Faithful Brethren

December 2025

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus 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.”

—Colossians 1:1-2

Paul writes the epistle to the saints in Colossae, a city in Phrygia in the Roman province of Asia, which is now a part of modern Turkey, and about a hundred miles to the east of the city of Ephesus. The church there was founded by Epaphras, a disciple of Paul. The church was actually located in the home of Philemon, a man of wealth and also the master of the runaway slave Onesimus, which the book of Philemon deals with.

The essential theme of Colossians is the adequacy of Christ. He and He alone is sufficient in all matters concerning life and living. The key verses of Colossians are these: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Col. 2:9-10).

The purpose of the letter was to address three streams of error that were coming into the churchand thereby deceiving the people, leading them away from correct doctrine. One must understand that it is the responsibility of leadership to point out error and false doctrine so that the sheep won’t be led astray and destroyed. 

The three streams of error were:

• Gnosticism. The word gnostic comes from the Greek word gnosis, which is where we get our English word knowledge. These gnostics were stressing to the people that they had arrived at a higher knowledge apart from God’s Word and accepted Orthodox teachings. They taught that the material world was flawed and evil and that they possessed superior knowledge of God, which was false. They downplayed sin and repentance and elevated illumination and enlightenment, which could only be learned from them.

• Legalism. This is man’s attempt to attain righteousness and holiness by obedience to man-made rules and regulations. Colossians 2:16 speaks of this: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.”

• Asceticism. This was the practice of strict self-denial of anything pleasurable as a measure of personal and spiritual discipline. They were attempting to subjugate the flesh by various means of self-discipline.

All three of these forms or error were an attack against the lordship of Christ. He alone is Savior and sustainer.

Paul begins the book of Colossians with his usual salutation by the words, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ.” Apostle means “delegate, ambassador; someone sent by God.” The call of the apostle is the highest of the five-fold ministry giftings to the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11). Notice in I Corinthians 12:28 how Paul states, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles.”

Actually, all five giftings—plus all the gifts of the Spirit—mark one who is an apostle. It is through apostles that the Holy Spirit guides the church regarding doctrine and direction. Paul is called “the apostle of grace,” for it was to him that the revelation of the new covenant was first given. John was called “the apostle of love.” And, in modern times, Smith Wigglesworth was called “the apostle of faith.” The question is asked, are there apostles today? I think we should leave that up to the Lord and not interject our own feelings.

Paul then states that his calling was “by the will of God.” Man cannot call or appoint anyone to the ministry—that is in the purview of God and God alone. The will of God is paramount. We must know His will in all things. In Luke 22:42, Jesus gives us the greatest example: “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”

The greatest struggle for the believer will be the crucifying of one’s self-will in order to function in the perfect will of God. If one is not in the will of God, then one’s accomplishments for God will be very little. Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:10, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Never forget that the will of God is the Word of God, and the Word of God is the will of God. One cannot know the will of God apart from the Word of God and communion with God.

In the second verse of Colossians 1, Paul said “To the saints.” Every single child of God is a saint. There is no such thing as a patron saint, and neither do we pray to saints. First Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”John 14:6 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Then Paul said, “and faithful brethren in Christ” (Col. 1:2). By Paul identifying faithful brethren, there were also “unfaithful brethren.” The faithful brethren were those in the Colossae church who had not been swayed by every wind of false doctrine blowing into the church. In their case, it would have been the false doctrine of Gnosticism, legalism, and asceticism.

All three of these false teachings were an attack against the cross of Christ. In essence, all three lies were casting doubt upon the completeness of the work of Christ on the cross. 

Your understanding of the cross of Christ will determine how you interpret the Bible, and how you see Jesus Christ. If the sacrifice of Christ is not enough to satisfy our justification and our sanctification, then we have an imperfect Savior producing a false salvation. Christ is either everything or He is nothing. Man cannot add one thing to justification or sanctification. 

The word faithful means “trustworthy, true, fidelity; steadfast without wavering.” To be “faithful brethren” means to hold true to the finished work of Christ on Calvary’s cross. His sacrifice was and is a perfect sacrifice, producing a perfect salvation. Our salvation is perfect and complete in Him alone.

So anything that you follow must not add to or take away from Christ and the cross. If what you are following is leading you away from the cross, then you become “unfaithful brethren.” 

Every day, we must firmly commit to being “faithful brethren.” Every day, we must make sure that our faith is in Christ and the cross and nothing else.

When your faith is right, then the grace and peace that flows from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will cover you completely. And, if our faith is wrong, there is no grace and no peace.

Let us strive to be faithful brethren.