Guidelines on Christian Witness in Colossians 4:5-6

By James P. Sweeney

[James P. Sweeney is Interim Pastoral Assistant, Immanuel Church, Chelmsford, Massachusetts.]

A previous article “The Priority of Prayer in Colossians 4:2–4”[1] examined Paul’s injunctions on prayer to a church he did not establish (2:1) and that was embroiled in doctrinal problems of a Christological nature (vv. 16–23). The present article investigates Paul’s follow-up injunctions about Christian witness in 4:5–6.

The Structure of Colossians 4:5-6

In these two verses Paul moved from the subject of prayer in verses 2–4 to the complementary topic of Christian witness. He stressed two related aspects of Christian witness, both of which imply communication. The first is behavioral, and the second is verbal. Paul began this segment with the imperative περιπατεῖτε, an imperative he used earlier in 2:6.[2] The prepositional phrase ἐν σοφία that precedes the imperative is most likely adverbial, and English versions typically render it as an adverb either of manner or of attendant circumstance.[3] Paul’s statements in Colossians 4:5 are grammatically independent of verses 2–4.[4] The following participle (ἐξαγοραζόμενοι) has been taken as an imperative[5] or as a circumstantial (adverbial) participle of means.[6] As in the previous discussion of γρηγοροῦντες (“keeping alert”) and προσευχόμενοι (“praying”) in verse 2, a circumstantial (or an adverbial) participle of means is more likely than an imperatival sense,[7] particularly in view of the infrequent use of the latter in the New Testament.[8] The verse may thus be rendered, “Walk in a wise manner toward those outside, by redeeming the time.”

In verse 6 a verb must be supplied for purposes of English translation. In the light of the imperative περιπατεῖτε (“walk”) in verse 5, standard translations, grammarians, and commentators typically supplyἔστω (“let … be”),[9] a verb Paul used elsewhere (2 Cor. 12:16; Gal. 1:8–9).[10] The genitive plural pronoun ὑμῶν (“your”) in the phrase ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν (“your speech”) is used in a distributive sense,[11] while the prepositional phrase ἐν χάριτι may be either adverbial (“with grace,” ASV, KJV, NASB)[12] or adjectival (“gracious,” GNB, NAB, NRSV, RSV).[13] The following participial clause ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος (“seasoned with salt”) extends the initial injunction of the verse, with the case, number, and gender of the participle ἠρτυμένος (“seasoned”) being in grammatical agreement withλόγος (“word,” “speech”), and the dative ἅλατι (“with salt”) being in conceptual parallel to the prepositional phraseἐν χάριτι (“gracious”). Paul thus described metaphorically how the Colossians’ speech was to be: “Let your speech always be gracious, [as if] seasoned with salt.” The following infinitive εἰδέναι indicates result (“so that”), as many modern versions have rendered it. The structure of verses 5–6 may be set forth as follows:

“Walk in a wise manner toward those outside,

by redeeming the time.

Let your speech always [be] gracious,

[as if] seasoned with salt,

so that you might know how you should answer each person.”

The Christian Witness of Colossians 4:5-6

Behavioral Witness (4:5)

The responsibility to “walk” (περιπατεῖτε) in a given manner is common in Paul’s descriptions of the ethical behavior he expected of fellow believers (Rom. 6:4; 8:4; 14:15).[14] Paul also reminded his readers that they were no longer to “walk” as they did before they became Christians (Eph. 2:2–3; 4:17; Col. 3:5–7). This ethical sense of “walk” parallels the Hebrew verb הָלַךְ, which was often used in reference to the religious and ethical lifestyle expected of God’s people.[15] In Galatians 5:16 Paul exhorted his readers to “walk by the Spirit” rather than to succumb to the pressure of the Judaizing opponents and return to the yoke of the Law (v. 1) by submitting to circumcision (v. 2).[16] In Ephesians Paul exhorted his readers to “walk in love” (5:2) and to “walk as children of light” (v. 8).[17]

Earlier in Colossians 2:6–7 Paul charged his readers, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”[18] Paul here stressed the necessity of remaining steadfast in the faith so that his readers would not be taken captive by the hollow and deceptive philosophy of the Colossian heresy that he addressed a little later in verses 16–23.

