COLOSSIANS 1: 1-2
CHRIST ABOVE ALL
AN INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND TO COLOSSIANS
[Acts 19:10, 20]
For the next 16 weeks, we’re going to focus on one of God’s love letters to us. For some of us, it will be like going back to look at something we’ve read before and maybe forgotten. For others of us, it will be like reading it for the first time. Please turn in your copy of the Scriptures to the New Testament book of Colossians. This morning’s message will introduce the book and get us ready to begin an in-depth study of the 95 verses of Colossians. Colossians weaves together God’s uncompromising truth with His wonderfully warm love.
The church, which was in present-day Turkey, was flourishing until some false teachers came and disrupted the growth and confused their theology. The letter needed to be written to encourage the believers to combat errors in the church.
This false teaching was partly pagan and partly legalistic Judaism. This amalgamation of philosophies, beliefs, and errors is called “syncretism.” They believed they had a kind of special knowledge and a better understanding because of some mystical wisdom they possessed. [Like those who use the book of Mormon, Watch Tower, Koran, astrology, or new age teachings do today.]
The most dangerous part of their belief system [-heresy] was the deprecation of Christ, which subtly denied the supremacy of Jesus. In fact, Colossians is the most Christ-centered book in the entire Bible. That’s one of the reasons we’re studying it right now. In the midst of our cultural confusion about Christ, we must come back to His absolute superiority and preeminence.
We live in a world - much like that of the Colossian Christians. There’s a lot of mixing of views today, isn’t there? People borrow a little from this and a little from that. I call it “pop theology.” It comes from movies, MTV, books and philosophies that have their root in the same beliefs that surfaced in Colossae.
It is a world where a lot of people and groups - though they aren’t necessarily against Jesus - they don’t feel that Jesus is sufficient enough to guide their life. Jesus is important, but not central. Jesus is prestigious, but not preeminent.
Paul under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit - wrote this letter to let the Colossian Christians know, and to let every generation and culture since the first century, know, in no uncertain terms - that Jesus Christ is supreme. He is the center of creation and of life! Jesus is all we truly need. The sufficiency of Christ is the theme of the Book of Colossians.
Let’s initiate our study of the Book of Colossians by looking at:
I. THE AUTHOR, 1.
II. THE CITY COLOSSAE, 2b.
III. THE CHURCH AT COLOSSAE, 2a.
IV. THE BLESSING/GREETING, 2c.
For practicality in writing a scroll, Paul identifies himself as he does all his letters in his greeting. “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
Following the practice of correspondence in the ancient world, Paul begins the letter with his name. Paul was the most important and influential person in christian history since our Lord Jesus Christ. His personality was the remarkable combination of a brilliant mind, an impressive will, and a tenderized heart. Jewish ancestry emerized him in Old Testament Scripture, made him, a “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Phil. 3:5), and a Pharisee (Phil. 3:5). Paul was educated under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), one of the leading rabbis of that time. He was also by birth a Roman citizen (Acts 22:28) and exposed to Greek culture in his home city of Tarsus. Such a background rendered him uniquely qualified to communicate the gospel in the Greco-Roman world. It was largely his efforts that transformed Christianity from a small Palestinian sect to a religion with adherents throughout the Roman Empire. The church would be blessed to have record of even one letter from such a man, let alone the thirteen found in the New Testament.
So that his authority in the Church would be recognized, Paul presents himself as one being officially sent out by the Anointed Savior or an apostle of Jesus Christ. His appointment and authority came directly from Jesus Christ. Apostolos means “sent one” and in the New Testament is used as an official title of the men God uniquely chose to establish His church and the receivers, teachers, and writers of God’s final revelation—the New Testament. He is not simply a messenger, but an official representative, an authorized spokesman for the One who sent him. What he writes in this letter is not merely his opinion, but God’s authoritative Word.
We do not call people apostles today. Probably the closest we might have would perhaps be a missionary church planter, but even then they are not apostles for they have not received the gift of apostleship personally from Jesus Christ Himself.
