If Indeed...

[Deacon]

Interesting passage….Colossians 1:21-23

And you, who once were alienated
and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death,
in order to present you holy and blameless
and above reproach before him,
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast,
not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard,
which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven,
and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (ESV, bolding added)


“If indeed you continue in the faith”
It’s a conditional statment.

…the words in this sentence may be paraphrased: “At any rate if you stand firm in the faith—and I am sure that you will,”
(Thrall, M. E. Greek Particles in the New Testament. Linguistic and Exegetical Studies. NTTS 3. Leiden: Brill, 1962).

See Colossians 2:5 (ESV)
"For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit,
rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ."

Just a couple of questions:

Just what exactly is this gospel that has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven?

In what sense was the gospel proclaimed to all creation during Paul’s time?

Rob

 

[russell55]

Just a couple of questions:

Just what exactly is this gospel that has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven?

In what sense was the gospel proclaimed to all creation during Paul’s time?

Rob

I tend to think of that statement as hyperbole. The gospel, at the time Paul wrote that, had been preached to people around the known world. Some people object to interpretting it like that, because they think that means Paul was making an inaccurate statement. However, I'd say it would only be an inaccurate statement if he readers didn't know what he meant by it.