Well, the series is close to being done. After Colossae, there is only one more church left in the New Testament that we are going to go over. I feel like this has been a great study, with lots of in-depth research. Let’s jump right in!
About Colossae
Colossae was a small town in Asia minor, and their church was started by a man named Epaphras (we’ll come back to him later). This city consisted of both Greeks and Jews, and became a blend of different religions and philosophies. Many beliefs of the Jews were mixed with traditions and beliefs of the Greeks, to make a very interesting place for a church. For example, dualism was a big belief in the city of Colossae. Dualism is a belief that assumes that there are two entities - good and evil - which are equally powerful. This is a direct contrast, which believes that God is greater than all evil.
As I mentioned before, Epaphras was the man that started the church in Colossae. According to Paul, he had set a good example for the rest of the church, and Paul speaks very highly of him the three times he is mentioned in the Bible:
“Just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.” (Colossians 1:7-8)
“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayer, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.” (Colossians 4:12)
“Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you.” (Philemon 1:23).
As you probably noticed, Epaphras is called Paul’s “fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus”. This is because Paul met Epaphras while in jail. Interestingly enough, there is no recorded proof that Paul visited the church in Colossae. Instead, he had met Epaphras in jail, and after hearing how the church in Colossae was doing, wrote this letter to send to them. Proof of this is found in Colossians 2:1, when Paul addresses those “who have not seen me face to face.” I think that this is very cool, personally, because it shows that encouraging and lifting up others cannot come only from a missionary journey, but can occur in many other ways as well. It also makes me think of how Paul’s knowledge of the church in Colossae came only from Epaphras, who had to give a testament of how his church was doing. If this was our church Epaphras was telling Paul about, what would he have to say?
The Book of Colossians
Colossians is another one of the imprisonment letters, and yet it remains hopeful and encouraging. In fact, Paul starts the letter off with thanksgiving and prayer, edifying the church in their faithfulness, and encouraging them to keep glorifying the Lord and growing in their faith. Then, Paul goes to explain Jesus Christ, and how he is 100% man, and still 100% God. One pattern I have noticed in all of Paul’s letters to churches is that he always makes sure to clearly explain who Christ is, and why it is important. Back then, I can only imagine there was confusion over it, because the New Testament had not yet been written. So, Paul knew how important it was to share the truth of Christ, and so he wrote about it in all of his letters.
After that, from Colossians 1:24-2:5, Paul mentions his own suffering, explaining how he finds joy through it because it is God’s mission. Being in prison ended up being a blessing for Paul: for example, he was able to meet Epaphras and write this letter to the Colossians. God often puts us in seemingly bad places to teach us and to use us, even if we don’t know it at first.
The next topic that Paul addresses is very near and dear to Colossae, because of the city’s blended religions and philosophies. There was a pressure to turn away from Christ, and do what everyone else was doing, but Paul encouraged them to “see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8). Besides dualism, many other beliefs existed in the city of Colossae, including polytheism and the observance of the laws of the Torah. Even if we are surrounded by things that oppose Christ and the true gospel, we need to stand firm in what we know is true. Jesus brings a freedom that is so different from the fear that other religions at the time were experiencing. While the rest of Colossae lived in fear of following rules of a distant God, the church knew that they could experience life and life to the full.
Therefore, Paul spends the rest of this letter explaining what this practically looks like. From detailing actions that should come from a right heart attitude, giving rules for a Christian household, and give instructions for how to grow in faith, the Colossians were given the tools that they needed to live in truth and love.
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