I have started to look into Paul's letter to the Colossians again since it is the portion of Scripture I plan to use as the theological foundation for my dissertation project.
I want to highlight a prominent motif in the letter that can be overlooked too easily: teaching and understanding.
It gets underway early - by the 6th verse - where Epaphras is recognized as teacher to the Colossians:
"5b Of this - (the hope laid up for them in heaven) - you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant."
Apparently, Epaphras was a GOOD teacher - the proof being the gospel bearing fruit and increasing in their midst.
The hearing AND understanding are both crucial here - just as in Jesus' parable of the 4 soils in Matthew 13 where the ultimate difference between the first and last soil is "understanding".
Hearing doesn't automatically lead to understanding.
And without the people grasping the truth, the gospel would not advance.
While it's true that even the best of teachers cannot reach EVERY student, NO students are reached by the worst of teachers.
Epaphras apparently proved to be a good teacher.
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