The Letters to the Colossians and Philemon

The Letters to the Colossians and Philemon

Alle Kiski School of Biblical Studies

To Know Him and His Glory

Course Title:

The Letters to the Colossians and Philemon

Certificate of New Testament Studies Three, Course 1

Student Name _______________________________________Date ______________

The Letters to the Colossians and Philemon

Alle-Kiski School of Biblical Studies

* Bible verses used throughout this lesson are from some or all of the below translations. Where we referred to a particular verse from a certain translation, or directly quoted it, we have used abbreviations to show what translation was used. We also used two other Bible aids throughout the course, and they are also below. Specific sources are listed after each lesson.

21KJV

21st Century King James Version Scripture

CEV

Contemporary English Version® CEV

Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission. All rights reserved. American Bible Society, 1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023 (www.americanbible.org).

CEB

Common English Bible

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible. All rights reserved. Common English Bible, P.O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37202-0801
( www.commonenglishbible.com )

ESV

English Standard Version (ESV)

The "ESV"; and "English Standard Version" are trademarks of Good News Publishers. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Good News Publishers. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

God’s Word Bible (GW)

HCSB

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

KJV

King James Version (also known as ‘The Authorized Version’)

1611. Public Domain.

NCV

New Century Version (NCV)

Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved." "Bible text from the New Century Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000."

PHIL

New Testament in Modern English. (PHIL)

J.B. Phillips. Touchstone (January 1, 1996)

AMP

The Amplified Bible. (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,

Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

MSG

The Message Bible (MSG)

NASB

The New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

NIV

The New International Version (NIV)

NKJV

The New King James Version (NKJV)

NLT

The New Living Translation (NLT)

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

STRONGS

Strong’s Analytical Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

James Strong. Nashville, TN

Certificate of New Testament Studies Three, Course 1

The Letter to the Colossians

Lesson 1: Colossians - Introduction

It was a city that disappeared—and yet the faith of the people of God in the church there still encourages us today. Colossae, a city that was once located in what is now southwestern Turkey, had been heavily populated because of the agricultural business that thrived there. The main product that put it on the map was lustrous, black wool. Colossae and its fertile valley were part of an important trade route that led through a nearby mountain pass and stretched from Ephesus on the Aegean Sea to the Euphrates River in the east. The trade route made it possible for goods to be transported from the Middle East to Asia, including India.

But when the Romans conquered this area, they built their road system that bypassed Colossae and instead favored the other nearby cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. By 60AD, Colossae’s economic life was draining away, and today, the once lively city is merely a mound of rubble, uninhabited and cloaked in centuries of dirt. It had suffered serious damage from an earthquake shortly after Paul sent his letter to the Ephesians, around Nero’s ninth year as emperor. Later rebuilt, it never regained its prominence and became similar to a small town. Colossae was invaded in the 7th and 8th centuries by Sarecen (Arab Muslim) tribal raiders. It was completely demolished in the 12th century by the Turks (Turkish Muslim tribes who joined together in force and later became the Ottoman Empire).

Before Paul’s letter to the Colossians was ever written, sometime between 50AD and 61AD, a man named Epaphras began preaching the good news of Jesus Christ in the towns of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis. He may have possibly been from that area—it is unclear. But what is certain is that Epaphras became a man of God who was faithful in prayer and a beloved, close friend of Paul. Paul may have even been influential in sending him to preach the Gospel among the Gentiles (Matthew Henry.)

Epaphras’ preaching of the Gospel in Colossae took root in people’s hearts (Col. 1:7) and believers began meeting in the home of a man named Philemon (Philemon 1:2). The small house church turned into a strong church of faith. It flourished and became well-known in the area (Col. 1:4-5.)

Epaphras later met up with Paul again and told him about the church at Colossae and what it was facing. Paul didn’t know the people in the Colossian church, because he had never visited it. However, he hoped to visit the city in the near future. We know this is true because he asked Philemon to get a place ready for him to stay (Philemon 1:22).

At the time Colossians was written, Paul had been arrested and placed under house arrest in Rome. House arrest in Rome permitted Paul to have a certain measure of freedom, because he was a Roman citizen. He was in an actual house and guarded by Roman soldiers. But his friends, such as Epaphras, could come and go as they pleased. Paul could write and speak freely, even to the Roman soldiers, and his friends were unhindered in carrying his correspondence. Epaphras was allowed to help attend to Paul’s needs.

The Colossian church may have been thriving, but Epaphras had some concerns about them. False conceptions about God—heresies—had seeped into the churches in that area. The common misconception among non-Christians there was that religion was separate from leading a righteous life. Instead, it was more about protecting against evil spirits. Three different religions had mixed together to produce a clouded understanding of God. Oriental mysticism, Greek thought (philosophies and intellectualism) and the legalism from Judaizers colored the way people saw God, angels, daily living and even their own bodies. It involved rituals and diets and sometimes strict, austere and severe ways of life.

