PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

STRUGGLING FOR THE HEARTS TO BE COMFORTED

In 2:1 Paul says, "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh." This verse indicates that Paul was struggling, agonizing, wrestling, to see a particular matter accomplished among the Colossians and Laodiceans. Verse 2 shows the object of Paul's struggle: "That their hearts may be comforted, being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ." For years I could not understand why Paul spoke about hearts being comforted immediately after giving such a high vision of Christ. Not knowing how to connect the vision in chapter one to this word in chapter two, I spent a great deal of time to find out why such a word was inserted. Paul did not say that he struggled so that the Colossians and Laodiceans would see the vision of Christ given in chapter one. According to my concept, this is what he should have said. If verse 2 had been written in this way, it would have been much easier for me to understand. Nevertheless, Paul did not say that he struggled so that the saints would exercise their spirits to see what he had shared with them concerning Christ. He struggled that their hearts might be comforted....

The words "unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ" are in apposition to "unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding." The second "unto" equals the first. Although I could understand certain of these details, I could not understand the verse as a whole. I simply did not know the reason for this word.

We thank the Lord that, through the years, He has shown us the reason. As we consider this reason, let us recall that, as sister books, Ephesians is concerned with the church as the Body, whereas Colossians deals with Christ as the Head. Ephesians places great emphasis on the human spirit; it uses the phrase "in spirit" repeatedly. Colossians, however, refers to the human spirit only once (2:5). In Colossians the heart is of crucial significance. Here Paul emphasizes the importance of the heart in receiving the revelation concerning Christ. For years we have spoken about turning to the spirit, exercising the spirit, and abiding in the spirit. However, we have not given as much attention to taking care of the heart. Paul knew that if we would present others full-grown in Christ, we must be concerned about the condition of their hearts. The fact that he concludes chapter one with a word about presenting every man mature in Christ and opens chapter two with a word about the comforting of the hearts indicates that presenting others full-grown in the Lord has much to do with the heart.

Because of the different observances, ordinances, and philosophies that had crept into the church life, the hearts of the saints in Colosse had been hurt; they had become cold and dissatisfied. Whenever such things come in, the result is always dissension and division. We must guard the door of the church lest such things enter in and cause harm. The church in Colosse had been invaded by Jewish ordinances and observances and by pagan philosophy, mysticism, and asceticism. These things caused the saints to become opinionated, dissenting, and dissatisfied. They also caused the hearts of the saints to be hurt and to become cold, divided, and separated from one another. Therefore, Paul struggled on behalf of the saints that their hearts would be comforted and knit together in love.

In this verse to be comforted means to be cherished, that is, to be lovingly warmed up. Ephesians 5:29 says that Christ nourishes and cherishes His church. To nourish is to feed, and to cherish is to make warm. How the saints in Colosse needed the Lord's cherishing! Their hearts needed to be comforted, to be warmed.

Paul speaks of the hearts being knit together in love. The words "knit together in love" indicate that some kind of separation had taken place and that there had been a loss of love. The different observances, ordinances, and philosophies that had crept in had caused this loss of love.

THE HEART AND THE MIND

In this verse Paul deals with two crucial organs of our inner being: the heart and the mind. (The word understanding implies the mind.) Once the heart has been hurt and has become cold and divided, it is easy for the mind to be distracted or even attacked by the enemy. When the mind is in such a condition, it cannot understand the word that is ministered concerning Christ and God's economy.

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