Colossians

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: Rome
Time of writing: 60 or 61 A.D.

During the time when Paul was under confinement in Rome, he received a report from Epaphras, a leader in the church in Colossae – a church which, as far as we know, Paul had never visited (1:7-8). His report was so troubling that Paul wrote this letter to the believers there, exhorting them not to be led astray by a false teaching that had infiltrated the church. Although Paul does not describe it in detail, it apparently involved a diminished view of the nature of Christ, denying that he was truly God; it also contained elements of asceticism, angel-worship, and seeking righteousness on the basis of works. Paul’s letter in response is a resounding cry for the Colossian believers to hold fast to the truth about Jesus, “in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (2:9), and to beware of the empty deceitfulness of the traditions of men (2:8).

Paul begins his letter by thanking God for the Colossian believers, and praying that they would be filled with the true knowledge of God, so that they might live in a way that is pleasing to him. Then, he immediately begins to teach about the exalted nature of Jesus Christ, the Creator of all existence, who is supreme over all things, seen and unseen; and also, about how Jesus has reconciled to God all those who continue in faith, by the death of his own physical body. After explaining the place of his own ministry of proclaiming the gospel among the Gentiles, Paul exhorts the believers to live their new lives the same way that they first received Christ – through faith. He strongly warns them about deceitful philosophies, which deny that Jesus was truly God and had a true body of flesh, and exhorts them not to come under the authority of man-made rules and regulations. He reminds them that they have died with Christ, and they now have a new life in him; and he teaches them how to live by putting off as clothing the old sinful habits which are already dead, and putting on the new characteristics of their life in Christ. He teaches them how their life in him affects all of their relationships in the world, and then concludes with some final admonitions and greetings.

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