The doctrinal basis of the Apostle Paul as presented in the First Epistle to Timothy…

The doctrinal knowledge that the apostle Paul attained about the Gospel of Jesus, the preaching of the cross, as he defined it, was extremely abundant and of much Revelation, most of it extracted from the writings of the Law and the prophets. However, if we take into account that Paul reached the same knowledge of those who walked for three and a half years with Jesus,[1] without being with Him, we can understand the merit of the doctrinal knowledge developed, and the value of studying it; the apostle Peter even commented on Paul’s epistles, some of which were difficult to understand.[2]

No other biblical writer obtained such a deposit of Revelation as Paul achieved, even though he did not have access to the historical information of Jesus’ teachings; his achievement, like Apollos,[3] and others in the same circumstance, consists not in having seen what Jesus did,[4] but in having identified Jesus in the Scriptures, which as he himself confessed to Timothy, made him wise unto Salvation by faith which is in Christ Jesus.[5]

The prolificness of Paul’s writings is due precisely to the fact that the public to whom he was sent had no knowledge of the historical facts related to the teachings of Jesus, so his epistolary work helped to make up for the lack of knowledge, and by the normative use he injected into his writings, to solidify the ministerial growth of the communities under his care.

The epistles of the apostle Paul to Timothy, which is our particular interest, have a unique value, because of the ministerial and paternal relationship that developed between the two. The epistles to Timothy, which could well have been more than the two we know, develop a doctrinal content with every word, for Paul wastes no time in leaving Timothy a ministerial inheritance. Thus, based on this characteristic form of teaching and formation, we have found it convenient to take only the First Epistle, to illustrate how the contemporary reader of the Word should study the writings of the apostle Paul.

The form of presentation is the usual one, as we did in the previous study on the First Epistle, first we enunciate the headline of the doctrinal basis, according to the order in which they appear in the reading, followed by the verse where it is located, and finally, we explain what the doctrinal concept consists of within the Gospel that Paul is enunciating in his epistle.

Again, I do not intend to exhaust the subject, that is not the purpose; rather I intend to establish a teaching basis for further study on the subject in the future. I pray that the study of these doctrinal bases will lead us to strive to walk in the Revelation of the mystery of the Gospel.[6]

Doctrinal Basis number 1: The Law is not set for the Just: knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; (1:9-10)

With the term, the Law, Paul is referring to those who uphold the faith by the Mosaic Law, that is, to the side of the Pharisees who had converted to the Gospel of Jesus.[7] In verse 3 he explains that it is about those who teach different doctrine, and the only ones who did that, according to other references, were those who followed circumcision as a complementary form to the Gospel.[8] Verse 7 completes the idea.

Paul does not discard the Law, nor does he abrogate it, for he declares that the Law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good;[9] he simply states that the Law has no jurisdiction over one who is justified by the faith of Jesus,[10] for, as he explains in his epistle to the Romans, the righteousness that is by the Law demands that the person submit to all its rites;[11] whereas the man who lives by faith in Jesus, on the other hand, is justified by his faith,

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:17

⁸But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; ⁹that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:8-9

Doctrinal basis number 2: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1:15)

This is the fundamental message of the Gospel of Jesus,[12] it is the message that in Adam all have sinned,[13] that man needs to repent to receive God’s forgiveness,[14] and that it is necessary to believe in Jesus, God in flesh, to receive Grace.[15]

¹⁵that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:15-16

It is the doctrinal message that establishes that man is justified by his faith in Jesus, through his resurrection, and sanctified by the operation of the Holy Spirit in Him.

who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Romans 4:25

And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Romans 5:16

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1^st. Corinthians 1:30

Doctrinal basis number 3: God is King, He is Eternal, He is immortal, He is invisible, He is One, He is Wise: Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.(1:17)

In a single verse Paul poured the Virtues and Attributes of God most proclaimed in the Scriptures;

God is King of the times,

¹¹Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. ¹²I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.
Isaiah 45:11-12

God is immortal, Paul mentions it again in chapter 6 of the same epistle,

who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
1^st. Timothy 6:16

God is invisible,

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Romans 1:20

¹⁵who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians 1:15-16

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Hebrews 11:27

God is One,

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
Deuteronomy 6:4

God is Wise,

to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
Romans 16:27

Doctrinal Basis number 4: God wants all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the Truth: who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (2:4)

This is the pure message of the Gospel, it is the proclamation of the preaching of the cross; this doctrinal basis expresses the Will of God with respect to the Salvation of all mankind; in the book of Acts of the Apostles it is recorded that this Will is executed only through Jesus,

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:
Acts 17:30

But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
John 5:34

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
Acts 15:11

Doctrinal Basis number 5: There is only one God: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (2:5)

With this doctrinal basis Paul intends not only to emphasize the Shema of the Law, but more, and above all, to highlight the value of the Sovereignty of God over all Creation, that is, there is no ‘other’ god under heaven that compares to the Father; his purpose is to undermine the belief in and worship of the idolatrous gods of the world’s religions.

⁴Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: ⁵and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5

And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,…
Deuteronomy 11:13-21

Doctrinal Basis number 6: There is only one mediator between God and men: Jesus Christ, the man: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (2:5)

In the same verse Paul describes two doctrinal bases that are the foundation of the Gospel; the purpose of this second doctrinal base of verse 5 is to disprove the belief of other doctrines that granted the power of mediation to angels, to the priestesses of Diana, and to the existence of the gods of the Greek mythological pantheon.

¹²And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. ¹⁴Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, ¹⁵and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
Acts 14:12-15

Doctrinal Basis number 7: Christ Jesus gave Himself in propitiation for all: who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (2:6)

This doctrinal basis has the purpose of establishing that the part of the sacrifices and offerings for sin and guilt, stipulated by the law of works in the Mosaic Law, no longer applies to one who has been justified by the Grace of Jesus. Paul takes up with this doctrinal basis the proclamation of John the Baptist about Jesus, that He is the lamb that takes away the sin of the world.

and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.
Ephesians 5:2

In the epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus is presented as High Priest and as sacrifice; as High Priest, because He entered the Holy of Holies in the Temple, only once, to present ‘propitiation’ for sin;[16]

who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Hebrews 7:27

As a sacrifice, because He offered Himself establishing a new covenant by His blood.

Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
Luke 22:20

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
1^st. Corinthians 11:25

⁵Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:… ⁸ Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;… ¹¹ And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: ¹²but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Hebrews 10:5-12

The establishment of this doctrinal basis, however, has also an additional emphasis, as far as spiritual warfare is concerned, to show that Satan has no jurisdiction over the one who has been washed with the blood of Jesus Christ, as the apostle himself emphasizes in other of his epistles,

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Hebrews 2:14

who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Colossians 1:13

Paul further emphasizes that the law of sin and death to which we had been delivered because of Adam’s disobedience, no longer has jurisdiction over those who have been justified by the grace of Jesus,

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Romans 8:12

This doctrinal basis is presented in other apostolic writings as the cornerstone that was discarded by the builders. This doctrinal basis was established within the church as the foundation of the doctrine of Gospel Salvation.

The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
Psalm 118:22 (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10)

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12

Doctrinal Basis number 8: The church is the House of the living God, it is the pillar and ground of the Truth: but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (3:15)

For those who are accustomed to seeing the church as a building, or a locale, it will surely be a little difficult for them to understand how a church as we know it can be the House of the Living God.

This doctrinal basis does not refer to, nor identify, an institution and/or locale as the Lord’s church, in principle, because when this epistle was written, the communities of faith did not construct buildings to convert them into ‘churches’, in the modern way, the texts show us that in the beginning of the Gospel, in Jerusalem, they met in the Temple and by the houses,

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
Acts 5:42

And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
Acts 12:12

In the Gentile communities, meetings were held in the homes of those who had been found faithful to gather the saints in the faith,

⁵ Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epænetus, who is the first fruits of Achaia unto Christ.… ¹¹ Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord.
Romans 16:5-11

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)
1^st. Corinthians 16:15

The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
1^st. Corinthians 16:19

Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.
Colossians 4:15

and to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house:
Philemon 2

Therefore, when the apostle identifies the church as the House of the Living God, he is referring above all to the community of faith in this or that region.

unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1^st. Corinthians 1:2

The apostle identifies the church as the Body of Christ,

and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Ephesians 1:22

so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Romans 12:5

Thus, the church which the apostle calls the House of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth, is every community of faith gathered and called together by the Spirit, to establish by its witness Grace, Mercy and Liberty of the Eternal God, in that sense it is ‘pillar and ground of the Truth’.

