The Priority of Prayer in Colossians 4:2-4

By James P. Sweeney

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

Prayer is central to biblical piety. People of prayer in the Old Testament included, among others, Abraham (Gen. 20:17), Isaac (25:21), Jacob (32:9), Moses (Exod. 8:30), Hannah (1 Sam. 1:10; 2:1); David (2 Sam. 7:19–29), Solomon (1 Kings 8:22–53), Daniel (Dan. 9:4–19), and the psalmists (e.g., Pss. 4:1; 6:9; 17:1). Moreover, Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, often prayed (Mark 1:35; 6:46; 14:35, 39), and He taught His disciples how to pray (Matt. 6:5–13; Luke 11:1–4; 18:1–8).[1]

The early believers in Jerusalem, following the reception of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42; cf. 4:31). Paul’s attention to prayer is expressed frequently in his letters (Rom. 1:10; 10:1),[2] and the writers of the other New Testament letters are far from silent about the subject (Heb. 13:18–19; James 5:13–18; 1 Pet. 3:7, 12; 4:7; 1 John 5:16; Jude 20).[3]

This article focuses on Paul’s teaching about prayer in Colossians 4:2–4.[4] What makes Colossians of particular interest is the authoritative and practical way in which Paul addressed a church that he did not establish (Col. 2:1) and that was embroiled in doctrinal problems of a Christological nature. Before examining this passage, however, it will be helpful to survey the circumstances and message of Colossians.

The Circumstances And Message Of Colossians

Paul’s letter to the Colossians was prompted in large part by information he received from Epaphras, the church’s founder.[5] Sometime after Epaphras had evangelized Colosse and helped found the church there, he went to Paul, who was incarcerated at the time (Col. 4:3, 10, 18).[6] He brought Paul a report that included both favorable and unfavorable news. The favorable aspects are recounted in Paul’s opening thanksgiving (1:3–8).[7] The troubling elements are particularly discernible in Paul’s argument in Colossians 2, where he offered a lengthy critique of what is called the “Colossian heresy.”[8] These factors helped shape Paul’s message.

Paul introduced Colossians with an opening salutation (1:1–2), designating the author, the recipients, and a grace wish; words of thanksgiving (vv. 3–8); and a prayer (vv. 9–14). He then launched into an exalted statement about Christ (1:15–2:23), affirming His absolute supremacy over every ruler and authority. Included in this section is a lofty “hymnic” piece that extols the greatness of Christ (1:15–20),[9] followed by comments on Christ’s cosmic work of reconciliation (vv. 21–23),[10] a note on Paul’s own stewardship of the “mystery” of Christ (1:24–2:5), and his forceful response to the “Colossian heresy” (2:6–23).[11]

In the second portion of the letter[12] Paul treated more practical issues. The main segment of this latter portion concentrated on how the Colossians were to live as Christ’s people (3:1–4:6).[13] This included guidelines on how to live as those who are raised in Christ (3:1–17), guidelines for Christian households (3:18–4:1),[14] and exhortations concerning prayer and lifestyle (4:2–6). Paul then wrote the closing segment of the letter (4:7–18).

The Structure Of Colossians 4:2-4

Determining the structure of Colossians 4:2–4 is based on a number of grammatical and syntactical decisions, the first two of which concern the relationship of the two participles, γρηγοροῦντες (“keeping alert”) and προσευχόμενοι (“praying”), to the leading imperative προσκαρτερεῖτε (“be devoted to”) in verse 2. The first participle, γρηγοροῦντες may be interpreted as an independent imperatival participle[15] or as a circumstantial (adverbial) participle.[16] Similarly the participle προσευχόμενοι may also be taken in either of these two ways.[17] Here, however, standard English translations are more divided than with the preceding participle, and a greater number, perhaps for stylistic reasons, translate προσευχόμενοι as an independent imperatival participle.[18] While Paul did employ participles in an imperatival sense elsewhere,[19] this usage is rare in comparison to the uses involving the circumstantial (adverbial) sense.[20] In Colossians 4:2–4 it is better to interpret them as circumstantial (adverbial) participles, in this case as participles of means.[21] Thus the structure of verses 2–3a may be set forth as follows:

Devote yourselves to prayer,

by keeping alert in it with thanksgiving, [and]

by praying at the same time for us.

Verses 3b–4 have two ἵνα clauses and an exegetically significant infinitive. The first ἵνα clause introduces the content of Paul’s prayer: “(namely), that… .”[22] The following aorist infinitive, λαλῆσαι (“to speak”), indicates either purpose (“in order that”) or result (“so that”).[23] Robertson called this a hypothetical infinitive of result, but he noted that its kinship with purpose is strong.[24] The infinitive λαλῆσαι further expands on the first ἵνα clause by indicating result or purpose: “(namely), that [ἵνα] God will open up to us a door [of opportunity] for the word that we might speak forth [λαλῆσαι] the mystery of Christ.” The second ἵνα clause seems to introduce an additional purpose or result clause: “that I may make it [the mystery] clear in the way I ought to speak.” It thus is grammatically parallel to the infinitive λαλῆσαι.[25] The passage may be set forth as follows:

Devote yourselves to prayer,

by keeping alert in it with thanksgiving, [and]

by praying at the same time for us as well

[namely] that [ἵνα] God will open up to us a door [of opportunity] for the word,

that we may speak forth [λαλῆσαι] the mystery of Christ

for which [mystery] I have also been imprisoned;

that [ἵνα] I might make it [the mystery] clear in the way I ought to [or, must] speak [it].

