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The theme of this letter is "Be Complete". You hear about horoscopes and a host of other old and new philosophies, the question is, do you need these things? The answer, of course, is no, not if you have Jesus Christ in your life. If you are in Jesus Christ, you are complete. The Colossians were trying to mix man made philosophies with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and here in this letter, Paul tenderly corrects their erring ways. He warns against the temptation to look for spiritual fulfillment from other sources other than God. As he did with the Colossians, the Apostle Paul calls us to be "complete" in Christ.
There is little doubt that Paul was the author of Colossians. The close personal details about the Ephesians make the case even stronger. Some scholars express doubt on the basis of two items. There are 55 Greek words used in this letter that are not used in any of Paul's other letters. Also, Paul speaks about Gnosticism in this letter and it did not fully appear until the second century. However these exceptions fall short when faced with the reality that Paul wrote as he was led of the Spirit and there is no reason to believe that his use of the Greek language did not improve with time, nor is there any reason to believe that Paul was not aware of the increasing problem of heresy that finally led to Gnosticism.
Strangely enough, Paul never visited Colossae. The church was founded by Epaphras, one of Paul's converts at Ephesus. From the start, the church was a "hot bed" of fantastic theological theories. The believers had become confused by false teachings. With the breakdown of old religions, came the attempt to create new religions out of a combination of the new and the old. Thus, in Colossae, there came a teaching that Christianity could be improved by adding to it from Judaism and paganism. As a result, believers were seeking protection from "patron saints", and "guardian Angels", and were seeking spiritual enhancement through diet and the teachings of Eastern Religions concerning meditation and self-denial. To this problem, Paul addresses the letter.
Colossae was located in Asia Minor on a trade route between Ephesus and the Euphrates Valley. It was plagued with bigotry and prejudice and confused with mixed philosophies. Paul was forbidden, by the Holy Spirit, from going into this region. It eventually became consumed with fanatic theological beliefs.
The problems that faced the Colossians have continued on to this day. Believers have always been tempted by false doctrines that teach that something more is needed than Jesus Christ. Some exciting experience, some newly dug up revelation, something else that is needed to complete your Christian experience. Here Paul affirms, what you already know, that, "What we need is what we already have, Faith in Jesus Christ." We are COMPLETE in Him. If we are complete in Christ, we don't need anything else, but there are always those who want to judge you and rob from you, the glorious liberty that you have in Jesus Christ. Paul says, "Let no man judge you."
This book was written to teach you two things. One, that you are complete in Christ, and two, to encourage you to claim that completeness for your self.
| The Preeminence of Christ | |
|---|---|
| Salutation | 1:1-2 |
| Thanksgiving | 1:3-8 |
| Prayer | 1:9-14 |
| The Freedom in Christ. | |
| From Discouragement | 2:1-3 |
| From Enticing Words | 2:4-7 |
| From Vain Philosophy | 2:8-10 |
| From the Judgment of Man | 2:11-17 |
| From Improper Worship | 2:18-19 |
| From the Doctrine of Men | 2:20-23 |
| The Practice of the Believer. | |
| Seeking Heavenly Things | 3:1-4 |
| Putting Off the Old Man | 3:5-11 |
| Putting On the New Man | 3:12-17 |
| Family Life | 3:18-21 |
| Work Life | 3:22-25 |
| The Conclusion. | |
| Public Life | 4:1-6 |
| Commendation | 4:7-9 |
| Greetings | 4:10-14 |
| Introductions | 4:15-18 |
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