Doctrinal Basis number 9: What does the mystery of the godliness consist of: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (3:16)

Paul uses the term ‘mystery’ on several occasions in his writings, the purpose being to emphasize that the knowledge which he classifies as such belongs to a knowledge revealed by God.

The mystery of godliness consists in the operation in the Spirit of forgiving the sin of disobedience in which Adam incurred, for whose sake death entered into the world, and passed upon all men; the mystery of godliness is the Revelation of God to man to reconcile through faith in Jesus the man and woman who believes in Him, according to the faith of Abraham,

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Romans 16:25

having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Ephesians 1:9

³ how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,… 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;… ⁹ and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Ephesians 3:3-9

even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Colossians 1:26

The mystery of godliness is the operation of the Spirit to bring Salvation from sin and death; the mystery of godliness is presented to man as ‘processes’ of Revelation; Paul points out several stages:

God has been manifested in the flesh;

Jesus is God, and is manifested in flesh to reconcile by Him all those who choose to accept God’s action; the reason why He was manifested in flesh, like all men, to overcome Satan under the same conditions of Adam when he was deceived by the serpent; Paul presents it as the testimony to the man of faith, that disobedience brings death, while obedience, life, health and blessing.

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Hebrews 2:14

The purpose in Paul of beginning to define the mystery of godliness from the phrase: ‘God has been manifested in the flesh’, is to establish the Gospel doctrine that Jesus ‘came forth’ from the Father long before all things were created, note verse 17 of the following text:

¹⁵who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Colossians 1:15-17

God has been justified with the Spirit;

Jesus was justified with the Spirit of Truth not because He was God, but because He humbled Himself, became obedient unto death, and died the death of the cross.

⁹Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11

The apostle Paul taught concerning the justification of Jesus, that precisely because of His ‘obedience’ the many were justified along with Him,

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Romans 5:19

God has been seen of the angels;

Although Jesus is pre-existent to Creation, Jesus was not manifested to the angelic creation, among them Satan, at the moment when He left the Father; the Scriptures establish that the angelic creation saw His manifestation until the moment when the Father decided to fulfill the prophecies of His manifestation, in the fulfillment of the prophetic time; Satan never knew Jesus in the heavens before his rebellion, it was forbidden to him to know him; Satan knows Jesus until the moment when he manifests himself to Israel; that explains why Satan pursues Him as a child to kill Him without having a certainty of who He was, nor how He would manifest Himself, and why He approaches Him, in temptation, expressing: “if you are the son of God“.

but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Galatians 4:4

that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Ephesians 1:10

The Epistle to the Hebrews refers to the moment when God declares Himself to the angelic creation, precisely when the Spirit overshadows Mary;[17]

And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Hebrews 1:6 (Deuteronomy 32:43)

God has been preached to the Gentiles;

This is the most glorious part of the Gospel of the Kingdom, for Jesus was originally sent to the lineage of Abraham,

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
John 1:11

But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 15:24

However, it was prophesied that the Gentiles would also receive the good news of the Great Joy of Grace and be saved by Jesus, just like the Jews,

⁹and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. (reference to 2 Samuel 22:50 and Psalm 18:49) ¹⁰And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. (reference to Deuteronomy 32:43) ¹¹And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. (reference to Psalm 117:11) ¹²And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. (reference to Isaiah 11:10)
Romans 15:9-12

God has been believed in the world;

Jesus has been preached in all nations, and whole nations have believed in Him,

when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
2^nd. Thessalonians 1:10

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Revelation 5:9

God has been received in glory.

Jesus has ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father,

Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Matthew 26:64

And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Mark 14:62

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:1

but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Hebrews 10:12

Doctrinal basis number 10: All animal food is good if taken with thanksgiving: For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (4:4-5)

Although the apostle speaks of ‘every’ creature, his classification is made from the animals considered in the Mosaic law as ‘fit’ to eat;[18] under no circumstances should this instruction of the apostle be seen as an action to repeal the Law of God given in the first Covenant, integrating the unclean animals as fit to eat; the apostle does not defy in this way what is established by God, risking to contravene the basics of God’s wisdom. The apostle’s instruction is rather to correct the knowledge introduced by those who conduct themselves under a weak measure of faith,[19] the apostle deals here with the same subject that he presented in his epistle to the community of faith in Rome regarding the animals sacrificed to idols, meat that later the merchants distribute in the butcher’s shops.

²⁰For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. … ²³And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Romans 14:20-23

Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
1^st. Corinthians 10:25

The apostle’s instruction is given to Timothy for the purpose of correcting those who have introduced into the community teaching based on the Law, and developing a conscience based on defilement about what is sacrificed to idols. The apostle explains to Timothy that a clear conscience is the result of operating under the faith of Jesus.

holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
1^st. Timothy 3:9

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Titus 1:15

Doctrinal Basis number 11: The Living God is Savior of all men: For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. (4:10)

The apostle has already presented this doctrinal basis, in chapter 2 he declared to Timothy that God wants all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. This doctrinal basis is basically the preaching of the cross, it is the pure message of the Gospel.

Nevertheless, the fact that the apostle expresses that for this cause, that is, for the knowledge that God wants all men to be saved, he is willing to go through labors and suffer reproaches, helps us to understand the value of God’s call to the ministry. The ministerial call is a spiritual designation given by God, of which the person has a testimony in his own spirit. Not everyone has a vocation to the ministry, for as the apostle himself describes it, the call to the ministry requires a commitment to endure labors and to be willing to suffer reproach.

The precise test of a legitimate call from God is weighed not in the abilities to preach, not even in the ability to trace the Word well, it is weighed in the willingness to go through labors and suffer reproaches, the apostle has established it almost in all his epistles,

in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;
2^nd. Corinthians 6:5

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
2^nd. Corinthians 11:23

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
2^nd. Timothy 1:8

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2^nd. Timothy 2:3

For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
Romans 15:3

partly, whilst ye were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
Hebrews 10:33

and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Hebrews 11:36

Doctrinal Basis number 12: God gives life to all things: I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; (6:13)

It is the doctrinal basis that expresses God’s character: God gives life to all things. In the book of Genesis, the story of the construction of the ark in which not only Noah and his household entered, but also both clean and unclean animals, shows us precisely that God does not take away life; God gives life, and preserves it,

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
Genesis 6:19

The Presence of Jesus on earth establishes the message that God does not want anyone to be lost, but His message declares that it is necessary for all to proceed to repentance,

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 10:10

Doctrinal Basis number 13: God is immortal; God dwells in inaccessible Light; no man has ever seen God: who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. (6:16)

This verse presents three doctrinal bases, with the purpose of making known the God that Jesus presents in His Gospel; however, the statements also tell us about the attributes of God; for example, that God is immortal does not necessarily mean that God cannot die, but rather, that God has no beginning and no end, as we read in the following texts,

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exodus 3:14

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 1:8

I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
Psalm 45:17

That God dwells in inaccessible light teaches us that God cannot be accessed by anyone, not even by the angels themselves. God’s inaccessibility is because of his holiness; the angelic beings who stand before his Presence are special beings,

Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
Deuteronomy 4:33

Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exodus 15:11

Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.
Jeremiah 7:4

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isaiah 6:3

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Revelation 4:8

And finally, no one has ever seen God nor will ever be able to see Him, and it is precisely as mentioned in the previous paragraph, because of His holiness; man would be undone by the brightness of His Holiness.

Well, we have concluded. The reader will see how much doctrinal basis the apostle communicates through his epistles, it is a wealth of Revelation that is available to all those who want to walk according to the Gospel of Jesus.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Authorized King James Version, 1909 (AKJV).

