Conclusion of the Book of Colossians

By: Scott Morton

Colossians 4:7-18

All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord: [8] Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; [9] With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here. [10] Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;) [11] And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. [12] Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. [13] For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. [14] Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. [15] Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house. [16] And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. [17] And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it. [18] The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Written from Rome to Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.

We have finally reached the end of this epistle and we see how the Apostle Paul closes out this epistle. He is going to be speaking of some individuals who have been a big part of the ministry, especially with the individuals in this assembly. It is a common way for Paul to conclude the epistles and there is a clear reason for him to do this:

Philippians 3:17 -21

Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. [18] (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: [19] Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) [20] For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: [21] Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

We are to have a pattern for how we are living our life according to the doctrine given to us. This is why we need to identify those who are doing so and mark them (identify them) so we have this ensample for us to follow. Without having these practical patterns, we would be attempting to figure this out, putting our own spin on things, and creating problems for ourselves. It is intended by God for us to do good works (Ephesians 2:10), so we need to be able to see individuals who are doing them and be able to follow these things. This is why the Apostle Paul is using these individuals in this manner.

We will cover some of these individuals in detail to see what the Bible says about them. The reason we only be covering some of them is the Bible talks about some in detail and others are only mentioned here or little details are given to us. The first one we are going to look at is Tychicus, who is described as being a beloved brother. We see him described in a similar manner in the epistle to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 6:21

But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:

Tychicus is part of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10) because he had believed the gospel message (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) at some point in time. He was part of the group on individuals who went with Paul around to the various places and remained faithful to the message given for this dispensation.

We see the issue in both Colossians and Ephesians of how Tychicus was ministering. While we tend to just think about this from the noun form of this word, meaning the role an individual is taking on, we see this being used as a verb here. Tychicus was doing things to take care of the needs that they had.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; [4] Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. [5] For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. [6] And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. [7] And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

One of the needs individuals has is the need for comfort. There are a lot of things which are in this world that are opposed to the things that we are instructed to do. There are also things which happen just because of society as whole, problems that come up because we are getting older, and things which happen because we live in a sin-cursed world and the creation is groaning. As individuals go about their daily lives they need the comfort which comes from God. Some of this can be gained from reading and studying the Word of God. Some of it comes from being around other members of the Body of Christ and being encouraged by them. This is part of the reason why we should be trying to fellowship with other members of the Body.

We can see the Apostle Paul was getting this from Tychicus because of the following statement Paul makes in his last epistle:

2 Timothy 4:12

And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.

Paul sends Tychicus to Ephesus in order to provide some comfort for them as they are probably dealing with some major problems there. He already had said that all in Asia had turned away from him (2 Timothy 1:15) and this is where Ephesus was. Paul would have sent him there in order to see if there was still some sort of a remnant there based on how faithful they had been and how this would have been a major comfort to them to have someone close to Paul come and help them out.

The next individual we have mentioned is Onesimus, a central figure in the book of Philemon. This gives us the place where this book would have been. We see the terms which are used to describe him, a faithful and beloved brother. The first thing being pointed out is how faithful he is. This goes along with the problems Paul was seeing of where individuals were not remaining faithful to the doctrine given to us today. In fact, the Apostle Paul speaks about what is going to happen as we approach the end of this dispensation:

1 Timothy 4:1-3

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; [2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; [3] Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

We see the statement is about how individuals are going to depart from the faith. The reason for the departure is they are giving heed to the things opposed to the truth of God's Word and will start following the lies being told. This is something the Apostle Paul saw going on his day, we see going on today, and will get worse as we approach the latter times of the dispensation. We could list a number of things we see today of where the departure is happening, but it is not the purpose of this article to do so. The issue is we see this happening and we know there is only one faith (Ephesians 4:4-6) which is in place today.

It is interesting to see Onesimus, who was a servant, being held up in this manner. Today we don't hold up the "little people" and the tendency of society is to look at the celebrity figures. This is done through advertisements on products to buy, endorsements of political candidates, and other things to try to influence society. Paul is holding up a servant as an example of someone who is remaining faithful to the truth of the Word of God rightly divided, showing this is truly for everyone and is the responsibility we are to have. This is why we keep seeing him attempting to encourage individuals to remain this way:

2 Timothy 1:13-14

Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. [14] That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

Onesimus was a demonstration of someone who was faithful and this is how we should be looked at as well. We need to remain true to the information that was given to us by the Apostle Paul, found in Romans through Philemon. There will be many pressures to get individuals to go away from the truth of what the Word of God says for us today. We need to be responsible for our beliefs and make sure we are standing true to what is said for this dispensation.

The next person Paul is mentioning here is Aristarchus, who Paul calls his fellow prisoner. This means Aristarchus was sitting with Paul in a prison cell. We see the reason why Paul was sitting in prison:

Philippians 1:15-17

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: [16] The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: [17] But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

By the statement made here to the assembly in Philippi, Paul is stating he is in prison because of his teachings of the Word of God. There were those who were attempting to add to his punishment by going out and teaching this, not actually believing it as truth. There were others who were making the faithful stand with Paul and were teaching this because it was the truth. This is where Paul would have us to be and how Aristarchus should be viewed. The reason Paul would be holding him up would be the faithfulness he was demonstrating, just like the others here at the end of this epistle.

