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An introduction to the book of Colossians.
The apostle Paul wrote this inspired letter
in Rome around 60 or 61 C.E.
This was during his first imprisonment there,
while he was under house arrest.
Paul’s letter to the Colossians indicates
that he had not visited Colossae.
Evidently, the congregation there
was the fruitage of the work of Epaphras.
Still, Paul knew several members
of the congregation,
including Apphia, Archippus, and Philemon,
to whom he also wrote an inspired letter.
Some time after the congregation was founded,
false teachers tried to mislead
the Colossian Christians
with deceptive philosophies.
Epaphras traveled many hundreds of miles
from Colossae to Rome
to give a report on the congregation to Paul.
The letter to the Colossians
has four chapters.
In chapter 1, Paul expresses his desire
that the Colossians continue to grow
in accurate knowledge of God.
Paul then describes God’s Son
as “the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation,”
and the one through whom
“all other things were created.”
Christ is also the head of the congregation.
In chapter 2,
the apostle warns the Colossians
about those who are promoting philosophies
and the observance of the Mosaic Law.
Paul stresses that the Mosaic Law
has been erased and taken out of the way.
God had figuratively nailed it
to Christ’s torture stake.
Did you know?
At Colossians 4:10,
Paul mentions “Mark, the cousin of Barnabas.”
For a short time, Mark, also called John,
accompanied Paul and Barnabas
on their first missionary tour.
But Mark left them
and may have returned home to Jerusalem,
which disappointed Paul.
About 12 years later, however,
Mark was in Rome as Paul’s coworker.
Clearly, any breach between the two
had been healed.
In chapter 3,
Paul encourages the congregation
to “go on seeking the things above,
where the Christ is seated
at the right hand of God.”
The apostle also exhorts the Colossians
to “strip off the old personality,”
to clothe themselves
“with the new personality,”
and to continue
“forgiving one another freely.”
In chapter 4,
Paul tells the Colossians
to “persevere in prayer,”
along with thanksgiving.
He also writes:
“Let your words always be gracious,
“seasoned with salt,
so that you will know
how you should answer each person.”
As you read
the inspired letter to the Colossians,
note how we should continue to grow
in accurate knowledge of God,
how we can cultivate
a Christlike personality,
and how our speech should always be gracious,
especially as we proclaim
the good news of God’s Kingdom.

Introduction to Colossians