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INTERESTING BACKGROUND ABOUT THE BOOK OF Colossians
Summary by Randall Floyd; Education Pastor 2021
This epistle was written by the Apostle Paul in prison, probably at the same time as some other NT letters. Timothy is also a co-author. This letter emphasizes the “Supremacy of Christ.” The content includes teaching centered around defining and defending WHO Jesus Christ is.
Outline for Colossians:
The Wisdom of Christ (1:1-14)
The Superiority of Christ (1:15-2:23)
The Application of Christ (3:1-4:6)
The Hidden Saints of Christ (4:7-18)
Finding the Gospel in Colossians:
Colossians contains the strongest written defense of Christ’s superiority and His role as the most important person ever to exist. Also known as preeminence, Jesus fits at the top of everything in the hierarchy of things. Paul writes that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (1:15). No one can physically see God because He is Spirit. He doesn’t have a body. However, God-the-Son, Jesus, came to earth in a human body. So, if you want to see God, look at Jesus. He is first in all things (1:18) so He should be first in our lives. In other words, the most important thing. That is the message of the gospel.
Life Group Lesson Devotionals & Passage-Focus for Fall
Fall ETB Session Summaries: The Book of Colossians
The Gospel’s Power 1:9-23
The Gospel’s Goal 1:24-2:3
The Gospel’s Forgiveness 2:4-2:31
The Gospel’s Freedom 2:16-23
The Gospel Lived 3:1-17
The Gospel and Relationships 3:18-4:6
More Background Info:
Who Are The COLOSSIANS?
This church was in the city of Colossae located in Asia Minor at the foot of Mount Cadmus. The people of the city had an industrial center for textiles. The city was religious with Judaism, Platonism, and several mystery cults blended into a strange mix of religious practices. The letter is addressed to the “holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae.”
When & Where Was Colossians Written?
Most scholars believe that Paul wrote this letter while he was imprisoned in Rome in about 60-61 A.D.
Why Was Colossians Written?
The main reason Paul wrote this letter was to address the false teachings in the church. Because of the cultural influence, many teachings were supplanting the gospel; which included undermining the centrality of Christ; speculative philosophies, dietary prescriptions and prohibitions, Jewish religious rites, ideas about angels and astrology, and religious self-discipline. A group called the Gnostics were the predominant false teachers who taught that Jesus was not human, but a spirit-being who came from God. So, Paul focused on Jesus as both God and man. Being man, Jesus could be a sacrifice for sin by shedding His blood. Being God means that He could rise from the dead, defeating both sin and death!
Key Messages in Colossians: You’ll find it here!
He is the image of the invisible God…all things were created through Him and for Him. 1:15-16
But Christ is all and in all. 3:11
Put on love which is the bond of perfection. 3:14
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of Jesus. 3:17
Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men. 3:23
KEY PEOPLE IN COLOSSIANS:
The Gnostics: a complex group of philosophical and religious movements who promised salvation through a special knowledge (gnosis). Gnostics believed in dualism which means that anything physical or material is evil and anything spiritual in good. Obviously, they cannot reconcile Jesus as both a human man and spiritual God. The Gnostics were strongly opposed in the New Testament writings of Paul and by the early church fathers.
Archippus: A Christian and “champion of the gospel” at Colossae. He was also a close friend of Philemon. He is mentioned in Col. 4:14 & Philemon v.2.
Epaphras: A fellow laborer with Paul and in a sense, a fellow prisoner. He is known for his prayer ministry and may have been the one in Colossae who asked for Paul’s help in combatting heresy. He is mentioned in Col.1:7 & 4:12; and in Philemon v.23.
AUTHOR PROFILE: PAUL
NAME:
Saul, is his Jewish name, perhaps given in memory of Israel’s first king. He was a member of the tribe of Benjamin. Following his conversion to follow Jesus Christ, he was known by his Roman name, Paul (see Acts 9:1-31, Galatians 1:1-24).
HOME:
Born at Tarsus (Acts 11:25); brought up in Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37); settled in Antioch of Syria (Acts 13:1); but traveled throughout the Roman Empire with extended stays in Corinth and Ephesus.
FAMILY:
Saul was a Jew, but was born a Roman citizen (Acts 22:28), which means his father, who was a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), must have been a Roman citizen. After his conversion, Paul was mentored by Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37). Luke also mentions Paul’s sister and her son (Acts 23:16). Some scholars have speculated that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was a wife (2 Cor. 12:7), but there is no hard evidence of this claim. Paul also names Timothy his “beloved son,” as his spiritual father (2 Timothy 1:2).
OCCUPATION:
A Tentmaker by trade (Acts 18:1-3); He had trained as a Pharisee under Rabbi Gamaliel; & served as the chief agent of the Jewish Council’s anti-Christian activity. Later, he became a leader in the early church and a widely traveled spokesperson, as well as a major New Testament writer.
MATURING FAITH:
Devout, energetic, outspoken, stubborn, and exacting, Paul became far more trouble to the Jews than he had ever been to Christians. He eventually became Christianity’s leading evangelist and theologian, but not overnight. At first, he saw himself as an important leader, but then as the “least of the Apostles” (I Cor.15:9). Later he realized that he was capable of “nothing good.” (Romans 7:18) and was “less than the least of all the saints” (Ephesians 3:8). Finally, he described himself as the “chief” of sinners (I Tim 1:15) and threw himself on God’s mercy and grace. His credo could be summed up as: “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
BEST KNOWN TODAY AS:
The Apostle to the Gentiles, early church Missionary, Theologian, and Author of several books of the New Testament.
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