SCRIPTURE STUDY
The Letter of Colossians
A map of the southwest portion of Asia Minor - modern day Turkey - depicting where many of the cities mentioned in Scripture are/were located, including Colossae. Courtesy of Logos Bible Software.
I am going to begin something out of a somewhat selfish root, using this medium as a means to an end. I regularly find it difficult to maintain a consistent and diligent study of God’s word without some sort of system or accountability. To assist in this and to help me in the study of God’s word, and growing a deeper more rich relationship with God (with the potential added benefit of others being edified in the process) I am going to use this venue as a “Bible Journal” with the aid of Logos Bible Software’s “Workflow” Bible Study Tool. To this end my goal is to be able to daily be in the Word and posting as I walk through a book of Scripture. This will be a very simple approach, with general observations made - verse by verse - and some take away questions to ponder on and grow in our faith in Christ.
I hope that you enjoy journeying with me, and if you so desire join me in the study of Colossians and leave your own observations in the comments!
COLOSSIANS 1:1–8 (CSB)
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:
2To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters. Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints
5because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel
6that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace.
7You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,
8and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.
OBSERVATIONS:
V1 - Paul is an apostle (sent one) but also Apostle proper, by God's will. God's sovereignty on display.
V2.1 - Paul writes to the Christian's in Colossae, a city found in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) about 120 miles east of Ephesus.
V2.2 - These brothers and sisters are mentioned, not only brothers. They are commended for their faithfulness to Christ. Paul also commends to these brothers and sisters grace and peace FROM God who, being in the family of Christ, is now their father.
V3 - Paul begins by reminding the church that they (him and Timothy) are incessantly (always) giving thanks to God the Father - notice an application of two persons of the trinity emerging - but also specifically in the poignant prayers for the church at Colossae specifically.
V4 - They give prayers of thankfulness to God for the churches faith in Christ which they have heard about and for the love which the church has displayed for "all the saints"; whether this be globally or isolated to all in Colossae is not certain, but can be assumed to be both since this love has reached Paul, and certainly wouldn't have reached him while being absent in the local assembly.
V5 - The previously mentioned love that these saints display is rooted in hope. The hope and faith they have in Christ Jesus, and more specifically the "hope that is reserved for [them] in heaven", which they heard about through the "word of truth", which Paul specifically calls the gospel. There is much here, e.g. connections to what the word of truth is, what the gospel is, the hope of the gospel, et al.
V6.1 - The hope and therefor gospel is bearing fruit throughout the whole world, due to God's working in men's hearts upon the hearing of it and true appreciation of God's grace.
V6.2 - It is a true appreciation for God's grace shown to the Colossians through truth of the gospel which enables fruit to sprout, grow and flourish.
V6.3 - This would be a likely prooftext for those who hold a postmillenial eschatological perspective.
V7.1 - Epaphras was a faithful messenger of this gospel and fellow slave of God, loved deeply by Paul, not for his own benefit but instead out of love for the people to whom he was ministering. Even further, he loves Paul to such an extent that he brought back the fruitful message of the church in Colossae so that Paul would be encouraged.
V7.2 - ... the fruit of the spirit is love... It would appear here that the church in Colossae exhibits a true depiction of a fruit of the Spirit working in them, of which it is the greatest - love.
SYNOPSIS:
Paul and Timothy introduce their letter to the Colossians with praise to God and bestowing of grace and peace to them because of the faithfulness of the Colossian church and the love which they have shown to the body of Christ, which spurs from a hope they have which was made known to them through the proclaiming of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
QUESTIONS:
1) How often do we look around at the church and praise God for it?
2) Do we bless the church around us with praises of grace and peace, or do we live in turmoil and strife with them?
3) Are we prone to give thanks to God because of the faith and love that we witness being displayed in the church?