Colossians 1: 3 – Thanking always

We are thanking the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying concerning you.

It is characteristic of Paul to begin his letters with thanksgiving to God. Not as a formality, but because it arises from awareness of who and what God is. The word for ’thanks’ (Gr. eu-charis) is derived from, and almost identical to, the word for ‘grace’ (Gr. charis = joy gratuitously). Whoever is aware of the God who cares and favors freely, is grateful.

In 1 Timothy 2:5 Paul declares, “There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus.” That is why, as the apostle does here, we turn in prayer to God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him God comes to us and through Him we also come to God.

That Paul always thanked God the Father in his prayers for the Colossians is remarkable. For from 2:1 we can deduce that in Colossae no one had ever seen his face. It was from hearsay that he had learned how the Gospel had been received there and had borne fruit. The stories of Epaphras made a deep impression on Paul and this entire letter testifies to that.

Delen: