The Expositor’s Bible: Colossians and Philemon

The Expositor’s Bible: Colossians and Philemon is Alexander Maclaren’s continuous exposition of Paul’s two related letters. Colossians receives the great majority of the volume and is treated paragraph by paragraph, while Philemon receives a complete exposition in the final section. The governing concern is the sufficiency and supremacy of Jesus Christ: who He is, what He has accomplished, how believers are united with Him, and how that union reshapes doctrine, worship, character, relationships, and Church life.

The opening of Colossians develops thanksgiving, faith, love, gospel fruitfulness, and Paul’s prayer for spiritual knowledge and a worthy walk. Maclaren emphasizes that Christian growth joins increasing knowledge of God with endurance, gratitude, and practical obedience. The gospel is not sterile information; where it is received, it bears fruit in character.

Colossians 1:12–14 introduces redemption, forgiveness, and transfer from the power of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. The following passage, Colossians 1:15–20, becomes the theological center of the commentary. Maclaren treats Christ as the image of the invisible God, the One through whom and for whom creation exists, the One before all things, and the Head of the body, the Church. Christ’s preeminence extends over creation, the unseen spiritual order, resurrection, and the new humanity gathered in Him.

Reconciliation through Christ’s death follows directly from this supremacy. Maclaren stresses that the incarnation alone is not the whole gospel: reconciliation is accomplished through the death of Christ. The Cross answers human alienation from God and becomes the ground of forgiveness, peace, and holy presentation before Him. Paul’s ministry and the mystery of “Christ in you” then bring the cosmic claims of the earlier passage into personal Christian experience.

Colossians 2 develops union with Christ and the conflict with teaching that would supplement Him. Maclaren describes the Colossian error as a mixture of speculative religion, ritual requirements, asceticism, and fascination with intermediate spiritual powers. Against it, Paul declares that the fullness believers need is found in Christ. The true circumcision is inward; believers are buried and raised with Christ; the record against them is cancelled; and the Cross is presented as Christ’s triumph over hostile spiritual powers.

This section gives the commentary a substantial concern with spiritual deception and religious substitutes for Christ. Maclaren tests outward ordinances, ascetic rules, speculative spirituality, and self-imposed religion by whether they accord with the believer’s death and life with Christ and whether they actually produce holiness. External systems cannot accomplish what union with the living Christ does.

Colossians 3 shifts from doctrine into the new life. Maclaren’s exposition of verses 1–4 is explicitly titled “The Present Christian Life a Risen Life.” Because believers have been raised with Christ, they are to set their minds on things above and express His life in present conduct. The old practices are to be put to death and put off; compassion, kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, love, peace, and the Word of Christ are to be put on. New creation and practical holiness are therefore the lived expression of union with Christ rather than independent moral improvement.

The remainder of Colossians applies this new life to households, work, prayer, wisdom toward outsiders, speech, and Christian fellowship. Prayer is persistent and watchful; daily relationships are brought under the lordship of Christ; and the closing greetings reveal a network of co-workers rather than an isolated apostle.

Philemon then applies the gospel to a concrete personal relationship. Maclaren follows Paul’s appeal concerning Onesimus, showing how Christian brotherhood transforms the relationship between master and slave without relying on coercion. Paul appeals through love, identifies himself with Onesimus, offers to bear what is owed, and asks Philemon to receive him as a brother. Reconciliation, forgiveness, voluntary goodness, and the equalizing power of life in Christ form the letter’s practical center.

The volume addresses readers seeking exposition of Colossians or Philemon, the supremacy of Christ, Colossians 1:15–20, the Church as Christ’s body, redemption and reconciliation through the Cross, union with Christ, the meaning of being raised with Christ, how to recognize religious teaching that diminishes Christ’s sufficiency, how the new life produces holiness, and how the gospel transforms personal relationships.