Colossians Preview

I am indebted to the following resources for aiding my study of Colossians:

• The Reformation Study Bible Footnotes from Colossians
• John Calvin’s Commentaries on Colossians
• Ligon Duncan’s & Derek Thomas’ Sermon Series on Colossians
• Vincent Cheung’s Commentary on Colossians

Cheung says, “Paul’s letter to the Colossians is an impressive piece of writing that weaves together high theology with holy living, and exhortations with warnings. One of its main themes is the fullness of Christ, and the fullness that Christians have in Him. By this we mean that Christ’s person and work are complete, and Christians have benefited from this completeness. Since this is the case, any attempt to supplement or replace the person and work of Christ is in fact to undermine and devalue Him, thus severely compromising the integrity of the Christian faith.” Paul wrote this letter from prison (house arrest) in Rome around 60 AD, some 5-7 years after the church had been founded (by Epaphras as we’ll see).

Ligon Duncan and Derek Thomas call their sermon series on Colossians, “The Incomparable Christ,” which is also the title of a book I recommend by John Stott. Paul’s letter is certainly about magnifying Christ, reminding his audience by recalling Christ’s majesty and Lordship in the face of false teaching. This was an “occasional” letter, which means simply that Paul had a specific occasion, or reason, to write it. In this case, there was heretical teaching from within the church. It was an odd mixture of Christian truths with Jewish ritual practices and even pagan beliefs and practices – a Greek-influenced, Jewish philosophy mingled with pagan piety, encouraging followers to submit to occult spiritual / cosmic powers. They were not denying Christ, but they were mixing the gospel of Christ with truth and error. Calvin says they “were intent upon mixing up Christ with Moses, trying to retain the shadows of the law along with the gospel. Hence it is probable that they were Jews.” But Paul calls them vain philosophers (2:8), showing that they had mingled Judaism with Greek spirituality and philosophy. It was a hodge-podge of things, and Paul will outline it for us in chapter 2.

For instance in Colossians 2:11,16-17, Paul says that these people were apparently requiring that Gentile Christians obey Jewish Old Testament ritual law. In v18, these people were teaching that we ought to worship angelic mediators. “We need a mediator between us and Christ if we’re really going to have fullness of spirituality and fellowship; therefore, we should worship all spiritual beings as mediators.” In Colossians 2:20-23, these teachers were also teaching a sort of asceticism, a bodily form of excessive self-denial. All these teachings were being mixed with Christian truth and according to Paul, not only changing the gospel but endangering the spiritual lives of the believers at Colosse – truth is unto godliness and untruth leads to destruction.

Paul writes this letter to combat these errors that offered a fullness of spiritual experience and freedom not previously known by the Christians in Colosse, that claimed a particular insight into the powers of evil and the ability to protect the Colossians from those powers, that offered a deeper knowledge of God and a greater experience of His power, that inclined some to think of themselves as superior to other believers, that led to an impressive self-denial, yet was divisive in this and perhaps surrounding congregations. Paul presses home one truth applied in a variety of ways over and over again in the book. That one truth is Christ, the sole sufficiency of Christ in salvation – justification and sanctification. Paul proclaims Jesus’ absolute pre-eminence and that believers are complete in Him. Faith necessarily rules out reliance on anything outside of Him, for nothing in the universe is outside the scope of His sovereignty.

However, as Cheung points out, “It is unnecessary to assume this background in order to find the letter intelligible. This is because its positive exposition of sound doctrine is so rich, so broad and so deep, that it lends itself to universal application.” So even if we don’t grasp the specific reason for his letter or the heresies against which Paul is writing, we can understand Colossians as a letter written to the church, applicable in all times. Paul wants nothing more than to lead the Colossian Christians, no matter where they are, to Christ as their all-in-all, their incomparable, sole sufficiency in all matters, especially those dealing with salvation. Therefore, the main ideas in the letter are intelligible and relevant to any ordinary reader even without any exposition, or any knowledge of ancient Gnostic and Jewish thought. The assertion that it is necessary to read Paul’s letter against the background of false teachers invading the Colossian church with unsound doctrines is unnecessary and even irresponsible.

Now the gospel of Jesus Christ was not brought to the Colossians directly by Paul. Paul tells us in Colossians 1:7 that Epaphras had come to the Colossians with the word of truth. It is very likely that Epaphras had been in Ephesus some hundred miles to the west of the Lycos Valley where he had heard the preaching of Paul. Then that “faithful minister” took the gospel back to the Colossians, and they came to Christ. A church was formed in that city where Paul had never been. And in this letter, Paul is responding both positively and negatively to what Epaphras told him about their circumstances regarding the mixed messages.

Among the major, and at times controversial, doctrines and issues Paul discusses in Colossians are the incomprehensibility of God and the origin of sin and evil. Paul also plays the philosopher by examining true and false views of humanity. He wants his audience to understand what it means to be spiritual and what it means to see the Father by “looking at” Jesus. Paul does this by showing his commitments to Christ and to the gospel, being one who has the correct view of humanity and the right display of spirituality.

Calvin points out helpfully in closing, “There were three neighboring cities in [an oucast region between Pamphylia and] Phrygia, as made mention of by Paul in this Epistle – Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colosse which were overthrown by an earthquake in the times of the emperor Nero [see the map below]. Accordingly, not long after this Epistle was written, three Churches of great renown perished by a mournful as well as horrible occurrence – a bright mirror truly of divine judgment, if we had but eyes to see it. The Colossians had been, not indeed by Paul, but with fidelity and purity by Epaphras and other ministers, instructed in the gospel; but immediately afterwards, Satan had, with his tares, crept in, according to his usual and invariable manner, that he might there pervert the right faith.” In the coming days, Lord willing, we'll study this short letter of Paul to the Colossians.