Institute for Creation Research

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

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Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

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For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

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Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

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As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;

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Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

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For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

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That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

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Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

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Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

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Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

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In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

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Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

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For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

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And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

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And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

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For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

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And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

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And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

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In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

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If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

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Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

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Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

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Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

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To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

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Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

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Whereunto ° I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Colossians

Introduction to Colossians

Colosse had been a significant city in the past, but had deteriorated in importance by New Testament times. Nearby cities such as Hierapolis and Laodicea (Colossians 4:13), especially the latter, had become more significant, though all three had churches planted in them, probably about the time of Paul’s stay in Ephesus. According to the record, Paul himself never visited any of them (though he may have traveled through Laodicea on his way to or from Ephesus (as an important trade highway existed there). It seems probable that Epaphras, one of Paul’s disciples, may have founded these churches while Paul was staying in Ephesus (Acts 19:10; Colossians 1:7; 4:12-13).

The epistle to the Colossians was apparently written at the same time as that to Philemon, both being carried by Tychicus from Rome in connection with the return of Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus (see Colossians 4:7-9,17; Philemon 2,10). As noted in the Introduction to Ephesians, it is very likely that Tychicus also brought Paul’s letter to the Ephesians on this trip. Paul was in house arrest at Rome (Acts 28:30) when all three of these epistles were written.

In many respects, Colossians is similar to Ephesians in content and emphasis, although Ephesians is longer and more fully developed in both its doctrinal and practical aspects. However, Colossians seems to have been written primarily to correct an incipient heresy that seemed to be developing in the church at Colosse and possibly spreading to other churches. This heresy was a tendency to compromise with the pagan pantheistic evolutionism of the Greek philosophers, possibly with an admixture of Judaizing legalism.

Many varieties of evolutionary philosophy thrived in the Graeco/Roman world of the day (Epicureanism, Stoicism, Gnosticism, etc.), but the essential basis of all of them was denial of the true transcendent Creator God of the universe. Hence in the Colossian epistle Paul was led to formulate the greatest Christological passage in the entire Bible (Colossians 1:16-20), setting forth Jesus Christ as Creator, Sustainer and Reconciler of all things in heaven and earth. He then went on to insist that all wisdom and knowledge were centered in Christ (Colossians 2:3) and to warn against all human philosophy (Colossians 2:8).

As far as the authenticity of Colossians is concerned, practically no one, ancient or modern, has questioned its Pauline authorship. Paul identifies himself as author (Colossians 1:1; 4:18) in both the opening and closing verses. Even though he had never visited either the Colossian or Laodicean churches in person (Colossians 2:1), he knew many of the members, as well as those of his own followers who had visited there (e.g., Aristarchus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas). The mention of so many people by name in Colossians 4:7-17 helps still further to confirm the authenticity of Colossians.

The book of Colossians is relatively brief, with only four chapters, but it is very important, with its uniquely powerful and vital presentation of the person and work of Jesus Christ—a message probably more urgently needed in our day than even in Paul’s day.

Colossians 1:2

1:2 Colosse. Colosse was a small city of Asia Minor not too far from Laodicea (see Colossians 4:16). Paul had never visited there, and so addressed them a little more formally than he did the church at Ephesus, even though the doctrinal content of the two epistles is often similar. He apparently wrote while he was in prison at Rome (note Colossians 4:18) and sent the letter to them by Tychicus (Colossians 4:7), by whom he also sent the Ephesian letter, presumably at the same time (note Ephesians 6:21-22), as well as that to Philemon.

Colossians 1:5

1:5 hope. Note the mention of faith, love and hope (see in Colossians 1:4). These three words are noted also in I Corinthians 13:13; I Thessalonians 1:3; 5:8; Romans 5:1-5; Galatians 5:5-6; Ephesians 4:2-5; Hebrews 6:10-12; 10:22-24; I Peter 1:3-8,21-22.

Colossians 1:5

1:5 truth of the gospel. The “word of the truth of the gospel” thus includes the promise of heaven, as well as the death and resurrection of Christ (I Corinthians 15:1-4). It also includes recognition of the Creator and His great creation (Revelation 14:6-7).

Colossians 1:6

1:6 all the world. Christ had commissioned His followers to go “into all the world” with the gospel (Mark 16:15), and wherever they went, it bore (and still bears) spiritual fruit.

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