Four Characteristics Of Prayer In Colossians 4:2-4

Persistance In Prayer

Paul began this segment with the brief injunction: “Devote yourselves to prayer.” But he did more than exhort others to pray. His prayer in 1:9–10 reveals that prayer was a regular part of his life and ministry. The language of this prayer in 1:9–10 indicates that Paul enjoined the Colossians (in 4:2) to engage in something in which he and his colleagues were regularly engaged themselves.[26]

Colossians 4:12 confirms this point still further, as Paul mentioned that Epaphras was “laboring earnestly” (or “wrestling,” NIV, NRSV)[27] in prayer for the Colossians’ spiritual advancement. Patzia noted the pastoral concern implied in this passage: “Epaphras’s concern for his congregation is manifested in his prayer life: He did not give birth to the church and then abandon it.”[28]

The language of being “devoted to prayer”[29 ]is elsewhere reflected in Acts and some of Paul’s other letters. According to Acts 1:14, in preparation for the coming of the Spirit (Luke 24:49) the early followers of Jesus “all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer” [οὗτοι πάντες ἦσαν προσκαρτεροῦντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν τῇ προσευχῇ].[30] Luke also noted that the members of the fledgling Jerusalem church “were continually devoting themselves [ἦσαν …προσκαρτεροῦντες] to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer [ταῖς προσευ χαῖς]” (Acts 2:42).[31] Because of a conflict between Hebrew and Greek “speakers” in the early church,[32] the apostles exhorted the early community to select “seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer [ἡμεῖς δὲ τῇ προσευχῇ … προσκαρτερῆσομεν] and to the ministry of the word” (6:3–4).[33] In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, also written (as was Colossians) to a church Paul had not yet visited personally, he wrote the same exhortation as in Colossians 4:2, “[Be] devoted to prayer [τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτεροῦντες]” (Rom. 12:12).

These passages in Colossians, Acts, and Romans indicate that prayer requires constant attention and unfailing dedication.[34] In Ephesians 6:18 Paul put it this way: “Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere” (NLT).[35] It is not enough for believers to pray occasionally; they must “continue steadfastly in prayer” (RSV).

Vigilance In Prayer

In addition to calling for devotion to prayer Paul also called believers to vigilance in prayer. “Devote yourselves to prayer [by] keeping alert in it” (Col. 4:2). The thought may imply being “watchful,” “on guard,” or even “spiritually awake.”[36] As such, Paul’s injunction to be vigilant has been taken in different senses.

Lightfoot interpreted Paul’s injunction in practical terms, reasoning that “long continuance in prayer is apt to produce listlessness. Hence the additional charge that the heart must be awake, if the prayer is to have any value.”[37] Chrysostom (ca. 347–407) argued in much the same way. Yet he also noted that the devil would attempt to incite listlessness in believers because the devil recognizes the power of prayer. “For, since continuing in prayers frequently makes persons listless, therefore [Paul] saith, ‘watching,’ that is, sober, not wandering. For the devil knoweth, he knoweth, how great a good prayer is; therefore he presseth heavily.”[38] Patzia further notes that Paul’s exhortation may be “a caution against casualness in prayer.”[39]

O’Brien, by contrast, interprets Paul’s exhortation in the light of the coming of Christ. He translated the opening injunction, “Persevere in prayer as you watch for the Lord’s return.”[40] Dunn suggested that a combination of eschatological expectation and Jesus’ Gethsemane experience stood behind this exhortation.[41] It is also tempting, particularly given the threat of heresy implied in Colossians 2, to interpret Paul’s exhortation as a call for spiritual vigilance against the inroads of false teaching.[42]

Each of the aforementioned suggestions is exegetically plausible. This may indicate that Paul’s injunction in verse 2 to be vigilant should be interpreted in a general sense, such as Paul’s similar exhortation in 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on the alert [γρηγορεῖτε], stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” The latter exhortation is not primarily eschatological in orientation.[43] Rather, Paul put the community on general alert so as to guard the gospel that had been entrusted to them, which is most likely what he meant in this context by his reference to “the faith.”[44]

Bruce recognized the general nature of the exhortation in Colossians 4:2. While he alluded to Jesus’ exhortation to His disciples during His Gethsemane experience (Mark 14:38) and Jesus’ teaching in Luke 18:1 as a partial backdrop to Paul’s injunction in Colossians 4:2, he also noted the general nature of Paul’s language: “Men and women of persistent prayer are those who are constantly on the alert, alive to the will of God and the need of the world, and ready to give an account of themselves and their stewardship.”[45] A general exhortation is naturally allusive, and raises a number of fitting allusions: both general (pragmatic) and specific (Gethsemane).

