Chuck Larsen

In 1 Corinthians 13, the famous Love passage, Paul says there are only three things that abide with eternal significance, and those three things are faith, hope, and love. In Colossians 1, verses 3 through 5, Paul puts those three crucial ingredients together in his prayers of thanksgiving for the saints. He writes, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” He clarifies these three traits for us. When he talks about faith, it’s “Faith in Jesus Christ.” When he talks about love, it’s “Love for each other.” Both Faith and Love are motivated by the hope that’s laid up for us in heaven.

We see faith, hope, and love linked together often in Paul’s writings.  Paul presents them as the supreme marks by which a church is measured and, by implication, by which a Christian is measured. It’s not the spiritual gifts, the abilities, the personality, or the passions that God measures believers by. It’s faith, hope & love. Look at these other verses written by the Apostle Paul. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 says, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 5:5–6: “We eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus … the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Ephesians 1:15–18: “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.… I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you …”

We see that as transitive verb forms, these words must take an object. Faith has as its object Jesus Christ. This is the only name given among men under heaven by which they might be saved. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Hope has as its object eternal life. We know there are a couple of things that God cannot do. He cannot sin. He cannot lie. Eternal life is something which God, who does not lie, has promised to those who believe in Jesus. Our hope is not like earthly hopes that may or may not come true. This hope is resting confidently on the promises of God. Knowing Jesus through faith. Having the hope of eternal life inspires in us love for God and love for others. Paul says love is the most important of the three because it is the end movement of the three. “For Paul, love is the most important of all the Christian graces and the very heart of Christian ethics. Motivated by the supreme expression of God’s own love in the sacrificial death of Christ, it springs from a transformed life filled with God’s own Spirit. The primary focus of love in Paul’s writings is its tangible expression within the Christian community.”^[1]

^[1] Mohrlang, Roger. 1993. “Love.” In Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, edited by Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid, 575. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

In the second verse of Colossians, Paul extends a wonderful blessing to his readers. He says, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” Paul often wished these two things on his readers.  These two brief words contain everything we need to survive life’s trials, temptations, and troubles. He uses the same greeting for the Romans, the Corinthians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Thessalonians, and, of course, the Colossians. His greetings to Timothy and Titus vary slightly but contain the same concepts. Grace and Peace! Who could ask for more? You can never have enough of either of them. That’s why Peter opens his second Epistle, 2 Peter 1:2, by saying, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

Grace is most clearly seen in Christ’s work on the cross for sinners. What is deserved, judgment is taken for us on the Cross. What we don’t deserve, forgiveness, happiness, and eternal life is procured for us on the cross. This is Grace. Paul wishes it for us all! Courson talks about the Psalmist, David, and the understanding of grace. David refers to himself as “faultless.” How can an adulterer and murderer consider himself faultless? “There are glaring inconsistencies in David’s life, so how could he have the audacity to say he was faultless? I suggest the solution is quite simple. That is, although David had problems and failures, he was nonetheless a man after God’s own heart. He loved God passionately. He pursued God’s heart, not so much to get something from His hand, but to look into His face. And because David sought the face of the Lord, like Noah, he found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). What is grace? Unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. I believe David had a firm grasp on where he stood positionally because he understood grace. Therefore, he made his arguments not upon a denial of his present sins but upon a realization of his positional standing. It’s the apprehension of Grace that settles God’s peace deep within our being. Paul’s prayer is that each of us will comprehend the marvelous depth of God’s grace and that it will settle so deeply within us that no external circumstance could ever unsettle it.”^[1]

I think it’s the comprehension and appreciation of God’s grace in our lives that result in peace. Maybe the verse could be translated as “Grace to you, which brings with it Peace from God the Father.” The grace of God is bestowed upon us through Jesus Christ’s work on our behalf on the cross of Calvary. When God’s grace is received through Jesus, peace follows. Paul even prays this idea when he writes to the Philippians. He says in Philippians 4:7, “May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’” Then, to the Thessalonians, in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, he prays, “The Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means.”

^[1] Courson, Jon. 2006. Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Volume Two: Psalms-Malachi. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

I’ve always treasured the fact that Paul often addresses his comments and letters to “the saints” in the various churches. Growing up in the Catholic church, I learned that “saints” were only those who lived exemplary lives and were identified as saints by the authority of the Vatican. When they were “Canonized” as saints, it was only after their deaths. But Paul and other writers of the Epistles refer to all believers as “saints.” I recently toured Boys Town in Omaha and was told by the tour leader that there is a petition before the Pope to name Father Flanagan, the founder of Boystown, as a saint. Later, I met one of my neighbors who was part of the movement to get Father Flanagan canonized. She said they had all the evidence they needed, but the miracles he was required to perform hadn’t been documented well enough yet, but they are still working on it. I used to refer to myself as “Saint Chuck.” I did it mostly to irritate my Catholic friends! I did not do that on our tour or with my neighbor, but I wanted to! The remarkable thing about this is that it is true. I’m a saint! After Paul introduces himself and Timothy as the author of the Letter to the Colossians, he says who he is writing to. He clearly says he’s writing “to the saints” at Colossae. In the second verse of the epistle, Paul writes, “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”

The “Got Questions” website explains the difference between the Catholic understanding of “saints” and the biblical teaching of the word. “How does the Roman Catholic understanding of ‘saints’ compare with the biblical teaching? Not very well. In Roman Catholic theology, the saints are in heaven. In the Bible, the saints are on earth. In Roman Catholic teaching, a person does not become a saint unless he/she is ‘beatified’ or ‘canonized’ by the Pope or prominent bishop. In the Bible, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. In Roman Catholic practice, the saints are revered, prayed to, and, in some instances, worshiped. In the Bible, saints are called to revere, worship, and pray to God alone.”