Nor did Paul become an apostle through his own efforts. Neither was he appointed to the position by any human organization. Paul was called and anointed as an apostle by the will of God. God, having chosen him long before, brought His sovereign choice to realization with that most striking of conversions on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1–9). It climaxed in his being set apart for missionary service by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2).
Paul, as was his custom, mentions a co-laborer who was with him when he wrote: Timothy our brother. (Timothy is also included in the introductions to 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon). He was a companion and disciple of Paul. Such a reference does not indicate co-authorship of those epistles. Peter is certainly clear that the epistles bearing Paul’s name were written by Paul (2 Pet. 3:15–16).
Paul understood the importance of partnership in ministry. Timothy was not an apostle but was extremely close to Paul. Paul had a unique and special confidence in and love for Timothy. Timothy had ministered to him for many years, ever since they first met on Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 19:22). Although Paul was now a prisoner, faithful Timothy was still with him. Perhaps no passage expresses Paul’s feelings about his young friend more clearly than Philippians 2:19–22: “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know of his proven worth that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.”
Despite his many strengths, Timothy was prone physically sickness (1 Tim. 5:23) and weakness. He even had an experience in Ephesus when he was timid, hesitant, perhaps ashamed and disloyal to his gift and duty, and was in need of encouragement and strength (2 Tim. 1:5–14). Still, no one served Paul as faithfully in spreading the gospel (Phil. 2:22). He was Paul’s true child in the faith (1 Cor. 4:17). It was to Timothy that Paul wrote his final letter (2 Timothy) and passed the mantle of leadership (2 Tim. 4).
[Summation: He joins Paul on his Second Missionary Journey (Acts 16:1-4; 17:14-15; 1 Thess.1:1; 3:2,6; 2 Thess. 1:1) & is also with Paul on his Third Missionary Journey (Acts 19:22; 20:4; 2 Cor. 1:1,19). He is with Paul in his Roman imprisonment (Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; Phmn. 1)
His special work was as Paul’s representative. Remained in Berea (Ac.17:13-14). He was sent to Macedonia (19:22). He was sent to Corinth (1 Cor. 4:17). He was sent to Philippi (Phil. 2:19) and to Thessalonica (1 Thess. 3:2,6), & also to Ephesus (Acts 19:22).]
[From apostolic times until the rise of liberal higher criticism in the nineteenth century, the church accepted the Pauline authorship of Colossians. The arguments for rejecting the authenticity of Colossians are unconvincing. They cannot stand in the face of the internal and external testimony to Paul’s authorship.
The external testimony to Colossians’ authenticity is impressive. Such leaders of the early church as Eusebius, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Irenaeus all attest to its Pauline authorship. There is no evidence that anyone doubted Colossians’ authenticity before the nineteenth century.]
The date assigned for the writing depends on where Paul was imprisoned when he wrote Colossians. Colossians, Philippians, Ephesians, and Philemon are known as the prison epistles. [Three possibilities have been suggested for the site of that imprisonment: Caesarea, Ephesus, and Rome. See John MacArthur, NT Commentary: Colossians & Philemon. Moody. P 4 for argument.]
The letter to the Colossians most likely as written about AD 60 while Paul was a prisoner in Rome. It was probably requested by Epaphras to help with some problems that had cropped up in the church. This might surprise you – every church has problems! Why? Because every church has people.
Wouldn’t it be great if life came with a manual? I mean, when a problem came up you could open the manual to page so-and-so and wow, there’s the solution! Well, that’s what the Bible is, a manual for living. That’s why so much of the New Testament was recorded, to help us with our problems. Paul was one of God’s great problem solvers and he wrote down solutions for the churches to follow.
Colossians breaks down the problems apparent in their church and gives solutions. That it was preserved and placed in the Bible means that God recognized we would experience problems like these and could benefit from these words of Paul, too.
