Colossians 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
The catch here, of course, is the word "labouring." First, we see that prayer is work. That is, it costs energy and it has effect. This is, I think, a fair definition of work or labour. Effects had without the expenditure of energy might be called accidents, I think. I might be missing some other way of looking at that...
Energy expended without effect is just a waste. I seem to recall being taught this principle in the second grade. Ms. Ferracho said if we all went outside and tried to push the building off its foundation, it wouldn't be work no matter how tired we got because there would be nothing to measure in terms of foot-pounds. Don't know if that definition still stands.
Yet, how is it possible for a prayer to have the effect Epaphras seems to want here? I mean, I can see praying because I want to be a better person - in cooperation with the Almighty, that is an attainable goal. Possibly even without the Almighty, I'd be able to affect some change in myself for the good. I can even see praying for some divine intervention on behalf of someone else during an emergency situation - sickness, for instance. But "standing perfect and complete in all the will of God" feels a little like a stretch to me. I mean, can we pray people to perfection? To completeness? If so, if that was what Paul meant, then we could expect that mothers could pray their children into heaven without their children ever having to pray for themselves. Convenient for the children at least.
But if that's not what is meant, what is? I suspect, and it is only a suspicion (recall that I am not a professional theologian thought I do think for a living...) I suspect that cannot be eficacious by itself. What he prayed for was probably something like a smoothing of the path the Colossians would be facing on the way to becoming perfected and complete. This then could be helpful without doing the work for them.
The other thing to look at is the dual meaning of "labour." If I recall correctly, Epaphras had been instrumental in founding the church at Colossae. He's a parent. He labours as with child for each of the Colossians. He frets for them, he prays for them, he wishes them well - perfection even. Since the walk to perfection and completeness is one that can never be considered finished, Epaphras is in for a long birthing.
The catch here, of course, is the word "labouring." First, we see that prayer is work. That is, it costs energy and it has effect. This is, I think, a fair definition of work or labour. Effects had without the expenditure of energy might be called accidents, I think. I might be missing some other way of looking at that...
Energy expended without effect is just a waste. I seem to recall being taught this principle in the second grade. Ms. Ferracho said if we all went outside and tried to push the building off its foundation, it wouldn't be work no matter how tired we got because there would be nothing to measure in terms of foot-pounds. Don't know if that definition still stands.
Yet, how is it possible for a prayer to have the effect Epaphras seems to want here? I mean, I can see praying because I want to be a better person - in cooperation with the Almighty, that is an attainable goal. Possibly even without the Almighty, I'd be able to affect some change in myself for the good. I can even see praying for some divine intervention on behalf of someone else during an emergency situation - sickness, for instance. But "standing perfect and complete in all the will of God" feels a little like a stretch to me. I mean, can we pray people to perfection? To completeness? If so, if that was what Paul meant, then we could expect that mothers could pray their children into heaven without their children ever having to pray for themselves. Convenient for the children at least.
But if that's not what is meant, what is? I suspect, and it is only a suspicion (recall that I am not a professional theologian thought I do think for a living...) I suspect that cannot be eficacious by itself. What he prayed for was probably something like a smoothing of the path the Colossians would be facing on the way to becoming perfected and complete. This then could be helpful without doing the work for them.
The other thing to look at is the dual meaning of "labour." If I recall correctly, Epaphras had been instrumental in founding the church at Colossae. He's a parent. He labours as with child for each of the Colossians. He frets for them, he prays for them, he wishes them well - perfection even. Since the walk to perfection and completeness is one that can never be considered finished, Epaphras is in for a long birthing.
posted by Steven at 11:24 PM
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