August 2026

Greetings, saints.

Our text today is found in Colossians chapter 1 at verse 28 where we read (quoting): “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

This verse is one of the sharpest declarations of apostolic ministry in scripture. In a single sentence we read the message declared, the means employed, the manner required, and the aim pursued. The verse confronts us, summons us, and refuses to let us settle into spiritual ease.

Before we enter the verse itself, we must remember the reason Paul wrote this epistle. The saints at Colossae were being unsettled by teaching that merged human philosophy with the gospel. The teaching they were receiving was a blend – part tradition, part mysticism, part human wisdom – and it threatened to draw believers away from the simplicity that is in Christ. Paul writes to steady them, to lift their eyes to the supremacy of Christ, and to guard them against anything that would diminish him. And it is in that context that he gives us this verse: a clear statement of how Christ must be proclaimed, how believers must be protected, and how the church must grow into maturity.

So Paul begins: “Whom we preach.” The centre of Christian ministry is not a philosophy, a moral code, or a religious system, but a person – the Lord Jesus Christ. To preach Christ is to announce him, to set him forth. It is not merely to speak about him, but to declare him as Lord, saviour, and the centre of all truth. Preaching Christ is presenting his person, his work, his authority and his grace to the hearts and minds of men. When Paul says, “Whom we preach,” he is describing the whole act of proclaiming Christ – what is proclaimed, why it must be proclaimed, and what that proclamation accomplishes.

Then Paul tells us how Christ is preached: “warning every man, and teaching every man,” he says. Warning and teaching are the two complimentary and necessary aspects of preaching Christ to believers. Scripture describes the word of God as a two-edged sword – one edge exposing and one edge discerning (Hebrews 4:14). In the same way, warning and teaching form the two edges of preaching Christ; one cuts away deception and the other shapes the believer in truth. Warning and teaching together are the act of preaching Christ to the saints, because to do that means bringing his truth into the real dangers and temptations of their lives.

And the sequence of the two aspects is critical. The starting point is the offer of a word of warning. Warning is the bedrock on which the teaching which follows will securely stand. Since they are grounded in grace, the warnings Paul has in mind here are not threats of condemnation. Rather, they serve as prophetic confrontations, guiding believers with truth spoken with love. They are the apostle’s voice saying: “You are saved, but you are not safe if you drift. You are secure, but you are not insulated from deception.”

We see from scripture that there is one concern that is consistently central to Paul’s warnings, and that is the preservation of sound doctrine. This is because wrong doctrine does not merely mislead; it reshapes the believer’s view of Christ, and once Christ is distorted, everything downstream becomes unstable. A believer cannot walk well if he does not see Christ well.

Warning, then, in our verse speaks to the dangers of doctrinal errors which threaten the believer’s fellowship, fruitfulness, and stability. Warning alerts him to the influences, some of them subtle, that draw the heart away from Christ. It is a requirement of proclaiming Christ to the church because it protects the believer’s relationship with Christ.

Warning, then, is not an optional part of ministry, and Paul’s warnings are presented to us not as an apostolic curiosity but as the model for the church to do likewise today. What he did, we must do. His way of guarding truth is the way Christ intends his people to guard it.

As we continue through our verse, we notice that teaching naturally follows. Teaching is the constructive and nurturing work that shapes the believer’s growth. It comes after the act of warning because without that firm foundation of caution and awareness the work of teaching may be standing precariously on dubious ground.

Teaching is not merely the transfer of information; it is the imparting of truth to form character, strengthen faith, and guide obedience. The psalmist prays, “Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth” (Psalm 86:11), showing that instruction leads to obedience. Paul tells Timothy that “All scripture… is profitable for doctrine… that the man of God may be perfect” (2 Timothy 3:16–17), making teaching the God‑ordained means of forming mature believers.

Through teaching, believers learn the mind of Christ, the commands of Christ, the promises of Christ and the pattern of Christ. Teaching declares the will of God, it exposes the beauty of Christ and strengthens the believer against error. It builds understanding, shapes worldview, and forms habits of holiness. Warning without teaching is severe; teaching without warning is shallow. Paul holds both together with pastoral balance, knowing that believers need both protection and nourishment.

As we move on we can notice that three times in this single verse Paul repeats the phrase “every man.” His ministry is universal in scope: every believer is included in the call to maturity. The gospel is for all, and growth is for all.

Paul’s repetition is deliberate; he wants the Colossians to feel the weight of Christ’s inclusive purpose. Spiritual maturity is not reserved for a gifted few, nor is it the privilege of leaders alone. It is the intended destination of every Christian life. This emphasis echoes his words in Ephesians 4:13, where he teaches that the whole body is to grow “unto a perfect man,” not merely its prominent members. Paul refuses any notion of a divided church in which some advance while others remain spiritually stagnant. Christ’s aim is to present every believer complete, stable, and Christlike. All are called to grow, all can grow, and all are expected to grow.

Paul continues: “in all wisdom.” Wisdom in scripture is not merely intellectual ability; it is skill in living according to God’s will. To minister in wisdom is to know when to warn and when to encourage, how to apply truth to real situations, how to understand people’s struggles, and how to communicate clearly and graciously. Wisdom ensures that ministry is not merely correct, but effective.

And scripture tells us plainly where true wisdom begins: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Ministry done “in all wisdom” is ministry done in reverence – ministry carried out with a heart that trembles at God’s word and refuses to treat holy things lightly. This wisdom is ultimately rooted in Christ himself, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” we learn in Colossians2:3. To proclaim Christ wisely is to draw from his character, his teaching, and his example.

Finally, Paul declares the aim: “that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” This is the climax of the verse. Paul’s goal is not conversion, attendance, or enthusiasm. His aim is perfection,  that is, spiritual maturity. To be “perfect in Christ Jesus” means to be fully developed, stable, and Christlike. To be perfect in Christ means that Christ is the measure, the model, and the motivation of our growth. We do not mature by comparing ourselves to others, but by conforming ourselves to him. And again, Paul emphasises that this aim is for “every man.” No believer is beyond the need for growth, and no believer is beyond the reach of grace. Maturity is not optional; it is the expected trajectory of every Christian life.

Brethren, Colossians 1:28 does not merely inform us; it confronts us. It asks whether we have drifted, whether we have grown dull to danger, whether we have become content with immaturity. It exposes any ministry that entertains but does not warn, that instructs but does not protect, that speaks of Christ but does not press men toward Christlikeness. It exposes any believer who is comfortable but not growing.

Paul’s aim is to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. That means you. That means me. Christ intends to shape every believer into his likeness, and he uses warning and teaching to do it. If we ignore the warning, we will drift. If we neglect the teaching, we will stagnate. If we resist the wisdom, we will remain children tossed to and fro. But if we receive the whole ministry of Christ – his proclamation, his warning, his teaching – we will grow into the maturity he desires.

May this verse awaken us, steady us and drive us to seriousness, vigilance, and growth. And may Christ himself, whom we preach, be formed in us, until the day we stand before him complete.

Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Grace to you all.

Amen.