Believers, Paul wrote, are to be wise “toward outsiders.” “Wisdom” (σοφία) and its cognates appear frequently in Paul’s letters.[19] The theme of wisdom was imbedded deeply in Israel’s Scriptures, including though by no means limited to Job, the wisdom Psalms,[20] Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.[21] Wisdom is also prominent in various extrabiblical Jewish writings, especially Sirach (Ben Sirâ), the Wisdom of Solomon, and Baruch 3:9–4:4.[22]

In Colossians 1:9 Paul wrote, “Since the day we heard of it [your faith in Christ, v. 4], 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.” In this prayer the prepositional phrase “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέσει πνευματικῇ) expands on and clarifies “the knowledge of His will” with which Paul prayed that his readers would be filled. Wisdom is coupled with “understanding,” both of which are said to be “spiritual,” that is, “of the Spirit.”[23] In this context “wisdom” is not abstract and speculative, like the heresy that false teachers in Colossae peddled under this label (2:16–23). Rather, the wisdom of which Paul wrote is centered on God and the knowledge of His will.[24] For Paul, God’s will was of ultimate significance for his readers and was particularly pressing, given his imprisonment and the precarious state of his readers. As O’Brien observes, “In prison, aware that he might not be able to visit and strengthen the churches to which he wrote, he saw the need for them to increase in the knowledge of God and his will, and with this God’s mystery, Christ. Also the requirements of the churches demanded a further exposition of the gospel to combat fresh dangers and heresies that were arising.”[25]

In 1:28 Paul spoke pointedly about the Christocentric focus of his ministry: “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom [ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ] so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” The content of Paul’s proclamation was Christ—the personal and objective disclosure of God’s own mystery (cf. 2:2–3).[26] The means by which this proclamation was carried out was through admonishing and teaching,[27] accompanied with all wisdom.[28] The goal of Paul’s ministry was to “present every man complete in Christ.”[29]

In 2:3 Paul further noted that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom [σοφίας] and knowledge [γνώσεως].”[30] As in 1:9, “wisdom” is again coupled with “knowledge.” The wording of Paul’s language in 2:3 has prompted some scholars to posit different backgrounds to account for it, and a common suggestion has been Gnosticism.[31] Given the questionable nature of the evidence supporting a pre-Christian Gnosticism,32 however, this alleged background must be viewed with considerable apprehension. It is more plausible that Paul’s language reflected his Jewish background.[33]

In his argument against elements of the Colossian heresy Paul followed up his citation of some ascetic restrictions (“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 2:21) with the following evaluation: “These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom [λόγον μὲν ἔχονυτα σοφίας] in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence” (v. 23).[34] Chrysostom (ca. 347–407) noted that Paul’s language highlighted the emptiness of the claim of the false teachers.[35] O’Brien similarly comments, “Even though the regulations have the reputation for wisdom they lack the reality. This wisdom is only a façade … true wisdom is to be found in Christ alone (2:3; cf. 1:9, 28; 3:16) for he is the wisdom of God (1:15–20).”[36]

In partial contrast to the false teachers’ empty claims of spiritual reality (rehearsed in part in Colossians 2:16–23) Paul set forth a legitimate form of spirituality in 3:15–16, which has the peace of Christ as its basis (v. 15) and the word of Christ as its orientation (v. 16): “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within yoú with all wisdom [ἐν πάσῃ σοφία], teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Here Paul used the phrase “with all wisdom” that he used in 1:9, 28. In 3:16 it is less clear whether the phrase should be connected with what precedes it (as in the KJV and NKJV)[37] or with what follows it. In the light of 1:28 (“admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom”) “wisdom” should be taken with the two participles that follow it.[38] The teaching and admonishing[39] of which Paul wrote are to be accompanied with the wisdom that marked his own ministry (vv. 27–28). This wisdom was explicitly Christocentric in orientation (2:2–3), unlike the Christ-dishonoring so-called “wisdom” of the Colossian heresy (vv. 16–23).