Thankfulness In Prayer

Paul also affirmed that prayer should be accompanied “with thanksgiving” [ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ].” All but one of Paul’s letters to churches opened with a thanksgiving to God for His rich blessings on the congregations to whom Paul wrote.[46] Paul often thanked God for His guidance in the lives of his coworkers (such as Titus, 2 Cor. 8:16), for personal blessings he received from God (1 Cor. 14:18), and for the victory God gave believers in Christ (15:57; cf. Rom. 7:25). In fact for Paul the failure to give God thanks was one of two ominous factors (along with failing to glorify God) that led pagans in a downward spiral toward idolatry and gross licentiousness (Rom. 1:21). Therefore not surprisingly, thanksgiving played a central role in Paul’s view of the nature of the Christian life (Eph. 5:15–20; Col. 3:15–17; 1 Thess. 5:16–18).[47]

Part of the purpose of Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:10–12 was that his readers give thanks to the Father (εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ πατρί), who had qualified them to share in a gracious inheritance with other believers. In 2:7 Paul encouraged the Colossians to be “overflowing with gratitude [περισσεύοντες ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ],” while in 3:15 he exhorted them to “be thankful [εὐχάριστοι γίνεσθε].” The customary nature of thanksgiving is further underlined in 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father [εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ θεῷ πατρὶ δι ᾿ αὐτοῦ].”[48] As O’Brien notes, for Paul “every activity is to be done in obedience to the Lord Jesus and accompanied by the giving of thanks to God through him.”[49]

Prayer And Mission-Mindedness

The fourth aspect of prayer reflected in this passage, and the aspect to which Paul gave the greatest attention, was prayer for himself and his colleagues as they engaged in the ministry of proclaiming the gospel.[50] His request was “that God will open up to us a door [of opportunity] for the word,” to which he added two reasons: (a) “that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which [mystery] I have also been imprisoned,” and (b) “that I may make it [the mystery] clear in the way I ought to speak [it].”

In 1 Corinthians 16:9 Paul used the phrase “a door … has opened”[51] in reference to the opportunity he had in Ephesus, one accompanied by substantial resistance: “there are many adversaries.” Paul also mentioned in 2 Corinthians 2:12 that he found an open door of opportunity in Troas. But he did not avail himself of this opportunity when he did not find Titus at Troas (v. 13). This was because of his concern to hear from Titus on the condition of the Corinthian church (7:5–10). On the basis of these passages Müller suggests that in Paul’s writings the word “to open” is “a t[echnical] t[erm] of missionary language.”[52]

The key term “mystery” (μυστήριον) used by Paul in Colossians 4:3 often refers to something that can be known only by divine revelation—that is, something that is concealed and requires a divine explanation of its meaning (as in Dan. 2:19, 28–30, 47; Matt. 13:11; Mark 4:10; Luke 8:10; Rom. 16:25–26; 1 Cor. 15:51; and Eph. 3:2–11).[53] Paul referred to his message as “the mystery of Christ.” The genitival τοῦ Χριστοῦ should be taken in an appositional or epexegetic sense: “the mystery, which is Christ.”[54] The “mystery of Christ” that Paul set forth in Colossians contained two dimensions.

The first is presented in Colossians 1:26–27. “The mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations … has now been manifested in His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The words “Christ in you” should not be interpreted strictly in subjective, individualistic terms. While there is undeniably a subjective, personal consequence to the content of this “mystery,” Paul here emphasized the objective disclosure of the mystery: Gentiles were now accepted before God in Jesus independently of becoming Jewish proselytes.[55] He described this aspect of the “mystery” in more detail in Ephesians 3:1–7.

Paul’s understanding of the mystery in both Colossians 1:26 and Ephesians 3:5 raises an important question about the relationship between the gospel and the Old Testament. Since the Old Testament looked forward to a time when Gentiles would be included in God’s saving purposes along with the physical descendants of Abraham (e.g., Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14),[56] in what sense can it be said that this “mystery” of which Paul spoke was a new revelation? Various answers have been offered.

Bruce suggests that the newness relates to the timing of the revelation and the precise identity of those involved. “God made known his purpose to the prophets of old, but withheld from the prophets one vital piece of information (without which the prophetic word remained a ‘mystery’)—namely, the time when his purpose would be fulfilled (together with the identity of the persons who would be involved, on the one side or the other, in its fulfillment).”[57]

O’Brien, on the other hand, contends that the newness of the revelation relates to the manner of incorporation. “The manner in which that purpose would come to fruition—by incorporation of both Jews and Gentiles into the body of Christ—was not made known. This had remained a mystery until the time of its fulfillment, and Paul, as the apostle to the Gentiles and first steward of this mystery, has the privilege of unfolding its wonder to his readers.”[58]

Bock prefers to speak of complete newness. “A look at Col 1:26–27 and Eph 3:6–9 suggests that in those contexts, the truth revealed is completely new, since the OT nowhere declares either the indwelling of Gentiles by the Messiah or the total equality of Jews and Gentiles in one new body. In addition, the meaning of those texts is clear since the contexts in which they appear highlight the fact of concealment from previous times and generations.”[59]

