Colossians - Introduction and Outline

The content of this Colossians Bible study is what I taught in a mid-week home group about 13 yrs ago. At the time, there were not enough verse by verse in depth Bible studies available which is why I wrote my own. It's something that too few Christians actually spend time doing. The Word of God is the single most powerful tool available to Christians, and all too often our Bibles sit on a shelf collecting dust or are only opened at church on Sunday mornings. I hope that you will take the time to read and come to really understand the richness of this epistle, and fall in love with this book of the New Testament. This study was written in an outline format, which was easier to teach from.

It was gleaned from computer based and online resources, which were not nearly as mature as they are today:

• The Online Bible Program. The majority of Bible programs out there are either inadequate or very expensive for the common person. This one is neither. It has a wealth of commentaries and Bible versions. Its only drawback might be that it is only Windows based. Most of the commentaries are older resources, but some of these are better than a lot of the modern day ones available today.
• Bible.org. Back when I started this study there weren’t the great online resources that we have today. I used a Colossians study by J. Hampton Keathley, that was a fantastic resource, and still is. And Bible.org has 10-20 times the resources now than then.
• John MacArthur’s commentary on Colossians.

The Epistle to the Colossians

Authorship

Up until the 19th century and the rise of liberal theology the authorship of Colossians was never in question. Even after their attempt to redefine the authorship, it is still not in question. Both internal and external evidence attests to the Apostle Paul as being the author of the letter. So let’s look at that evidence.

External Evidence

1. Colossians is included in one of the earliest Pauline Greek manuscripts (specifically the Chester Beatty codex). This is important because it means that the book was in circulation, and may have even been one of the “Scriptures” that Peter references in 2 Pet 3:16.
2. In early church history the letter was never circulated under any other name. It was and has always been circulated as an Epistle of Paul’s.
3. Early church fathers such as Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, Origen, Tertullian and Irenaeus (A.D. 120-200) believed, taught and recognized that Paul was the author. Even the heretic Marcion (ca. A.D. 150) recognized Paul as the author.

So as you can see, there is very strong external evidence that Paul wrote this epistle.

Internal Evidence

In recent years, there have been three reasons given as to why Paul should not be considered the true author of Colossians.

First, some recent liberal textual critics maintain that the vocabulary used – meaning the words and phrases – in Colossians do not occur in any other letter of Paul’s, thus pointing to a different author who wrote the book much later than is generally believed. But as one recent scholar has noted,

Paul was dealing with a special brand of heresy that required in some cases a different vocabulary. Why should we try to restrict an author to his usual vocabulary under all situations. Shouldn’t every author have the right to change his vocabulary according to the needs of his subject? The apostle chose his vocabulary in order to deal effectively with his opponents by showing how their religious terms and ideas could only be true in Christ. [1]

Second, some so-called scholars say that Paul could not have authored Colossians because the theology presented in the letter is much more advanced than any of Paul’s other epistles. It is said to be more cosmological (meaning that it deals with the ordering of the universe), rather than soteriological (or dealing with the theology of salvation) that has characterized Paul’s other epistles. Commentator William Barclay wrote,

First, Paul speaks of the unsearchable riches of Christ. In Colosse a new situation met Paul, and out of these unsearchable riches Paul drew new answers to meet it. It is true to say that the Christology of Colossians is an advance on anything in the earlier letters of Paul; but that is far from saying that Paul did not write it, unless we are willing to argue that Paul’s thought remained forever static, and never developed to meet a new situation.… And in face of a new set of circumstances Paul thought out new implications of Christ.

Second, the germ of all Paul’s thought about Christ in Colossians does, in fact, exist in one of his earlier letters. In 1 Corinthians 8:6 he writes of “one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him”. In that phrase is the essence of all that Paul says in Colossians. The seed was there in Paul’s mind, ready to blossom when a new climate and new circumstances called it into growth [2]

And let’s not forget that Paul was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These are not merely Paul’s words or his opinions. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, from cover to cover.

