COLOSSIANS+—An Illustrated Summary of Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible by G. Campbell Morgan

"On every page of the God-breathed writings are many thoughts that stretch out like long, clear arms of light across the darkness, discovering things otherwise hidden and illuminating wider areas than those of the immediate context. They are searchlights. I have selected one in each chapter of Scripture, for at least one central thought in every chapter should arrest the mind and affect the life," wrote G. Campbell Morgan, a skilled, wise, warm-hearted Bible teacher who conducted a classic 3-year study called Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible. Here is the fruit of that research—summarized, illustrated, and amplified with useful details—on all 66 books of the Bible.

GENESIS, EXODUS, LEVITICUS, NUMBERS, 

DEUTERONOMY, JOSHUA, JUDGES, RUTH, 

1 SAMUEL, 2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS,  2 KINGS, 

1 CHRONICLES, 2 CHRONICLES, EZRA, 

NEHEMIAH, ESTHER, JOB, PSALMS, 

PROVERBS, ECCLESIASTES, 

SONG OF SOLOMON,  ISAIAH, JEREMIAH,

 LAMENTATIONS, EZEKIEL, DANIEL, 

HOSEA, JOEL, AMOS, OBADIAH, JONAH, 

MICAH, NAHUM, HABAKKUK, ZEPHANIAH,  

HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH, MALACHI,

 MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN, 

ACTS, ROMANS, 1 CORINTHIANS,

2 CORINTHIANS, GALATIANS, EPHESIANS, 

PHILIPPIANS, COLOSSIANS, 1 THESSALONIANS,

2 THESSALONIANS, 1 TIMOTHY,  2 TIMOTHY, TITUS,

PHILEMON, HEBREWS, JAMES, 1 PETER, 2 PETER,

1 JOHN, 2 JOHN, 3 JOHN, JUDE, REVELATION

Colossians 1:11 "Strengthened with ... the might of His glory." Colossians is an exceptionally Christ-centered letter. All the New Testament letters are, but this one stands out because of the false teaching about Christ Paul so powerfully addresses here, especially that He is God in human flesh, not a created being: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation [not the first created, but the Preeminent One, the Creator]. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible ... all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the Body, the Church ... the firstborn from the dead.... It was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness [of Deity] to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross." His resurrection power figures into one Paul's most moving prayers, which is in this chapter: "We have not stopped praying for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to the might of His glory, for all endurance and patience with joy." Human glory fades, but God's glory never does. His power is immeasurably great "toward us who believe," as Paul prays in Ephesians 1, for it is the same power "He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead!" Colossians 1 appropriately ends like this: "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.  For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me."

Colossians 2:2-3 "To reach ... the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." The last word has never yet been spoken about Christ. There is no greater subject, but the subject is never exhausted and never becomes out of date. Nevertheless, through all the intellectual processes, the Lord Jesus finds the heart of man and gives Himself to it so that in Him both heart and mind find rest, joy, and satisfaction. Those who know and love Christ live in daily friendship with Him. They are closer to Him than with their dearest earthly friends, for they tell Him all their griefs and joys, their doubts and hopes, their successes and failures. Christ is indeed the mystery of God, profound in the wonder of His being, yet so real that a young child can speak of Him with familiarity. Paul says next, "I say this that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.... See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition ... and not according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete."

Colossians 3:5 Consider yourselves dead to "immorality ... evil desire, and greed or covetousness, which is idolatry." Paul warns fellow believers against a dark list of evil things that culminates with a strong phrase in the Greek text literally translated as the greed or the covetousness. which he stops to define as idolatry. That surprises many modern readers, who assume sexual sins are so much worse, but the apostle Paul is telling us it is a most deadly form of sin. That should not surprise us since "You shall not covet" is the Tenth Commandment. Paul uses it as an example in Romans 7: "I would not have come to know what sin is except through God's Law, for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, taking opportunity through the Commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind." To avoid confusion, Paul clarifies that the Law itself "is holy, and the Commandment is holy, righteous, and good." The Law fulfilled its first function in Paul's life by making him painfully aware of the evil lurking within him and his need for cleansing from the Lawgiver, whose Law reflects His holy nature. That is why Paul says in this chapter, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.... Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.... Put on then—as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved—compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and ... forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

Colossians 4:18 "Remember my chains." Paul wrote this entire letter while in prison. Surely during the writing it must have seemed as if the dungeon flamed with light from the inspired contents that set one's mind on things above! Paul's practice was to dictate to a secretary who did the actual writing. In this chapter Paul mentions several people who were with him so they, along with Paul's Roman guards, probably heard the contents of this letter before the Colossian church received and read it themselves. He includes this note just for them: "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. I bear him witness that he has worked hard." Perhaps he was Paul's secretary. When it was time at the end of the letter for Paul to add his customary signature, "I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand," he added, "Remember my chains." Maybe he felt the weight of the chains tugging on him and craved sympathetic prayers. How close that human touch brings him and his powerful teaching to us all! Paul's final instructions are as vital today as when first written: "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the Word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

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