Introduction to Colossians

We are so excited your group has decided to join Faith Promise for our series Roots. Each week during this series Pastor Chris will preach from the book of Colossians. Alongside Pastor’s teaching, this study will explore Colossians from a complimentary viewpoint. Since Pastor’s teaching and this study aren’t reliant on each other, feel free to use this study at your own pace.

In order to get a full view of the purpose and meaning behind Colossians it is important to understand its context. To give your group a better understanding of the context we have included this introduction of Colossians. Depending on your group, it may be beneficial to walk through this introduction together. For other groups this will be better used as a resource for the leader to draw from. We pray that during this study your group would become rooted in Christ.

Introduction to Colossians General Circumstances Colossians is one of the prison letters of Paul, written, most likely, when he was a prisoner in Rome around A.D. 60. It was written to a church located in what we now call Turkey, in the Roman province of Asia Minor, about one hundred miles south and east of Ephesus. Ephesus is where we get the book of Ephesians, another prison letter along with Philemon and Philippians.

Literary Features Colossians is written in a distinct literary genre – an epistle. A genre is a writing structure with shared features that can be used to identify that type of literature. The Bible is a collection of books in various literature forms – one being an epistle. What exactly is an epistle? An epistle (Greek for “letter”) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common up to the time of Jesus. Epistles are letters written to an individual, group or public audience. Some have made a distinction between ancient letters and epistles. Technically, a letter was written to a specific person or person and not for the public in general. In contrast, an epistle was intended for the group or the public. In general we consider all books of the New Testament as epistles except for Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Revelation.

Introduction to Colossians

What are the four major components of an epistle? 1) The Opening Salutation or Greeting 2) A Section of Prayer, Blessing or Thanksgiving 3) The Body of the Letter 4) The Letter Closing

Ø Key Point – epistle writings follow a specific pattern that was common in first century communication and is what we need to remember in exegetical study of epistles.

What is the structure of Colossians, using the four major components of an epistle? 1) The Opening Salutation or Greeting (this section of an epistle usually contains the

name of the writer, the recipient of the letter and the greeting): Colossians 1:1-2. a. The Name of the Writer: Colossians 1:1a, Paul. b. The Name of the Recipient: Colossians 1:2a, “To the saints in Christ as

Colossae, who are faithful brothers”. c. The Greeting: Colossians 1:2b, “Grace to you and peace from God our

Father.” 2) Section of Prayer, Blessing or Thanksgiving: Colossians 1:3-12. 3) The Body of the Letter (the body of the letter is what the author or sender wanted to

say that occasioned the letter): Colossians 1:13-4:6. 4) The Letter Closing, Final Greeting and Farewell: Colossians 4:7-18.

Another way to break down Colossians is thematically – What Christ has done 1:1 – 2:23; and How Christians should respond to what Christ did 3:1 – 4:18

Historical Context Every epistle is written at a specific time, by a specific person and to a specific audience. Every epistle is also written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21). This dual reality can make interpretation difficult. Understanding the historical context of each letter makes it easier to understand the meaning. In order to better understand this context, let’s look at the four major components of Colossians and what they reveal.

Introduction to Colossians

1) The Opening Salutation or Greeting (this section of an epistle usually contains the name of the writer, the recipient of the letter and the greeting): Colossians 1:1-2.

a. The Name of the Writer: Colossians 1:1a, Paul. i. What do you know about Paul? Colossians 1:1, Paul, an apostle of Christ.

He was a native of the Mediterranean city of Tarsus (Acts 22:3). He was a Greek-speaking Jew, he grew up in Jerusalem where he studied "at the feet of Gamaliel", a famous rabbi and leading authority in the Sanhedrin (Acts 22:3). For the first half of his life, Paul was a member of the Pharisees, a Jewish faction that promoted strict orthodoxy and formalism. They were formidable persecutors of the new Christian movement, and Paul later described himself as a "Pharisee, a son of Pharisees" (Acts 23:6). Before becoming a follower of Jesus he zealously persecuted the newly-forming Christian church, trying to destroy it. He likely traveled from synagogue to synagogue, urging the punishment of Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. He held the coats of those who stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr, to death (Acts 7:58). He also went from house to house, dragging both men and women Christian believers to prison (Acts 8:3). He caused believers to be bound and probably tortured in an attempt to get them to deny their faith in Christ. When they refused, he voted to have them condemned to death (Acts 22:4). While traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to "bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished" (Acts 22:5) the resurrected Jesus appeared to him in a great light. He was struck blind, but after three days his sight was restored by Ananias of Damascus.