In addition to its newness, a second aspect of “the mystery of Christ” that Paul set forth in Colossians was that Christ Himself is the “Fount” of divine wisdom and knowledge. Paul mentioned this aspect of the mystery to refute the form of religious syncretism that was jeopardizing the Colossian believers’ view of Christ. In response to this threat Paul reminded the Colossians that everything they should ever want or need is found in Christ. So they need look nowhere else for spiritual reality. He wanted them to know “God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:2–3). “Since wisdom and knowledge are ‘stored up’ (ἀπόκρυφοι) in Christ, Christ is therefore the place where they are to be found. The Colossians should invest their energy in seeking for wisdom and knowledge in the proper place (cf. 3:1, 2). Paul wants them to grasp Christ (cf. 2:19), not the tenants of ‘the philosophy.’ “[60]

Given the significance of the gospel message, it is not surprising that Paul exhorted his readers to pray for clarity in his presentation. He asked them to pray “that I may make it clear [φανερώσω] in the way I ought to [or, must] speak” (4:4). Paul’s use of φανερόω[61] recalls Colossians 1:26, where he set forth his stewardship of the mystery as “the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested [ἐφανερώθη] to His saints.”[62] Dunn noted that Colossians 4:4 “underlines Paul’s own conviction that he had been given the primary privilege, as apostle to the Gentiles, to disclose the secret of God’s overarching design in creation and salvation (Rom. 11:25–26; 1 Cor. 2:7; 4:1; Col. 1:27–29; Eph. 3:7–13).”[63]

Also in Ephesians 6:19–20 Paul asked his readers to pray that he might “make known with boldness [ἐν παρρησίᾳ] the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly [παρρησιάσωμαι][64] as I ought to speak.”[65]

Clarity, on the one hand, and boldness or fearlessness, on the other, were two overlapping prayer concerns in the letters of Colossians and Ephesians, as Paul sought to fulfill the divine commission entrusted to him. Despite Paul’s being in chains at the time of writing (Col. 4:3, 10, 18), Roman imprisonment could not and did not stop the advance of the gospel.[66] For as he later wrote in his last correspondence, “God’s message cannot be chained up” (2 Tim. 2:9, NJB).

Conclusion

This examination of Colossians 4:2–4 indicates that prayer is to be an essential part of the life of the believing community. Paul presented prayer not as an optional activity, should the Colossians find it in their schedule, but as a necessary activity. The prayer that Paul commended to his Colossian readers was to be characterized by persistence, vigilance, thankfulness, and mission-mindedness. The latter element, moreover, gives insight into Paul’s understanding of the nature of Christian mission and how that mission is to be supported through the faithful prayers of believers.[67] Hunter summarized the priority of prayer in Paul’s ministry in this way. “His whole ministry was grounded in, and developed from, prayer. For Paul, the Christian experience was essentially (and unceasingly) an act of prayer.”[68] Believers do well to follow not only Paul’s example in this regard, but more importantly his apostolic instruction to the Colossians—to pray persistently, accompanied by both spiritual vigilance and thanksgiving, and with a mind and heart committed to the advance of the gospel.

