Today we begin our journey through the book of Colossians, exploring the heart the Apostle Paul had for a young and growing church—and the powerful ways he points them to the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Join Dr. Marty Baker as we launch this new sermon series, Colossians: The Connection That Counts, and discover why our connection to Christ changes everything.
When old lions hunt, they typically hide in tall grass near meadows, where unsuspecting prey, like gazelles, will graze. Once the clueless and hungry gazelle starts eating, the lion uses his powerful paw to make the grass move in a way that arouses the curiosity of the beast in question. When the animal walks over to investigate this unusual movement, the lion moves with speed to make a tasty meal for himself.
This real-life story from the wild is an excellent metaphor of how the Devil operates with believers inside and outside the local church. Writing to the spiritual leaders of a church, Peter gives them some sobering counsel in 1 Peter 5:
2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. . . 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
Paul was well aware of Peter’s insights. Like a good shepherd and pastor of his various flocks, he not only made sure they had ample spiritual food, but he also addressed how the Devil sought to infiltrate, intimidate, and annihilate these churches.
In the book of Colossians, like the books of Galatians and 1 Corinthians, Pastor Paul warned this body to be on the alert for a false ideology that threatened their unity. That threat, as shall be seen, concerned a warped and watered-down view of the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. So, in classic Pauline fashion, the wise shepherd wrote with excellent theological specificity and passion to inform these unsuspecting saints of a Lion in their midst. As he did this, he left us with some of the loftiest statements about who Jesus is in the Holy Scriptures.
Much has changed over the last 2,000 years in technology, geopolitics, and society, among other areas. But what hasn’t changed is that the Devil is on the prowl, constantly looking for ways to derail and neutralize vibrant believers and churches spiritually. Our day and time is certainly no exception, as churches frequently fold on matters of sound doctrine, all for the sake of not offending anyone, so the ecclesiastical machine can continue to function. It never, however, functions well when it abandons biblical teaching, hence the need for us to learn from Paul’s letter to the Colossian church.
So, I invite you to come with me as we sink our interpretive spades into a biblical book designed to challenge, educate, and motivate us to be saints who not only keep the old Lion in check but also transform our world through our biblical teaching and holy behavior. To launch this endeavor, I invite you to do a little background study with me of the book of Colossians. Our goal in this study is to address some basic questions.
Who Wrote The Book?
The opening Greek is quite melodic:
1 Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφὸς 2 τοῖς ἐν Κολοσσαῖς ἁγίοις καὶ πιστοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ, χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν.
The English isn’t as engaging to the ear, but it does provide ample background information.
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Col. 1:1-2)
The first word identifies the author, Paul. The book closes with another authorial identification:
8 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.” (Col. 4)
In between chapter 1, verse 1, and chapter 4, verse 8, the book evidences a Pauline emphasis on doctrine that precedes practice, plus the mention of people who typically worked with Paul (Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, and Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Nymphas, and Archippus, Col. 4:7-18). Here’s a quite data point showing where some of these names appear in other Pauline letters:
- Tychicus (Eph. 6:21; Titus 3:12)
- Onesimus (Phil. 10-21)
- Aristarchus (Phil. 24)
- Mark, or John Mark (Phil. 24; 2 Tim. 4:11)
- Epaphras (Phil. 23)
- Luke (Phil. 24; 2 Tim. 4:11)
- Demas (Phil. 24; 2 Tim. 4:10)
- Archippus (Phil. 2)
Paul is clearly the author.
He identifies himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.” What is an apostle? The Greek word speaks of an “authorized emissary.” Think of a U.S. diplomat, and you’ve got the idea of this interesting Greek term. They are a person sent by a higher authority who represents another nation in foreign territory.
