Letter to the Colossians

Paul sent his letter to the Colossians between 58 and 62 AD. The church in Colossae was struggling with its understanding about Jesus Christ, so Paul delivered a comprehensive teaching on his identity. In one verse, Paul said:

 

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.

(Colossians 1:15-16)

Paul then went on with a sort of ethics lesson, warning against mixing pieces of other religions and worldviews with Christianity.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

 

Although Colossae was the smallest of the three ancient cities in the Lycus Valley, Paul probably sent his letter to the church there because of his personal relationships with Epaphras and Philemon. Scripture tells us that Epaphras was the first Christian to preach the Gospel in Colossae and Philemon hosted a house church there.

There is a very short book in the New Testament called Philemon. It is a letter from Paul and Timothy to their friend, Philemon, who was living at Colossae. It is one of those short books in the Bible with a number of weird names that some have a tendency to just skip over. However, in the historical and geographical context of Colossae, Philemon becomes a more rewarding 500-word read.