Col 1 | TNotes | STEP | Book of Colossians — Quick facts: Purpose: To combat false teaching at Colosse by emphasizing the supremacy of Christ and by insisting that true spiritual growth and ethical living stem from him Author: Paul Date: Traditionally, AD 60–62, but possibly earlier, around AD 53–56 Setting: Written while Paul was in prison, after he had heard—presumably from Epaphras—about the false teaching that had arisen in the church at Colosse Book of Colossians — Overview: Setting The city of Colosse was located about 120 miles (193 kilometers) east of Ephesus, in the province of Asia (in modern-day Turkey). Paul mentions Epaphras as the one who first brought the Good News to the Colossians (1:7 ). Epaphras was probably converted during Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus. Ephesus was the commercial and governmental center for the whole province, which included Colosse. Luke tells us that during Paul’s time in Ephesus, “people throughout the province of Asia ... heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10 ). While Paul had not visited Colosse (Col 2:1 ), he was the spiritual “father” of Epaphras and thus the spiritual “grandfather” of their church. So he wrote with both apostolic authority and personal caring. When Colossians was written, Epaphras was visiting Paul in prison (4:12 ). He had told Paul about some of the difficulties the young church was going through. He was especially concerned about some false teachers in Colosse who were emphasizing the importance of “spiritual rulers and authorities” (2:15 ) and “spiritual powers of this world” (2:8, 20 ), and thus were detracting from Christ’s preeminence. Paul wrote to address these issues. Summary Colossians divides into two parts, with chs 1–2 focused on theology and chs 3–4 on practical matters. Paul’s greetings (1:1-2 ) are followed by a thanksgiving section (1:3-14 ), a typical way of opening a New Testament letter. Then, to make his key theological point, Paul quotes and adapts a hymn about the supremacy of Christ (1:15-20 ), then makes a practical application (1:21-23 ) before discussing his own ministry as apostle to the Gentiles (1:24–2:5 ). He then returns to his main point, urging the Colossians to maintain their allegiance to Christ Jesus, the one who provides for their spiritual life (2:6-15 ). The theological part of the letter concludes with a warning not to become preoccupied with rules as a means to spiritual fulfillment (2:16-23 ). The more practical part of the letter (chs 3–4 ) opens with a general call to turn from sin and embrace the new life in Christ (3:1-11 ). Paul follows this with instructions for the Christian community (3:12-17 ) and family life (3:18–4:1 ). The letter concludes with an exhortation to prayer (4:2-6 ) and remarks about coworkers and other Christians (4:7-18 ). Date and Occasion of Writing Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, and Philippians are referred to as the Prison Letters—all four were written while Paul was in jail for preaching about Jesus Christ (see 4:18 ). Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon are closely related, having probably been written from the same place at about the same time (either Rome or Ephesus—see Ephesians Book Introduction, “Date and Place of Writing”). These three letters share common themes and vocabulary and were written to people in the same part of the world: Colosse was only about 120 miles east of Ephesus in the Roman province of Asia, and Philemon was a resident of Colosse. Paul mentioned some of the same coworkers in each of the Prison Letters. In his letter to Philemon, he explained why he was sending Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave, back to him. Onesimus also traveled with the letter to the Colossians (4:9 ). In both Colossians (4:7 ) and Ephesians (Eph 6:21 ), Paul said that Tychicus would give the churches more detailed information about Paul’s situation. So Tychicus was probably the messenger who carried these three letters to their destinations in Asia Minor. The False Teaching Paul wrote to the Colossians because false teachers were disturbing the church. Colosse was an important commercial center on one of the main Roman roads in the region, so the city would have been exposed to ideas from many religions and philosophies. Like many false teachings, the “Colossian heresy” was probably a mixture of various attitudes and ideas that were in the air at the time. We cannot identify these false teachers or the details of their particular teaching, but we can see some characteristics: (1) The false teachers were apparently insisting on the observance of Sabbath and new moon festivals (2:16 ), which suggests some Jewish input in their viewpoint; (2) they were preoccupied with following various rules, particularly pertaining to the body (asceticism); and (3) they placed emphasis on spiritual beings, which was typical of many religious movements of the period. The basic problem is clear: The teaching did not regard Christ as the center and origin of all religious experience. Any teaching or philosophy that fails to do so is not the Good News. Meaning and Message In his letter to the Colossians, Paul steers a young Christian church back to the apostles’ message of the Good News about Christ. To counter the influence of false teaching, Paul insisted that Christ is supreme over all beings in creation, both spiritual and physical. Jesus is the one in whom the very fullness of God resides. Jesus is also the only ultimate source of spiritual growth, the center from which all true spiritual experience must radiate (2:19 ). The false teachers were deriving their emphasis on rules from something other than Christ, and this meant that the rules could not produce spiritual benefit (2:23 ). In this case, Paul argues, addition means subtraction: Trying to add anything to Christ leads to subtracting the power that he alone gives to lead the Christian life. Christ has reconciled us to the God in whom we now live, so all of our spiritual needs are fulfilled by Christ. We need no one and nothing else for true spiritual fulfillment. Paul urged the Colossians to avoid putting too much stock in ritual practices (2:16-23 ). Instead, all Christians should identify with Christ in his death and resurrection (2:11 , 19-20 ; 3:1-4 ) and let the Good News, as preached by the apostles, mold their thinking and behavior. Colossians reminds us that we must keep Christ at the center of all that we do, in our own spiritual journey and in the life of the church. Adding to Christ is inevitably a distortion of true Christian faith. 1:1 Timothy was one of Paul’s closest co-workers. So close was their relationship and so significant Timothy’s ministry that Paul included him as one of the senders of this letter as well as of 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon.