It has also been noted that Paul merely extended the theology of salvation to encompass the universe. And as J.B. Lightfoot said, “New forms of error bring into prominence new aspects of truth.”

Third, it has been said that the Gnostic heresy facing the Colossians could not have existed at the time the letter is said to have been written. However, scholars have discovered features of Gnosticism present in pre-Christian movements and religions. Most modern scholars today, both secular and Christian, believe that Gnosticism got its start some time after the conquest of the Babylonian ruler Cyrus the Great, who lived from 580 to 529 BC. Again, William Barclay noted that,

But the idea of two worlds, the idea of the evil of matter, the idea that the body is a tomb, and that the flesh is evil, are ideas which are deeply woven into both Jewish and Greek thought. There is nothing in Colossians which cannot be explained by long standing Gnostic tendencies in ancient thought, although it is true that the systematization of Gnosticism came later. [3]

So, if Gnosticism existed, and it did, then this argument is meaningless.

There are a few more reasons to accept Paul as the true author of Colossians. There is a close tie between Philemon and Colossians. Both letters extend a greeting to Timothy. Both mention the names of Aristarchus, Mark, Epaphras, Luke and Demas, who were Paul’s companions on at least one of his missionary trips. Both contain a message for Archippus, and Onesimus is the subject of Philemon and is mentioned in Colossians. And finally, both present Paul as being in prison.

So as you can see, the three objections to Paul’s authorship have little to no merit and should not be considered as legitimate reasons or proof for rejecting Paul as the true author of the letter. The close tie with Philemon alone demonstrates that Paul is the sole author.

Date

Paul most likely wrote this Epistle when he was being held as a prisoner in Rome. It has been suggested that Paul may have written the Epistle in either Caesarea or Ephesus. However, because Onesimus was mentioned as a run-away slave who was led to Christ by Paul while he was imprisoned, and the fact that most slaves ran away to Rome because it was an easier place to get ‘lost’ in, Rome was the more likely place for this to have occurred. That also means that the Epistle would have to have been written sometime between 60 and 62 AD. It also means that it is very probable that Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon were all written at about the same time, during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome.

Although Paul was a prisoner, it would be a mistake to think of the current prison system as an example. It would be more accurate to view Paul’s imprisonment as being sheltered under military supervision while in Rome, rather than confined or incarcerated. Paul had a considerable amount of personal freedom. His imprisonment did not interfere with his preaching of the Gospel or his ability to meet and interact with friends. [4]

Reason for Letter

The city of Colossae was located in a Roman province of Asia that is now part of Turkey. It was closely associated with Laodicea and Hierapolis, and prior to Paul’s time, Colossae played a very important role in the trade route linking the east with the west. By Roman times, however, the trade route had changed and now bypassed Colossae, which started a slow but steady decline of its prominence and population. In Paul’s day, the population of the city was predominantly gentile, but had a large Jewish population estimated to be around 50,000. However, by the 8th century the city had been abandoned, as it still is to this day.

It should be noted that Epaphras, and not Paul, founded the church in the city. Although Paul had never physically visited the city, the church’s founding was most probably an indirect result of Paul’s 3rd missionary trip to Asia Minor.

Although Paul never visited Colossae,

... it was a product of his ministry and beautifully illustrates his commitment to impart his vision of reaching others with the powerful message of the gospel. That this is so is illustrated in the following ways.

First, Paul spent three years ministering the word in Ephesus from the lecture room of the School of Tyrannus. It was during this time all of Asia heard the Word (cf. Acts. 19:8-10, 26; & 20:31). Ephesus had three great attractions that brought people into the city from all parts of Asia. It was a seaport town, a center of commerce, and, with the temple of Diana, it was also a center for idol worship.

Second, while on a visit to Ephesus, a young man from Colossae named Epaphras evidently heard the gospel from Paul and was converted. It appears that he was not only saved, but that he was trained and prepared by Paul to go back and plant a church in his hometown of Colossae (Col 1:7; 4:12).

