Colosians

Table of contents
Introduction 1
Setting 2
Audience 2
Occasion for writing 3
Message 4
Conclusion 5
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6

Introduction
Colossians begins: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father” (1:1–2), thus identifying both the sender and receiver of this letter. This opening line also mentions Timothy, but in the rest of the epistle Paul often uses the first person (“I”—1:24–25, 29; “me”—4:7; etc.). As with Philippians, Paul’s authorship was affirmed by the early church fathers and has not been seriously disputed through the centuries.
One of the strongest arguments for Paul as the author of Colossians is this letter’s relation to Philemon. Both letters sent to the same city, probably by the same messenger, contain many of the same names: Paul, Timothy, Onesimus, Archippus, Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.
The similarity of Colossians to Ephesians has caused some to propose that Colossians may have been written by someone else (copying Ephesians and using Paul’s name on Colossians or vice versa). But similarities should be expected when two letters are written at the same time but sent to different churches in different locations.
Consider the following comparison of Colossians and Ephesians. Some similarities include:
• Both were to be read aloud in the churches (Colossians 4:16). Ephesians may be the letter from Laodicea (4:16).
• The letters are very similar in style.
• Both letters were delivered by the same messenger—Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21–22; Colossians 4:7–8).
• The letters contain some of the same expressions: “your faith in Jesus Christ and your love for all the saints” (Ephesians 1:15 and Colossians 1:4 NIV); “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14 NIV).
• The letters have similar features: the prayers (Ephesians 1:15–23 and Colossians 1:9–14); references to unity in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:1–16 and Colossians 3:12–17); instructions for households (Ephesians 5:22–6:9 and Colossians 3:18–4:1).
Differences include:
• Ephesians is substantially longer than Colossians (six chapters to four).
• The central theme of Ephesians is the church (body) of Christ, while the theme of Colossians is Christ as head of the church.
• Ephesians has no hint of the controversy (proto-Gnostic heresy) that is dominant in Colossians.
Setting
Written from a Roman prison in approximately a.d. 60. (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
Colossians was written in the same year as Ephesians and Philemon. According to the reference in 4:3 to being in chains, in 4:10 to fellow prisoner Aristarchus, and in 4:18 to his chains, clearly Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter. Evidently Epaphras, who was visiting Paul or was imprisoned with him (Philemon 23), told him of the problems in Colosse (1:7) (Grant Robert 63).
Audience
The believers in Colosse
Colosse lay about one hundred miles east of Ephesus, in the Lycus River valley in Phrygia, a district of Asia Minor (Turkey) that had been incorporated into the Roman province of Asia in the second century b.c. Located on the great east-west trade route linking the Aegean Sea and the Euphrates River, Colosse thrived as a center of commerce. At one point the city also may have been a military base. Colosse was known for the distinctive, glossy, deep purple wool from the sheep that grazed in the surrounding hills. By the time of Paul’s missionary journeys, the trade route had changed, placing Colosse off the beaten path. Thus Colosse had been surpassed in power and importance by Laodicea and Hierapolis (see 4:13), neighboring towns in the Lycus Valley. Colosse was further reduced by an earthquake at about the same time this letter was written (Grant Robert pg 65)
The population of Colosse was diverse, including native Phrygians, Greek settlers, and Jews descended from Jewish families who had fled to the area during the persecutions of Antiochus the Great (223–187 b.c.).
Although Paul had traveled through Phrygia on his second and third missionary journeys (Acts 16:6; 18:23) and had lived for three years in Ephesus (Acts 19:1–20:1), it seems that he had never visited Colosse (see 1:9; 2:1–5). Yet Paul considered Colosse, as well as Laodicea and Hierapolis, to be in his area of responsibility, probably because the churches in these cities had been indirectly founded by him during his powerful ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:10, 26). Quite possibly both Epaphras and Philemon had been converted to Christ during that time (Philemon 19, 23).
The church may have been started by Epaphras who had been sent by Paul to preach to the Colossians (1:7). Epaphras probably began the work in Laodicea and Hierapolis as well (4:12–13).
The church in Colosse was comprised mainly of Gentiles (including Apphia—Philemon 2). Archippus may have been the church’s pastor (4:17). Philemon and his slave Onesimus lived there. In fact, the church met in Philemon’s home (Philemon 2). Another group met in Nympha’s house (4:15). ( Max Lucado 426)
Occasion for writing
Word had come to Paul of false teaching in Colosse.
Although Paul was a Roman prisoner, his prison was a rented house (Acts 28:16, 30–31). He was allowed to entertain many visitors and to preach and teach. One of Paul’s visitors was Epaphras (although he may have been a prisoner as well—Philemon 23). Epaphras reported on the situation in Colosse, including word of false teaching that was threatening the church (1:8; 4:12). Paul wrote quickly to warn the believers of the dangers of this heresy.
Paul also wanted to send a letter to Philemon, along with his runaway slave, Onesimus. He was able to send both letters with Tychicus (4:7–9).
PURPOSE
To encourage the believers in Colosse and to combat errors in the church
Paul had learned from Epaphras that the church at Colosse was threatened by false teaching, partly pagan and partly Jewish (2:8, 16, 18, 20). In fact, it seems to have been a mixture of Jewish and pagan religions. (Max Lucado, 428)
