Digital Logos Edition
Paul’s letter to the Colossians counters false teaching, and Ironside’s commentary on the book underscores the prescience of Paul’s words for our own era. Ironside connects the problems of the Colossian church with the concerns of the modern church, and cautions contemporary readers against threats to the Gospel in all times and places. His exposition of Colossians is bolstered by his familiarity with both the fractured church in the twentieth century and the philosophical systems that plagued the first century church. Yet his commentary remains driven by Paul’s words of hope found in Colossians 2:9: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.”
Harry Allen Ironside, one of the twentieth century’s greatest preachers, was born in Toronto, Canada on October 14, 1876. Though his education stopped with grammar school, his fondness for reading and a retentive memory put his learning to use. His scholarship was recognized in academic circles when he received honorary degrees from Wheaton College and Bob Jones University and was invited as frequent lecturer at Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Ironside was appointed to the boards of numerous Bible institutes, seminaries, and Christian organizations. He also served as director of the Africa Inland Mission. Ironside preached widely throughout the United States and abroad. He served as pastor of Moody Memorial Church from 1930 to 1948, and during his lifetime, he preached more than 7,000 sermons to over 1.25 million listeners.
“No one familiar with the Pauline Letters can fail to see how intimately linked are those to the Ephesians and the Colossians. It is very likely that the letter from Laodicea, referred to in the last chapter of the epistle we are considering, is really our Epistle to the Ephesians, and therefore we can understand why the apostle was anxious that both should be read by the same people.” (Page 7)
“Philosophy, as we have observed, is the working of the human mind independently of divine revelation. Legality is the endeavor to use a divinely given code, to which may be added precepts of men, as a means either of salvation in the first instance or of growth in grace afterwards.” (Pages 82–83)
“It is the wisdom of this world, not its knowledge, that is foolishness with God. Philosophy is but worldly wisdom. It is the effort of the human mind to solve the mystery of the universe. It is not an exact science, for the philosophers have never been able to come to any satisfactory conclusion as to either the ‘why’ or the ‘wherefore’ of things. ‘The Greeks seek after wisdom,’” (Page 71)
“He says, ‘Epignosis,’ meaning, literally, ‘super-knowledge.’” (Page 31)
“It is not enough to profess to have the Christian hope. Those who are real will hold fast unto the end, as we also read in chapter 10:38, 39 of the same epistle. Endurance is the proof of reality. What God implants in the soul is lasting, and we may be assured that He who hath begun a good work in any one will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, the time when He shall come for His ransomed people, to complete in glory what His grace began on earth.” (Page 54)
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Jerry D Willis
1/20/2018
Mark McCune
5/30/2014