Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Colossians 1:23

"if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister." — Colossians 1:23 (ASV)

Those who emphasize the future aspects of v.22 explain v.23 as a warning against indolence and complacency. The Colossians will be thus presented to God only “if [they] continue in [their] faith, established and firm,” and so forth. Those who emphasize v.22 as a statement of the believer’s present condition contend that the words of v.23 are proof of a past (and continuing) experience, not a condition of what is future. Paul is simply stating the absolute accomplishment of salvation in the past sufferings of Christ. It is significant for both interpretations that the condition is stated in such a way as to express the apostle’s confidence in his readers.

“Faith” (GK 4411) here, as is usual in the NT, means one’s personal faith, i.e., one’s reliance on Christ. The words that follow “faith” explain what is involved in continuing in one’s faith. “Established” suggests being founded securely, as on a rock. “Firm” depicts a steady and firm resolve. The “hope held out in the gospel” is in its fullest sense the expectation of ultimate, complete salvation that will belong to believers upon the return of their Lord. There may be an implicit contrast between the certainty of the Gospel and the delusive promises offered by the Colossian errorists.

In the closing words of v.23 Paul makes three statements to stress the importance of remaining true to the apostolic Gospel. (1) It is the message “that you heard.” The reference is to the Gospel that had been initially preached to them by Epaphras (cf. 1:7) and was the instrument of their conversion. (2) It has been “proclaimed to every creature under heaven.” The universality of the Gospel in all places of the Roman empire is a mark of its authenticity. Obviously there is an element of hyperbole in this statement. (3) Paul closes with the affirmation that he himself had “become a servant” of the Gospel. He does not designate himself in this fashion for the purpose of magnifying his office, but to impress on the Colossians that the Gospel heard by them from Epaphras and proclaimed in all the world was the same Gospel he had been preaching.