Book of Colossians — Quick facts:

Purpose: To combat false teaching at Colosse by emphasizing the supremacy of Christ and by insisting that true spiritual growth and ethical living stem from him

Author: Paul

Date: Traditionally, AD 60–62, but possibly earlier, around AD 53–56

Setting: Written while Paul was in prison, after he had heard—presumably from Epaphras—about the false teaching that had arisen in the church at Colosse

Book of Colossians — Overview:

Setting
The city of Colosse was located about 120 miles (193 kilometers) east of Ephesus, in the province of Asia (in modern-day Turkey).
Paul mentions Epaphras as the one who first brought the Good News to the Colossians (1:7 ^a). Epaphras was probably converted during Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus. Ephesus was the commercial and governmental center for the whole province, which included Colosse. Luke tells us that during Paul’s time in Ephesus, “people throughout the province of Asia ... heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10 ^b). While Paul had not visited Colosse (Col 2:1 ^c), he was the spiritual “father” of Epaphras and thus the spiritual “grandfather” of their church. So he wrote with both apostolic authority and personal caring.
When Colossians was written, Epaphras was visiting Paul in prison (4:12 ^d). He had told Paul about some of the difficulties the young church was going through. He was especially concerned about some false teachers in Colosse who were emphasizing the importance of “spiritual rulers and authorities” (2:15 ^e) and “spiritual powers of this world” (2:8, ^f 20 ^g), and thus were detracting from Christ’s preeminence. Paul wrote to address these issues.

Summary
Colossians divides into two parts, with chs 1–2 ^h focused on theology and chs 3–4 ⁱ on practical matters.
Paul’s greetings (1:1-2 ^j) are followed by a thanksgiving section (1:3-14 ^k), a typical way of opening a New Testament letter. Then, to make his key theological point, Paul quotes and adapts a hymn about the supremacy of Christ (1:15-20 ^l), then makes a practical application (1:21-23 ^m) before discussing his own ministry as apostle to the Gentiles (1:24–2:5 ⁿ). He then returns to his main point, urging the Colossians to maintain their allegiance to Christ Jesus, the one who provides for their spiritual life (2:6-15 ^o). The theological part of the letter concludes with a warning not to become preoccupied with rules as a means to spiritual fulfillment (2:16-23 ^p).
The more practical part of the letter (chs 3–4 ^q) opens with a general call to turn from sin and embrace the new life in Christ (3:1-11 ^r). Paul follows this with instructions for the Christian community (3:12-17 ^s) and family life (3:18–4:1 ^t). The letter concludes with an exhortation to prayer (4:2-6 ^u) and remarks about coworkers and other Christians (4:7-18 ^v).

Date and Occasion of Writing
Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, and Philippians are referred to as the Prison Letters—all four were written while Paul was in jail for preaching about Jesus Christ (see 4:18 ^w). Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon are closely related, having probably been written from the same place at about the same time (either Rome or Ephesus—see Ephesians Book Introduction, “Date and Place of Writing”). These three letters share common themes and vocabulary and were written to people in the same part of the world: Colosse was only about 120 miles east of Ephesus in the Roman province of Asia, and Philemon was a resident of Colosse.
Paul mentioned some of the same coworkers in each of the Prison Letters. In his letter to Philemon, he explained why he was sending Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave, back to him. Onesimus also traveled with the letter to the Colossians (4:9 ^x). In both Colossians (4:7 ^y) and Ephesians (Eph 6:21 ^z), Paul said that Tychicus would give the churches more detailed information about Paul’s situation. So Tychicus was probably the messenger who carried these three letters to their destinations in Asia Minor.

