Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Colossians 1:10

"to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;" — Colossians 1:10 (ASV)

Paul’s second petition, built on and growing out of the request for knowledge of the divine will, is that the Colossians might “live a life worthy of the Lord”; living a worthy life is thus represented as a result of knowing God’s desire for one’s life. This suggests that knowledge of God’s will is not imparted as an end in itself; it is given with a practical intent—so that one’s conduct may be godly.

“Live a life” translates a single word (lit., “walk”; GK 4344), one that is often used in Scripture to depict life in its outward expression (cf. 2:6; 3:7; 4:4; et al.). To live a life “worthy of the Lord” probably means to live a life that is commensurate with what the Lord has done for us. It may also suggest acting in conformity with our union with Christ and with his purpose for our lives. The ultimate aim of all this is to “please him [God] in every way.” To “please” (GK 742) suggests an attitude of mind that anticipates every wish. Believers want to do anything to meet the wishes of God; that is the surest path to our own highest development and gain.

Verses 10b–14 underline some of the constituent parts of the kind of life that is pleasing to the Lord. The leading ideas are expressed by four participles: “bearing fruit” (v.10b), “growing” (v.10c), “being strengthened” (v.11a), and “giving thanks” (v.12). (l) “Bearing fruit” (GK 2844; cf. v.6) means that the Christian life is to exhibit continual fruitfulness (cf. Galatians 5:22–23). The fruit itself consists in “every good work”—Paul lays great stress on good works in his letters (cf. Ephesians 2:10; Galatians 5:5; Titus 1:16; 2:7, 14; 3:8, 15; et al.). In his discussion on good works, he represents them as the fruit, not the root, of a right relationship with God.

(2) The Christian should also experience continual personal spiritual enlargement, an idea expressed in the words “growing [GK 889] in the knowledge of God.” The preposition in suggests that the knowledge of God is the sphere or realm in which spiritual growth takes place. It is possible, however, to translate the phrase as “growing by the knowledge of God.” When rendered like this, the text affirms that the knowledge of God is the means by which the Christian grows. What rain and sunshine are to the nurture of plants, the knowledge of God is to the growth and maturing of the spiritual life.