Pastor Pedro Montoya

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[1] Galatians 2:6: But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:

[2] 2^nd. Peter 3:15-16: ¹⁵And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; ¹⁶as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

[3] Acts 18:24: And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

[4] John 20:31: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

[5] 2^nd. Timothy 3:15

[6] Romans 16:25: Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Ephesians 6:19: and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

[7] Acts 15:5: But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

[8] Colossians 4:11: 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.

Titus 1:10: For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

Galatians 2:7: but contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

[9] Romans 7:12

[10] Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

[11] Romans 10:5: For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

[12] Mark 1:15: and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

[13] Romans 3:23: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

1^st. Corinthians 15:22: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

[14] Luke 5:32: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

[15] John 1:17: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

[16] Matthew 27:51: And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

[17] Luke 1:35: And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

[18] Leviticus 11:2-9: ²Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. … ⁹These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.

[19] Romans 14:1: Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

The faith as presented in the first epistle of the apostle Paul to Timothy…

Faith is the fundamental theme of the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, it was the central theme of the doctrine presented by Jesus in all His teachings; however, in spite of this, it is the theme about which less is taught today, and this is due in good measure because the contemporary Gospel has been based on philosophical and religious formulations, rather than on the proclamation of the preaching of the cross.

Faith is not only believing, faith consists in living the life of the Kingdom of God according to the provisions of the teachings of Jesus, and according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit; faith leads us to understand the Revelation of God, so that we are enabled to complete proclamatory operations in preparation for the return of Jesus to earth.

All the biblical writers speak of faith, for Salvation, Redemption, Justification and Sanctification, themes of the Gospel, can only be accessed by it; as we study each book and epistle written by all the biblical writers we will discover the knowledge of faith that they attained by the Revelation of the Gospel; However, this emphasis is most notable in Paul’s epistles to Timothy, in principle, because Paul saw in Timothy a young man who could become a great preacher of the Gospel to the Gentiles for that whole region of Asia Minor, and he took him under his ministerial care to instruct him in the way of the preaching of the Cross.

Timothy is special for Paul, there are many references that confirm it; in the book of Acts of the Apostles we read about the good testimony that the inhabitants of Lystra and Iconium gave of Timothy: which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium (16:2). In the first epistle, Paul commends him to ‘fight the good fight of faith‘ (6:12), which by the parity of the expression with the way Paul defines his own ministry in the second epistle: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (4:7), it is noted with it that Paul considered Timothy as the heir of his ministry, almost in the same way as Elijah invested Elisha. Paul took special ministerial care of Timothy; in the second epistle, Paul exhorts Timothy to keep alive the call to the Gospel: Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands (1:6), and already at the end of the same epistle, when Paul warns of the end of his days, we read of Paul’s charge to him to fulfill his ministry: But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry (4:5).

The epistles of the apostle Paul to Timothy are rich in Revelation about the knowledge about faith, both epistles pour in the writing a wide deployment of faith establishments that were part of the Revelation of God in Paul; Nevertheless, I have wanted to take only the first epistle, in principle, because there are several principles of faith that are unknown within the contemporary ecclesiastical ambience, some of them of difficult understanding, and I do not want that when we expose ourselves to them, the surprise of reading something new, scandalizes more than one and finds stumbling instead of edification.

The way I have chosen to present these establishments of faith, is to state in the first instance the establishment of faith that Paul proposes, and I have listed them not by importance, but according to the order in which they appear in the writing of the epistle; in the second instance and following the establishment of faith, I quote the text of the verse where such establishment of faith is found, highlighting in bold the part where the Revelation in Paul of the proposed establishment of faith is observed; in the third instance, we set forth the explanation about the statement of faith.

I do not intend to exhaust the subject, that is not the purpose; rather I intend to establish a teaching basis for further study on the subject in the future. I pray that the study of these establishments of faith will lead us to strive to walk in the Revelation of the mystery of faith.

The epistles of the apostle Paul to Timothy are rich in Revelation about the knowledge about faith, both epistles pour in the writing a wide deployment of faith establishments that were part of the Revelation of God in Paul;

Establishment number 1: Faith has the virtue of ‘procreating’ children according to the faith of the one who instructs: unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. (1:2)

We have in this principle a key to faith; although each one grows according to his own commitment with Jesus, it is not the same to grow in faith by himself, than to grow under the instruction of one who guides him in the teaching; this knowledge is based on the teaching of Jesus, the model of faith is proposed by the measure reached by the teacher who instructs:

It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord…
Mathew 10:25

A clear example is seen in the case of Philip’s intervention with the Ethiopian eunuch who had gone up to Jerusalem to worship; at the end of the encounter, the eunuch’s growth in faith is much more remarkable than at the beginning of his encounter with Philip.

³⁰And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? ³¹And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.… ³⁹ And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
Acts 8:30-39

Paul establishes with this establishment of faith that a man or woman of faith, teachers or not, can ‘procreate’ children in the faith to the extent that they devote time and attention to individually train and teach others to walk in faith. It all depends on the commitment made before God to do so.

Establishment number 2: The edification of God in the life of the believer depends on the faith that he/she has or is developing: neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. (1:4)

The life of faith in Jesus is a spiritual edification that each one builds as his/her faith grows in the knowledge of Jesus, and of his/her submission to His Lordship. Repeatedly, the apostle Paul defines life in Christ Jesus as a ‘building’ that is under construction,

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1^st. Corinthians 3:9

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2^nd. Corinthians 5:1

in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Ephesians 2:21

The ‘edification’ of life in Christ Jesus is built by faith in the name of Jesus, and grows as we assimilate the doctrine of His teachings,

but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Ephesians 4:15

Establishment number 3: God’s demands can only be understood through faith; the imposition of a commandment takes you away from faith: Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:(1:5)

Every commandment of God to man has been given for the purpose of man and woman attaining the wisdom to see faith in the instruction. The commandment according to faith is an instruction of action, faith is attained when the person detaches himself from the imposition of the Law and sees in the ordinance a counsel of God to live in perfection; Paul explains this principle in his epistle to the Romans,

³¹But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. ³²Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone;
Romans 9:31-32

If someone does not understand God’s demands, or questions them, it is because he/she does not walk in the faith of Jesus….

Establishment number 4: Grace is vivified by faith, no one can understand the Grace and love of God if he/she does not have faith: And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (1:14)

Grace means that I did nothing to deserve God’s forgiveness; it means that I am not worthy, and that I never will be, yet even though I am still unworthy, You still love me. Believing in Jesus does not make me worthy, it simply opens the door for me to live by faith, and receive by faith the Grace of God. To be Justified by Grace does not mean to be made worthy of it, Justification means the exaltation on earth of the love of God, for it is the love of God, and not our works, that has freed us from sin and death, and has given us a new life according to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Romans 3:24

And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Romans 11:6

Grace is vivified by faith, it is the faith of the believer who keeps it in force, hence the importance of living by faith.

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Romans 4:16

by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:2

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 2:21

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Galatians 5:4

Establishment number 5: Faith can be lost if it is not kept active: holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: (1:19)

That faith can be lost is not a new theme, Jesus established it in one of his teachings,

I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Luke 18:8

If faith is lost, Grace is invalidated; Grace is an undeserved and free gift of God, but it is only valid as long as faith remains active; Grace is vivified by faith, hence the need to keep faith alive and grow in it.