In view of Paul’s frequent use of “wisdom” in Colossians his general injunction in 4:5 is perfectly understandable. Paul wanted God’s wisdom to characterize the Colossians’ behavior toward outsiders just as it did his own ministry (1:27–28).

Who are the “outsiders” (τοὺς ἔξω) in 4:5? Based on the context and Paul’s similar uses of this expression in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians, there is little doubt that he had in mind those outside the church, that is, non-Christians.[40] To characterize this as “strongly sectarian language,”[41] however, fails to do justice to Paul’s concern.[42] His language reflects a healthy balance between the church’s call to be unique within society and its responsibility toward society through its behavioral witness.[43]

The meaning of Paul’s final phrase in verse 5, “making the most of the opportunity” (τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι), is debated.[44]

How commentators understand this phrase depends largely on how they view the combination of the noun[45] and the participle.[46] Some interpret the phrase as a general reference to using one’s time to the fullest;[47] others believe Paul wanted his readers to manifest the reality of their faith;[48] and others see it as an invitation to serve Christ.[49] Given the conceptual connections between verses 3–4 (Paul’s request for prayer as he engaged in mission) and verse 6 on verbal witness, some commentators have also detected in the phrase a reference to evangelism.[50] In his recent work on Pauline theology, Schreiner suggests two reasons in support of this position. The first is Paul’s prayer with regard to his ministry (v. 4). The second is the parallel text in Ephesians 5:11–16, which he also understands as a reference to evangelism.[51] Yet the former reason is more plausible than the latter, for the cautionary tone and generalized nature of admonitions in the Ephesians passage differ from Paul’s exhortations in Colossians 4:2–6.[52] Moreover, in Ephesians 5:16 the basis for “making the most of your time,” in keeping with the more somber content of Paul’s admonitions in verses 11–16, is “because the days are evil.” An implicit reference to evangelism in the phrase “making the most of the opportunity” in Colossians 4:5, however, is plausible, if one views it as an implication or byproduct of the believers’ behavioral witness, which is the explicit focus of verse 5a.

Verbal Witness (4:6)

Following his exhortation regarding behavioral witness, Paul then turned to the complementary theme of verbal witness. “Let your speech always [be] gracious [ἐν χάριτι], [as if] seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” “Your speech” may be an intended echo of verse 3, in which Paul asked his readers to pray “that God will open up to us a door for the word” [τοῦ λόγου].[53] The focus of verse 3 was on his mission, and the content of the word he proclaimed was “the mystery of Christ.”[54 ]Also Paul’s statement in verse 5 may have alluded to his earlier exhortation in 3:16, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.”[55]

In Ephesians 4:29 Paul urged that his readers’ speech (λόγος) should be wholesome and edifying. “Do not let any unwholesome talk [λόγος σαπρός] come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful [ἀγαθός] for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” In Colossians 4:6 he wrote that Christian speech should always (πάντοτε)[56] be gracious (ἐν χάριτι). The subject of gracious speech is a recurring theme in wisdom literature;[57] so it is not surprising to find that Paul combined wisdom (v. 5) and graciousness of speech (v. 6). The manner in which Christians speak is important.[58] The believers’ gracious manner of speaking should bear witness to the grace that they experienced in Christ through the gospel (1:5–6; cf. 1:2; 4:18).[59]

Paul also noted that Christian speech should be “seasoned with salt.” The use of salt as a metaphor for flavor is well attested in the ancient world, with biblical, extrabiblical Jewish, and Greco-Roman examples. In the Old Testament, salt was an ingredient in a special mix of incense used in conjunction with the tabernacle (Exod. 30:35). Also grain offerings were seasoned with salt (Lev. 2:13), as were some animal sacrifices (Ezek. 43:24).[60] Jesus employed salt as a metaphor in an illustration of committed discipleship: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Matt. 5:13).[61]

In Greco-Roman literature the word “salt” is used in various ways.[62] In his essay “Concerning Talkativeness,” Plutarch (ca. A.D. 46–120) spoke of “the salt of conversation.”[63] In a discussion of why Egyptians avoided salt, Plutarch suggested that they might “protest against salt because it is delicious as a seasoning, for salt is very nearly a seasoning and condiment to other seasoning, some even call it charites, because it makes needful food enjoyable.”[64] In his treatment of Clitomachus, head of the Academy from 129 B.C., Diogenes Laertius (third century A.D.) quoted Timon’s preachment against the verbosity of the Academics by saying that they were “unseasoned by salt.”[65] Cicero (106-43 B.C.), in a letter to L. Papirius Paetus, a learned and witty Epicurean,[66] employed salt as a metaphor for “wit.”[67]