The story of the establishment of the church at Colossae illustrates an important truth. “God does not always need an apostle, or a ‘full-time Christian worker’ to get a ministry established. Nor does He need elaborate buildings and extensive organizations.” Through Paul’s vision for training others for ministry, God took two men and sent them out to reach and build others in Christ in at least three cities of the Lycus Valley. [5]

There were two main reasons for this Epistle.

First, [Paul] was writing to Philemon in Colossae sending back his runaway, but now converted, slave, Onesimus (Phm 7-12). He could also take the opportunity of writing to the whole Colossian church. Secondly, Epaphras had brought to Paul a report of that church, which included many encouraging things (Col 1:4-8), but apparently also disquieting news of the false teaching that threatened to lead its members away from the truth of Christ. This news pressed the Apostle to write as he did. [6]

There appears to have been three main false teachings that Paul was confronting in this Epistle. And because Paul used a positive teaching style rather than a point-by-point refutation style, we don’t know all of the characteristics of the false doctrines he was confronting.

This Epistle was written to combat a heresy that was beginning to emerge in the Colossian church. Epaphras went to Rome to get the help from Paul to combat the false doctrines of:

• Ceremonialism – This was from Jewish influence and required the outward observances of strict rules regarding the kinds of food & drink, religious festivals and circumcision. (Col 2:11; 2:16)
• Asceticism – This was a self-imposed rigid self-denial and harsh treatment of the body. (Col 2:20-23)
• False Greek philosophy (i.e., Pre-gnosticism) – This viewed salvation as requiring a secret knowledge that could only be attained by the initiated. (Col 2:4; 8; 18)

To combat these errors, Paul stresses two main points:

• The person and work of Christ, and His supremacy over all things.
• How Christians should conduct themselves, run their households, and live a holy life.

It should be no surprise that false doctrines seek to detract from the person, the deity and / or the work of Christ. They always try to add something to God’s simple plan of salvation – Christ plus human works of some kind. To counter that, Paul stresses the person and the nature of Christ, and His finished work (Col 1:14-22; 2:8-15).

As can be seen in chapter 2, verse 8, this false doctrine appears to have claimed to reveal some special wisdom or knowledge based on a human derived philosophy and tradition. This appears to point directly to a Gnostic dualism, which was yet to fully bloom, that believed the spirit was good and all matter was evil (Col 2:8, 18, 23).

It also appears to have included a Jewish ceremonialism that included dietary regulations and strict observances of festivals and Sabbaths (Col 2:11; 3:11). It even appears to have involved rigorous ascetic self-denial (Col 2:20-23), and the pagan worship of angels (Col 2:18). And finally, it appears to have contained a secret and exclusive knowledge that was only available for the select superior few through some form of religious experience. This is a foreshadow of the Gnosticism to come in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. It can also be seen in some of today’s Charismatic groups in their teachings about the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’. Not surprisingly, “Paul countered this exclusivity by proclaiming the public and universal nature of the gospel which offers a salvation to all who would believe through faith in Christ (Col 1:20, 23, 28; 3:11). He then went on to show that all believers are complete in Christ who was Himself not only the fullness of deity in bodily form, but the fullness of salvation through whom all believers are reconciled to God (Col 1:19-20; 2:9-10).” [7]

Since Gnosticism is a term that so few seem to understand, let’s take a closer look at it. Since I recently posted a blog on Gnosticism, I encourage all to take a moment to read it before continuing.

