Colossians-Introduction-Major Themes
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday December 14, 2014
Colossians: Introduction-Major Themes
Lesson # 4
One of the major themes of Colossians is the all-sufficiency of Christ.
The apostle Paul asserts that Christ is the firstborn of creation expressing the supremacy of Christ over creation (Colossians 1:15).
Since Christ has a unique relationship to God as His Son, Christ and only Christ possesses the power to bring all things in creation back under God’s sovereignty.
Consequently, Christ provides the Christian the spiritual resources they need to live in a world which is governed by evil Satanic powers.
Within the hymn to Christ, Christ’s relationship to God is emphasized in Colossians 1:19 with the claim that “all (God’s) fullness” dwells in Christ Himself.
The apostle reiterates this point later on in the epistle in Colossians 2:9.
The apostle declares that Christ reconciled all things to God in Colossians 1:20.
Believers are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10).
The hymn of praise to Christ signals that Christ is the heart of Colossians affirming and asserting the central place that Christ has in relation to the old creation and the new creation.
Throughout the epistle Paul points out often Christ’s unique relationship to God.
He is the “image” of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
God is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:3).
Jesus is also “the Son that He loves” (Colossians 1:13).
Jesus is “the Word of God” (Colossians 1:25) which is also “the Word of Christ” (Colossians 3:16).
The “mystery of God” is in fact Christ Himself (Colossians 2:2).
God raised Jesus from the dead (Colossians 2:13).
God provides the spiritual growth of the body through the Christian adhering to Christ’s teaching and their position in Christ (Colossians 2:19).
Paul declares that Christ is now presently seated at “the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).
The Christian’s life is hidden at the present time with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
Everything that the Christian does in life must be done “in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).
The apostle requests that the Colossian church intercede in prayer for him so that God might open a door for him to proclaim “the mystery of Christ” (Colossians 4:3).
Furthermore, the “kingdom of God” (Colossians 4:11) is synonymous with “the kingdom of the Son He loves” (Colossians 1:13).
Christ’s sufficiency for the Christian way of life is expressed throughout Colossians.
Their faith is in Christ (Colossians 1:4; 2:4).
Epaphras is a “faithful minister of Christ” (Colossians 1:7; 4:12).
At the moment of their conversion the Colossians were delivered from the kingdom of darkness led by Satan and now belong to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Colossians 1:13).
Through His sinless human nature, Christ reconciled the Colossians to God (Colossians 1:22).
It will be before Christ that the Colossians will be presented to God holy (Colossians 1:22).
The apostle Paul declares that his ministry is in fact empowered by Christ Himself (Colossians 1:24, 28, 29).
He teaches that the mystery to the church in these last days is “Christ in you” (Colossians 1:27; cf. 2:2; 4:3).
“All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hidden in Christ (Colossians 2:3).
“Christ Jesus our Lord” is the content of the Christian tradition or apostolic teaching (Colossians 2:6).
The Christian has died with Christ (Colossians 3:3) and have been raised with Christ (Colossians 3:1).
They are “hidden with Christ” and they will all appear “with Him” in glory (Colossians 3:1-4).
The Lord Jesus Christ is “all and is in all” in the new creation (Colossians 3:11).
Paul expresses his Spirit inspired desire that the Colossians have the peace of Christ governing their hearts (Colossians 3:15).
He wants the Colossians to have the Word of Christ richly dwelling in their hearts (Colossians 3:16).
The Colossians are do everything “in the name of our Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).
The relationships in Christian households are to be governed by Christ (Colossians 3:18-4:1).
The ministry of Paul and his companions is bound to the Lord (Colossians 4:7, 17).
Another major theme in Paul’s epistle to the Colossians is that of reconciliation.
In Colossians 1:20, Paul teaches that Christ’s death reconciled all things in creation to God.
Then, in Colossians 1:21, he reminds the Colossian church that they have been reconciled to God through the body of Christ on the cross.
Another major theme which is found in Colossians is that of the church.
In Colossians 1:18, Paul affirms that Christ is the head of the body, which he explicitly describes as the body.
In Colossians 1:24, he states that he rejoices in his sufferings for the Colossians and fills up in his physical body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of Christ’s body, the church.
In Colossians 1:25, the apostle says he became a servant of the church.
In Colossians 2:19, Paul teaches that the apostate Christian who adheres to the false teaching in Colossae is not holding fast to the head (Christ) from whom the whole body (the church) is supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews and grows with a growth that is from God.
Lastly, in Colossians 3:15, Paul reminds the Colossian church that they were all called as one body.
Another major theme found in Colossians is the gospel as evidenced by the fact that the term euangelion (εὐαγγέλιον), “the gospel” appears five times in this epistle (Colossians 1:5, 6, 7, 23 twice).
In Colossians 1:5, Paul reminds the Colossian church that their faith and love have come about from the confident expectation of reward and blessing for them in heaven which they had heard about in the message of the truth, the gospel.
In Colossians 1:6, the apostle encourages them that the gospel is bearing fruit throughout the Roman Empire and not just among them.
He reminds the Colossian church that they learned the gospel from Epaphras.
The gospel is mentioned twice by Paul in Colossians 1:23 where he exhorts the Colossian believers to remain faithful and firm without shifting from the confidence produced by the gospel so that they might be rewarded.
He states in this verse that the gospel has been preached throughout all creation under heaven and that he has become its servant.
Another major theme that appears in Colossians is that of the Christian’s union with Christ and position in Christ which means that the Christian is identified with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
In Colossians 2:12, the apostle teaches the Colossians that they have been raised with Christ through their faith in the power of God who raised Christ from the dead.
In Colossians 2:20, Paul reminds the Colossian believers that they have died with Christ to the elemental principles of the world.
In Colossians 3:1, he reminds them that they have been raised with Christ.
In Colossians 3:3, the apostle reminds the Colossians that they have died with Christ.
Lastly, the Christian way of life is another major theme which appears in Colossians.
As we noted earlier Paul in Colossians 3:1-4 reminds the Colossian church of their position in Christ in that they have died with Christ and have been raised and seated with Him at the right hand of the Father.
Consequently he exhorts them to appropriate by faith their position in Christ in order to experience victory over the sin nature (Colossians 3:5-11).
Paul makes clear in Colossians that Christian living must be rooted in Christ and in particular the result of appropriating by faith their position in Christ.
There is a great implication for the Colossians in relation to the false teachers, namely that adherence to a legalistic system of rules does not constitute the Christian way of life nor is it the means to spiritual maturity.