From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part three of a three-part series. Read part two.

The word translated "perfect" in Colossians 1:28 literally means being complete, a finished product, lacking nothing. The idea, in context, is maturity.

Review

In this series we are focusing on the indispensable elements of Christian preaching, as the Apostle Paul sets them forth in Colossians 1:28. "Him we preach," Paul says, "warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect [or complete] in Christ Jesus."

In our first article we took up the question, "What does it mean to truly preach Christ?" In the postmodern Evangelical church, many counterfeits have supplanted preaching that places the person and work of Jesus Christ at the center. Genuine Christian preaching proclaims His person and work as the Creator of the Universe, the Savior of sinners, and the Lord of the Church. This is the kind of preaching that must take place, week in and week out, in the church, to Christians, if those who have believed the Gospel are to grow to spiritual maturity.

Secondly, we took up the question, "What is the method of genuine Christian preaching?" We saw that it is preaching primarily to believers. This is not to exclude evangelism, but to maintain the vital balance commanded by Christ in His Great Commission: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel" (Mark 16:15), "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). It is preaching of the person and work of Christ in all its fullness, and all its implications. It is preaching that brings the unbeliever face to face with his need to repent of his sins and to place his faith in Christ. It is preaching that subsequently renovates every area of the believer's mind. It is preaching that imparts sound doctrine. It is preaching that deals with every kind and area of wisdom from the one source of wisdom, Christ and His Word.

A Dual "Presenting"

Today we take up a third question: What is the goal of preaching Christ in the church? What is to be the end result? It is, Paul says, "that we may present every man" - every believer - "perfect in Christ Jesus."

Notice first of all the very special significance of the verb "present" in this verse. Paul uses the same word back at verse 22: "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He [Jesus] has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight."

Paul proclaims the same truth in Ephesians chapter five, where he declares that "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25-27).

The writer to the Hebrews speaks of this also when he declares that Christ is the Captain of our salvation, who is "bringing many sons to glory" (Hebrews 2:10). And then, quoting Messianic prophecies in Psalms, Second Samuel, and Isaiah, he says this:

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: "I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You." And again: "I will put My trust in Him." And again: "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me." (Hebrews 2:11-13)

Christ will present us before the Father, "complete in Him" (Colossians 2:10). But in Colossians 1:28 Paul also speaks of a second aspect of this "presenting". He says that it is the goal of Christian preaching that Paul and other ministers of the Word may "present every man [every believer] perfect [complete] in Christ Jesus." The obedient minister of the Word, the man who has preached the Gospel and instructed the saints as a faithful under-shepherd of Christ, has a share in this "presenting". Paul speaks of this in other epistles as well:

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. (Philippians 4:1)

...we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus. (2 Corinthians 1:14)

Perfect = Mature

Here in Colossians 1:28 Paul says that the goal of his preaching is that he, and Timothy and Epaphras, and by implication every other faithful preacher of Christ, may present the believers to whom they minister, "perfect". What does he mean by that? The word that is translated "perfect" literally signifies being complete, a finished product, lacking nothing. The idea, in context, is that of maturity.

Here again, as he has many times before in chapter one, Paul is using language that the Colossians would have heard from the false teachers. They said that you needed to be gradually initiated into the mysteries of their religion. In our time the Masonic lodge, which is actually a religion itself, and other "mystery religions", say the same thing. The Masons say that you must go through 32 or 33 degrees of initiation before you reach the top of the ladder in their religion, before you can know its deepest secrets and practice them properly. The Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Scientology, and the Eastern religions say the same thing. Roman Catholicism also emphasizes this counterfeit kind of "mystery". And, the doctrines into which these religions initiate their followers are the soul-damning words of fallen men.

But Paul is saying that although genuine Christian doctrine needs to be learned, and Christian doctrine has its mysteries - things that were hidden in times past but are now revealed, as well as things yet to be revealed in the unfolding plan of God �??�?�¢?? all of these things are open to every Christian, not just to some elite group. In Christ the goal is for every believer to be mature, to be fully initiated into all the wisdom that is in Christ, and to put it into practice in this present life as preparation for the life to come. Christian maturity is the process of growing in sanctification through the inculcation of sound doctrine. This is the purpose of preaching in the church. As Jesus prayed in John 17, "Sanctify them by Your Word. Your Word is truth."

The goal of genuine Christian preaching is maturity in Christ, not maturity in the things of the world. Recognize that all wisdom, all truth, has its source in Christ. Do not go looking for the source of wisdom anywhere else. Do not look for it in lodge religion, or philosophy, or psychology, or in the cults, or in a feel-good church. You won't find it there. You'll only find it in Christ and His Word.

Also, understand that you must view all of human knowledge and all of human wisdom through the lens of Scripture. That is the key to mature discernment. This applies to every discipline and walk of life, not just the things that we normally categorize as "spiritual" things. This is what it means to be a Scripture-driven Christian and a Scripture-driven church. God's inspired, inerrant Word must be your sole authority, and your infallible critic, in every area of life and ministry.

A Practical Goal for the Preacher and the People

Developing maturity in Christ has very practical purposes. It is part of our preparation for the life to come. It is also our witness and testimony to the world, and our example to our fellow believers, in the life we now live. Maturity in Christ should and must impact every thought and action of the believer in everyday life. Whoever you are and whatever you do, the Word of God must determine the way you approach what you do and the way that you do it, because all wisdom has its source in Jesus Christ and in Holy Scripture.

If you work behind the counter at McDonald's, the Word of God must determine the way you approach your job and the way you do your job. It tells you how you are to deal with your boss and your coworkers, how you are to deal with customers, and how you are to deal with the product.

If you are a medical doctor, the Word of God must likewise determine the way you approach your job and the way you do it. It must define your ethics. It must inform the ways in which you apply your scientific and clinical knowledge to your patients. It must govern your thinking about the preservation of life.

If you are a salesman, the Word of God must convict you of right and wrong so that you always deliver an honest sales pitch, you never cheat a customer, and you never fill out a dishonest expense report.

If you are a wife working long hours to take care of your home, and to take care of your husband and your children if you have children, the same thing is true. The Word of God must determine how you love and submit to your husband in the Lord, whether he is a believer or not. It must determine how you love, teach, and discipline your children. The Word of God must be your resource and your guide in the most difficult and trying circumstances that come with the very hard work of home-making.

Mothers and fathers, this means that the Word of God must govern how you deal with each other, and the kind of a godly example of a loving relationship you place before your children and before others outside your home. It must determine the things that you let your children watch on television and on their computers �??�?�¢?? and what you let yourself watch as well. God's Word must govern the kinds of music your family listens to. The kinds of things you read and do not read. The kinds of places you go and do not go. The wisdom of the Word of God should cause Christian parents to place great priority on the family, on the vital place of the family unit, on the importance of family relationships �??�?�¢?? things that are so much missing even in Christian households today.

And for the preacher, maturity in Christ means setting a Christ-like example in every aspect of your life and ministry, in your home and family, and in your preaching of the Word. It means not allowing the tyranny of a host of church activities to undermine the family. It means that you must always keep before you the fact that the people under your care face a myriad of challenges to their faith. It means that you must recognize the unsettling fact that we live in a time when maturity is lacking in the church. We live in a time when postmodern Evangelicalism has produced a generation largely made up of spiritual adolescents, no matter what their age by the calendar. Maturity in Christ is the crying need of the hour. It means that you must always keep in mind the definition of genuine Christian preaching, God's prescribed method, and the goal for both this life and the life to come �??�?�¢?? that you may participate in that dual "presenting" of every believer in your care, "perfect in Christ Jesus."

tq0364