Letter to the Colossians

The Preeminence of Christ

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15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. – Colossians 1:15-20 ESV

In these verses, Paul launches into a densely packed defense of Christ’s preeminence or superiority. This carefully crafted rhetorical flourish follows his reminder that God had rescued the believers in Colossae from the kingdom of darkness and transferred them into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased their freedom and forgave their sins. Jesus was not to be overlooked, taken for granted or discounted in any way. Paul defends the deity of Christ because this foundational doctrine of the faith has come under attack from men who claim to speak with apostolic authority. Epaphras informed Paul that these unnamed individuals were teaching false doctrines concerning Christ, which had left the Colossian congregation confused and dangerously close to diminishing the fruitfulness for which Paul had graciously complimented them.

To redirect the focus of his letter to Christ, Paul adeptly and somewhat abruptly shifts the emphasis from God the Father to Jesus Christ the Son. Following his reminder of Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross and its eternal implications for their redemption and justification, Paul states, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15 NLT). In His incarnation, Jesus, the Son of God and the second person of the Trinity made God visible and knowable to mankind. He became the visible image of the invisible God on earth.

In his gospel account, the apostle John elaborates on this unique aspect of Christ’s earthly ministry.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14 ESV

And John boldly proclaimed that Jesus was more than just another messenger from God. He was God Himself.

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known. – John 1:18 BSB

The author of Hebrews expands on the God-reflecting nature of Jesus and further solidifies the doctrine of His divinity.

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. – Hebrews 1:3-4 NLT

For Paul and these other New Testament authors, Jesus’ divinity was an essential doctrine that must be defended at all costs because it was the hinge upon which the door of salvation swung. If Jesus was not divine, then His death on the cross was ineffective because His sinlessness was the key to His death’s effectiveness. As John explains in his first letter, Jesus’ righteousness was the basis for His sacrifice being acceptable to God the Father.

…we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins… – 1 John 2:1-2 BSB

But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. – 1 John 3:5 BSB

His sinlessness satisfied the just demands of a holy God and made His atoning death worthy of the Father’s approval. Paul stresses another aspect of Jesus’ atoning work that was being questioned by these self-proclaimed apostles. As a member of the Godhead, Jesus’ substitutionary death was the work of the Creator laying down His life for those He created. Jesus wasn’t a man who served as a martyr for a cause. He was the Son of God and fully divine. That is why Paul stresses Jesus’ divine credentials by promoting His eternality and the essential role He played in creating all things.

…by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. – Colossians 1:16 ESV

Once again, the apostle John provides ample support for Paul’s claim.

He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. – John 1:2-3 BSB

Paul presented this same argument for Christ’s role in the creation account when writing to the believers in Corinth.

…there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist. – 1 Corinthians 8:6 BSB

As the Creator-God, Jesus was responsible for all that existed, including the believers in Colossae. He was not just a Messiah who came to save them, but He was the God who had created them. He was not only responsible for their salvation but for their very existence as well. He had formed them and forgiven them. He breathed in them the breath of life and became their hope for experiencing new life, and by His divine power, Jesus would hold them safe and secure to the end.

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. – Colossians 1:17 ESV

Paul is going out of his way to stress the unique nature of Christ. He was determined that the believers in Colossae grasped and appreciated the significance of Jesus’ life-giving and life-transforming role as the Son of God. Jesus had been much more than a teacher, Rabbi, healer, and miracle worker. He was superior and supreme in all things. He had no equal, and no one could replicate His accomplishments or diminish His one-of-a-kind status as the sovereign Savior of the world. That is why Paul stresses the headship of Christ over the church and promotes His well-deserved status as the unequaled and unparalleled Lord of all.

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. – Colossians 1:18 ESV

The church would not exist without Christ. Had He not died and risen again, there would be no church because there would be no Christ-followers. Jesus was not a martyred teacher who cultivated a faithful host of committed followers to propagate His teachings. He was the “firstborn from the dead” who, through His death and resurrection, made possible the spiritual transformation of countless men and women.

There were those who taught that Jesus’s resurrection was a fable or myth and downplayed its importance to the Christian faith. Paul addressed these dangerous “false teachers” ‘misguided musings in his first letter to the church in Corinth.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 ESV

Christ’s resurrection made possible the redemption of condemned humanity and guarantees the future resurrection and glorification of all those who accept His free gift of salvation. Again, Christ was more than a gifted teacher with a message of life transformation based on behavior modification. He had not come to model a new way of living. His teachings were not intended to provide a road map for living a better life. He came to offer His life as a sacrifice for the sins of men so that they might receive new lives and new natures that would reflect His own.

