I N D E X
`Increasing in the knowledge of God' (1:10).
`To the acknowledgment of the mystery of God' (2:2).
`Which is renewed in knowledge after the image ... ` (3:10).
It will be observed that, whether it be the verb or the noun, each
reference is practical in its character, and has growth as its goal.
In Colossians 1:6, we read of `fruit-bearing' and `increase', although the
A.V. here gives no translation of the second word, auxanomenon, an omission
supplied by the R.V. which reads, `bearing fruit and increasing'.  Now this
growth and evidence of life is associated with `recognizing the grace of God in
truth'.  `The truth' may be conceived as the opposite of `the lie' (Rom. 1:25),
or `the truth' may be conceived as the opposite of `type and shadow' (John
1:17).  That which is `true' is often placed in contrast with the typical, as,
for example, `the figures of the true' (Heb. 9:24), or `the true bread' (John
6:32).  The Colossians did not merely `know the grace of God', they `recognized,
or acknowledged, the grace of God in reality'.  This, as we have already seen,
is essential to maturity, as it is here essential to growth and fruitfulness.
In the prayer that commences at Colossians 1:9, the apostle uses the word
epignosis twice.  Care must be exercised in translating these two passages,
otherwise the precise meaning of the Spirit will be missed, and human ideas
substituted.  There is no preposition which stands for `with' in the first
reference, but the case of the word permits the translation `filled with' or
`filled as to'.  Ten epignosin is in the accusative case, `the accusative of
equivalent notion' (Jelf).  Ten epignosin is the `fulness' implied in the
preceding verb `to fill'.  The reader will remember that `the fulness' comes in
Ephesians 4:13 as part of the `measure' of the perfect man.
Paraphrasing the apostle's words, therefore, in order to bring out this
meaning we suggest the following:
`For this cause, namely, that you have "recognized" the grace
of God "in
reality" and are manifesting this recognition by fruitbearing
and
increase, we do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that
you might be
filled, and this fulness is none other than the "recognition"
of His will
in all wisdom and spiritual understanding'.
This prayer is very much along the lines of that found in Ephesians 1:15-
19 where the apostle prayed that in the sphere of this acknowledgment or
recognition, the spirit of wisdom and revelation would be granted.  At the close
of the prayer, he reverts to this `recognition', and once again we must
carefully examine the original in order to perceive the truth.  In the first
instance we must note that there are several readings of the text of Colossians
1:10.
The Received Text reads eis ten epignosin, `unto the knowledge'.  A few
MSS read en te epignosei `in the knowledge', but the bulk of the best texts read
simply te epignosei, the dative case, without either the prepositions eis or en.
Some of these readings can be seen in the footnotes of various editions of the
Greek New Testament.  The Companion Bible notes a few, but textual criticism is
a specialized study, consequently we translate Colossians 1:10: `Being fruitful
in every good work, and increasing by the recognition, or acknowledgment of
God'.
It is `by' the acknowledgment of God, that we both `bear fruit' and
`increase', and apart from that acknowledgment or recognition growth ceases,
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