The Jewish element asserted that true believers had to observe certain days, deny themselves certain foods, and follow certain rituals. The pagan element emphasized self-denial, the worship of angels, and a mystical “wisdom.” This probably was an early form of Gnosticism, a complex belief system that would become very prevalent in the second century. Gnosticism emphasized the supremacy of knowledge and that salvation came through knowledge, not by faith. This knowledge was attained through astrology and magic and was available only to those who had been initiated into the Gnostic system. Another Gnostic belief, that all matter is inherently evil and only the spiritual and nonmaterial is of itself good, led to the idea that God could not have created the world and would have no contact with it. Therefore, they taught that God, in Christ, never could have become a human person. If matter is evil, how could God ever be united with a human body? Thus they denied either the humanity or the divinity of Christ (in their view, he couldn’t have been both) (Charles Erdman 141).
The heretical poison in Colosse was a deadly Judaic-Gnostic combination. So Paul wrote to warn the Colossian Christians of these errors of doctrine and practice:
• He warned against ritualism that had strict rules about permissible food and drink, religious festivals (2:16–17), and circumcision (2:11; 3:11).
• He warned against asceticism—the idea that the body is evil and that through self-torture or self-denial a person can attain exalted spirituality (1:22; 2:20–23).
• He warned against relying on human philosophy, knowledge, and tradition (2:4, 8).
• He warned against trying to obtain secret knowledge (2:18; see also 2:2–3).
• He warned against the worship of angels (2:18–19).
• He warned against making Christ any less than the divine Son of God, Lord of the universe, and Head of the church (1:13–20; 2:2–3, 9–10, 17). (Barton, Bruce, 134)
Paul recognized that the most dangerous element of this heresy was the deprecation of Christ, so he focused much of his attention on Christ’s supremacy. In fact, Colossians is the most Christ-centered book in the Bible.
Today we don’t hear much about Gnosticism, but this heresy’s false doctrines still abound: secret knowledge, mysticism, human philosophy, and syncretism. In fact, Jesus is seen as just one of many great historical religious leaders, not the unique Son of God and the only way to heaven (John 14:6).
Message
Christ’s Divinity, Christ as Head of the Church, Union with Christ, Man-Made Religion
Christ’s Divinity (1:15–20; 2:2, 9–12). Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, Lord of all creation, and Lord of the new creation. He is the expressed reflection of the invisible God. He is eternal, preexistent, omnipotent, and equal with the Father. He is supreme and complete. In fact, “He is the image of the invisible God” (1:15 NIV), and “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (2:9 NIV). Jesus is God!
Importance for Today. Because Christ is divine and the Lord of all creation, our lives must be centered around him. We must honor him as our God and our Lord; we must not accept any substitutes, tolerate any additions, or entertain any thoughts of a diminished role. This means regarding our relationship with him as most vital and making his interests our top priority.
Christ as Head of the Church (1:15–20; 3:15–17, 23–24). Because Christ is God, he is the head of the church. Christ is the founder, leader, and highest authority on earth. As such, he expects his followers to listen to him carefully and obey him completely. Christ requires first place in all of their thoughts and activities.
Importance for Today
.To acknowledge Christ Jesus as our head, our Lord, we must welcome his leadership in all we do or think. No Christian individual, group, or church should regard any loyalty (to family, friends, country, employer, church, or denomination) more important than loyalty to Christ. Many voices vie for our attention and loyalty. We can feel pressure from peers and even from loved ones to think or act contrary to God’s Word. But only Christ should have our total allegiance. We should obey him regardless of what anyone else thinks or says. He is our head.
Union with Christ (1:13, 21–23; 2:6–15, 20; 3:1–4, 11, 15–17). Because believers’ sins have been forgiven and they have been reconciled to God, they are united with Christ. That union can never be broken. Being united with Christ means being identified with his death, burial (2:20), and resurrection (3:1).
Conclusion
Because we have been united with Christ, we can have assurance of our salvation. Because we have been united with Christ, we should focus on “things above, not on earthly things” (3:2 NIV). And we should live as those who have been raised with Christ, ridding ourselves of all sinful habits related to life before Christ (3:8–11) and committing ourselves to good works (3:12–17).
Man-Made Religion (2:8, 16–23). False teachers were promoting a heresy that stressed keeping rituals and rules (legalism). They also taught that spiritual growth was attained by discipline of the body (asceticism) and visions (mysticism). Emphasizing human knowledge, they missed God’s wisdom; focusing on human philosophy, they didn’t understand God; attempting to combine a variety of religious viewpoints, they lost sight of Christ.
We must not hold on to our own theories and ideas and try to blend them into Christianity. Nor should we allow our hunger for a more fulfilling Christian experience to cause us to trust in a teacher, group, or system of thought more than in Christ and in God’s Word.
Don’t be swayed or moved away from Christ by smooth-talking teachers, and don’t be confused by attractive arguments and sophisticated philosophies. Keep your focus on Christ, and live by God’s Word.

Bibliography
Barton, Bruce B.; Comfort, Philip Wesley: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1995 (Life Application Bible Commentary),
Chad, Charles, Archie, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Tennessee, Holman Bible Publishers, 2004.
Erdman R. Charles, The Epistle of Colossians, Philadelphia Westminster Press, 1935
Grant M. Robert, Historical Introduction to the New Testament, New York, Harper and Row Publishers, 1998
Lucado Max, The Story, USA, Zordervan, 2008.

Bibliography: Barton, Bruce B.; Comfort, Philip Wesley: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1995 (Life Application Bible Commentary), Chad, Charles, Archie, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Tennessee, Holman Bible Publishers, 2004. Erdman R. Charles, The Epistle of Colossians, Philadelphia Westminster Press, 1935 Grant M. Robert, Historical Introduction to the New Testament, New York, Harper and Row Publishers, 1998 Lucado Max, The Story, USA, Zordervan, 2008.