In Brief: Colossians
The beginning of a new series
I want to start a series in which I share a brief look at certain books in the Bible. I want to explore the background, main themes, and authorship of these books. This first post will be about the letter to the Colossians. Join me as I take a look and begin the series of brief looks into the Bible.
When reading a book of the Bible it is important to gain an understanding of the background and context in which the book was written. Knowing the audience enables the reader to understand why a letter was written. When we understand the times in which a letter was written we can also begin to understand some of the pressures and struggles that these new churches faced.
When we look at the letter to the Colossians we should begin by attempting to know who or what were the Colossians. The Colossians were a people in Colossae, and Colossae was a city located in the region of Phrygia. Phrygia was also a Roman province in Asia. John MacArthur in his introduction to Colossians comments on the demographics of Colossae. "Colosse’s mixed population of Jews and Gentiles manifested itself both in the composition of the church and in the heresy that plagued it, which contained elements of both Jewish legalism and pagan mysticism." Upon reading this we can now begin to see why Paul, the author, would caution them the way he did in Chapter 2.
Now that we have a working knowledge of who and where the Colossians were, we can turn our attention to the author. This man probably wrote this letter between 60-62 A.D. and he wrote it from prison in Rome. The author identifies himself in the opening line of the letter. "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God." (Colossians 1.1) Paul was a Roman citizen by birth from the city of Tarsus but was ethnically and religiously Jewish until his conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul was frequently imprisoned for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and at the time that he penned this letter, he was in prison.
Paul himself had never been to Colossae but had received the news from a fellow believer named Epaphras. Epaphras brought news that they were standing strong in their faith but that the church was under pressure from certain religious groups. Paul wrote this letter along with several others and dispatched them with a man named Tychichus. He was to go to Colossae and read the letter to the church and then read it to a neighboring church in a nearby city.
Paul addresses several themes in his letter. To explore any of the themes in depth I highly recommend watching The Bible Project on Youtube. They succinctly and accurately explore the themes and topics of the books of the Bible. Their explanation of the Colossians is no different as it offers a great launchpad to begin reading this magnificent letter. The letter contains warm encouragements and firm exhortations. Firmly asserting that Christ is preeminent and to do all to his glory. He further warns them not to live an ascetic lifestyle or for vain traditions but to honor the Lord in all that they do.
I hope that you enjoyed the first in this series of briefly looking at books in the Bible. I pull from many resources and part of the objective is to share the resources that I use so that you may know about them as well! I also encourage anyone who is going to spend time in the Word to briefly explore the background and contexts of the books. The letters and books take on a more full feel when we begin to understand their pasts. Again, thank you for taking time out of your day to read this! I hope you found it useful and enjoyable.
Colossians 1 is one of my favourite section within the epistles. The Supremacy of Christ is one of the highest Christological parts of the Bible.