Colossians Overview

Introduction/Background

2nd Wednesdays

Today we are looking at the letter to the Colossians

Pray

What are some things you know about this book/key verses?

Some things to note:

This is a letter written by Paul to the Church at Colossae

Unlike some of the previous letters:

Paul didn’t plant this church

Paul actually had never visited this church

But in writing this letter there a few biblical themes that Paul builds on

The Reality of the New Creation

The Pressure of False Teachings present in the Church

The Resurrection Life

The Reality of the New Creation

One of the things that Paul emphasizes in Colossians is the reality of the New Creation

That because of the gospel—life as we know it has forever been changed

I think we might have been desensitized to words like ‘new creation’

It might be overused—or we don’t actually think about it deeply

It just becomes a phrase but not a reality

The Gospel is not just about what happens when we die

It changes how we live today

That because of Jesus—there is something profoundly new

Paul says in 1:13-14

Colossians 1:13–14 (CSB)

He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Part of this newness is a rescue and transfer

Life in this new kingdom is different

I love these verbs—rescued from; transferred into

You see we aren’t just rescued from the consequences of our sin

We are transferred into a new and better kingdom

After reminding the Colossians of this truth Paul has a beautiful poem written for them:

I love this poem—We see here two movements

Jesus’s Role in Creation (v15-17)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him.

He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.

But not only was her there—at the center of creation

He is also at the center of the new work God is doing in this world

Jesus’s Role in New Creation (v18-20)

He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

He is the head, the firstborn, the leader into this New Creation

We know what went wrong after the creation account in Genesis

And now Jesus comes to reconcile everything to himself

To bring peace out of conflict

To bring order out of chaos

And not just all things in general

But very specifically you and me

The next verses Paul has this to say:

Colossians 1:21–22 (CSB)

Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him—

We were all once like the old creation—we all have it in us

Selfishness, greed, anger, fear, lust, pride

And because of this we were alienated and hostile to God—we were against God and separated from him

But Jesus came to bring peace from our hostility

And he came to bring loving relationship from our alienation—He bridged the gap

Paul is saying here that new creation is not just something out there—its something that has started in us

Now God’s work in us is to make us holy, faultless, and blameless—that we might become like Jesus

And we’ll get back to what this looks like in a minute

But next, Paul addresses some problems and difficulties we might face

Colossians 1:22–23 (CSB)

But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him—if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard.

He says that Christ has done this work—He has reconciled and restored us through his death

But this doesn’t mean that we don’t have a role or any part in this work of being made holy, faultless, and blameless

He says our responsibility:

Remain grounded

Remain steadfast in the faith

Do not be shifted away from the hope of the gospel

We must keep our eyes on Jesus

And Paul says this because we have a tendency to drift away from remaining steadfast in faith

We still live with the reality of sin

Even though the new creation is here—and coming—it is not here completely

And on top of that—we live in a world that wants to deceive us

A world that will tell us lies

And so Paul takes time to address these lies to the Church

False Teachings in the Church

In chapter 2 verse 4 and 8, Paul says

Colossians 2:4 (CSB)

I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable.

Colossians 2:8 (CSB)

Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.

Paul tells the readers to be on guard

Deceptions are hard to detect—very few people believe in things they know are lies

Don’t believe something just because it sounds reasonable

Don’t believe something because its human tradition—this is the way things have been done

And in short, the Colossians were facing two pressures:

Idol Worship/Polytheism

Strict Observance of the Law

On one side you have the idea that we can worship God alongside other gods and idols

On the other side you have the idea that we need to earn our relationship with God through our good deeds

So Paul says to those influenced by Idol worship/Polytheism:

Colossians 2:13–15 (CSB)

And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

Christ definitively has more power than any other god

Christ disarmed all of the false gods and idols and triumphed over them

No idol can compare to our Savior Jesus

And he says to those looking for Strict Observance of the Law:

Colossians 2:23 (CSB)

Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.

To the people who are overly concerned with earning their way to God, Paul tells the Colossians that they might have a good reputation—they instill good character

They are not of any value at the heart level

They cannot curb self-indulgence

Strictly adhering to the law is behavioral modification

But God desires a deep heart transformation

And I think today we face both temptations that Paul addresses in this letter

On one hand, we are tempted to not abandon Jesus—but to try and serve Jesus AND… other gods

I can follow Jesus AND idolize success in career and dreams of being wealthy

I can follow Jesus AND my own pleasures and enjoyment for my gain

Paul is telling us that that is not the case

Look at what Jesus has done for you

Can any other idol do that for you?

In fact Jesus disarmed, disgraced, and triumphed over these idols

He exposed idols for what they are—they can never provide what they promise

They tempt us to fail and then Satan comes to accuse us

And Jesus says—I nailed your debt to the cross—it is gone—you are free to walk away

2. On the other hand, we are tempted to take things into our own hands—I am responsible for my spiritual growth

And no amount of self-determination and willpower is going to change our heart

We might be able to change our behavior but we can’t change our desires on our own

To both of these lies, Paul says: do not be deceived—we must stay grounded in the truth of the gospel

So to put this all together we have to look at the importance of:

The Resurrection Life

And the reality of the resurrection is that we aren’t just given a clean slate on life

We are given a new life entirely

So as Christians—our life isn’t about fixing up our broken lives

It’s about living into our new life in Christ

What it means to grow in Christlikeness doesn’t come from the fact that you are becoming a better person

I don’t do the things I used to—I don’t have the same problems I used to have

It means that you are already a new person; and you’re walking in that truth

Example: Throne of Heart and Mind

Does this make sense?

Or as Paul says, It’s not about perfecting our flesh—its about living in the Spirit

We have two natures—our flesh—our spirit

We aren’t going to improve or grow if we are walking in the flesh—even if our behavior changes and we are outwardly doing the right thing

We have to walk in the Spirit

In the reality of who we are in Christ

In the reality that we are a new creation

So Paul tells us—put off and put to death things that are from our flesh—and put on the new

Do I have two people who want to read?

Colossians 3:5–9 (CSB)

Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices

Colossians 3:12–14 (CSB)

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

put on/put off

And Paul goes on to talk about how this impacts our relationships, families, workplaces… but the point is two fold

We have to constantly put off our old self and sin

We have to constantly put on the new self

Remember in the beginning when we were talking about the gospel

It’s not just the fact that our sins are forgiven and that we no longer have to go to hell

That is one aspect

But the positive side—is that we are brought into God’s family

We are brought into a new and wonderful relationship with our creator

And the resurrection has a two fold meaning

What does resurrection mean?

We died

We have come back to life

But new life can only come after death

And if we look forward to the bodily resurrection at the end times:

Our new life (which starts now) will continue on

And our old life (from birth) will be put away forever

So in the meantime we are called to walk by faith in the newness of life

And time after time, Paul reminds us that we have to remind ourselves of this truth

So we’ll have some time to discuss these

Small Group Questions