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021 - Verses 10-13 · Commentary on the Epistle to the Colossians

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty one of Commentary on the Epistle to the
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  Speaker 1: Colossians by John Calvin, translated by Reverend John Pringle. This
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recordings in the public domain, Verses ten to thirteen. Aristarchus,
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  Speaker 1: my fellow prisoner, saluteth you, and Marcus's sister's son to Barnabas,
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  Speaker 1: touching whom ye received commandments. If he come unto you,
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  Speaker 1: receive him. And Jesus, who is called Justice, who are
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  Speaker 1: of the circumcision. These only are my fellow workers unto
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  Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. Epaphorus,
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  Speaker 1: who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you,
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  Speaker 1: always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may
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  Speaker 1: stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
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  Speaker 1: For I bear him record that he hath a great
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  Speaker 1: zeal for you and them that are in Laodicea and
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  Speaker 1: them in Herapolis ten fellow prisoner. From this, it appears
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  Speaker 1: that there were others that were so seated with Paul
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  Speaker 1: after he was brought to Rome. It is also probable
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  Speaker 1: that his enemies exerted themselves in the outset to deter
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  Speaker 1: all pious persons from giving him help. By threatening them
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  Speaker 1: with the like danger, and that this, for a time
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  Speaker 1: had the desired effect, but that afterwards, some gathering up
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  Speaker 1: courage despised everything that was held out to them in
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  Speaker 1: the way of terror. That ye receive him, some manuscripts
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  Speaker 1: have receive in the imperative mood. But it is a mistake,
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  Speaker 1: For he expresses the nature of the charge which the
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  Speaker 1: Colossians had received, that it was a commendation of either
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  Speaker 1: Barnabas or of Marcus. The latter is the more probable.
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  Speaker 1: In the Greek it is the infinitive mood, but it
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  Speaker 1: may be rendered in the way I have done. Let Us, however,
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  Speaker 1: observe that they were careful in furnishing attestations, that they
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  Speaker 1: might distinguish good men from false brethren, from pretenders, from fosters,
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  Speaker 1: and multitudes of vagrants. The same care is more than
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  Speaker 1: simply necessary at the present day, both because good teachers
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  Speaker 1: are coldly received, and because credulous and foolish men lay
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  Speaker 1: themselves too open to be deceived by impostors. Eleven these
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  Speaker 1: only are fellow workers, that is of the circumcision. For
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  Speaker 1: he afterwards names others. But they were of the uncircumcision.
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  Speaker 1: He means therefore that there were few Jews at Rome
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  Speaker 1: who showed themselves to be helpers to the Gospel, nay
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  Speaker 1: more that the whole nation was opposed to Christ at
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  Speaker 1: the same time. By workers, he means those only who
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  Speaker 1: were endowed with gifts that were necessary for promoting the Gospel.
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  Speaker 1: But where was Peter at that time? Unquestionably he has
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  Speaker 1: either been shamefully passed over here and not without injustice,
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  Speaker 1: or else those speak falsely who maintained that he was
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  Speaker 1: then at Rome. Farther he calls the Gospel the Kingdom
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  Speaker 1: of God, for it is the scepter by which God
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  Speaker 1: reigns over us, and by means of it we are
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  Speaker 1: singled out to life eternal. But of this form of
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  Speaker 1: expression we shall treat more fully elsewhere twelve always striving.
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  Speaker 1: Here we have an example of a good pastor whom
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  Speaker 1: distance of place cannot induce to forget the church, so
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  Speaker 1: as to prevent him from taking the care of it
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  Speaker 1: with him beyond the sea. We must notice also the
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  Speaker 1: strength of entreaty that is expressed in the word striving.
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  Speaker 1: For although the apostle had it in view here to
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  Speaker 1: express intensity of affection, he at the same time admonishes
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  Speaker 1: the Colautians not to look upon the prayers of their
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  Speaker 1: pastor is useless, but on the contrary to reckon that
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  Speaker 1: they would afford them no small assistance. Lastly, let us
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  Speaker 1: infer from Paul's words that the perfection of Christians is
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  Speaker 1: when they stand complete in the will of God, and
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  Speaker 1: they may not suspend their scheme of life upon anything else.
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  Speaker 1: End of Section twenty one read by David Ronald