By employing this well-attested metaphor, Paul intended that Christian speech should be winsome or attractive. Dunn maintains that this language “envisions opportunities for lively exchanges with non-Christians on topics and in a style which could be expected to find a positive resonance with the conversation partners.”[68]

Paul next spoke of the “result” of such speech. Speech that is both gracious and winsome is not an end in itself, but “so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Col. 4:6). This language is reminiscent of the introductory “Sayings of the Wise” in Proverbs 22,[69] and Peter’s advice to his readers in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1 Pet. 3:15–16). The difference between 1 Peter 3:15–16 and Colossians 4:6, however, is their backgrounds. First Peter assumes “more perilous relations with outsiders” than what is implied in Colossians.[70] Paul’s language in Colossians 4:6 implies that the lines of communication were open between the Colossian believers and those outside the church.[71]

Paul’s instruction in verse 6 also implies that he envisioned the Colossians responding in answer (ἀποκρίνεσθαι) to their questioners in a manner appropriate to each person (ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ).[72] This implies both pastoral concern and sensitivity with regard to the questioner’s need(s). This would involve being “sensitive to the kind of answer each one requires” (NJB).

Summary and Observations

Following Paul’s injunctions concerning prayer (Col. 4:2–4) to believers in a church he did not found (2:1) and that was embroiled in doctrinal problems of a Christological nature (vv. 16–23), he exhorted them about their witness in the larger society. The first exhortation concerned their responsibility to conduct themselves in a wise manner toward non-Christians. Paul’s use of wisdom elsewhere in this letter implies that he wanted God’s wisdom to characterize his readers’ behavior toward nonbelievers, much as it characterized his own ministry as an apostolic bearer of God’s mystery (1:27–28). Paul’s language further implies that the Colossian believers were to maintain their unique identity as God’s people in their non-Christian environment, coupled with their responsibility to witness to others through God-honoring behavior.

Paul's second exhortation concerned the Colossians’ responsibility to bear verbal witness to unbelievers. Their speech was to be characterized by graciousness and winsomeness that reflected the grace they had experienced in Christ.[73] As a result they would be able to respond to their non-Christian questioners in a manner appropriate to each person. The theme of appropriate speech recalls the rich instruction of the wisdom tradition. For as a wise Israelite king (cf. Prov. 25:1) once put it, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (25:11, RSV).