Notes

1. On Jesus and prayer see Joachim Jeremias, The Prayers of Jesus (Naperville, IL: Allenson, 1967); idem, New Testament Theology: The Proclamation of Jesus, trans. J. Bowden (New York: Scribners, 1971), 178–203; James D. G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975), 15–40; William David Spencer and Aida Besançon Spencer, The Prayer Life of Jesus (Lanham, MD: University of America Press, 1990); and James D. G. Dunn, “Prayer,” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, ed. Joel B. Green, Scott McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992), 617–25.
2. On Paul and prayer see D. M. Stanley, Boasting in the Lord: The Phenomenon of Prayer in Paul (New York: Paulist, 1973); Gordon P. Wiles, Paul’s Intercessory Prayers: The Significance of the Intercessory Prayer Passages in the Letters of St. Paul (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974); and W. Bingham Hunter, “Prayer,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993), 725–34.
3. On prayer in the General Epistles see Michael J. Wilkins, “Prayer,” in Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments, ed. Ralph P. Martin and Peter H. Davids (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997), 941–48.
4. A number of scholars question the Pauline authorship of Colossians (e.g., Joachim Gnilka, Der Kolosserbrief [Freiburg: Herder, 1980], 11–26; Victor Paul Furnish, “Colossians, Epistle to the,” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David N. Freeman [Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1992], 1:1093–94; A. J. M. Wedderburn, “The Theology of Colossians,” in The Theology of the Later Pauline Letters, ed. A. J. M. Wedderburn and A. T. Lincoln [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993], 4, n. 3; and, though with some hesitation, James D. G. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, New International Greek Testament Commentary [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996], 35–39). Despite such frequently encountered doubts, however, the present writer is not persuaded by the nature of the arguments marshaled against Pauline authorship. Moreover, effective counterarguments, based on evidence both internal (the textual claims of Colossians) and external (tradition), have been set forth in support of Pauline authorship. See for example Peter T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco, TX: Word, 1982), xli-xlix; idem, “Colossians, Letter to the,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 150–52; and Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, 4th ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1990), 572–77.
5. In Colossians 1:7 Paul reminded his readers that “you [Colossians] learned it [the gospel, v. 5] from Epaphras.” Epaphras was probably converted during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, when for two years he held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus “so that all who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10). On Epaphras see D. Edmond Hiebert, “Epaphras, Man of Prayer,” Bibliotheca Sacra 136 (January-March 1979): 54-64.
6. The traditional identification of the place of Paul’s incarceration is Rome (J. B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Philippians [1881; reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1993], 1–29; and idem, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon [1875; reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1987], 32–33). Other suggestions include Caesarea and Ephesus. While Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea (Acts 23:23–27:1), there is no explicit evidence of Paul ever having been imprisoned in Ephesus. On the whole the traditional view of Rome seems to create the least problems historically and chronologically. See F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), 379–440; Colin J. Hemer, The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History, ed. Conrad H. Gempf (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1990), 271–76; O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, xlix-liii; and Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, 577–80.
7. The introductory thanksgiving of Colossians evinces a full seven-element form (O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 8–9). Full discussions of the formal elements of Paul’s introductory thanksgivings include Paul Schubert, The Form and Function of the Pauline Thanksgiving (Berlin: Töpelmann, 1939), 10–39; and Peter T. O’Brien, Introductory Thanksgivings in the Letters of Paul, Supplements to Novum Testamentum 49 (Leiden: Brill, 1977), 6–15. A brief overview may be found in Peter T. O’Brien’s shorter essay: “Benediction, Blessing, Doxology, Thanksgiving,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 68–71, esp. 69–70.
8. Not all scholars agree with this designation. Morna D. Hooker expresses doubts about explaining the background assumed in Colossians 2 on the basis of a Colossian “heresy” (“Were There False Teachers in Colossae?” in Christ and Spirit in the New Testament: Studies in Honour of Charles Francis Digby Moule, ed. Barnabas Lindars and Stephen S. Smalley [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973], 315–31). This view, however, is not widely accepted, for a number of scholars believe she has not given adequate attention to the details of the chapter (e.g., Gnilka, Kolosserbrief, 163–64, n. 4; O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, xxxi; Wedderburn, “Theology of Colossians,” 4; and Clinton E. Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism: The Interface between Christianity and Folk Belief at Colossae [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996], 185, 233–34, n. 3). As F. F. Bruce noted in a brief response to Hooker, “The language [of chap. 2]. .. points to a specific line of teaching against which the readers are put on their guard” (The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon and to the Ephesians, New International Commentary of the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984], 18). For further discussion of the “Colossian heresy” see Eduard Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, Hermeneia (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971), 127–31; Eduard Schweizer, Der Brief an die Kolosser (Zürich: Benziger, 1976), 100–104; Gnilka, Kolosserbrief, 163–70; O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, xxx-xli; idem, “Colossians,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 148–49; Bruce, Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 17–26; idem, “Colossian Problems, Part 3: The Colossian Heresy,” Bibliotheca Sacra 141 (July-September 1984): 195-208; Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, 565–72; Dunn, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 23–35; and Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism.
