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Paul begins Colossians 2 with an unusual expression: “I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you.” The word carries the idea of struggle, striving or even agony. Yet Paul was not describing a conflict centred upon himself. His concern was for believers in Colossae and Laodicea, many of whom had never seen him face to face. Colossians 1 explains his goal: to warn and teach every person so that they might be presented mature in Christ. Paul laboured towards that end because Christian ministry was not simply about getting people to begin the Christian life. He wanted them to keep growing, remain grounded in truth and become increasingly complete in Christ.
That same language appears when Paul describes Epaphras as “always labouring fervently for you in prayers”. This kind of prayer costs something. Jesus gives us the supreme example in Gethsemane, praying in agony as He submitted Himself to the Father’s will. Most of us know how difficult sustained prayer can be. Our minds wander, tiredness sets in, and the flesh resists what the spirit desires. We can also become discouraged because prayer sometimes appears powerless when we cannot immediately see an answer. Yet Paul and Epaphras remind us that prayer is not a last resort. One of the great privileges of Christian love is to labour before God for the spiritual wellbeing of someone else.
Paul then tells us what he desires for these believers: that their hearts would be encouraged, that they would be “knit together in love”, and that they would attain “the full assurance of understanding”. These things belong together. Discouraged and isolated Christians are vulnerable, while believers strengthened in Christ and joined together in genuine love are better able to recognise and resist teaching that draws them away from Him. Christian unity is therefore not simply everyone avoiding disagreement. It grows as believers become increasingly centred upon Christ, grounded in His truth and committed to loving one another.
That leads to the question Paul leaves us with in this first part – what does it mean to have full assurance? John writes that believers may “know that you have eternal life”. Christian assurance is not confidence in our own performance. It is confidence in Jesus Christ – who He is, what He has accomplished and the life God has given us in Him. For Paul, maturity, prayer, love and assurance all point in the same direction: deeper confidence in Christ and a life increasingly shaped by His presence. Before we move into the warnings that follow in Colossians 2, this is the foundation: pray earnestly for one another, remain knit together in love, and grow towards a settled, mature confidence in Christ.
Part 1 establishes four foundations for the three-part teaching:
1. Paul agonised for the spiritual growth of others
His “great conflict” was a deep pastoral concern that believers would mature rather than drift away from Christ.
2. Prayer is spiritual labour
Paul and Epaphras model persistent prayer for other believers, while Gethsemane gives the supreme picture of prayer that perseveres even through agony.
3. Maturity grows within loving fellowship
Paul wants believers encouraged and “knit together in love”. Unity and spiritual encouragement help strengthen the church against error.
4. Believers should grow in full assurance
Christian confidence rests not upon our performance but upon knowing Christ and the salvation we have in Him.
The central thought is:
Mature Christian love does not merely care about people – it prays, labours and longs to see them become complete in Christ.
Think of one believer God has placed in your life and begin praying for them specifically – not only for their circumstances, but for their spiritual growth. Pray that they would be encouraged, strengthened in Christ, united with His people and increasingly settled in the assurance of what God has given them in Jesus.