We do see Paul makes a statement about who he truly is a prisoner of:

Ephesians 3:1-7

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, [2] If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: [3] How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, [4] Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) [5] Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; [6] That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: [7] Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Paul states to the assembly at Ephesus that he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ. He does not speak of being a prisoner of Rome or anyone else, even though he is sitting in a prison cell. The reason for this statement is he is identifying who truly has control over his life. While there might be a control over his physical circumstances (which he identifies over and over in his epistles as being temporary), he knows it is the Lord Jesus Christ who truly has control over the things which are important, the heavenly things which will last for eternity. This is why when he speaks of Aristarchus as being a fellow prisoner, he speaks of him being in this same position, working together to spread the message of the gospel of the grace of God which was committed to the Apostle Paul.

As Paul continues on with the list of people he is speaking of, he mentions three individuals who were part of the circumcision. This might seem to be a problem, as Paul draws the distinction between the two programs (Galatians 2:7-9) and many would speak of how the two programs could not work together. The problem with this statement is looking at the beginning of this dispensation, when there were still the individuals who were part of Israel's program (circumcision) and the start of the Body of Christ. These are going to be the individuals Paul would be working with, especially since Paul was the first member of the Body of Christ. Barnabas was part of the circumcision and was going around ministering with Paul at the beginning. Paul makes a statement about some of these individuals:

Romans 16:7

Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

The only way Andronicus and Junia could have been in Christ before Paul was for them to be part of Israel's program and for them to have chosen to minister with him, being guided by the Spirit to do so. This is why Paul makes mention of only certain individuals and here in Colossians states these only, as there would have been few doing so. The rest of them would have been continuing in their program, ministering as God had instructed them, knowing that the kingdom program was being set aside.

Paul also states these individuals were a comfort to him. Even though they were not part of the Body of Christ, they were following the program of God which was laid out for them and could minister with him and be a comfort. This is not something we could say today, as there is only one faith which is going on (Ephesians 4:4-6) and individuals should be following what is laid out in this dispensation.

We can see how individuals are actually a comfort when we look at a situation from the Apostle Paul's ministry:

2 Corinthians 2:12-13

Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, [13] I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

2 Corinthians 7:5-7

For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. [6] Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; [7] And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.

We see from the beginning of the epistle the emotional state of the Apostle Paul. He speaks about how there was no rest in his spirit. He was having emotional problems due to the fact he did not have Titus there with him, who was a fellow laborer with Paul and was a big support to him in the ministry. As Paul was going on and was encountering the problems he faced (which he speaks about in this epistle), he did not have the support needed and this was causing problems.

It is later in this epistle we see the joy come through what Paul is writing, as Titus is now there with him. The comfort which Titus was able to provide for him is evident and now Paul is able to function in the manner which is needed. This shows how important it is to be with the members of the Body of Christ and should be something which we all try to have in our lives.

Paul then mentions Epaphras, who he states is one of them. He is now bringing up someone from this assembly who they would know. This helps to make it more personal in nature and would allow for them to see how the ministry should be working in their lives and allow for them to hear from someone they cared about. Paul speaks about how Epaphras was saluting them, meaning he was calling out to them. He was demonstrating a care for them.

The next part is the fervent prayers for them that they would remain in the will of God. This was looking at their faithfulness and how they needed to be studying the Word of God in order to understand what the will of God is for them (1 Corinthians 2:6). As part of this study, they would be able to understand texts such as these:

Philippians 3:14-16

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. [15] Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. [16] Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

1 Timothy 2:3-7

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; [4] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; [6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. [7] Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

The passage in Philippians shows how there is a mark that members of the Body of Christ should be striving for. We are able to understand what this is when we are able to grasp the doctrine which has been laid out for us. Paul lays out the information we are to understand and also speaks about the practical side of things, how this information should be playing out in our lives. This is how we fulfill the issue of being created unto good works (Ephesians 2:10). This mark reflects exactly what we should do and is a demonstration to the rest of the world on what God intends for us.

We see how Paul calls these things good and acceptable as he writes unto Timothy. The will of God is also shown here, of God wanting all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. The responsibility we have is to share the gospel with others so they can receive the salvation which is being offered and to be teaching the things of God's Word rightly divided so individuals can come unto the knowledge of the truth. This is the purpose we have. Too often individuals deviate from this and start coming up with their own versions of what they think would lead to someone being perfect. Paul sums up what needs to happen:

Galatians 2:20-21

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. [21] I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

We are to be allowing the Lord Jesus Christ to live in us and through us. This happens when we take the Word of God in and apply it to our lives. This is what he means by the this passage. The Lord Jesus Christ lives in us because of who we are as members of the Body of Christ. The life we live will be determined by the information we have taken in. The doctrine will come out of us if we have put in the effort to study and understand exactly what the Apostle Paul has written for us today.

