“Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy — The Great Transition, The Glorious Sweep of God’s Abundant Grace — Part 29 Blessings Untold for the Colossians Too Under Grace, Chapter 3 - 4

In our overview of The Great Transition from the Pentecostal Dispensation to the Fullness of Grace revealed after the setting aside of Israel at the end of the Acts, we have considered by necessity the completed revelation give to Paul for the churches.  For that, we have looked at the prison letters of Paul.  Written after Acts 28, they reflect the Dispensation of Grace after Israel is formally set aside. With Paul's commission to go "to the Jews first" and also to minister even to Gentiles with limitations "because of the Jews", Paul could not reveal the fullness of grace as he could after Acts 28.  So here in this letter, written to the saints in Colosse probably at the same time as the Ephesian letter, we see Paul writing about how grace is reigning indeed, in human relationships of every kind and as the fundamental principle of the spiritual life.  Then, in his final words in the letter, he mentions a number of saints including one Onesimus, a runaway slave from this very city of Colosse whom he led to Christ in Rome. That name goes down in history as a result of this mention and due to the apostle's letter to Philemon, a saint (and slaveholder) in Colosse who was the master of Onesimus.  So Paul's very personal and intimate words regarding that perhaps most difficult of all human relationships, that between slaves and their masters.  Grace reigns, he writes, even their! Grace Reigns, Our Outline:Grace Reigns: In Human Relationships (Col. 3:18-25, 4:1)Grace Reigns: As the Fundamental Principle of Life (4:2-6)Grace Reigns: Even In Paul's Final Words (4:7-18)