Larry Siegle
(Colossians 1:1–12, NKJV)
Opening
Theme. One people in Christ — Jew and Gentile — qualified together for the inheritance of the saints in the light. 1
Introduction: A Letter to a Church That Paul Had Never Met. Colossae was a small Gentile town in the Lycus valley with a long-settled Jewish community nearby; the young church Epaphras planted was being pressed by teaching that ranked believers by secret knowledge and ritual. Paul answers that pressure not with a new system, but by naming what they already are — holy ones, together. 2
The text: the greeting that sets the terms (1:1–2). Paul writes “to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse.” Saints — hagioi, the holy ones — is the word Israel wore at Sinai, now laid on a Gentile congregation without qualification and without a second tier. 3
The Four Points
I. The Holy Ones (v. 2)
— called saints together. Holiness here is an address, not an achievement being measured: the name God gives the people He has set apart. 4 Supported by Exodus 19:5–6 (“a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”) and 1 Peter 2:9–10 (“who once were not a people but are now the people of God”) — the vocabulary of Sinai placed on Gentile believers, not a replacement people but the one holy nation filled out. 5 Application: Paul names them saints before correcting anything — identity first, instruction after; no believer outranks another by ancestry, ritual, or secret knowledge. The question shifts from “Am I in?” to “Will I live like what I already am?” 6
II. The Shared Faith (vv. 4–5)
— faith, love and hope held in common. Held by all, not distributed by rank; note the reach — love “for all the saints.” 7 Supported by Ephesians 2:13–14 (the middle wall of separation broken down) and Galatians 3:28–29 (all one in Christ, heirs according to the promise). 8 Application: faith looks up, love looks across, hope looks ahead — remove one and the others sag. Where love is selective, the gospel is quietly renegotiated back into tiers. 9
III. The Growing Gospel (v. 6)
— bearing fruit in all the world. The same gospel bearing the same fruit everywhere it lands; Colossae was not a regional variant. 10Supported by Genesis 12:3, Isaiah 49:6 and Acts 1:8 — Colossae is not an exception to the plan but the plan arriving. 11 Application: Paul measures a church by fruit and growth, never pedigree. Grace understood produces fruit; grace diluted produces anxiety. 12
IV. The Shared Inheritance (vv. 11–12)
— qualified as partakers. “Has qualified” is past tense and the Father’s work; the inheritance is already assigned, not pending performance. 13 Supported by Ephesians 1:13, Romans 8:17 and Acts 26:18 — joint heirs do not receive portions but the same inheritance, together. 14 Application: striving to become qualified is striving against what the Father has already done; security is the ground of thanksgiving, generosity and endurance. 15
Closing
Paul’s prayer (1:9–11). He asks for knowledge of God’s will, a worthy walk, fruitfulness, and strength for patience with joy — not a higher rank or a secret insight, but that they would walk in what is already theirs. 16
Conclusion. Four truths of one people: holy ones, shared faith, growing gospel, shared inheritance — everything the Colossians were told to climb toward, the Father had already handed them in Christ. 17
Call to action: Walk Worthy of What You Already Hold. Receive the address; widen the love toward a believer you’ve ranked below you; give thanks out loud using Colossians 1:12; bear visible fruit at home and work. 18
The Promise Received: Colossians 1:12 — “Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” 19
The message moves from identity (who you are) to evidence (what that produces) to security (what you already hold), with the Jew-and-Gentile unity as the thread tying all four points together.