Paul emphatically states that Jesus is preeminent and one-of-a-kind. He has no equal. Jesus was the sole means by which God chose to redeem fallen humanity, and that is why Paul claims, “God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ” (Colossians 1:19 NLT), and no one else. It was only through Christ that “God reconciled everything to himself” (Colossians 1:20 NLT). No one else could take credit for the role that Jesus played in God’s grand redemptive plan. God used Jesus to reconcile sinful humanity to Himself, and anyone who diminished Jesus’ role as Savior or presented another means of salvation was to be avoided at all costs.

You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. – Galatians 1:6-8 NLT

You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed. – 2 Corinthians 11:4 NLT

It seems quite evident that Paul held strong views concerning this topic. He was obsessed with defending the doctrine of Christ at all costs. He would not tolerate anyone who attempted to diminish Christ’s divinity or who tried to devalue His role as the God-man who, through His life, death, and resurrection, made it possible for sinful men to be made right with a holy God.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Knowing and Doing God’s Will

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9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Colossians 1:9-14 ESV

Upon hearing of the Colossians’ ongoing display of faith, hope, and love, Paul let them know that his prayers had been answered. He states that he and Timothy had regularly and zealously prayed that God would fill them with “the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9 ESV).

The prayers of Paul, many of which are recorded in his letters, reveal a shepherd’s heart for his dispersed and ever-increasing flock. These prayers provide a rare glimpse into the great 1st-century apostle’s approach to ministry and discipleship. Paul was a dedicated missionary and church planter with a passion for the gospel and a love for people that revealed itself in how he prayed for them. While it’s likely that he received many personal prayer requests from Christians he met along the way during his many journeys, his recorded prayers are more universal in nature and deal with the spiritual needs of the congregations to which he wrote. There is little doubt that he faithfully lifted up to the Lord the personal requests of individual believers, but his real passion for people extended beyond the surface needs and desires they may have expressed. While he took their physical needs seriously and cared deeply about their health and well-being, his deep-seated concern was for their spiritual lives and relationship with God.

In the opening lines of his letter to the believers in Colossae, Paul encourages them by informing them that they have been in his prayers – constantly. He tells them that he and Timothy have not ceased to pray for them. What a blessing it is to hear that someone has been praying for you. What an encouragement to know that someone cares enough about you to lift you up before the throne of God. Paul even reveals to them the content of his prayers. This is where it gets interesting and revealing.

He states that his request to God was for them to know the Father’s will. Paul uses the Greek word proseuchomai, which carries much more force behind it than our English word for prayer. It means “to pray earnestly for” and reflects Paul’s strong desire for God to reveal His will to the believers in Colossae. In a real sense, Paul is begging God to make His will known. Not only that, he asks God to fill them with that knowledge.

Once again, the original Greek language is much richer and more forceful in its meaning. When Paul asks God to fill them, he means “to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, to fill to the brim.” In other words, he is asking God to fill them so fully that there isn’t room for anything else – including their own wills. For the believer, knowing the will of God is essential. It is what directs our actions and influences our attitudes. It is what gives us direction in our lives. As we live in this world, we are constantly influenced by our own sinful nature and the world around us. We face the relentless temptation to control our lives and live according to our own will.

Paul warned the believers in Rome, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT). So, there is a sense in which we have to turn our attention from the things of this world and concentrate on God’s will as revealed in His Word. God is out to transform us by influencing our thinking and altering our behavior – from the inside out.

But Paul goes on to qualify his request. He says that he is asking that they be filled with a knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. This indicates that God’s will must be spiritually discerned because it is not of this world. In fact, the wisdom of God will often, if not always, stand in conflict with the ways of this world. It will appear illogical and make no sense from a human perspective. To know God’s will requires spiritual wisdom and understanding, which can only be provided with the Holy Spirit’s help. Paul told the believers in Corinth, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV). Then he reminded them, “But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16 ESV). We have the mind of Christ because we have the Spirit of Christ living within us. We are spiritual creatures with a God-given capacity to understand and know His will. Paul prayed that his brothers and sisters in Christ would overflow with that knowledge.

