Colossians 3:15 - Exposition

And let the peace of Christ be umpire in your hearts ( Colossians 1:14 , Colossians 1:20-22 ; Colossians 2:18 ; Ephesians 2:13-18 ; Romans 5:1 , Romans 5:10 ; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 ; Acts 10:36 ; Hebrews 13:20 ; Philippians 3:14 ). "Of God," the reading of the Received Text, is borrowed from Philippians 4:7 , where, however, "in Christ Jesus" follows (comp. Philippians 4:13 b , and Ephesians 4:32 ). "The peace of Christ" is that which he effects in reconciling men to God, and to himself as their Lord ( Philippians 4:13 b ; Colossians 1:20 , see note; Romans 5:1 ). Here is the source of inner tranquillity and health of soul (see note on "peace," Colossians 1:2 ; Romans 8:6-9 ; John 16:33 ); and of the outward union and harmony of the Church, the body of Christ ( Ephesians 2:16 ; Ephesians 4:2 , Ephesians 4:3 ; Romans 14:15-19 ; Romans 15:7 ). In John 14:27 , on the other hand, Christ's peace, his "legacy," is that which he possessed and exemplified—an idea foreign to this context. This "peace" is to "act as umpire" in the Christian's heart. The compound κατα βρα - βεύω ("act as umpire against you") has already been used in Colossians 2:18 (see note; also Philippians 3:14 , cognate βραβεῖον ) of the false teacher who, in condemning the faith of the Colossian Christians as insufficient for the attaining of "perfectness" ( Colossians 2:14 ) without angel worship, etc., virtually took away their prize and judged them "unworthy of eternal life." The Greek commentators seem, therefore, to be right, as against most moderns (but see Klopper on the other side), in retaining the primary sense of the verb instead of generalizing it into "rule" or the like. It stands in precise antithesis, both of sense and sound, to Colossians 2:18 : "Let not the deceivers decide against you, but let the peace of Christ decide in your hearts" (Cramer's 'Catena'). "The peace of Christ" dwelling within the heart is to be the security of the Colossian believer against the threats of false teachers: "They sock to rob you of your prize; let this assure you of it." Present, conscious peace with God is a warrant of the Christian's hope of everlasting life ( Romans 5:1-11 ; Romans 8:31-39 ; Romans 15:13 ; Ephesians 1:13 , Ephesians 1:14 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 ; Titus 3:7 ). This assurance is identical with "the witness of the Spirit" ( Romans 8:15 , Romans 8:16 ; Galatians 4:6 , Galatians 4:7 ; Ephesians 1:13 , Ephesians 1:14 ). The apostle argued in Colossians 1:4 , Colossians 1:5 from the present faith and love of his readers to "the hope laid up for them in heaven;" here he bids them find in the peace which Christ has brought to their souls the earnest of their future bliss. It is but a generalizing of the same idea when he speaks in Philippians 4:7 of "the peace of God" as "garrisoning the heart and thoughts" against fear and doubt. Unto which also ye were called, in one body ( Colossians 1:12 , Colossians 1:18 ; Colossians 2:2 ; Ephesians 4:14-18 , Ephesians 4:1-6 ; Philippians 1:27 , Philippians 1:28 ; 1 Corinthians 10:17 ; 1 Corinthians 12:12 , 1 Corinthians 12:13 ; Romans 12:5 ). So this "peace" is to be at once their inward safeguard, and the ground of their outward union. They are to stand together in its defence ( Philippians 1:27 , Philippians 1:28 ). Error, which blights the Church's hope, destroys her unity. So the maintenance of that "one hope of our calling," assured by a Divine peace within the soul, unites all Christian hearts in a common cause (compare the connection of Philippians 4:18 and Philippians 4:19 in Colossians 2:1-23 .). With St. Paul, the peace of God's children with him and with each other is so essentially one that he speaks almost indistinguishably of both ( Ephesians 2:15 , Ephesians 2:16 ; 2 Corinthians 13:11 ; 2 Thessalonians 3:16 ). He adds, and be ye thankful ( Colossians 1:3-5 , Colossians 1:12 ; Colossians 2:7 ; Colossians 3:17 ; Colossians 4:2 ; Ephesians 5:20 ); viz. "for this assurance of your future blessedness afforded by the peace of Christ within your hearts, with its outward evidence in your Christian unity." The apostle gave thanks for them on like grounds ( Colossians 1:3-5 : comp. Colossians 1:12-14 ). The command to give thanks prevails in this Epistle, as that to rejoice in Philippians. "Be" is the Greek γίνομαι ("become"); so in Ephesians 4:32 ; Ephesians 5:1 , Ephesians 5:17 . It implies "striving after an aim as not yet realized" (Meyer: comp. John 15:8 )—rather, therefore, "to be in act," "to prove" or "show one's self thankful" (see Grimm's 'Lexicon;' and comp. Romans 3:4 ; Luke 10:36 ).