As we go through the list of individuals who are mentioned here we see a phrase which is brought up that has caused a number of problems for individuals. We see Paul speak about a church in someone's house. This is mentioned several times through Paul's epistles:

Romans 16:5

Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

1 Corinthians 16:19

The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

Colossians 4:15

Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

Philemon 2

And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:

There are some who take the position, based on these verses, that the only proper way for the Body of Christ to be assembling today is in the house. They do not feel the Apostle Paul ever taught the issue of coming together somewhere else in order to be functioning together. While these verses do state there was a church in their house, there is no clear teaching of how it is that individuals should be assembling. We can see from the book of Acts that there were times when the whole city was coming together to hear the Apostle Paul preach. There is no house which would be big enough to contain the people of an entire city. We also see this statement from 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 11:20-22

When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. [21] For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. [22] What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

As Paul is teaching them some things related to the Lord's Supper, we see he is speaking about how they are coming together in one place. This would have to be somewhere which would be able to accommodate the entire assembly, which probably is not someone's house. We also know there is a difference when we read verse 22 and see Paul brings up the issue of they have houses to eat and drink in. by stating this right after he brings up them coming together in one place he is showing there is a difference here in this assembly.

The key thing for us in this dispensation is that we have the liberty to be able to assemble wherever it works best for the members of the assembly. There are going to be reasons in some areas why it is best for the assembly to be meeting in a house. There are also going to be reasons in other areas why the assembly is meeting in a building somewhere else. We have this liberty and the most important thing is we are getting together to function as the Body of Christ.

In verse 16 we see Paul states they should read the epistle from Laodicea. This leads some to feel there are lost books of the Bible and we need to be searching for them. This then leads to speculation on what this is and that we need to make sure we are finding it in order to have the information for this dispensation.

Paul made it clear he completed the Word of God (Colossians 1:25-27). The gift of prophecy was there for them prior to writing 2 Timothy so they would be able to identify which of the letters of Paul were actually the Word of God and others that were just correspondence he was having with them. When you read through the epistles we have to the assembly in Corinth it becomes clear that there are at least two other times he wrote to them (once before 1 Corinthians and once in between the epistles) and we do not have them preserved for us as the Word of God. We have the 13 epistles Paul wrote given to us and preserved for us to reflect the doctrine which is given to the Body of Christ today. There are no lost books of the Bible, or other things which we need to find to be adding to the information which has been given to us.

The key is they are to be reading things to understand what is going on:

1 Thessalonians 5:27

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

Paul closes the first epistle to the assembly in Thessalonica stating they need to make sure all the brethren are reading this epistle. This was a charge being given to them, showing the importance of this. Paul wanted all of the members of the Body of Christ to read this, so they would understand the issues of our hope, which is one of the major doctrines laid out in this epistle. The only way the Word is going to work in the life of an individual (1 Thessalonians 2:13) is if they are taking this in. This is why Paul demonstrates the importance of them making sure this is being read by all.

1 Timothy 4:13

Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

There is a similar instruction being given to Timothy as Paul writes to him. He reminds him to be giving attendance to reading. This would not have been an instruction for him to just be reading anything. Paul wanted to make sure he was giving attendance to the reading of the Word of God. This is especially important as individuals in the world place less importance on the things of God and many denominations getting farther away from the teaching of the Word or even the reading of the Word during their services. If the Word is not the focus, it cannot have the intended impact on the life of a believer.

The last individual we are going to focus on here is Archippus. We see Paul state he apparently has been given a specific ministry and Paul is wanting to make sure he is going to fulfill what has been given to him. We see Paul speak about how it was given to him to make all men see what is the fellowship of the ministry (Ephesians 3:8-9) and gives the instructions related to what the will of God is (1 Timothy 2:4) of all men being saved and coming to the knowledge of the truth. These two things do not happen without the Word being proclaimed. As the Apostle Paul is giving instructions on how the ministry is to be conducted we see the following:

1 Timothy 4:6

If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

A good minister of Jesus Christ is nourished up in the Word and doctrine given to us. This is what has the impact on individuals and the only way to proclaim these things effectively is to know them in a manner where there is a good understanding and can be able to proclaim them. One of the most effective ways to learn is to be able to prepare to teach others. When you are preparing to teach someone, you have to be prepared for various questions which might come up. This means you are often going more in depth in your study than what you are planning to present and might even be looking into some of the smaller details you might necessarily be going to present.

Paul speaks about this issue of teaching as he writes to Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:2

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, [25] In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; [26] And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

These passages show how as Paul was writing his last epistle there was an importance on making sure this message was continuing to be taught. If this stops, there will be no furtherance of the gospel occurring, there will be no progress in leading individuals to salvation or coming to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), and individuals will not come to the fellowship of the mystery. This is why we see this conclusion:

2 Timothy 4:5

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

The encouragement was to make pull proof of his ministry. This is what someone who is identified as a minister is. Paul hold up the example of Archippus so they would be able to see how they were supposed to function. This is what we are to do, looking for others to see that pattern on how to live our lives.