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
James 2:17

till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Ephesians 4:13

Establishment number 6: Recognizing and submitting to lines of authority is vital to remaining and growing in faith: Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. (2:15)

The reason why Paul conditions the salvation of the married woman to the permanence in the faith of the children, is because the woman in the Hebrew context is the one in charge of the education of the children, and also in charge of the administration of the home,

¹⁰Who can find a virtuous woman?
for her price is far above rubies.
¹¹The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,
so that he shall have no need of spoil.
¹²She will do him good and not evil
all the days of her life.
¹³She seeketh wool, and flax,
and worketh willingly with her hands.
¹⁴She is like the merchants’ ships;
she bringeth her food from afar.
¹⁵She riseth also while it is yet night,
and giveth meat to her household,
and a portion to her maidens.
¹⁶She considereth a field, and buyeth it:
with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
¹⁷She girdeth her loins with strength,
and strengtheneth her arms.
¹⁸She perceiveth that her merchandise is good:
her candle goeth not out by night.
¹⁹She layeth her hands to the spindle,
and her hands hold the distaff.
²⁰She stretcheth out her hand to the poor;
yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
²¹She is not afraid of the snow for her household:
for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
²²She maketh herself coverings of tapestry;
her clothing is silk and purple.
²³Her husband is known in the gates,
when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
²⁴She maketh fine linen, and selleth it;
and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
²⁵Strength and honour are her clothing;
and she shall rejoice in time to come.
²⁶She openeth her mouth with wisdom;
and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
²⁷She looketh well to the ways of her household,
and eateth not the bread of idleness.
²⁸Her children arise up, and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Proverbs 31:10-28

If the children do not remain in what they were taught, it is because the teaching was weak, and this falls under the responsibility of the woman,

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

If the children remain in the faith it is because the mother has instructed them correctly, and has delivered her children from death. This is the ministry in faith of the woman as mother and wife. A good example of this principle is found in the words of the apostle to Timothy in his second epistle:

when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
2^nd. Timothy 1:5

Additionally, the apostle Paul’s reference also encompasses the relationship in marriage of the woman to the man; Paul does not intend to emphasize cultural submission, he intends to establish and emphasize the value of recognizing lines of authority, in this particular case Paul emphasizes the line of authority that God established in the Garden of Eden,

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Genesis 3:16

Subjection and respect for the lines of authority is vital to remain and grow in the faith, this is the teaching that the woman transmits to her children,

⁸The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. ⁹For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. ¹⁰When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Matthew 8:8-10

Those who cross lines of authority do not grow in faith; faith is based on the recognition of lines of authority, regardless of whether they are just or unjust,

He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
Luke 11:23

⁴And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest? ⁵Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.
(Exodus 22:28) Acts 23:4-5

And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.
1 Samuel 24:6

Establishment number 7: Faith requires a clear conscience in order to operate: holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. (3:9)

Although faith is the result of ‘believing’ the Word of God and walking by it, faith can be hindered, one of the ways to hinder faith is because of a defiled conscience.

Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
1^st. Corinthians 8:7

For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
2^nd. Corinthians 1:12

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Titus 1:15

conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?
1^st. Corinthians 10:29

Establishment number 8: Faith is determinant to exercise an approved ministry before God; if there is no faith, there is no ministry: For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. (3:13)

The proclamation of the Gospel is not based on scholarship, nor on homiletic skills; the Gospel is and consists in the proclamation of God’s wisdom expressed in terms of God’s love to reconcile man and deliver him from death,

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
1^st. Corinthians 1:17

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God… ⁴ And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1^st. Corinthians 2:1-4

but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1^st. Corinthians 1:27

The ministry of a New Covenant consists in the proclamation of the Word of the cross, and according to the establishment of the apostle Paul, the ministry is established by faith, it is the only way to establish it since it is about highlighting the Grace of God through Jesus Christ in His atonement on the cross. The ministry of each one depends on the level of faith that each one has reached.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1^st. Corinthians 1:18

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16

Establishment number 9: Apostasy is an attack against the faith: 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; (4:1)

Although apostasy is usually defined as the introduction of unbiblical teaching presented as if it were biblical doctrine, in his epistle to Timothy Paul integrates a more advanced definition, and establishes in it that apostasy does not necessarily consist of heretical doctrine; Paul establishes that apostasy consists of an attack on the faith of the believer, the purpose is to force the believer to think differently from the Scriptures and the Gospel; apostasy does not necessarily mean that the person abandons Christianity, nor renounces his belief with respect to Jesus, apostasy has to do with the way of understanding the doctrine of the Gospel even though the person continues to belong to the congregation of faith.

We all know that faith is based on ‘believing’ in the Gospel;[1] if the believer has ‘another’ way of thinking, that is, a way different from what was established in the original proclamation of the word of the cross, however small it may be, his way of thinking changes the basis of faith; by changing the basis of faith, faith ceases to be the support of Grace and becomes inactive,[2] and the believer’s thinking becomes apostasy.

Thus, apostasy is an attack on faith, this is the establishment of faith that the apostle discovers to Timothy so that he knows how to correct those who oppose;[3] this establishment is described at the beginning of the epistle, Paul reminds him of the reason for leaving him in Ephesus: I write to you in the same way as when I asked you to stay in Ephesus, to go on to Macedonia, so that you would be in charge of instructing some who do not teach differently from the Gospel. (1:3, free translation). In other epistles this same definition is also observed, for example, in the epistle to the Philippians Paul presents it as the urgency to keep the same understanding, it is the way the apostle denounces the introduction of apostasy within the community; Paul begins with the warning that all should ‘understanding’ the same: fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (2:2); Later, in the same epistle, he re-emphasizes the value in the Gospel of understanding in the same way: Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (3:15); In the conclusion of the epistle, Paul directly exhorts Euodias and Syntychê, and exhorts them to have the same understanding of the rest of the community: I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. (4:2).

We see then that for the apostle faith has a very important value, it must be cared for and maintained (1:19), if it is not properly cared for, faith will be attacked and could be lost.

Establishment number 10: In order that faith may grow in others it is necessary not to withhold exhortation according to the Words of Truth: 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. (4:6)

Reproof is a form of deliverance, whoever does not reprove to correct those who incur in sinning prevents them from their deliverance; the apostle exhorts Timothy to make use of reproof so that believers may be clean in their faith and not fall into stagnation.

Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
1^st. Timothy 5:20

This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
Titus 1:13

Establishment number 11: Faith models behavior in others: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (4:12)

That a man or woman of faith can establish modeling of faith in others is nothing new, the subject was part of the apostolic teachings of the Gospel, and was proclaimed as such to both Jews and Gentiles.

Faith modeling does not mean and should not be understood as ‘witnessing’, since faith modeling is part of the doctrinal training and teaching within the church, witnessing is directed to unbelievers.

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
1^st. Corinthians 11:1

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Ephesians 5:1

Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Philippians 3:17

And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
1^st. Thessalonians 1:6

For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:
1^st. Thessalonians 2:14

that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6:12

and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Romans 4:12

I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?
2^nd. Corinthians 12:18

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1^st. Peter 2:21

Establishment number 12: Faith is founded on Justice; faith without justice is a faith of title only: But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (5:8)

This is not a new establishment, it was precisely the statement established by God Himself after Abraham’s action of having believed the Word of God,

And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness.
Genesis 15:6

According to this statement, faith does not consist only in believing but in establishing righteousness through acts; it is the way the Lord evaluates faith,

So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
Genesis 30:33

The prophet Habakkuk presented it in his writing as the foundation of the life that pleases the Lord,

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Habakkuk 2:4

Hence the apostle Paul prefers to speak of ‘the righteousness of faith’, and not only of faith, to explain that faith is judged by acts of righteousness and not only by the beliefs that a person may have,

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
Romans 4:11

For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Galatians 5:5

and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Philippians 3:9

Therefore, when James writes that faith can die if it does not have works, he is basically referring to the works of righteousness that each person undertakes to validate his faith in Jesus,

¹⁷ Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. ¹⁸ Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.… ²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? ²² Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?… ²⁴ Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. ²⁵ Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? ²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
James 2:17-26

Establishment number 13: Faith as a work of righteousness begins with the marriage relationship: having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. (5:12)

Paul speaks of the ‘first faith’, and by it he refers to the act of ‘faithfulness’ that both man and woman profess to keep for each other when they are joined in marriage, in the book of Proverbs the value of the woman of his youth is emphasized in the man,

Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
Proverbs 5:18

It is not the first time that Paul emphasizes the value of marriage and fidelity between spouses; in the book of Hebrews he highlights the merit of fidelity as part of the life of faith,

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
Hebrews 13:4

To have cast off the first faith means that the person has not shown by her actions respect for the memory of her husband, which is considered an act of unrighteousness and, therefore, an act that violates fidelity.

