Description
En esta carta podemos aseverar que Pablo tenía que resolver dos problemas principales: uno era doctrinal y tenía que ver con la persona de Cristo; el otro era práctico y tenía que ver con la vida del cristiano. Estos dos problemas se corresponden con las dos secciones principales de la carta. La primera (1:13-2:23) es de carácter esencialmente doctrinal. La segunda (3:1-4:1) es práctica y ética. Pero están estrechamente vinculadas entre sí.
Pablo quiere que los colosenses vean en él a aquel enviado de Cristo autorizado para hablar en nombre del Señor. Tiene cosas serias que decirles y no deben tomarlas como las amonestaciones de un hermano o las recomendaciones de un amigo, como si pudieran aceptarlas o rechazarlas a su antojo. Escribe con autoridad. Sus palabras exigen obediencia, la misma clase de obediencia que exigirían si Dios mismo las pronunciara.
Si Pablo se presenta como apóstol que actúa por designio de Dios y como enviado de Jesucristo, es precisamente porque quiere que no leamos sus palabras como si fueran meras sugerencias humanas, sino como lo que son de verdad: instrucciones que tienen su origen en Dios.
In this letter we can assert that Paul had to solve two main problems: one was doctrinal and had to do with the person of Christ; the other was practical and had to do with the life of the Christian. These two problems correspond to the two main sections of the letter. The first (1: 13-2: 23) is essentially doctrinal in nature. The second (3: 1-4: 1) is practical and ethical. But they are closely linked to each other.
Paul wants the Colossians to him as the envoy of Christ authorized to speak in the name of the Lord. He has serious things to tell them and should not take them as the admonitions of a brother or the recommendations of a friend, as if they could accept them or reject them at will. Written with authority, his
words demand obedience, the same kind of obedience that they would demand if God himself pronounced them.
If Paul presents himself as an apostle acting by God's design and as an envoy of Jesus Christ, it is precisely because he wants us not to read his words as if they were mere human suggestions, but as what they really are: instructions that have their origin in God.