Growing up, the saints were all presented as heroic figures. They were often worshipped and venerated so that we felt they were like superheroes that the ordinary person could never attain. But the Bible makes it clear that the true saints are those who believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. They’re not perfect, but forgiven. They are not idealized in statues but are real flesh and blood, fighting the good fight of the faith.  The story is told of Oliver Cromwell, who, when faced with a shortage of precious metal for coins, sent his troops out to find some. They reported that the only precious metal to be found was in the statues of saints standing in the corners of churches. Cromwell said, “Well, melt down the saints and put them in circulation.”

According to the first verse of Colossians, Paul writes the letter, but Timothy is also included as one of the senders of the letter.  It says, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.” Paul and Timothy were very close.  He was in Corinth on the second journey when Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians, at Ephesus on the third journey when Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, and in Rome during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment when he wrote Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. You might also notice that two of Paul’s later letters are addressed specifically to him; see 1^st and 2^nd Timothy. According to one website, Timothy has a rich history, and most of it deals with Paul. Timothy was an early Christian evangelist and according to church history was the first bishop of Ephesus. He was Paul’s companion on many missionary journeys along with Silas and a few others. He also acted as Paul’s scribe at times but was also credited with being the co-writer of some of Paul’s epistles. He was Paul’s trustworthy friend who cared for Paul’s needs in many ways and even represented him to the churches when Paul was in prison. He was so trusted by Paul, that he was sent to various churches to establish order, resist false teachers, appoint elders as well as having the authority to teach and preach himself. Paul called him “My true son in the faith.” 

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “I would rather be chained in a dungeon, wrist to wrist, with a Christian than to live forever with the wicked in the sunshine of happiness.” We all know that Paul was beheaded by Nero in about 65 AD.  According to Hebrews 13:23, Timothy was also a prisoner and very likely experienced a similar death. In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul exhorts his friend, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” It is a battle, of course! The goal is well worth fighting for, and it requires fighting for. Paul instructs Timothy to “take hold of eternal life.” Both Paul and Timothy entered the battle and lost their physical lives as a result. But they both received what Jesus promised in John 10:10, “Life, life in its fullest.” It reminds me of what William Wallace, the character of Braveheart, said, “Everyman dies, but not every man truly lives.”

Some Christians have eternal life but never really “take hold” of it. Similarly, some people who are alive physically never really enter into the fullness of life because they’d rather share the sunshine of happiness than the trials and struggles of  “fighting the good fight of the faith.” Some people are so afraid of failure that they can’t live life to the fullest. Nebraska’s new head football coach was interviewed after his second loss of the season and explained that some of his players want to win so badly that they make too many mistakes. They are so afraid of losing that they can’t play the game to their fullest abilities. This is true for a lot of us. Fear of failure cripples our lives. Timothy was the kind of disciple who followed Paul’s example. By calling Timothy “brother,” he is implying there are family traits that they share. Like Paul, he knew who he was and wasn’t afraid to live it regardless of the consequences. I like the Bugs Bunny quote, “Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out alive.”

I love the way Paul begins his letters to the churches. They are not all perfectly the same, but they reflect the apostle’s heart. His introduction expresses his role as God’s servant. When he introduces himself in the first verse of his letter to the Colossians, he says, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” It’s Paul’s way of saying that whatever he is, he is because that’s what God made him to be. I like to think it’s like Paul’s “I Gotta Be Me” song. He accepts himself and God’s role in his life. He doesn’t question it. He doesn’t fret over it. He doesn’t wish he was someone else. He doesn’t wish he had a different calling. This is an important concept for us all. We might not be what we once thought we would be. We might not be all that someone else is. We might not be what others might want us to be. But, like Paul, we are what we are “by the will of God.” When Paul ends this letter to the Corinthians, he ends it with the phrase, “By the grace of God, I am what I am.” John Newton wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace.” As he thought upon the words: ‘By the grace of God, I am what I am,’ he said, ‘I am not what I ought to be. How imperfect and deficient I am! I am not what I wish to be. Though I am not what I ought to be, I can truly say that I am not what I once was—a slave to sin and Satan. I can heartily say with Paul: ‘By the grace of God, I am what I am!’”^[1]

Joshua had to go to war against three of the Giants who lived in the land that God wanted him and the Israelites to occupy. They’re called “sons of Anak.” They have names. According to Joshua 15, they are “Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.” In Hebrew, the names have particular meanings. Sheshai means “who I am.” Ahiman means “What I am.” Talmai means “What I can do.” Adrian Rogers says in his sermon on this passage, “I tell you, friend, before you’ll ever live on the mountaintop, you’re going to have to deal with those three giants, right?”^[2] These are the giants that stand between us and the land God wants us to occupy. Coming to grips with who you are, what you are, and what you can do will make all the difference in life.

Elizabeth Elliot, in her book Let Me Be a Woman, records the story of Gladys Aylward, unable to accept the looks God had given her. Ms. Aylward told how when she was a child, she had two great sorrows. One, that while all her friends had beautiful golden hair, hers was black. The other was that while her friends were still growing, she had stopped. She was about four feet ten inches tall. But when at last she reached the country to which God had called her to be a missionary, she stood on the wharf in Shanghai and looked around at the people to whom He had called her. “Every single one of them,” she said, “had black hair. And every one of them had stopped growing when I did.” She was able to look to God and exclaim, “Lord God, You know what you’re doing!” He knows what He’s doing with you and me also!

^[1] Tan, Paul Lee. 1996. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

^[2] Rogers, Adrian. 2017. “How to Live on the Mountaintop.” In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive, Jos 14:6–15:15. Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.