Introduction:  Colossians is a short letter, only four chapters long, but it is packed with advice on how to be a balanced Christian.  Paul starts with Jesus as the center of believers’ lives.  He warns of any deviation away from Jesus, whether it is to add worship of elemental spirits or to focus on legalistic forms and ceremonies.  Salvation is through Jesus alone.  Paul points out the folly of embracing either ascetism or immoral pleasures.  Instead, he advocates for living in balanced love with one another.  Yes, children should obey their fathers, but fathers need to also be careful in their dealings with their children.  Yes, wives should submit to their husbands, but husbands must love their wives and deal gently with them.  Colossians is about relationships.  The foundation is a relationship with Jesus, which leads to balanced relationships with family, workmates, and fellow church members.  Thus, Colossians has timely advice for us today as we attempt to juggle our jobs, church duties, and familial responsibilities.

Author:  Paul authored the letter to the Colossians during his incarceration in Rome.  It is one of the four prison epistles, along with Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon.  Acts 21-28 recounts the story of how Paul was first arrested because of a riot in Jerusalem.  From there, he was shipped off to Caesarea because of an assassination plot.  After staying in jail in Caesarea for two years without any signs of release, Paul finally appealed to Caesar to hear his case.  The trip to Rome was eventful, but Paul finally reached the capital of the Roman Empire where he remained under house arrest for two years, probably from A.D. 61 to A.D. 63.  Basically, house arrest meant that Paul was constantly guarded, but he had some freedom of movement and was able to receive visitors as he lived in a home, rather than a prison cell, and paid for his own expenses.  He makes reference to his prison experience in Colossians 4:3-4.  “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—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”  Evidently, Paul used his time in Rome well, even making inroads into converting the soldiers guarding him. 

Setting and Background Information:  Colossae was a small unimportant city in Phrygia.  It was located inland west of Ephesus and just to the west of Laodicea.  The Lycus River was nearby.  It shared the same industry as most of the towns in the area.  They were known for their fabric dyes.  Paul did not bring the knowledge of Jesus to the Colossians.  That honor belonged to a man named Epaphras according to Colossians 1:7.  Evidently, Epaphras also brought the gospel to nearby Laodicea and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13).  In the last few verses of the book of Acts, we are told that while he was in prison, Paul received all who came to visit him and taught them about Jesus.  One of those visitors must have been Epaphras, who informed Paul of some concerns he had for his beloved church in Colossae.

Paul may not have been the immediate spiritual father of the Colossians, but he had been given his directive to take the gospel to the Gentiles by Jesus Himself, so Paul felt a responsibility to guide the growth of the Colossian church, as well as an affection for the members borne of his close association with two of the residents of Colossae.  The little city was the hometown of the aforementioned Epaphras, but it was also the home of an escaped slave named Onesimus who Paul had reformed and was sending back to his Christian master Philemon with a letter of recommendation.  It is likely that Paul knew others in the area besides Philemon also.  Thus, while many of the converts were strangers to Paul, others knew him well.

The letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon are all thought to have been written about A.D. 62.  In fact, the letters to the Colossians and Philemon were being hand delivered by the same people—Tychicus and Onesimus.  Onesimus, of course, was the returning slave.  Tychicus was a close associate of Paul’s from Asia.  He had also been entrusted with delivering a message from Paul to the Ephesians on this same trip.

Themes:  Based on the content of the epistle, there was some kind of heresy creeping into the church at Colossae, and maybe the surrounding churches of Laodicea and Hierapolis also since Paul requested that the letter be read there too.  The exact heresy is unclear, but it seems to have been a combination of the well-known teachings of the Judaizers and some kind of pagan Gentile variation that included the worship of angels or spirits.  Paul’s main attack is on the idea that anyone but Jesus is our intermediary.  His secondary focus is on the results of the Colossians’ false beliefs.  Thus, Paul spends time in the first two chapters speaking of Jesus’ exalted status.  Not only did Christ free humans from darkness, but He is also the Creator of humanity.  Sin may dominate most of humanity at the present time, but Jesus has defeated those evil spirits and is much greater than any dark power.  Because of this, it makes no sense to worship the powers that Christ has already brought under submission. 

Then Paul gives guidance on how to live.  Greek philosophy was divided between proponents of asceticism and hedonism.  Paul condemns both extremes.  A life of denying oneself small pleasures will not lead to triumph over sin.  On the other hand, indulging in sinful passions and anger will only enslave a Christian again. Instead, Paul advocates living in balanced relationships of love with each other as the church members focus their lives on their relationship with Jesus rather than worldly living.

Outline:

• Colossians 1:1-12—Introduction.  This includes Paul’s concern and joy at hearing about the Colossians’ faith from Epaphras and Paul’s prayers for them.
• Colossians 1:13 to 2:3—Doctrine. Paul holds up Jesus’ pre-eminence and work.  Paul focuses on his own ministry in presenting Jesus to the Gentiles
• Colossians 2:4-23—Warnings and Solution.  Jesus is the answer for living well rather than false philosophies and speculation
• Colossians 3:1 to 4:6—Call to Action.  We are to shun the world and live for Christ alone.  We are to live in love in every social relationship.
• Colossians 4:7-18—Conclusion. Paul endorses Tychicus and Onesimus as his messengers and gives final greetings.