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Read Introduction to Colossians

 

“if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

 

Paul concludes this verse with three statements about why we are to remain true to the gospel.

“which you heard”

The first statement is, “which you heard.” This phrase is the message initially preached to them by Epaphras. The Colossians personally experienced what the gospel could do in their lives. They should remain loyal to that message.

“which was preached to every creature under heaven”

The second statement says something about the universality of the gospel. The gospel excludes no one who does not exclude himself. The universality of the gospel indicates its authenticity. This statement is hyperbole, which probably means the entire Roman Empire (Rom. 1:8; 16:19). Because the gospel impacts people all over the Roman Empire, this shows its universal appeal.

“of which I, Paul, became a minister”

Paul holds his office as a minister highly (Rom. 11:13). He is a servant to the gospel. His apostleship is the third proof of the validity of the gospel.

Principle:

We remain true to the gospel because it is real.

Application:

We become a Christian by the preaching of the gospel, but we become established in our faith by the teaching of the Word of God. We cannot become strong in our faith if all we hear is the gospel. We need a solid foundation.

We preach the gospel to those without Christ; we teach the Bible to the saints. There is no end to that two-fold ministry. To neglect one for the other is to get out of balance. If we have one without the other, we have half a ministry.

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