In a generalized way, Paul says three things to the church at Colosse:
Your Savior is Supreme
Your Salvation is Simple
You are Saved for Service
II. THE CITY COLOSSAE, 2b.
Next in verse 2 we find the first recipients of this letter. To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae:
The first recipients of the letter lived in Colossae. Colossae was a city in what is today the country of Turkey. By the time Paul wrote the once major city of Colossae had become a small city located in-land about 100 miles from the Mediterranean Coast, 120 miles east of Ephesus and 7 miles away from the city of Laodicea (2:1, 4:13-16) mentioned in the Revelation.
Colossae was part of the Roman province of Asia (Minor), in what is now part of Turkey. Colossae was located on the Lycus River, not far from its junction with the Maeander River. At Colossae the Lycus Valley narrowed to a width of about two miles, and Mount Cadmus, some eight thousand feet high, towered over the city. This beautiful river valley was strategically located near two mountain ranges (Cadmus rises steeply to the south and the Mosssyna Range to the north). Thus the highway that link east with west (Asia) Ephesus with (Antioch) Syria ran through it.
The fertile volcanic soil around Colossae made it an excellent location for grass and vegetation. On it’s slopes grazed huge flocks of sheep making it a center for the manufacturing of wool garments.
Colossae was already a great city when the Persian king Xerxes (Ahasuerus in the book of Esther - her husband) marched through it in 481 B.C. [Xenophon wrote in 401 B.C. “A city inhabited and prosperous and great.”] It was situated at the junction of the main trade routes running east from Ephesus and north to Pergamos. In Roman times, however, the road to Pergamos was rerouted through Laodicea, bypassing Colossae. That, coupled with the rise of its neighboring cities, Laodicea and Hierapolis, led to the decline in importance of Colossae. [John MacArthur. NT Commentary. Colossians & Philemon. Moody.1992. P 5.]
The area was prone to earthquakes. Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis were devastated by one about A.D. 60, though they were quickly rebuilt. In Paul’s day it was a small city, over-shadowed by its more prosperous neighbors. Largely abandoned by the eighth century, Colossae was destroyed in the twelfth century. Archaeologists have found the remains of the acropolis, theater, and church. The site is currently unoccupied.
The People of Colossae
The spiritual health of the city sounds much like almost any city in America today meaning that there was a hodge-podge of beliefs – a pluralistic society. [In other words there existed a diversity of ethnic groups or different cultures with a variety of philosophies concerning religion, politics, and life.]
Since Colossae was founded long before the expansion of the Greek and Roman Empires it was less Helenistic that its neighboring cities. The population of Colossae was predominantly Gentile (2:13), but there was a sizable Jewish community. Antiochus the Great (223–187 B.C.) transported Jewish settlers to the region. Other Jews were drawn by the trade in wool and other business ventures. Still others came for the mineral baths at nearby Hierapolis. Because Colossae had a mixed Gentile and Jewish population, it is not surprising that the heresy threatening the Colossian church contained Jewish and pagan elements. [Ibid. 5.] [Many of these Jews had become idol worshipers as the Talmud complained, “The wines and baths of Phrygia have separated the tem tribes from Israel.” Also indicating that Jewish refuges from the Babylonian Empire had been located there.]
III. THE CHURCH AT COLOSSAE, 2a.
Luke tells us that during Paul’s three-year stay in Ephesus on his third missionary journey, “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord.” It was at this time that the churches in Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae got their start. The man who founded them was not Paul, since he included the Laodiceans and Colossians among those who had never seen him in person (2:1). Nor does the book of Acts mention Paul’s founding a church at Colossae, or even visiting there. The man God used to found the church at Colossae was Epaphras. In Colossians 1:5–7 we learn that the Colossians had heard the gospel from him. Epaphras was a native of Colossae (4:12) who was probably converted to Christ while visiting Ephesus during Paul’s stay there. He then returned to his city and began the church. He was vigilant in prayer and loyal to the point of being will to suffer whatever hardships necessary to serve the church as Christ’s ambassador. [The Church met in the home of Philemon.]
