1. Paul an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, to the brethren which are at Laodicea. 2. Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. 3. I thank Christ in every prayer of mine, that ye continue and persevere in good works, looking for that which is promised in the day of judgment. 4. Let not the vain speeches of any trouble you, who pervert the truth, that they may draw you aside from the truth of the gospel which I have preached. 5. And now may God grant that my converts may attain to a perfect knowledge of the truth of the gospel, be beneficent, and doing good works which accompany salvation. 6. And now my bonds, which I suffer in Christ, are manifest, in which I rejoice and am glad. 7. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation forever, which shall be through your prayer, and the supply of the Holy Spirit. 8. Whether I live or die; [for] to me to live shall be a life to Christ; to die will be joy. 9. And our Lord will grant us His mercy; that ye may have the same love, and be like-minded. 10. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have heard of the coming of the Lord, so think and act in fear, and it shall be to you life eternal: 11. For it is God who worketh in you. 12. And do all things without sin. 13. And what is best, my, beloved, rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, and avoid all filthy lucre. 14. Let all your requests be made known to God, and be steady in the doctrine of Christ. 15. And whatsoever things are sound, and true, and of good report, and chaste, and just, and lovely, these things do. 16. Those things which ye have heard, and received, think on these things, and peace shall be with you. 17. All the saints salute you. 18. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your sprit. Amen. 19. Cause this Epistle to be read to the Epistle of the Colossians to be read among you.
"Paul an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ," &c. (Gal. 1:11Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) (Galatians 1:1).) “Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father, And our lord Jesus Christ(Gal. 1:33Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, (Galatians 1:3)) “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you... for your fellowship in the gospel, from the first day until now," &c. (Phil. 1:3, 53I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, (Philippians 1:3)
5For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; (Philippians 1:5).) “There be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ," &c. (Gal. 1:77Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:7).) "My bonds in Christ are manifest." (Phil. 1:1313So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; (Philippians 1:13).) "For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:1919For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, (Philippians 1:19).) “Whether it be by life or by death, for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:20, 2120According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:20‑21).) “That ye be like-minded, having the same love." (Phil. 2:22Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (Philippians 2:2).) “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed,.. work out your own salvation with fear." (Phil. 2:1212Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12).) “For it is God who worketh in you." (Phil. 2:1313For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13).) "Do all things without murmuring, &c., 5:15, that ye may be blameless." (Phil. 2:1414Do all things without murmurings and disputings: (Philippians 2:14).) "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. (Phil. 3:11Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. (Philippians 3:1).) "Let your requests be made known unto God. (Phil 4:6.) "Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report," &c. (Phil 4:8) “Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen -do, and the God of peace shall be with you." (Phil. 4:99Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. (Philippians 4:9)) “All the saints salute you."(Phil. 4:2222All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household. (Philippians 4:22).) “The grace of our Lord Jesus be with your spirit. Amen."(Gal. 6:1818Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. <<Unto the Galatians written from Rome.>> (Galatians 6:18).) “And when this Epistle is read amongst you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea." (Col. 4:1616And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. (Colossians 4:16).)
The reader will see by the above how very improbable it is that Paul ever wrote such an epistle as this professing to be from him to the Laodiceans.
Another passage that has been thought by some to allude to a lost epistle is 1 Cor. 5:99I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: (1 Corinthians 5:9): "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to keep company with fornicators." The first word is ἔγραψα, the aorist indicative, ‘I wrote,' but some translate it ‘I have written'—'I wrote unto you in the epistle (ἐν τῆ ἐπιστολῆ) not to mix with fornicators.'
The first question is what epistle is referred to? Does the passage refer to some part of this First Epistle, or does it point to an epistle sent before this First Epistle? Some refer to verses 2 and 7 of this same chapter(1 Cor. 5) as being the parts alluded to; but they do not seem to be sufficiently to the point to justify the language "I wrote to you not to mix with fornicators." It is to be noticed that in 1 Cor. 5:1111But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. (1 Corinthians 5:11) we have the same word for ‘wrote' with the addition of ‘now.' "But now I wrote to you," or "now I have written to you." Others think that 1 Cor. 5:99I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: (1 Corinthians 5:9) refers to a former epistle, and 1 Cor. 5:1111But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. (1 Corinthians 5:11) to the present one; and they would translate the former ‘I wrote,' and the latter ‘I write,' ‘now I write' (though the two words are precisely the same: the aorist). Others refer both verses to a former epistle, taking the word ‘now' in the sense of ‘this is my meaning.' And others refer both verses to the present epistle.
It should be observed that in the Second Epistle (2 Cor. 7:88For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. (2 Corinthians 7:8)), there are the same three words as in our verse 9: έν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ‘in the epistle,' and these, by the context, clearly refer to the First Epistle: why, therefore, may not the same words in the First Epistle refer to one still earlier? Supposing this were so, let us see what would be involved.
The conclusion might hastily be formed that an epistle was lost, and the canon of scripture not complete. But let it be noticed that the same Greek word is sometimes used for ‘a letter' as is used for an `epistle' (see Acts 9:22And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. (Acts 9:2); 2 Cor. 3:11Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? (2 Corinthians 3:1)), so that the references in 1 Cor. 5 may refer to some letter which Paul wrote to the Corinthians, but which was not inspired and is not preserved as a part of scripture. As we have seen before, there is no reason to suppose that all the letters the apostles wrote have been preserved to us. All they wrote to form a part of "the word of God" are preserved, but they may have written much more than what was intended to form a part of scripture (see 1 Cor. 16:33And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. (1 Corinthians 16:3)), as, in a similar way, our Lord did many things which are not preserved to us in the Gospels. (John 21:2525And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. (John 21:25).) To this we need only add that there is in existence another Epistle to the Corinthians, said to be by Paul. It was not apparently known to the early Fathers. One thing is certain, it cannot be the letter above referred to; for in it there is no caution not to associate with fornicators the subject is not touched upon. It is further proved to be a forgery by this sentence, "I, from the beginning, did teach you the very same thing which I received from the former apostles, who had constant conversation with the Lord." This is directly the opposite of what Paul said of his ministry. See 1 Cor. 11:2323For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: (1 Corinthians 11:23); Gal. 1:1212For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:12); Eph. 3:2, 32If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, (Ephesians 3:2‑3).
This is all we need say on the canon of scripture. In taking up the writings of the Fathers, one is struck with the strong contrast there is between "the word of God," and the writings of even the immediate successors of the apostles. While one grieves at what appears such a declension, on the other hand it is well that there should be a deep line of separation between that which is "the word of God," and that which is the writings of men.
It is indeed surprising to find human writings attached to the scriptures, and that they were read in the churches. The formation of the canon of scripture was doubtless a work of time, and great respect was naturally shown to those who had been companions of the apostles; but it must, not be forgotten that long after that canon was settled, passages from apocryphal books were read in churches, as indeed in the Established Church of England—read, as the Prayer Book says, "for example of life and instruction of manners," but not "to establish any doctrine." And this, after so many years, is more surprising than that it should have been done before the canon was settled.
To revert again for a moment as to the settlement of the canon. It may suffice most to say that all Christians, all over the world, receive the canon as we now have it. Or a Christian can base it on faith, and say, "I believe that God caused the book to be written, and that He has preserved it to us intact. He has told us that it must not be added to nor taken from." (Rev. 22:18, 1918For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18‑19).) And, as one has well said, "this method of faith—the simplest and the shortest for establishing the certainty of the canon—is also unquestionably the most beneficial and the surest;” and, we add, it is the only method that is suited for the simple and unlettered Christian, while we believe it is the only solid ground for the learned.