The Book of Colossians:

Transcription

1 The Holy Bible It is also referred to as God s Word, or the Holy Scriptures. This book is made up by 66 books penned by various authors over a period of approx years, although written by men; God is the ultimate author (2 Tim.3v16-17, 2 Pet.1v20-21). The Book of Colossians: The date and author of the book of Colossians a): The author The apostle Paul identifies himself as the author of this letter (1v1, 4v18). b): Date of Writing: The Book of Colossians was likely written between A.D The division of the book of Colossians The book can be divided into 4 sections: Introduction, personal section (1v1-14) Doctrinal section (1v15 2v23) Practical section (3v1 4v6) Conclusion (4v7-18) Why the book was written Although Paul had never visited this church (1v4-8, 2v1), he is deeply concerned for it (2v1). Written from his prison cell, this third prison letter was sent because of a visit by Epaphras to Paul who gave him a report on the progress of the church, including some of the problems it was facing. The Book of Colossians is a mini-ethics course, addressing every area of Christian life. Paul progresses from the individual life to the home and family, from work to the way we should treat others. Paul was moved to write this letter because heresy was being taught and he had to correct it. We don t know exactly what the heresy was, but there were some very odd ideas about what Christian maturity involved. (Some thought it was about diet, sacred days and even worshipping angels). Some of the themes in Colossians There are two main themes of this book 1): The sufficiency of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in meeting our needs in every area of our lives the key verse being 2v9. 2): Christian maturity the key verse being 1v28 The scope is universal, every Christian should move to maturity, The source of it is Christ himself and following his example. Christ is: A recurring theme in Colossians is the complete adequacy of Christ as contrasted with the emptiness of mere human philosophy. Summary of the Holy Bible Page 52

2 This adequacy is expressed in the cosmic Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is owner, creator and sovereign over all things, visible and invisible (1v15-18). Colossians is perhaps the most Christ-centred book in the Bible and Paul shows us that Jesus is: The image of God (1v15) he is the perfect visible representation and representation of all that God is. Jesus could say if you have seen me you have seen the Father (John 14v9). The one who lived before everything else was Created (1v17). The one who holds all Creation together (1v17). Firstborn over all Creation (1v18) this refers to his precedence in rank rather than precedence in time. Put Christ alongside any created being, and he, the uncreated, has to be acknowledged as being supreme in authority and dignity. The Creator (1v16). He is not part of the Creation he is the Creator (see also John 1v1-3). The head of the church (1v18). The fullness of the Godhead dwells in him (1v19; 2v9). The one who through his death reconciles all things to the Father (1v20-23), bringing peace to those who were once the enemies of God. Christian maturity comes through Christ working in us: How do we become mature? We MUST: Put to death all ungodly desires (3v5) Put off all worldly thoughts and speech (3v8-9) Put on all that is Christ like (3v12) To Let the peace of God rule in our hearts (3v15) Let the word of Christ dwell in us (3v16) Have holiness in Life (3v1-7) The home (3v18 4v1) To walk worthy of the Lord (1v10; 2v6) means To be fruitful maintaining good works (1v10). To increase in the knowledge of God (1v10). To draw strength from him to help us patiently and joyfully endure the varied experiences of life (1v11). To give thanks to God for our salvation and our eternal hope in Christ (1v12). All : These instructions are for everyone! Paul repeatedly stresses the all, always, whole, fully, every, everything. The word appears 38 times! Summary of the Holy Bible Page 53