However, for Paul, being aware of and filled with the knowledge of God was not enough. Knowing the will of God is useless if it is not put into action. That is why Paul states that his prayers for them had an objective. He wanted them “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10 ESV). Knowledge of God’s will is useless if not obeyed. The idea of being filled to overflowing conveys the image of the contents of a cup spilling out and onto its surroundings. Knowing His will should produce a desire to live it out in daily life, impacting all with whom we come in contact.

While the Greek word peripateō can be translated as “walk,” it can also convey the idea of conducting one’s life. When Paul states that he wants the Colossians to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,” he expresses his prayerful desire that they live their daily lives in submission to and in keeping with God’s will. Doing so will please the Father, produce a life of spiritual fruitfulness, and result in an even greater awareness of His will. Paul wanted them to know that, as they expended energy doing God’s will, they would tap into an inexhaustible power supply based on His “glorious might” (Colossians 1:11 ESV). Rather than growing weak or weary, they would find themselves with an overabundance of endurance and patience even amid the trials of life. God would supply them with strength for the task, causing them to respond with joyful thanksgiving. 

Paul desperately desired that the Colossian believers understand the magnitude of the gift they received when they placed their faith in Jesus. Something truly remarkable occurred when they accepted the free gift of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone. They were immediately “delivered…from the domain of darkness and transferred…to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13 ESV). As a result, they shared in the inheritance of the saints in light. They had a permanent place reserved for them in God’s eternal kingdom. The apostle Peter expressed it this way:

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. – 1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT

The author of Hebrews also wrote of this inheritance of the saints. In his great “Hall of Faith,” he mentions such Old Testament luminaries as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah and describes how they were distinguished by their faith in God.

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. – Hebrews 11:13-16 NLT

When Paul tells the Colossians that God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13 ESV), he lets them know that they are as good as there. God’s promises are so sure and certain that the Colossians can live in perfect peace in the here and now because God has guaranteed their hereafter. They were already citizens of that eternal kingdom, even while living here on earth.

Paul lets them know that this kingdom to come belongs to Jesus Christ, the one who made possible their redemption and forgiveness from sin. Jesus was not only their Savior but their King who would one day come to rule on earth. With His return, their redemption and justification will result in their glorification. Paul’s ongoing prayer for them was that they might continue to grow in their knowledge of the full scope of God’s grand redemptive plan for them. They needed to know that God’s will extended far beyond their next earthly need or personal desire. According to Paul, God’s will was their sanctification and ultimate glorification (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

Paul’s prayer provides a great example of how we should pray for one another. There is nothing wrong with praying for someone’s physical healing, the restoration of their marriage, the provision of their financial need, or any other concern they may have. But it is far more important to desire their understanding of God’s will for them. One of the problems believers face is understanding what we’re supposed to do in life. We must know how to use our time, talents, and resources. We need to discern what God is trying to teach us through the trials and troubles we face in life. How would God have us respond to the situations and circumstances in which we find ourselves? It is not difficult to discern our will. That comes easy. But knowing the will of God takes intention and requires that we listen to the Spirit of God and patiently wait to hear God speak. There is no more impactful prayer we could pray for a friend or family member than that God would fill them with a knowledge of His will – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Faith, Hope, and Love

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3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. – Colossians 1:3-8 ESV

Paul describes the believers in Colossae using three of his favorite terms: Faith, hope, and love. He mentions their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints. He also indicates that these two qualities are based on the hope of future reward. They can love others because they have been loved by Christ.  They have a secure hope in the future salvation promised to them because of their faith in Jesus Christ. This triad of Christian character traits was near and dear to Paul’s heart. In fact, in his great “love chapter,” Paul summarizes his statements on love by writing, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT).

For Paul, faith, hope, and love were non-negotiable essentials of the Christian experience. In writing to the church in Corinth, he expressed his admiration for them and reminded them that God had blessed them with every spiritual gift.

God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 1:5-7 NLT

Yet, despite their giftedness, the Corinthians were a divided church, bickering over who had the most impressive and important spiritual gifts. They had missed the whole point and were allowing the gifts that God had given them to create a hierarchy of spiritual elitism marked by pride and arrogance.

So, as Paul wrote to the fledgling church in Colossae, he emphasized the three characteristics essential to living the Christian life and honoring the name of Christ: Faith, hope, and love. Paul had used the same trifecta of godly qualities when addressing the believers in Thessalonica.

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 ESV

In Paul’s theology, faith was an ongoing experience, not a one-time, once-for-all action that ushered in one’s salvation. While faith was essential for experiencing God’s saving grace as expressed through Christ’s sacrificial and substitutionary death on the cross, it did not stop at the point of salvation. Faith was to be a dynamic and ever-increasing quality in the believer’s life. Paul told the Corinthians believers that “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV). He commended the believers in Thessalonica for their ever-increasing faith.