9. For discussions on this remarkable passage see Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, 41–46; Gnilka, Kolosserbrief, 77–87; and O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 31–42. Helpful also is F. F. Bruce, “Colossian Problems, Part 2: The ‘Christ Hymn’ of Colossians 1:15–20, ” Bibliotheca Sacra 141 (April-June 1984): 99-110. A more recent treatment of the subject is found in Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism, 246–70. Ralph P. Martin gives a general overview of Pauline hymns in “Hymns, Hymn Fragments, Songs, Spiritual Songs,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 419–23.
10. Helpful treatments include F. F. Bruce, “Colossian Problems, Part 4: Christ as Conqueror and Reconciler,” Bibliotheca Sacra 141 (October-December 1984): 291-302; and Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism, 260–69.
11. While the exact nature and origin of this “philosophy” are debated, it is evident that Paul was concerned that the Colossians would be led to devalue the supremacy of Christ. Paul thus wrote to correct the Colossians’ concept of Christ and to remind them that “the fullness” they sought elsewhere was to be found in Christ and nowhere else. As Paul asserted in 2:9, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete [or, ‘have come to fullness in Him,’ NRSV], and He is the head over all rule and authority.”
12. In Colossians 3:1 the inferential conjunction οὖν (“If, then, you were raised with Christ,” NKJV) serves to demarcate the two segments of the letter (Col. 1–2 and 3–4), even as it does in Paul’s companion letter to the Ephesians (4:1, “Therefore [οὖν] I. .. implore you”).
13. The thematic connections between these two segments are well presented by Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, 132; Schweizer, Brief an die Kolosser, 130–31; O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 156–58; and Dunn, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 199–201.
14. Profitable information on the so-called “household codes” (Haustafeln) may be found in Schweizer, Brief an die Kolosser, 159–64; Gnilka, Kolosserbrief, 205–16; O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 214–19; David L. Balch, “Household Codes,” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, 3:318–20; Philip H. Towner, “Households and Household Codes,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 417–19; and Andrew T. Lincoln, “The Household Code and Wisdom Mode of Colossians,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 74 (1999): 93-112.
15. Lohse contends that the participle is “an independent command” and “must be taken in an imperatival sense” (Colossians and Philemon, 164, n. 4). Similarly the King James Version has “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same.”
16. Several English versions render it in this sense: “keeping alert” (NASB, NRSV); “being watchful” (NAB, NIV, RSV), “being vigilant in it” (NKJV); “as you stay awake to pray” (NJB). The New Living Translation renders it in an associative sense: “with an alert mind.” For a discussion of the circumstantial use of the participle see A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, 4th ed. (Nashville: Broadman, 1934), 1124–32. For a more recent discussion of this use of the participle, employing the label “adverbial,” see Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 622–40.
17. Lohse once again contends that this participle is to be taken in an imperatival sense (Colossians and Philemon, 164, n. 8).
18. Standard English translations that render προσευχόμενοι as an imperative in coordination with the leading verb of verse 2 (“pray”) include the NASB, NIV, NJB, NLT, and RSV, whereas the KJV, NKJV, and NASB render it circumstantially or adverbially (“praying”).
19. An example is Romans 12:9–13, with a string of participles in a paraenetic section that clearly seem to bear an imperatival function.
20. 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 Light of Historical Research, 1133–34).
21. While Robertson noted that “it is not always clear where manner shades off into means” (ibid., 1128), Wallace has some helpful guidelines on how to distinguish between the two (Greek Grammar beyond the Basics, 627-30).
22. Today’s English Version, however, rendered it as result: “so that.” Yet O’Brien persuasively argues that ἵνα introduced the content of the prayer in both 1:9 and 4:3 (Colossians, Philemon, 20, 238).
23. James L. Boyer notes the challenge an interpreter faces in determining the difference: “The relation between purpose and result is a close one and often difficult, sometimes impossible, to distinguish. Intended result is purpose; accomplished or realized purpose is result, and it is not clear in every instance which is in the mind of the author” (“The Classification of Infinitives: A Statistical Study,” Grace Theological Journal 6 [1985]: 10). Some English versions render λαλῆσαι as an infinitive of result (e.g., NASB, NIV), while many others render it as a simple infinitive: “to speak” (ASV, KJV, NAB, NKJV), “to tell” (NEB), “to announce” (NJB), “to preach” (NLT), or “to declare” (RSV).
24. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research, 1090.
25. Murray J. Harris, by contrast, takes the second ἵνα clause to be coordinate with the first ἵνα clause (Colossians and Philemon [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991], 195).
26. Arthur G. Patzia calls attention to the pastoral implications of Paul’s thanksgiving and intercession (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, New International Biblical Commentary [Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1990], 21).
27. The verb ἀγωνίζομαι is used elsewhere of competitive athletics (1 Cor. 9:25), of (armed) conflict (John 18:36), of intense struggle of various kinds (Luke 13:24, on striving to enter the narrow door), and of fighting the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7). Cf. G. Dautzenberg, “ἀγῶν, ἀγωνίζομαι,” in Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. H. R. Balz and G. Schneider, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 25–27. Paul employed it earlier in Colossians 1:29 in conjunction with κοπιάω (as in 1 Tim. 4:10) to designate the intensive labor involved in proclaiming Christ.
28. Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, 100–101. Hiebert notes, “In sending the greeting of Epaphras, Paul felt it important to inform the Colossians of the praying of Epaphras on their behalf. Although absent from them, Epaphras was thus rendering them a valuable service” (“Epaphras, Man of Prayer,” 58).
