Colossians 1:28

Whom (on). That is, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." We proclaim (kataggellomen). Paul, Timothy and all like-minded preachers against the Gnostic depreciation of Christ. This verb originally (Xenophon) meant to denounce, but in N.T. it means to announce (aggellw) throughout (kata), to proclaim far and wide ( Acts 13:5 ). Admonishing (nouqetounte). Old verb from nouqeth, admonisher (from nou, tiqhmi). See already Acts 20:31 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:12 1 Thessalonians 5:14 ; 2 Thessalonians 3:15 , etc. Warning about practice and teaching (didaskonte) about doctrine. Such teaching calls for "all wisdom" Every man (panta anqrwpon). Repeated three times. "In opposition to the doctrine of an intellectual exclusiveness taught by the false teachers" (Abbott). That we may present (ina parasthswmen). Final use of ina and first aorist active subjunctive of paristhmi, for which see 2 Thessalonians 1:22 , the final presentation to Christ. Perfect (teleion). Spiritual adults in Christ, no longer babes in Christ ( Hebrews 5:14 ), mature and ripened Christians (Col 4:22), the full-grown man in Christ ( Ephesians 4:13 ). The relatively perfect ( Philippians 3:15 ) will on that day of the presentation be fully developed as here ( Colossians 4:12 ; Ephesians 4:13 ). The Gnostics used teleio of the one fully initiated into their mysteries and it is quite possible that Paul here has also a sidewise reference to their use of the term.