Even in Paul’s day, many people came to the saints with plausible arguments against the supreme wisdom and knowledge of God revealed in Christ.
Paul prays for the believers, knowing that he is a servant and minister even to saints he has never met, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love.
This prayer is not simply that they love one another, but that they come to the fullness of assurance, understanding, and faith in Christ. Love in the Christian life is not merely treating one another kindly, but living according to the wisdom of Christ, who dwells within us and works through us. Likewise, our wisdom and knowledge are not simply an acknowledgment of the truth, but are expressed through an embodied love for God and our neighbors.
It is this love that knits us together, that we may grow in the knowledge of the fullness of salvation and grace we have been given in Christ, the mystery hidden throughout the ages past and now revealed.
Paul does not want us to be led astray by those who speak with persuasive words. Those who appear wise according to the world possess no wisdom that can compare with the One who confounds the wisdom of this world. We must not be carried away by carefully crafted arguments that oppose the gospel, but remain grounded in Christ, whose power transforms our lives through the love that binds us to Him.
Just as Paul rejoices to hear that the Colossians are walking firmly in the truth, so Christ calls us to remain firmly planted in the Word of God, not straying after every new philosophy that opposes the truth of the gospel.
May we be found steadfast in our faith, knit together in love, and growing in the knowledge of Christ.
-steve