In the NT, the word pointed to a specific person chosen by God for a particular task. Paul, of course, used to be Saul, a Jew devoted to persecuting and silencing any Jew who’d dare believe and teach that Jesus Christ was the risen Messiah as prophesied in the OT. The resurrected Lord grabbed his attention with a spectacular and humbling theophany as he headed to Damascus to persecute more believers. That encounter changed Saul’s life, and now he became Paul, a man on a divine mission to bring the gospel of Jesus mainly to Gentiles (Rom. 1:16).
As an Apostle, Paul was identified with the twelve disciples of Jesus, who were also called Apostles (Matt. 10:1ff, Mark 3:14; 6:30; Luke 6:13; 9:1ff; Acts 1:2, 26). This, by definition, meant Paul held a high office in the Church; hence, to the Colossians, he wasn’t just a man on a divine mission, he was the Apostle, the leader that God had specifically chosen for his unique work. This is what Paul also says in his opening words to the saints of Galatia:
1 Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead). (Gal. 1:1)
Before his conversion experience, Paul was a man on a misguided mission. After his conversion, he was on God’s mission, fulfilling God’s will, not his. No one qualifies to be an Apostle anymore because they had to have seen Christ. Yet, we are apostles in the sense that God grabs our attention in a variety of ways, shows us our sin, redeems us when we confess Him as Lord, and then He sets a spiritual mission before us. I’ve been on a spiritual mission since 1967. How about you? Once you are saved, your life is no longer about you. It’s about Him.
Part of Paul’s mission was writing letters to churches he either founded or was associated with. All told, Paul wrote thirteen epistles, or letters (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. There are various ways you can group these personal letters. Here is one way.
Colossians fits into those great letters that extol the person and redemptive work of Jesus. So, you can expect to walk away with a profound and detailed understanding of your Lord when we conclude this study, for He is the focus of this particular letter. In fact, some of the things Paul will say about Him are said nowhere else in his writings. So, hang on.
Before we leave this discussion of the authorship of the letter, we need to note that Paul mentions Timothy being with him. Did Timothy help write this book? No, but he was Paul’s younger and faithful disciple. Timothy, Paul’s helper, co-worker, and co-pastor is mentioned in the salutation of 2 Corinthians (2 Cor. 1:1 and in that of Philippians (Phil. 1:1). He’s also present in 1 Thessalonians 1:2 and 2 Thessalonians 1:1. Every pastoral leader needs a Timothy, someone you can trust, someone you know will work hard, and someone you know will be loyal when it gets hot in the ministerial kitchen. My pastoral staff are my Timothy’s, along with the Elder Council, Directors, and countless leaders who lead well. May God bless you for blessing me. May God give you a Timothy to help you as you seek to fulfill your divine calling.
Who Was The Book Written To?
Verse two gives us the answer:
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Col. 1:1-2)
The world is divided before God into two distinct groups: saints and sinners. We are all born sinners (Rom. 3:23; 5:12-21), but we become saints when Christ becomes, by faith, our Lord and Savior. At the moment, He not only forgives your sin, but He gives you His positional holiness. Here is how Paul puts it:
30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption . . . (1 Cor. 1:30).
Do you have the holiness of Jesus Christ? He waits to give it to you. The saints in Colossae traded their soiled spiritual garments for holy ones when they confessed Jesus as the true Lord (Rom. 10:9). These saints were also faithful, meaning they were known to Paul as believers who walked carefully with their Lord. They also had a track record of being faithful to the Christian cause, the Word of God, and the leaders of the local and universal Church. Are you faithful? Does your walk show it? There is one of the greatest compliments a saint could receive.
