Every Man

Christ … whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

Every man! Every man! Every man! Paul uses the expression three times. We are to evangelize “every man,” preaching Christ with a warning not to reject Him. We are to educate “every man,” with all wisdom making known the whole counsel of God. We are to edify “every man,” so that they might be presented fully matured to Christ. The word for “perfect” is teleios, signifying something that has revealed its end. It comes from the word telos, “the end.” The equivalent Latin word would be finis, that is, “finished,” or “nothing beyond.” This is the first part of the church’s mission: to reach people for Christ and to bring them to spiritual maturity in Christ. The three great church gifts are involved in this process—the gifts of the evangelist, the teacher, and the pastor.

John Phillips, Exploring Colossians & Philemon: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Col 1:28.