Establishment number 14: Faith does not allow competing for fame or riches, whoever is inclined to them is moving away from faith: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (6:10)

One of the ways Satan uses to draw men and women out of the faith of the holy calling is fame and the love of making a lot of money, we see this in one of the temptations Satan threw at Jesus.

⁸Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; ⁹and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Matthew 4:8-9

The apostle Peter defines this inclination as the ‘way of Balaam’.

which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
2^nd. Peter 2:15

Jude also writes about it, and again highlights the error of Balaam and compares it with the way of Cain, and with the rebellion of Korah,

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
Jude 11

Establishment number 15: Faith is the purpose of life: But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (6:11)

According to this establishment we should all aspire to faith, not as to attain benefits by it, but to establish by it the purpose of life in Christ Jesus; Eternal Life depends on learning to live by faith,

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Romans 6:22

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
1^st. Timothy 6:12

and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Romans 4:12

Establishment number 16: Faith is strengthened through spiritual warfare: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. (6:12)

Faith is spiritual warfare, because as the apostle Paul rightly stated, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the lords of the world, against the rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in the air; but it is a war that is exercised from the resistance to everything that pretends to direct men and women to walk in opposition to the teachings of Jesus. This spiritual warfare consists in taking away from Satan all ‘legal rights’ that allow him to operate in the same environment of faith; it is of no use a theology that teaches the believer to ‘rebuke’ the devil if it does not first instruct him on how to cancel the actions that give Satan ‘rights’ to operate in his environment.

Faith is born of the restored character according to the image and likeness of Jesus Christ; the legal right that Satan uses to continue operating in the midst of faith is the same ambiguity of mind that still persists in the heart of the believer. Apostasy is precisely a double doctrinal stance; in Jesus’ words, apostasy is the tares sown in a wheat field.

In this exhortation, the apostle is defining spiritual warfare as the conscious ‘striving’ to do according to God’s Will. Fight’ means ‘strive’ to establish the Will of God. The expression used by the apostle reflects an ‘agonizing’ effort, that is, an effort carried to the last consequences. The good fight of faith, then, means the fortitude born in the knowledge of God’s call that imposes itself on all spiritual resistance that tries to stop the work of faith. Faith is activated when man and woman enter into spiritual warfare.

Establishment number 17: A believer may have lost faith and continue to believe in God without having been warned: which some professing have erred concerning the faith. (6:21)

As it has been presented in previous paragraphs, faith does not depend exclusively on ‘believing’, although in the life of faith everything has begun as an act of ‘believing’ in God’s provision, in order to grow and persevere in faith, it is necessary that the believer learns to do acts of righteousness in correlation with the execution of God’s plans.

Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.
Zephaniah 2:3

Thus, if a believer does not perform acts of righteousness, his faith may die, and he may not realize it; therefore, this establishment of faith is extremely important because it warns us about the danger that every man and woman of faith runs, of ‘going astray’ from the faith without realizing it.

because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Romans 1:21

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21

Well, we have concluded. The reader will see that the riches of Revelation that the apostle Paul had in regard to faith were exceedingly abundant. Paul’s faith was the result of having recognized Jesus as Lord and Christ, and of having labored for Him in the proclamation of the Word of the cross.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Authorized King James Version, 1909 (AKJV).

Pastor Pedro Montoya

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[1] Mark 1:15: and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

[2] Galatians 5:4: Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

[3] 2 Timothy 2:25: in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

Fight the good fight of faith…

¹¹But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. ¹²Fight (ἀγωνίζου) the good fight (ἀγῶνα) of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
1^st. Timothy 6:11-12

At first sight, by the use of the word ‘fight’, the expression coined by the Apostle Paul and addressed to Timothy could well be considered as a personal exhortation to raise the level of faith and ministerial authority of Timothy, who, according to the wording of the epistle, seems to be facing difficult times in Ephesus.[1] We say that at first sight, because when we consider the expression in light of other Gospel teachings, there is no evidence that faith is a weapon of attack, Paul even defines it in his epistle to the Ephesians as a weapon of defense;[2] So, ‘fight the good fight of faith‘ is not a word of advice and/or encouragement from Paul to Timothy, Paul does not intend Timothy to fight anyone, not even against darkness; ‘fight the good fight of faith‘ is rather the exhortation to strive to walk faster than those who are working in tune with darkness, it is to fulfill the ministry for which he was reached.[3]

fight the good fight of faith is the exhortation to strive to walk faster than those who are working in tune with darkness, it is to fulfill the ministry for which he was reached.

Fight, ἀγωνίζου (agonizu) in Greek, was in the time of the New Testament an expression of popular use, and its meaning denotes the action of entering into competition against other runners with the commitment to give the highest performance, is to enter the race willingly with the awareness that it will achieve a winning result; So, in that sense fight, ἀγωνίζου (agonizu), is not to enter the fight against temptations, against sin, or against darkness, it is to acquire the consciousness that it must accelerate the pace, if the city is not to be wrapped up in false doctrine. Paul wants Timothy to see that some people are teaching different doctrine; the demand for Timothy is to strive even more, without truce, to correct those who do such a thing; thence comes a second instruction, Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine… Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.[4]

Fight, ἀγωνίζου (agonizu), is the command not to abandon the task of proclaiming the message of the cross, it is vital to bring people out of ignorance and bring them to Christ Jesus;[5] ‘fight the good fight of faith’ is the race to reach Eternal Life.[6]

Fight, is the command not to abandon the task of proclaiming the message of the cross, it is vital to bring people out of ignorance and bring them to Christ Jesus;

Thus, fight, ἀγωνίζου (agonizu), in general terms, means the conscious ‘effort’ to do according to the Will of God. Fight’ means ‘strive’ to establish the Will of God. The expression used by the apostle reflects an ‘agonizing’ effort, that is to say, an effort carried to the last consequences. The good fight of faith, then, means the strength born of the knowledge of God’s call that is imposed on all spiritual resistance that seeks to stop the work of faith.

The good fight of faith is the personal decision for the work of God,[7] it is the maximum effort even beyond the limits of self-sacrifice in order to complete the work that was demanded of us by the Spirit.[8] The good fight of faith overcomes all resistance put up by the kingdom of darkness; the good fight of faith is to understand that nothing and no one can stop the work of the Lord, but understanding, above all, that we are charged with watching over its fulfillment. The good fight of faith demands active participation in the work of God. In the epistle to the Hebrews we find this same exhortation in almost the same words.

³For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. ⁴Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. ⁵And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Hebrews 12:3-5

The good fight of faith is the personal decision for the work of God, it is the maximum effort even beyond the limits of self-sacrifice in order to complete the work that was demanded of us by the Spirit.

The apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy can be paraphrased as follows: “Sacrifice yourself to the point of agony in order to win this spiritual battle of faith; on it depends the Eternal Life for which you were called, having borne witness before many witnesses.”

Sacrifice yourself to the point of agony in order to win this spiritual battle of faith; on it depends the Eternal Life for which you were called, having borne witness before many witnesses.

