Fully Assured in All the Will of God

If you have read about my goals for this website then you are already somewhat familiar with my passion for pursuing God’s will in all things. This past Sunday the Preacher at Winnetka Church of Christ (Bruce Evans) gave a sermon about the importance of pursuing our dreams. He mentioned a man, in Colossians 4:12, that I couldn’t remember hearing about before. Now there isn’t much mentioned about Epaphras in the Paul’s letters, I could only find three, but the times he is mentioned gives us some insight into his goal for the Colossians.

Colossians 4: 12 – Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

The only other two times Epaphras is mentioned is in Colossians 1:7, and Philemon 1:23. Now I won’t go into too much speculation or try to expound on who Epaphras was. Upon reading the three verses we seem to find out three things about him:

1. He had a role in teaching the Christians in Colossae (bringing the Gospel to them) (Colossians 1:7)
2. One of his goals for the Colossians was for them to be convinced and supported by knowing ALL of God’s will (Colossians 4:12)
3. He was with Paul while he was writing the prison epistles (letters) and worked with Paul during that time (Philemon 1:23)

At the risk of making this a long drawn out post based on three passages allow me to interpret these verses as they seem to apply to the context of the chapters and the Colossians.

If we were to make a pattern based only on theses verses we would have something like this: 1) The first concern with an individual is salvation 2) Following salvation importance is placed on the pursuit of God’s will, 3) even when we may pursue work in other areas it is expected that we retain an interest in the individuals we have taught or worked with in the past. It would seem that for Epaphras, a major goal was the maturity of the Church at Colossae. Notice that this maturity was wholly dependent upon a conviction and assurance of knowing all of God’s will.

Many times I have heard or read Christians state that no Church or Christian can truly know all of God’s will. Their assumption then is that if we can’t follow God’s will 100% in how we live and worship then we must make allowances and ignore areas that seem to be “gray”. Let me say that I don’t advocate running around telling people they are going to Hell, I take it very seriously when Jesus said “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2). I do however advocate the pursuit and expectation that through study, introspection, and prayer, we can fully know what God expects in all areas regarding life and Godliness.

Epaphras understood that it was a knowledge of God’s will that leads men and women to grow into mature followers of Christ. I encourage us to pursue that goal. Let us not regard any Biblical issue as unworthy of discussion (and debate if needed). I have heard it said  that “we should not debate over issues not related to salvation”. I am no longer concerned about my salvation, I have received God’s grace, Jesus has redeemed my soul. I am concerned with my obedience and desire when it comes to God’s will. Ignoring a matter may not condemn my soul to Hell, but does it follow the pattern set forth by Jesus and His Apostles? By ignoring an issue am I pursuing God’s will and instruction or am I avoiding a bumpy road?