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. – 2 Thessalonians 1:3 ESV

When speaking of his own life, Paul stated, “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 ESV). He no longer relied upon his own strength or his capacity to produce good works in the flesh, but instead, he trusted in the sanctifying work of Christ – by faith. He truly believed what he wrote to the church in Philippi: “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 ESV).

For Paul, love was proof of a truly transformed life. According to the author of Hebrews, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). But Paul would qualify that statement by adding, “If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV). Love for others provides demonstrable proof that we have been loved by God and that our hearts have been transformed by the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. As James so eloquently put it, faith that produces no tangible evidence is not really faith at all.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. – James 2:14-17 ESV

James was not inferring that we are saved by works, but he emphasized that saving faith produces godly fruit, such as love for those in need. The apostle John echoed that sentiment.

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. – 1 John 4:20 ESV

According to Paul, both faith and love are founded upon the hope of our future glorification, promised to us by God and provided for us by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus was intended to provide us with proof that there is life after death; this world is not all there is. That is why Paul told the Corinthians, “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ESV).

Paul went on to stress the essential nature of Christ’s resurrection. If He is not risen from the dead, our faith has no meaning. It’s little more than a pipe dream.

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 ESV

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. – 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 ESV

Ultimately, our faith is in Jesus Christ’s resurrection because it assures us of our future hope of glorification. Paul went on to assure the Corinthians of the unwavering reliability of God’s plan for our future glorification.

…in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”  – 1 Corinthians 15:52-55 ESV

We live by faith in the present because we have hope for the future. The God who will fulfill all He has promised regarding the hereafter is fully capable of meeting all our needs in the here and now. And because we rest in His unfailing love for us, we can express that same love to all those around us, including our enemies.

Paul commends the Colossian believers because the gospel continues to bear fruit in their lives.

…it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth… – Colossians 1:6 ESV

Their faith, hope, and love were anything but static. According to Paul, each of those characteristics was increasing daily and manifesting itself in their lives for the world to see. The missionary work of Epaphras had been productive, resulting in their salvation and ongoing sanctification. Now, Paul wanted the Colossians to know how proud he was of their perseverance and determination to continue to pursue faith, hope, and love – even amid the difficulties and distractions that come from living in a fallen world.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Much-Needed Wake-up Call

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1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. – Colossians 1:1-2 ESV

The ancient city of Colossae achieved its early prominence and prosperity due to its location along a major trade route that ran through the Lycus River Valley in the Roman province of Asia Minor (in today’s modern-day Turkey). But in time, the nearby and newer city of Laodicea replaced Colossae as the economic engine of the region. The once-thriving metropolis of Colossae had become famous for manufacturing a much-coveted crimson-colored wool cloth known as colossinum. But by the time Paul wrote his letter, Colossae had become little more than a small village. It was in this environment that a small congregation of believers had sprung up.

The founding of the Colossian church is unclear. When Paul wrote his letter, he had not been to the city of Colossae, but his missionary journeys had taken him to nearby Ephesus where he spent an extended time spreading the gospel message and making converts. According to Acts 19:10, “This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” It could be that one of the new converts from Ephesus took the good news of Jesus Christ to Colossae or a resident from Colossae had traveled to Ephesus and heard the preaching of Paul. Whatever the case, the gospel made its way to the Colossians, and in time, a small congregation had formed.

Because of its location along a major trade route, the city of Colossae had a population comprised of Greek colonists and native Phrygians. There would have also been a large number of Jews living in the area because Antiochus the Great (223-187 B.C.) had relocated hundreds of Jewish families from Mesopotamia to this region. So, this local congregation likely comprised people from every ethnic, cultural, and religious background. This diversity of backgrounds, coupled with the influence of false teachers, had produced confusion among the church’s young congregation.

It appears that Paul received word of the situation in Colossae from Epaphras, a resident of the city. Whether Epaphras visited Paul while he was under house arrest in Rome is unclear, but the fellow minister of the gospel had somehow gotten word to the apostle about the state of affairs in his hometown. According to verses 7-8 of chapter one, Epaphras had been instrumental in spreading the gospel to his fellow Colossians.