Although the word is the root of the English term ‘agonizing’, in its time, the word was not used to indicate a tragic event, but on the contrary, to reflect determination, firmness, security and commitment to put all the effort into what one does. In the writings of the New Testament it appears a good number of times, and all of them showing this same character of competitive effort:

Luke 13:24: Strive (ἀγωνίζεσθε) to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
John 18:36: Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight (ἠγωνίζοντο), that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
1^st. Corinthians 9:25: And every man that striveth (ἀγωνιζόμενος), for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
Colossians 1:29: whereunto I also labour, striving (ἀγωνιζόμενος) according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Colossians 4:12: Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring (ἀγωνιζόμενος) fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
1^st. Timothy 4:10: For therefore we both labour and suffer (ἀγωνιζόμεθα) reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1^st. Timothy 6:11-12: Fight (ἀγωνίζου) the good fight (ἀγῶνα) of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
2^nd. Timothy 4:7: I have fought (ἠγώνισμαι) a good fight (ἀγῶνα), I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

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[1] 1^st. Timothy 1:3:As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

[2] Ephesians 6:16: above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

[3] 2^nd. Timothy 4:5:But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

[4] 1^st. Timothy 4:13-15

[5] Ephesians 4:18:having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

[6] 2^nd. Timothy 4:7: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

[7] Luke 10:42: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

[8] 2^nd. Timothy 4:2:preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Faith Community of Colossae. Chapter II

The Threat to the Gospel

2:1-2 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; ²that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

The apostle is transmitting the grief that is in his heart because of the threat hanging over these communities, a false doctrinal threat that attempts to make them desist from the knowledge of the Gospel that they received from Epaphras, and that has made them stand out as communities of faith in Christ Jesus, and for the love they show to all the saints; (1:4) we understand that Paul refers to the ministers who have visited the community.[1]

It is a message that translations fail to perceive when translating the apostle’s message. What Paul is manifesting is his powerlessness not to confront those who are introducing teachings that distort sound doctrine. A free translation reads like this,

I want you to know how great a conflict I have for not being with you, for those of Laodicea, and for all those whom I do not know personally. I would be with you to strengthen your hearts and to lead you with love, that you may understand and not desist from the riches of the revealed knowledge of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.

Paul has discovered that behind some teachings that they have received there is a threat to the Gospel that was proclaimed to them, and that they assimilated very well; those who have introduced these new teachings intend to upset the knowledge of the Truth, mystery according to Paul, about God incarnate and manifested in Jesus.

2:3-15 (and from Christ) … ³in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. ⁵For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. ⁶As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: ⁷rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. ⁸Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. ⁹For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. ¹⁰And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: ¹¹in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: ¹²buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. ¹³And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; ¹⁴blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; ¹⁵and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Paul goes on to explain the benefits for the disciple of recognizing Jesus as Lord and Christ. The apostle’s list of benefits is simply amazing:

In whom (in Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (v.3)

This doctrinal confession helps Paul to establish that outside of Jesus there is neither wisdom nor Revelation; so, he concludes, ¿why are they going to go and seek wisdom outside of Him? And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. (v.4, 5)

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. (v.6)

Paul’s exhortation that they should not seek to change anything of what they have learned, this is what the Gospel consists of.

rooted and built up in him (Jesus), and stablished in the faith, (v.7).

Paul emphasizes faith in Jesus as the only source of Revelation and wisdom: as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

For in him (Jesus) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (v.9).

This doctrinal confession is decisive for understanding the divinity of Jesus. Jesus is God manifested in the flesh.

And ye are complete in him (in Jesús), (v.10a)

The apostle again establishes that in Jesus they are complete, that they need nothing but Him.

which (Jesús) is the head of all principality and power: (v10b).

Paul states that Jesus has government over every power, material and spiritual, that exists on the face of the earth.

in whom (Jesus) also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, (v.11).

Paul explains how circumcision is attributed to the Gentiles: in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

buried with him in baptism, (v.12).

Paul explains what water baptism means spiritually, and the power it has regarding deliverance from the flesh and from sin: wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

And you (the gentiles), being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, (Jesus)… hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (v.13).

Paul explains how Gentiles have been grafted into the Body of Jesus to become heirs of Salvation.

(Jesús)… blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (v.14).

Paul explains why Gentiles do not need to submit to Jewish rituals. Paul explains that there is no longer a need for them, for the purpose was to cover the multitude of sins; when Christ offered Himself, His sacrifice abolished the effectiveness of the rituals.

(Jesús)… and having spoiled principalities and powers, (v.15).

Paul explains what the sacrifice of the cross was, the cross was the place where Jesus defeated Satan: he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

In verse eight Paul exposes crudely what all those teachings that are presented under the appearance of doctrines with Jewish foundation mean, Paul defines them as philosophies and vain subtleties according to the traditions of men. Paul exposes the danger that they represent, they are apostate teachings that are actually intended to distort the Truth of the Word of the cross.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (v.8)

2:16-23 ¹⁶Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: ¹⁷which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. ¹⁸Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. ²⁰Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, ²¹(touch not; taste not; handle not; ²²which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? ²³which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

At the conclusion of the chapter, Paul unites all that he has expounded in both chapters.

The conclusion is quite simple. Paul makes the following comparison: if, in Jesus we have redemption through His blood (1:13a), and the remission of sins: (1.13b). If Jesus is the image (εικων) of the invisible God (1:15a), and He is the firstborn of every creature (1:15b), and by Him were created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible; whether thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him and for Him (1:16); and Jesus is before all things (1:17a), and by Jesus all things consist: (1:17b); and furthermore, since Jesus is made head of the body which is the church (1:18a), and Jesus is the beginning of all things (1:18b), and Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. And not only that, but also, Jesus has Lordship over all things: that in all things He may have primacy (1:18d), and Jesus is the One who gives life to all things: For it pleased the Father that in Him should dwell all fullness (1:19), and through Jesus man’s reconciliation to God is established, and through Him all creation returns to its original state as it was created before Adam’s disobedience: And by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, pacifying by the blood of His cross, as well as that which is on earth as that which is in heaven (1:20); Paul concludes, What do you do, allowing additional teachings which in nothing surpass all that you have been taught by the Gospel?

Therefore, by way of certification of the Gospel message, Paul decrees, Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: (2:16), Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, (2:18a). The apostle makes it clear that those who have visited communities with this kind of teaching teach what they have not seen, vainly puffed up in the sense of their own flesh (2:18b), and are not holding the Head (2:19a), and therefore are not being fed or coordinated in the body, according to God’s increasing growth (2:19b).

Paul ends with an exhortation: Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.com

[1] Paul refers to a possible visit by Mark, Barnabas’ nephew: Colossians 4:10

Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Faith Community of Colossae. Chapter I

The Gospel to the Gentiles

1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, ²to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossae: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Colossians faith community, the recipient of the epistle, was one of several churches of the time that did not arise from the direct intervention of the apostle Paul; the Colossians faith community was not founded as a result of the apostle’s visit to the region, in fact, in the Acts of the Apostles book which is considered the logbook of Paul’s travels, it does not mention the locality as one of the regions visited by the apostle.

The best reference that Paul was not in the area are the same statements that the apostle makes in his Epistle,

For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; (2:1)

In the conclusion of the epistle, Paul also mentions the communities of Hierapolis and Laodicea which, together with Colossae, were never visited by him,

For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. (4:13)

1:4-6 ⁴since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, ⁵for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; ⁶which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

The first thing the apostle does is to recognize that such communities of faith are legitimate, and he confirms that the Gospel that came to these regions is in conformity with what is established in the doctrine of Christ as taught from Jerusalem.

Comparing this reference with the accounts of the Acts of the Apostles regarding the evangelism movements in the region, we find that as a result of the persecution unleashed after Stephen’s death against the disciples, there were many of them who left Jerusalem fleeing the threats of prison and death that the Libertines, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, all sectors of the synagogue, launched against those who proclaimed the name of Jesus.^[1] Apparently, this persecution was because of a doctrine postulated by the disciples that contrasted with the doctrinal aspect of the sector that promoted the revolt against Stephen;

Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. Acts 6:11

There are signs in the account of Acts that show that the persecution against the disciples was not against the whole church in Jerusalem but only against the sector of it that came from the regions of Asia Minor, present-day Turkey. This is clearly seen in the conjugation of several accounts that describe how the Jerusalem church was formed. First, the account of what happened on the day of Shavuot (Pentecost); the text says that the vast majority of the more than three thousand who received the Word,^[2] came from the regions of Asia Minor that had arrived on the occasion of the solemn feasts of Pesach and Shavuot; many of these decided to move to Jerusalem to await the return of Jesus,

⁸And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? ⁹Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God… ⁴⁵and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. ⁴⁶And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Acts 2:8-11

Then, when Luke relates what happened after Stephen’s death, he describes that those who fled from Jerusalem were a multicultural group, among Jews and proselytes, who were not only escaping from Jerusalem, but above all, seeking the regions from which they had originally left before moving to Jerusalem,

¹⁹Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. ²⁰And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. Acts 11:19-20

Note also that among those scattered because of Stephen’s death is Philip, the deacon,^[3] who in the early years of his departure from Jerusalem took refuge in the province of Samaria,^[4] and then later relocated to Caesarea.^[5]

So, considering the above, it is understandable that many of these who fled Jerusalem although originally relocated to Antioch in Syria, eventually moved through the places of Asia Minor speaking the Word to both Jews and Gentiles, and reached the regions of Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea, and sowed seeds that eventually became communities of faith similar to Jerusalem.