The False Teaching
Paul wrote to the Colossians because false teachers were disturbing the church. Colosse was an important commercial center on one of the main Roman roads in the region, so the city would have been exposed to ideas from many religions and philosophies. Like many false teachings, the “Colossian heresy” was probably a mixture of various attitudes and ideas that were in the air at the time. We cannot identify these false teachers or the details of their particular teaching, but we can see some characteristics: (1) The false teachers were apparently insisting on the observance of Sabbath and new moon festivals (2:16 ^aa), which suggests some Jewish input in their viewpoint; (2) they were preoccupied with following various rules, particularly pertaining to the body (asceticism); and (3) they placed emphasis on spiritual beings, which was typical of many religious movements of the period. The basic problem is clear: The teaching did not regard Christ as the center and origin of all religious experience. Any teaching or philosophy that fails to do so is not the Good News.

Meaning and Message
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul steers a young Christian church back to the apostles’ message of the Good News about Christ. To counter the influence of false teaching, Paul insisted that Christ is supreme over all beings in creation, both spiritual and physical. Jesus is the one in whom the very fullness of God resides. Jesus is also the only ultimate source of spiritual growth, the center from which all true spiritual experience must radiate (2:19 ^ab). The false teachers were deriving their emphasis on rules from something other than Christ, and this meant that the rules could not produce spiritual benefit (2:23 ^ac). In this case, Paul argues, addition means subtraction: Trying to add anything to Christ leads to subtracting the power that he alone gives to lead the Christian life.
Christ has reconciled us to the God in whom we now live, so all of our spiritual needs are fulfilled by Christ. We need no one and nothing else for true spiritual fulfillment.
Paul urged the Colossians to avoid putting too much stock in ritual practices (2:16-23 ^ad). Instead, all Christians should identify with Christ in his death and resurrection (2:11 ^ae, 19-20 ^af; 3:1-4 ^ag) and let the Good News, as preached by the apostles, mold their thinking and behavior. Colossians reminds us that we must keep Christ at the center of all that we do, in our own spiritual journey and in the life of the church. Adding to Christ is inevitably a distortion of true Christian faith.
1:1 ^ah Timothy was one of Paul’s closest co-workers. So close was their relationship and so significant Timothy’s ministry that Paul included him as one of the senders of this letter as well as of 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon.
1:2 ^ai Colosse was situated in the Lycus River valley in western Asia Minor, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) east of Ephesus and 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Laodicea. Its location on an important Roman road meant that it was influenced by the social and religious currents of the time.

• brothers and sisters: Greek adelphoi, a generic term commonly used to refer to members of the same family, both male and female.
Summary for Col 1:3-14: 1:3-14 ^aj This opening section begins with a thanksgiving, typical of New Testament letters. Paul thanks God for the Colossians’ progress in the faith and prays that they might understand it even better. With this prayer, Paul hints at his concern about the influence of false teachers.
1:4 ^ak God’s people (literally holy ones, or saints): In the New Testament, all Christians are saints, people who have been specially set apart by God as his own holy people (3:12 ^al).
1:5 ^am The Colossian Christians’ confident hope gives them a secure foundation for their faith and love (1:4 ^an).

• What God has reserved for believers has not yet been fully revealed, but it already exists in heaven.
1:6 ^ao bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives: The Good News is effective to change lives and bring about spiritual growth (cp. 1:10 ^ap).
1:7 ^aq Epaphras (see also 4:12-13 ^ar; Phlm 1:23 ^as) was probably converted when Paul ministered in Ephesus (see Acts 19:10 ^at) and then returned to Colosse to bring the Good News to his own town.
Summary for Col 1:9-10: 1:9-10 ^au Paul prays that God would grant his readers deeper understanding of the Good News and its full expression in their lives. Spiritual growth yields a clearer and deeper comprehension of Christian truth and conduct that pleases the Lord, through which a believer will have the endurance and patience to stand firm against evil (1:11 ^av).
Summary for Col 1:12-13: 1:12-13 ^aw always thanking the Father: Humble gratitude to God for salvation is a powerful antidote to the lure of false teaching (see also 2:7 ^ax; 3:17 ^ay; 4:2 ^az).