b. The Name of the Recipient: Colossians 1:2, “To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers.”

i. When was the text written? Approximately A.D. 60 from Rome, probably during Paul’s imprisonment (literally from the cell).

c. The Greeting: Colossians 1:2b, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” d. Section of Prayer, Blessing or Thanksgiving: Colossians 1:3-12. e. The  Body  of  the  Letter  (the  body  of  the  letter  is  what  the  author  or  sender  

wanted  to  say  that  occasioned  the  letter):    Colossians  1:13  –  4:7.  

Introduction to Colossians

i. What was the occasion and purpose of the text? Although Paul did not directly establish the church at Colossae, loved the congregation, in part because of a man named Epaphras. Some say Epaphras was the pastor of the church. Christianity is in part turning your life towards Christ as Lord and Savior and living out our new reality in Him. As with most of us it takes some reminding to get it right. This letter from Paul appears to be just that – for us to remember what Christ has done (Colossians 1:13 – 2:23) and what it looks like to be a new creation in Christ (Colossians 3:1 – 4:7). Paul wrote this letter to combat false teaching that had apparently infiltrated the Colossian church. Paul does not sugar coat the problem -- either you believe God’s word in total or you run the risk of being taken “captive through philosophy and empty deception…rather than according to Christ.” If being a captive is the only choice, let it be to Christ and not this world. Paul reminds the church what Christ has done in chapters 1 and 2. Paul goes on to say, if Christ is Lord over all creation, should we not crown him Lord over our life? The theology of chapters 1 and 2 is followed by exhortations to live a life worthy of being a child of Christ in chapters 3 and 4.

1. Paul reminds us we have been rescued from being Satan’s oppression and transferred to the realm of Christ (Colossians 1:13).

2. We are redeemed through the forgiveness of sins because of Christ’s atoning work (Colossians 1:14).

3. Suddenly, Paul prays to God (Colossians 1:15-23) in a short hymn expressing Christ’s supremacy as Creator and redeemer.

4. Paul repeats to the reader that Christ is also center of His church (Colossians 1:24 – 2:3).

5. There is freedom in Christ a. Freedom from false teachings (Colossians 2:4-7) b. Freedom from false philosophy (Colossians 2:8-10) c. Freedom from the Law (Colossians 2:11-17) d. Freedom from false worship (Colossians 2:18-20) e. Lastly, and probably most important, freedom from

false doctrine or teachings (Colossians 2:21-23).

 

Introduction to Colossians

6. Finally, as is typical with Paul, after presenting a theology position that should be nothing more than a refresher course to the reader, Paul exhorts the church to proper Christian living.

a. You have been raised with Christ (Colossians 3:1-4) b. Put off your worldly desires (Colossians 3:5-11) c. Put on your new clothes (Colossians 3:11-17) d. How to live as a Christian; in the home (Colossians 3:18-21); at

work (Colossians 3:22-4:1); in prayer (Colossians 4:2-4); and with non-believers (Colossians 4:5-7)

f. The Letter Closing, Final Greeting and Farewell: Colossians 4:7-18. i. Who is introduced in the closing?

o Here we learn about Tchyicus who was possibly the pastor of the church at Ephesus. Tchyicus apparently traveled back with Epaphras to Colossae.

o Look who is traveling with Tchyicus? Onesimus; yes, the same Onesimus found another epistle – Philemon.

o Let’s introduce Paul’s prison SG. Aristarchus, apparently a fellow prisoner with Paul along with (John) Mark and Jesus Justus. Friends of Paul to the end.

o Epaphrus, probably the founder of the church at Colossae; what a great example of a pastor of shepherd of a flock – “a slave to Christ”; the one who carried the concern to Paul about what was happening in the church at Colossae.

o Two others are mentioned as companions of Paul – Luke and Demas. Yes, this is the same Luke found in the Gospel of Luke and Acts. Demas turns into an afterthought when he abandons the Gospel as mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:10.

o Archippus, an unsung hero of the faith; a “fellow soldier” as indentified in Philemon.