Sermon Tone Analysis

Paul showed the supremacy of Christ.

At the end of that section, Paul wrote this:

Now, the the next verses, Paul is going to expand upon this.

Once you were alienated

transferred to another owner

estranged

excluded

separated

Once you were enemies

hostile, hatred

hate being corrected

what if the person constantly showed you that you were wrong, what you were doing was wrong.

Even many of the good things you did were done from wrong motives.

What if they constantly were better than you and you could never measure up?

hate

hostility

Enemies in your minds as seen in evil behavior

But now He has reconciled

not simply bringing together two parties, but bringing to parties that were estranged.

They were once together, but the relationship was broken.

By Christ’s physical body through death

body of flesh

Gnostics denied Christ’s true humanity and true deity.

Why so important that he came in the flesh?

To present you...

a servant coming before the master, a special honor

Christ presented to the Lord in the temple - Luke 2.22

presented, not ashamed

Here in this context God is presenting us… He is bringing us to himself in honor

To present you Holy in his sight...

holy - set apart for God, dedicated to God, a saint, devoted to God, sharing in God’s purity

… without blemish

blameless

nothing that would make you unworthy to be his

same word used to describe Christ

In Revelation we find this word

How can that be?

…and free from accusation

People might say something, but Nothing sticks.

Behavior impeccable.

Is that true?

Yeah, but...

Is that true?

No absolutely not.

Luther used a simple analogy to explain it.

He described the condition of a patient who was mortally ill.

The doctor proclaimed that he had medicine that would surely cure the man.

The instant the medicine was administered, the doctor declared that the patient was well.

At that instant the patient was still sick, but as soon as the medicine passed his lips and entered his body the patient began to get well.

So it is with our reconciliation and justification.

As soon as we truly believe, that very instant we start to get better; the process of becoming pure and holy is underway and its future completion is certain.

If...

If statements.

Typically in English, we use these statements as what we call conditional statements.

If A then B. If it rains, the ground will be wet.

However, there are uses in English of if being a rhetorical device.

A use of certain language structures to elicit a response from the audience.

They are used to make arguments more compelling, or to draw people into the conversation.

She's 80 years old if she's a day.

(there is not doubt that she is at least a day.

Expressing a truth)

If he’s a woman, I’m a monkey’s uncle.

(sarcasm to make a point)

If you put your hand into the fire, you will get burned.

(really a command to not put your hand in the fire, couched in gentler language)

In Greek, the language Paul used to write this letter as the Holy Spirit inspired him, There are multiple ways to use conditional sentences.

These constructions depend upon the word(s) used for ‘if’, the tense and mood of the verb used for the ‘if’ part - the protasis, and the tense and mood of the verb used for the ‘then’ part - the apodosis.

I am showing this chart just to help you see visually that there are different ways that Greek used conditional sentences.

Why is this important?

Because if you want to understand what is being communicated, you need to know the rhetorical devices being used.

‘Butterflies in my stomach’ illustration.

If we want to understand a passage, we need to understand what was being expressed by the author, including rhetorical devices used.

Colossians 1:22–23 (NIV)

But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

In this case, the ‘then’ part preceeds the ‘if’ part.

In Greek, they are not as rigid as much of our English grammar is when it comes to word/phrase/clause order in a sentence.

In this use of a conditional statement, it is a first class conditional.

It uses present tense, and indicative mood.

The first class conditional is presenting what is assumed to be true for the argument’s sake, in order to draw in the audience.

The point is to lead the audience to agree with the point being made since they agree with the condition.

If he’s a woman, I’m a monkey’s uncle.

Do you believe he’s a woman?

Then you won’t believe I’m a monkey’s uncle.

She’s 80 years old if she’s a day.

Do you believe she’s a day old?

Then you will agree she’s 80 years old.

Or, a Biblical example:

This is the construction Paul is using here in Colossians.

He has already stated the conclusion, which he wants them to accept.

So, he now uses a first class condition, to lead them to that conclusion.

He reconciled us in order to present us holy in his sight, blameless and free from accusation.

If you continue in your faith

The point here is that Paul already both believes they are continuing in the faith, even though they are being told to follow different traditions and rituals by some false teachers, and he wants to encourage them to continue to do so.

We know that because Paul already stated it a few times.

If you continue in your faith

Paul is expecting them to agree, and say, yes, we are continuing in the faith, so that they will agree with the statement he already asserted, that He reconciled us in order to present us holy, blameless and free from accusation.

He is not doubting their continuing.

He is assuming it to be true, to draw them into the conversation of his letter, as well as to spur them on in their faith with the true message of the gospel.

And, he also wants to encourage them to continue in the faith.

remain, stay, persist