• The inheritance is what God has promised his people (e.g., see Deut 3:28 ^ba; Ps 33:12 ^bb; Ezek 44:28 ^bc). In the New Testament, the inheritance consists of salvation and final deliverance (see also Eph 1:11 ^bd; Titus 3:7 ^be; Heb 9:15 ^bf).
Summary for Col 1:15-20: 1:15-20 ^bg Paul presents Jesus as the supreme creator (1:15-17 ^bh) and redeemer (1:18-20 ^bi). The series of short statements, the exalted conceptions of Christ, and the parallelism in language and thought strongly suggest that these verses quote an early Christian hymn about Jesus that Paul applied to the situation of the Colossian Christians. 1:15 ^bj visible image: In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, eikōn (“image, representation”) is used to refer to human beings having been made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27 ^bk) and also to the wisdom figure in Jewish writings (see Wisdom of Solomon 7:25-26). The New Testament writers speak about Christ as God’s wisdom to help explain his significance (cp. 1 Cor 1:24 ^bl, 30 ^bm).

• He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation (or He is the firstborn of all creation): This phrase figured prominently in early Christian debates about the nature of Christ. Firstborn does not mean he was created; it is a title, drawn from the Old Testament, indicating supremacy of rank and priority in time (see, e.g., Ps 89:27 ^bn).
1:16 ^bo Thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world refer to various spiritual powers. This line emphasizes Christ’s supremacy over these beings who were getting so much attention from the false teachers (see 2:18 ^bp).

• Everything was created through him and for him: Christ is both the one through whom all things were created and the goal of all creation.
1:18 ^bq head of the church: The Greek word kephalē (head) usually has the sense of authority over or chief when Paul uses it as a metaphor (see also 2:10 ^br, 19 ^bs; 1 Cor 11:3-10 ^bt; Eph 4:15 ^bu; 5:23 ^bv).

• which is his body: The metaphor of the church as Christ’s body expresses the essential unity of Christ and the church (see also Col 1:24 ^bw; 2:19 ^bx; 3:15 ^by; Eph 1:23 ^bz; 2:16 ^ca; 4:4 ^cb, 12 ^cc; 5:23 ^cd, 30 ^ce).

• supreme over all who rise from the dead (or the firstborn from the dead): See study note on Col 1:15.
1:19 ^cf God in all his fullness emphasizes that God has chosen to reveal himself fully in Jesus Christ. Seeing Jesus and understanding him therefore means seeing and understanding God (see John 14:6-11 ^cg). The false teachers seemed to be saying that Christians needed to look to other spiritual beings to find out more about God (see Col 1:16 ^ch, 20 ^ci). But Christ is sufficient for all our knowledge of God (cp. 2:8-9 ^cj).
1:20 ^ck Through Christ, God has reconciled everything to himself, reestablishing his rule over all creation, including both the spiritual and the earthly realms.
Summary for Col 1:21-23: 1:21-23 ^cl Paul applies the truth of 1:15-20 ^cm to the Colossian Christians. As people who have been reconciled to God, they enjoy a new spiritual status and need to stand firm in the truth they have been taught. 1:21 ^cn The phrase once far away from God probably refers to their condition as Gentiles (see Eph 2:12 ^co).
1:22 ^cp The Colossians, like all believers, were holy and blameless in God’s sight not because of their own perfection but because they had been reconciled with God through Christ’s death.
1:23 ^cq preached all over the world (literally preached to every creature under heaven): The point of Paul’s hyperbole (exaggeration for emphasis) is that centers for preaching the Good News had been established in key cities throughout the Roman world (see also 1:6 ^cr).
Summary for Col 1:24-2:5: 1:24–2:5 ^cs Paul considers his own role in the widespread preaching of the Good News (1:23 ^ct). 1:24 ^cu I am participating in the sufferings of Christ (literally I am filling up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ): While the redemptive suffering of Christ is unique and completely finished, Christ still suffers through his people in a world hostile to the message of redemption. Christ and his church will continue to suffer until God’s purposes in this world are complete (see also Mark 13:19-23 ^cv; Rom 8:17-18 ^cw; 1 Thes 3:3 ^cx).
1:26 ^cy The concept of a secret, hidden at one time and then revealed, is based upon Jewish apocalyptic ideas. Jewish thinkers conceived of God’s entire plan as already existing in heaven, hidden until God should draw back the curtain and reveal it. The Good News, especially for the Gentiles, had been kept secret until it was revealed in Christ.