Notes

1. James P. Sweeney, “The Priority of Prayer in Colossians 4:2–4, ” Bibliotheca Sacra 159 (July-September 2002): 318-33.
2. Colossians 2:6, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him [ἐν αὐτῶ περιπατεῖτε].” In an apparent oversight Archibald T. Robertson described περιπατεῖτε in this verse as a “present active indicative,” particularly when his suggested gloss—”Go on walking in him”—implied that he recognized that it was an imperative (Word Pictures in the New Testament [1931; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, n.d.], 4:489). Paul used this same imperative in Galatians 5:16 and Ephesians 5:2, 8.
3. Several English versions express the phrase as an adverb of manner (e.g., the NIV has “Be wise in the way you act,” and the NAB, NJB, NLT, NRSV, and RSV have “wisely”). Other English versions translate it as an adverbial phrase of attendant circumstance (e.g., “with wisdom,” NASB), and some render it locatively (or perhaps spherically) by the words “in wisdom” (KJV, NKJV).
4. Nevertheless a conceptual correspondence exists between Paul’s request for prayer in communicating the mystery of the gospel (vv. 3–4) and his injunctions about the Colossians’ own form of communication, both behavioral and verbal (vv. 5–6).
5. Eduard Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, Hermeneia (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971), 167–68 (cf. the NIV and NLT).
6. A number of English translation render ἐξαγοραζόμενοι as a circumstantial (or an adverbial) participle (ASV, KJV, NAB, NASB, NJB, NRSV, RSV, TEV).
7. Peter T. O’Brien notes that “it is quite natural to take the participle as specifying the means by which the command for the readers to conduct themselves wisely is to be carried out, that is, by ‘snapping up every opportunity that comes’ “ (Colossians, Philemon, Word Biblical Commentary [Waco, TX: Word, 1982], 241; cf. 235).
8. Robertson suggested a general rule with respect to the imperatival use of participles: “No participle should be explained in this way that can properly be connected with a finite verb” (A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, 4th ed. [Nashville: Broadman, 1934], 1133–34).
9. Translations include ASV, KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NJB, NLT, NRSV, and RSV; grammarians include Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research, 396; and commentators include O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 242; and Murray J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon, Exegetical Guides to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991), 197. Conversely J. H. Moulton (citing Matt. 27:19, 25; John 20:19; and Gal. 1:5) suggested that there was nothing conclusive to show whether the imperative or the optative was more suitable in this and other passages of an interjectional nature (Prolegomena, vol. 1 of A Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 3d ed. [Edinburgh: Clark, 1908], 183).
10. The imperative ἔστω (“let. .. be”) is more common in the Septuagint (sixty-two times) than is the optative εἴη (“may. .. be”), which occurs twenty-five times. Both appear twelve times each in the New Testament. While ἔστω appears three times in Paul’s writings, he never employed εἴη. The wider usage ofἔστω would seem to tip the scales in its favor in Colossians 4:6. So Robertson seems justified in citing Colossians 4:5 among “some clear instances of the absence ofἔστω” in Paul’s writings (A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research, 396).
11. One may compare the phrase τὸ σῶμα ὑμῶν in 1 Corinthians 6:19, where ὑμῶν with the singular τὸ σῶμα also functions in a distributive fashion (Robert H. Gundry, Sōma in Biblical Theology [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987], 75–78).
12. The New Jerusalem Bible has “Always talk pleasantly.”
13. Walter Baur, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3d ed., rev. Frederick W. Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1079. An adjectival sense seems somewhat more probable than the adverbial sense (O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 242). Lohse similarly rendered it as an adjectival phrase: “full of graciousness” (Colossians and Philemon, 164). The New International Version has “full of grace.”
14. See also Romans 13:13; Ephesians 4:1; 5:2, 8, 15; Philippians 3:17; Colossians 2:6; and 1 Thessalonians 4:1.
15. For example Genesis 17:1; Leviticus 26:3; Deuteronomy 5:33; 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16; Psalms 86:11; 119:1; Proverbs 11:20; Isaiah 2:5; and Micah 6:16. See Francis Brown, Samuel R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament, ed. Jay P. Green Sr. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1979), 234.
16. Paul further wrote, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Gal. 5:18). The injunction to walk in the Spirit (v. 16) is accompanied by the exhortation to keep in step with the Spirit: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (v. 25, author’s translation).
17. Ephesians 5:15 is an admonishment: “Be careful how you walk [περιπατεῖτε], not as unwise men but as wise [ὡς σοφοί].”
18. O’Brien rightly stresses the pivotal nature of these verses (Colossians, Philemon, 104–9).
