Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have to all the saints (Colossians 1:1-4)
Paul was an apostle, who was chosen by God to fulfill the task to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and bring the Kingdom of God to the people. In the first chapter of the Book of Colossians, Paul began by acknowledging the position of his brethren in Jesus Christ. Paul commanded that the grace and peace from God and the Lord Jesus Christ would be with them.
The two great commandments
Paul and Timothy heard about their walk in Christ and they gave thanks to God the Father. Paul told them that they always prayed for them, since they heard of their faith in Jesus Christ and the love they had for all the saints.
The saints in Colosse walked in the two great commandments, which Jesus gave in Luke 10:27, and represented and fulfilled the law.
The two great commandments are, to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself
Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength
“If ye love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15)
When you love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, you will listen to Him, obey Him, and keep His commandment. You will follow Him and walk in His will. The Father sent His Word; Jesus Christ to the earth, and if you really love Jesus Christ, then you will keep His commandments (Read also: ‘The commandments of God and the commandments of Jesus Christ‘)
In Hebrew 11:6 we read that without faith, it is impossible to please God. When you love God, with all of your heart, you will have faith in Jesus Christ and you shall walk by faith in His commandments and fulfill His will on this earth, which is:
- preach the gospel,
- heal the sick,
- cast out demons,
- raise the dead
Faith in the Name of Jesus is the basis of everything. When we look at the healing of the lame man in Acts chapter 3, we read that the man was made whole through the faith of Peter in the Name of Jesus (Acts 3:16).
Love your neighbour as yourself
The second of the two great commandments is to love your neighbour as yourself. That means that you will treat your neighbour, the way you want to be treated. If you always remind yourself of these words, then you can’t go wrong. You are one spirit with your brothers and sisters; you are connected and bound by the Holy Spirit. Therefore you shall treat your brother, the way you want to be treated, because Christ lives in them.
You shall not argue, twist, be angry, gossip, be jealous, be unforgiving, steal, lie, cheat, etc. But you shall accept them and esteem the other better than yourself (Philippians 2:3).
But it all starts with your love for God and out of your love for God, you will love the people around you.
It shall not be a carnal love, but you shall love with the righteous love of God and Jesus Christ. Many times, people have a wrong perception of Biblical love. Therefore it is important to study the Word of God, so that you will find out the truth of what the real love of God is and what the false love (the love of the world) is.
As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, you shall walk in the two great commandments, which means that you, first of all, shall love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and then you shall love your neighbour as yourself.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