1:7-8 ⁷as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; ⁸who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

The apostle also confirms that the congregations of faith of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis, were churches founded by Epaphras, who took care of them with the zeal of a good pastor,

¹²Epaphras, 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. ¹³For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. (4:12-13)

As for Epaphras, the epistle implies that Paul knew him beforehand; several reasons lead us to assure him of this:

Paul categorizes him as “our dear fellowservant” (1:7)
Paul certifies him as “faithful minister of Christ” (1:8). In the conclusion of the epistle he recertifies him as “a servant of Christ” (4:12).
Paul testifies that Epaphras is always labouring fervently for you in prayers (4:12)
Paul testifies that Epaphras hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis (4:13).

Paul would not have dared to certify Epaphras as a faithful minister of Christ if he had not had sufficient references to Epaphras beforehand; the epistle is not a letter of recommendation in favor of Epaphras, it is an apostolic letter to establish the consolidation of the doctrine of the faith in Jesus in which they have been taught.

Although it is already convincing that the apostle Paul did not visit the towns of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis, cities in the interior of the province of Phrygia, the book of Acts of the Apostles admits that Paul crossed the province after he left the cities of Lystra and Iconium trying to ascend to the provinces of Mysia and Bhytinia, regions of northern Asia Minor.

¹Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: ²which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium… ⁶Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, ⁷after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. ⁸And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. Acts 16:1-8

From the description of the apostle in the Epistles to the Colossians, and the Epistle to Philemon, Paul is already an old man when Epaphras appears beside him;^[6] so Epaphras could not have known Paul during his first two journeys; this leads us to understand that Paul met Epaphras in Ephesus, but during the apostle’s third journey. It is the only time in the apostle’s ministry where he remained for a long time in the same place. Let us note Luke’s reference to the apostle’s stay in Ephesus,

And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. Acts 19:10

Luke even confirms that the fame of the apostle transcended the borders of the province, so much so that people from different places made long journeys to even carry shrouds of people who were sick,

¹¹And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: ¹²so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Acts 19:11-12

Epaphras must have coincided with Paul in Ephesus by this time, either because he lived there or because he had traveled from Colossae to Ephesus for such a purpose; by the same time Paul also must have known Philemon, beloved Apphia and Archîpo, all of whom are mentioned in the epistle to Philemon. We may note that these cities, like the epistles sent to them, were of special value to the Apostle.

While it is true that Paul knew Epaphras earlier, it was not so with regard to the churches, for in the epistle Paul admits that he began to pray for them, as soon as he learned of their existence, showing in the form of writing the existence of a relatively short time of knowledge of the existence of the churches. What is certain is that Paul was impacted by the testimony of Epaphras about how the churches were founded.

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, … (1:9)

Epaphras was born in Colossae, the epistle confirms it,

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. (4:12)

Epaphras is also taken prisoner along with Paul, and apparently this was the reason why the apostle wrote to the faith community of Colossae and Laodicea;

There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus; Philemon 23

The faith communities of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis have been left without anyone to shepherd them; in the conclusion of the epistle Paul exhorts Archippus to fulfill the ministry he has received from the Lord, which may well indicate that Archippus is the person who should have held the position of Epaphras. In the epistle to Philemon, Paul mentions him again, this time as a fellow soldier,

¹Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, ²and to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house: Philemon 1-2

1:9-20⁹For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; ¹²giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: ¹³who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: ¹⁴in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: ¹⁵who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. ¹⁹For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; ²⁰and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven

The doctrinal content that the apostle shares with them shows a depth of Revelation very little seen in other epistles.

The first point that the apostle states in his Epistle is about the importance that the knowledge of God’s Will must have for a man and a woman of faith: that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will (1:9). Paul states with this principle that the life of faith consists in knowing the Will of God: That ye may walk as it is worthy of the Lord (1:10a).
The second point that the apostle states is with respect to the doctrine of perfection: pleasing him in all things, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God: (1:10b). Perfection consists in the daily effort to attain knowledge about God. In his epistle to the Philippians he wrote in quite similar terms,

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Philippians 3:13

The third point which the apostle establishes is with regard to the courage and strength which the man and woman of faith must have in the face of adversity and/or persecution for the sake of the proclamation of the Gospel: strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness (1:11). No persecution or adversity for the sake of the Gospel should be a cause of anguish, pain, or sadness. The man and woman of faith should understand that surpassing them is not the result of human strength, but the product of the power of the Glory of God operating in the person by the Spirit of God dwelling in us.

This stance, which at first glance seems to be the hallmark of Paul’s ministry, is actually an apostolic doctrinal theme of the church that was born and spread from Jerusalem. Luke describes in his second treatise, the Acts of the Apostles, how the disciples rejoiced when they were in tribulation because of the proclamation of the Gospel message,

⁴⁰And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ⁴¹And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Acts 5:40-41

The subject of persecution and/or tribulation for the sake of the Gospel was seen within the church as a doctrinal subject; persecution is the evidence that the disciples are bearers of the Truth of the Kingdom of Heaven; Paul presented it as a requirement for entry into the Kingdom of Heaven,^[7] James as a motive for joy,^[8] and the apostle Peter as the identification of the disciple with the teachings of Jesus.^[9]

The apostle Peter states in his first epistle that no one should see the tribulation as a personal affront, or fear it, but rather consider it as something transitory,

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 1^st. Peter 4:12

So, Paul writes to establish doctrine for the churches of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis, stating that above all things, they must not allow this absence among them of Epaphras to be the cause of their spiritual pause; therefore he prays that they may be strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness (1:11).

The fourth point that the apostle presents in his epistle is about the struggle against the kingdom of darkness: giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (1:12-13).

The preaching of the cross consists in understanding that the disciple, the man and woman of faith, have been moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Jesus, and therefore Satan no longer has jurisdiction over them. The spiritual struggle is possible because we have part with the saints in light, and from here also arises the doctrinal confession that light has no communion with darkness.^[10]

The fifth doctrinal point that the apostle establishes is about the doctrine of Christ. Who is Jesus?: ; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven

It is clear in the epistle that Jesus is not presented as an angel, Jesus is God Himself. The apostle states it forcefully in the introduction of the epistle: Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is not a foreign or additional being to God-Father, He is the very essence of God, otherwise He will not mention Him “together” with God.

Paul confirms this doctrinal theme in his own epistle, establishing categorically that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God-Father.

