“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” – Colossians 1:28-29 ESV
As Paul closes out chapter one of his letter to the Colossians, he reminds us of the ongoing effort required to preach the true gospel of salvation.
In verse 28, he declares, “Him we proclaim”—referring to Christ. This is a foundational truth of gospel preaching: Christ must always be the focus. It can be tempting to soften the message, offering a watered-down version of the gospel that requires neither repentance nor submission to God’s will. But that is not proclaiming Christ. His gospel is one of surrender, trust, faith, love, and obedience. A message that disregards the full scope of His teachings is no gospel at all.
Paul goes on to say that in proclaiming Christ, he is “warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom.” This highlights the necessity of discipleship. It’s impossible to communicate every essential aspect of the gospel in a single conversation. Those who show a genuine interest in the faith—or who have already confessed Christ—must be discipled by mature believers. Without discipleship, new believers may stumble or become discouraged in their walk. None of us are flawless examples of a model believer, but that should not stop us from mentoring younger Christians and helping them walk in wisdom and truth.
Paul explains the goal of this work: “that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” The word mature here comes from the Greek teleios, meaning “brought to its end” or “complete.” It’s the same word translated as “perfect” that Jesus used in Matthew 5:48: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
A devoted walk with Christ leads to maturity and completeness. While we will never reach perfection in this life, we can grow into mature believers—learning to submit to the Lord, exercising self-control, and loving others as ourselves. This transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but it must be our goal to continually grow in faith, keeping our eyes on that ultimate end.
Paul concludes, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” Here, we see both the hardship and the promise of preaching and teaching God’s Word. Paul labored tirelessly to proclaim the gospel and help believers mature. The word toil means to labor with exhausting effort. He wasn’t preaching occasionally while enjoying long breaks on the Mediterranean coast—this was his daily, demanding work.
Yet, Paul did not rely on his own strength. He says he was “struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” This energy was not Paul’s own—it was Christ’s. While our own motivation and determination may take us far, they are finite. But when Christ supplies the strength, it is limitless. He works His power within us when we commit ourselves to Him.
In every challenge, we must trust that Christ is able to sustain us when we surrender to Him and His will. When He calls us to toil and endure hardships, it is an opportunity to rely on His strength rather than our own. As we labor for His purposes, He provides the energy we need to grow in faith and fulfill the work He has set before us.