A Study in Colossians - Overview

As we begin our study in the Book of Colossians, here are somethings to know:

Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul. It is known as one of the prison epistles. A chronology of Paul's late life is as follows.

• 52-55AD Paul spent three years in Ephesus. It was there that he wrote 1st Corinthians.
• 55-57 AD Paul was in Macedonia where he wrote Romans.
• Then he was in prison in Caesarea.
• Then in 60 -62 AD was the first Roman imprisonment. And it was there that he wrote Ephesians,
Colossians, Philippians and Philemon.

Many theologians state that the four prison epistles are bound together not only because they were written around the same time, but because in them you see the anatomy of the church.

• In Ephesians you see the emphasis on the church which is the body of Christ
• In Colossians you see the emphasis on Jesus who is the head of the church
• In Philippians you see the church walking down here – which is Christian experience
• In Philemon you see Christianity in action

Colossians is a church that was not founded by Paul. . Epaphras along with Philemon seemed to be the primary founders. Epaphras had gotten saved while Paul was in Ephesus and was a native of Colossae. Philemon had church meetings in his home (Phile. 2). He was also a member of the Church of Colossae.

Paul wrote the letter because false doctrine was creeping. The city was along the major trade route that connected the Eastern and Western trade routes. A lot of people from various parts and backgrounds including religions became a part of the church in Colossian. So they were bringing parts of their past religion and adding it to Christianity.

The Major Heresies that crept in to the church are:

Gnosticism: It means to know. They were people saying that they possessed a knowledge that most Christians did not have and that went past Christ. The deeper knowledge that they claimed is that matter and the physical is evil. They said that only the spirit is good. So since the flesh is evil, jesus could not have come in the flesh. He was only a spirit. They denied he incarnation, the virgin birth, the physical death, burial and resurrection. They also taught that God did not directly create creation. But that He created a pantheon of beings and one of these beings was the actual agent of creation and that Christ is one of those pantheons of created beings.

Aescetism. Deny the flesh; Deny any and all pleasure. Rigorous discipline; trying to redeem the flesh through discipline and self-effort; the other extreme is-

Libertreism. No restrains since it is evil any way, might as well indulge every desire and passion.

Eastern Mysticism: Astrology, horoscopes, worship of angels.

Legalism: The Old Testament law; dietary restrictions; Legalism is adding anything to the finished work of Christ or adding anything to the New Testament that governs our behavior today.

As we go through the book of Colossians, we will see how the Bible refutes each of these false doctrines and teachings.