Who are "The Outsiders" in Colossians 4?
Thinking about boundary language and the potential for "us vs. them" thinking.
One of the joys of my current work as Theologian in Residence with the Brethren in Christ is being able to provide guidance on bible interpretation matters for our denomination members. Recently I’ve had a number of good questions come my way, some of which are good beginnings for posts on this blog. That is the origin of this present post, which started with an email from a BIC pastor wondering about the identity of the “outsiders” referenced in Colossians 4:5.
Here is the text for your reference:
5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders (τοὺς ἔξω), making the most of the time., 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. (Col. 4:5-6, NRSVue)
This pastor asked some good questions about the text, but one that has stuck with me in the days since is how this text might speak to how we distinguish between those inside and outside of “the church”. So let’s explore this text and that question a bit.
The “Exo(d)-us”
I’ve included in the above verses the Greek equivalent of what the NRSVue translates as “outsiders”. The term τοὺς ἔξω is pronounced tous exō and is comprised of the preposition exō (meaning “from/out” or “outside”) and the definite article tous. The article turns the preposition into a “substantive” by giving it definition - so that the reader is now working with “the from/out/outside person”.
At its broadest level, exō with an article can be used to refer to any “outside thing” like yard-work (Xenophon, Economics 7.30) or the sea outside/beyond the western coast of Europe (Herodotus, Histories 1.202).1 But when speaking about people it is often used to refer to those outside of the speaker’s immediate social circle: people physically outside of a building, foreigners, exiles, those of different social status, members of another group, etc.
And so when an author chooses to refer to others as those exō, she/he is using language that assumes some degree of social distinction is possible. In other words, this is language that assumes that there are boundaries that separate “those inside” from “those outside”. Such a division does not automatically imply judgment, but it does assume that there is a difference between the speaker/audience and others, whether a difference of physical proximity or group identity.
Paul’s Use of “Outsiders”
The Apostle Paul used “those exō” language on several occasions in his letters. And although this post began with a question about Colossians, it might be helpful to look at how he used the term elsewhere. The following uses are noted in most major Greek-English lexicons: 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:12, and 1 Timothy 3:7. As above, I have bolded the relevant terms and included their Greek equivalents:
1 Cor 5:12-13 For what have I to do with judging those outside (τοὺς ἔξω)? Are you not judges of those who are inside (τοὺς ἔσω)? God will judge those outside (τοὺς ἔξω). “Drive out the wicked person from among you.”
1 Thess. 4:12 But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders (τοὺς ἔξω) and be dependent on no one.
1 Tim 3:7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders (τῶν ἔξωθεν), so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.
With sensitivity to the surrounding contexts for each of these verses, the following observations can be made:
1 Corinthians 5:12-13:
The surrounding verses reference an earlier letter that Paul had sent to the Corinthian Christians in which he urged them to disavow a member of their community who was deliberately engaged in sexual sin by sleeping with his father’s wife. Apparently there was some confusion2 and the Corinthians thought that Paul was telling them to not associate with anyone outside of the Christian community lest they become contaminated by the unknown sexual sins of their neighbors. And so these verses are a corrective. Paul argues that Christians need not engage in judgment of “those outside” of their faith community because they can entrust that judgment to God himself, who judges far more justly than any human. However, Christians should exercise judgment with reference to “those who are inside” their community for the sake of preserving the community’s own holiness and its social standing. After these verses Paul uses a legal analogy (1 Cor. 6:1-11) to argue that the Corinthians should be able to exercise judgment on matters internal to their community without relying on judges who are not a part of the community. The context suggests that “those outside” refers to the non-Christians with whom the Corinthians Christians engaged in their daily lives while “those inside” are people who were involved in the Christian community itself.
1 Thessalonians 4:12:
In the immediate context of this verse Paul urges the Thessalonians to continue sacrificially loving one another. He then gives several other directions each of which revolve around the ideas of living peaceably towards others3 and practicing self-reliance for meeting their needs. The reference to “outsiders” in verse 12 appears to be in distinction from “the brothers and sisters” mentioned in verse 10, suggesting that the term refers to non-Christians in the surrounding community.
1 Timothy 3:7:
This verse occurs at the end of a list of qualities that ought to be seen in someone seeking a leadership role in the church. The qualities described in verses 1-7 reflect not only internal postures, but in antiquity would be perceived of as public virtues. For example, “hospitable” might conjure for modern readers the idea of someone who makes good food or welcomes friends frequently, but the Greek term that it translates assumed a degree of hospitality directed towards strangers, itself a virtue attributed to some of the gods. The public nature of such virtues suggests to me that the reference to “outsiders” in verse 7 likely refers to the non-Christian members of the wider society. The idea, then, is that potential leaders ought to have favorable reviews from the wider society, so that their social honor is extended to the Christian community that they lead. Those who have lived in a socially shameful manner risk bringing shame onto the Christian community.
Also worth noting is that verses 6 and 7 act in parallel with each other: both recent converts and those without a good social standing are at risk of falling. It might be stretching the language too much to suggest this, but I find it interesting that there is almost an assumed logic that potential leaders should have their virtue testing both within and outside of the Christian community prior to their appointment.
A Brief Comment on Historical Background
At this juncture it is worth stressing that the Christianity of Paul’s day was a near microscopic minority, an odd little group of folks who adopted a worldview that discouraged their continued participation in temple meals and who worshiped a crucified Israelite. I’ve read some estimates that there were only around 10,000 Christians by the end of the first century, living across an empire with nearly 60 million subjects. For the first readers of these letters, “those outside” far outnumbered “those inside”. And so the attention to social standing makes sense: if you are already viewed with suspicious glances, it would be best if you maintained good relationships with those outside of your immediate circle. In this social context there would have been little room for the type of “true believer” debate that is sometimes found in churches today. The division of the church into genuine and false Christians4 whose identities were known only to God was an idea that emerged once the faith became more widespread and more institutional.
The earliest Christians primarily met in the home of wealthier members who had meeting spaces available for moderate sized gatherings for worship and Scripture reading. You may have heard of two of these patrons before: Prisca and Aquila (Romans 16:3-5; 1 Corinthians 16:19). Paul’s letters would have been read aloud in these home-based gatherings by an entrusted messenger like Phoebe (Romans 16:1) or Tychicus (Colossians 4:7). And so in a very physical sense the earliest audiences of these letters would have heard terms like “outsiders” while themselves sitting inside a private residence surrounded by the few other Christians in their community. I think it likely that they would have understood that those who were physically outside of their gathering were also socially “outside” of the Christian community - those non-Christians with whom they interacted in the marketplace but who were not a part of their worship community.
Paul’s Use of “Outsiders” in Colossians
With the above concerns in mind, let us now turn to Colossians 4:2-6, which in the NRSVue reads as follows:
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray for us as well, that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, 4 so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.
5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders (τοὺς ἔξω), making the most of the time., 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
These verses occur towards the end of Paul’s letter, where he provides a series of exhortations in rapid succession. And therefore the immediate context provides little clarification on what Paul is talking about. It follows a series of instructions to different social groups (wives/husbands, children/parents, slaves/masters) that grounded their mutual submission in the recognition that all of God’s people must answer to the Lord. And right after verse 6 Paul begins his closing greetings to members of the community.
A possible clue comes in the reference to evangelism in verses 3-4, as Paul is clearly alluding to his efforts to proclaim the lordship of Jesus to his fellow prisoners and the Roman authorities. That he then immediately shifts to his audience’s conduct and speech in verses 5-6 suggests that “outsiders” similarly refers to non-Christians in the surrounding area. Just as Paul asked for prayers that his witness to those around him would be fruitful, he asks that the Colossian Christians themselves live in a manner that produces fruitful witness. Such a reading reflects how the term was used in Paul’s other letters, which we reviewed above.
Us vs Them Thinking
“Outsider” language likely comes across as divisive in our present context. Modern American culture is an odd blend of inclusive thinking that rejects “Us vs. Them” labeling and frequent scapegoating of others (particularly in the political realm). In this society, “outsiders” are viewed either as the primary cause of social woes or as objects of sympathy because they are viewed with suspicion. And so some readers might be tempted to read a form of judgmentalism into Paul’s “outsider” language.
I do not think such judgmentalism would have been received by Paul’s earliest readers. To be fair, there was a definite boundary between those “inside” and “outside” of the faith community. Paul elsewhere refers to Christian conversion with metaphors of transfer from darkness to light (Ephesians 5:8), slavery to freedom (Romans 6:15-23), and death to life (Colossians 2:11-15). Such language dramatically portrays the distinction between the pre and post-conversion lives, and their associated virtues. I think it would be most precise to state that such language was designed to emphasize the good to which the audience turned when they responded to the message of Jesus, rather than to foster judgment of those outside the community (although the history of Christianity shows that these phrases were quickly received in that manner).
Yet the stark boundary between belief and non-belief appears to be porous, conditional on one’s response to the message of Jesus. This system did not divide based on social status, ethnic identity, gender, or age. The dividing line was set at a willingness to follow the way of Jesus in community. To be “outside” was a statement of one’s present status as someone not part of the Christian community. Yet, as seen in many contexts, “outsiders” were to be treated with respect as the potential recipients of Christian preaching. And so I think it would be best to suggest that Paul’s “outsider” language is best construed as containing within it an evangelistic concern for “them” rather than a divisive or judgmental posture towards others.
For these references I am indebted to the discussion of ἔξω in: Henry George Liddell et al., A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), 600.
2 Peter 3:16 is one of my favorite verses to reference at this point. The author of that passage states that Paul’s “letters contain some things that are hard to understand,” which as someone who has studied them, is a bit of an understatement.
I believe that “living peaceably” better captures the idea assumed by the verb ἡσυχάζειν, generally translated “living quietly.” Such language in these contexts does not refer to volume but rather to the avoidance of unnecessary social strife. It is worth noting that this is the same sort of language used in 1 Timothy 2:2 and 2:11, where the noun ἡσυχία is sometimes translated “silence” and used to justify prohibitions on women in ministry. In both of those verses the term assumes a cultural context where “silence/quietness” was associated with the avoidance of conflict rather. The principle concern is not that certain people have been forbidden from ministry on the basis of their gender.
It is true that even in the New Testament era there was a sensitivity to the fact that not every person who claimed to be a disciple of Jesus would in fact be judged as one in the age to come. But the passages that touch on this point are not actually concerned about that question, and instead focus on ethical matters. Take for example Matthew 7:21-23, which is actually concerned with the importance of obedience in this life rather than speculating on whether someone is a true believer.