19. Romans 1:14, 22; 11:33; 16:19, 27; 1 Corinthians 1:17, 19–22, 24–27, 30; 2:1, 4–7, 13; 3:10, 18–20; 6:5; 12:8; 2 Corinthians 1:12; Ephesians 1:8, 17; 3:10; 5:15; Colossians 1:9, 28; 2:3, 23; 3:16; 4:5; and 2 Timothy 3:15. Eckhard J. Schnabel has a brief but useful overview of this theme in Paul’s epistles (“Wisdom,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993], 967–73). See also Eckhard J. Schnabel, Law and Wisdom from Ben Sira to Paul, Wissenchaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1985); and C. Marvin Pate, The Reverse of the Curse: Paul, Wisdom, and the Law, Wissenchaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 2000).
20. Psalms that may be classified as wisdom psalms include Psalms 1 (a mixed type of Torah and wisdom), 36 (also a mixed type, including elements of wisdom, hymn, and lament), 37, 49, 73, 78, 112, 127, 128, and 133.
21. James L. Crenshaw, “The Wisdom Literature,” in The Hebrew Bible and Its Modern Interpreters, ed. Douglas A. Knight and Gene M. Tucker (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985), 369–407; Derek Kidner, The Wisdom of Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes: An Introduction to Wisdom Literature (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1985); Roland E. Murphy, “Wisdom in the OT,” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freeman (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1992), 6:920–31; a collection of six essays in An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms: Festschrift Marvin E. Tate, ed. H. Wayne Ballard Jr. and W. Dennis Tucker Jr. (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2000), 1–10, 129–227; and Katharine J. Dell, “Get Wisdom, Get Insight”: An Introduction to Israel’s Wisdom Literature (Macon, GA: Smyth and Helwys, 2000).
22. For a general overview see M. Gilbert, “Wisdom Literature,” in Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period: Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Qumran Sectarian Writings, Philo, Josephus, ed. Michael E. Stone; Compendia Rerum Iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984), 283–324; Burton L. Mack and Roland E. Murphy, “Wisdom Literature,” in Early Judaism and Its Modern Interpreters, ed. Robert A. Kraft and G. W. E. Nickelsburg (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986), 371–410. For works on individual portions see George W. Nickelsburg, “The Bible Rewritten and Expanded,” in Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period, ed. Michael E. Stone, 140–46 (on Baruch); Alexander A. Di Lella, “Wisdom of Ben-Sira,” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6:931–45; and David Winston, “Solomon, Wisdom of,” in ibid., 6:120-27.
23. Gordon D. Fee contends for this meaning of πνευματικός in God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 641; and in The First Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 539–40.
24. F. F. Bruce observed, “The wisdom and understanding which Paul and Timothy desire to see in the Colossian Christians are inseparable from the knowledge of God and his will” (The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon and to the Ephesians, New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984], 46).
25. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 21.
26. On the nature of this “mystery” see Sweeney, “The Priority of Prayer in Colossians 4:2–4, ” 329–32.
27. The participles νουθετοῦντες and διδάσκοντες function as participles of means: “by means of admonishing and teaching.”
28. Lohse noted that this language is not directed toward speculation with regard to the knowledge of the higher worlds but “aims at the practical verification of the insight gained with the message of Christ (cf. 1:9f.)” (Colossians and Philemon, 77). O’Brien similarly suggests that ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ “may stand over against the Colossian heretics who boasted of their superior wisdom with its speculative knowledge of the higher worlds. By contrast Paul in the proclamation of Christ brings all wisdom within the reach of all” (Colossians, Philemon, 88).
29. Lohse (Colossians and Philemon, 77) and O’Brien (Colossians, Philemon, 89) provide further details. Bruce said that Paul probably envisioned this taking place at Christ’s parousia (Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 87).
30. Clinton E. Arnold (The Colossian Syncretism: The Interface between Christianity and Folk Belief at Colossae [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996], 274) and O’Brien (Colossians, Philemon, 95) capture well the implications of this admonishment.
31. For example J. B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon (1875; reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1987), 174 (Paul adopted ἀπόκρυφοι [“hidden”] from Gnosticism for purposes of refutation); and Friedrich Hauck, “θησαυρός,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965), 138 (though he noted that the language was also reminiscent of Isa. 45:3).
32. Edwin M. Yamauchi, Pre-Christian Gnosticism: A Survey of the Proposed Evidences, 2d ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1983), 43–49, 197. See the comments by James D. G. Dunn, The Partings of the Ways: Between Christianity and Judaism and Their Significance for the Character of Christianity (Philadelphia: Trinity, 1991), 8–9, 10–11; and Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism, 4–5.
33. Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, 82–83; O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 95–97; Schnabel, Law and Wisdom from Ben Sira to Paul, 259; and Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism, 274. Relevant passages include Proverbs 2:3–6; Isaiah 33:5–6; 45:3; and Sirach 1:26 (“If you long for wisdom, treasure [his] commands and the Lord will supply you with it”).
34. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida take λόγος here in the sense of “that which is thought to be true but is not necessarily so—’appearance, to seem to be’ “ (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains [New York: United Bible Societies, 1988], § 30.13).
35. Chrysostom, Homilies on Colossians 7 (on 2:23).
36. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 152–53. Bruce observed that “the asceticism disparaged by Paul feeds this particular indulgence [sc. the proud spirit of self-sufficiency] of the ‘flesh’ instead of starving it” (Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 129).
37. Lightfoot said the phrase goes with what precedes it (Colossians and Philemon, 224).
38. Most English versions rightly connect the phrase with the following participles.
39. As in Colossians 1:28, it is probable that these participles function in context as circumstantial (adverbial) participles of means.
40. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders [τοὺς ἔξω] and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thess. 4:11–12, NIV). “For what have I to do with judging those outside [τοὺς ἔξω]? Is it not those who are inside [τοὺς ἔσω] that you are to judge? God will judge those outside [τοὺς ἔξω]. ‘Drive out the wicked person from among you’ “ (1 Cor. 5:12–13, NRSV). In 2 Corinthians 4:16 Paul used ἔξω in an unrelated anthropological sense to refer to “our outer man [ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος],” which is perishing.
41. Margaret Y. MacDonald, Colossians and Ephesians, Sacra Pagina 17 (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2000), 172.
42. As Marcus Barth and Helmut Blanke have noted, “Their life in obedience toward God is not an end in itself but is rather orientated toward those who are outside (hoi exō)” (Colossians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, trans. Astrid B. Beck, Anchor Bible [New York: Doubleday, 1994], 454).
43. “It remains true that the reputation of the gospel is bound up with the behavior of those who claim to have experienced its saving power” (Bruce, Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 174).
44. James D. G. Dunn suggests that this phrase is “not entirely clear” (The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, New International Greek Testament Commentary [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996], 265).
45. For an overview of καιρός in the New Testament see Jörg Baumgarten, “καιρός,” in Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Horst R. Balz and Gerhard Schneider, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 232–35. Barth and Blanke caution against distinguishing too sharply between καιρός and χρόνος. They note the semantic overlap of χρόνος in Galatians 4:4 and καιρός in Ephesians 1:10 (Colossians, 455).
46. Robertson viewed ἐξαγοραζόμενοι in Colossians 4:5 as an indirect middle voice verb and translated the phrase “‘buying the opportunity for yourselves out of the open market’” (A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research, 809–10).
47. Rolf Dabelstein suggested that in Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5 the phrase means “buy up the time in taking advantage of all the possibilities at hand” (“ἐξαγοράζω,” in Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 2 [1991], 1). This same understanding is reflected in several English translations: “making the most of the time” (NRSV; RSV); “make the most of every opportunity” (NIV); “making the most of the opportunity” (NAB); “making the best of the present time” (NJB); and “make the most of every opportunity” (NLT).
48. “The implication of this statement in Colossians 4.5 is taking advantage of every opportunity to manifest the reality of one’s faith” (Louw and Nida, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, §65.42).
49. “This requirement is the invitation to serve the Messiah, the Lord over all things” (Barth and Blanke, Colossians, 456).
50. Bruce, Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 174; and MacDonald, Colossians and Ephesians, 173.
51. Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001), 69.
52. Bruce correctly recognized the more general nature of ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρόν in Ephesians 5:16 (Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 174).
53. This point is also noted by O’Brien (Colossians, Philemon, 242).
54. The words τοῦ Χριστοῦ should probably be interpreted as an appositional or epexegetic genitive—”the mystery, which is Christ” (Sweeney, “The Priority of Prayer in Colossians 4:2–4, ” 329, n. 54). See also Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism, 271.