3 Brief summary of the book of Colossians The letters of Ephesians and Colossians are very similar in their contents, and Ephesians could be labelled the letter portraying the church of Christ, and Colossians must surely be the Christ of the church. - Ephesians focuses on the Body. - Colossians focuses on the Head. The Book of Colossians contains doctrinal instructions about the deity of Christ and false philosophies (1v15-2v23), as well as practical exhortations regarding Christian conduct, including friends and speech (3v1-4v18). In order to combat a growing heresy that is threatening the church at Colosse, Paul stresses two major things: a. The pre-eminence of the Person of Christ. b. The completeness of the salvation he provides. A most powerful statement of this theme is that: - He is supreme in creation (1v15-18), and - He is supreme in redemption (1v19-23) Colossians, written explicitly to defeat the heresy that had arisen in Colosse endangered the existence of the church. While we do not know what was told to Paul, this letter is his response. We can work out, based on Paul s response that he was dealing with a defective view of Christ (denying his real and true humanity and not accepting his full deity). Paul appears also to dispute the Jewish emphasis on circumcision and traditions (2v8-11; 3v11). Paul does not want the believers to be deceived, cheated or robbed, so he says: I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments (2v4). See to it that no one takes you captive (v8). Therefore do not let anyone judge you (v16). Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize (v18). The false teaching about the person of Christ can take two forms, which are actually two sides of the same coin. One side is teaching that takes away from the fullness of the New Testament teaching about Christ, the other seeks to add to it: Two areas come under attack: a): In the Colossian heresy, the tendency was to question the humanity of Christ. Was he truly human? b): The other error (one that is more common in our day) is to question the deity of Jesus. He was a good teacher. He was a great man. Efforts have been made to de-mythologize the New Testament and to rediscover the historic Jesus by discounting and explaining away all the supernatural or superstitious elements in the Gospel accounts. The second side is teaching that adds to Christ. This is the reverse side of the coin. If Christ is not proclaimed in his completeness, then the next step is to add to him. If Christ is not complete, then he is not sufficient. Some of the apparent heresies are: A religious system that combined elements from: Greek speculation (2v8-10) Jewish legalism (2v11-17) Oriental mysticism (2v18-23) Summary of the Holy Bible Page 54

4 The teachers of these false doctrines were usually called Gnostics. The word Gnostic comes from a Greek word which means to have a special knowledge of God. Paul does a remarkable job in pointing us to the sufficiency of Christ as he deals with issues relating to: A low view of the human body Circumcision Dietary regulations Ritual observances Worship of angels Let the word of Christ dwell in you (3v16). The key verses are Colossians 1v15-16: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Colossians 2v8: See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2v9-10: For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in him, who is the head of all principality and power. Colossians 3v12-13: Therefore, as God s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 4v5-6: Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Seeing the Old Testament in Colossians As with all the early churches, the issue of Jewish legalism in Colosse was of great concern to Paul. So radical was the concept of salvation by grace apart from works that those steeped in Old Testament law found it very difficult to grasp. Consequently, there was a continual movement among the legalists to add certain requirements from the law to this new faith. Primary among them was the requirement of circumcision which was still practiced among some of the Jewish converts. Paul countered this error (2v11-15) where he declares that circumcision of the flesh was no longer necessary because Christ had come. His was a circumcision of the heart, not the flesh, making the ceremonial rites of the Old Testament law no longer necessary (Deut.10v16, 30v6; Jer.4v4, 9v26; Acts 7v51; Rom.2v29). Practical Application: Although Paul addresses many areas, the basic application for us today is the total and complete sufficiency of Christ in our lives, both for our salvation and our sanctification. We must know and understand the gospel so as not to be led astray by subtle forms of legalism and heresy. We must be on guard for any deviation that would diminish the centrality of Christ as Lord and Saviour. Any religion that tries to connect itself with the truth using books that claim the same authority as the Bible, or which combines human effort with divine accomplishment in salvation must be avoided. Other religions cannot be combined with or added to Christianity. Paul s purpose is to show that Christ is preeminent first and foremost in everything and the Christian s life should reflect that priority. Because Christians are rooted in him (2v7), alive in him (2v5, 13), hidden in him (3v3), and complete in him, it is utterly inconsistent for them to live without him. Summary of the Holy Bible Page 55

5 Christ gives us absolute standards of moral conduct. Christianity is a family, a way of life, and a relationship not a religion. Good deeds, astrology, occultism and horoscopes do not show us God s ways. Only Christ does. His will is revealed in his word, his love letter to us; we must get to know it! Because of his death with Christ, the Christian must regard himself as dead to the old sins and put them aside (3v5-11). Because of his resurrection with Christ, the Christian must regard himself as alive in righteousness and put on the new qualities that are prompted by Christian love (3v12-17). Turning from the inward life (3v12-17) to the outward life (3v18 4v6), Paul outlines the transformation that faith in Christ should make in relationships inside and outside the home. According to 4v16, Paul wanted the Colossian letter to be read in the neighbouring congregation at Laodicea. The message of this book is greatly needed today. In a time when Christ is scorned and his teaching rejected, we need to speak out the grand truths of this letter. Personal Notes: Summary of the Holy Bible Page 56