one body in foe
flrst place might well designate foe corporate community ofbelievers in
The Reformed Theological Review 72:1 (April, 2013) 51

Colossae. However, the earlier references to σωμα in 1:18,1:24 and 2:19

leads one to see here a reference rather to the body of Christ.‫ ؛؛‬This unity
that believers posses in relation to Christ returns the mind of the reader
back to the previous exhortation to set one’s mind on the place of C hrists
present residence above and the future revelation of his glory in which
they shall all share (3:1-4). That is, their present peace is derived from
their future hope. It is the realisation of this shared fature reality that
should be the catalyst to peacefol relationship within the community of
believers in this life. This link between hope and peace is made explicit
in Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians where in 15:13 he prays: ‘May
the God ofhope ‫ ﻟﻠﺞ‬you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the
power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope’.‫ ؛؛‬Future hope results
in present peace and it is also the motivation for dedicated service.
The δτι (since) which begins 3:24 gives the reason for foe imperative
to work at everything with all effort in 3:23 — foe reason is hope. It is foe
eschatological reward that Paul holds up as foe motivating force for foe
slave to devotedly work at all things as ifworking for foe Lord and not for
their earthly master. This exclusive command to slaves is undoubtedly a
direct application ofthe more general admonition in 3:17 to all believers
that all their words and deeds be done in foe name ofthe Lord Jesus. The
basis for fois dedication is foe hope ٠٤eschatological reward in foe form
of inheritance from foe Lord (3:24). Thus foe imperatives to let peace
role in foe heart and to be dedicated in one’s labour both derive from foe
reality ٠٤foe hope that believers have stored up for them in heaven.
The only remaining imperatives in foe Colossian epistle ¡Ilústrate
foe outworking ٠٤ love within foe community. Love has already been
shown to include compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient
forbearance andforgiveness (3:12-14). However, in foe household codes
of Colossians, love is explicitly demonstrated in various relationships.
^w ifesubnrittfog( 3 :18),foelm^^
harshly (3:19), foe child (3:29) and foe slave (3:22) obeying, and foe
master treating foe slave well (4:1) are all practical illustrations of foe
command to love within foe Christian community. The final command
٧ Schweizer, Colossians, 156.
53 ‫ ؟؛ه‬link between hope and peace can also be identified in Paul’s iogic in
Romans 15:4-13.
52 Faith, Hope andLove in the Colossian Epistle

to waflc wisely towards the outsider in 4:5 is ‫ ﺀ‬command to love those

outside ofthe community offaith by speaking to them about God’s grace
(ev χάριτι or speaking graciously), letting ‫م‬€‫ ﺀإ‬words he seasoned with
salt and knowing how to answer everyone, presumably when asked about
their faith, ^ e r e is undoubtedly a missionary flavour to this command
and there is no greater love shown to an unbeliever than to speak to them
ofthe love of God shown to them in his Son Jesus Christ.
Thus,thefirst three imperativalphrases which command the Colossian
believers to hve a life that is in line with their faith injesus Christ, shaped
by the eschatological hope they possess in Christ and adorned by love,
form the basis for the remaining eleven imperatives in the letter. Faith,
hope and love are what shape the structure o fth e Colossian letter, seen
particularly through Faul’s use ofthe imperative mood.

Conclusion
^ e r e is little doubt that faith, hope and love play a significant role
in Faul’s understanding o fth e Colossian believer’s Christian living, as is
evidenced by his use ofthe triad in the introductory section ofthis letter.
However, we have observed that beyond the simple use of those words
in 1:4-5, Faul employs the triad to structure the imperatival thrust ofhis
letter. It is faith, hope and love that Paul calls the Colossians to hve by.
STEPHENROCKWELL
SydneyN ew South Wales
 ‫آلﻣﺂورلم؛‬

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