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (3:1)

By the way Paul presents Jesus, he stands out from Him, who in Jesus,

We have redemption through his blood, (v.14a)
We have the remission of sins: (v.14b)

It emphasizes above all the attributes of Jesus in His divine nature,

Jesus is the image (εικων) of the invisible God, (v.15a). Paul establishes not only the idea of a “similarity” in appearance, but the similarity of nature.
Jesus is the firstborn of every creature. (v.15b). Paul states with this confession that the “image” (εἰκόνα) with which Adam was formed was the image of Jesus.
By Jesus were created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created by him and for him. (v.16) This confession states forcefully that Jesus is God.
Jesus is before all things, (v.17a)
Through Jesus all things consist: (v.17b)

As for Jesus as the manifestation of God in the flesh, Paul states that,

Jesus is the head of the body which is the church; (v.18a)
Jesus is the beginning of all things (v.18b)
Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. Paul establishes the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. (v.18c)
Jesus has Lordship over all things, that in all things he might have the preeminence. (v.18d)
Jesus is the one who gives life to all things: For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; (v.19). nothing subsists if He does not allow it.
Through Jesus, man’s reconciliation with God is established, and through him everything created returns to its original state as it was created before Adam’s disobedience: and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (v.20)

1:21-23 ²¹And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled ²²in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: ²³if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

The churches of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis were churches with a Gentile background, Paul confirms this when he writes: And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (v.21). From here Paul begins the presentation of the Gospel to the Gentiles with which he traveled the regions from Jerusalem to Illyricus, as he confesses in his epistle to the Romans..^[11]

Not that it is another Gospel, but it did not contain the same doctrinal elements of the Gospel that was proclaimed among the Jews. In the agreement of the council of Jerusalem because of those who demanded that the Gentiles be circumcised and treated as proselytes, the council determined not to require them to submit to practices and rites that are in accordance with the justice of the works of the Law, and provided only,

¹⁹Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: ²⁰but that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. Acts 15:19-20

The Gospel to the Gentiles adopts a singular presentation; the Gospel is not a form of proselytism, the non-Jew does not need to invoke Jewish customs to be a beneficiary of the Grace of God. This teaching was clearly established by the apostle Paul and was recorded in almost all of his writings,

As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. Romans 11:28

But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: Galatians 2:3

²Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. ³For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Galatians 5:2-3

The Gospel to the Gentiles presented the Kingdom of God in function of the Body of Jesus, unlike the Gospel among the Jews who did it in function of the vision of a people, of the people of Israel, hence the need according to this vision that the Gentiles had to be circumcised. Paul writes to Gentiles, so he does not speak to them about the need to acquire a nationality but to remain within the body of Christ: in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (v.22). To remain within the body of Christ is the only way for man to acquire reconciliation with God, and to be made holy and perfect before God.

Through this declaration of faith, the apostle establishes and consolidates two basic doctrines of the Gospel; the first, the doctrine of baptisms,^[12] and the second, the doctrine of the hope of salvation through faith in Jesus.^[13]

To discern the Body of Christ as the place where we were grafted in when we believed,^[14] is the doctrine that Paul established to teach about how to grow in faith: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, (v.23). Not discerning the Body of Christ as the place where we move leads us into a state of spiritual stagnation,

²⁹For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. ³⁰For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. ³¹For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 1^st. Corinthians 11:29-31

1:24-27 ²⁴who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: ²⁵whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; ²⁶even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: ²⁷to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: ²⁸whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: ²⁹whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

This final section is part of a personal Revelation that the apostle received directly from God, and has to do with his ministry among the Gentiles; something of this can be seen in Luke’s account in the Acts of the Apostles of Paul’s conversion; we read in the dialogue between God and Ananias how God describes to Ananias what is determined for Paul.

¹⁵But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: ¹⁶for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. Acts 9:15-16

Although before Paul there were Gentiles who received the Grace of the Gospel,^[15] it is Paul who officially opens the door for the Gentiles to enter into the Body of Christ. Hence Paul’s expression that he was made a minister according to the dispensation of God given to him in order to you, that is, with respect to the Gentiles in general terms:

Paul understands the magnitude of his ministry, so he expresses joy in what I suffer for you, understanding how necessary it is within the Kingdom of Heaven for a Jew to suffer for a Gentile, in order by his suffering, to fulfill in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for his body, which is the church. Paul is presenting a mystery of God’s Revelation on behalf of all those who were not born into Abraham’s generation in the line of Israel: even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (1:26-27).

Paul understands the magnitude of his ministry, so he expresses joy in what I suffer for you, understanding how necessary it is within the Kingdom of Heaven for a Jew to suffer for a Gentile, in order by his suffering, to fulfill in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for his body, which is the church. Paul is presenting a mystery of God’s Revelation on behalf of all those who were not born into Abraham’s generation in the line of Israel: even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (1:26-27).

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.com

[1] Acts 6.9

[2] Ditto 2:41

[3] Ditto 6:5

[4] Ditto 8:5

[5] Ditto 8:40; 21:8

[6] Philemon 1:9

[7] Acts 14:22

[8] James 1:2-3

[9] 1^st. Peter 3:16-18

[10] 2^nd. Corinthians 6:14

[11] Romans 15:19

[12] Romans 6:3

[13] Idem 10:9

[14] Acts 17:28

[15] Luke 8:39 presents the possessed Gadarene as the first apostle to a Gentile region: Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. Acts 10:45 presents Peter at the conversion of Cornelius: And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

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Doctrinal basis number 2: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1:15)

Doctrinal basis number 3: God is King, He is Eternal, He is immortal, He is invisible, He is One, He is Wise: Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.(1:17)

Doctrinal Basis number 4: God wants all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the Truth: who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (2:4)

Doctrinal Basis number 5: There is only one God: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (2:5)

Doctrinal Basis number 6: There is only one mediator between God and men: Jesus Christ, the man: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (2:5)

Doctrinal Basis number 7: Christ Jesus gave Himself in propitiation for all: who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (2:6)

Doctrinal Basis number 8: The church is the House of the living God, it is the pillar and ground of the Truth: but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (3:15)

Doctrinal Basis number 9: What does the mystery of the godliness consist of: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (3:16)

Doctrinal basis number 10: All animal food is good if taken with thanksgiving: For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (4:4-5)

Doctrinal Basis number 11: The Living God is Savior of all men: For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. (4:10)

Doctrinal Basis number 12: God gives life to all things: I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; (6:13)

Doctrinal Basis number 13: God is immortal; God dwells in inaccessible Light; no man has ever seen God: who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. (6:16)

Well, we have concluded. The reader will see how much doctrinal basis the apostle communicates through his epistles, it is a wealth of Revelation that is available to all those who want to walk according to the Gospel of Jesus.

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Establishment number 1: Faith has the virtue of ‘procreating’ children according to the faith of the one who instructs: unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. (1:2)

Establishment number 2: The edification of God in the life of the believer depends on the faith that he/she has or is developing: neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. (1:4)

Establishment number 3: God’s demands can only be understood through faith; the imposition of a commandment takes you away from faith: Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:(1:5)

Establishment number 4: Grace is vivified by faith, no one can understand the Grace and love of God if he/she does not have faith: And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (1:14)

Establishment number 5: Faith can be lost if it is not kept active: holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: (1:19)

Establishment number 6: Recognizing and submitting to lines of authority is vital to remaining and growing in faith: Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. (2:15)

Establishment number 7: Faith requires a clear conscience in order to operate: holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. (3:9)

Establishment number 8: Faith is determinant to exercise an approved ministry before God; if there is no faith, there is no ministry: For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. (3:13)

Establishment number 9: Apostasy is an attack against the faith: 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; (4:1)

Establishment number 11: Faith models behavior in others: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (4:12)

Establishment number 12: Faith is founded on Justice; faith without justice is a faith of title only: But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (5:8)

Establishment number 13: Faith as a work of righteousness begins with the marriage relationship: having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. (5:12)

Establishment number 14: Faith does not allow competing for fame or riches, whoever is inclined to them is moving away from faith: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (6:10)

Establishment number 15: Faith is the purpose of life: But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (6:11)

Establishment number 16: Faith is strengthened through spiritual warfare: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. (6:12)

Establishment number 17: A believer may have lost faith and continue to believe in God without having been warned: which some professing have erred concerning the faith. (6:21)

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The Threat to the Gospel

In whom (in Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (v.3)

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. (v.6)

rooted and built up in him (Jesus), and stablished in the faith, (v.7).

For in him (Jesus) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (v.9).

And ye are complete in him (in Jesús), (v.10a)

which (Jesús) is the head of all principality and power: (v10b).

in whom (Jesus) also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, (v.11).

buried with him in baptism, (v.12).

And you (the gentiles), being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, (Jesus)… hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (v.13).

(Jesús)… blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (v.14).

(Jesús)… and having spoiled principalities and powers, (v.15).

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The Gospel to the Gentiles

1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 2 to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossae: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:7-8 7 as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 8 who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

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**(Jesús)… and having spoiled principalities and powers,** (v.15).

1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, ²to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossae: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:7-8 ⁷as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; ⁸who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.