COLLOSIANS - 1

INTRODUCTION

Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul In AD 60–61, during his first stint in prison in Rome.

Paul wrote this letter to the Colossian church after he had hearing that that they were struggling with heresy.

The news came from Epaphras, who was likely the leader of the church at Colossae, a convert of Paul’s from his than two-plus-year ministry in Ephesus.

Epaphras had come to Rome in part to serve Paul during his imprisonment (Philemon 1:23) but also to confide in him regarding the dangerous teachings the Colossians were hearing. So Paul sent this letter, as well as letters to Philemon and the Ephesians, with co-worker Tychicus and Onesimus.

THE THEME OF THE LETTER TO COLOSSAE

Paul wrote this letter to address heresies that was infecting the church at the city Colossea in Phrygia, which is in modern day Turkey.

We don’t know exactly what the specific heresies were, nor who the false teachers were, but we can look at Paul’s treatment of the issue and deduce much of his diagnosis.

The heresy appeared to contain elements of Greek philosophy, specifically Gnosticism, as well as paganism, Jewish legalism, ascetic practices, and the veneration of angels.

The main emphasis of Paul’s letter to Colossae was to counteract the influence of this false doctrine reported to him by Epaphras. Paul called the problem a “philosophy” in Col.2:8. The Greeks loved philosophy and prided themselves in the ability to develop philosophic systems and build reasonable and persuasive arguments to support them.

The very nature of Christ appears to be at the center of the heresy. Paul infers that these philosophies denied both the full humanity of Christ and the deity of Christ.

Gnostics believe that all matter is evil, therefore God could never become human because He is holy.

They were advocating that Christ was some kind of spirit being that the Gnostics would later develop and refer to as an “emanation”. From Preeminence - to just one of many e

They also denied that Christ alone was inadequate for salvation and a spiritual life, Paul refuted this in passages like Col.2, “in Christ all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden… All the fullness of deity dwells in Christ in bodily form…in Him you have been made complete”.

Remember this recurring theme of Colossians: The authority and power of Christ’s atonement on the cross - PLUS NOTHING ELSE = Salvation, sanctification, fruitfulness, holiness, faith, and life.

In the Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren Wiersbe writes:

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: From Paul, with Love (Colossians 1:1–2)

Do the heavenly bodies have any influence over our lives? The millions of people who consult their horoscopes each day would say, “Yes!” In the United States, there are about 1,750 daily newspapers, and 1,220 of them carry astrological data!

Is there any relationship between diet and spiritual living?

Does God speak to us immediately, in our minds, or only through His Word, the Bible?

Do the Eastern religions have something to offer the evangelical Christian?

These questions sound very contemporary. Yet they are the very issues Paul dealt with in his magnificent Epistle to the Colossians. We need this important letter today just as they needed it back in A.D. 60 when Paul wrote it.

4 TRUTHS ABOUT HERESY

1) Heresies don’t just spring up out of nowhere. they are demonically inspired deception.

2) Heresy is designed by Satan to blind, bind, damn, and destroy human beings.

3) Heresies appeal to ignorance of truth or a perceived unmet need.

4) Heresy grows our a life that is not centered in Christ.

1 Timothy 4:1–3 AMP

1 BUT THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, 2 Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized), 3 Who forbid people to marry and [teach them] to abstain from [certain kinds of] foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and have [an increasingly clear] knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 4:1 TPT

1 The Holy Spirit has explicitly revealed: At the end of this age, many will depart from the true faith one after another, devoting themselves to spirits of deception and following demon-inspired revelations and theories.

923 ἀφίσταμαι (aphistamai), ἀφίστημι (aphistēmi): vb.; Str 868; 1. cause to rebel; 2. depart, leave; 3. forsake, desert, abandon; 4. keep away from, avoid association

COLOSSIANS 1

Vss. 1 - 2 - Paul presents himself and his credentials to the church. Note - we have no record of Paul having ever visited this church in person.

Colossians 1:1–2 NLT

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. 2 We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace.

Vss. 3 - Paul opens his letter with praise and thanksgiving, a great way to begin any venture.

Colossians 1:3–8 NLT

3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. 6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace. 7 You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. 8 He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.

Vss. 9 - 12 - A prisoners prayer.

Colossians 1:9–12 NLT

9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

It’s worth noting what Paul DOESN’T pray for...

This letter, along with the other texts written in prison are full of thanksgiving to others for their service to God and His people. His prayers in these letters are for spiritual blessings and insight for others, not for his physical needs, or that he might be released from prison.

Vss. 13 - 20 - The preeminence of Christ.

Listen for the word “all” in these texts.

Colossians 1:13–20 TPT

13 He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son. 14 For in the Son all our sins are canceled and we have the release of redemption through his very blood. 15 He is the divine portrait, the true likeness of the invisible God, and the firstborn heir of all creation. 16 For through the Son everything was created, both in the heavenly realm and on the earth, all that is seen and all that is unseen. Every seat of power, realm of government, principality, and authority—it was all created through him and for his purpose! 17 He existed before anything was made, and now everything finds completion in him. 18 He is the Head of his body, which is the church. And since he is the beginning and the firstborn heir in resurrection, he is the most exalted One, holding first place in everything. 19 For God is satisfied to have all his fullness dwelling in Christ. 20 And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again!

Vss. 21-23 - Paul reminds the Colossians of their prior state; indeed the state of any who reject moral authority, and the power of the Gospel that changed them.

Colossians 1:21–23 TPT

21 Even though you were once distant from him, living in the shadows of your evil thoughts and actions, he reconnected you back to himself. He released his supernatural peace to you through the sacrifice of his own body as the sin-payment on your behalf so that you would dwell in his presence. And now there is nothing between you and Father God, for he sees you as holy, flawless, and restored, 23 if indeed you continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in. And this is the glorious news I preach all over the world.

Vss. 1:24-29 - Paul’s calling and the purpose of

Colossians 1:24–29 NLT

24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. 26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. 28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.