55. In Colossians 3:16ἐν χάριτι is used in an adverbial sense of singing to God “with thankfulness” (NASB, RSV) or “with gratitude” (NAB, NIV, NJB, NRSV).
56. Twenty-seven of thirty-eight New Testament uses of the adverbπάντοτε are in the Pauline Epistles, includingColossians 1:3; 4:6, 12.
57. For example Ecclesiastes 10:12, “Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him” (cf. Sirach 21:16, “The exposition of a foolish person is [as troublesome] as a burden on a journey, but graciousness is found on the lips of a discerning person”). This is not to suggest that this imagery of graciousness in speech and demeanor is limited to the wisdom tradition. Josephus, in his flattering description of Germanicus, the nephew of the emperor Tiberius, wrote, “Those who had enjoyed his company were captivated by his charming manners [ἐν χάριτι], while others were won by the reports they received from those who met him” (The Antiquities of the Jews 18.208; trans. Louis H. Feldman; Loeb Classical Library [Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1965], 128–29). Similarly in a general description of social conversation Plutarch (ca. A.D. 46-120) wrote, “But if a remark is neither useful to the speaker nor of serious importance to the hearers, and if pleasure or charm [χάρις] is not in it, why is it made?” (De Garrulitate 514 F; Plutarch’s Moralia VI, trans. W. C. Helmbold, Loeb Classical Library [Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1939], 464–65).
58. O’Brien observes, “Here [in Colossians 4:6] Paul is indicating that not only the content but also the manner of speaking are important when it comes to the influence the believer exerts on outsiders” (Colossians, Philemon, 242).
59. As Dunn notes, “No Paulinist would intend such usage [ἐν χάριτι] to be independent of the χάρις manifested in Christ and fundamental to the Pauline gospel” (The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 266). However, Paul himself, not a Paulinist, was responsible for the content of Colossians.
60. The exact meaning of “the covenant of salt” (Num. 18:19; 2 Chron. 13:5) is the subject of some debate.
61. Similar comments are found in Mark 9:50 and Luke 14:34. A similar metaphorical use of salt is also attested in rabbinic literature. The Tractate Berakhot of the Babylonian Talmud reads, “Our rabbis taught on Tannaite authority: He who passes before the ark [to lead the congregation in prayer] has first of all to decline [the honor], and if he does not decline the honor, he is like a dish without salt. But if he declines too much, he is like a dish that has been spoiled by salt” (b. Berakhot 34A; trans. Jacob Neusner, The Talmud of Babylonia: An American Translation I: Tractate Berakhot, Brown Judaic Studies 78 [Chico, CA: Scholars, 1984], 239–40).
62. One may note Plutarch’s lengthy discussion about salt in Questiones Convivales 5.10.1–4 = Moralia 684E-685F (Plutarch’s Moralia VIII, trans. Paul A. Clement and Herbert P. Hoffleit, Loeb Classical Library [Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1969], 440–49).
63. “When men talk, it is either for their own sake, because they need something, or to benefit their hearers, or they seek to integrate themselves with each other by seasoning with the salt of conversation the pastime or business in which they happen to be engaged” (De Garrulitate 514E-F; Plutarch’s Moralia VI, 464–65).
64. Questiones Convivales 5.10.2 = Moralia 685A (Plutarch’s Moralia VIII, 442–44).
65. Lives of Eminent Philosophers 4.67 (Diogenes Laertius I, trans. R. D. Hicks; Loeb Classical Library [Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959], 442–43).
66. Cicero: The Letters to His Friends, trans. W. Glynn Williams, Loeb Classical Library, vol. 2 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1983), 232, note b.
67. “Besides, there is your wit, not Attic, but more pungent [salsiores] than that of Attic writers—the good old city wit [sales] of Rome” (ibid., 232-33).
68. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 267.
69. The Septuagint of Proverbs 22:21 may be translated, “I therefore teach you truth [literally, a true word], and knowledge good to hear so that you might answer words of truth to those who propose [questions] to you” (author’s translation).
70. MacDonald, Colossians and Ephesians, 174; cf. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 267.
71. Dunn maintains that “such advice envisages a group of Christians in a sufficiently positive relation with the surrounding community for such conversations to be natural, a group not fearful or threatened, but open and in positive relationship with its neighbors (even as ‘outsiders,’ 4:5)” (The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon).
72. “Here Paul’s statement has particular reference to Christians responding with the right word to those who ask questions of the community. .. perhaps in connection with their beliefs and behavior. So not only must the addressees’ conversation be opportune as regards the time; it must also be appropriate as regards the person” (O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 243).
73. “A harsh or caustic spirit is to be avoided, for the character of believers is foundational in the dissemination of the gospel” (Schreiner, Paul: Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ, 69).