But this made man the center of everything, not Christ. The whole focus was on man. The problem with these religions were that they were either about man doing what he could to make himself right with God, or they were about man doing and living whatever way he wanted. It was not about being conformed into the image of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Trying to mix Christ into this man-made religious prison was impossible. Anybody who tried to do so had to essentially change Who He is and what He did on the cross for us.

This is why Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit, wrote the letter to the Colossians (sometime between 60-63AD). These Colossian believers were dear to Epaphras, and they became dear to Paul. Both men had been praying that the Lord would increase their knowledge of Him, give them wisdom and strengthen them (Col. 1:9-11.) Paul wanted to make sure they continued in their faith.

For the Colossians to continue to grow in Christ, Paul had to counteract these heresies, and particularly the influence of Jewish legalism. The only way to do that was to teach the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ—that He is first and foremost in everything and their true identity is in Christ alone. Their relationship to God was not dependent on what they did or did not do, but on what Christ had already done. His work on the cross was enough. His sacrifice was perfect, His divine nature majestic and glorious.

Sources:

__________

http://www.bible-history.com/maps/romanempire/Colossae.html

http://holylandphotos.org/browse.asp?s=1,3,7,23,62

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: http://biblehub.com/summary/colossians/1.htm

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia.

http://www.pilgrimtours.com/greece/info/colossae.htm

Laodicea and Its Neighbors.

Sherman E. Johnson. Biblical Archaeologist 13, no. 1 (1950): 5-7

http://www.pilgrimtours.com/greece/info/colossae.htm

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible. Provided by Public Domain. An abridgment of the 6 volume Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Bible

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

The New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The New Unger's Bible Dictionary.

Lesson 1: Introduction – Questions

1. Describe the likely conditions of Paul’s house arrest in Rome:

2. What 3 different religions had mixed together to produce a clouded understanding of God in Colossae?

3. The problem with these religions was that they made the center of

everything, not .

4. Why did Paul have to counteract the heresies facing the Colossian church?

5. What did Paul have to teach to counteract these heresies?

Lesson 2: Colossians 1 – The Hope of Glory

It is important that you read Colossians 1 before you read the rest of this lesson. It is God’s Word and reading it is the first step to hiding it in your heart. Just reading the lesson will only give you an overview and not the actual Living Word of God.

The Testimony of the Colossian Church

Even though Paul had never been to the Colossian church, he had heard about them. The reports of their faith in God and love for each other had spread throughout the region. The news of the testimony of this strong church gladdened the hearts of Paul and the other missionaries. Paul often thought about the Colossians and prayed for them. Their faithfulness to preach the Gospel caused Paul and the others to constantly give thanks in their prayers for the faith and love of the Colossians (Col. 1:4). This kind of prayer was not just a devoted time of prayer before God, but also part of a daily ongoing conversational relationship with God (Col. 1:9).

Paul was pleased to hear that they were leaning on Christ. The Colossians’ faith was made evident by their “absolute confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness” (v4, AMP). These brethren were “accurately and intimately acquainted” (v6, AMP) with God’s grace and were producing good fruit for the Kingdom of God as they stood strong “in the hope of experiencing what was laid up for them in Heaven” (v5, AMP).

Having Absolute Trust and Confidence in God

The Colossians were a good example of what exercising faith looks like. The Amplified Bible in verse 4 defines their faith as: “the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness.” Confidence in God’s power, wisdom and goodness is essential to faith. It is impossible to have absolute confidence in God without believing that God is all-powerful, all-wise and all-good.

We can’t base our confidence in God on our own understanding. It is human nature to have to understand something so we can believe in it. But God’s Word says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). We don’t have to understand what God is doing or how He is doing it, but we do have to trust Him. Most of the time, unless He tells us, we don’t even understand what He’s doing. And because we don’t understand what He is doing, things don’t always turn out the way we expect. But then, His ways are not our ways, and His understanding is far beyond us. Two things we are always sure of: 1. He is the Sovereign Lord in charge and 2. He is always right.

The only way we can trust and have absolute confidence in God is to put our trust in Who God is. We have to believe He is all-powerful and can do anything. We have to believe God is all-wise and always knows the right thing to do—and the exact timing to do it. And we have to believe He is all-good and takes what the enemy means for evil and uses it for good. In fact, He works all things for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).

Consider this:

· If we believe He has the power and wisdom, but not the goodness, then we are left with a god who has the power and the smarts to do whatever He likes in our life—but we won’t be sure of His intentions towards us, and we won’t be positive that He really cares about us

· If we believe He has the wisdom and goodness, but not the power, then it doesn’t matter how smart and how good He is, He can’t produce

· If we believe He has the goodness and power, but not the wisdom, then we won’t be sure He’s doing what’s right and best for us