Concerning the believers, Paul says they are “in Christ.” Once more, there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who are “in Christ” and those who are “outside of Christ.” The first group is saved and bound for heaven. The latter are not saved and are bound for eternal judgment (Gehennah: Matt. 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18;9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 12:5; 16:1ff; Hades: Matt. 11:23, 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; Tartaros: 2 Pet. 2:4). How do you get “in Christ”? I’m glad you asked. Paul tells you in Ephesians 1:13:
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is agiven as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1)
The moment you understand you are a sinner and that Christ died for your sin and rose again on the third day to defeat sin, is the moment you are moved toward salvation from God’s wrath against your sin (1 Cor. 15:1ff). The moment you believe in this Savior is when you move from being outside of Christ to being in Him for the rest of time and eternity. What could be better? There is no better place to be, and these saints Paul addressed in this powerful little letter couldn’t have been more spiritually secure.
Where did these faithful saints live? In Colossae. Where is this? It was in the western part of Asia Minor, which is now modern-day Turkey. Colossae was located some ten miles south of Laodicea in the Lycus valley, on the southwest side of the Lycus River. It was also about 100 miles due east of the city of Ephesus, where Paul worked as a missionary for three fruitful years (Acts 19:1-41). Strategically, Colossae was an essential cog in the Roman machine, as it stood on the main road that led from Ephesus to the east of Asia. Other than this, Colossae was somewhat insignificant. By the time of Paul, it had lost its former glory and was, in fact, an unimportant city, but it enjoyed a beautiful location, being situated near Mount Cadmus. Yet this didn’t deter Paul from writing to these saints. Each church and each saint were essential to him, regardless of their social standing or intellectual acumen. Interesting. In a city that eventually became eclipsed by the glory and money-making power of Laodicea and Hierapolis, Paul gave his most profound treatment of Christ’s identity. Great spiritual things ofttimes occur in out-of-the-way, obscure places and in the lives of people who, to the world, do not seem that important or influential.
When Was The Book Written?
From the book, it is apparent that Paul was imprisoned.
3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— (Col. 4)
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. (Col. 4)
Paul experienced three main imprisonments. One in Caesarea and two in Rome. According to Acts 28:30-31, his first Roman imprisonment lasted two years and gave him much freedom to read, write, study, and entertain guests.
30 And he stayed two whole years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered. (Acts 28)
Since the prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are believed to have been written about the same time by NT scholars, the wording in them can give clues as to which imprisonment is in view, say, in Colossians. For instance, in Philippians 4:22, Paul speaks of Caesar’s household. This would not fit with Caesarea, but with Rome. Also, Paul’s claim that he had an impact on the Roman Praetorium guard (Phil. 1:13) points to Roman imprisonment, namely, the first one where he had time to meet and greet saints, write, and teach. Hence, I would, therefore, place the composition of this letter around 61 A.D. As a sidenote, think about the importance of all of this. Even in the face of incarceration and trumped charges, Paul used it as an opportunity to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ! Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. What a positive outlook. He held this outlook because he knew that adverse situations didn’t hamstring God’s sovereignty and leadership over his life. On the contrary, he knew that God frequently does His best work when the proverbial chips are down. So, keep your head up. God’s positioning you for a great work.
With all this important background information, we now turn to a key question:
What Is The Book’s Purpose?
Two things generated the writing of this epistle: (1) Paul desired to send Onesimus back to his master Philemon, and (2) Epaphras, who was probably the founding pastor of the church in Colossae (Paul calls him “a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf” in Colossians 1:7) had brought Paul alarming news about a subtle false teaching which was beginning to effect the church (1:7-8; 2:1-4; 4:12-13). Epaphras illustrates that we all must have access to more mature and knowledgeable saints who can assist us when we encounter false teaching, which may be hard to detect or discern. In light of this, Paul seeks in Colossians to accomplish two specific goals. First, to teach proper doctrine about Christ and second, to refute false teaching (1:1-2:23).
What was the false teaching the believers in Colossae were being exposed to? It was a blend of Judaism and Oriental Gnosticism. Judaistic tendencies are evident in the emphasis these folks placed on things like the observance of proper foods and drinks and festivals as prescribed by the Law of Moses (Col. 2:16-17; Lev. 23). The incipient Gnosticism can be seen in the mention of angel worship in Colossians 1:18 and Paul’s speaking about the fulness of deity dwelling in Christ, which Gnostics did not believe.