You learned the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave—a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf—who also told us of your love in the Spirit. – Colossians 1:7-8 NLT

However, Epaphras shared with Paul his concern for the spiritual well-being of the church. Without proper leadership and instruction, the fledgling congregation struggled to resist the temptation to syncretize their old religious ideologies with their new faith in Christ. Some of the Jewish converts to Christianity were attempting to “Judaize” the Gentile members of the congregation by demanding adherence to the rituals, traditions, and laws of Judaism. To make matters worse, some had infiltrated the church posing as doctrinal experts and propagating a dangerous brand of false teaching that stood in direct opposition to the teachings of Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles. This led Paul to open his letter with a statement establishing his apostolic credentials.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God… – Colossians 1:1 ESV

While Paul had not been one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, he had received his apostolic commission directly from the Lord Himself. In his earlier life, Paul had been a member of the Pharisees, a powerful and highly influential sect of Judaism. At one point, he described himself as the poster boy for religious extremism and dedication.

I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. – Philippians 3:5-6 NLT

He was an up-and-coming member of the Pharisees who had been given a commission by the high priest to persecute and arrest members of “the way,” the name given to the cult of followers who worshiped the dead Rabbi, Jesus. Saul, as he was known then, was a devout Pharisee and a zealous adherent to and defender of the Jewish faith. He was determined to eradicate the memory of Jesus and eliminate every one of His followers. He would later describe to the Jews how he had been given a commission to hunt down and destroy Christians.

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today. And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison. The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the followers of the Way from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.” – Acts 22:3-5 NLT

But something remarkable occurred as Paul made his way to Damascus. He came face to face with the resurrected Jesus. A blinding light stopped him in his tracks, and a voice spoke to him, saying, “I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting” (Acts 22:8 NLT). Struck blind by the intense light, Paul could not see, but he clearly heard Jesus’ instructions to visit a man named Ananias. The stunned Pharisee obeyed Jesus command and sought out Ananias, who opened his eyes and revealed his new mission:

“The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard. What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.” – Acts 22:14-16 NLT

This “Damascus Road experience” transformed Paul’s life. He went from being a persecutor of “the Way” to being a proclaimer of the good news of Jesus Christ, the One who had proclaimed Himself to be “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 NLT). Paul was appointed an official apostle or messenger of Jesus Christ, with specific instructions to take the good news of salvation to the Gentiles. In the opening line of his letter, Paul stresses that he has divine authority to address the situation taking place within their local congregation. Because Paul was not one of the original 12 disciples, some attacked his apostolic credentials and he was forced to defend his rights to speak on behalf of Christ. He pushed back on these critics, declaring his God-given authority to serve as a spokesman for the resurrected Messiah.

I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. – Galatians 1:1 NLT

Many of the churches Paul helped to establish were being targeted by men who claimed to be speaking on behalf of God but were teaching false doctrines and leading the people away from the simplicity and integrity of the gospel. Many of these men were eloquent and influential speakers who derided Paul’s ministry and portrayed him as a charlatan. But Paul refused to let these individuals destroy what God had built.

But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. – 2 Corinthians 11:12-13 NLT

As Paul wrote the believers in Colossae, he opened his letter with a declaration of his apostleship. He wanted them to know that what he was about to tell them was divinely inspired and not just the thoughts of a man they had never met. He was about to divulge to them the will of God concerning their situation, and it would pay for them to listen. Paul also informed them that he was not alone in his concern for them. Timothy, his protégé and fellow minister of the gospel, stood with him in his message of encouragement and admonition.

Paul refers to his audience as “saints,” using a Greek term (hagios), which means “those set apart to God.” He wanted to remind them that they had been consecrated by God for His use. They belonged to Him and were obligated to live their lives in keeping with His will and according to His Word. They were not free to establish their own model for righteous living or to create their own system of religious rituals or creeds. They had been set apart by God and were to dedicate their lives to God. The rest of his letter addresses the specifics of their situation and the measures they must take to ensure that they continue to live faithful lives marked by God’s grace and peace.

These faithful “saints” lived in adverse conditions and faced constant threats to their spiritual growth and development. But Paul will challenge them “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (Colossians 1:10 ESV). His letter will serve as a much-needed wake-up call reminding them of their identity in Christ and the need to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:23 ESV). Paul, the faithful servant of Jesus Christ, will call the faithful saints in Colossae to “think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth” (Colossians 3:2 NLT) and to “live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:4 NLT). His message will be equal parts admonition and motivation. He will refute the false teachers, expose blind spots, and encourage godly behavior, all out of passion for the gospel and his love for the flock of Jesus Christ.

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