29. “Devoted in prayer” is the rendering in the NASB, NIV, NLT, and NRSV. Other legitimate translations include “Continue in prayer” (KJV), “Persevere in prayer” (NAB), “Be persevering in your prayers” (NJB), “Continue earnestly in prayer” (NKJV), and “Continue steadfastly in prayer” (RSV). The verb προσκαρτερέω with a noun for prayer (προσευχῇ) is used in the sense of persistence not only here in Colossians 4:2 but also in Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; and Romans 12:12, all of which will be addressed briefly in the following discussion.
30. The adverb ὁμοθυμαδόν (“with one mind/purpose/impulse”) is a favorite Lucan term in Acts, with ten of its eleven New Testament uses appearing there (Acts 1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 7:57; 8:6; 12:20; 15:25; 18:12; 19:29; elsewhere Rom. 15:6). It is also somewhat common in the Septuagint, where it occurs thirty-six times.
31. J. A. Fitzmyer suggests that Luke employed προσκαρτερέω “to stress the continuous and persistent tenacity of the disciples” (The Acts of the Apostles, Anchor Bible [New York: Doubleday, 1998], 270).
32. Some believe this debate points to ideological distinctions between the two groups (“free-thinking” Hellenizers versus more “conservative” Hebrews), a view favored by Richard N. Longenecker (“The Acts of the Apostles,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9 [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981], 327–29). More compelling discussion points to a distinction in language between those who spoke (only) Greek as opposed to those who spoke a Semitic language and perhaps some Greek (Martin Hengel, “Between Jesus and Paul: The ‘Hellenists,’ the ‘Seven’ and Stephen [Acts 6:1-15; 7:54-8:3],” in his Between Jesus and Paul: Studies in the Earliest History of Christianity, trans. J. Bowden [Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983], 4–11; F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 3d ed. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990], 180–81; C. C. Hill, Hellenists and Hebrews: Reappraising Division within the Earliest Church [Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992], 22–24; David A. Fiensy, “The Composition of the Jerusalem Church,” in The Book of Acts in Its Palestinian Setting, ed. Richard Bauckham, vol. 4 of The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995], 234–35; and Brian Capper, “The Palestinian Context of the Earliest Christian Community of Goods,” in ibid., 353-55).
33. J. A. Fitzmyer (Acts of the Apostles, 349) discusses the possible types of prayer involved (a common Christian liturgy and possibly Jewish cultic prayers) and further rejects Ernst Haenchen’s suggestion that prayer was regarded as a “meritorious work of piety” (The Acts of the Apostles: A Commentary, trans. R. McL. Wilson [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1971], 263). It is unclear why Bruce restricted the reference to the “church’s regular worship” (The Acts of the Apostles, 183).
34. Donald G. Bloesch notes in reference to several scriptural passages, including Colossians 4:2 and 4:12, that “Christian prayer is characterized not only by striving but by persistent striving” (TheStruggle of Prayer [Colorado Springs: Helmers and Howard, 1988], 78).
35. In this passage the cognate noun προσκαρτέρησις, which occurs only here in the New Testament, has the same sense as the verb προσκαρτερέω. The New American Standard Bible reads, “Be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
36. Bauer, Arndt, and Gingrich suggest that γρηγορέω has three meanings in the New Testament: (1) to stay awake, be watchful, (2) to be in constant readiness, be on the alert, and (3) to remain fully alive, be alive (Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich AGreek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3d ed., rev. Frederick W. Danker [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000], 208). Cf. J. M. Nützel, “γρηγορέω,” in Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 1:264–65; and J. P. Louw and E. A. Nida, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1988–1989), §§ 23.72; 23.97; 27.56.
37. Lightfoot, Colossians and Philemon, 231 (italics his). He noted that this call to wakefulness was metaphorical, not literal.
38. Chrysostom, Homilies on Colossians 10 (on 4:2).
39. Patzia, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, 96.
40. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 234. “The prayer they are to persist in is for the coming of God’s kingdom” (ibid., 238), and “The Colossians are to persist in petitionary prayer. Particularly is the cry Maranatha (‘Our Lord, come’) to be on their lips and in their hearts as they look forward in anticipation to Christ’s glorious manifestation” (ibid., 241).
41. Dunn, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 262.
42. In Paul’s farewell admonition to the Ephesian elders at Miletus (on the Aegean coast about thirty miles south of Ephesus) in Acts 20:28–31, he admonished the elders to “be on guard” (γρηγορεῖτε) in the light of anticipated dangers from outside the church as well as dangers that were to arise from within.
43. Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 827; and A. C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 1336. J. M. Nützel categorizes both Colossians 4:2 and 1 Corinthians 16:13 under the broad description of “passages without a direct eschatological reference” (“γρηγορέω,” in Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 1:265).
44. Fee, First Epistle to the Corinthians, 827–28, nn. 11–12; and Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 1336.
45. Bruce, Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 172.
46. See Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Philippians 1:3; Colossians 1:3; Ephesians 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:2 (also 2:13); 2 Thessalonians 1:3 (also 2:13; cf. Philem. 4; Rom. 6:17), along with the bibliography in note 7 above. The exception is Galatians. Richard N. Longenecker suggested that the omission of thanksgiving in Galatians “reflects Paul’s agitation and indignation over the situation faced” (Galatians, Word Biblical Commentary [Dallas: Word, 1990], 13).
47. For a useful overview on the importance of thanksgiving in Pauline theology see Peter T. O’Brien, “Thanksgiving within the Structure of Pauline Theology,” in Pauline Studies: Essays Presented to F. F. Bruceon His 70th Birthday, ed. Donald A. Hagner and Murray J. Harris Jr. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), 50–66.