What was Gnosticism? The word is built upon the Greek word meaning “knowledge.” Gnostics, therefore, believed they had a corner on truth, that they, and no one else, possessed superior, spiritual knowledge. A line was logically drawn, and arrogantly, I might add, between enlightened and unenlightened believers.
As a sidelight, I would warn you to be careful of any person or group calling themselves saints who make you feel like an outsider because you lack a unique spiritual ability or gift they possess.
Believers of the Gnostic system taught that matter was evil and the spirit good. This presupposition moved them to conclude there was, therefore, a vast gulf between man and God. I’ll let Hiebert pick up the discussion here:
“This gave rise to the ‘doctrine of Aeons,’ or intermediate beings, between God and the world. According to this view, since matter is evil, God can have nothing to do with this world directly. Accordingly, He created another being somewhat inferior to Himself but worthy of having come from Him. This lower being, or emanation, produced another in a similar manner until a whole series of them, on a descending scale, came into existence. The lowest was close enough to the world to create the world of evil matter. Then this host of intermediary beings, or angels, became the objects of worship rather than God Himself, since He was too holy to be approached directly.”[1]
So, to connect with God, you had to come to Him through these angelic messengers, not through Jesus. Jesus wasn’t fully God because He was nothing more than a weak representation of Him, a final emanation. To spiritually connect with these higher angelic beings, you either had to meticulously observe the cult’s laws, rules, and regulations because of the evil nature of the flesh, or you had to live and let live, because what happened to the body didn’t matter. After all, if what mattered was the spirit, then you could do with the flesh as you pleased. Concerning these false teachers, R. Kent Hughes observes:
This reasoning led to the belief that Jesus Christ, if he really was the Son of God, could not have taken on a human body because matter is evil. This delusion spawned the Gnostic romances about Jesus being only a ghost-like phantom. To the Gnostics, Christ was not Creator, the Incarnation was not real, and Christ was not enough!
Obviously, this “theological/philosophical system placed Christ in a lesser position, for it lowered His divine status to a faint emanation of God.
Paul met this false teaching head-on and showed decisively that Jesus was none other than the fullness of deity in the flesh (2:9-10). Likewise, in our day, we need to possess a proper understanding of the person and redemptive work of Jesus because the old Lion, the Devil, is constantly seeking ways to diminish and pervert this inexorable teaching.
How Is The Book Structured?
It is designed like most of Paul’s letters. First, he covers doctrine, and then he moves into practice. Why does he do this? Because what you believe should impact how you live. Good theology, therefore, becomes the laser level of how we should govern our lives before the watching world. The structure of this book also shows you how to handle false teaching, whatever it may be. You measure that teaching against the Word of God to see if it is true or false. This, of course, suggests that you are a person of the Word, meaning you are in it daily. Are you?
What Else Do Opening Verses Tell Us?
A couple of fascinating, timeless truths:
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Col. 1:1-2)
Grace and peace, and in this order, come only from God to those who believe. His grace is freely and lovingly given to us as sinners. The old acronym for grace is worth repeating: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Yes, the Father asked the Son to lay His holy life down for our sin, and He fulfilled His redemptive mission out of love for us. He died as our sin substitute, so the Father’s wrath was directed against Him, and potentially not us, that is, when we come to faith in Jesus. Have you experienced His rich, loving grace?
When you embrace, by faith, His rich grace, you, by definition, get peace, shalom, for the first time in your life, your inner life. So, you are either at odds with God because of sin, or you are at peace with Him. Which is it in your life?
[1] D. Edmond Hiebert, An Introduction To The New Testament, Vol. II (Chicago: Moody Press, 1977), 225-226.
[2] R. Kent Hughes, Colossians and Philemon: The Supremacy of Christ, Preaching the Word (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1989), 14–15.
