Just as a child needs proper
instruction early in life, so the early believers needed to be set on the
proper path with correct teaching. Paul wrote this letter to deal with a
doctrinal heresy that was creeping into the Colossian church. Although we are
not told specifically what this heresy was, we can pick up clues from Paul's
response. The error was probably a mixture of Judaism and an early form of
Gnosticism. The Colossian church was experiencing the same problems other early
churches had encountered. Certain members were teaching that the observance of
Jewish rules about food, the Sabbath, and special festivals would help believers
to earn their salvation (See Galatians 3:23-25;
4:10-11). At Colosse, however some of the Gentile members were
apparently also promoting a form of mysticism that claimed that Jesus was a
higher being, but not God. Paul refutes these false doctrines by pointing to
Christ. Jesus had been the focus of
Paul's preaching from the beginning. In Colossians, Paul reiterates the
supremacy of Christ. It was because Jesus is divine that His death reconciles believers
to their Creator.
As in all his epistles, Paul seems to write as though he
had our own society in mind. Even today, new cults claim to be Christian yet
deny the deity of Christ and the basic beliefs of Christianity. Many view Jesus
no more than "a great teacher." Paul's patient correction of the
Colossian believers should remind us that we need to keep the worship of Jesus
Christ central in our churches.
Author and Date : Pauline authorship of this letter has been universally recognized
throughout church history. Paul identifies himself as the author of the letter
three different times, describing himself as "an apostle of Jesus Christ"
and a servant of the gospel. Furthermore, Paul closes the epistle with a
handwritten greeting, a characteristic of several of his letters (see 1
Corinthians 16:21; 2 Thessalonians 3:17). The Muratorian fragment (a document written around
A.D. 180 that lists books considered by
the early church to be divinely inspired) includes Colossians as a Pauline
epistle. Many church fathers also upheld Paul as the author of Colossians. These
include Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Origen.
Paul probably wrote Colossians while imprisoned in Rome around A.D. 60. Some have argued for other places of
origin, such as Ephesus and Caesarea, but there is not enough evidence to displace the
traditional theory that Paul wrote from his prison in Rome. Colossians is one of the four prison epistles of
Paul, along with Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. Because of Colossians, Ephesians,
and Philemon have several similarities, many believe that the three were
written at about the same time.
Setting :
The city of Colosse was about a hundred miles (161 km) east of Ephesus, in the valley of the Lycus River. During the Persian Wars of the fifth century B.C.,
Colosse was a large and strategic city. By the time of the Apostle Paul,
however, it had declined into the shadows of its two sister cities, Laodicea and Hierapolis, and had become a small merchant town on the trade
route from Rome to the east.
Evangelization of Colosse probably took place during Paul's
three-year stay at Ephesus. Luke records in Acts 19:10 that people throughout
the Asian region heard of the gospel. Apparently Epaphras was converted in Ephesus, and after being instructed by Paul returned home to
Colosse to proclaim the gospel. Evidently the church that had emerged was
largely composed of Gentiles, for Paul refers to their "uncircumcision,"
a word employed by Paul to designate Gentiles (see 2:13; Romans 2:24-27; Ephesians 2:11).
Relationship of Colossians to Philemon : The circumstances of Colossians and Philemon are the
same. Paul is imprisoned, along with others, for preaching the gospel (4:10; Philemon 1, 23). The companions Paul lists are identical
in the two letters, with the exception of Justus, who is found only in the
letter of Colossians (see 1:1; 4:9-14, 17; Philemon 1, 2, 10, 23, 24). Furthermore
Onesimus (the slave of Philemon) went to Colosse with Tychicus, the barer of
the Colossian letter (4:7-9). Thus the two letters are companion epistles; one
for the Colossian church as a whole and one addressed to a member of that
church, Philemon.
Relationship of Colossians and Ephesians : The many parallels between Colossians and Ephesians
indicate that the two letters were written about the same time. Both letters
reveal the centrality of Christ and His relationship to the church. Ephesians
shows Christ as Head of the church, while Colossians extends that imagery of
His authority over all creation (see 1:16-18;
2:10). In Ephesians, Paul highlights how Christians are
the members of the body of Christ, who is the Head. In Colossians, he places
emphasis on Christ the Head, of whose body Christians are members.
The difference in the epistles are significant as well.
Colossians stresses the completeness of the believer in Christ; Ephesians
points to Christian unity which is found in Christ. The mystery in Colossians is that Christ is in believers (1:26-27), while the mystery in Ephesians is the unity of
the Jew and the Gentile in Christ. Colossians speaks of Jesus as Lord over all
creation, while Ephesians concerns itself with Christ's authority over the
church. Finally, Colossians has a stronger tone because it confronts a specific
false teaching in Colosse. Ephesians has a softer tone; it does not address
specific heresy.
But with all their similarities and differences, Ephesians
and Colossians together present a mature understanding of who Christ is and
what His life and death mean for a believer. From prison, Paul was teaching the
churches in Asia Minor how central the person of Jesus Christ is to the
Christian faith. He is the image of God, the source of all wisdom, and the Head
of the church. He is the One who reconciles us to God and to our fellow
believers. As our Savior and Deliverer, He deserves our sincere adoration and
praise.