The Theme

The theme is the fruitful and effective power of the gospel message, a message that heralds the supremacy or preeminence, headship, and the sole sufficiency of Christ to the church, which is His body. In this little book, we see Paul’s “full-length portrait of Christ.” Christ is the object of the Christian’s faith (1:4), but why? Because He is God’s Son (1:14), the Redeemer (1:14), the very image of God (1:15), the Lord of creation (1:15), the head of the church (1:18), the fullness of salvation (1:9), the Reconciler of the universe (1:20), the One who contains all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:3), the standard by which all religious teaching is judged (2:8), the fullness of God, undiminished deity (2:9), the One under Whom all power and authority is subjected (2:10), the Victor over all the cosmic powers (2:15), the reality of the truth foreshadowed in Old Testament types and figures, regulations and rituals (2:17), the One exalted and enthroned at the right hand of God in heaven (3:1), the One in Whom we are complete and in Whom our life is hidden, protected, and kept (2:10; 3:3), the One by Whom our new life will be gloriously manifested at His coming again (3:4), and it is through Him and because of our new life in Him that we ought to put away our old manner of life from which we have been marvelously saved (3:5f). [8]

The Purpose

There are at least three reasons for Paul penning this letter. First, it demonstrated Paul’s personal interest in the Colossians. Second, it was Paul’s desire to warn as well as instruct the Colossians not to revert to their old pagan ways, or succumb to the new fanciful Gnostic and Judaistic doctrines. And third, Paul wanted to confront the theological heresies and their practices that were beginning to develop in the church. False doctrine always leads to wrong behavior. False doctrine causes the message of Christ to be confused because it leads mankind to bypass God’s solution for sin. It always promotes a wrong view of who God is, who man is, what sin is, and what and how salvation is attained.

People are constantly trying to harmonize all of the different schools of thought into a new and superior religion, one that offends no one. That is ‘syncretism’. The 20th and 21st centuries have seen the importation of elements of eastern religions, asceticism, and man-made philosophies into the church and has caused many to question the orthodox Christian faith. Some “christian” leaders are responsible for leading entire flocks away from the Gospel of Christ. Some openly deny Christ’s deity, dethroning and robbing Him of His rightful place.

Through Paul’s teaching, the early church rejected this syncretism because they were convinced that Jesus was God incarnate, and the only true way of salvation. Today, we are facing the exact same threat. As with the early church, we can tolerate competing worldviews, but we cannot incorporate them into our faith, nor tolerate their attempts to modify the Gospel of Christ. We can co-exist with them in a pluralistic society, but we cannot entertain them as a legitimate alternative to what we know to be true. We must follow in the footsteps of Paul, Justin Martyr, and Iranaeus – we must understand what they teach so that we can refute them from Scripture.

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; (1 Pet 3:15)

Epistle Outline

• Introduction (1:1-14)
• Greetings (1:1-2)
• Thanksgiving and the Gospel truth (1:3-8)
• Prayer for the Colossian Church (1:9-14)
• Doctrinal (1:15-2:23)
• The person and work of Christ (1:15-23)
• The ministry of Paul (1:24-2:7)
• The sufficiency of Christ and the gospel (2:8-23)
• Over philosophy (2:1-10)
• Over legalism (2:11-17)
• Over mystical teachings (2:18-19)
• Over asceticism (2:20-23)
• Practical (3:1-4:18)
• Living a Christian life (3:1-9)
• Putting on the new self (3:9-17)
• Managing a Christian household (3:18-4:1)
• Conducting one’s speech (4:2-6)
• Personal Remarks and farewell (4:7-18)

Footnotes

[1] J. Hampton Keathley III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, Background on Colossians, bible.org. See below.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Alexander MacLaren, D.D., ‘The Expositor’s Bible Commentary on Colossians’ module, part of the Online Bible Program, © 1987-2004, Timnathserah, Inc.
[5] J. Hampton Keathley III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, Background on Colossians, bible.org. See below.
[6] “Epistle to the Colossians”, The New Bible Dictionary: 2nd Edition, (Inter-Varsity Press: Leicester, England: © 1982), pp. 221.
[7] J. Hampton Keathley III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, Background on Colossians, bible.org. See below.
[8] Ibid.

This study uses J. Hampton Keathley III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, from bible.org, Copyright ©1996-2020 Bible.org, and all attributions are reprinted with permission granted by bible.org.

All Scriptures quotes are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Revision, unless otherwise noted. Verse links from Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/