48. Here εὐχαριστοῦντες functions as a circumstantial (adverbial) participle of means.
49. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 213.
50. Paul gave the similar injunction “pray for us” in 1 Thessalonians 5:25 and 2 Thessalonians 3:1. It is also recorded in Hebrews 13:18. In 2 Thessalonians 3:1 Paul wrote, “Pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you.”
51. Louw and Nida state that this idiom of opening a door means to “make possible some opportunity” (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, § 71.9).
52. P.-G. Müller, “ἀνοίγω,” in Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 1:105. The idiom also appears in Acts 14:27 in reference to the opening of “a door of faith to the Gentiles.”
53. The literature on this subject is vast. Useful articles and monographs include C. F. D. Moule, “Mystery,” in Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, ed. George A. Buttrick (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962), 3:479–81; G. Bornkamm, “Μυστήριον, μυέω,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 4 (1967), 802–28; Raymond E. Brown, The Semitic Background of the Term “Mystery” in the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1968); Chrys C. Caragounis, The Ephesian Mysterion: Meaning and Content (Lund: Gleerup, 1977); A. E. Harvey, “The Use of Mystery Language in the Bible,” Journal of Theological Studies 31 (1980): 320-26; Markus N. A. Bockmuehl, Revelation and Mystery (Tübingen: Mohr, 1990); H. Krämer, “μυστήριον,” in Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 2:446–49; and Peter T. O’Brien, “Mystery,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 621–23.
54. Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism, 271. Paul also referred in Colossians 2:2 to “the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself” (NRSV). On this latter passage see Murray J. Harris, Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992), 263–65.
55. “Non-Jews are included along with Jews on an equal footing as members of Christ’s body, and it was Paul’s great joy, as well as his divinely imposed obligation, to be the agent of making known ‘the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles’ “ (O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 86 [italics his]).
56. In Galatians 3:8 Paul focused on these passages in Genesis. “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you’” (NIV). This Abrahamic promise was later applied to the Davidic dynasty as well (Ps. 72:17).
57. Bruce, Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 85 (italics his).
58. O’Brien, Ephesians, 232 (italics his); cf. idem, Colossians, Philemon, 86–87.
59. Darrell L. Bock, “Current Messianic Activity and OT Davidic Promise: Dispensationalism, Hermeneutics, and NT Fulfillment,” Trinity Journal 15 (1994): 81 (italics his). A. T. Lincoln noted that the word “as” (ὡς) in Ephesians 3:5 “does not indicate a relative difference or difference of degree; it marks the occurrence of something completely new” (Ephesians, Word Biblical Commentary [Dallas: Word, 1990], 177). Along similar lines Harold W. Hoehner provides five reasons why ὡς in Ephesians 3:5 should be understood as descriptive (a comparison of kind), not restrictive (a comparison of degree), “which means that no revelation of this mystery was given in the Old Testament but that this simply was revealed for the first time in the New Testament” (“Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck [Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1983], 629). He points out that the mystery was hidden in the past (Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:26) but “has now been manifested” (Col. 1:26). And he notes that the word “revealed” means to uncover or unveil something that has been completely covered or hidden. “Therefore it would be wrong to say the mystery was partially uncovered in the Old Testament” (ibid., italics his).
60. Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism, 274. Similarly, O’Brien writes, “To search for other sources of knowledge apart from him is a useless enterprise.. .. Here Paul is encouraging the readers to look to Christ as the only ‘place’ where the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are to be found” (Colossians, Philemon, 95).
61. Rudolf Bultmann and Dieter Lührmann point out that φανερόω is used synonymously with ἀποκαλύπτω (“to reveal”) (“φανερόω,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 9 [1974], 4–5).
62. Paul also used φανερόω twice in Colossians 3:4 in referring to the future manifestation of Christ at His coming and its glorious implications for believers: “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed [φανερωθῇ], then you also will be revealed [φα-νερωθήσεσθε] with Him in glory.”
63. Dunn, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 264. He further suggests, “This sense here is reinforced by δεῖ, indicating a predestined destiny and unavoidable compulsion” (ibid.). On the use of δεῖ here see further O’Brien, Colossians and Philemon, 240.
64. Heinrich Schlier provides a general overview of the uses of the noun παρρησία (“boldness”) and the verb παρρησιάζομαι (“to speak boldly”) in “παρρησία” and “παρρησιάζομαι,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 5 (1967), 871–86, though he attempts to press too much of the Pauline data into the semantic category of “openness.”
65. The verb παρρησιάζομαι is used nine times in the New Testament, principally in Acts 9:27–28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26. Paul used it only in Ephesians 6:20 and 1 Thessalonians 2:2. Gene R. Smillie has a full discussion of Ephesians 6:19–20 (“Ephesians 6:19–20: A Mystery for the Sake of Which the Apostle Is an Ambassador in Chains,” Trinity Journal 18 [1997]: 199-222), though his conclusions with regard to the meaning of παρρησία and παρρησιάζομαι (esp. 214–15) seem to be overly dependent on the meaning of φανερόω in Colossians 4:4.
66. Bruce wrote, “His commission to make known among the Gentiles the Lord who had been revealed to him on the Damascus road remained unfinished so long as his earthly life lasted; and his present restrictions, far from hindering the prosecution of this commission, gave him unforeseen opportunities of discharging it” (Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 173).
67. On the broad theme of Paul and mission see Peter T. O’Brien, Gospel and Mission in the Writings of Paul: An Exegetical and Theological Analysis (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995); and Andreas Köstenberger and Peter T. O’Brien, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001), esp. 161–201.
68. Hunter, “Prayer,” 725.