[OCASSION. Epaphras actions brought about the writing of the letter. During Paul’s imprisonment Epaphras, the pastor of the Colossian Church made the 1,000-1,200 mile trip to converse with him. His favorable report on the church also made Paul painfully aware of the two main dangers the church was facing. First immoral vices/actions were creeping in and allowed to continue. Second, man made philosophies were being exalt above Christ. They need to more fully realize the exalted nature and unmatched glory of
Christ.
Still] Paul addresses the church as the saints and faithful brethren… who are at Colossae. Saints and faithful brethren are not two distinct groups but are equivalent terms. And [kai] could be translated, “even.” The church is a special kind of family made up of “saints.” Hagios, which translates saints or holy ones, refers to separation, in this case being separated from sin and set apart to God. They are called saints or holy not because they are distinguished from others by their moral and spiritual qualities, or by their own efforts to please God, but because they have received and responded to a divine calling, they are set apart by belonging to Christ. We are saints by virtue of our position in Christ. We are transformed into a holy people by a holy God.
Saints are those who have been set apart by God to glorify Him. They are the “dedicated” or consecrated ones whose task it is to proclaim God’s excellencies (1 Pet 2:9). Faithful believers are also public witnesses.
They are called “saints and brethren in Christ” because they were genuine. They were real. They weren’t playing a game. They were faithful brethren. We too are saints because we belong to Christ. We have been called and we are to be faithful to that call.
The letter is addressed to those “in Christ.” “In Christ” is a phrased used by Paul more than 160 times in various forms. It emphasizes the spiritual position of believers. They are “in Christ meaning the are united with Christ, joined to Him as limbs are joined to the body. [Curtis Vaughan. The Expositor’s Bible Com. Vol 11. Colossians. Zondervan. 1979. P 172-3]
IV. THE BLESSING / GREETING, 2c.
The greeting or salutation continues and becomes a pronounced blessing. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”
Paul didn’t use the customary Greek salutation “hail or greetings,” which can mean something like “hey” or “what’s up?” Instead, he chose “grace.” Grace is God’s unmerited favor or enablement and peace is what results when God’s grace is received. Grace produces enabling and well-being. Grace is God’s provision for the Christian life. Peace is the enjoyment of those provisions. If someone does not have peace in their life, it may be because they’ve not yet experienced grace.
Peace -shâlôm (Judg 19:20; Jn. 14:27, Phil. 4:7) is the assurance of reconciliation through the blood of the Cross. Grace and peace - are in Christ. Only God the Father can offer grace and peace. Grace always precedes peace. When we receive grace, we will have peace with God, then we’ll experience the peace of God and we’ll have the means to bring both elements of peace to others.
Grace to you and peace was the greeting Paul used to open all [thirteen of] his letters. Inasmuch as God is the source of both, Paul says those two blessings are derived from our great God and Father.
Ultimately the Roman Empire couldn’t deliver peace [Pax Romana]. Historians say Rome fell in 476 AD when the last Roman emperor was deposed. Neither will our Western society ever bring perfect and lasting peace. Peace comes when we are reconciled to God—not to culture, and not to ‘powers and principalities’ which capture us through deceptive philosophy. Peace comes when we are reconciled to Christ and so at the heart of the letter to the Colossians is the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ—whether it be for those living in first century Asia Minor, or for us living in 21st century
CONCLUSION
Colossians is one of Paul’s shortest letters but also one of the most exciting. We’re encouraged to explore the treasures of the gospel and to order our lives accordingly under the lordship of Christ. We’ll see that wrong thinking and doctrine always leads to wrong living. While we’re going to go through it section by section, it’s important to keep in mind that this letter is meant to be read as a whole. Colossians 4:16 encourages us to read it out loud. In order to fully comprehend it, you might want to consider reading the entire book a couple times each week for the next four months.
C: My Documents /Colossians /Col 1, 1-2
