Colossians 1:12 - Exposition

Giving thanks to the Father, who made us (or, you ) meet for our (or, your ) share in the lot (or, portion ) of the saints in the light ( Colossians 1:3-5 ; Acts 20:32 ; Acts 26:18 ; Titus 3:7 ; Ephesians 1:5 , Ephesians 1:11-14 ; Galatians 3:29 ; Romans 8:15-17 ). The reading "us" is very doubtful. Westcott and Hort, with Tischendorf, prefer "you," as in the two oldest manuscripts: for the transition from first to second person, comp. Colossians 2:13 , Colossians 2:14 ( Colossians 2:9-12 ). In the same strain the apostle gave thanks on their account ( Colossians 2:5 ). Thanksgiving" is prominent in this letter ( Colossians 2:7 ; Colossians 3:15 , Colossians 3:17 ; Colossians 4:2 ), as "joy" in Philippians. The title "the Father" frequently stands alone in St. John's Gospel, coming from the lips of the Son, but St. Paul employs it thus only here and in Ephesians 3:14 , R.V.; Romans 8:15 ; Galatians 4:6 ; see note on Galatians 4:2 . Those "give thanks to the Father" who gratefully acknowledge him in "the spirit of adoption" as their Father through Christ ( Romans 8:15 ; Galatians 4:1-7 ; Ephesians 1:5 ). And the Father makes us meet for the inheritance when he enables us to call him "Father"—"If children, then heirs." "To make meet" ( ἱκανόω , the verb found besides only in 2 Corinthians 3:5 , 2 Corinthians 3:6 in the New Testament, "to make sufficient," R.V.) is "to make competent," "to qualify" for sonic position or work. This meetness, already conferred on the Colossians, consists in their forgiveness (verse 14) and adoption ( Ephesians 1:5-7 ), which qualify and entitle them to receive the blessings of Christ's kingdom (verse 13; Romans 5:1 , Romans 5:2 ; Galatians 3:26-29 ; Ephesians 2:5 , Ephesians 2:6 ; Titus 3:7 ), and which anticipate and form the basis of that worthiness of character and fitness of condition in which they are finally to be presented "perfect in Christ" (verses 10, 22, 28; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 , 1 Thessalonians 5:24 ); "not qui dignos fecit (Vulgate), but qui idoneos fecit" (Ellicott). "Called and (made us meet)" is one of the few characteristic readings of the great Vatican Manuscript, which Westcott and Herr reject. "The lot of the saints" is that entire wealth of blessedness laid up for the people of God ( Ephesians 1:3 ; Ephesians 2:12 ; Ephesians 3:6 ; Ephesians 4:4-7 ), in which each has his due share or part (Meyer, Ellicott, Lightfoot, less suitably: "parcel of (consisting in) the lot"); comp. verse 28; Ephesians 4:7 . κλῆρος ("lot," Acts 8:21 ; Acts 26:18 ), scarcely distinguishable from the more usual κληρονομία ("inheritance," Colossians 3:24 ; Ephesians 1:14 , etc.; Acts 20:32 ; Hebrews 9:15 ; 1 Peter 1:4 ), is used in the Old Testament ( LXX ) of the sacred land as "divided by lot," and as "the lot" assigned to Israel ( Numbers 34:13 ; Deuteronomy 4:21 , etc.), also of Jehovah himself as "the lot" of the landless Levites ( Deuteronomy 10:9 ), and of Israel in turn as "the lot" of Jehovah ( Deuteronomy 4:20 ). It is the divinely allocated possession of the people of God in his kingdom. It belongs to them as "saints" ( Ephesians 4:2 ; Ephesians 2:19 ; Acts 20:32 ; Acts 26:18 ; Psalms 15:1-5 .; Numbers 35:34 ; Jeremiah 2:7 ); and it lies "in the light," in "the kingdom of the Son of God's love" ( Ephesians 4:13 ) that is filled with the light of the knowledge of God proceeding from Christ ( 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 ; John 1:4 ; John 8:12 ), light here manifest "in part" and in conflict with Satanic darkness ( Ephesians 4:13 ; Ephesians 5:8-14 ; Ephesians 6:11 , Ephesians 6:12 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 ; Romans 13:11-13 ; John 1:5 ), hereafter the full possession of God's saints ( Colossians 3:4 ; 1 Corinthians 13:12 ; Romans 13:12 ; John 12:36 ; Revelation 21:23-25 ; Isaiah 60:19 , Isaiah 60:20 ).

Ephesians 4:13 and Ephesians 4:14 proceed to show how this qualification has been gained.