I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. - Col 1:24–29
Throughout the first chapter of Colossians, Paul expresses his thankfulness and prayers for the Colossian believers, commending them for their faith in Jesus Christ and their love for one another. He has also given them a deep understanding of the pre-eminence of Christ over all creation, how he is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation. Furthermore, Paul explains the great work of Christ's reconciliation and redemption, emphasizing the importance of continuing in the faith and holding firm to the hope of the gospel.
Now, turning to the subject of his preaching, Paul emphasizes the centrality of Jesus Christ in all that he proclaims. He limits his message to the subject of Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, which brings about salvation and the forgiveness of sins. In doing so, Paul is reminding the Colossian believers and all who read this letter that the gospel's message is not just another teaching or philosophy but is centred on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Him, we preach!
This passage highlights that Jesus Christ was the sole subject of Paul's preaching, as evidenced by the phrase "him we preach" in Colossians 1:28. Despite the prevalence of modern sermons on topics such as personal improvement, Paul's preaching was singularly focused on the person and work of Jesus Christ, specifically his death, burial, and resurrection. Paul made it clear that he was not ashamed of this singularity, and in 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, he stated that "we preach Christ crucified," which is a stumbling block to some but the power and wisdom of God to those who are called. Thus, Paul's preaching centred around the person and work of Jesus Christ, and any other subtopics were secondary and served as a dressing around his central theme. The idea of preaching Christ is a central theme in the writings of Paul, and there are several passages where he emphasizes the importance of preaching Christ alone. Here are a few examples:
1 Corinthians 2:2: "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
Galatians 1:8-9: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."
Philippians 1:15-18: "Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice."
Colossians 1:27-28: "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
Him we preach!
Notice Paul says, “we preach!” The centrality of Christ in preaching was not exclusive to Paul but was also the single focus of all the other apostles, as seen in the New Testament text. In Acts 4:2, we read that "they [the apostles] were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead." Similarly, in Acts 5:42, we read that "every day, in the temple and from house to house, they [the apostles] did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
The apostles' preaching was centred on the person and work of Jesus Christ, emphasizing his death, burial, and resurrection as the means of salvation. This shows that Paul's preaching was not an isolated emphasis but reflected the overarching message of the gospel proclaimed by all the apostles.
As we reflect on Paul's emphasis on the centrality of Jesus Christ in his preaching, we must ask ourselves: is Christ the sole subject of our preaching and teaching? Do we focus solely on Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as the means of salvation, or do we dilute the message with other subtopics? Are we willing to be singularly focused on preaching Christ, even if it means that our message is a stumbling block to some?
These questions are crucial for every Christian preacher and teacher to consider, as we seek to faithfully proclaim the gospel to our congregations and those around us. May we be like Paul and the other apostles, who proclaimed Christ and him alone, and may we be unashamed of the singularity of our preaching. Christ we preach!
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