Colossians. David Gooding. Myrtlefield House Study Notes.

Transcription

1 Colossians David Gooding Myrtlefield House Study Notes

2 Contents Preface 3 Structure of Colossians 4 About the Author 5 David Gooding has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. Copyright The Myrtlefield Trust, 2018 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the English Revised Version (1885) or from the King James Version. Sometimes Dr Gooding gives his own translations or paraphrases. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce this document in its entirety, or in unaltered excerpts, for personal and church use only as long as you do not charge a fee. You must not reproduce it on any Internet site. Permission must be obtained if you wish to reproduce it in any other context, translate it, or publish it in any format. Published by The Myrtlefield Trust PO Box 2216 Belfast, N Ireland BT1 9YR w: e: info@myrtlefieldhouse.com Myrtlefield catalogue no col.002.cht

3 Preface The biblical authors used the literary conventions of their day to convey their message. These included structures and patterns that are less obvious to us in an age of typesetting and digital display. David Gooding has brought his considerable experience of reading and teaching ancient literature to bear on the biblical text, and these study notes represent his thinking about the structure, patterns and thought-flow of Colossians. He has often said to groups of Bible students, When it comes to Bible study, there is structure, pattern and thought-flow, and the greatest of these is thought-flow. Here are the thoughts of God expressed. Our job is to follow the thought-flow. The most important thing to grasp is the way the author develops his argument or message, and discovering the structure and patterns that the text exhibits should always be to that end. The study notes have been developed over a number of years and were distributed at talks he gave in various places publicly and privately. Where the dates of the talks are known they are indicated on specific study notes so that the development of Dr Gooding s thought can be understood. Audio recordings and transcripts of some of these talks are available for free download from myrtlefieldhouse.com. These study notes are not meant to be the last word on Colossians, and may not cover the entire book. They are offered publicly to help Bible students, preachers and teachers to stimulate further thinking about the Epistle, so that its message may be understood. The Myrtlefield Trust 2018

4 Structure a. 1:1 8 THE HOPE LAID UP FOR YOU IN HEAVEN and its effectiveness (1:5) a. 2:1 5 ALL TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE HID IN HIM and their sufficiency (2:3) a. 3:1 4 YOUR LIFE HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD its source and location (3:3) b. 1:9 23 b. 2:6 15 b. 3:5 4:1 (1) CHRIST: FIRST AND SUPREME, image of God, firstborn of creation, creator of (1) CHRIST: SUFFICIENT AND TRIUMPHANT, all fullness in him, head of principality and (1) CHRIST: ALL AND IN ALL, the Lord, the master in heaven (3:11). principalities and powers and of all things; firstborn from dead, head of church, all fullness in him, reconciler of all. power; the circumcision, death, burial, resurrection, victory and triumph of Christ. In past: alienated/enemies Now: reconciled (1:21) Made sufficient (1:12) In past: dead Now: made alive (2:13) Made full (2:10) In past: old man, old life-style Now: new man, new life-style Being made new again (3:10) c. 1:24 29 c. 2:16 23 c. 4:2 18 PAULS SUFFERINGS STRIVING (1) to make known the mystery (1:26 27) (2) to present everyone perfect in Christ (1:28) THE STRIVINGS OF THE RELIGIONISTS, MYSTICS AND ASCETICS THE STRIVINGS OF PAUL AND FELLOW-WORKERS (1) to speak the mystery of Christ (4:3) (2) that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God (4:12) David Gooding The Myrtlefield Trust

5 About the Author DAVID W. GOODING is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Greek at Queen s University, Belfast and a member of the Royal Irish Academy. He has taught the Bible internationally and lectured on both its authenticity and its relevance to philosophy, world religions and daily life. He has published scholarly articles on the Septuagint and Old Testament narratives, as well as expositions of Luke, John, Acts, Hebrews, the New Testament s Use of the Old Testament, and several books addressing arguments against the Bible and the Christian faith. His analysis of the Bible and our world continues to shape the thinking of scholars, teachers and students alike.